The Brotherhood of Satan Blu-ray - Strother Martin / L.Q. Jones

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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r

(aka "Come in Children" or "The Guru Vampire")

Directed by Bernard McEveety
USA 1971

A small rural town and a family of outsiders, both trapped in the demonic grip of… The Brotherhood of Satan!

Recently widowed Ben, his glamorous girlfriend Nicky and his small daughter K.T. are on a road trip across the Southwest, which comes to a screeching halt when they witness an accident. Heading to the nearby isolated desert town of Hillsboro to report it to the Sheriff (played by L.Q. Jones), they are met with a hostile reaction from the locals, who are gripped by paranoia and fear due to a series of gruesome deaths, as well as the mysterious disappearance of eleven of the community’s children. As the bodies continue to pile up around them, Ben and his family find themselves joining the sheriff, a local priest and the town’s enigmatic physician Doc Duncan (Strother Martin, Cool Hand Luke) in the midst of a mystery that points towards a deadly satanic cult...

Produced by Alvy Moore and L.Q. Jones, a veteran character actor best known for his work with Sam Peckinpah, The Brotherhood of Satan is an atmospheric and chilling tale of terror that provides a crucial missing link between Rosemary’s Baby (1968) and The Devil’s Rain (1975) in the cycle of turn-of-the-seventies shockers involving sinister devil-worshipping cults lurking within the dark shadows of modern-day America.

***

While driving through the Southwest with his daughter and girlfriend, a man stumbles upon a small town plagued by the disappearance of several children and the murders of their parents. He stays on to assist the local sheriff, his deputy, the local priest, and a physician as they try to solve the mystery.

Posters

Theatrical Release: August 6th, 1971

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Comparison:

Imprint - Region FREE - Blu-ray vs. Arrow - Region FREE - Blu-ray

Box Cover
		Bonus Captures:
Distribution	Imprint - Region FREE - Blu-ray	Arrow - Region FREE - Blu-ray
Runtime	1:32:29.085	1:32:29.877
Video	2.35:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 34,635,029,595 bytes Feature: 27,049,377,792 bytes Video Bitrate: 32.57 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video	2.35:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 40,311,054,647 bytes Feature: 28,624,981,248 bytes Video Bitrate: 34.74 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate Imprint Blu-ray:
Bitrate Arrow Blu-ray:
Audio	LPCM Audio English 2304 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 2304 kbps / 24-bit Commentary: LPCM Audio English 2304 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 2304 kbps / 24-bit	LPCM Audio English 1152 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 1152 kbps / 24-bit Commentary: LPCM Audio English 2304 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 2304 kbps / 24-bit
Subtitles	English, None	English (SDH), None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Imprint 2.35:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 34,635,029,595 bytes Feature: 27,049,377,792 bytes Video Bitrate: 32.57 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Edition Details: • NEW Audio Commentary by author Troy Howarth and Mondo Digital’s Nathaniel Thompson (2021) • Kim Newman on The Brotherhood of Satan (15:01) • NEW “THE DEVIL YOU KNOW” Inside LQ/Jaf Productions with author/film historian Justin Humphreys (2021) (12:46) • Theatrical Trailer (2:29) • Limited Edition slipcase on the first 2000 copies Blu-ray Release Date: August 6th, 2021 Transparent Blu-ray Case inside slipcase Chapters: 12	Release Information: Studio: Arrow 2.35:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 40,311,054,647 bytes Feature: 28,624,981,248 bytes Video Bitrate: 34.74 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Edition Details: • Brand new audio commentary by writers Kim Newman and Sean Hogan • Satanic Panic: How the 1970s Conjured the Brotherhood of Satan, a brand new visual essay by David Flint (15:06) • The Children of Satan, exclusive new interview with actors Jonathan Erickson Eisley and Alyson Moore (18:16) • Original Trailers (2:27) and TV Spots (1:03 / 1:02) and Radio Spot (0:55) • Image Gallery (0:18) • Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Richard Wells • FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated booklet featuring new writing by Johnny Mains and Brad Stevens Blu-ray Release Date: August 30th, 2021 Transparent Blu-ray Case inside slipcase Chapters 13

Comments:

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

ADDITION: Arrow and Imprint Blu-ray (August 2021): Arrow and Imprint have transferred Bernard McEveety's The Brotherhood of Satan to Blu-ray. Both appear to be a '2K transfer in 1080P'. Despite the overwhelming similarities - there are some differences - the Imprint has warmer skin tones and colors are richer and deeper (noticeably reds.) Both look pretty solid on dual-layered discs with very high bitrates - same source (same marks) but perhaps a contrast tweaking by Imprint. Both show depth and a stable HD presentation image in-motion. I suspect that few will take issue with the limited disparities but nice to have the choice for picky consumers.

NOTE: We have added 50 more large resolution Arrow Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Both use linear PCM tracks (24-bit), Imprint's in dual-mono and Arrow 1.0 channel - in the original English language. Again very similar with minor differences. The Imprint audio transfer is more robust but purists may cling to Arrow's 1.0 channel. The Brotherhood of Satan has aggressive moments and 'demonic' effects plus a score by Jaime Mendoza-Nava (Aloha Bobby and Rose, The Stewardesses, The Town That Dreaded Sundown, Grave of the Vampire and Equinox) with pieces like Prince of Darkness and Adonay. Both are adept in the uncompressed without notable dropouts or flaws. Both offer optional English subtitles (Imprint below the 2.35:1 frame - see samples below) on their Region FREE Blu-rays.

Both Blu-rays offers new commentaries. Arrow's has Kim Newman and Sean Hogan together discussing the unusual opening sequences and vast details of production, producers L.Q. Jones and Alvy Moore and details of the plot. Imprint's BD has a commentary by Troy Howarth (author of So Deadly, So Perverse: 50 Years of Italian Giallo Films) and Mondo Digital’s Nathaniel Thompson who find numerous similar examples in the era, actor Strother Martin, desert horror films, L.Q. and Alvy's A Boy and His Dog, differences between witchcraft and Satanism... and so much more. Both are enjoyable and have value.

The Imprint Blu-ray have other supplements; a 1/4 hour with Kim Newman sharing details on The Brotherhood of Satan. Also included is "The Devil You Know" Inside LQ/Jaf Productions with author/film historian Justin Humphreys (author of Names You Never Remember, with Faces You Never Forget) for 13-minutes, a theatrical trailer and a limited edition slipcase on the first 2000 copies.

Arrow's Blu-ray offer a a brand new 1/4 hour visual essay by David Flint (author of, the delightfully cover'd, Sheer Filth!: Bizarre Cinema, Weird Literature, Strange Music, Extreme Art) entitled Satanic Panic: How the 1970s Conjured the Brotherhood of Satan. It increased my appreciation. Very interesting to see The Children of Satan, an exclusive new interview with actors Jonathan Erickson Eisley and Alyson Moore for 18-minutes as they recall their experiences as children making the film and how they got involved. There are also an original trailers, TV and Radio Spots and an image gallery. Arrow package has a reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Richard Wells and for the first pressing purchasers get an illustrated booklet featuring new writing by Johnny Mains and Brad Stevens.

Bernard McEveety's The Brotherhood of Satan is certainly an interesting horror film with elements of Rosemary’s Baby and I might even include The Wicker Man. I loved the first 20-minutes with guesses to the plot's direction, cover-ups and small town desert locale. I was less-enthused with the overdone rituals later in the film. Strother Martin is allowed to ham it up somewhat, I always remember L.Q. Jones for his small part in The Edge (barely scratching the surface of his roles) and Alvy Moore from Green Acres as Hank Kimball. It was very interesting to learn about their producer-teaming projects and the unique films they made. I would watch The Brotherhood of Satan again - there is some nostalgia appeal for early 70's horror. Both Arrow and Imprint Blu-rays have value with excellent supplements. At the current pricing I would lean to the Arrow.