Optimum

Region 2 - PAL

1:35:30

Disc2: 1:37:48 (4% PAL speedup)

1.85:1 Original Aspect Ratio

16X9 enhanced
Average Bitrate: 5.18 mb/s
PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s

1.86:1 Original Aspect Ratio

16X9 enhanced
Average Bitrate: 5.53 mb/s
PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s

1.84:1 Original Aspect Ratio

16X9 enhanced
Average Bitrate: 7.5 mb/s
NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s

Disc2: Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Average Bitrate: 7.77 mb/s
NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s

NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.

Optimum

Federal Video

Shriek Show (remastered edition)

Shriek Show (Disc 1 [U.S. Version])

Italian Dolby Digital 2.0 mono

English Dolby Digital 5.1; English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono; Italian Dolby Digital 2.0 mono

Disc2: Italian Dolby Digital 2.0 mono

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen anamorphic - 1.85:1

Edition Details:
• U.S. Theatrical Trailer (4:3; 2:14)

DVD Release Date: 7 June 2010
Amaray

Chapters 12
 

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen anamorphic - 1.86:1

Edition Details:
• Deleted scene (4:3; 0:24)
• Original Italian opening credits (4:3; 1:04)
• Interview with Fulci scholar, Professor Paolo Albieri (4:3; 34:00)
• La Censura e le Version del Film (4:3; 6:00)
• Cast & Crew Filmographies
 

Chapters 16

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen anamorphic - 1.84:1

Edition Details:
• Introduction with Professor Paolo Albiero (4:3; 31:00)
• History of the Film's Censorship (4:3; 6:13)
• Italian Credits Sequence (4:3; 1:22)
• Lucio Fulci Trailer Reel featuring ZOMBIE, LIZARD IN A WOMAN'S SKIN, DEMONIA, MURDERROCK,
• TOUCH OF DEATH, HOUSE OF CLOCKS, and SWEET HOUSE OF HORRORS.
• Trailers for HOME BEFORE MIDNIGHT, BAD INCLINATION, THE FLESH AND BLOOD SHOW, and COP KILLERS
 

Chapters 12

Chapters 12

Optimum's UK DVD is the first DVD presentation of the film to be sourced from the film's negative (in the ownership of Studio Canal). The transfer is anamorphic, progressive and single layer but the negative-sourced transfer offers a superior picture (you can now notice that the Carlo Rambaldi-built swan that attacks Carol in her dreams is present in a painting above her bed). The English title sequence on this version matches that of the Italian sequence with sliding/zooming credits and title card (the previous DVDs featured a different English credits lettering and title card). The English and Italian tracks are listed as stereo but they are mono (and just fine compared to the 5.1 remix present on both of Shriek Show's editions which only comes to life during the musical passages). The original Shriek Show 2 disc featured the cut U.S. version (supplied by MGM who owns the AIP elements for the US version as Studio Canal was apparently less than cooperative at the time) and the Italian version sourced from videotape (with 2 small deleted scenes as an Easter Egg from the French SECAM tape). The US version runs 95 minutes at 24 fps and is missing not only gore and nudity (along with some wavy opticals over some of the other nude scenes) but is also short some expository scenes (note that there is no equivalent cap 3 - part of an entire excisted 4 minute sequence - on the old Shriek Show disc 1 transfer).

The remastered Shriek Show disc from 2007 and the Italian DVD were composites of the AIP version and an Italian print source. While the remastered Shriek Show ported over the Italian extras, the transfer was not a simple port, it improved on the Italian transfer. The colors are also slightly different across transfers. The colors and contrast look best on the bulk of the Optimum transfer (the Italian color looks too pumped up while the remastered Shriek Show looks brighter than the Optimum but not pleasingly so). The UK negative-sourced transfer has been further augmented (by Marc Morris) with footage from other sources to make the longest composite (thus there are snippets that look inferior). The UK disc would run 104:20 at 24 fps which is 44 seconds longer than the remastered Shriek Show edition (once you subtracted the 8 second AIP logo on the Shriek Show disc). Peripherally, the Optimum DVD favors the offers more information on the right side of the image while the Italian and remastered Shriek Show discs offer a sliver more on the left side. Shriek Show's original disc provided a great documentary with several participants from the film and the Shriek Show reissue translated the Fulci scholar extras from the Italian disc while the latter provided English and Italian tracks on the composite with English subtitles.

While the old 2 disc Shriek Show is recommended for the documentary and pressbook insert, the Optimum disc is a worthy purchase not only for the negative-sourced transfer but also because the presence of the Italian and English tracks as well as English subtitles and the insertion of shots not present in the negative (the quality shift is not as great as seen on the Italian disc and the further improved remastered Shriek Show version) make the Italian and remastered Shriek Show discs less essential. A listing of the footage missing from both Shriek Show editions can be found HERE.  

 - Eric Cotenas