Shriek Show 2005 Edition

Region 1 - NTSC

Optimum Releasing

Region 2 - PAL

Shriek Show 2005 Edition

Region 1 - NTSC

Region 2 - PAL

1.81:1 Original Aspect Ratio

16X9 enhanced
Average Bitrate: 7.41 mb/s
NTSC 720x480 29.97 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

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

Total Bitrate: 22.99 Mbps

Single-layered Blu-ray MPEG4 - AVC

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

Shriek Show 2005 Edition (2005 2-disc Edition)

Federal Video

Shriek Show 2007 Remastered Edition (2007 Remastered Edition)

Optimum Releasing

Blu-ray

Italian Dolby Digital 2.0 mono

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

LPCM Audio English 768 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 768 kbps / 16-bit
LPCM Audio Italian 768 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 768 kbps / 16-bit
Commentary:

Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen anamorphic - 1.81:1

Edition Details:
DISC ONE:
•  *The Film - US Version (16:9; 1:35:30)
• Theatrical Trailer (4:3; 2:12)
• Radio Spots
•  Lucio Fulci Trailer Reel
• Death Trance Promo

DISC TWO:
•  *The Film - Italian Version (4:3; 1:37:48)
• 'Shedding the Skin' featurette (4:3; 33:45)
• Photo Gallery
• Easter Egg: two deleted scenes

DVD Release Date: 22 February 2005
Amaray

Chapters 12

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen anamorphic - 1.86:1

Edition Details:
• Deleted Scene (4:3; 0:24)
•  La Censura e le Version del Film (4:3; 6:00)
• Original Italian opening credits (4:3; 1:04)
• Deleted Scene (4:3; 0:24)

DVD Release Date: 4 March 2006
Amaray

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
•  Shriek Show Trailers

DVD Release Date: 13 March 2007
Amaray

Chapters 12

Chapters 12

Total Bitrate: 22.99 Mbps

Single-layered Blu-ray MPEG4 - AVC

Edition Details:

• Audio commentary with Pete Tombs and Kris Gavin
• Dr Lucio Fulci's Day for Night - directed by Antonietta De Lillo - interview with Lucio Fulci (32:06)

• Shedding the Skin documentary (33:47) with optional commentary

• When World's Collide (29:10) interview with writer Stephen Thrower
• From Burton to Baker - interview with actor Tony Adams (12:29)
• Two original trailers (4:54)

• Alternate Opening Italian Credits (1:25)
• Radio spots (1:35)

• Acknowledgements text page
 

Chapters 12

ADDITION: Mondo Macabro - Region FREE - Blu-ray February 16': This is not the Limited Edition (red cover - 999 units) release that sold out almost before it was issued at the end of 2015. While we couldn't get a copy of that, and hence don't know the differences between it and this release, we suspect it is the same transfer - with possibly a few different supplements. This is solid and Fulci's most stylish film is a healthy improvement in 1080P over the, varied and inferior, SD treatments of the past. This is only single-layered but the HD image improves in every category - it is tighter, more layered contrast, richer colors, and there is a frequent sense of depth. The grain textures are consistent and very film-like. It provides a very pleasing presentation - even more so beside the old DVDs, although it loses a slight amount of information in the left edge, but gaining a sliver on the right edge over the 2007 remastered Shriek Show and the PAL Federal Video editions.

Mondo Macabro give us the option of linear PCM mono tracks (16-bit) in both English or Italian with optional English subtitles. It is flat but carries some depth not present in the previous digital releases. The Giallo-esque score is by the great Ennio Morricone (A Bullet for the General, Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!, Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion, U Turn, Stay As You Are etc. etc.) and it runs perfectly beside the film sounding atmospheric in the uncompressed. Fulci fans worldwide should be pleased that this is a region FREE Blu-ray.

We get plenty of extras including an audio commentary with Pete Tombs and director Kris Gavin as found on the out-of-print 'Limited Edition' Blu-ray. It's mixed a shade quietly with the film occasionally overpowering the comments, but the details and information are excellent - referencing the cuts (trimming), performers and Lucio Fulci among many topics covered. There are also some videos - Dr Lucio Fulci's Day for Night is directed by Antonietta De Lillo appearing as a 1/2 hour interview with Lucio Fulci. It is in Italian with English subtitles. Shedding the Skin is a 33-minute 2005 documentary with optional commentary from Kris Gavin (also the director of the featurette.) It provides a brief history of Giallo and the background to the film A Lizards in a Woman's Skin - featuring interviews with Florinda Bolkan, Franco Di Girolamo, Mike Kennedy, Carlo Rambaldi and Jean Sorel. When World's Collide spends and enjoyable 1/2 hour with writer Stephen Thrower author of Beyond Terror: The Films of Lucio Fulci. From Burton to Baker is a 12-minute interview with actor Tony Adams (who plays a policeman in the film.) There are also two original trailers, an alternate opening Italian credits sequence, three radio spots and a text page of production acknowledgements for the Blu-ray.

This is a very desirable release, especially for all those who missed the LE. It has strong a/v - easily the best of those compared - and is stacked with quality extras. The Blu-ray gets our highest recommendation for those keen on this seminal film in the genre.

***

ON THE DVDs: 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).