The Dunwich Horror Blu-ray

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

(aka "Scarlet Friday" or "Dunwich Horror" or "Voodoo Child")

Directed by Daniel Haller
USA 1970

Riding high on their successful adaptations of Edgar Allan Poe, Roger Corman and American International Pictures took on that other titan of literary terror, H.P Lovecraft, in The Dunwich Horror!

Dean Stockwell stars as Wilbur Whateley, a mysterious young man who travels from the small town of Dunwich to the library of the Miskatonic University which holds one of the only copies of the Necronomicon, a legendary book of occult lore that Wilbur hopes to borrow. Graduate student Nancy Wagner (Sandra Dee) falls under his malign influence and travels with him back to his home where Wilbur has plans to use her in a ritual to raise ‘The Old Ones’, cosmic beings from another dimension. But who, or what, is in the locked room at the top of the stairs? And what will happen if they get out?

Directed by Daniel Haller, genius art director of numerous Corman classics, this was also the first screenwriting credit for Curtis Hanson, who would later direct the multi award-winning L.A. Confidential. Newly restored by Arrow Films from the original 35mm camera negative, The Dunwich Horror is among the most successful Lovecraft adaptations ever committed to film, and it has never looked better.

***

Lurking in the quiet village of Dunwich, a supernatural horror lies in wait. When a cute college coed (Sandra Dee) and her professor (Ed Begley) visit the library at the infamous Miskatonic University, they discover a young man (Dean Stockwell) who wishes to check out the dreaded Necronomicon. An ancient book for divining demons, the Necronomicon allows its user to bring hell to Earth, and human sacrifice is the required offering. Pretty young Sandra Dee is the creature's prey...

Posters

Theatrical Release: January 14th, 1970

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Review: Arrow - Region FREE - Blu-ray

Box Cover		CLICK to order from: Bonus Captures:
Distribution	Arrow - Region FREE - Blu-ray
Runtime	1:27:35.875
Video	1.85:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 49,347,173,646 bytes Feature: 25,058,378,496 bytes Video Bitrate: 34.84 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate Blu-ray:
Audio	DTS-HD Master Audio English 1068 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 1068 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 1.0 / 48 kHz / 768 kbps / 24-bit) Commentary: Dolby Digital Audio English 320 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 320 kbps / DN -31dB
Subtitles	English (SDH), None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Arrow 1.85:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 49,347,173,646 bytes Feature: 25,058,378,496 bytes Video Bitrate: 34.84 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Edition Details: • New audio commentary by Guy Adams and Alexandra Benedict, creators of the audio drama Arkham County • The Door into Dunwich, a new conversation between film historian Stephen R. Bissette and horror author Stephen Laws in which they discuss The Dunwich Horror, Lovecraft, and their memories of seeing the film on release (2:10:12) • After Summer After Winter, a new interview with science fiction and fantasy writer Ruthanna Emrys, author of The Innsmouth Legacy series (16:21) • The Sound of Cosmic Terror, new interview with music historian David Huckvale in which he takes a closer look at Les Baxter’s score for The Dunwich Horror (32:07) • Theatrical trailer (2:16) • Image gallery (0:34) • Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Luke Preece FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing by film critics Johnny Mains and Jack Sargeant Blu-ray Release Date: January 9th, 2023 Transparent Blu-ray Case Chapters 12

Comments:

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

ADDITION: Arrow Blu-ray (January 2023): Arrow have transferred Daniel Haller's The Dunwich Horror to Blu-ray. It is cited as being from a "New 2K restoration by Arrow Films from the original camera negative". We have compared some captures to the 2005 MGM 'Midnite Movies' DVD (a flipper disc with Die, Monster, Die - also directed by Haller.) that we reviewed HERE. The new 1080P is a strong advancement over the SD transfer that looks green beside the brighter, crisper and better balanced HD presentation. The flesh tones and colors are superior and more natural on the Blu-ray and overall it is a consistent, clean image.

NOTE: We have added 74 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Arrow use a DTS-HD Master mono track (24-bit) in the original English language. The Dunwich Horror has a few 'shock' moments that come through with intensity and score by Les Baxter (How to Stuff a Wild Bikini, Switchblade Sisters, The Man With the X-Ray Eyes, The Comedy of Terrors, Dagmar's Hot Pants Inc., Panic in the Year Zero, The Beast Within, the US version of Baron Blood, etc.) with a few funky electronic vibes surfacing. The resulting audio is authentically flat with surprising depth. Arrow offer optional English (SDH) subtitles on their Region FREE Blu-ray.

The Arrow Blu-ray offers a commentary by Guy Adams and Alexandra Benedict, creators of the audio drama Arkham County. They're extremely comfortable together making a few 'inside jokes' that I couldn't understand. They talked about 'self ball licking', Phallic titles, pronouncing "Dunwich" (Dun-itch), Daniel Haller as a set designer, echoes of Mario Bava in The Dunwich Horror, Lovecraft and AIP, parallels to the Manson Family brainwashing - cult + occult - symbolism, mythology, writer Curtis Hanson, Samuel Z. Arkoff's formula, Sandra Dee's life (alcoholism, mental illness, plus near total reclusiveness) and much more. Once I accepted their groove I enjoyed the casual discussion quite a lot. A substantial supplement is The Door into Dunwich - a new conversation, over 2-hours, between film historian Stephen R. Bissette and horror author Stephen Laws in which they discuss The Dunwich Horror, Lovecraft, and their memories of seeing the film on release. It is described in the menu as "Cartoonist/film historian Stephen R. Bissette and horror author Stephen Laws have long been friends on social media. Knowing they were both admirers of The Dunwich Horror, Arrow Films felt it was time they met each other face to face. Between global health emergencies, electrical storms and the death of a monarch, it seems the Elder Gods did not agree. But Arrow Films fought on, across an ocean, against the odds; finally Stephen met Stephen and they got on like a house on fire. So, sit down and get comfy. Grab a beverage (it's going to be a long one) and join the Stephen's as they enthuse about H.P. Lovecraft, The Dunwich Horror, and the people behind the scenes (Daniel Haller, producer Roger Corman, Curtis Hanson and more) as well as sharing their personal memories of life as a horror fan in the days before home video. Filmed in 2022 for Arrow Video." After Summer After Winter is a new 16-minute interview with science fiction and fantasy writer Ruthanna Emrys, author of The Innsmouth Legacy who talks about Dunwich, the Cthulhu Mythos and her own connection to the writings of H.P. Lovecraft. Filmed in 2022 for Arrow Video. The Sound of Cosmic Terror is a new 1/2 hour interview with music historian David Huckvale in which he takes a closer look at Les Baxter’s score for The Dunwich Horror. Lastly are a theatrical trailer and image gallery. Plus the package has a reversible sleeve (see below) featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Luke Preece and an illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing by film critics Johnny Mains and Jack Sargeant.

Daniel Haller's The Dunwich Horror is an adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's short story, of the same name, the film concerns a young female graduate student (Sandar Dee) who is targeted by a man (Dean Stockwell) attempting to use her in an occult ritual taken from the Necronomicon book in the school library. It has some pretty cool psychedelic imagery and fast cuts in the 'attack' portions. Lovecraft has a recognizable horror style embraced by many - and it usually adapted to adopt this uniqueness. I'd say this is definitely true here. Talia Shire is briefly in The Dunwich Horror (credited as Talia Coppola) playing Nurse Cora. Daniel Haller has stated that the production was partly inspired by the success of Polanski's Rosemary's Baby. I really enjoyed the the Arrow Blu-ray, the vastly improved digital presentation, the unique commentary, lengthy conversation, booklet and other extras. The Dunwich Horror is overflowing with creepiness and hallucinogenic imagery - a fitting example of 70's Lovecraft-ian styling. Absolutely recommended!