Search DVDBeaver |
S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r |
|
Dark Night of the Scarecrow [Blu-ray]
(Frank De Felitta, 1981)
Review by Gary Tooze
Production: Broadcast: Wizan TV Productions Video: VCI Entertainment
Disc: Region: FREE! (as verified by the Momitsu region FREE Blu-ray player) Runtime: 1:36:54.558 Disc Size: 49,042,270,834 bytes Feature Size: 27,559,550,976 bytes Video Bitrate: 28.00 Mbps Chapters: 17 Case: Standard Blu-ray case Release date: October 11th, 2011
Video: Aspect ratio: 1.33:1 matted to 1:78 Resolution: 1080p / 23.976 fps Video codec: VC-1 Video
Audio: LPCM Audio English 4608 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 4608 kbps / 16-bit LPCM Audio English 1536 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1536 kbps / 16-bit Commentary: LPCM Audio English 1536 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1536 kbps / 16-bit
Subtitles: English (SDH), Spanish, none
Extras:
•
Commentary by
Director Frank De Felitta & Writer J.D. Feigelson
Bitrate:
Description: When young Marylee Williams (Tonya Crowe) is found viciously mauled, all hell breaks loose in her small rural town. Officious postmaster Otis P. Hazelrigg (Charles Durning) leads a gang of bigots in pursuit of the suspect: her mentally challenged friend Bubba Ritter (Larry Drake). Finding him hiding inside a scarecrow, they exact brutal mob "justice"...only to discover a tragic mistake! Now a strange apparition stalks the land seeking each of them out, as the legend of the Scarecrow begins.
The Film:
While Scarecrows (1988) and Night of the Scarecrow (1994) are good
attempts (the former is better), the best of the scarecrow lot is the
superior TV horror movie Dark Night of the Scarecrow which made its
debut in November of 1981. Since then, it's become a staple on some
cable stations during the Halloween season and is a much sought after
home video title. Excerpt from the Terror Trap located HERE J.D. Feigelson finished the script based on a story he co-wrote with Butler Hancock and considering the TV limits, they wrote a very suspenseful thriller that holds up very well for its age with few limits. Director De Felitta also co-wrote the highly underrated Z.P.G. – Zero Population Growth (reviewed elsewhere on FulVue), Audrey Rose and The Entity, so he has a solid genre writing record and this furthers that legacy. There is a reason this film has had the great reputation and cult fan base it has for so many years and deservedly so. The supporting performances of Lane Smith, Robert F. Lyons, Claude earl Jones, Tonya Crowe and Jocelyn Brando (among others) work very well together and makes this a minor Horror classic. Excerpt from FulvueDriive-In located HEREImage : NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc. The Dark Night of the Scarecrow was very impressive on Blu-ray from VCI. This TV production was shot on 35mm and transfers exceptionally well to digital. The strong contrast supports a high level of detail, there is frequent depth and the dual-layered transfer, with a high bitrate, keeps noise, in the many dark sequences, to a bare-minimum. Colors are rich and tight through the VC-1 encode. Daylight scenes are rife and the natural lighting produces some pristine visuals on the exceptionally clean print. It's all good and I suspect that The Dark Night of the Scarecrow never looked this good on my parents old 1980's tube.
CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
Audio :VCI have used a linear PCM 5.1 track at a healthy 4608 kbps. This is, presumably, a bump and lacks the depth I was expecting but otherwise is impressive being quite crisp with some atmospheric separations. It surprised in a few scenes. There is also a 2.0 channel stereo uncompressed option adhering closer to the original. There are optional subtitles and m y Momitsu has identified it as being a region FREE disc playable on Blu-ray machines worldwide.
Extras : VCI offer the same supplement found on their 2010 DVD with the commentary by Director Frank De Felitta & Writer J.D. Feigelson. It's a typical discussion - remaining and production details. A bit dry but still entertaining and informative. Also ported over is the minute-long CBS Network World Premiere Promo in rough shape but I believe there are two new features - Daniel Griffith's documentary "Bubba Didn't Do it" runs over 1/2 hour and fans of the film will enjoy the effort put into it. There is also a 45-minute Q&A with Larry Drake, Tonya Crowe & J. D. Feigelson discussing and recollecting the film production. There is also, a fairly weak, Behind the Scenes photo gallery.
BOTTOM LINE: Gary Tooze October 4th, 2011 |
About the Reviewer: Hello, fellow Beavers! I have been interested in film since I viewed a Chaplin festival on PBS when I was around 9 years old. I credit DVD with expanding my horizons to fill an almost ravenous desire to seek out new film experiences. I currently own approximately 9500 DVDs and have reviewed over 3500 myself. I appreciate my discussion Listserv for furthering my film education and inspiring me to continue running DVDBeaver. Plus a healthy thanks to those who donate and use our Amazon links.
Although I never wanted to become one of those guys who
focused 'too much' on image and sound quality - I
find HD is swiftly pushing me in that direction. 60-Inch Class (59.58” Diagonal) 1080p Pioneer KURO Plasma Flat Panel HDTV PDP6020-FD
Oppo Digital BDP-83 Universal Region FREE Blu-ray/SACD
Player APC AV 1.5 kVA H Type Power Conditioner 120V Gary W. Tooze ALL OUR NEW FORMAT DVD REVIEWS
|