Severin Films

Region 0 - NTSC

1.78:1 Original Aspect Ratio

16X9 enhanced
Average Bitrate: 6.4 mb/s
NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s

1.33:1 Open Matte format
Average Bitrate: 5.65 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.

Severin Films

Geneon

Blu-ray

Blu-ray

English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen anamorphic - 1.78:1

Edition Details:
• Tales from the Crib: Audio Interview with director Ted Post (16:9; 19:59)
• Audio Interview with star David Mooney (11:46)
• Theatrical Trailer (16:9; 2:45)
• Trailers for PSYCHOMANIA, IN THE FOLDS OF THE FLESH and HORROR EXPRESS

DVD Release Date: June 28th, 2011
Amaray

Chapters 16

Aspect Ratio:
Fullscreen - 1.33:1

Edition Details:
• none
 

Chapters 18

Chapters: 16

ADDITION - Arrow - Region FREE - Blu-ray September 2018: Arrow's package has both 1.78:1 and 1.33:1 ratio version of Ted Posts 1973 The Baby. It looks much brighter and richer on their 1080P transfer. It seems to be from the same source as the Severin with duplicate speckles and small marks. The Arrow Blu-ray also exports much more, consistent, grain texture. It looks superior in just about every visual area.

Audio comes in an authentic liner PCM mono track (24-bit) for both versions. It's very clear and clean with the orchestral score by Gerald Fried (I Bury the Living, The Vampire, A Killer in the Family, The Baby, and Kubrick's films Fear and Desire, Killer's Kiss, The Killing and Paths of Glory as well as venturing later into work in TV - Star Trek - and also the notable Joseph H. Lewis' western Terror in a Texas Town) sounding exceptionally strong. This 24-bit is more robust than the Severin's 16-bit. Arrow offer optional English (SDH) subtitles and their Blu-ray release is also Region FREE.

Both 1.85:1 and 1.33:1 versions of the feature offer a new audio commentary by Travis Crawford that is very interesting filled with details of the production stars and director. Family Affair is a new 6-minute interview with Marianna Hill who discusses working with Ted Post and her career. Nursery Crimes is 1 6.5-minute interview with nursery painting creator Stanley Dyrector from July 2018 as he discuses his part in the production including proposed acting in the film. Down Will Come Baby is a new 12-minute retrospective with film professor Rebekah McKendry on The Baby. Tales from the Crib is repeated from the Severin - an archival audio Interview with director Ted Post running 20-minutes and Baby Talk - archival audio Interview with star David Mooney for 1/4 hour who describes that he is now a teacher in Texas - this was also on the Severin. Also is a theatrical trailer on both Blu-rays. The Arrow package has a reversible sleeve featuring newly commissioned artwork by The Twins of Evil and a collector's booklet featuring new writing by Kat Ellinger.

Arrow handily wins and the film improves with the supplements that garner appreciation. I remain a big Ruth Roman fan and delight in her performance. The Baby is a well-crafted 70's horror and fans will appreciate the superior Arrow Blu-ray. 

***

ADDITION - Severin - Region FREE - Blu-ray June 2014: Severin's three simultaneous Blu-ray releases of July 8th, 2014, The Baby, Bloody Birthday and Bloody Moon, share many transfer characteristics - so I will duplicate some of my comments.  All three are single-layered with the same bitrate and in the 1.78:1 aspect ratio. Each seem to use the same source as their previous SD, supporting the same drab color scheme etc. They also seem to have all the same extras as the older DVDs (as well as no optional subtitles) but all offer lossless audio.

The full-screen Geneon still seems to be far brighter with richer colors. But, depending on the system, the Severin 1080P should provide far fewer artifacts and, probably, look better in-motion. One anomaly about this Severin Blu-ray are the extras are opposite (you click on the Tales from the Crib supplement and, instead, you get the audio Interview with star David Mooney - and vide-versa.)

The linear PCM of the BD does its job exporting some depth in the effects. This is my least favorite of the three film-to-Blu-ray being released and I don't own the, bare-bones, Geneon to compare, but most would, I assume, want it in widescreen.

***

ON THE DVD: First released on DVD by Image Entertainment in 2000, that transfer was open-matte, but also featured the film's isolated music and effects track (as well as a Spanish dub). The same transfer was reissued by Geneon in 2005 stripped of its music/effects track, Spanish dub, as well as any kind of menu. Severin's new negative-sourced anamorphic, progressive, dual-layer transfer is framed at 1.78:1 (although the cover claims 1.66:1, but the open-matte transfer has a lot of dead space on the top and bottom). Some scenes seem a little too bright with slightly grayish blacks and less color saturation (most evident during the "birthday party of the damned" sequence), although the Geneon transfer may also be boosted. The Severin sound is cleaner, the better to appreciate Gerald Fried's score.

Severin has included new audio interviews (over the telephone) with director Ted Post and "Baby" actor David Manzy (aka David Mooney). Manzy talks about his strange audition, tension between Anjanette Comer and Ruth Roman, and fondly remembers his two on-screen sisters. Post discusses his trepidation with taking on the project (screenwriter Abe Polsky pursued him for a year to do the film), the film's iffy status as a horror film, and the importance of the script's sexual tension. The film's theatrical trailer and trailers for other Severin titles round out the extras.

 - Eric Cotenas