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American Horror Project [Blu-ray]
(Christopher Speeth, 1973 / Matt Cimber, 1976 / Robert Allen Schnitzer, 1976)
Review by Gary Tooze
Production: Theatrical: International Coproductions / Cinefear / AVCO Embassy Pictures Video: Ar row Video
Disc: Region: FREE (as verified by the Oppo Blu-ray player) Runtimes: 1:14:14.450 / 1:27:47.262 / 1:33:02.660 Malatesta's Carnival of Blood Disc Size: 28,692,203,198 bytes Malatesta's Carnival of Blood Feature Size: 21,904,133,952 bytes The Witch Who Came From the Sea Disc Size: 33,869,501,975 bytes The Witch Who Came From the Sea Feature Size: 25,919,642,688 bytes The Premonition Disc Size: 48,777,705,280 bytes The Premonition Feature Size: 29,184,120,000 bytes Video Bitrates: 35.02 - 35.08 Mbps Chapters: 13 / 13 / 13 Case: Custom Blu-ray case Release date: February 22nd -23rd
Video: Aspect ratio: 1.85:1 (Carnival, Premonition) - 2.35:1 (Witch) Resolution: 1080p / 23.976 fps Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
Malatesta's Carnival of Blood Audio:
LPCM Audio English 1152 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 1152 kbps /
24-bit Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps
The Witch Who Came From the Sea Audio: LPCM
Audio English 1152 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 1152 kbps / 24-bit Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps
The Premonition Audio:
LPCM Audio English 1152 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 1152 kbps /
24-bit Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps
Subtitles: English (SDH), none
Extras:
Brand new 2K restorations of
the three features
• Introduction by Stephen Thrower (3:41)
•
Brand new interview with
director Christopher Speeth (14:06) • Malatesta's Underground (10:11) • Outtakes (2:59)
• Gallery (0:38)
• Tides and Nightmares - Making of Documentary with director Matt Cimber, DoP Dean Cundey, and actors Millie Perkins and John Goff (23:28)
• Maiden Voyage - a featurette comprising interviews
with
Matt Cimber, DoP Dean
Cundey, and actors Millie Perkins (36:15)
•
Introduction by Stephen
Thrower (3:17) • Pictures from a Premonition - Making of Documentary with Robert Allen Schnitzer, Henry Mollicone and Victor Milt (21:19)
• Interview with
Robert Allen Schnitzer
(5:51)
Bitrates: Malatesta's Carnival of Blood
The Witch Who Came From the Sea
The Premonition
Description: Everyone knows the classic American horror titles: Night of the Living Dead, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and A Nightmare on Elm Street, to name but a few. But we want to tell you a different story a story of the unsung heroes of American terror... Whether it s a film that has languished in obscurity, or a movie that's at risk of being lost due to lack of source materials, American Horror Project is here to ensure that these unique slices of the American Nightmare are brought back into the public consciousness and preserved for all to enjoy.
Volume I of this series presents three tales of violence and
madness from the 1970s. Malatesta's Carnival of Blood
(Christopher Speeth, 1973) sees a family arrive at a creepy,
dilapidated fairground in search of their missing daughter,
only to find themselves at the mercy of cannibalistic ghouls
lurking beneath the park. Meanwhile, The Witch Who Came
from the Sea (Matt Cimber, 1976), stars Mollie Perkins (The
Diary of Anne Frank) as a young woman whose bizarre
and violent fantasies start to bleed into reality literally.
Lastly, every parent s worst nightmare comes true in The
Premonition (Robert Allen Schnitzer, 1976), a tale of
psychic terror in which five-year-old Janie is snatched away
by a strange woman claiming to be her long-lost mother.
The Film:
Malatesta's Carnival of Blood "Speeth obviously opted for visual audacity over linear storytelling… Modern viewers would be more inclined to words like 'psychedelic' or 'trippy.'" "Malatesta's most striking features are undoubtedly its sets. A fever dream of craft fair cast-offs and repurposed garbage, the cavernous interiors resemble a collision of Warhol's Factory and a Coney Island sideshow..." Excerpt from VideoWatchdog Magazine located HERE
The Witch Who Came From the Sea Excerpt from MRQE located HERE
The Premonition
Image : NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc. American Horror Project Vol 1 is released on Blu-ray in UK and North America (two weeks later) by Arrow Video. It's region FREE with the same content/transfers in both packages.
There are three dual-layered Blu-ray discs - one for each film. They are all 1080P and from 'brand new 2K restorations' with max'ed out bitrates. I can't image better digital treatment will ever be available for these films.
There are scratches on Malatesta's Carnival of Blood and minor frame-specific damage I was able to capture on The Witch Who Came From the Sea (see samples below). The Premonition looks the best - and is the best film of the three although The Witch... is very intriguing with an interesting performance from Perkins. Generally, they are all very watchable - far superior to SD with better contrast, richer colors and depth. There is some appealing texture and no bothersome noise. This Blu-ray package offers a lot of value and it's easy to accept the less-than-perfect video - as each film appears to be a strong replication of the best available source.
CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
Malatesta's Carnival of Blood
Two Examples of Scratch/Damage
The Witch Who Came From the Sea
Frame Specific Damage
The Premonition
Audio :Arrow use a linear PCM mono tracks (24-bit) for all 3 films. Clear, flat and depth in the low-budget film's modest effect requirements. Screams - notable in - Malatesta's Carnival of Blood are sharp with a piercing quality. The Witch Who Came from the Sea has a score by Herschel Burke Gilbert (Witness to Murder, The Thief, While The City Sleeps) and it benefits from the uncompressed transfer adding an indecipherable moody quality to the character study. The Premonition has a score by Henry Mollicone. It can sound odd but it also suits the film's haunting atmosphere. All audio sounds reasonably supportive - occasionally rough-around-the-edges but consistent enough not to distract. There are optional English (SDH) subtitles and my Oppo has identified it as being a region FREE.
Extras : There are plentiful supplements on each disc, more than listed on Amazon or Arrow's website, and I have identified them in the listing above. The majority are Arrow-produced interviews and featurettes (1/2 to 1 hour's worth for each disc). It was interesting to see Robert Allen Schnitzer's three, politically and socially charged, short films from when he was quite young as a member of the SDS (Students for a Democratic Society): Vernal Equinox, Terminal Point and A Rumbling in the Land but I doubt I will revisit them. I will highlight two things that weren't initially listed. I really marvel at people who know their sh$t. I enjoy commentaries and Richard Harland Smith gives a super one for Malatesta's Carnival of Blood - it's fun and filled with great information - referencing older films - light, amusing and educational. Actually, there are commentaries for all three films and I also liked the, brief but excellent, introductions (also for all three) by Stephen Thrower. It really helps to follow these discussions and hear the interviews with cast and filmmakers to give you a better perspective on the productions. Arrow include DVDs - a Dual Format set - of all three films (with the same content as the BDs) and a reversible sleeves for each film featuring original and newly-commissioned artwork by the Twins of Evil. Plus there is the American Horror Project Journal Volume I - a limited edition 60-page booklet featuring new articles on the films from Kim Newman (Nightmare Movies), Kier-La Janisse (House of Psychotic Women) and Brian Albright (Regional Horror Films, 1958-1990) .
Malatesta's Carnival of Blood
The Witch Who Came From the Sea
The Premonition
BOTTOM LINE: Gary Tooze February 18th, 2016
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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 5000 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
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