Well at last the long wait is finally over. A proper aspect ratio of DR TERROR’S HOUSE OF HORRORS, the movie that essentially launched Amicus Productions back in 1965 has finally made it to Region 1 and on Blu-Ray too. The quality of the transfer is quite decent but having been shot in Techniscope (the poor man’s Cinemascope), the film still has black bars at the top and bottom even on a wide screen TV. You would think for a Blu-Ray release there would have been an anamorphic transfer to take care of that but as an earlier reviewer warned, this was going to be a bare bones release and it is. There are no extras of any kind. No commentary, no subtitles for the hard-of-hearing, no special short features, even the chapters are poorly executed. Olive Films does make rare films available (mostly from the Paramount library – Hey! how about releasing Roger Vadim’s BLOOD & ROSES on DVD/Blu-Ray) but they certainly are a no frills outfit.
This was the first Amicus anthology and it remains one of the most engaging even if the stories are uneven and the special effects aren’t all that special. The first story (of 5) about a werewolf’s curse is the best from a horror standpoint while the sparring between Michael Gough and art critic Christopher Lee in the fourth story remains a delight (the identity of the mystery painter is priceless). Roy Castle’s jazz voodoo sequence has dated the most but the killer plant story is truly di-vine. It’s fascinating to see the young Donald Sutherland but his small town doctor story lacks bite. No matter, Peter Cushing owns this film as the title character. You can’t take your eyes off him and it’s a pleasure to hear him speak. The soundtrack transfer is excellent with Elizabeth Luytens’ modern score adding much to the proceedings. In spite of the Blu-Ray’s shortcomings, this is still the best the film has ever looked in Region 1 so I can’t complain that much. The U.K. release will be more deluxe but I know this movie so well that I don’t really need extras. There may be a better release down the road but for now, this one will do nicely.
The Capsule Critic 