Madhouse Blu-ray - Trish Everly

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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r

(aka "There Was a Little Girl" or "And When She Was Bad" or "Flesh and the Beast" or "Scared to Death" )

directed by Ovidio G. Assonitis (as Oliver Hellman)
Italy/USA 1981

Helmed by legendary producer/director Ovidio Assonitis, the man behind such cult favourites as The Visitor and Piranha II: The Spawning, Madhouse is a crimson-soaked tale of sibling rivalry taken to a terrifying and bloody extreme.

Julia has spent her entire adult life trying to forget the torment she suffered at the hands of her twisted twin Mary... but Mary hasn't forgotten. Escaping hospital, where she s recently been admitted with a horrific, disfiguring illness, Julia s sadistic sister vows to exact a particularly cruel revenge on her sibling this year promising a birthday surprise that she ll never forget.

An Italian production shot entirely in Savannah, Georgia, Madhouse (aka And When She Was Bad and There Was a Little Girl) fuses slasher elements with the over-the-top excess of 80s Italian terror resulting in a cinematic bloodbath so gut-wrenching that the British authorities saw fit to outlaw it as a video nasty.

Posters

Theatrical Release: 4 March 1981 (Italy)

Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews

Comparison:

Film 2000 - Region 2 - PAL vs. Dark Sky - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Arrow - Region FREE - Blu-ray

Big thanks to Eric Cotenas and for the DVD Screen Caps!

1) Film 2000 - Region 2 - PAL - LEFT

2) Dark Sky - Region 1 - NTSC - MIDDLE

3) Arrow - Region FREE - Blu-ray RIGHT

Box Covers			Arrow's Blu-ray package is also available in the UK:
Distribution	Film 2000 Region 2 - PAL	Dark Sky Region 1 - NTSC	Arrow Video - Region FREE - Blu-ray
Runtime	1:29:30 (4% PAL speedup)	1:33:12	1:33:19.802
Video	2.36:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 5.34 mb/s PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s	2.34:1 Original Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 4.99 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s	1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 43,617,259,221 bytes Feature: 30,607,309,248 bytes Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Total Video Bitrate: 34.89 Mbps
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate: Film 2000
Bitrate: Dark Sky
Bitrate: Arrow Video Blu-ray
Audio	English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono	English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono	LPCM Audio English 1536 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1536 kbps / 16-bit DTS-HD Master Audio English 3151 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 3151 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit) Commentary: LPCM Audio English 1536 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1536 kbps / 16-bit
Subtitles	none	English, none	English (SDH), none
Features	Release Information: Studio: Film 2000 Aspect Ratio: Widescreen letterboxed - 2.36:1 Edition Details: • Bonus Trailers DVD Release Date: 19 April 2004 Amaray Chapters 12	Release Information: Studio: Dark Sky Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 2.34:1 Edition Details: • Interview with Director/Writer/Producer Ovidio G. Assonitis (16:9; 13:39) • Photo gallery DVD Release Date: 25 November 2008 Amaray Chapters 19	Release Information: Studio: Arrow Video 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 43,617,259,221 bytes Feature: 30,607,309,248 bytes Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Total Video Bitrate: 34.89 Mbps Edition Details: • Brand new audio commentary by The Hysteria Continues • Running the Madhouse a brand new interview with actress Edith Ivey (12:40) • Framing Fear a brand new interview with cinematographer Roberto D Ettorre Piazzoli (19:32) • Ovidio Nasty a brand new interview with producer/director Ovidio Assonitis (7:44) • Alternate Opening Titles (3:01) • Original Theatrical Trailer (3:04) • Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Marc Schoenbach • FIRST PRESSING ONLY: COLLECTOR S BOOKLET WITH LINER NOTES BY WRITER JOHN MARTIN Blu-ray Release Date: June 12th-13th, 2017 Transparent Blu-ray case Chapters 12

Comments

NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Arrow - Region FREE - Blu-ray June 2017: This is being simultaneously released by Arrow on Blu-ray in both Region 'A' + 'B'. Regarding differences in the US and UK Blu's -I suspect it as Michael Brooke informed us on Facebook about Day of Anger: 'As the producer of Arrow's release, I can confirm first hand that the UK and US discs are absolutely identical: we only paid for one master, so there's no doubt about this at all! Which means that no matter which package you buy, the discs will play in any Region A or B setup (or Region 1 or 2 for DVD - and in the latter case the video standard is NTSC, to maximise compatibility). The booklets are also identical, but there are minor cosmetic differences on the disc labels and sleeve to do with differing copyright info and barcodes, and the US release doesn't have BBFC logos.'

The Arrow (advertised as being a 'Brand new 2K restoration from the original camera negative') offers a, dual-layered, max'ed out bitrate, 1080P transfer looking an obvious step above the SDs. Colors warm and the image brightens showing more detail. There is a shade more information in the frame - on the top, and left, edges. There is some depth in the outdoor sequences and the film's inherent softness remains but it looks significantly more film-like than the DVDs and is excellent in-motion.

We get the option of a linear PCM mono track (16-bit) or a, robust, DTS-HD Master 5.1 surround bump (24-bit) with a few memorable separations and pulsing depth in the film's horror-related effects. The score by Riz Ortolani (Day of Anger, Il Sorpasso, Woman Times Seven, Cannibal Holocaust, The Voyeur, Mondo Cane) supporting some tense atmosphere and works very well within this narrative. There are optional English (SDH) subtitles offered and my Oppo has identified it as being a region FREE.

Arrow add some appealing new extras - starting with a brand new audio commentary by 'The Hysteria Continues' enjoying the campy film experience. Running the Madhouse a new, 13-minute, interview with actress Edith Ivey (portraying Amantha Beauregard in Madhouse) who recalls the production and her part in it. Framing Fear is another new interview - running 20-minutes - with cinematographer Roberto D Ettorre Piazzoli giving input on his work in the filmmaking process. Many will appreciate Ovidio Nasty a new 8-minute interview with producer/director Ovidio Assonitis reflecting on his career and making horror films in the 80s. There is a 3-minute alternate opening titles sequence, an original theatrical trailer and the package has a reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Marc Schoenbach and the first pressing purchases receive a collector's booklet with an essay by John Martin.

Well... Madhouse is actually a more professional production than I was anticipating - although the gratuitous dog sequences seemed less necessary. I like all the performances, although Dennis Robertson as Father James may have been a bit ham-fisted. There are some keen cinematography sequences and it's a decent, above average, slasher horror! With Arrow's great extras - it encourages further appreciation. A great package - certainly recommended to the right crowd!

-Gary and Eric