6 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Susan Jeremy goes to a local hospital for a routine examination. Once inside she discovers that someone doesn't want her to check out...unless it's in a body bag. A psychotic killer keeps her trapped inside the hospital, having fixed her x-rays to make it look like she has a terminal illness. Meanwhile, he brutally murders everyone she comes in contact with!
Starring: Barbi Benton, Jon Van Ness, Billy Jayne, Elizabeth Hoy, Judith BaldwinHorror | 100% |
Thriller | 13% |
Video codec: HEVC / H.265
Video resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
4K Ultra HD
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 2.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Masters of (many) disasters, Cannon Films wanted in on the growing trend of slasher movies, trying to make some “Halloween” and “Friday the 13th” money with their own take on the horrors of mystery killers and the victims they hate. 1983’s “X-Ray” brings a nightmare scenario to a hospital setting, with Playboy Playmate Barbie Benton hired to portray a woman experiencing a night of horrors as a simple trip for test results turns into a game of manipulation and survival. “X-Ray” is a cheapie and a quickie from director Boaz Davidson and writer Marc Behm, who have a mission to make something scary and simple for producers Yoram Globus and Menahem Golan, but they can’t even get that right with this clumsy take on obsession and murder. The production manages to come up with some sense of style during the knowingly precise 90-minute run time, but suspense isn’t invited to this endeavor, which mostly exists to prey on genre fans up for anything that involves occasional ultraviolence.
Previously released by Shout Factory in 2013, "X-Ray" returns with a new 4K presentation, sourced from the 35mm original camera negative. Colors are immediately striking, presenting deep blues with hospital lighting and reds with bloodshed and decoration. Cinematographic choices are preserved, securing moodier hues with attempts at style, and ample skintones are natural. Detail emerges with distinct textures on facial particulars and hospital uniforms. Hospital interiors are clear, showcasing medical gear and office decoration. Exteriors are dimensional. Delineation is precise, protecting shadowy movement and evening events. Grain is heavy but film-like. UHD source is in good condition, with some brief areas of damage.
The 2.0 DTS-HD MA mix provides clear dialogue exchanges throughout, capturing the somewhat strange acting choices going on here. Barbi Benton's repeated screaming fits don't reach distortive extremes, keeping thing balanced and appreciable. Scoring retains clean instrumentation, with strings and distinct piano, along with some brief stretches with a mouth harp. Sound effects are sound library basic but effective, and atmospherics are enjoyable.
"X-Ray" is incredibly dull, but there are a few achievements worth noting. Composer Arlon Ober has clearly been instructed to create a "Friday the 13th"-style score, which he does with refreshing enthusiasm. Cinematography by Nicholas Von Sternberg is unexpectedly lively, adding color and some unreality to the film, which needs all the personality and style it can get. And while Benton isn't a deep talent, she's fully committed to the cause, giving the material as much enthusiasm as she can muster, and she has the patience of a saint as Davidson brings the movie to a full stop to photograph her body parts, which brings some unintentional laughs to the viewing experience. "X-Ray" achieves a handful of creative successes, but the picture is mostly a drag, unable to conjure screen tension or provide imagination for stalk-and-kill sequences, keeping what little story is here crawling along as predictable things happen to one-dimensional people.
(Still not reliable for this title)
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Deluxe Edition | SOLD OUT
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Standard Edition
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Slipcover in Original Pressing
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Nightmares in a Damaged Brain
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2K Restoration
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Death Dorm / Pranks
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Slipcover in Original Pressing
1980