HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY (1981) (Blue Underground 3-Disc Limited Edition Blu-ray Review/Comparison)

THE HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY (1981)  3-Disc Limited Edition 4K Restoration Label: Blue Underground Region Code: Region-FREE Rating: Unrated Duration: 86 Minutes Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1 Surround, English & Italian Mono 1.0 DTS-HD MA with Optional English Subtitles Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (2.40:1) Director: Lucio Fulci Cast: Catriona MacColl, Paolo Malco, Ania Pieroni, Carlo De Mejo, and Dagmar Lassander Read The Fine Print... You May Have Just Mortgaged Your Life! New Yorkers the Boyle family, Norman (Paolo Malco, The New York Ripper), his wife Lucy (Catriona MacColl, City of the Living Dead) and their young son Bob (Giovanni Frezza, Manhattan Baby) are about to move from NYC to rural New England so that Norman can continue the research of a colleague named Dr. Petereson. It turns out that Peterson killed himself in the very same mansion they're moving into, conveniently located right next to a Gothic cemetery. Even before moving into the eerie Victorian mansion the Boyle's son begins receiving supernatural warnings not to come to the house, not unlike little Danny Torrance from The Shining (1980). These warnings come from not a talking finger but from the freckle-faced child-spirit of Mae (Silvia Collatina), a young girl who even appears in some strange old pictures in a way that also mirrors that other film. The family begin to settle into the unsettled house and while doing some research Norman comes across the story of a local surgeon, the ridiculously named named Dr. Freudstein, a homicidal Victorian-era surgeon who lived in the same house, his crypt is built inside the the very same house, what could possibly go wrong!?! Fulci's House By The Cemetery (1981) is the third film in what is often refereed to as his Gates of Hell Trilogy, despite that fact that there is no portal to Hell anywhere to be found. There is however a creepy and grotesque looking undead mad-scientist in search of body parts that's silently creeping down in the basement, occasionally showing up to brutally murder visitors. The first kill in the film is a tasty one that starts the film off on a good note, a young woman (Daniela Doria, The New York Ripper) having just done the nasty with her boyfriend in the then uninhabited house finds her boyfriend brutally stabbed to death with a pair of scissors, before she can even scream a large kitchen knife thrust through the back of skull, the tip emerging from her mouth, a kill mirrored a few years later in the nutso-slasher Pieces (1983). The film may not be the graphic gore-fest that either of the previous Gates of Hell trilogy entries, but it has loads of creaky old dark house atmosphere with cobwebs galore and dusty interiors drenched in eerie shadows, it's got a wonderfully eerie haunted house vibe. That's not to say it not bloodless by any means, Fulci brings the sweet pain right from the get go with the young woman stabbed in the head, and continues it with some dazzling bloodletting, most notably an unfortunate real estate agent (Dagmar Lassander, Fulci's Black Cat) who is attacked with a fire-poker, unleashing a geyser of blood and tortured screams. Not all the special effects are fantastic though, even copious amounts of blood cannot disguise a hilariously awful bat-attack. More so than the atmosphere and visceral bloodletting I think this film is most notorious for the shrill English dubbing that has sort of made child actor Giovanni Frezza one of the most hated kids in all of horror cinema. The character was dubbed by a woman and the voice sounds like demon fingernails shredding a chalkboard, but that's not his fault, the kid does just fine, as does young Silvia Collatina (Murder Rock) as the spooky freckle-faced specter who befriends Bob. The main cast is strong, both Catriona MacColl and Paolo Malco were Fulci regulars and tun in solid performances, even if they both show suspect parental and decision making skills, deciding to stay in what s clearly a doom-house despite all the strange happenings leading up to the brutal finale.     Audio/Video: House By The Cemetery (1981) arrives on 3-disc Limited Edition 2xBlu-ray and CD from Blue Underground, presenting the film with a brand new 4K restoration sourced from the uncensored original camera negative. Again, we have Blue Underground absolutely killing it with their limited edition line-up, offering fans yet another definitive 3-disc edition of Fulci classic. The source for this looks pristine with a natural looking layer of velvety film grain, offering lush detail and texturing throughout, this is a vast improvement over what I've seen for this film previously. The gore scenes looks absolutely stunning, with blood appearing vibrant and unsettling, just the way we like it! Comparing this new color-grading with the previous 2011 Blue Underground Blu-ray reveals a warmer and broader color spectrum with more organic looking black levels, in addition to a bit of brightening. Something sure to catch the eye of those familiar with the film will be a strong teal slant, particularly in the opening few minutes, it's a bit startling at first glance, but with that said, the improvement in clarity, color spectrum, and texture eclipse the slight annoyance I have with the teal push. This is the most film-like looking presentation on home video that I've seen so far, check out the screenshot comparison of both the 2011 Blu-ray and this release at the bottom of the review.  Audio comes by way of English and Italian DTS-HD MA 1.0 Mono and a newly created English DTS-HD MA 5.1 Surround, with optional English subtitles. The mono tracks offer crisp reproduction, though there's only so much you can do with that infamously bad English-dub. The 5.1 offers a fuller-sounding mix that highlights the moody score from Walter Rizzati (1990: The Bronx Warriors) with some nice use of the surrounds. Blue Underground offer a wealth of extra material, both new and archival, beginning on the first disc with a new audio commentary from Troy Howarth, author of 'Splintered Visions: Lucio Fulci And His Films'. When it's come to Eurocult cinema Howarth always offers a studied and insightful audio-tour, giving his personal thoughts on the film alongside the facts and anecdotals. Here he digs into it deeply, commenting on the poetic atmosphere conjured by the film, highlights from Fulci's filmography, digging into the cast and crew, an f course touching on Fulci's misogynist reputation. The first disc wraps-up with both the International (4 min) and U.S. (2 min) theatrical trailers, a rough-looking TV spot, a brief 1-min deleted scene, and image galleries containing a tons of promotional material for the film from various territories. The second Blu-ray disc begins with over 88-min of archival extras from the previous 2011 release, interviews with stars Catriona MacColl, Paolo Malco, Giovanni Frezza, Silvia Collatina, Dagmar Lassander, Carlo De Mejo, and Giovanni De Nava, plus co-writers Dardano Sacchetti and Elisa Briganti, cinematographer Sergio Salvati, special make-up effects Artist Maurizio Trani and Gino De Rossi. These extras form a well-rounded examination of the film, it's themes and the sometimes difficult director, as well as the dubbing. New stuff begins with a 15-min interview with co-writer Giorgio Mariuzzo, and a 30-min Q&A with star Catriona MacColl from the 2014 Spaghetti Cinema Festival moderated by author Calum Waddell. The cherry on-top of this nightmare sundae is a 20-min discussion of the film from Stephen Thrower, Author of 'Beyond Terror: The Films of Lucio Fulci', who is always a delightful source of knowledge in all things Euro-cult, we even get a brief then and now location visit toward the end. This three-disc limited edition release comes housed in a clear over-sized Blu-ray keepcase with three trays housing the 2xBlu-ray and CD discs, plus a 20-page booklet containing a new essay, "Freudsteinian Slips", by Michael Gingold, complete with lobby cards and movie poster images, plus cast and crew info, chapter selections for the film and a track listing for the accompanying CD. This release comes with a reversible wrap featuring a pair of original movie posters. The keepcase is housed by a cool 3D lenticular slipcase. I am absolutely loving these three-disc limited edition sets from Blue Underground, they look fantastic and are loaded with extras and high-grade packaging with lots of shelf appeal. Special Features: Disc 1 (Blu-ray) Feature Film + Extras - NEW! Audio Commentary with Troy Howarth, Author of Splintered Visions: Lucio Fulci and His Films - Deleted Scene (1 min)HD - International Trailers (4 min) - U.S. Trailer (2 min)HD - TV Spot (1 min)HD - Poster & Still Galleries Disc 2 (Blu-ray) Extras: - Meet the Boyles: Interviews with Stars Catriona MacColl & Paolo Malco (15 min)HD - Children of the Night: Interviews with Stars Giovanni Frezza & Silvia Collatina (13 min) HD - Tales of Laura Gittleson: Interview with Star Dagmar Lassander (9 min) HD - My Time With Terror: Interview with Star Carlo De Mejo (10 min)HD - A Haunted House Story: Interviews with Co-Writers Dardano Sacchetti and Elisa Briganti (15 min) HD - A Haunted House Story: Interviews with Cinematographer Sergio Salvati, Special Make-Up Effects Artist Maurizio Trani, Special Effects Artist Gino De Rossi, and Actor Giovanni De Nava (22 min) HD - NEW!House Quake - Interview with Co-Writer Giorgio Mariuzzo (15 min) HD - NEW! 2014 Catriona MacColl Q&A (3010) - NEW!Calling Dr. Freudstein - Interview with Stephen Thrower, Author of Beyond Terror: The Films of Lucio Fulci (20 min) HD Disc 3 (CD): - The House By The Cemetery Original Motion Picture Soundtrack by Walter Rizzati (31 Tracks) - 20-Page Collectible Booklet with new essay by Michael Gingold House By The Cemetery (1981) might not have the visceral edge or the otherworldly WTF-ery of The Beyond (1981) or City of the Living Dead (1980) but I love the dark old house vibe intertwined with undead surgeon and the ghost of a child, it's a solidly entertaining slice of vintage Fulci. Blue Underground have given us yet another definitive Fulci platter following definitive releases of both The New York Ripper and Zombie (1979). This is already an early contender for one of the best re-releases of 2020,  great start to the new year! Top: Blue Underground Blu-ray (2011) VS.  Bottom: Blue Underground Blu-ray (2020)

TENEBRAE (1982) (Synapse Blu-ray Review)

TENEBRAE (1982)

Label: Synapse Films
Region Code: A
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 101 Minutes
Video: 1080p Widescreen (1.85:1)
Audio: English and Italian Language DTS-HD MA Original Mono 2.0 Release Mixes with Optional English Subtitles
Director: Dario Argento
Cast: Anthony Franciosa, Christian Borromeo, Mirella D’Angelo, Veronica Lario, Ania Pieroni, Eva Robins, Carola Stagnaro, John Steiner, Lara Wendel, John Saxon, Daria Nicolodi, Giuliano Gemma, Mirella Banti, Ippolita Santarelli

After the one-two punch of the supernatural tinged fantasy horror of Suspiria (1977) and Inferno (1980) Dario Argento once again returned to the stylish black-gloved whodunit thriller genre which had brought him to prominence with a stylish video nasty that amped up the violence and brought a new vivid style to the sub genre with Tenebrae (1982). American murder mystery writer Peter Neal (Anthony Franciosa, Curse of the Black Widow) is a best-selling novelist throngs of devoted readers. At the story begins Neal arrives at an New York City on his way to Italy to promote his new novel 'Tenebre'. Shortly before his arrival in Italy a gorgeous young woman Elsa (Ania Pieroni, the Mother of Tears from Inferno) is caught shoplifting 'Tenebre' from a department store, she avoids a charge of petty theft by arranging to meet with the store loss prevention officer at her home for something most assuredly promiscuous. While walking home she is accosted by a horny bum who chases her down the street, she just barely escapes his grasp when she slams his hand in the apartment security gate. Inside her flat she is attacked by a razor-wielding maniac who crams pages from 'Tenebre' down her throat causing her to choke on the pulpy pages before her throat is slashed by the blade of a razor, the scene ends with a nice geyser of arterial spray. We're only a few minutes into the movie and the first kill is already something very special, and with that the murder mystery is underway

Arriving in Italy the author is joined in by his upbeat publicist Bullmer (John Saxon, Black Christmas), his personal assistant Anne (Daria Nicolodi, Shock) and a young Italian assistant named Gianni. While settling into his hotel room Neal receives a letter from the killer which was slipped under his door. The note indicates that 'Tenebre' has inspired his blood lust, the alarmed author phones the authorities and Detective Giermana (Guiliao Gemma, The Opponent) and his partner Inspector Altieri (Carola Stagnaro, Opera) arrive soon after, questioning the author about the note and how it may relate to the earlier murder of the shoplifter. Argento's borrows a page from his earlier works  wherein a visiting artist-type is immersed in a murder mystery, though Argento does throw a wrench into this one which switches up the dynamic a bit. Neal becomes entrenched in the investigation which puts those around him in danger, with a black gloved razor-slasher murdering what he calls "filthy, slimy perverts" from the face of existence.

Tenebrae (1982) is rightfully remembered for the acrobatic lensing of cinematographer Luciano Tovoli (Suspiria), particularly an elegant crane shot that ascends one side of a villa peering through the windows, continuing over the rooftop and down the opposite side revealing the black-gloved killer breaking into a first floor window. Once inside the killer dispatches of two young women, journalist Tilde (Mirella D'Angelo, Caligula) whom earlier had an angry confrontation with the author, and then her prostitute lover Maria (Lara Wendel, Zombie 5: Killing Birds). Both kills are iconic and have been used on numerous releases as cover art, this is classic stuff.

No one close to the author is safe, including the hotel manager's daughter Maria (Lara Wendell) whom after a disagreement with her boyfriend (director Michele Soavi, The Church) unwittingly wanders into the murderer's lair while escaping a vicious doberman pinscher. Improbably the murderer has conveniently left the key in the backdoor, allowing her entrance. Once inside she discovers photographs and mementos from the killings, when the murderer returns home, having forgotten the key 'natch, he is displeased by her presence and hacks her into pieces with an ax.

Throughout the film the killer is prone to bizarre flashbacks from his youth, images of being emasculated by a woman on a beach who mouth-rapes him with her red high heels, very odd stuff. Perhaps odder still is that the the woman is portrayed by transgender-actress Eva Robins (Masacra), who was born a male but due to a rare syndrome developed feminine characteristics during puberty, yet more weirdness on-top of weirdness, this is the kind of stuff you will only find in these Italian whodunits, love it.

During a TV interview with reporter Christiano Berti (John Steiner, Cut and Run) it becomes apparent that the reporter has an strange obsession with the writer after a series of oddball questions and statements. Later Neal recognizes a turn of phrase used by the reporter in the murderer's letter. Of course he does not call the authorities, instead Neal and his young assistant Gianni head to the reporter's home, the become separated and the assistant witnesses the reporter take an ax to the face, scared witless Gianni runs away and discovers Neal unconscious on the ground, apparently knocked unconscious by the unseen killer with neither man having seen who the killer was. Next publicist Bullmer is stabbed to death in broad daylight at a public square... and that is all I can say for fear of ruining the film for those whom are watching  this for the first time. 

That final disorienting moments of the movie are dazzling, beginning with the dismembering of an woman's arm that ignites a geyser of blood spray which paints a white wall a deep red, truly a vision of blood-red awesomeness that sets off a chain reaction of events that never fails to satisfy upon repeat viewings, the finale is a delirious tour de force of misdirection and bloodshed.

Tenebrae ends on a crazed, bloodcurdling scream that is the perfect punctuation to such a stylish, violent and classic slice of Italian whodunit horror. Argento's famous eye for horror also extends to his taste in gorgeous European women, the movie is heavy with sex appeal, including Ania Pieroni, Mirella D'Angelo and Lara Wendell, it is worth noting is that Tenebrae is one of Argento's more erotic-fueled outings. Unfortunately, longtime Argento collaborator and scream queen Daria Nicolodi is relegated to a smaller part here, she does what she can with the part, and her shrieking does provide the nerve-shattering crescendo to the whole affair. 

The stunning cinematography of Luciano Tovoli (Suspiria) is among the best of any Dario Argento film, gorgeous stuff. Noteworthy is that setting this movie apart from Argento's previous films Tenebrae is bathed in swaths of bright light instead of dark shadow, even the night shots are lit brightly, which look fantastic, such a stylish and sharp looking movie. Italian prog-rock band Goblin sadly do not appear on the score having disbanded in 1980 but three fourths of the band (minus the drummer) appear as Simonetti-Pignatti-Morante to score the movie, the electronic-synth-rock fusion is fantastic and is an integral part of the movies tone and atmosphere, as with all of Argento's movies it just wouldn't be the same without the score, fitting it like a black glove.

Audio/Video: This is not the first time Argento's Tenebrae has appeared on Blu-ray, having come to HD twice before from UK distributor Arrow Video. However, this Synapse restoration the best the movie has ever looked on home video in glorious HD. Synapse used the same HD Master as the Arrow Video Steelbook which was sourced from the original camera negative, then they went above and beyond with a brand new color correction and scene by scene restoration. Framed in the original 1.85:1 widescreen aspect ratio the movie looks simply wonderful, with the Luciano Tovoli (Suspiria) camerawork nicely preserved in wonderful HD with vibrant colors, deep blacks, a ore pure grain structure and an abundance of fine detail, very crisp and clean. 

The disc includes dual English and Italian language DTS-HD MA Mono audio tracks with newly-translated English subtitle tracks for both options. Dialogue and the awesome synth-rock score from Simonetti, Pignatelli and Morante sounds like an earful of audio nirvana, well-balanced and crisp.

Onto the exclusive Synapse extras we begin with an audio commentary from Maitland McDonagh, author of Broken Mirrors/Broken Minds: The Dark Dreams of Dario Argento. I love that we are getting an Argento commentary from a woman's perspective considering the accusations of cinematic misogyny on the part of Argento, particularly from someones as knowledgeable of the director as McDonagh. The conversation is a smart dissection of the movie which addresses the claims of misogyny, the score and the unusual setting/tone and style of the film. She also speaks about her personal experience obtaining bootlegs of Argento's movies back in the early '80s before they were widely available in the US, going so far as to hire a I translator who watched movies with her, translating the Italian dialogue into English. This is a loose and informed, a bit like a fun college lecture that I thought was right up there with other Argento expert commentaries from Kim Newman, Alan Jones and Thomas Rostock. I do hope Synapse brings her back for their upcoming Blu-ray releases of Suspiria and Phenomena.

The other exclusive extra on the disc is the High Rising Production movie length Giallo documentary Yellow Fever: The Rise and Fall of the Giallo featuring interviews with Maitland McDonagh, Directors Umberto Lenzi, Ruggero Deodato (House on the Edge of the Park), Richard,Stanley (Hardware) author and critics Michael Koven, Alan Jones, Kim Newman, screenwriters Dardano Sacchetti (The Beyond) and Jace Anderson (Mother of Tears), and of course Dario Argento himself. It begins with a nice definition of the black gloved killer sub genre, explaining the roots of the genre, going beyond influential directors like Hitchcock (Vertigo) and Mario Bava (Blood and Black Lace), but back to the mystery novels of Agatha Christie and Cornell Woolrich, American noir movies from the 1940s, the German movies of Edgar Wallace from the 1960s and  the influence of Italian director Michelangelo Antonioni (The Passenger) on Argento The doc is Argento-centric but does also touch on the movies of Lucio Fulci (Lizard in a Woman's Skin), Sergio Martino (Torso), Umberto Lenzi (Eyeball), Massimo Dallamano (What Have You Done to Solange?) and Also Lada among others.  During the bit on Fulco actress Barbara Boucher remembers the Maestro as being very difficult but well-planned, her interview is great, I love when she explains why she enjoyed playing bitches on film. This is great stuff, easily worth owning this disc just for the doc by itself, though this is not a definitive Giallo doc, as stated it tends to be very Argento-centric. .

Other extras on the disc include alternate opening credits sequence, the original "Unsane"(U.S. version of Tenebrae) end credits sequence with alternate music cue, the original international trailer and the Japanese theatrical trailer under with the alternate "Shadow" title card, plus the option to watch the movie with the rare English insert shots in HD which are playable via seamless branching. 

This single-disc version of Tenebrae is a is a only slightly pared-down version of their deluxe three-disc Steelbook version. What you're missing out on is the collector's booklet, the DVD version and a remastered soundtrack CD. There are still a few copies of that release available directly from Synapse Films, but if you're looking to save a few bucks or just don't need the deluxe package this single-disc release is fantastic, the synapse restoration is the definitive version of the movie.

Special Features:
- All-new Synapse Films supervised color correction and restoration of a 1080p scan from the original camera negative, presented in the original aspect ratio of 1.85:1
- Dual English and Italian language options with newly-translated English subtitle tracks for both language options.
- Audio Commentary from Argento scholar, Maitland McDonagh, author of Broken Mirrors/Broken Minds: The Dark Dreams of Dario Argento
- Rare high-definition 1080p English sequence insert shots, playable within the film via Seamless Branching (101 Mins) HD
- Feature-length documentary, YELLOW FEVER: THE RISE AND FALL OF THE GIALLO by High Rising Productions, chronicling the Giallo film genre from its beginnings as early 20th century crime fiction, to its later influences on the modern slasher film genre (80 Mins) HD
- Original UNSANE (U.S. version of TENEBRAE) End Credits Sequence (2 Mins) HD
- Alternate Opening Credits Sequence (2 Mins) HD
- International Theatrical Trailer (3 Mins) HD
- Japanese SHADOW Theatrical Trailer (2 Mins) HD

Tenebrae (1982) has aged like a fine blood-stained wine, chock full of the usual Argento voyeuristic cinematography, iconic set-pieces, and gorgeous women being murdered in a depraved manner by a nefarious black gloved razor-slasher, rarely does horror-cinema get better than this, this is pure black-gloved perfection and this is the definitive version of the movie, this is the one to own!