Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966) - Blu-ray in March 5 2012 - Page 4 - Blu-ray Forum

Braktastic · 03-02-2012, 04:56 PM

Interestingly enough, this DVD Active review says it is nowhere near as bad as Don't Look Now. Hopefully, they're right.

http://www.dvdactive.com/reviews/dvd...-darkness.html

duggie walker · 03-02-2012, 05:33 PM

This sentence from that review should ring a few alarm bells:

Of course die hard fans might be more akin to how their collections have looked over the years and see the DNR scrub more than me, but for a Hammer fan who's never actually owned a Hammer DVD before and therefore has nothing to compare this to, this Blu-ray looks okay for the most part.

Well, I'm a Hammer fan who has a lot of Hammer dvds and all the Hammer Blu-rays that have been released and in my opinion this is a let-down. There's very little detail in the picture- the colours are rich but this is no more than an average transfer. Like I said, it's perfectly watchable but I was hoping for something more. I'll admit it suffers from comparison with the stunning transfer of TO CATCH A THIEF which I've been watching recently.

I'm not trying to spread doom; just recommending a lowering of expectations. DPOD doesn't look as good as the VAMPIRE CIRCUS Blu. It's more akin to HORROR EXPRESS.

Braktastic · 03-02-2012, 06:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by duggie walker

This sentence from that review should ring a few alarm bells:

Of course die hard fans might be more akin to how their collections have looked over the years and see the DNR scrub more than me, but for a Hammer fan who's never actually owned a Hammer DVD before and therefore has nothing to compare this to, this Blu-ray looks okay for the most part.

Well, I'm a Hammer fan who has a lot of Hammer dvds and all the Hammer Blu-rays that have been released and in my opinion this is a let-down. There's very little detail in the picture- the colours are rich but this is no more than an average transfer. Like I said, it's perfectly watchable but I was hoping for something more. I'll admit it suffers from comparison with the stunning transfer of TO CATCH A THIEF which I've been watching recently.

I'm not trying to spread doom; just recommending a lowering of expectations. DPOD doesn't look as good as the VAMPIRE CIRCUS Blu. It's more akin to HORROR EXPRESS.

I understand and appreciate your opinion. My expectations have been lowered for quite some time. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of selling all my Hammer DVDs, and I have been slowly reacquiring them on BD as they become available. So I will be getting this release no matter what.

The release, as a whole, cannot be worse than the Australian The Vampire Lovers.

duggie walker · 03-02-2012, 07:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul Arnette

I understand and appreciate your opinion. My expectations have been lowered for quite some time. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of selling all my Hammer DVDs, and I have been slowly reacquiring them on BD as they become available. So I will be getting this release no matter what.

The release, as a whole, cannot be worse than the Australian The Vampire Lovers.

No, no - I wouldn't say don't buy it. It's not that bad and it is better than the dvds I've owned - extras are good too, especially if you didn't have the original Anchor Bay release. I haven't seen THE VAMPIRE LOVERS Blu (I'd forgotten about that one) but I do own PARANOIAC, QUATERMASS AND THE PIT and VAMPIRE CIRCUS and I'd rate this as less good PQ. But it's not a disaster. Hopefully future releases will be better.

mr young · 03-02-2012, 07:53 PM

I have just watched this and i think it looks better than i thought it would be
by the reviews. You have to remember that this was filmed in the Techniscope format using only 2 perfs of film instead of the usual 4.
Also the restoration comp is total rubbish.

bgart13 · 03-02-2012, 08:29 PM

What's "rubbish" about it?

duggie walker · 03-02-2012, 11:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bgart13

What's "rubbish" about it?

Right or wrong, I just don't buy the "Before" image. The fade on it is just too uniform. I know it's crazy to suggest they would have faked it but it really doesn't look authentic to me.

So anyway - I've watched the whole thing through now and my opinion's hardly improved. I usually never switch from the THX-calibrated mode on my Viera but here I had to switch to cinema mode and crank up the sharpening and make several other adjustments to get a picture I could live with. This is on a 65" screen, admittedly; smaller screens may be more forgiving.

But the PQ is wildly inconsistent - sometimes the contrast even fluctuates on the letterbox bars. Occasionally it looks good, if not great, and in a couple of shots you get a glimpse of the grain that might have been, but by and large it's a very mediocre transfer, imo. I'm sure that has something to do with the Techniscope format - and it has to be said that HD really points up the limitations of the Hammer budgets - but I'm equally sure this could have been done better. It's way too digitised;not film-like at all.

AND - I'm sorry to say - there are synch issues in early sections, now being widely reported. It's largely concentrated in the 10-15 minutes around the group's arrival at the castle. It didn't bother me too much but it IS there, so be warned.

The up-side is that I eventually settled in and I enjoyed the movie. DPOD isn't great but it was my first Dracula film and I have an affection for it. This IS an upgrade on the DVD, though it has other issues which some may find insurmountable, especially on large screens. I hope there's some improvement for the US release and, if so, I'll rebuy. But given the synch and PQ problems, I can't heartily recommend this edition.

mr young · 03-03-2012, 08:26 AM

As i said before the rest comp is rubbish with just a fake white haze put over
the pic, also some faces dont look right, i would not like to see this projected
on a large screen.

N8DOGG · 03-03-2012, 11:29 PM

I'd love to know when and if someone tests this on a Region 1 player? I'll be crushed if it's locked.

the blob · 03-03-2012, 11:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by N8DOGG

I'd love to know when and if someone tests this on a Region 1 player? I'll be crushed if it's locked.

I updated it last night on the site and it's B locked unfortunately. Gave it a quick test on my US PS3 and got the Region B only message and wouldn't play.

ghostwhowalks · 03-04-2012, 04:08 AM

I think what's going to be most frustrating is that "Quatermass and the Pit" set an early benchmark for what we now expect from this and subsequent Hammer releases.

amuslder · 03-04-2012, 09:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by the blob

I updated it last night on the site and it's B locked unfortunately. Gave it a quick test on my US PS3 and got the Region B only message and wouldn't play.

So I guess I can't complain about the video quality since someone has arbitrarily decided I DON'T NEED TO SEE IT IN MY REGION ANYWAY!

CinemaScope · 03-04-2012, 01:45 PM

I'm not too bothered about this one, I did see it in the cinema when it first came out (I wasn't old enough to see an X film, but tall enough to pass for 16), it's OK. The ones I'm waiting for are, The Curse Of Frankenstein & Dracula. The thing is, the colour & picture on the DVD's look just about perfect to me (slight framing issue with Dracula). I just hope they don't muck it up with the Blu-rays, you know, how they like the picture to look these days, cool with a bit of colour wound out, if they do, I'm sticking with my DVD's.

bgart13 · 03-04-2012, 05:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by amuslder

So I guess I can't complain about the video quality since someone has arbitrarily decided I DON'T NEED TO SEE IT IN MY REGION ANYWAY!

There's nothing arbitrary about region coding. It's to make money. Hammer has said that a US distributor will be announced shortly. Hang in there.

mr young · 03-05-2012, 08:36 AM

This is £25 in store in HMV

IdeaOfEvil · 03-05-2012, 10:29 AM

Wasn't there a notion that the Hammer Bluray library was going to be released in Region A eventually? Is there any reason why I should import this and not wait? (I own the dvd's)

CaptainKronos · 03-05-2012, 01:13 PM

Hammer will release these in the U.S., we just don't know when. It might be a long wait. Good news is Synapse is releasing "Countess Dracula", "Twins of Evil", and "Hands of the Ripper" this year. The did an excellent release for "Vampire Circus" here in the U.S.. The one thing about U.K. releases is that they usually have better packaging. We get eco-cases and crappy artwork. So if these were region free I would pick them up. But they are not from what I hear.

the blob · 03-05-2012, 03:05 PM

While I like the DPOD art, the synapse Vampire Circus with the original poster design is gorgeous.

I really don't care for the Quatermass & The Pit art. It looks like Invaders of the Body Snatchers or something.

amuslder · 03-05-2012, 07:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bgart13

There's nothing arbitrary about region coding. It's to make money. Hammer has said that a US distributor will be announced shortly. Hang in there.

I'm sure they have their reasons, and I'm certainly not business-savvy, but I don't understand how denying whole sections of the planet from being able to purchase their product is making them money.

Anyway, I'll content myself with my rather crappy DVD version for now (not like I have a choice), it's just that realizing how slowly the release process is for many movies, I might be dead before it gets a U.S. distributor.

I know, I'm a bit of a cynic.

Mr. Brightside · 03-05-2012, 07:45 PM

[QUOTE=amuslder;5876577]I'm sure they have their reasons, and I'm certainly not business-savvy, but I don't understand how denying whole sections of the planet from being able to purchase their product is making them money.

We get the same thing with Criterion. Best bet is to go region-free on your player. Intend to do this myself but can't afford to at moment, which is the main problem I guess.

03-02-2012, 04:56 PM	#61
Braktastic Blu-ray Samurai Member since:Nov 2007 4K collection:587 Blu-ray collection:587 Trading Score:13	Interestingly enough, this DVD Active review says it is nowhere near as bad as Don't Look Now. Hopefully, they're right. http://www.dvdactive.com/reviews/dvd...-darkness.html

03-02-2012, 05:33 PM	#62
duggie walker Blu-ray Guru Member since:Feb 2011 Location:London, UK	This sentence from that review should ring a few alarm bells: Of course die hard fans might be more akin to how their collections have looked over the years and see the DNR scrub more than me, but for a Hammer fan who's never actually owned a Hammer DVD before and therefore has nothing to compare this to, this Blu-ray looks okay for the most part. Well, I'm a Hammer fan who has a lot of Hammer dvds and all the Hammer Blu-rays that have been released and in my opinion this is a let-down. There's very little detail in the picture- the colours are rich but this is no more than an average transfer. Like I said, it's perfectly watchable but I was hoping for something more. I'll admit it suffers from comparison with the stunning transfer of TO CATCH A THIEF which I've been watching recently. I'm not trying to spread doom; just recommending a lowering of expectations. DPOD doesn't look as good as the VAMPIRE CIRCUS Blu. It's more akin to HORROR EXPRESS.

03-02-2012, 07:53 PM	#65
mr young Senior Member Member since:Jun 2010	I have just watched this and i think it looks better than i thought it would be by the reviews. You have to remember that this was filmed in the Techniscope format using only 2 perfs of film instead of the usual 4. Also the restoration comp is total rubbish.

03-02-2012, 08:29 PM	#66
bgart13 Power Member Member since:Aug 2010 Blu-ray collection:34 DVD collection:1 Trading Score:2	What's "rubbish" about it?

03-03-2012, 08:26 AM	#68
mr young Senior Member Member since:Jun 2010	As i said before the rest comp is rubbish with just a fake white haze put over the pic, also some faces dont look right, i would not like to see this projected on a large screen.

03-03-2012, 11:29 PM	#69
N8DOGG Expert Member Top ranked HT gallery Top contributor Member since:Sep 2009 Location:Detroit Rock City Home Theater Gallery:12 4K collection:473 Blu-ray collection:3043	I'd love to know when and if someone tests this on a Region 1 player? I'll be crushed if it's locked.

03-04-2012, 04:08 AM	#71
ghostwhowalks Special Member Top ranked HT gallery Top contributor Member since:Jul 2010 Location:Brisbane, QLD Australia Home Theater Gallery:10 Blu-ray collection:2077 DVD collection:65 Trading Score:12	I think what's going to be most frustrating is that "Quatermass and the Pit" set an early benchmark for what we now expect from this and subsequent Hammer releases.

03-04-2012, 01:45 PM	#73
CinemaScope Blu-ray Ninja Member since:Jun 2011 Location:London	I'm not too bothered about this one, I did see it in the cinema when it first came out (I wasn't old enough to see an X film, but tall enough to pass for 16), it's OK. The ones I'm waiting for are, The Curse Of Frankenstein & Dracula. The thing is, the colour & picture on the DVD's look just about perfect to me (slight framing issue with Dracula). I just hope they don't muck it up with the Blu-rays, you know, how they like the picture to look these days, cool with a bit of colour wound out, if they do, I'm sticking with my DVD's.

03-05-2012, 08:36 AM	#75
mr young Senior Member Member since:Jun 2010	This is £25 in store in HMV

03-05-2012, 10:29 AM	#76
IdeaOfEvil Blu-ray Guru Member since:Nov 2010 Location:SF/Berkeley 4K collection:228 Blu-ray collection:1826 DVD collection:924 Trading Score:100	Wasn't there a notion that the Hammer Bluray library was going to be released in Region A eventually? Is there any reason why I should import this and not wait? (I own the dvd's)

03-05-2012, 01:13 PM	#77
CaptainKronos Member Member since:Aug 2011 Location:Your Mom Blu-ray reviews:2	Hammer will release these in the U.S., we just don't know when. It might be a long wait. Good news is Synapse is releasing "Countess Dracula", "Twins of Evil", and "Hands of the Ripper" this year. The did an excellent release for "Vampire Circus" here in the U.S.. The one thing about U.K. releases is that they usually have better packaging. We get eco-cases and crappy artwork. So if these were region free I would pick them up. But they are not from what I hear.

03-05-2012, 03:05 PM	#78
the blob Power Member Top contributor Member since:Dec 2009 Blu-ray collection:- DVD collection:- Trading Score:1	While I like the DPOD art, the synapse Vampire Circus with the original poster design is gorgeous. I really don't care for the Quatermass & The Pit art. It looks like Invaders of the Body Snatchers or something.

03-05-2012, 07:45 PM	#80
Mr. Brightside Active Member Member since:Nov 2007 Blu-ray collection:76	[QUOTE=amuslder;5876577]I'm sure they have their reasons, and I'm certainly not business-savvy, but I don't understand how denying whole sections of the planet from being able to purchase their product is making them money. We get the same thing with Criterion. Best bet is to go region-free on your player. Intend to do this myself but can't afford to at moment, which is the main problem I guess.

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