6.5 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.0 | |
Overall | 2.0 |
Dr. Maynard tells Dr. Terry Evans and his nurse, Susan Drake, about the theft of ten pints of blood from his lab. Later, he is visited by Ormand Murks, a man Maynard had once had committed to an insane asylum and who later died from an operation, and Maynard learns that Murks is an example of living death whose abnormality is counter-acted only by blood. The doctor soon becomes Murk's unwilling blood donor. Murks' brother Fred threatens to expose him and he too is murdered. Terry and Susan find Maynard's body near an abandoned graveyard and this leads them to an estate where a partially obscured sign reads:"Murks Bros.,Undertakers." Susan is kidnapped.
Starring: Robert Livingston (I), Lorna Gray (I), Ian Keith (I)Horror | 100% |
Drama | 27% |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.37:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
English: LPCM 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region B (A, C untested)
Movie | 2.0 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 2.0 |
Note: This film is available on Blu-ray as part of the Silver Screams Cinema Collection.
With Halloween sneaking up on us all in just a few more weeks, some may be looking for some scary movies to fill the interim and properly set the
mood. Imprint's Silver Screams Cinema Collection may not in fact offer any undiscovered masterpieces, but it's kind of a goofily fun time
capsule which can transport willing viewers back to a simpler era when low budget (some may aver no budget) studios like Monogram and
Republic churned out B movies with some kind of horror underpinning which were frequently utilized to fill out double feature bills. The six
films aggregated in this set span the production years of 1944 to 1957, and if the films themselves are often unabashedly silly, they can at least
intermittently offer some saving graces, and there are a ton of interesting trivia tidbits about some of the films included, some of which I'll mention in
the individual reviews linked to below, which, when combined with some really enjoyable commentaries included for each of the films (including some
multiple commentaries), may make this set a
"must buy" for certain fans.
Valley of the Zombies is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Imprint and Via Vision Entertainment with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.37:1. This, along with Return of the Ape Man, represents the lower end of the quality spectrum in terms of overall appearance. Whereas I found parts of The Phantom Speaks's transfer to be a bit on the bright side, this one struck me as too dark a lot of the time, though that may be a perception derived at least in part from the fact that vast swaths of the film take place in dimly lit environments, as can probably be gleaned from several of the screenshots accompanying this review. That said, I'd probably rate this transfer as a bit better than Return of the Ape Man, at least in terms of a consistent appearance. Contrast is secure throughout the presentation, and even some rather dark scenes can offer decent levels of fine detail. Grain resolves naturally throughout. My score is 3.25.
Valley of the Zombies features an LPCM 2.0 Mono track that is, like several of the others in this set from this same general vintage, kind of inherently boxy sounding, but which provides capable support for dialogue, score and effects. There's a bit of background noise in some quieter moments, but I didn't encounter anything that struck me as a major issue. Optional English subtitles are available.
Valley of the Zombies offers Ian Keith a showcase (even if he hams it up to hyperbolic levels), but it breaks one of the cardinal rules of screenwriting by having characters talk about what has happened rather than depicting it. Now, some of that may have been dictated by censors of the time, but one way or the other Valley of the Zombies never really works up much in the way of scares. Video encounters some hurdles, but the two audio commentaries are very well done.
(Still not reliable for this title)
Directors Suite
1993
2009
1945
1986
2009
2013
Imprint #99
1964
2016
2020
2022