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

ADDITION: Radiance Blu-ray (October 2024): Radiance have transferred Riccardo Freda + Mario Bava's I Vampiri to Blu-ray. It is cited as being from a "2K restoration of the film" referring to the Italian version. This Blu-ray includes the original Italian version plus, non-seamlessly-branched, US (The Devil's Commandment) - in not much better than SD format (although in 1080P) and UK (Lust of the Vampire) - newly transferred from archival materials courtesy of the BFI national archive - versions. The 1960 U.S. cut of the film, removes several plot elements while adding more exploitation scenes. We've added a few matched captures below. With the most robust transfer the Italian version looks the best with a higher level of sharpness. The US is more of a curiosity while the UK version is not unwatchable and is okay. The Italian version advances handily upon the previous SD version and looked quite pleasing on my system although I would have liked more grain textures. I can't make a case of digitization although it has waxy/soft moments. Contrast is a notable improvement.   

NOTE: We have added 64 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Radiance use a linear PCM mono track (24-bit) in the original Italian language for the I Vampiri version. I Vampiri has aggressive moments that come through authentically flat and with minor depth. There is a dramatic and haunting score by Roman Vlad - his real name - (The Horrible Dr. Hichcock Beauty of the Devil, Caltiki, Jules Dassin's The Law,) and, uncredited, Franco Mannino (A Man on His Knees, The Driver's Seat, Visconti's L'innocente and Conversation Piece, John Huston's Beat the Devil, and Freda's Murder Obsession) sounding clean with reasonably consistent dialogue in the lossless transfer. Radiance offer optional English subtitles (although none for the US version) on their Region FREE Blu-ray.

The Radiance Blu-ray offers a new (2023) commentary by Tim Lucas, author of Mario Bava: All the Colors of the Dark for the Italian-language version. He describes how it beat Hammer's The Curse of Frankenstein into theatres by about a month, and that it does represent the origin of the post-war Gothic horror era and it introduced the style of filmmaking we now know as 'Italian Gothic'. He also describes I Vampiri as the first Italian horror film of the sound era. Tim tells us the film was shot in Rome - not in Paris where it was set  - and that the film turned out quite different from how it was conceived by co-director Riccardo Freda. Tim describes how Fredo left and Bava took over - able to finish the film in only two days. Tim is 'The Man' for this Bava effort and is able to relate many fascinating details for the film, cast, crew, shooting, ploy deviations, Riccardo Freda and production evolution as well as the other versions. The best. Thirst of Blood is a 2013, 17-minute, documentary on the making of I Vampiri features film historian Fabio Melelli (The Overtaking: A Journey Through the Italy of the Boom) and archival footage of Mario Bava and Dario Michaelis (the 'Police Commissioner' in So Sweet... So Perverse) filmed in Italy by Federico Caddeo (as are all the video extras.) In a 1/4 hour 2022 interview with Lamberto Bava, son of I Vampiri's cinematographer, Mario Bava, discusses his father's legendary work and the film. In a newly filmed (August 2024) 21-minute interview, Leon Hunt, author of Mario Bava: The Artisan as Italian Horror Auteur, discusses I Vampiri and its place in film history. The package has a reversible sleeve (see below) featuring artwork based on original posters and a booklet featuring new writing by Roberto Curti, author of Italian Gothic Horror Films, 1957-1969.

Riccardo Freda + Mario Bava's I Vampiri is discussed in terms of its incredible Bava cinematography and being Italy's first horror film of the sound era. It's filled with gorgeous, black / white, sets and atmospheric lighting. We are in late 50's Paris, where a series of mysterious murders of young women - each of the same blood type - have the gals drained of their blood. That spells 'Vampire'... yes? Maybe not; themes of vanity, immortality, privilege... evoking Carl Kolchak (Darren McGavin) in the TV episode The Youth Killer, where he discovers a babe (Cathy Lee Crosby), who maintains her agelessness and beauty by... sacrificing youths. Not as bad as the, more modern, Hollywood, blood-harvesting, adrenochrome conspiracy feeding off the adrenalin of children to keep looking, let's say, media-worthy. I Vampiri is squarely in my wheel-house; suspenseful, macabre, dark secrets, a foreboding castle with decayed interiors, hints of vampirism, and Bava's inventive Poe-esque aura. Delightful! This is a huge keeper for me - the film looking its best ever on Radiance Blu-ray, master Tim's commentary, interview, booklet and more. Very strongly recommended.

Gary Tooze