Part of the Limited Edition 'Killer Dames: Two Gothic Chillers
by Emilio P. Miraglia' 4-Disc Blu-ray + DVD Set
by Emilio P. Miraglia' 4-Disc Blu-ray + DVD Set
Released by: Arrow Video
Release Date: May 24, 2016 (US), May 30th, 2016 (UK)
Production Year: 1971
Region Code: A / B
Running Time: 1:42:48
Audio: English DTS-HD MA Mono / Italian DTS-HD MA Mono
Video: 1080p (2.35:1 Aspect Ratio)
Subtitles: English, English SDH
THE FILM - [ 2.5 / 5 ]:
At the height of the Italian giallo boom in the early 1970's, scores of filmmakers turned their hand to crafting their own unique takes on these lurid murder-mystery thrillers. This limited edition double pack features two distinctive offerings by Emilio P. Miraglia, which meld twisty whodunit narratives with gothic chills.
In "The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave," troubled aristocrat Alan Cunningham (Anthony Steffen, "Django the Bastard"), haunted by the death of his first wife Evelyn, tries to move on by marrying the seductive Gladys (Marina Malfatti, "All the Colors of the Dark"). Marital bliss is short-lived, however, as various relatives meet untimely and gruesome deaths, prompting speculation that a vengeful Evelyn has risen from the grave…
I wouldn't call this a particularly strong film in the giallo sub-genre, but it does have its moments and some highly entertaining scenes. As is often the case, we are treated to some attractive, scantily clad and also nude, women. The film is not graphically violent and you really could call it rather tame when compared to many other giallo films. The story I though was, a bit sloppy. That's not to say the film is bad. It's just that with a little bit of tinkering it may have gone from okay, in my opinion, to great. Others will totally disagree and love the film and that is what is great about film and art in general, there will always be varying degrees of opinion about everything since we all have different tastes.
AUDIO - [ 4.5 / 5 ]:
The Blu-ray comes with two audio options being English and Italian DTS-HS Master Audio Mono tracks. Audio on the Blu-ray sounded excellent and help aid the atmosphere of the gothic-themed film. I did not notice any issues with it. Bruno Nicolai's score sounded wonderfully exciting and haunting. Sound levels were balanced well and the inclusion of two audio options was a nice bonus. English and English SDH subtitles are also included.
VIDEO - [ 4.5 / 5 ]:
"The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave" makes its Blu-ray debut thanks to Arrow Video and its U.S. distributor MVD Entertainment Group. The film received a new 2K restoration from the original camera negatives and is presented in 1080p with a 2.35:1 Aspect Ratio. The film looks beautiful. One thing some may mention is the pesky hair that appears at the bottom of the screen around the 90 minute mark, but viewers should be very satisfied with this presentation. Colors be it from the red-haired women in the film or colorful costumes pop off the screen specially during some scenes featuring drab backgrounds. Film grain looked quite good and never overly heavy. The film looked fairly sharp and even better in closeups. Skin tones looked very good as did black levels.
SPECIAL FEATURES - [ 4.5 / 5 ]:
Play With Introduction (:54) - You have the option to play the film with or without a 54 second introduction by star, Erika Blanc.
Audio Commentary by Troy Howarth - Mr. Howarth is an author of books like "So Deadly, So Perverse" and "The Haunted World of Mario Bava." He says this was his first commentary and I think he did an admirable job. I found the track to be very informative as he discussed and somewhat dissected the film. He was able to provide additional information about the cast including some of their other films. The giallo sub-genre was talked about as well. In some ways I found the commentary to be a little more enjoyable than the film itself.
Remembering Evelyn (15:12) - A new interview with film critic Stephen Thrower who discusses Miraglia's film as well as stars Erika Blanc and Anthony Steffen. He also talks about some of the films prior releases.
The Night Erika Came Out of the Grave (9:44) - A new interview filmed in 2015, actress Erica Blanc discusses her memories of shooting the film including her dance scene that introduces her character. A little bit of the interview is repeated from the archive interview that appears in The Whip and the Body archive extra. (In Italian with English subtitles)
Trailers:
- Italian Trailer (2:44)
- English Trailer (2:44)
Archival Special Features:
- 2006 Introduction by Erika Blanc (:37) - Another brief introduction to the film.
- The Whip and the Body (20:57) Actress Erica Blanc talks about her part in the film and other topics such as censorship at the time the film was made. Ms. Blanc also talks about some people she's worked with as well as some other films from her career. (In Italian with English subtitles)
- Still Rising From the Grave (22:49) - Production Designed Lorenzo Baraldi speaks about his early career, getting started in the business and among other topics, other great designers. (In Italian with English subtitles)
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Gilles Vranckx
Killer Dames - Limited Edition Extras:
- Limited Edition box set (3000 copies) containing "The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave" and "The Red Queen Kills Seven Times."
- Limited Edition 60-page booklet containing new writing by James Blackford, Kat Ellinger, Leonard Jacobs and Rachael Nisbet.
OVERALL RATING - [ 4 / 5 ]
