THE MAN WITH THE X-RAY EYES (1963) (Second Sight Limited Edition Blu-ray Review)

THE MAN WITH THE X-RAY EYES (1963)

Label: Second Sight Films
Rating: PG
Duration: 79 Minutes
Region: B
Audio: English DTS-HD MA Mono 2.0 with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1)
Director: Roger Corman
Cast: Ray Milland, Harold J. Stone, Diana Van Der Vlis 

In Roger Corman's sci-fi gem The Man with the X-Ray Eyes (a.k.a. X, a.k.a. X - The Man with the X-Ray Eyes) we have Dr. James Xavier (Ray Milland, Dial M for Murder) a former surgeon and current optical research scientist experimenting with a serum administered through eye-drops that could potentially allow humans to see beyond the visible spectrum and into the realm of ultraviolet and into the unknown. His experimentation in the lab on primates has only gotten him so far, and with human trials to far out for his satisfaction, he ill-advisedly chooses to experiment on himself. Dripping the experimental yellow droplets into his own eyes he immediately begins experiencing the effects, able to see through things, and later glimpsing beneath party goers clothing at a swinging get-together, and then saving a young woman's life by seeing into her organs to diagnose a illness.

Despite this initial success his colleagues advising him to discontinue experimenting on himself, and defund his research, but fueled by his own hubris and his quest for knowledge, he keeps at it secretly. Not long after a mishap at the lab ends with the death of his colleague Dr. Sam Brant (Harold J. Stone, The Invisible Boy), and correctly fearing that he will be blamed for the accidental death he flees the scene.

Now being hunted by the authorities he goes off the grid, using his enhanced vision to get a job as a mentalist at a carnival, working with a sketchy barker named Crane, played by legendary insult comic Don Rickles (Innocent Blood), who plays it surprisingly straight. As Xavier's eyes continue to evolve he has to continuously wear a pair of dark, lead-lined sunglasses to not only conceal the bizarre color-changes happening to his eyes, but to not be overwhelmed by his new vision. Eventually Crane gets wise to Xavier's extra-sensory gifts, convincing him that they should go into business together, abandoning the carnival gig and setting up shop as a healer of sorts, using his extrasensory sight to scan their organs for illness, before eventually abandoning that and making his way to Las Vegas. In Vegas he uses his x-ray vision takes wing big at the black jack table, before it all comes crashing down around him.

Eventually all the eye-dosing gets out of control, Xavier's quest to see beyond what man should see drives him mad, and he ends up wandering the desert after a car chase, eventually he winds up at a church revival tent where he confesses to the preacher that with is eyes he is now seeing the all-knowing eyes of the cosmos, not sure of it's good or evil, to which the man of God offers some sage biblical advice, leading to an open-ended finale that worked for me. Despite the exploitative titling this Roger Corman directed slice of sci-fi, which also dips it's toes into the realm of body-horror, is surprisingly thoughtful in it's examination of how science sometimes extends beyond where it was meant to stray. This is all anchored by Ray Milland's strong performance as the knowledge-addicted scientist driven mad by his quest for knowledge, sort of being both the protaganist and his own antagonist, not a bad guy, just a man driven mad in the pursuit of science.

Audio/Video: The Man With The X-Ray Eyes (1963) arrives on region-B locked Blu-ray from UK distributor Second Sight Films framed in 1.85:1 widescreen and presented in 1080p HD. This is not advertised as a new scan so I will assume this is the same HD scan as used by Kino Lorber for their U.S. release. Whatever the source it's solid, being mostly clean and free of blemishes with only a few minor dings along the way. Colors are warm and vibrant, back levels are pleasing, and there's some good depth and clarity tot he image, the amount of fine detail was a bit surprising. A few of the FX shots are a bit grainy but it's nothing that's ruinous to the experience, this is a very pleasing HD presentation.

Audio on the disc comes by way of an English DTS-HD MA Mono 2.0 presentation, it's clean and crisp, if sounding a bit dated, but it sounds authentic for the vintage, and the score from exotica-lounge pioneer Les Baxter (House of Usher) sounds quite nice, optional English subtitles are provided.

Second Sight do it up right by licensing all the previously existing extras that appeared on the Kino Lorber release in the U.S. and sweetening the deal by commissioning a few new ones to make this the most comprehensive release of the film on disc to date. We start off with a pair of audio commentaries, the first is an archival track with director Roger Corman that first appeared on MGM's Midnite Movies DVD version, the legendary director/producer is always a pleasant listen, it holds up. We also get a new commentary with author Tim Lucas (Video Watchdog) who gives an exhaustive accounting of the film, full of facts about the cast and crew, making-of anecdotes, and script-to-screen comparisons. Honestly, whenever I see Tim Lucas listed as an extras contributor on a genre film I am inclined to say it's an easy upgrade. We also get the original 5-min prologue with a cool melting paint title sequence that brought to mind one of Corman's Poe adaptations, though which one eludes me at this moment. We also get a new 14-min interview with Roger Corman, a brand new 23-min appreciation by journalist Kat Ellinger, a 6-min appreciation by director Joe Dante (Piranha), who himself comes from the Roger Corman school of making movies. The disc is nicely buttoned-up with a 2-min Trailers from Hell commentary with director Mick Garris (Sleepwalkers), and the original 2-min theatrical trailer.

The single disc release arrives in a cool looking black keepcase with a single-sided sleeve of artwork featuring a new Graham Humphreys illustration, I love it, though I do wish it had a reversible art option with the original theatrical illustrated artwork, if only because it's one of my favorite movie posters ever. The same artwork is also featured on the disc itself, this coming housed within a sturdy slipbox with the same artwork, and it looks great sitting on the shelf. Inside there's a 20"x16" fold-out poster with both the new and original artwork, plus a 36-page softcover book with cast and crew information, lots of stills, posters and lobby cards, plus brand new appreciations from authors Jon Towlson and Allan Bryce.  

Special Features:
- New interview with Director Roger Corman (14 min)
- Interview with Author and Diabolique Editor Kat Ellinger (23 min) HD
- Audio Commentary by Roger Corman
- Audio Commentary by Tim Lucas
- Original Prologue (5 min) HD
- Joe Dante on The Man With X-Ray Eyes (6 min) HD
- ‘Trailers from Hell’ Commentary with Mick Garris (3 min) HD
- Theatrical Trailer (2 min) HD

Limited Edition Contents:
- Rigid slipcase featuring new artwork by Graham Humphreys
- Reversible poster with new and original artwork
- Soft cover book with new writing by Jon Towlson and Allan Bryce

The Man With The X-Ray Eyes (1963) is a bit of a hidden gem in the catalog of Roger Corman I think, it's not as well regarded as it should be, maybe because it's not the slice of exploitation that the title implies, and it's not part of the Poe cycle, but it's a cool sci-fi film with big ideas, anchored by a fantastic performance by Ray Milland. It's also got some vintage, trippy special effects that pre-date the psychedelic film cycle that arrived just a few years later, they are endearingly retro and cheap-looking. Second Sight's limited edition Blu-ray is a thing of beauty, it's got premium packaging, and artwork, loads of extras, and a solid HD presentation, this comes highly recommended.

More screenshots from the Blu-ray:

A BUCKET OF BLOOD (1950) (Olive Signature Blu-ray review)

A BUCKET OF BLOOD (1950)  

Label: Olive Signature
Region Code: A
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 66 Minutes
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 2.0 Mono with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1) 
Director: Roger Corman
Cast: Dick Miller, Bery Convey, Barboura Morris, Antony Carbone, Ed Nelson

In Roger Corman's horror-comedy A Bucket of Blood (1959) we have Walter Paisley (Dick Miller, Gremlins) a busboy at the Yellow Door Café, where hep-cat beatnik art-snobs gather to fellate themselves over their beat poetry and artistic endeavors. Walter dreams of being a great artist himself one day, but his lack of actual talent makes him a bit of a joke among the in-crowd. 

One night while trying to free a cat from inside his apartment wall Walter accidentally stabs the feline with a steak-knife, and while he's a bit slow he knows a good opportunity when he sees one. He takes the cats corpse and covers it modeling clay  - with knife still in it - presenting it to the espresso-slurping beatniks at the coffee house who immediately hail his macabre creation as a work of artistic genius! 

Craving further accolades by his new found art-world peers Walter struggles to find a new subject, resorting to murdering people and encasing them in clay, which seems to work just fine. The beatniks love his macabre sculptures, even the girl of his dreams, coffee house hostess Carla (Barboura Morris, The Trip), but things begin to fall apart for the gruesome sculptor when the truth of his morbid sculptures is eventually revealed. 

Roger Corman's film, written by Charles B, Griffith (Death Race 2000), is a fun time, a horror-comedy lampooning of the beatnik culture of the day, wittily written and played deliciously straight this is a satire that still works even today, it taps into something with legs. Character actor Dick Miller (The Howling) didn't get many starring roles, though he had tons of memorable one, and this rare lead was his meatiest lead. The late Miller is wonderful playing the sympathetic yet ultimately villainous
dimwitted hanger-on who wants so bad to be part of the in-crowd, and when he accidentally falls into it's good graces he's willing to do just about anything to stay in favor.   

Audio/Video: A Bucket of Blood *1859) arrives on Blu-ray from Olive Films Signature imprint, framed in 1.85:1 widescreen in 1080p HD. This is sourced from a new 4K scan from unspecified elements, looking absolutely solid, it's a bit darker with deeper blacks, film grain is more present, and contrast is significantly improved throughout. 

Audio comes by way of an English DTS-HD MA Mono 2.0 with optional English subtitles. Everything sounds crisp and clean, there are no issues with hiss or distortion I could pick-up on, though it does sound it's vintage, there's not a lot of depth but the score from Fred Katz (The Wasp Woman) sounds terrific. 

Last year Olive Films released a bare-bones DVD version of the film, so I was a bit surprised when they announced a new extras-laden special edition of the film to be released on their Signature imprint, not unlike what they did with The Invasion of the Body Snatchers. First up we get an audio commentary from Elijah Dreener, director of the 'That Guy Dick Miller' documentary, who deep dives into the film and the career of Dick Miller, touching on the cast and crew both in front of the camera and behind. Also touching on the filming techniques and all sorts of production trivia. If you're a fan of the film this is the sort of track that is essential viewing. 

We also get a 7-min interview with legendary director Roger Corman speaking about the making of the film, plus a 12-min interview with the late Dick Miller and his Lainie Miller, with the pair recalling how they were married around the time of the film, working with Corman and the history of the Walter Paisley character in his filmography. 

We also get an archival audio interview with screenwriter Charles B. Griffin who speaks about the film and several others he worked on with Roger Corman. There's also a 7-min video essay comparing the original script to the finished film, noting scenes that didn't make the cut. 

A nifty extra is a rare German prologue for the film that runs about 10-min long, a strange bit added on by the German distributor so they could market this s a sequel to House of Wax! There's also a rough-looking silent super-8 digest version of the film that runs about 8-min. Extras on the disc are buttoned-up with a pair of 2-min theatrical trailers, and a 5-min gallery of newly-discovered on-set photography with narration by Elijah Drenner. 

The single-disc release arrives in a clear Blu-ray keepcase with a cool-looking sleeve of artwork, which looks to be a new illustration, though I could not find a credit for the artist. The inside of the wrap features a red-tinted scene from the film with the disc itself featuring a motif borrowed from the new illustration. As part of the Olive Signature series the film also get a slipbox featuring the same artwork, and an 8-page collector's booklet with a new essay on the film from Caelum Vatnsdal, 
author of 'You Don't Know Me, But You Love Me: The Lives Of Dick Miller'. He describes  the film as the sturdy, quieter older brother to Corman's Little Shop of Horrors, which is basically a retread of this film, then going into the myriad of adaptations of the film through the years. The booklet also features stills from the film. 

Special Features: 
- “Creation Is. All Else is Not” – Roger Corman on A Bucket of Blood (8 min) 
- “Call Me Paisley” – Dick and Lainie Miller on A Bucket of Blood (12 min) 
- Audio commentary by Elijah Drenner, director of That Guy Dick Miller
- Archival audio interview with screenwriter Charles B. Griffith (20 min) 
- “Bits of Bucket” – Visual essay comparing the original script to the finished film (7 min) 
- 8-Page Collector's Booklet with Essay by Caelum Vatnsdal, author of You Don't Know Me, But You Love Me: The Lives of Dick Miller
- Rare Prologue from German Release (10 min) 
- Super 8 “digest” version (8 min) 
- Theatrical Trailer (2 min)
- German Theatrical Trailer (2 min) 
- Gallery of newly-discovered on-set photography (5 min) 

A Bucket of Blood (1959) is a fun lampooning of beatnik culture, starring the beloved character actor Dick Miller in his only starring role, which immediately makes this a must-own for me. I love that we finally have a version of the film on Blu-ray that is dripping with cool extras with some sweet packaging, this is on par with Olive Signature's excellent release of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, so get it before it gone. 

-

Olive Films presents Roger Corman's A BUCKET OF BLOOD (1959) on DVD May 29th

A BUCKET OF BLOOD (1959) 

Label: Olive Films 
Release Date: May 29th 2018 
Region Code: A
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 66 Minutes
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen (1.85:1)
Audio: English Dolby Digital Mono with Optional English Subtitles 
Director: Roger Corman 
Cast: Dick Miller, Bert Convy, Barboura Morris, Ed Nelson, Antony Carbone 

A career highlight, director Roger Corman’s A Bucket of Blood has much in common with his black-humor horror flick The Little Shop of Horrors and the post-apocalyptic Sci-Fi gem Gas-s-s-s.

In the immortal words of Hippocrates, “Life is short, art long, opportunity fleeting ...” Hippocrates was onto something.

A Bucket of Blood, directed by Roger Corman (The Trip), is the best of the genre hyphenates, a black-comedy-beatnik-culture-horror film. The masterful Corman (recipient of an honorary Academy Award® in 2010 for “his rich engendering of films and filmmakers”), often referred to as the Pope of Pop Culture, delivers on every level in a film packed with notable character actors including cult-favorite Dick Miller (The Trip, The Wild Angels) in the lead role of Walter, a busboy who dreams of creating the perfect work of art. Also featured are Barboura Morris (The Trip, The Haunted Palace) as Carla, the woman of Walter’s dreams, and Bert Convy (Semi-Tough) as undercover cop Lou Raby.

Influenced by the artists that circle his orbit at The Yellow Door Café, busboy Walter ventures into the world of sculpting where he can nurture the Rodin that lives inside of him. The downside is that his subjects are dead – by his hand. His beginnings, both humble and accidental, start with a small statue called “Dead Cat.” Unfortunately, “Dead Cat” is followed by “Murdered Man.” By the time we reach Walter’s interest in the female form …. well, you get the picture.

A Bucket of Blood is written by Charles B. Griffith (Death Race 2000), photographed by Jacques R. Marquette (Burnt Offerings), edited by Anthony Carras (The Comedy of Terrors), with music by Fred Katz (The Little Shop of Horrors) and art direction by Dan Haller (Pit and the Pendulum).

THE VINCENT PRICE COLLECTION III (1961-1970)

THE VINCENT PRICE COLLECTION III (1961-1970) 

Label: Scream Factory

Region Code: A

Rating: Unrated, R

Audio: English DTS-HD with optional English Subtitles 

Video: 1080p HD Widescreen, Standard Definition Full Screen 

Director: William Witney, Roger Corman,  Reginald Le Borg, Ken Johnson, George Hessler

Cast: Henry Hull, David Frankham, Vincent Price, Mary Webster, Charles Bronson, Elaine Devry, Chris Warfield, Ian Wolfe, Nancy Kovack,  Elizabeth Bergner, Hugh Griffith, Essy Persson, Patrick Mower

Scream Factory have come through with a third volume of The Vincent Price Collection, once again spotlighting the iconic talents of horror chameleon Vincent Price. Now that we're three volumes into his repertoire I am seeing all of the films on this set for the very first time, which is awesome. As with the three previous volumes Scream Factory have gone above and beyond to present each of the movies with a brand new high-definition transfers, offering up some great bonus content, including audio commentaries on four of the five movies, numerous interviews with cast and crew, and two versions of Cry of the Banshee, the American International Pictures cut and the longer director's cut. 

MASTER OF THE WORLD (1961)

Duration:  102 Minutes 
Audio: English DTS-HD MA Mono 1.0, English DTS-HD Master Audio Stereo 2.0 with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1)
Director: William Witney 
Cast: Henry Hull, David Frankham, Vincent Price, Mary Webster, Charles Bronson, Joan Freeman, Michael Pate, Robert Brown

This Jules Verne adaptation penned by science-fiction legend Richard Matheson stars Vincent Price as sky captain Robur who pilots an enormous flying machine, Robur  is on one-man crusade to disarm the world before it destroys itself. The story bares more than a passing resemblance to Vernes own classic 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, as does protagonist Robur to Captain Nemo, who takes aboard his flying ship a group of   adventurers who were exploring a volcanic crater in their own low-tech flying machine. Among them we have pro-war arms manufacturer Prudent (Henry Hull), his lovely daughter Dorothy (Mary Webster), her fiance Evans (David Frankham), and government agent Strock, notably played by Charles Bronson (10 After Midnight). This was a fun 19th century adventure movie, along the lines of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea or War Gods of the Deep, which also stars Price in a similar role

Price is in fine form as the slightly mad genius bent on disarming the world, some of his abductees don't necessarily disagree with his beliefs, but they are opposed to his destructive methods. This is fun stuff if you are into vintage science-fiction adventure movies, or enjoy a good Jules Verne story. The American International Pictures production seems a bit cash-poor at times but they do seem to have put all the money into the optical effects of the movie, which are certainly dated but wonderful and charming just the same. I love these vintage steam-punk fueled sci-fi romps, and this one delivers the goods if that is something you enjoy. 

Scream Factory offer up a brand new HD Master from the Interpositive film element, though there are numerous instances of print damage throughout by way of small scratches, none of which detracted from my viewing, just don't expect a pristine HD image. The colors are vibrant, with reds and blues looking particularly great. Audio options are represented by both English DTS-HD MA Mono and Stereo tracks, the dialogue and Les Baxter score sound crisp and clean, optional subtitles are provided. 

Onto the extras for Master of the world we have a new commentary with Actor David Frankham moderated by Jonathan David Dixon, plus an extended cut of the Richard Matheson: Storyteller interview. There's also a theatrical trailer for the film and two image galleries. 

Special Features: 

- NEW High-Definition Master From The Interpositive Film Element
- NEW Stereo Soundtrack Created From The Original 4-Track Mag
- NEW Audio Commentary With Actor David Frankham moderated by Jonathan David Dixon
- NEW Richard Matheson: Storyteller – Extended Cut (72 Mins)
- Theatrical Trailer (2 Mins)
- Posters, Lobby Cards And Behind-The-Scenes Photo Gallery (2 Mins) HD
- Photo Gallery Of Images From David Frankham’s Personal Collection (2 Mins) HD 

TOWER OF LONDON (1962) 

Duration: 80 Minutes

Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio Mono 1.0 with Optional English Subtitles 

Video: B/W 1080p HD Widescreen (1.66:1)

Director: Roger Corman

Cast: Vincent Price,Joan Freeman, Michael Pate, Robert Brown

Roger Corman's Tower of London is a real fine slice of diabolical cinema, a remake of the 1939 movie shot in black and white with Price starring as the hunched-back Richard III, the Duke of Gloucester. Richard is conniving and desperately hungry for the power of the Monarch, so much so that he is willing to kill his own brother to have the crown. A demented tale of Victorian corruption and madness, this one goes dark rather fast. Fans of Price's wicked turn in Witchfinder General should revel in his diabolical portrayal, a man who not murders his brother moments after their father's death, but places the blame on the family of the widowed queen, murders her young children, and torture a hand maiden on the brutal and bone-breaking rack, price is such a villainous character here.

This Roger Corman/Vincent Price team-up is one of the few not to draw from the works of
Edgar Allen Poe, but it is no less haunting or awesome, rarely has something so Shakespearean kept me rapt. Price is at his best as the maddened Richard III, haunted by the spectres of his victims, losing his grip on reality before succumbing to his own foretold fate on the battlefield. This one is stuffed with fine performances, including Joan Camden as Richards’ equally duplicitous and ill-fated wife, and Richard Hale as Tyrus the physician, a voice of reason ignored by Richard III.

Price is at his most deliciously villainous in Tower of London, with maniacal monologues and a host of diabolical deeds, a scene of man in an iron mask and a rat comes immediately to mind, vicious stuff. The movie looks great, a true Gothic horror accented by rich black and white cinematography, which looks sweet in 1080p high-definition. The English DTS-HD Master Audio Mono 1.0 sounds crisp and clean, dialogue and Michael Andersen's score come through nicely.

Special features for Tower of London include an interview with director Roger Corman, in addition to a second interview  with producer Gene Corman. Scream Factory also offer up two episodes of the TV show Science Fiction Theatre, both of which star Vincent Price, which I have not watched yet. We also get an image gallery with Posters, Lobby Cards And Behind-The-Scenes Photo Gallery.

Special Features: 

- NEW High-Definition Master From A Fine Grain Film Print
- NEW Interview With Director Roger Corman (7 Mins) HD
- Producing Tower Of London – An Interview With Producer Gene Corman (14 Mins)
- Two Episodes Of Science Fiction Theatre (1956): "One Thousand Eyes" (26 Mins) And "Operation Flypaper" (26 Mins) Both Starring Vincent Price (In Standard Definition)
- Posters, Lobby Cards And Behind-The-Scenes Photo Gallery (5 Mins) HD 

DIARY OF A MADMAN (1963) 

Duration: 96 Minutes

Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio Mono 1.0 with Optional English Subtitles 

Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.66:1)

Director: Reginald Le Borg 

Cast: Elaine Devry, Chris Warfield, Ian Wolfe, Nancy Kovack, Vincent Price

In Diary of a Madman Vincent Price stars Simon Cordier (Vincent Price), a French magistrate and amateur sculptor of clay, at the top of the story he is already dead, what plays out is a story as read from his diary after his death. Cordier becomes possessed by a malevolent spirit known as the Horla, which forces the magistrate to commit awful murders, including that of his new love, Odette Mallotte DuClasse (Nancy Kovak). The murders have a certain ripper type feel about them, Price is great in the role, perfectly menacing as the possessed killer, his performance is all in his glowing eyes. 

This amounts to a dual role for Price, who as the magistrate is a sympathetic character, a lonely man who was widowed years earlier under tragic circumstances, who has now found love in his life yet again, but the Horla will not allow this happiness to last long. The murders are not gruesome, but there are some gruesome touches throughout, including one that sort of felt like nod to Price's House of Wax, wherein the decapitated head of his lover is glimpsed through the clay sculpture of her face, this is good stuff. 

The performances are quite good, especially from Price, who plays tormented very well. His co-star Nancy Kovak also does well as Odette, the woman he loves, but who doesn't come off all that sympathetic in my eyes, sort of a money-hungry bitch, and there's maybe a tad too much melodrama for the movies own good, but I did enjoy it. I like the structure of the movie and how it plays out, and Price is always a gem, even when in something a bit on the rough side. 

Scream Factory present Diary of a Madman  with a new High-Definition Master From The Interpositive Film Element and looking quite nice all the way around in HD, a pleasing amount of fine detail, with nicely saturated colors. Dialogie and the Richard LaSalle score are well represented by the English DTS-HD Master Audio Mono 1.0 with Optional English Subtitles.

Extras on the disc include a new commentary with Film Historian And Author Steve Haberman, which is a wealth of information, but I find his commentaries a little on the dry side. The disc is rounded off with a theatrical trailer for the movie and an image gallery. 

Special Features: 
- NEW High-Definition Master From The Interpositive Film Element
- NEW Audio Commentary With Film Historian And Author Steve Haberman
- Theatrical Trailer (3 Mins) 

- Poster And Lobby Card Gallery (2 Mins) HD

AN EVENING OF EDGAR ALLAN POE (1970) 

Duration: 53 Minutes

Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio Mono 1.0 with Optional English Subtitles 

Video: Standard Definition Full Screen (1.33:1)

Director: Ken Johnson 

Cast: Vincent Price 

An evening with Edgar Allen Poe is a one-man tribute to Poe starring - - who else -- Vincent Price, who runs through Poe's The Tell-Tale Heart, The Sphinx, The Cask of Amontillado, and The Pit and the Pendulum.  A true testament to Price's acting prowess, a captivating and intimate feature with Price acting the Hell out of these Poe stories. Whether you're a fan of Edgar Allen Poe or Vincent Price this is a win-win for both camps, like chocolate and peanut butter, two awesome things that are simply great together. The stories are one-man shows as mentioned, but the production and keen but simple editing, along with such a fervent telling by Price, keep things from becoming redundant. 

Scream Factory present this one straight from the 2" master tapes, as it was a standard definition source it is presented as such, and appears very much like watching a vintage VHS tape. Audio comes by way of English DTS-HD Master Audio Mono 1.0 with Optional English Subtitles.

Extras include another commentary from Steve Haberman, plus an interview With Writer/Producer/Director Kenneth Johnson who goes into the origins of the production and how it was assembled, plus there is a gallery of behind-the-scenes images. 

Special Features:
- NEW Master Created From The Original 2" Tape Masters
- NEW Audio Commentary With Film Historian And Author Steve Haberman
- NEW Interview With Writer/Producer/Director Kenneth Johnson (22 Mins) HD
- Behind-The-Scenes Photo Gallery (2 Mins)

CRY OF THE BANSHEE (1970) 

Duration: 87 Minutes (AIP Cut)/91 Minutes (Director's Cut)

Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio Mono 1.0 with Optional English Subtitles 

Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1)

Director: George Hessler 

Cast: Elizabeth Bergner, Hugh Griffith, Vincent Price, Essy Persson, Patrick Mower

Vincent Price once again plays a magistrate on this set, this time he is Lord Edward Whitman (Vincent Price) who is not too far removed from Price's portrayal of Richard III in Tower of London, in fact he is just as wicked as Matthew Hopkins from Witchfinder General. Lord Whitman sentences a young woman to be branded and whipped for the crime of witchcraft, during dinner at his palace he forces the young children of the witch to entertain his gathering of cronies, but things turn awry when he kills both the young children when they prove rebellious. 

Further wishing to stamp out witchcraft in his jurisdiction he and a cadre of his henchmen
ride into the countryside and find exactly what they're looking for, a coven of witches lead by the hag Oona (Elizabeth Bergner). They slay many of the coven, angering Oona, who calls upon  a demonic beast which she unleashes against the Whitman clan. 

I found Cry of the Banshee to be a good watch, but not great, though I felt it should have been great. Price turns in a memorable wicked performance, and there's a lot of wickedness around him, for instance his son Sean (Stephan Chase) lusts after his father's young wife Lady Patricia (Essy Persson), it seems the true evil in the land may not be with the witches, but with the corrupt and immoral aristocrats, which is nothing new under the sun. 

The end has a nice amount of comeuppance to it, when it seems that Whitman's may have won against the forces of evil there's a good twist with a stinging finale as Whitman visits a cemetery to verify the death of the demon summoned to kill his clan, you might find yourself a bit bored at times by this one, truly i has some pacing problems, but just hang in there for the finale, which saves this one on the last leg. 

The new HD transfer of the director's cut comes from the Interpositive film element and looks pleasing all the way around, nice warm colors, an abundant of fine detail and texture, and superior to the theatrical AIP version, which is also included. The AIP cut was sourced from the only surviving element of the film, a color reversal intermediate. and there are a few more scratches and speckling evident on that version of the movie. Audio is handled by an English DTS-HD Master Audio Mono 1.0 track with Optional English Subtitles, nice and clean, dialogue and the Les Baxter score sound crisp and clean. 

Bonus content for Cry of the banshee includes the four-minute longer director's cut of the film with a new commentary from Author Steve Haberman. There's a damn good interview with Director Gordon Hessler who speaks about working for Hitchcock in his early days, the movie  Like the first two volume of the Vincent Price Collection the set comes housed inside a slipcover, plus a 12-page booklet with rare photos, but unlike the previous volumes does not contain an accompanying essay from author David Del Valle, just photos and artwork. 

Special Features:
- NEW High-Definition Master Of The Director’s Cut From The Interpositive Film Element
- NEW High-Definition Master Of The American International Pictures Cut From The Only Surviving Element, A Color Reversal Intermediate
- NEW Audio Commentary With Film Historian And Author Steve Haberman (Director's Cut)
- A Devilish Tale Of Poe – An Interview With Director Gordon Hessler (18 Mins)
- Theatrical Trailer (2 Min)
- TV Spot (1 Mins)
- Radio Spot (1 Mins)
- Posters, Lobby Cards And Behind-The-Scenes Photo Gallery (4 Mins) HD 

- 12-Page Book With Rare Photos and Artwork 

Volume three of the series might not have Vincent Price heavy-hitters like The Abominable Dr. Phibes or The Last Man on Earth of previous volumes but what it does have are four more movie Vincent Price movies in sweet 1080p HD with a wonderful assortment of bonus content, and that alone is worth laying down the hard earned scratch for. Volume II has gone out of print and is fetching ridiculous prices on eBay, don't pass this one up only to regret it later, highly recommended. Hoping we see a fourth installment, would love to see Theater of Blood, The Fly, The Tingler, Tales of Terror, The Comedy of Terrors and Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs come to Blu-ray from Scream Factory. 4/5