NEXT OF KIN (1981) (Umbrella Entertainment Blu-ray Review)

NEXT OF KIN (1981) 

Label: Umbrella EntertainmentRegion Code: Region-FREE
Rating: M
Duration: 89 Minutes
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 2.0, 5.1 with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080P HD Widescreen (1.77:1)
Director: Tony William
Cast: Alex Scott, Gerda Nicolson, Jacki Kerin, John Jarratt, Robert Ratti

After the passing of her estranged mother a young woman named Linda Stevens (Jacki Kerin) inherits her mum's Victorian mansion, which her mother turned into an assisted living home for senior citizens. The place is now being run by her mum's businesses manager and friend Connie (Gerda Nicolson, Gallipoli) and a doctor named Barton (Alex Scott, The Asphyx).

Linda takes over the running the place with Connie's kind help, but struggles emotionally, plagued by nightmares related to her upbringing there. She also rekindles a relationship with an old flame named Barney (John Jarratt, Wolf Creek), a local firefighter, so it's not all bad. After discovering her mom's diary she reads through it, learning that her mom believed the place might be haunted by a sinister spirit, with Linda experiencing her own strange happenings around the place, she also begins to suspect something evil might be lurking in the shadows home, and she's not wrong!  Her foreboding feeling is bolstered by the death of a resident who drowns in a bathtub, the discovery of his water-logged body is well shot, very surreal, and dripping with atmosphere, which this film has in spades. 

One of the home's residents in the estate's former gardener Lance (Charles McCallum), a man seemingly lost in a fog of senility, but while lucid he tells Linda about things that make her question the truth about the disappearance of her aunt years earlier. 

Next of Kin is a bit departure from the high-octane exploitation coming from down under at this time, what we get is an atmospheric film, peppered with a giallo-worthy amount of possible culprits, a film that's visually stylish, but can feel a bit sluggish, even though it clocks in at just 89-minutes, not the 86 minutes indicated on the sleeve. However, all sluggishness is forgiven with the amped-up final leg of the film that sprints to the finish line with a pulse-pounding fervor that I found highly satisfying.

The film is shot with an artful eye, lensed by cinematographer Gary Hansen (Harlequin) who brings a lot to the film, plus we have a tasty electronic score from from composer Klaus Schulze of Tangerine Dream, which adds another layer of atmospherics to the proceedings, both of which help distract you from a film that's very light on plot development, it's more of a visual and atmospheric stunner than a tightly scripted thriller, but I dig it a bunch.

Audio/Video: Next of Kin (1981) arrives on region-free Blu-ray from Umbrella Entertainment with a new 4K scan and restoration from the original camera negative, or maybe the interpositive, the blurb on the backside of the sleeve indicates the interpositive, but a title card on the disc indicates the OCN. Whatever the source it looks fantastic, looking clean aside from some white speckling. Colors are rich and saturated, blacks are deep, and grain looks natural, giving it a very filmic presentation. Fine detail can be impressive at times, and there's a nice depth to the image that is very pleasing.

Audio comes by way of English DTS-HD MA 2.0 Mono and Surround 5.1 with Optional English subtitles. Both are strong, offering crisp dialogue, with the electronic score from composer Klaus Schulze (Manunter)of Tangerine Dream) having some very nice presence on the surround option.

Extras for this release kick off with two audio commentaries, the first with Director Tony Williams and Producer Tim White, which covers the origin of the film, it beginning as a bit of a horror-comedy, the casting, and the technical aspects of the film, including the influence of European cinema. The second is with cast members John Jarratt, Jackie Kerrin, Robert Ratti, moderated by Mark Hartley (Not Quite Hollywood), with the cast sharing lots of stories and anecdotes about the making of the film, with Jarratt being a bit too candid at times. 

As with so many of these ozploitation classics coming from Umbrella we get extended interviews from the Not Quite Hollywood doc, the first with director Tony Williams talking about the origins of the project, how it evolved, and getting into the technical aspects of the film, how certain scenes were achieved and how a tracking shot during of the finale of the film was flubbed, with audiences assuming it as a bit of artful restraint. Then Jon Jarret shows up for about four minutes, speaking of how it was the first horror film he'd ever worked on, praising the cinematographer, and recalling the flubbed pyrotechnic tracking shot from the finale of the film.

There's also a 10-min 'Return to Montclare: Next of Kin Shooting locations revisited', providing some nice footage of Overnewton Castle, and other locations, there's no dialogue or narration on this one, just some fluid-looking drone footage with score from the film, this one being produced and partially lensed by director Jamie Blanks (Urban Legend).

The video footage of the deleted scenes for the film are assumed lost and/or destroyed, but what we have here in there place are a series of still images shot during production of those scenes with text describing each of them, truly a shame that this footage seemingly no longer exists.

We also get some vintage film work from the director, beginning with the complete ballroom dancing footage used in the film which was shot by director Tony Williams back in 1978, plus a pair of half-hour black and white short film he shot in the early 70s.

This disc is buttoned-up with a 10-min image gallery comprised of posters, promotional art and home video releases, behind-the-scenes stills, storyboards and press clippings. The disc is buttoned-up with the original theatrical trailer, a VHS trailer and the German trailer and opening credit sequence. 

The single-disc release comes housed in an oversized Blu-ray keepcase with a sleeve of reversible artwork featuring the original artwork and the more horror-centric U.S. artwork for the film, with the disc having the U.S. key artwork. 

Special Features: - Audio commentary with Director Tony Willams and Producer Tim White
- Audio commentary with cast members John Jarratt, Jackie Kerrin, Robert Ratti and Not Quite Hollywood Director, Mark Hartley.
- Return to Montclare: Next of Kin Shooting locations revisited (10 min) 
- Extended interviews from Not Quite Hollywood with Director Tony Williams (25 min) 
- Deleted Scenes (10 min) 
- Original Theatrical Trailer (3 min) 
- VHS Trailer (3 min) 
- German Trailer (3 min) 
- German Opening Credits (1 min) 
- 'Before the Night is Out' - Complete ballroom dancing footage from 1978 (2 min) 
- Image Gallery
- Tony Williams shorts from 1971: Getting Together (30 min) + The Day We Landed on the Most Perfect Planet in the Universe (30 min)

Umbrella's disc of Next of Kin (1981) offers a gorgeous transfer with a great set extras, fans of a slow-burn thrillers with artful, atmospheric lensing should dig into this one, a solid slice of ozploitation suspense, highly recommended.