Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

Venom Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov June 6, 2016

Piers Haggard's "Venom" arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of independent distributors Blue Underground. The supplemental features on the disc include original trailers for the film; promotional materials; and archival commentary by director Piers Haggard. The release also arrives with an 18-page illustrated booklet featuring Michael Gingold's essay "Filmmaking Bites: The Twisting, Turning History of "Venom". In English, with optional English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The elusive killer

They have a plan that will change their lives forever. They will kidnap an American boy (Lance Holcomb) living in London after his wealthy mother leaves him to his grandfather (Sterling Haydon, The Killing) for a few days and then demand to be paid a large amount of money. After the ransom is delivered, they will release the boy and quickly leave the country. They are Jacmel (Klaus Kinski, Nosferatu the Vampyre), a German criminal with a long record, Louise (Susan George, Dirty Mary Crazy Larry), who works as a maid in the house where the boy and his mother live, and Dave (Oliver Reed, The Brood), who is employed as a driver.

The plan works as intended, until the boy visits a local store and is accidentally given a black mamba instead of a harmless pet snake. Not long after he returns to the house, the black mamba bites Louise and escapes from the box where it was kept. For a while Jacmel and Dave attempt to remain focused on the job, but after the police surround the house and toxicology expert Dr. Marion Stowe (Sarah Miles, The Servant) is brought to make it very clear that they are trapped with the deadliest snake in the world, they are forced to begin improvising.

Piers Haggard’s Venom is based on a novel by Alan Scholefield that cannot possibly be equally effective. Indeed, words simply cannot accurately describe what one experiences when one sees the close-ups of the black mamba and then repeatedly endures the very moment when the deadly snake attacks and bites its victim. The mind's reactions to these images will always be more intense, unleashing an uncontrollable shock effect that one feels throughout one’s entire body. (This whole experience can be even more intense if one has a natural fear of snakes).

These reactions -- and let’s make it clear that even if one isn’t afraid of snakes, one will absolutely react when the black mamba attacks -- are what make Venom worth seeing. What happens between the criminals, the kid, his grandfather, and the authorities has been covered, and much better, in countless other films where criminals kidnap a valuable target and then demand a ransom. In other words, the real star in Venom is the elusive deadly snake, and what one really wants to know is what happens to it before the final credits roll.

Kinski and Reed look good together -- interestingly, according to director Haggard they did not get along well during the shooting process -- but it has to be said that occasionally the former visibly struggles with his lines. If Venom was a German production shot entirely in German, at some point Kinski almost certainly would have switched to overdrive mode, ensuring that the drama becomes much darker and a lot more intense. As it is, Venom at times feels a bit dated, in a way a lot of British thrillers from the late 1970s and early 1980s do.

The visuals from inside the house can be quite eerie, especially when light is restricted. Also, occasionally the camera imitates the movement of the black mamba, which is quite the nifty trick.

Venom was lensed by award-winning cinematographer Gilbert Taylor (Repulsion, Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope). The intense soundtrack was created by the always reliable Michael Kamen (Die Hard, Die Hard 2).

Venom Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Piers Haggard's Venom arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Blue Underground.

The transfer is somewhat inconsistent. To be clear, there are traces of light filtering that sporadically affect depth. Typically, the effects tend to become quite obvious during the darker footage, where shadow definition also isn't optimal. However, elsewhere, one can also spot unnatural softness that has affected clarity and fluidity (see screencapture #10). The good news is that no recent attempts have been made to resharpen and repolish the film. Colors are stable and appear natural, but it is clear that there are some nuances that are missing. Overall image stability is excellent. There are no large debris, damage marks, cuts, stains, or warped frames to report. My score is 3.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

Venom Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are three standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit) English: Dolby Digital 5.1 EX, and English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit). Optional English SDH, French, and Spanish subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I viewed the film with the DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track. Depth and clarity are very good. Separation and balance are excellent as well. Dynamic intensity is rather modest, but there are a few action sequences where dynamic movement is really quite wonderful for a film of this caliber. The dialog is clean, stable, and always very easy to follow. There are no pops, cracks, audio dropouts, or digital distortions to report.

Venom Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original trailer for Venom. In English, not subtitled. (2 min, 1080p).

• Teaser Trailer - original teaser trailer for Venom. In English, not subtitled. (1 min, 480/60i).

• TV Spots - three original TV spots for Venom. In English, not subtitled.
  
  1. TV Spot One (30 sec.)
  2. TV Spot Two (30 sec.)
  3. TV Spot Three (30 sec.)

• Poster & Still Gallery - a collection of original posters, press book clips and articles, stills, lobby cards, VHS covers, and DVD covers. The collection was compiled by Gregory Chick.

• Commentary - this audio commentary by director Piers Haggard was also included on Blue Underground's old DVD release of Venom. It is quite wonderful. The director spends a great deal of time explaining how difficult it was to manage the egos of the actors he had to work with, how various sequences were shot (and some things he could not do because the script was negotiated in a certain way), the atmosphere of the film, etc.

• Cover - reversible cover with original poster art.

• Booklet - 18-page illustrated booklet featuring Michael Gingold's essay "Filmmaking Bites: The Twisting, Turning History of "Venom".

Venom Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Venom can be seriously scary at times. It was intended to be a crime thriller, but it is very effective as a contemporary neo-gothic thriller. Apparently, it was remastered in 2K, but I think that it can definitely look better in high-definition. Blue Underground's Blu-ray release retains the old and very good audio commentary with director Piers Haggard. RECOMMENDED.