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

ADDITION: Eureka Classics Blu-ray (March 2021): Eureka Classics in the UK have transferred a Double Bill of 70's horrors; Nightwing and Shadow of the Hawk to a dual-layered Blu-ray. They share the lone disc but have supportive bitrates. The image quality is consistent - they both export depth - and are clean with few speckles and no damage. They are both in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio - support grain textures and have decent contrast. They actually look better than I anticipated - certainly pleasing on my system.

NOTE: We have added 100 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Eureka Classics use linear PCM tracks (1.0 channel mono for Shadow of the Hawk, 2.0 channel for Nightwing) (24-bit) in the original English language for both films. The commentaries are also LPCM - but 16-bit. A bit surprisingly Nightwing has a score credited to the great Henry Mancini (Days of Wine and Roses, Me, Natalie, Oklahoma Crude, Wait Until Dark, Operation Petticoat, Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation, Experiment in Terror, Charade) - keen ears will also be aware of samplings of Lucille performed by Kenny Rogers and Don't It Make Your Brown Eyes Blue performed by Crystal Gayle. Shadow of the Hawk has a score by Robert McMullin - his only film composure credit. Effects come through with some gusto. Eureka Classics offer optional English subtitles for both features on their Region 'B' Blu-ray.

The Eureka Classics Blu-ray offers new commentaries. We get Lee Gambin and Amanda Reyes on Nightwing. Lee is the author of Massacred by Mother Nature: Exploring the Natural Horror Film and he is always prepared. Together they reminisce about seeing this decades ago - and it is both informative and fun. A great job. On Shadow of the Hawk we have a  commentary with film writer Mike McPadden and Ben Reiser (70 Movies We Saw in the 70's Podcast.) Mike is the author of Teen Movie Hell: A Crucible of Coming-of-Age Comedies from Animal House to Zapped!. They make comments on the performers; Jan-Michael Vincent, Marilyn Hassett, Chief Dan George, past and relatable films and much more. We also have the option, playing to Nightwing, an audio essay by John Edgar Browning (author of Dracula in Visual Media: Film, Television, Comic Book and Electronic Game Appearances, 1921-2010.) The essay explores themes of environmentalism and marginalization of native Americans relating to Nightwing. There are trailers for both films and the package has a O-card slipcase featuring new artwork by Darren Wheeling plus a limited-edition collector's booklet featuring essays by film historian Lee Gambin and film scholar and author Craig Ian Mann - available to the first print run of 2000 copies.    

Personally, I enjoyed Nightwing more than Shadow of the Hawk. The vampire-bat saga had more production dollars put into it with plenty of recognizable faces; Nick Mancuso, David Warner, Kathryn Harrold, Strother Martin etc. and it had a plot I could sink my teeth into (pun intended.) Shadow of the Hawk attempted to garner a shaman-mysticism aura with Chief Dan George, but I had trouble engaging although I thought Jan-Michael Vincent and Marilyn Hassett were quite good as far as the script could allow them. Both films have variable cheesy qualities and 70's nostalgia appeal. I would watch Nightwing again, in the right mood. The Eureka Classics Blu-ray has plenty to offer beyond the films, with commentaries, audio essay and booklet. You must also supply the popcorn.

Gary Tooze