DEEP RED (1975) (Arrow Video Limited Edition 4K UHD Review)

DEEP RED (1975)

Label: Arrow Video
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: 18 Certificate:
Duration: 127 Mins (Director's Cut) 106 Mins (Export Version)
Audio: Italian DTS-HD MA Mono 1.0, Italian DTS-HD MA 5.1, English/Italian Hybrid DTS-HD MA Mono, English DTS-HD MA Mono 1.0, English LPCM Mono 1.0 with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 2160p UHD Widescreen (2.35:1)
Director: Dario Argento
Cast: David Hemmings, Daria Nicolodi, Gabriele Lavia, Macha Méril, Eros Pagni, Giuliana Calandra, Piero Mazzinghi, Glauco Mauri, Clara Calamai, Aldo Bonamano, Liana Del Balzo, Nicoletta Elmi

Dario Argento's directing career began auspiciously with three brilliant and bloody whodunits in just the span of a few years, this trio of films included The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970), Cat O' Nine Tails (1971) and Four Flies on Grey Velvet (1971), each one an electric and stylish genre defining film. After this trio of films the director spread his wings a bit and would direct the mid-1800's period comedy The Five Days (1973) which bombed at the box office, and still stands as the only Argento film I have not seen, as it is widely available on home video. Still licking his wounds following that disappointment Argento would returned to the stylish whodunit subject that launched his career with a film that many consider to me his defining masterpiece, Deep Red (1975).

The story is pretty familiar, an everyday sort of guy finds himself mixed-up in the dealings of a black-gloved murderer, it's a standard issue giallo set-up and one that Argento mined thoroughly with his previous films. This time our amateur sleuth is an English musician working in Rome named Marucs (played by David Hemmings fresh off Antonion's Blow Up). Marc is out for a drink when he runs into drunken friend Carlo (Gabriele Lavia, Inferno)outside a piano bar when both men hear a frightful scream ring out in the night. Carlo merely raises a toast to the "deflowered virgin" and heads back to a nearby bar. Marc remains a bit longer and witnesses the murder of a woman from the street below her apartment window. The woman is struck with a hatchet to the back of the head and crashes through a thick pane of window glass, her throat slashed by the jagged glass. Marc makes a mad dash up the stairs of the apartment to the woman's aide but is too late to save her. Through the window he spots a figure fleeing the scene in a brown rain slicker and hat which obscures the killer's identity. It turns out the woman was a psychic medium named Helga (Macha Méril, Night Train Murders) who earlier in the evening attended a conference for paranormal psychology when she sensed the thoughts of a murderer among the attendees. The traumatic experience left her quite frightened, with the murderous minded figure leaving the conference unnoticed, but they follow the psychic back to her apartment where she's attacked after hearing the strains of a creepy children's lullaby. After the police arrive at scene of the murder Marc meets bubbly tabloid journalist Gianni (a never lovelier Daria Nicolodi, Phenomena). The pair develop a playful relationship as Gianni vies for Marcus's attention while he's a bit of chauvinist jerk at times, but they're a fun, dynamic duo and easily stand as Argento's most defined character pairings. In typical giallo fashion the police prove to be largely inept and most of the sleuthing is left to the amateur mystery-solvers Scooby-Doo style. As the intricate thriller plays out Marc is dogged by the fact that he cannot recall a crucial piece of the puzzle, something is missing from the scene of the crime that he cannot quite put a finger on. Together he and Gianni follow the clues beginning with the psychics death which lead them to some truly improbable deductions that lead them further down the mystery laden path, with the killer seemingly one-step ahead of them, each of the following murder preceded by the familiar haunting refrain of a children's lullaby.

Argento is often singled-out as a visually stylish director who forgoes proper narrative elements in favor of striking imagery, and I wouldn't disagree a lot of the time I see it strongest with the visually delightful but narratively-challenged Suspiria (1977), but Deep Red is an exception. The characters are interesting and particularly defined, especially the two leads, and the plot is full of intricate twists and turns but Argento's signature style is ever present, each camera shot is meticulously staged and framed by Luigi Kuveiler's (Flesh For Frankenstein) fluid cinematography. The killings are magnificent, with great staging and sharp editing along with some very fine special effects that hold up very well. A particularly brutal scene involves a man having his teeth repeatedly smashed on the corner of a marble table after being attacked by a nightmarish porcelain-faced mechanical doll which charges at him from out of the dark. Then there's a gorgeously shot drowning in a tub of scalding hot water, and a decapitation by necklace, it's all great stuff.

Audio/Video: Dario Argento's Deep Red gets the UHD upgrade from Arrow Video with a new 4K restoration from the OCN for both the original 127-minute Italian version and the 105-minute export version; presented in glorious 2160p UHD and framed in 2.35:1 widescreen. It's a gorgeous release with lush film grain that looks more refined thanks to the uptick and resolution, and the Dolby Vision HDR10 color-grading advances it even further with deep more uniform blacks that are more nuances, and the depth and contrast is more layered with bolder, deeper color saturation that absolutely renews this giallo essential on home video. We get both the shorter (106 min) export version and the longer (127 min) director's cut, both derived from the same 4K restoration, presented on separate discs.

Audio options are the same as the 2018 Blu-ray, no Atmos upgrade, but it's still a rock solid selection of audio options.  The director's cut gets Italian DTS-HD MA Mono 1.0 and Surround 5.1, English DTS-HD MA Mono 1.0, or an English/Italian hybrid with optional English subtitles. The phenomenal Goblin score sounds fantastic, and comes across deep and resonating. The dialogue and effects also come through crystal clear, I give the surround mix the edge for the use of the surrounds, as it really fleshes out that terrific Goblin score. The export version gets an English PCM Mono 1.0 mix with optional English subtitles.

Arrow Video carry-over all the fantastic extras from previous editions, plus we get a brand new Audio Commentary by critics Troy Howarth and Nathaniel Thompson who continue to be a favorite commentary team-ups for me. Archival extras kick-off with a 23-min Introduction from Goblin composer Claudio Simonetti for the export version, the composer voicing his pleasure at being involved with a film he rightfully considers a masterpiece. Then onto Lady In Red: Daria Noclodi Remembers Profondo Rosso (18 min). The late former lover of Argento and mother of his children discusses not only her involvement with Deep Red but her other works, Argento's career and the director himself; who she described rather unflatteringly several times throughout, it's a great piece. Music to Murder For! Claudio Simonetti on Deep Red (14 min) an interview with the Goblin Composer who is nearly as much a part of Argento lore as the master himself, they're inextricably linked. Like Nicolodi I always find the Simonetti interviews to be quite interesting and revealing. Rosso Recollection: Dario Argento's Deep Genius (12 min) features the maestro himself speaking about his family and the film. Rosso: from Celluloid to Shop (15 min) is a tour of the Profondo Rosso Shop in Rome with filmmaker Luigi Cozzi (The Black Cat), the place is a museum to all things Argento and rounding out the special features are both an Italian and U.S. trailer for the film. It's interesting to note the difference in approach between the two markets. There's also an Audio Commentary from Argento expert Thomas Rostock, and honestly while it is absolutely info packed I find his delivery and tone to be dry and monotonous, the content is good but the delivery is just dry.

Additionally we have the 33-min Profondo Giallo video essay by Michael Mackenzie featuring an in-depth appreciation of Deep Red, an in-depth and detailed look at the film documenting the influence of Argento on the whodunit films, his early success and returning the gialli after the failure of The Five Days (1973), I'm quite a fan of the Mackenzie video essays which turn up on quite a few Arrow releases. Other interviews include the 47-minute 16 Year In Red - Interview with Production Manager Angelo Iacono, the 14-min Death Dies - Interview with Composer Saudi Simonetti, the 16-min Carlo Never Dies - Interview with Actor Gabriele Lavia, the 8-min I Am the Screaming Child - Interview with Actor Jacopo Mariani, the 5-min Bloodstained - Interview with Actor Kino Capolicchio, Argento's Original Choice To Play Marcus Daly, plus the 2-min Italian Trailer, 2-min Arrow Video 2018 Trailer and five overstuffed Image Galleries. We were only sent the "check disc" sans packaging and artwork, but they are detailed below per the press release. 

4K UHD Limited Edition Contents: 

- New 4K restoration of both the original 127-minute Italian version and the 105-minute export version from the original negative by Arrow Films

- 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentations of both versions in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)

- Limited edition packaging with reversible sleeve featuring originally and newly commissioned artwork by Obviously Creative

- Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring writing on the film by Alan Jones and Mikel J. Koven, and a new essay by Rachael Nisbet

- Fold-out double-sided poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Obviously Creative

- Six double-sided, postcard-sized lobby card reproduction artcards

Disc 1: Deep Red - Original Version (127 Minutes) 2160p UHD 

- Restored original lossless mono Italian and English soundtracks

- Optional lossless 5.1 Italian soundtrack

- English subtitles for the Italian soundtrack

- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtrack

- New audio commentary by critics Troy Howarth and Nathaniel Thompson

- Archival audio commentary by Argento expert Thomas Rostock

-Deep Into the Red - Interview with Dario Argento (2018) (58 min) 

- The Medium Wore Black - Interview with Macha Méril (2018) (21 min)

- 16 Year In Red - Interview with Production Manager Angelo Iacono (2018) (47 min) 

- Death Dies - Interview with Composer Saudi Simonetti (2018) (14:min) 

- Carlo Never Dies - Interview with Actor Gabriele Lavia (2018) (16 min) 

- I Am the Screaming Child - Interview with Actor Jacopo Mariani (2018) (8 min) 

- Bloodstained - Interview with Actor Kino Capolicchio, Argento's Original Choice To Play Marcus Daly (2018) (5 min) 

- Italian trailer (2 min) 

- Arrow Video 2018 trailer (2 min) 

- Image Galleries: Posters, Lobby Cards, Promotional Stills, Japanese Pressroom and Flyer, Soundtracks 

Disc 2: Deep Red - Export Version (106 Minutes) 2160p UHD 

- Restored original lossless mono English soundtrack

 -Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing

- Archival introduction to the film by Claudio Simonetti of Goblin (23 min) 

- Profondo Giallo – an archival visual essay by Michael Mackenzie featuring an in-depth appreciation of Deep Red, its themes and its legacy (33 min) 

- Rosso Recollections: Dario Argento’s Deep Genius– the Deep Red director on the creation of a giallo masterpiece (12 min)
- The Lady in Red: Daria Nicolodi Remembers Profondo Rosso (18 min) HD
- Music to Murder For! Claudio Simonettion Deep Red (14 min) HD
- Profondo Rosso: From Celluloid to Shop– a tour of the Profondo Rosso shop in Rome with long time Argento collaborator Luigi Cozzi (15 min)

- US theatrical trailer (2 min) 

Mario Bava might have defined the black-gloved giallo with The Girl Who Knew Too Much (1963) and Blood And Black Lace (1964), it was Argento who fine tuned it and razor-sharpened it with The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970) and arguably perfected it with Deep Red (1975). Precious few if any even come close to matching the artistry and execution of his early slasher-y whodunits, and Arrow's 4K UHD is a definitive giallo platter and a must-own release. 

THE CAT O' NINE TAILS (1971) (Arrow Video 4K UHD Review)

THE CAT O' NINE TAILS (1971)

Label: Arrow Video
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: 15 Certificate
Duration: 112 Minutes
Audio: English and Italian DTS-HD MA Mono with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 2160p UHD Widescreen (2.35:1)
Director: Dario Argento
Cast: James Franciscus, Karl Malden, Catherine Spaak, Pier Paolo Capponi, Horst Frank, Rada Rassimov, Cinzia De Carolis

Synopsis: When a break-in occurs at a secretive genetics institute, blind puzzle-maker Franco Arnò, who overheard an attempt to blackmail one of the institute’s scientists shortly before the robbery, teams up with intrepid reporter Carlo Giordani to crack the case. But before long the bodies begin to pile up and the two amateur sleuths find their own lives imperiled in their search for the truth. And worse still, Lori, Franco’s young niece, may also be in the killer’s sights…

Cat O' Nine Tails (1971) was Dario Argento's sophomore film following the seminal giallo entry The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970). It's the middle entry in what has become known unofficially as Argento's "Animal Trilogy", a trio of films with names of animals in the title which ended with Four Flies on Grey Velvet (1971) The films share little in common aside from being stylish Italian whodunits and Argento's artful eye for the macabre, not dissimilar to John Carpenter's "Apocalypse Trilogy".

The film has quite a pedigree, starring American actor Karl Malden (How The West Was Won), featuring a cool, low-key score from Ennio Morricone (The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly) and it was co-written by Italian screenwriting legend Dardana Sacchetti (A Bay of Blood). The story revolves around a blind man named Arno (Malden) who cares for his young adopted daughter Lori (Cinzia De Carolis, Cannibal Apocalypse) and bides his time assembling the daily newspaper's crossword puzzle. One evening while walking down the street with his daughter he overhears two men discussing a blackmail plot while parked in a car outside of a genetics lab, which is conveniently located right next to Arno's apartment. Pretending to bend over and tie his shoe he asks Lori to observe the men in the car, but she's only able to describe one of the men to Arno. Later that night while working on a new puzzle Arno overhears a scuffle outside his window which turns out to be a crime in-process.

The next day Arno is out on the street when he's accidentally knocked over by a reporter named Carlo (James Franciscus, The Valley of Gwangi) near the genetics lab. Carlo stops to apologize and Arno asks him what has happened, the reporter tells him that the previous evening the night watchmen at the lab was knocked unconscious and that someone broke into the Terzi Institute, perhaps to perform some act of industrial espionage. Whatever it is Prof. Terzi (Tino Carraro, Orgasmo) doesn't seem too keen on assisting the police with their investigation. Soon after the break-in one of the lab's lead scientist Dr. Calabresi (Carl Alighiero, Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh) is thrown in front of a speeding train pulling into the station during the high profile arrival of a movie starlet, and his death is caught on camera which makes the front page news. 

The next day Arno's daughter notices the picture of the victim at the train station and recognizes him as none other than one of the men from the car outside the genetics lab the night before. The two seek out the reporter Carlo and the trio set about sleuthing the mystery in classic whodunit fashion as the killer sets out to eliminate those who may be able to finger them as the culprit. Per usual the red-herrings abound in this atmospheric, slow-burn, including the sexy, spoiled daughter of Prof. Terzi, Anna, played by the vivacious French actress/singer Catherine Spaak (Story of a Cloistered Nun). The set-up is your classic Italian whodunit but it soon becomes entangled in an improbable array of twists and turns stemming from the strangest chromosomal motivation this side of well, nearly most everything. It's very odd and not one of Argento's better twists in my opinion, it's a head-scratcher.

The cinematography from Erico Menczer lacks the stunning scope and framing of Argento collaborators Storaro (The Bird with the Crystal Plumage) or Tovoli (Tenebre), but it's an early Argento so there's some great Euro 70's style and set decoration courtesy of set designer Carlo Leva. Love those 70's fashions, the locations and décor, with ornate wall paper and a funky 70's colors. The kills are not particularly elaborate (mostly strangulation) and are lacking those great POV shots Argento went for, but we do get some trademark stairwell shots, cool eyeball close-ups and nifty murder set including a man meeting his grisly end as he goes screaming down an elevator shaft, his hands torn to pieces grasping at the steel cables.

Perhaps not on par with Argento's finest works during this golden era, but this is still a very fine giallo entry that absolutely outshines anything he's done post-Opera (1987) in my estimation. Some say this flick is too slow burning, but maybe because I grew up on a steady diet of slow-burn made-for-TV movies I rather enjoyed the pace. The murders are also not as intricate as some of Argento's more loved films, but it is still an enjoyable whodunit that's wonderfully acted, steeped in atmosphere and masterfully directed.

Highlights for me were a particularly tense scene featuring Carlo getting a close shave from a barber who takes exception to his article implicating that a barber might be murderous maniac, a white-knuckle car chase through the busy streets Italy, and the film's elevator shaft shocker finale, it's all fun stuff that's expertly directed. I am reminded in a way of Lucio Fulci, whose later gore-riddled films brought him much notoriety but it is forgotten that he once also directed suspenseful, less visceral film such as The Psychic and I think Argento's Cat O' Nine Tails is similarly lost amidst his oeuvre, and is deserving more respect for the solid thriller that it is.

Audio/Video: The Cat o' Nine Tails, which was previously issued on B Blu-ray from Arrow Video twice, now gets a UHD upgrade from Arrow with a 4K scan of the original camera negative, framed in the original 2.35:1 widescreen. The image offers a lush layer of film grain with the increased 

resolution bringing out some of the more delicate details in the 70's era clothing and fabric textures, as well as in the close-ups of facial features. The Dolby Vision HDR10 color-grading brings additional warmth to skintones and the highlights are terrific with an improved color-balance. HDR10 also brings deeper more consistent black levels which improve contrast, depth and clarity as well, this is a very pleasing upgrade. 

Sadly no Atmos upgrade but the original uncompressed mono sounds is solid, handling the high and lows with ease and without distortion on either the English or the Italian presentation. It's vintage mono so we don't get a lot of depth or bass, but the dialogue, effects and score are all well balanced and sound great, particularly the Ennio Morricone's score, highlighted by "Lullabye in Blue" which opens the film.

Onto the extras we get the same assortment of extras from the previous Blu-ray, these include the Freak-O-Rama produced interviews with co-writer/director Dario Argento, co-writer Dardano Sacchetti, production manager Angelo Iacono, and actress Cinzia De Carolis. We are also treated to a fantastic audio commentary with Argento-experts and film critics Alan Jones and Kim Newman who bang-out a finely detailed talk-along that is sure to please. The disc is buttoned up with script pages with the original ending, as well as three trailers for the film.

We were only sent a "check disc" for review without retail packaging, but retail copies edition also includes an Illustrated collectors booklet featuring an original essay on the film by Dario Argento, and writing by Barry Forshaw, Troy Howarth and Howard Hughes, a fold-out double-sided poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Obviously Creative, six double-sided, postcard-sized lobby card reproduction artcards, and a reversible sleeve of artwork featuring the original and newly commissioned artwork by Obviously Creative

Special Features:
- New 4K restoration from the original negative by Arrow Film

- 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)

- Restored original lossless mono Italian and English soundtracks

- English subtitles for the Italian soundtrack

- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtrack

- Audio Commentary by critics Alan Jones and Kim Newman
- Interview with co-writer/director Dario Argento (16 min) HD
- Interview with co-writer Dardano Sacchetti (35 min) HD
- Interview with actress Cinzia De Carolis (11 min) HD 
- Interview with production manager Angelo Iacono (15 min) HD 
- Script pages for the lost original ending, translated into English (3 min) HD
- Original Italian Theatrical Trailer (2 min) HD
- Original International Theatrical Trailers (2 min) HD
- US Domestic Theatrical Trailer (2 min) HD

- Image Galleries: Posters, Italian Lobby Cards, German Promotional Materials, U.S, Promotional Materials, U.S. Pressbook, Soundtracks

- Illustrated collectors booklet featuring an original essay on the film by Dario Argento, and writing by Barry Forshaw, Troy Howarth and Howard Hughes

- Fold-out double-sided poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Obviously Creative

- Six double-sided, postcard-sized lobby card reproduction artcards

- Limited edition packaging with reversible sleeve featuring originally and newly commissioned artwork by Obviously Creative

Cat O' Nine Tails (1971) might not be a giallo quite as stylish as Argento's The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970) or Tenebre (1982), both are high water marks indeed, but is still a first-rate Argento thriller from his early period. It's almost annoying that Arrow Video have once again upgraded a golden era Argento whodunit with a now even more definitive edition than the previous definitive edition, but when it looks so good I think you can easily forgive them... your wallet might not though. 

TWO EVIL EYES (1990) (Blue Underground 3-Disc Limited Edition Blu-ray Review/Comparison)

TWO EVIL EYES (1990)

3-Disc Limited Edition 4K Remaster 

Label: Blue Underground 
Region Code: A
Rating: Unrated 
Duration: 120 Minutes
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 7.1, 2.0 with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.78:1) 
Directors: George A. Romero, Dario Argento 
Cast: Bingo O'Malley, Adrienne Barbeau, Ramy Zada, E.G. Marshall, Christine Forest, Tom Atkins, Harvey Keitel, John Amos, Martin Balsam, Kim Hunter 

Two-parter fright anthology Two Evil Eyes (1990) pairs legends of horror George A. Romero (Dawn of the Dead) and Dario Argento (Suspiria), with each adapting a story by seminal horror writer Edgar Allan Poe, each with ghoulish special effects by Tom Savini (Dawn of the Dead) and a gorgeous score from Pino Donnagio (Don't Look Now). By 1990 when this was made I feel that both of these directors were looking at the most vibrant part of their careers in the rear view mirror, but this anthology film offers up some late era chills for fans of both directors, even if it's what I consider to be a minor entry in both the directors careers. 

Romero opens the anthology with ‘The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar’, a spooky tale about a terminally ill older man named Ernest Valdemar (Bingo O'Malley, Creepshow) who is being kept alive well beyond his expiration date by his money-grubbing, younger wife Jessica (Adrienne Barbeau, The Fog). Jessica is banging her husband's personal physician, Dr. Hoffman (Ramy Zada, After Midnight), the duplicitous cheaters have conspired to keep the terminally ill man in a weird state of hypnosis, feeding into a plot to pull the wool over Valdemar's lawyers eyes, played by E.G. Marshall (Creepshow). In this state of hypnosis Valdemar verbally authorizes his lawyer over the phone to liquidate his assets into cash and deposit them into his wife's account. However, there's a stipulation in the will that states that if the old man croaks before the money is transferred that the agreement will be terminated and she will get nothing, so when the old man keel's over prematurely it puts the pair into a bit of a bind. What to do? They place the old man's corpse in a freezer in the basement with a plan to thaw out his body once the money has been deposited, only then will they properly declare him dead. 

It's a convoluted plan but it gets stranger yet when Valdemar's voice can be heard echoing throughout the house, emanating from the basement. When they open the freezer he's still frozen solid and still seemingly very dead, but it turns out that because he was in a state of hypnosis when he died his soul has been trapped in a void between life and death. This new wrinkle intrigues the scientific brain of the doctor who investigates further, but Valdemar's wife is scared witless by the whole ordeal, and with good reason.

This story is a good and proper chiller, but it does run a bit long, making it a slow burn, but it also gives the story a little room to breath and work up a good head of steam before things get weirder. The cast in this one are a bunch of Romero familiars, it was great to see Adrienne Barbeau reunited with her Creepshow co-stars E.G. Marshall, and Tom Atkins (Night of the Creeps), the latter of whom shows up as a detective investigating the bizarre case at the end of the piece.  

It may not be top tier Romero but it's some of the best stuff he did from this point on in my opinion. It's a well-lensed with a terrific looking old stone house with a cool spiral staircase, plus it's great to see Romero playing with a sub-genre he didn't often play in, though there's still an element of the undead. We get some vengeful spirits and supernatural happenings in this one, and I dug the oddball hypnosis element, though I did think that the doc using hypnosis on himself was a bit weird. For the gore-fans we also get Tom Savini creations, including a cool-looking frozen undead  and a gruesome death by digital metronome, which is the bloodiest part of Romero's segment.

Dario Argento tackles Edgar Allan Poe's classic tale 'The Black Cat' starring Harvey Keitel (Blue Collar) as Rod Usher, his name an homage to another Poe story 'The Fall of the House of Usher'. Rod is beret-wearing crime-scene photographer who gets a little too into his work. The film opens on a macabre crime scene of a woman cut in half by a swinging bladed pendulum, another homage to the Poe classic, 'The Pit and the Pendulum'. Right from the get-go you see that the photographer has a curious fascination with death, and throughout the film he is seemingly driven a mad by the arrival of a stray black cat that his violinist gal pal Annabel (Madeleine Potter, The Bostonians) has brought into their home.

The relationship with his Annabel begins to sour after the felines arrival, leading to Rod hitting the bottle and eventually strangling the black cat, going so far as to photographing the crime, and then using the image of the strangled cat on the cover of his new photography book, which is how Annabel discovers that he's killed her beloved cat. She confronts him about it which leads to Rod losing his shit, killing her with a meat cleaver, and then concealing her corpse behind a wall inside his apartment. If you're familiar with the story you know that the black cat returns to ruin his well-laid plans, with some horrific special effects from Tom Savini, who himself turns up in a scene as a grave-robbing lover of dentistry.

Keitel is an actor who never seems anything subtley, he's both intense and a bit over-the-top here, but it works for the character and the film, though the scene of him shrieking "It's fucking cat! Meow! Meow!" always makes me giggle. The special effects are a bit more abundant in the Argento tale than with the Romero, with Savini creating several memorable crime scene corpses, including an homage to Cannibal Holocaust (1980) that would make Vlad the Impaler proud. this scene happens in a surreal dream sequence that finds Rod swept back into medieval times, it's a bit out of place here but I enjoyed it for the strangeness and gruesome imagery. On the whole this mini-film doesn't really have the vintage artful eye feel of Argento's early gialli, but it is attractively shot with some fluid camera movement. 

Be on the lookout for John Amos (The Beastmaster) as an allergy-riddled detective investigating Annabel's disappearance and Martin Balsam (The Stone Killer) and Kim Hunter (Bad Ronald) as an elderly couple who live in the same apartment building as Rod.

I've always thought there should have been some sort of wrap-around story that brought the pair of stories together, maybe an appearance of Keitel's crime scene photographer in Romero's story, something to bridge the gap at least, but there's nothing, and the film's are so disparate in style and tone that watching one run into the other is a bit jarring. Of the pair I prefer Romero's supernatural chiller, it breathes a little better for me, and the tone is more in line with my preferences as a horror fan. I think it holds up a bit better than Argento's tale, which is a story that has been told many times over in cinema and a bit better at that, though perhaps not as gruesomely. 

Audio/Video: Two Evil Eyes (1990) arrives on three-disc limited edition Blu-ray from Blue Underground with a new 4K scam of the original camera negative framed in 1.78:1 widescreen in 1080p HD. The source looks fantastic with nary a blemish in sight, grain had a nice velvety veneer and colors look solid throughout. There's an improved clarity and depth to the image, with gorgeous finely resolved details in clothing textures, facial close-ups and the gruesome special effects, it's just a real pleaser of a presentation. Comparing it to the region B release from 88 Films right away I noticed the Blue Underground disc has a warmer color-grading, that in some scenes a rather significant. I don't have the previous Blue Underground Blu-ray to compare it to, and I cannot say which is truer to the theatrical, but I found this new 4K restoration to be the superior release. To see Blue Underground vs. 88 Films images side by side see the screen captures below in this review.   

Audio comes by way of English DTS-HD MA 2.0 and 7.1, though I found myself preferring the original stereo mix, which seems more robust and direct, the 7.1 to my ears sounded a bit thin by comparison. Everything is nicely balanced with the Pino Donaggio (Carrie) score coming through with excellent fidelity, dialogue is always crisp and clean, optional English subtitles are provided.

Blue Underground come through with a wealth of extras both new and archival, with disc one having a new audio commentary with Troy Howarth, author of 'Murder By Design: The Unsane Cinema of Dario Argento'. It's another excellent Howarth commentary loaded with production notes, facts and trivia about the film. Also on the first disc we get a theatrical trailer for the film and a photo gallery of international posters, lobby cards, home video releases and original artwork images from artist Enzo Sciotti.

Disc two contains the bulk of extras, beginning with the half-hour archival 'Two Masters' Eyes', interviews with Dario Argento, George Romero, Special Make-Up Effects Supervisor Tom Savini, Executive Producer Claudio Argento, and Asia Argento. Other archival extras include the 13-min 'Savini's EFX', a behind-the-scenes look at the film's special make-up effects, a 5-min interview with Adrienne Barbeau, plus the 16-min 'At Home With Tom Savini', a guided tour of Savini's home.

New stuff begins with the 13-min 'Before I Wake' interview with star Ramy Zada who speaks about getting into acting, auditioning for several Romero films before finally
landing a role in this one, and the pleasure of working alongside Adrienne Barbeau.
Actress Madeline Potter shows up for the 17-min 'Behind The Wall' discussing being cast in Argento's tale, offering some insights into her character, and commenting on the genius of Argento. In the 16-min 'One Maestro And Two Masters' composer Pino Donaggio speaks about working with Brian De Palma and the opportunities that afforded him, scoring this film and it's nod to Bernard Herman's Psycho score, working with Romero and Argento, and the differences between working in America versus Italy. We also get a 16-min interview with Co-Writer Franco Ferrini, 27-min with Assistant Director Luigi Cozzi, 14-min with Special Make-Up Assistant Everett Burrell, and 9-min with Costume Designer Barbara Anderson.

The third disc in the set is a 21-track CD of the original motion picture soundtrack by Pino Donaggio. This three-disc set arrives in a clear oversized Blu-ray keepcase with a reversible sleeve of artwork, inside there's a 20-page booklet with new writings on the film from Michael Gingold, plus cast and crew credits, and a track list for the CD soundtrack. This also comes with a cool-looking limited edition 3D lenticular slipcover with different artwork than the reversible sleeve.

Blu-ray Comparison:

Top: Blue Underground Blu-ray (Region A) )

Bottom: 88 Films (Region B) Blu-ray

 

 

 

 

Special Features:
Disc 1 (Blu-ray) Feature Film + Extras:
- NEW! Audio Commentary with Troy Howarth, Author of Murder By Design: The Unsane Cinema of Dario Argento
- Theatrical Trailer (2 min) 
- Poster & Still Gallery

Disc 2 (Blu-ray) Extras:
- Two Masters' Eyes - Interviews with Directors Dario Argento & George Romero, Special Make-Up Effects Supervisor Tom Savini, Executive Producer Claudio Argento, and Asia Argento (30 min) HD 
- Savini's EFX - A Behind-the-Scenes look at the film's Special Make-Up Effects (13 min) HD
- At Home With Tom Savini - A Personal Tour of Tom Savini's Home (16 min) 
- Adrienne Barbeau on George Romero (5 min) 
- NEW! Before I Wake - Interview with Star Ramy Zada (13 min) HD 
- NEW! Behind The Wall - Interview with Star Madeleine Potter (17 min) 
- NEW! One Maestro And Two Masters - Interview with Composer Pino Donaggio (16 min) 
- NEW! Rewriting Poe - Interview with Co-Writer Franco Ferrini (16 min 
- NEW! The Cat Who Wouldn't Die - Interview with Assistant Director Luigi Cozzi
- NEW! Two Evil Brothers - Interview with Special Make-Up Assistant Everett Burrell (14 min) 
- NEW! Working With George - Interview with Costume Designer Barbara Anderson (9 min) 

Disc 3 (CD):
- TWO EVIL EYES Original Motion Picture Soundtrack by Pino Donaggio
- BONUS! Collectible Booklet with new essay by Michael Gingold

Two Evil Eyes (1999) might not be the best stuff for either Argento or Romero, but it is what I consider to be the best stuff of their late-era careers, offering enough macabre delights and supernatural frights to give it a recommend. This new 3-disc limited edition release from Blue Underground is easily the definitive version of the film for both it's fantastic restoration and hours of extras, making this an essential item for anyone looking to complete their Dario Argento and George A. Romero collections. 

DEEP RED (1975) (Arrow Video 2-Disc LE Blu-ray Review)

DEEP RED (1975) 

2-DISC LIMITED EDITION

Label: Arrow Video 
Region: Code: Region-FREE
Rating: 18 Certificate:
Duration: 127 Mins (Director's Cut) 106 Mins (Export Version)
Audio: Italian DTS-HD MA Mono 1.0, Italian DTS-HD MA 5.1, English/Italian Hybrid DTS-HD MA Mono, English DTS-HD MA Mono 1.0, English LPCM Mono 1.0 with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (2.35:1) 
Director: Dario Argento
Cast: David Hemmings, Daria Nicolodi, Gabriele Lavia, Macha Méril, Eros Pagni, Giuliana Calandra, Piero Mazzinghi, Glauco Mauri, Clara Calamai, Aldo Bonamano, Liana Del Balzo, Nicoletta Elmi

Synopsis: YOU WILL NEVER FORGET IT!!! From Dario Argento, maestro of the macabre and the man behind some of the greatest excursions in Italian horror (Suspiria, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage), comes Deep Red - the ultimate giallo movie. One night, musician Marcus Daly (David Hemmings, Blow Up), looking up from the street below, witnesses the brutal axe murder of a woman in her apartment. Racing to the scene, Marcus just manages to miss the perpetrator... or does he? As he takes on the role of amateur sleuth, Marcus finds himself ensnared in a bizarre web of murder and mystery where nothing is what it seems... Aided by a throbbing score from regular Argento collaborators Goblin, Deep Red (aka Profondo Rosso and The Hatchet Murders) is a hallucinatory fever dream of a giallo punctuated by some of the most astonishing set-pieces the sub-genre has to offer.

Dario Argento's directing career began auspiciously with three brilliant whodunit thrillers in just the span of a few years, this trio of films included The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970), Cat O' Nine Tails (1971) and Four Flies on Grey Velvet (1971). Each one an electric and stylish genre defining film. After this trio of films Argento would go onto direct ther comedic mid-1800's period piece The Five Days (1973) which turned out to be a  failure at the box office, and still stands as the only Argento film I have not seen, I believe it's the only title not widely available on home video (anyone wanna help me out with that?). Fresh off that disappointment Argento would once again return to the stylish whodunit subject matter that brought him notoriety, a film many consider to me his masterpiece, Deep Red (1975). 

The story is pretty familiar, an everyday man finds himself mixed-up in the dealings of a black-gloved murderer, it's a pretty standard giallo set-up and one that Argento mined thoroughly with his previous films. This time our amateur sleuth is an English musician  working in Rome named Marucs (played by David Hemmings fresh off Antonion's Blow Up). Marc is out for a drink when he runs into drunken friend Carlo outside a piano bar when both men hear a frightful scream ring out in the night. Carlo merely raises a toast to the "deflowered virgin" and heads back to a nearby bar. Marc remains a bit longer and witnesses the murder of a woman from the street below her apartment window. The woman is struck with a hatchet to the back of the head and crashes through a thick window pane and her throat is slashed by the jagged glass. Marc dashes to the woman's aide but is too late to save her. Through the window Marc spots a figure fleeing the scene in a rain slicker and hat which obscures the killer's identity. The woman was a psychic medium named Helga who earlier in the evening attended a conference for paranormal psychology when she sensed the thoughts of a murderer among the attendees. The traumatic experience left terrified, the murderous minded figure left the conference unnoticed but followed Helga back to her apartment where she's attacked after hearing the strains of a creepy children's lullaby. After the police arrive at scene of the murder Marc meets bubbly tabloid journalist Gianni played by a never lovelier Daria Nicolodi (Phenomena). The pair develop a playful relationship as Gianni vies for Marcus's attention, they're a fun, dynamic duo and easily stand as Argento's most defined character pairings. In typical giallo fashion the police prove to be largely inept and most of the sleuthing is left to the unlikely amateur mystery-solvers. As the intricate thriller plays out Marc is dogged by the fact that he cannot recall a crucial piece of the puzzle,  something is missing from the scene of the crime that he cannot put a finger on. Together he and Gianni follow the clues beginning with the psychics death which lead them to some truly improbable deductions that lead them further down the mystery laden path, with the killer seemingly one-step ahead of them, each of the following murder preceded by the familiar haunting refrain of a children's lullaby.

Argento is often singled-out as a visually stylish director who forgoes proper narrative elements in favor of striking imagery, I wouldn't disagree, I see it myself in the visually delightful but narrative-challenged Suspiria(1977) but Deep Red is an exception. The characters are interesting and particularly defined, especially the two leads, the plot is full of intricate twists and turns but Argento's signature style is ever present, each camera shot is meticulously staged and framed by Luigi Kuveiler's fluid cinematography. The killings are magnificent, with great staging and sharp editing along with some very fine special effects that hold up very well. A particularly brutal scene involves a man having his teeth repeatedly smashed on the corner of a marble table after being attacked by a nightmarish porcelain-faced mechanical doll which charges at him from out of the dark. Then there's a gorgeously shot drowning in a tub of scalding hot water, it's all great stuff.

Audio/Video: Dario Argento's Deep Red arrives on Blu-ray for a second time fro Arrow Video from  4K scan of thew original negative, improving on their previous 2011 HD release with richer colors and more fine detail, it's a crisp and gorgeous presentation with nicely managed grain and deep blacks. We get both the shorter (106 min) export version and the longer (127 min) director's cut, both derived from the same 4K restoration, presented on separate discs.

Audio options have also been expanded, for the director's cut we get to choose from Italian DTS-HD MA Mono 1.0 and Surround 5.1, English DTS-HD MA Mono 1.0, or an English/Italian hybrid with optional English subtitles. The phenomenal Goblin score sounds fantastic, it comes across deep and resonating, the dialogue and effects also come through crystal clear, I give the surround mix the edge for the use of the surrounds, it really fleshes out that wonderful Goblin score to a satisfying degree. The export version gets an English PCM Mono 1.0 mix with optional English subtitles. 

Arrow Video previous Blu-ray had some amazing exclusive extras, and I am pleased they carry them all over for this release. There's a brief introduction from Goblin composer Claudio Simonetti voicing his pleasure at being involved with a film he rightfully considers a masterpiece. Then onto Lady In Red: Daria Noclodi Remembers Profondo Rosso (18 min). Argento's former lover and mother of his children discusses not only her involvement with Deep Red but her other works, Argento's career and Argento himself who she described rather unflatteringly several times throughout, it's a great piece. Music to Murder For! Claudio Simonetti on Deep Red (14 min) an interview with the Goblin Composer who is nearly as much a part of Argento lore as the master himself. Like Nicolodi I always find the Simonetti interviews to be quite interesting and revealing. Rosso Recollection: Dario Argento's Deep Genius (12 min) features the director himself speaking about his family and the film, strangely the Argento interviews are usually my least favorite of the extras found on his films. Rosso: from Celluloid to Shop (15 min) is a tour of the Profondo Rosso Shop in Rome with filmmaker Luigi Cozzi, the place is a museum to all things Argento and rounding out the special features are both an Italian and U.S. trailer for the film. It's interesting to note the difference in approach between the two markets. There's also an audio commentary from  Argento expert Thomas Rostock, and honestly while they are info packed I find his delivery and tone to be dry and monotonous, I much prefer commentaries from Kim Newman, Troy Howarth or Stephen Thrower, the content is good the delivery is just dry.  

That's the vintage stuff, the only new extras is a 33-min video essay by Michael Mackenzie featuring an in-depth appreciation of Deep Red, an in-depth and detailed look at the film documenting the influence of Argento on the whodunit films, his early success and returning the gialli after the failure of The Five Days (1973), I'm quite a fan of the Mackenzie video essays which turn up on quite a few Arrow releases. . 

Special Features: 
Disc 1:
- Deep Red (Director's Cut) (127 min) 
 - Brand new restoration from a 4K scan of the original negative
- Audio Commentary with Argento expert Thomas Rostock
- Introduction to the film by Claudio Simonetti of Goblin (23 sec) HD 
- Profondo Giallo– a brand new visual essay by Michael Mackenzie featuring an in-depth appreciation of Deep Red, its themes and its legacy (33 min) HD 
- Rosso Recollections: Dario Argento’s Deep Genius– the Deep Red director on the creation of a giallo masterpiece (12 min)  
- The Lady in Red: Daria Nicolodi Remembers Profondo Rosso (18 min) HD 
- Music to Murder For! Claudio Simonettion Deep Red (14 min) HD 
- Profondo Rosso: From Celluloid to Shop– a tour of the Profondo Rosso shop in Rome with long time Argento collaborator Luigi Cozzi (15 min) 

Disc 2: 
- Deep Red (Export Version) (106 min)  
- Brand new restoration from a 4K scan of the original negative
- US Theatrical Trailer (3 min) HD 

While Mario Bava defined the classic black-gloved giallo with The Girl Who Knew Too Much (1963) it was Argento who fine tuned it with The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970) and arguably perfected it with Deep Red (1975), few if any even come close to matching the artistry and execution of his early slasher-y whodunits. Arrow's 4K restoration is pretty damn definitive in it's A/V presentation and the extras are great, here's hoping Arrow can come through with a brand new 4K restoration of Four Flies on Grey Velvet (1971) so we can have shiny 4K restorations of Argento's entire "animal trilogy".