ADDITION: Imprint Blu-ray - April 2022: The new Imprint 1080P Blu-ray of Audrey Rose is a significant improvement over the Twilight Time from 8 years ago. Black levels and contrast are much richer showing deeper colors and lessening the noisy grain of the older BD. The matched screen captures below should easily identify the disparity. Although a shade more robust uncompressed audio (LPCM 2.0 channel) I couldn't detect notable differences. The score by Michael Small (Klute, The Drowning Pool, Black Widow, Child's Play, Night Moves, The Driver, The Star Chamber) is dark, creepy and, like the film, subtle. It accentuates Audrey Rose's mysterious qualities well. Imprint also offer English (SDH) subtitles, it is likewise region FREE - and does have the isolated soundtrack option.

NOTE: We have added 52 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

Imprint have gone-to-town with the supplements starting with a new commentary by Samm Deighan. She sees Audrey Rose as underrated and under-seen, often written off as a rip-off of The Exorcist, she compares it to The Changeling with a similar premise as well as Robert Wise's Curse of the Cat People from 1944. She talks about how the film contrasts the Frank de Felitta novel - which is fairly complex with many characters - and therefore difficult to adapt. She covers many facets of the production, Hopkins, Marsha Mason, Susan Swift etc. It's up to her usual high standard and well-worth the indulgence. We also get a new 24-minute video Interview with Kim Newman - who we always love, an archival one for 18-minute with Marsha Mason, an interesting, and well-researched, visual essay on the cinema of reincarnation in cinema by Lee Gambin, a new 1/4 hour interview with Daniel Schweiger on the music of Michael Small plus a dozen-minute archival interview with author Frank de Felitta - who was also a producer on Audrey Rose. Lastly, is a trailer and the package has a limited edition slipcase on the first 2000 copies.

So, quite handily the Imprint Blu-ray is the best for Robert Wise's Audrey Rose - significantly in both image quality and supplements including a new commentary, interviews, visual essay etc. It remains an intriguing film for me. It is written that actress Winona Ryder is "obsessed with this movie Audrey Rose, which no one really ever talked about, this obscure Anthony Hopkins movie." I think expectations for the film disappointed some fans and critics but it is by no means 'poor'. On face value it's is a cracker and I appreciated Samm Deighan's take, as well as hearing from Kim Newman + Lee Gambin regarding the reincarnation focus. Like the film itself, Wise appeared to be going for something out of the ordinary - deeply infused with supernatural mystery - the concept of believing or rejecting - faith or impossibility. We certainly recommend the Imprint Blu-ray.          

***

ADDITION: Twilight Time Blu-ray - October 14': The new 1080P Blu-ray doesn't look particularly striking. Audrey Rose is a very thick, grainy film - so the texture supersedes any crispness. Obviously the letterboxed 2001 DVD is no match. The HD image is brighter - shows similar framing 1.85:1 (more on the top for the BD, less on the bottom). Colors seem far more true and realistic. This 1080P, by no means, looks glossy or pristine, but - I imagine, is the best the film will look.

It sounds impressive via the lossless transfer and is available as an isolated score. There are optional English subtitles. The Twilight Time Blu-ray disc is region FREE and limited to 3,000 copies.

Extras consist of the, aforementioned, isolated score, a trailer and some liner notes by Julie Kirgo.

Something about this film intrigues me - hence, why I kept the DVD after all these years. It's no where near at the level of Wise's The Haunting, but it still has strong appeal for the concept and manner of storytelling. Yes, Audrey Rose is a 'thinking man's' horror. Recommended!  

Gary W. Tooze