Official Italian Giallo & Euro Horror Movies on Blu-ray Thread

[junyab]

I'm not sure about THE EDITOR...is a parody of a genre a part of the genre?!?!

I guess I'd consider SCREAM a slasher...I guess I answered my own question.

[Akijama]

Coming from the UK label, 88 Films:

For this Friday's announcement (#3) we've come down with a bit of Giallo Fever.....

Presented in a brand new 2k restoration from the Original Negative in 88 Films' Italian Collection is Seven Deaths in the Cat's Eye.

In a small Scottish village, horribly murdered bodies keep turning up. Suspicion falls upon the residents of a nearby castle that is haunted by a curse involving a killer cat....

Directed by Antonio Margheriti this Blu-ray and DVD release will land some time in late Q3, or early Q4.

[The Great Owl]

With my Blu-ray collection at home, I decided to segregate my Italian giallo films from the other horror films.

So far, I've got...

A Bay of Blood
The Bird with the Crystal Plumage
Your Vice is a Locked Room, and Only I Have the Key
The Black Cat
Blood and Black Lace
The Cat O' Nine Tails
Deep Red
Eye in the Labyrinth
Five Dolls for an August Moon
Inferno
La Bambola di Satana
A Lizard in a Woman's Skin
Spasmo
Tenebrae
Torso
What Have You Done to Solange?

Pretty soon, I'll have the Death Walks Twice (Death Walks on High Heels, Death Walks at Midnight) box set coming to me in the mail as well.

[ThePhantom]

Originally Posted by silverlakephil

Also, would you also include Giallo inspired films like Dressed To Kill and Pieces?

Some of De Palma's films can certainly seem giallo-inspired, but De Palma himself has downplayed any connection in several interviews, saying he actually isn't very familiar with giallo films. In one such interview he says:

"That's a genre I've heard a lot about, but I'm completely unfamiliar with. Martin Scorsese talks about them all the time. He's shown me a few movies a long time ago, but I've never connected with it."

I buy it. Many giallo films were heavily influenced by Hitchcock, much like De Palma, so it's not entirely surprising that giallo films and De Palma films share so many similarities.

[petrified-eye]

The only giallo I remember liking very much was Mario Bava's The Girl who Knew too Much, even I have to say it's been over 10 years since I saw it. I've recently seen Lizard in a Woman's Skin and Blood and Black Lace and they didn't do much for me, except that Bava's films are of course always visually engaging. Are there other giallos in the vein of The Girl or is that film actually closer to Hitchcock than other giallos?

From the OP:s list I've also seen Suspiria and Bay of Blood but I can't associate them to be quite the same genre.

[The Great Owl]

I just placed an order for The Girl Who Knew Too Much/Evil Eye. $17, including shipping, from a third-party Amazon dealer.

[cakefactory]

Originally Posted by petrified-eye

The only giallo I remember liking very much was Mario Bava's The Girl who Knew too Much, even I have to say it's been over 10 years since I saw it. I've recently seen Lizard in a Woman's Skin and Blood and Black Lace and they didn't do much for me, except that Bava's films are of course always visually engaging. Are there other giallos in the vein of The Girl or is that film actually closer to Hitchcock than other giallos?

From the OP:s list I've also seen Suspiria and Bay of Blood but I can't associate them to be quite the same genre.

The Girl Who Knew Too Much is definitely more in the Hitchcock mold. It lacks many of the hallmarks of the main giallo movement. If you don't like Lizard or Blood & Black Lace you might be out of luck, those are two major classics. However, more "restrained" ones I'd still say are worth trying for you would be The Psychic and Bird with the Crystal Plumage, they're more plot-driven and less nonsensical and have far less T&A and gore than the majority of them. They're also more muted visually.

OWL - I'd suggest you watch both versions of that. The American one is radically different in tone, with the main character as the narrator instead of the third person narrator, and thus it's a much lighter, more intimate film since we feel like we have a much better understanding of the character. The Italian version feels more like a nature documentary. There are also unique scenes to each version, with the American one having more humor (especially a great Bava cameo which is US-only).

[Z0MBI3]

I would strongly second Bird if you did not enjoy the other two. It's also among my favorite Gialli personally.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by cakefactory

The Girl Who Knew Too Much

OWL - I'd suggest you watch both versions of that. The American one is radically different in tone, with the main character as the narrator instead of the third person narrator, and thus it's a much lighter, more intimate film since we feel like we have a much better understanding of the character. The Italian version feels more like a nature documentary. There are also unique scenes to each version, with the American one having more humor (especially a great Bava cameo which is US-only).

Oh, I'll definitely watch both versions. $17 is a whole lot of money, and I'm going to enjoy what I paid for.

I plan to start with the Italian version, The Girl Who Knew Too Much, and then watch the American version, Evil Eye.

[frakking toaster]

How do the transfers of the Arrow UK versions stack up to the American blus? Like Girl Who Knew too Much, Bird with the Crystal Plumage, Cat onine Tails, Inferno. Is it worth getting the Arrow versions if you already have the Blue Underground or Kino versions?

[cakefactory]

Originally Posted by frakking toaster

How do the transfers of the Arrow UK versions stack up to the American blus? Like Girl Who Knew too Much, Bird with the Crystal Plumage, Cat onine Tails, Inferno. Is it worth getting the Arrow versions if you already have the Blue Underground or Kino versions?

Girl Who Knew Too Much - transferwise about the same, Arrow's slightly better, Arrow has much better extras though
Bird with the Crystal Plumage - Arrow's is infamous for bizarre aspect ratio/color, avoid at all costs unless you just want the extras, BU's is the best but VCI's is serviceable since the BU one has been OOP for a long time.
Inferno - BU's is considered the best transfer
Cat O'Nine Tails - I dunno, I think the source material on this was so compromised due to the Italian scan that none of the discs look very good

I'm not sure what other films you'd be asking about. The ones that you'd definitely want the US versions would be Bay of Blood, Bird with the Crystal Plumage, and Inferno. I think everything else Arrow is the better of the two options, apart from Tenebrae, where the US looks better but is wayyyy more expensive and the UK rerelease is good.

[stigdu]

Is the US release of Bay of Blood much better than the Arrow version, then?

[RiFiFi1955]

Originally Posted by stigdu

Is the US release of Bay of Blood much better than the Arrow version, then?

Well some say the Kino discs has slightly better PQ but I haven't actually seen it. But Arrow's has the Italian cut as well which I like to visit every now and then, granted it is in SD but still.

[mattc]

Originally Posted by RiFiFi1955

Well some say the Kino discs has slightly better PQ but I haven't actually seen it. But Arrow's has the Italian cut as well which I like to visit every now and then, granted it is in SD but still.

The italian cut in SD is also on the Kino disc as well.

[bruce holecheck]

Originally Posted by stigdu

Is the US release of Bay of Blood much better than the Arrow version, then?

Yes, the Kino BAY OF BLOOD disc is definitely the one to get. The Arrow release has nice extras, but the feature itself is very drab with pale colors and greyish blacks. Here's a review at Mondo Digital:

http://www.mondo-digital.com/bayblood.html

Arrow:


Kino:

[Rockercub]

Originally Posted by stigdu

Is the US release of Bay of Blood much better than the Arrow version, then?

I have the Arrow, and it's definitely a bit drab in the PQ department. But the audio on the Kino release has been criticized too (check out the User Reviews). Eventually, I want to pick up the Kino and take the best of both.

[cakefactory]

Originally Posted by stigdu

Is the US release of Bay of Blood much better than the Arrow version, then?

The color scheme is very different and a large majority seems to agree it's better.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by Rockercub

I have the Arrow, and it's definitely a bit drab in the PQ department. But the audio on the Kino release has been criticized too (check out the User Reviews). Eventually, I want to pick up the Kino and take the best of both.

All I know is that the Kino Blu-ray of A Bay of Blood is a thing of beauty. The colors stand out wonderfully well. It's a remarkable film, as well, and it hits all of the right plot notes.

[Member-167298]

Originally Posted by frakking toaster

This is a really good one. Can't wait for it!

Never seen it but I am sold by the art work alone!

When will it be released?

[Rockercub]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

All I know is that the Kino Blu-ray of A Bay of Blood is a thing of beauty. The colors stand out wonderfully well. It's a remarkable film, as well, and it hits all of the right plot notes.

I don't doubt it - what did you think of the audio though? Are the criticisms exaggerated?