CANNIBAL APOCALYPSE (1980) (Umbrella Entertainment DVD Review)

CANNIBAL APOCALYPSE (1980)

Label: Umbrella Entertainment

Region Code: Region-Free (NTSC)

Rating: R

Duration: 96 Minutes 

Audio: English Dolby Digital Mono 1.0

Video: Anamorphic Widescreen (1.66:1) 

Director: Antonio Margheriti

Cast: Elizabeth Turner, Giovanni Lombardo Radice, John Saxon

This action-packed Italian cannibal/war film was directed by the somewhat undervalued Antonio Margheriti (Castle of Blood), opening with a flashback to 'Nam where Captain Norman Hopper (John Saxon, A Nightmare of Elm Street) leads a rescue mission to extract two American soldiers from a POW camp, those being Charlie (Giovanni Radice, Cannibal Ferox) and Tommy (Tony King, Hell Up in Harlem). There's a decent amount of action here, there's lots of gunfire with Saxon looking sturdy as ever wearing a green beret and picking off the enemy, a flamethrower makes toast of the locals, sending one crispy critter down into the pit with the POWs - who tear her apart and eat her flesh! It seems the captive soldiers have somehow developed a taste for human flesh while in captivity. With the enemy vanquished Hooper tries to help them out of the pit with a helping hand only to have Tommy takes a nice chunk out of his arm, and then Hooper wakes from his flashback nightmare in bed next to his comforting wife Jane (Elizabeth Turner, Beyond the Door).

Turns out that Charlie and Tommy have been incarcerated at the local loony bin post-war, but Charlie has just been released, he immediately calls Hooper and invites him out for drinks, but Hooper

is too busy semi-rebuffing his teenager neighbor Mary's (Cinzia De Carolis, Cat O' Nine Tails) sexual advances and turns him down. This makes Charlie pretty sore, he heads to the local cinema, while there a young couple are getting very busy in the seats in front of him, he decides to join in on the fun and takes a chunk out of her neck, apparently still has the flesh-munchies, which leads to a group of weekend bikers chasing him into a flea market where he takes another life. Eventually the cops and Hooper show up and as his former commanding officer he is able to talk him down, with Bukowski surrendering to the cops and heading back to the loony bin. 

Eventually the coroner and the psychiatric doctors begin to piece together that some virus is infecting people through the bites, making them rabid and violent, even Hooper is showing signs of aggression, at one point taking a nibble on that voluptuous neighbor girl. Hooper checks himself into the loony bin for testing and ends up freeing Charlie and Tommy, whom he escapes with, in addition to an infected nurse named Helen (May Heatherly, Pieces) who earlier bit the tongue out of a doctor at the facility. Out on the streets the cops, including a fun older detective with some serious prejudices, are hot on their trail, forcing them down into the sewer beneath the city. Armed with shotguns and flamethrowers the cops continue the chase on foot in the sewers, sort of mirroring the opening Vietnam sequence. The killing in the sewer include a shotgun blast to the abdomen, literally blowing a pie-tin sized hole in one of the escapees, it's a fantastic special effect, while another is fried with the flamethrower, but the most damning of deaths are the very obvious real-life rats that were set on fire, those Italians in the 70s seemingly loved killing rodents and small animals in any movie with "cannibal" in the title, what the fuck guys?  

The movie is directed by Antonio Margheriti who gets short shrift when we talk about Italian directors, but in the considerable wake of Dario Argento, Mario Bava, Lucio Fulci and Ruggero Deodato he does kind of sink beneath the waves, he just doesn't have the stylistic signature that those guys did, but he's a solid director, crafting a fun slice of exploitation that looks good on all fronts. Saxon is always a solid actor, turning in a sturdy performance despite not having been pleased with the material. Radice for his part plays a typically over-the-top villain, looking a bit too happy when using a power saw to slice of slabs of meat for a mid-rampage snack. The movie is fun, there's a lot of genre-pokers in the fire, we get horror, war and cannibals all mixed together for an action-packed, never-dull, mash-up of Italian exploitation, and the flesh-munching gore comes fast and furious, this is a just fun watch with some nice twists and turns along the way that will make you wonder WTF? 

Audio/Video: Cannibal Apocalypse (1980) arrives on DVD from Umbrella Entertainment in anamorphic 1.66:1 widescreen, despite being advertised as 1.77:1. The image is solid, the daylight scenes are a  soft at times, but they do some good lighting for the darker scenes, boasting impressive color saturation and good detail and clarity for a dated SD Master. I do wish Umbrella had gone the extra mile and sourced a new HD Master for this Blu-ray, not sure if there are suitable elements for that to happen, but this could have been a world exclusive in HD,, I think it's a missed opportunity, but the DVD looks great for a DVD, no doubt. 

The English Dolby Digital Mono 1.0 does the job, dialogue and effects are well-managed, the score from composer Alexander Blonksteiner is almost too good for the movie, this one has a seriously enjoyable soundtrack. There are no subtitle options on the disc.  

Onto the extras, Umbrella Entertainment carry-over a selection of extras that were previously available on Image Entertainment's 2002 EuroShock Collection DVD, those being the video tour of the filming locations, alternate US opening sequence, a few trailers and a text essay about the censoring of the film in various territories. Sadly the one extra they do not port over is the nearly hour-long documentary featuring director Antonio Margheriti and actors John Saxon and Giovanno Lombardo, which if your a fan of the movie is a must watch. 

The single-disc release comes in a standard DVD keepcase with a one-sides sleeve of artwork using the familiar key artwork, but they up the 2002 DVD release by removing the photo shopped head of John Saxon that Image used on their release which was butt ugly, the disc itself features an excerpt from the same key art. 

Special Features:

- Apocalypse in the Streets (7 min)
- European Theatrical Trailer (2 min)
- Japanese Trailer (1 min)
- Alternate US Opening Sequence (8 min)
- Poster and Still Gallery (22 images)
- The Butchering of Cannibal Apocalypse

Cannibal Apocalypse (1980) is a fun cannibal movie, spiced up with some 'Nam elements and an urban-infection storyline. Truth be told I'll watch just about anything from this vintage era starring John Saxon and Giovanno Radice, both turn in solid performances, even if Saxon was disappointed with the material and arc of the story, he still turns in a sturdy performance and the movie is gut-munching fun, even if there's no real apocalypse happening here, but plenty of cannibals.

BLACK CHRISTMAS (1974) (Scream Factory Blu-ray Review)

BLACK CHRISTMAS (1974) 

Label: Scream Factory
Region Code: A
Duration: 98 Minutes
Rating: R
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1 Surround, English DTS-HD MA 2.0 Stereo, English DTS-HD MA Mono with Optional English Subtitles
Video: (Disc 1) 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1), (Disc 2) 1080P HD Widescreen (1.78:1) 
Director: Bob Clark
Cast: Andrea Martin, Art Hindle, Doug McGrath, James Edmond, John Saxon, Keir Dullea, Lynne Griffin, Margot Kidder, Marian Waldman, Olivia Hussey

I remember watching the seminal holiday slasher Black Christmas alone on late night cable TV back in the late 80s or early 90s and it gave me the creeps, even though at the time I was way into gore and nudity in horror movies, something this classic doesn't deliver, but it does deliver loads of dread and holiday chills, not too mention it is one of the greatest slasher movies of all time. For years this movie was sort of a hidden gem for slasher fans, not much spoken of, but in recent years it has become a beloved Christmas-horror classic, one now rightfully remembered as coming years before John Carpenter's Halloween and it is still one of the most effective and chilling slashers of them all. Directed by the late Bob Clark who has two undisputed Christmas classics under his belt, this dread-filled slice of terror and the beloved family-film A Christmas Story, you know, the one with the kid Ralphie on his quest for a mythical Red Rider BB gun, not to mention the seminal teen-comedy Porky's!

The movie begins with an eerie POV shot of someone creepily stalking around outside the Phi Kappa Sigma sorority house, crawling up the side of the place on a trellis and making his way inside the house through an attic window. Inside the house a group of sorority sisters are drinking and enjoying a Christmas Party before Winter Break begins. During the celebration Jessica Bradford (Olivia Hussey, Stephen King's It) answers the phone to the sounds of a heavy-breathing obscene phone caller who has apparently called before, they refer to him as "the moaner" and listen in to his lunatic ramblings, the witty lush of the group Barb (Margot Kidder, Sisters) grabs the phone and eggs the caller on with her own brand of sailor-mouthed wit before hanging up on him in spectacular fashion. Meanwhile nice girl Clare (Lynne Griffin) heads upstairs to her bedroom to pack for Christmas break when she is distracted by the mewing sounds of what would seem to be the beloved house cat named Claude coming from within her closet. Entering the closet to find the feline she is attacked and suffocated with a sheet of plastic in a truly shocking and frightful scene, the killer carries her corpse to the attic and places it in a rocking chair in front of the attic window with the plastic still wrapped around face, its a frightening image and one we see throughout the film, it's chilling stuff. 

The next day Clare's uptight father arrives looking to take his sweet daughter home but oddly none of the sorority sisters know where she's gone to. Coming up empty handed they go to the campus police station where they are assured that she has probably just run off with her boyfriend for he weekend, which is of no comfort to her stuffy dad. This turns out not be the case, which we find out when her boyfriend Chris (Art Hindle, Invasion of the Body Snatchers) shows up at the police station confirming to Lt. Kenneth Fuller (John Saxon, A Nightmare on Elm Street). Soon after a young girl from town goes missing and is found murdered in a nearby park, at which point Lt. Fuller begins to suspect that the disappearance of the sorority sister might be connected. Once he finds out that the sorority house has been receiving strange phone calls he places a tap on the phone, which in the 70s seemed like quite a chore, according to the movie, there's  scene of someone from the phone company combing through a huge room full of vintage 70s electronics. 

The creepy phone calls persist through the next night and escalate in intensity, the lunatic caller's weird and unnerving profanity laced calls are nightmare fuel and are still one of the most terrifying things about the movie. Hissing things like "juicy cock" and "pretty pig cunt" that must have been shocking to theater goers in the 70's! We as viewers know that there's a lunatic in the attic, there's an intruder in the home, but we don't know who exactly, and the movie does throw a few possible suspects our way, Clare's boyfriend Chris seems like an alright guy, but Jessica's boyfriend Peter (Keir Dullea, 2001: A Space Odyssey) is a bit of a high-strung weirdo, an aspiring pianist with a violent streak who is angered by Jessica's decision to terminate her pregnancy without his consent, and when the killer-crank caller references the abortion during a creepy call it certainly seems like he might be the guy. Like the vulgarity laced prank calls the abortion issue was still pretty taboo in the 70s, and must have been a head-turner, too. 

The tone of the movie is creepy and dread-filled, the sorority house is a great setting and feels very Christmas-y, lots of xmas light, christmas carollers, wind and snow abound, this is a xmas movie that feels very xmas-y. True to form director Bob Clark manages to sneak in some humor throughout the movie, beginning with Barb's near constant parade of inappropriate comments, such as when she points out sarcastically that "you can't rape a towney" or when she gives the dim-witted keystone cop Sgt. Nash (Douglas McGrath, the gym teacher from Porky's) a phone number with the false exchange of FE for "felatio", which never fails to make me laugh. Also golden are the interactions between the sorority housemother Mrs. Mac (Marian Waldman) with Clare's stuffy father, which is always good stuff, with her trying in vain to cover up the racy counter-culture posters on the bedroom walls. Ms. Mac is a just a hoot, a fun older woman who hides bottles of liquor in various hidden places, from the back of the toilet tank to inside of cleverly hollowed out books, she even rinses her mouth with whiskey after brushing her teeth, this broad might have a problem! 

As sometimes happens, the moments of humor serve to heighten the fear, this movie is a chiller through and through, as the killer continues to make the creepy phone calls, emerging from his hiding place within the house to claim more victim one by one until there remains only one, and only then does she realize with the help of the phone tap that the calls are actually coming from within the house! Sure, everyone seems to remember a similar scenario is When A Stranger Calls but this is the first movie to do the whole calls-are-coming-from-in-the-house thing. As frightful as this movie can be it is not a gore-classic, the terror comes through the use of shadow, dread and some chilling sound design, though a few of the kills are rather inspired. The suffocating of Clare with the plastic wrap at the beginning is frightening, the way her corpse is revisited throughout the movie is also eerily effective. The way poor Mrs. Mac goes out with an implied hood to the face is also just brutal, and another death by glass unicorn would not be out of place in an Argento classic. While the movie is not a river of blood the imagery and execution is blood curdling stuff, a few scenes of the killer's eye peering through the darkness are potent images. 

One of the strongest aspects of the movie is the ensemble cast, the sorority sisters are a fun bunch, they feel realistic, not too over-the-top, beginning with Margot Kidder as the acerbic lush Barb, I loved her. Then we have Jessica played by Olivia Hussey who turns out to be the final girl at a time before we really had the final girl formula of the 80s, she does good work throughout. Andrea Martin from the TV's SCTV  shows up as one of the more buttoned-down sisters, she doesn't do a whole lot or get a ton of screen time, but I love that you at least get a feel for these people before their numbers are up. Of course I have to mention one Mr. John Saxon (Tenebre) as the detective, this guy always classes up a picture! Black Christmas is a tense watch that does it without resorting to epic amounts of gore or nudity, but through the use of tone, shadow and crafty sound design, and it only gets better with age, and what an ending, the phone ringing over the closing credits, so chilling, so good! 

Audio/Video: At long last Black Christmas arrives on Blu-ray with significant upgrade to the image quality, which I appreciate as I've owned about as many versions of Black Christmas as I have Sam Raimi's Evil Dead 2  -- which is A LOT! Scream Factory went back to the original negative for a new 2K scan and the results are pleasing when compared to both the Critical Mass and Anchor Bay Blu-rays. The movie is a low-budget 70s movie so it is never going to be pristine and crisp, but right away you will notice that the grain is better managed and more finely resolved than previous editions, black levels are deeper, details are richer, the skin tones are cooler and not so red, the colors are more natural looking, this is just a very pleasing transfer. Noteworthy, Scream Factory's new 2K scan presents the film in Bob Clark's preferred aspect ratio of 1.85:1, but for those who prefer the original framing you can find it on he second disc, however, this is the 2006 Critical Mass HD Master with the 1.78:1 framing and is not a new transfer, so it does not look nearly as good. Scream's aspect ratio does lose some lower and upper frame image, but it looks so good, I didn't mind the new framing at all, but I will say that I find their recent spate of multi-framing options a bit weird and possibly confusing, their release of Cronenberg's Dead Ringers also has two framing options. 

Audio on disc one includes three audio options along with the new 2K scan, we get English DTS-HD MA 2.0 Stereo, DTS-HD MA Mono and DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround. Notably this is the first Blu-ray release to feature a mono track, which is great, but there's an issue, notably some hiss and harsh sounding s-words, which I found very distracting. The surround mix is okay but it's a classic case of an older movie sounding forced when opened up for a surround presentation. In an ideal world the mono track would be the way to go here, but I say stick with the stereo track on this release. The version of the film on the second disc comes with only a surround option. 

Extras on disc one include all the commentaries from previous DVD and Blu-ray editions, totaling three. We have one with Bob Clark, which is essential listening, and a second with John Saxon and Keir Dullea, which is alright. The third commentary is more of a novelty, a commentary with actor Nick Mancuso in character as "Billy" from the movie, which is all sort of nuts. Additionally there is thirty-minute interview with Bob Clark which can be listed to while viewing the film, in it Clark discusses the impact of the film and his legacy. I sort of wish we would have had a new commentary on the disc, something from Kim Newman or Stephen Thrower, someone from the outside looking in on the movie as a fan of horror, that would have been awesome, but I am just nitpicking here. 

Onto the second disc Scream Factory carry-over nearly all the extras from the previous Blu-ray and DVD releases, I think there might be one interview missing. They go the extras mile and add two brand new interviews which are exclusive for this release, one with actor Art Hindle and a second with actress Lynne Griffin totalling nearly an hour. The vintage stuff is nothing to sneeze at either, we have the awesome 40-min Black Christmas Legacy doc which was on the Canadian Anchor Bay Season's Grievings Edition, plus over four more hours of vintage interviews, Q/A, trailers, radio spots, galleries, alternate title sequences and two scenes with new vocal tracks - this thing is massive. 

This release also features a sleeve of reversible artwork with the original one sheet artwork and a new illustration by artist Joel Robinson, which is good, but if I am being honest here the Season's Grievings Edition Blu-ray artwork from artist Gary Pullin blows this one away, I might have to keep that version just for the artwork, the collector's booklet and cool slipcover, otherwise the Scream Factory version is the new definitive version of this holiday slasher classic. The only real dig I have on this release is the condition of the mono audio track, but when stacked up against the superior image quality and sheer amount of cool extras I do think that I can live with it. 

Update! It turns out that Scream Factory are offering a replacement program to address the mono audio issues on disc one of this release: Here's the statement from Scream Factory and the info: 

"We will be offering a replacement (Disc 1 only) of our Blu-ray release of BLACK CHRISTMAS which will include the original mono audio track as it was presented on prior releases of the film on DVD and Blu-ray.

Instructions to receive this replacement disc are as follows:

Send an email to our customer service department @ info@shoutfactory.com 
Please include “BLACK CHRISTMAS REPLACEMENT PROGRAM” in the subject line. Please provide your first and last name and the mailing address in which you would like the disc sent to. No other copy is needed. Must provide proof of purchase (photo of receipt or online order will do) in the body of the email.

You will not receive a shipment confirmation. Also, please note that due to the high volume of inquires we will not be able to respond to each email personally.

Replacement discs are expected to ship in January 2017 and as soon as we receive them. No tracking numbers will be assigned.

We’d like to also take this time to address the fans that brought this to our attention and explain more in detail as to why our mono audio track for Black Christmas sounded so rough. Unfortunately, we were not able to find a mag track, only an optical track, which is not an ideal source for this kind of work. However, based on earlier customer feedback who hoped for lossless mono audio, we decided to include the mono audio track with minimal processing and compression. The was a decision made with the best of intentions and the hope of providing the most authentic film presentation, but the hissy sibilance of the optical track proved to be too extreme and took away from the viewing experience. We’re sorry for the frustration it may have caused. We have explored all options to correct the problem that fit within our resources and have concluded that the best solution was to use the mono audio track originally released on the Critical Mass DVD.

Much thanks for your patience and continued support. And we look forward to bringing you more great retro films in 2017. 

Customer Service
Shout! Factory
2034 Armacost Ave., 1st Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90025

info@shoutfactory.com"

Special Features:

DISC 1:
- NEW 2016 2K scan of the negative (1.85:1) – DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
- Audio Commentary with director Bob Clark
- Audio Commentary with actors John Saxon and Keir Dullea
- Audio Commentary with Billy (actor Nick Mancuso)
- Audio interview with director Bob Clark

DISC 2:
- 2006 Critical Mass HD Master (1.78:1) – DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
- NEW Film and Furs – Remembering Black Christmas with Art Hindle (26 Min) 
- NEW Victims and Virgins – Remembering Black Christmas with Lynne Griffin (27 min) 
- Black Christmas Legacy (40 min)  
- 40th Anniversary Panel at FanExpo 2014 featuring John Saxon, Art Hindle, Lynne Griffin and Nick Mancuso (18 min)  
- On Screen!: Black Christmas featurette (49 min) 
- 12 Days of Black Christmas featurette (20 min) 
- Black Christmas Revisited featurette (36 min) 
- Archival Interviews with Olivia Hussey (17 min), Art Hindle (23 Min), Margot Kidder (23 Min), Bob Clark (25 min), and John Saxon (13 min)
- Midnight Screening Q&A with Bob Clark, John Saxon and Carl Zittrer (21 mins) 
- Two scenes with a new vocal soundtrack (3 min) 
- Original Theatrical Trailers (English and French)(9 min) 
- Original TV and Radio Spots (3 min) 
- Alternative Title Sequences (3 min) 
- Still Gallery (5 min) (55 Images) 

Black Christmas (1974) has simply never looked better on Blu-ray, this is the definitive version of the movie, aside from the unfortunate mono track on disc one, but I am pleased to see that Scream Factory have stepped-up and are addressing the audio issues with a replacement program for disc one. So buy this with confidence, this is the version you've been waiting for, this is the version of Bob Clark "other" Christmas classic has long deserved. 5/5

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!

THE GIRL WHO KNEW TOO MUCH (1963) (Arrow Video Blu-ray Review)

THE GIRL WHO KNEW TOO MUCH (1963) 

Label: Arrow Video
Region: B/2
Rating: 12 Certificate
Duration: 86/92 Minutes
Audio: English, Italian PCM 2.0 Mono with Optional English Subtitles
Video: Widescreen(1.66:1), (1.78:1)
Audio: 2.0 Mono
Cast: Letícia Román, John Saxon, Valentina Cortese, Titti Tomaino, Luigi Bonos
Director: Mario Bava

Mario Bava was a master craftsmen and superb cinema technician who dabbled throughout his career in so many genres, from early Viking adventure films to the Gothic horror he came to be recognized for in the years to come. However, it is arguably this Hitchockican thriller from 1963 that inspired a string of stylish Italian murder mysteries  in the 1970s, it's influence can definitely be felt in the work of Dario Argento. What would become known as giallo films were really just crime thrillers with a few notable characteristics that set them apart. They would typically feature an a tourist in a foreign place who is somehow caught up in a string of gruesome murders, their amateur sleuthing putting themselves and their loved ones in danger. The films would also feature threatening phone calls made by the killer whom would usually wear a pair of black gloves while committing the murders, we do get the phone call in this film but black gloved murders would not appear until Bava's stylish thriller Blood and Black Lace just a few years later. 

Gialli are also noted for their stylish cinematography and gorgeous set pieces and scenic locations, plus abnormal psychological themes with the protagonist either questioning their own sanity of suspecting someone of madness. The actual term "giallo" means "yellow" in Italian, the genre having coined it's name from a series of popular paperback murder-mystery novels beginning in the 1940s featuring yellow covers.

All this brings us to Mario Bava's The Girl who Knew Too much (1963), widely considered one of the earliest examples of a giallo murder mysteries, if not the first. We have an American traveller Nora Davis (Letícia Román) arriving in Rome via jetliner from New York. She is there to visit her elderly aunt who is quite it, so ill in fact that she dies in her bed that very same night. The death unnerves Nora who is alone, her fear enhanced by spooky cat and a thunderstorm. She leaves the home during a rainstorm walking through the scenic Piazza di Spagna, on her way to the hospital to notify her aunt's physician of her death.  En route she is mugged and knocked to the ground unconscious, coming to a few moments later she witness the murder of a woman who has been stabbed in the back with a kitchen knife. A man emerges from the darkness and removes the knife as Nora collapses. The next morning she is found unconscious by the police, she tells them of the murder she witnessed but with no body or evidence to corroborate the account they attribute the story to either hysterics or drunkenness. Afterward Nora and her aunt's physician Dr. Marcello Bassi (John Saxon) strike up friendship while touring the sites of Rome which blossoms into a romance. 

Soon after while at the cemetery Nora meets her late aunt's neighbor Laura (Valentina Cortese) who invites her to stay at her home for the duration of her visit. While there she learns that Laura's sister was the third victim of a serial killer dubbed the Alphabet Killer who murdered three women with surnames that followed the alphabet. Alone in the home Nora receives a threatening phone call stating that "D is for death" and that she will be the next victim. Scared for her life Nora nonetheless begins to amateur slueth the identity of the murder which puts her on the trail of a crime reporter named Landini (Dante DiPaolo) which not unsurprisingly leads to more even questions and a feverish finale with the murderer revealing all!

The plot at times caused me to scratch my head quite a bit as the film does not always make sense, but I would argue that some of the most enjoyable Giallo films rarely do. It's matter of tension, aesthetic and style and I would say that The Girl Who Knew Too Much falls into that category. 

Mario Bava was a master cinematographer and his use of black and white in this film is stunning throughout, the use of light and shadow is a thing of true beauty. Notably this would be Mario Bava's last film to be shot in black and white which is almost a crime, thankfully his use of color was just as breathtaking, in fact he shot the Gothic The Whip and the Body right before this one.

John Saxon and Leticia Roman are pretty great in their roles, the wide-eyed blond does fine as the sympathetic woman caught up in a murder mystery, and John Saxon is always a pleasure onscreen, he was quite a handsome man and adds an element of humor to the film. There's actually quite a bit of mischievous humor to be found throughout which is not surprising seeing as how the film was intended to be a romantic comedy of sorts. Honestly, there might be a few too many scenes of Saxon and Roman traipsing around Rome for my taste, a few of these scenes to drag the film down from time to time. 

The film is hugely influential as noted previously and set the standard for gialli to come for a decade, some might say that Mario Bava may have ignited the genre but that Dario Argento fans the flames to perfection with his films The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970) and Deep Red (1975), the former which borrows quite a bit from this gem, which I won't go into for fear of spoiling the revelation. 

If youre love of Italian murder mysteries begins and ends with Dario Argento and Lucio Fulci you might be a bit disappointed with the lack of blood, gore and sex - this is a pretty chaste film - but you will get the stylish cinematography and other earmarks - minus the black leather gloves - of the films you have come to love from the seventies. 

Blu-ray: The Blu-ray from Arrow Video is quite a treat, Mario Bava's black and white cinematography is gorgeous is sumptuous HD! We are treated to both the Italian version framed in 1.66;1 widescreen and the Us version which was re-scored and re-cut by American International Pictures, framed in 1.78;1 widescreen. The US version was re scored by composer Les Baxter, added a few additional scenes of humor, tagged on a new ending and removed references to marijuana, and it replaced the male narration with that of Nora, which I think worked quite well. Aside from the slight aspect ratio adjustment, the new score and the re-cut there are some differences in the image quality as well. The Italian version is darker and granier while the US version is a few shades lighter, losing some of the shadow detail but it does offer up more fine detail overall. It's a toss-up in my opinion but I think I prefer the image quality of the US in addition to . 

Onto the other features we have an introduction from by writer and critic Alan Jones, a new documentary All About the Girl directed by Calum Waddell It features interviews with directors Luigi Cozzi (The Killer Must Kill Again) and Richard Stanley (Dust Devil), plus authors Alan Jones (Profondo Argento) and Mikel Koven (La Dolce Morte) whom reflect fondly and directly on Mario Bava’s classic giallo. I was quite pleased to see the inclusion of Richard Stanley on the set, this guy needs to make more movies!

Carried over from the previous Anchor Bay release we have an  audio commentary by Mario Bava’s biographer Tim Lucas, author of Mario Bava - All the Colors of the dark. At times it can sound like he's reading straight from his book but it jam-packed with information and trivia including the differences between the two versions of the film. Another carry-over is the interview with star John Saxon who reflects on his career at the time and experiences on the film, mentioning reason why Mario Bava may not have cared for him. 

This is a pretty great set with excellent picture quality, I love that Arrow Video are lavishing Mario Bava with definitive editions the very same way they did Dario Argento in years past, these are the must-own Mario Bava releases, and those Kino releases here in the US do not even come close to matching what Arrow have assembled - these are truly some serious labors of love. 

Special Edition
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentation of two versions of the film: The Girl Who Knew Too Much – the original Italian version; and Evil Eye – the re-edited and re-scored US version prepared by American International Pictures
- Original uncompressed 2.0 mono PCM audio for both versions
- Optional English subtitles for The Girl Who Knew Too Much
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for Evil Eye
- Audio commentary by Mario Bava’s biographer Tim Lucas
- Introduction by writer and critic Alan Jones (4 Minutes)
- All About the Girl – Filmmakers Luigi Cozzi (The Killer Must Kill Again) and Richard Stanley (Dust Devil), alongside authors Alan Jones (Profondo Argento) and Mikel Koven (La Dolce Morte) reflect on Mario Bava’s classic giallo (22 Minutes)
- International trailer (4 Minutes) 
- John Saxon Interview (10 Minutes)
- US trailer (2 Minutes) 
- 2 DVDs containing the Italian and US version of the film
- Reversible Sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Graham Humphreys
- Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Kier-La Janisse

Verdict: The Girl Who Knew Too Much (1963) is really the film that sparked the Giallo craze of the 1970's, begun by Mario Bava here and polished with Blood and Black Lace (1964) before being perfected by Argento a few years later. Considered by many a minor Mario Bava film it should not be overlooked by fans of whodunit murder mysteries and the Italian gialli, this is a classy piece of cinema and a top-notch thriller.