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Blood Beat or "Bloodbeat" [Blu-ray]
(Fabrice A. Zaphiratos, 1983)
Review by Gary Tooze
Production: Theatrical: Huskypup Film Productions Video: Vinegar Syndrome
Disc: Region: FREE! (as verified by the Oppo Blu-ray player) Runtime: 1:26:42.572 Disc Size: 39,553,268,832 bytes Feature Size: 24,029,000,064 bytes Video Bitrate: 33.89 Mbps Chapters: 5 Case: Transparent Blu-ray case Release date: October 24th, 2017
Video: Aspect ratio: 1.33:1 Resolution: 1080p / 23.976 fps Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio English 1094 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 1094 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 1.0 / 48 kHz / 768 kbps / 24-bit) Commentary: Dolby Digital Audio French 128 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 128 kbps / DN -4dB
Subtitles: English (SDH), None
Extras:
• Commentary track with Fabrice Zaphiratos (writer/director) in
French with English subtitles
Bitrate:
Description: Sarah and her boyfriend Ted have decided to
spend Christmas with Ted’s mother at her home in rural
Wisconsin. However, upon arriving, Sarah begins to feel a
strange presence around her and soon after, a mysterious
figure garbed in a Samurai outfit begins murdering the
townsfolk, eventually setting his sights on Sarah, Ted, and
his family…
The Film: This funky blend of haunted-house and slasher subgenres plays like a poor man's The House Where Evil Dwells, albeit without Susan George to keep things interesting. The story takes place at a Christmas gathering for a family of weird, annoying people -- two of which are gifted with psychic powers.. sort of. The festivities are disrupted when a spectral samurai warrior makes his presence known, stalking the family with his scintillating sword. Those wondering why the heck a Japanese ghost would be interested in haunting a rural family abode may not be totally satisfied with the answers provided, but there is at least some attempt at explanation (clue: the ghost and the psychic daughter have something in common.) An eerie atmosphere permeates and enhances this shoestring effort, particularly through the clever use of music and sound effects. Excerpt from B+N located HERETed (James Fitzgibbons) and his sister Dolly (Dana Day) are going to their mother’s home in rural Wisconsin for Christmas, and Ted’s brought along his new girlfriend Sarah (Claudia Peyton) to meet his mom Cathy (Helen Benton) and her boyfriend Gary (Terry Brown). However, the minute they get there, Cathy begins acting strangely around Sarah, and Sarah just begins acting weird period. And just to make matters worse, people begin showing up dead, the weapon being an ancient Japanese samurai sword. As it turns out, the ghost of a Japanese samurai warrior has been re-awakened and has created a psychic link between Sarah and him. Now, the family must find a way to put an end to the madness, but can they do it in time? Excerpt from ObscureCinema101 located HERE
Image : NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc. Blood Beat comes to Blu-ray from Vinegar Syndrome in a "newly scanned and restored in 2k from the 35mm original camera negative." Before the presentation though - we get a a screen that states "Blood Beat was scanned in 4K using the original camera negative. The negative suffered severe mold and moisture damage and, while every effort was made to remove as much of the damage as possible, some remains. Film elements for the end titles could not be located and, as such, the best surviving video source was used." The vast majority of the high-bitrate, 1.33:1, transfer looks excellent but I did see a few instances where the damage was visible although with the bizarre nature of the film and its unusual style (stock war footage is used at one point) - this could easily be dismissed as part of the production. The end title credits do stand out as being from a much poorer source. This Blu-ray image is, generally, excellent producing a strong 1080P image and a pleasing visual presentation - very clear, crisp with bright, authentic, colors.
CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
Sample - Commentary Subtitles
Audio :The film's audio is transferred in a DTS-HD Master mono track at 1094 kbps (24-bit) in the original English. Effects, beyond gunfire, run secondary to the obtuse score credited to, the director, Fabrice A. Zaphiratos and Chris Zaphiratos - the latter's only film credit. It isn't as crisp as the video and can sound amateurish at times without much depth and scattered dialogue. There are English subtitle for the feature and the director commentary. My Oppo has identified it as being a region FREE disc playable on Blu-ray machines worldwide.
Extras : There is a commentary track included with Fabrice Zaphiratos (writer/director) in French with, optional, English subtitles. He basically recounts some of the production details, hurdles he faced and solutions. There is also a brief introduction by the writer/director and an 18-minute video interview with Zaphiratos - also in French with English subtitles. Perhaps most revealing was time spent with Vladimir Van Maule the cinematographer who is frank and knowledgeable. An unusual inclusion is the 1/2 hour silent version of Bloodbeat featuring music by Nervous Curtains and Horror Remix. This précised version makes about as much sense as the main feature - mostly horror-establishing imagery. “L.U.N.C.H.” is a 14-minute short film written and directed by Fabrice's son William Zaphiratos. The package has reversible cover artwork and a second disc DVD.
BOTTOM LINE: Gary Tooze November 1st, 2017
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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.
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