Comments

NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Kino - Region 'A' Blu-ray - October 2018: Kino's image is from a "Newly Remastered in HD from a 4K of the restored fine-grain master!". It looks fabulous on a single-layered Blu-ray with a supportive bitrate. There is a rough-hewn but consistent grain and it looks extremely film-like in 1080P. The elements must have been in exceptional condition because this HD video presentation is pristine.

Kino utilize a 16-bit DTS-HD audio transfer in the original English. There are effects but the depth of the lossless is most notable in the score by Roy Webb (The Curse of the Cat People, I Married a Witch, The Fallen Sparrow, The Window, Journey Into Fear, I Walked with a Zombie etc.) which sounds excellent without any distortions and it carries some healthy depth. Kino include optional English subtitles (see sample) and their Blu-ray disc is Region 'A'-locked.

Supplements include an audio commentary by Film Historian Imogen Sara Smith - that I have yet to indulge but will rectify that soon. There is also the 1/2 hour audio-only 1945 Screen Director's Playhouse Radio Broadcast of "The Spiral Staircase" with Dorothy McGuire and Robert Siodmak plus there is a theatrical trailer.

Such an impressive shadowy image looking exceptional in the 4K-restoration and it's already a wonderfully atmospheric, essential, Noir film - it has never looked better and this Blu-ray edition, with commentary, is very strongly recommended!

Gary Tooze

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ON THE DVD: I feel as though we have caught MGM again (see Since You Went Away as another example) in attempting to sneak a non-progressive transfer by the consumer (see the last 2 captures for 'combing'). They are the only major studio production house that does this to my knowledge (if they can still be referred to as 'major'). It is a shame that the old Anchor Bay is out of print and still fetching some exorbitant prices in online auctions, but it is the better transfer of these two DVDs. I suspect with they will drop since the recent release of the MGM, in which the only benefit are the removable subtitles. MGM adds further insult to injury with the only supplement inclusion being a totally irrelevant trailer for Johnny Depp's film 'Secret Window' (who is making these decisions?)

On the surface there is not a lot of difference but MGM is softer and will exhibit further deficiencies if projected. The MGM is 3.2 Gig, the Anchor Bay is 4.17.  Get the Anchor Bay if you can.

 - Gary Tooze