Assignment Terror Blu-ray - Michael Rennie

Firstly, a massive thank you to our Patreon supporters. Your generosity touches me deeply. These supporters have become the single biggest contributing factor to the survival of DVDBeaver. Your assistance has become essential.

What do Patrons receive, that you don't?

1) Our weekly Newsletter sent to your Inbox every Monday morning!
2) Patron-only Silent Auctions - so far over 30 Out-of-Print titles have moved to deserved, appreciative, hands!
3) Access to over 20,000 unpublished screen captures in lossless high-resolution format!

Please consider keeping us in existence with a couple of dollars or more each month (your pocket change!) so we can continue to do our best in giving you timely, thorough reviews, calendar updates and detailed comparisons. Thank you very much.

Search DVDBeaver

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

(aka "Dracula Versus Frankenstein" or "Monster Panic: Strange Tactics" or "Dracula vs. Frankenstein" or

"Assignment Terror" or "Operation Terror" or "The Man Who Came from Ummo")

Directed by Tulio Demicheli (as Tulio Demichelli), Hugo Fregonese,

Antonio Isasi-Isasmendi and Eberhard Meichsner
Spain | West Germany | Italy 1970

Earth is under siege from an invading squad of aliens who have a diabolical plan to conquer mankind with a mummy, a vampire, Frankenstein's monster, and a werewolf. With abducted women as their assistants, the aliens use a traveling circus for cover, but their supernatural plan could have some monstrous consequences. The second film in the hugely popular Spanish horror series starring cult film star Paul Naschy as the legendary Waldemar Daninsky.

***

Aliens from a dying world plot to conquer earth by praying on man's superstitions. Bringing two dead scientists (Michael Rennie and Karin Dor) back to life, they use their knowledge to re-animate various earth monsters, including the werewolf Waldemar Daninsky, Frankenstein's monster (both played by Jacinto Molina), the mummy Tao-Tet, and the vampire Count de Meirhoff.

Posters

Theatrical Release: February 24th, 1970

Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews

Review: Scorpion Releasing - Region FREE - Blu-ray

Box Cover		CLICK to order from: Bonus Captures:
Distribution	Scorpion Releasing - Region FREE - Blu-ray
Runtime	1:26:52.707
Video	2.40:1 1080P Single-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 24,881,840,432 bytes Feature: 22,616,604,672 bytes Video Bitrate: 28.47 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate Blu-ray:
Audio	DTS-HD Master Audio Spanish 2165 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 2165 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit) DTS-HD Master Audio English 1819 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1819 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit) Commentary: Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps
Subtitles	English, None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Scorpion Releasing 2.40:1 1080P Single-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 24,881,840,432 bytes Feature: 22,616,604,672 bytes Video Bitrate: 28.47 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Edition Details: • Commentary by film historian Troy Howarth • Alternate Title Sequence (4:55) • Still Gallery (4:33) • Trailers (5:58) • Liner Notes Blu-ray Release Date: August, 2018 Transparent Blu-ray Case inside slipcase Chapters 13

Comments:

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

ADDITION: Scorpion Releasing Blu-ray (April 2021): Scorpion Releasing have transferred Assignment Terror (and its host of alternate titles) to Blu-ray. It is on a single-layered disc with a supportive bitrate in the 2.40:1 aspect ratio. What makes this image quality in 1080P even more remarkable are the plethora of poor digital, non-widescreen, iterations that have been circling for decades. This looks wonderful - tight, a shade glossy, but impressive detail in close-ups (skin grain galore) and rich colors. I was surprised how strong this looked in this HD presentation. The image is highly remarkable let alone the cascade of wild monster visuals in the film. What a treat!

NOTE: We have added 110 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Scorpion Releasing offer DTS-HD Master2.0 channel tracks (24-bit) in both the English or Spanish languages. It carries depth in the modest, and occasionally hokey, audio effects. There is a score to Franco Salina and Rafael Ferrer-Fitó on IMDb, but I know Troy Howarth addressed it in the commentary but I can't recall what he said - but there are a few different versions. While the music supports the film - it does sound unusual at times - adding to the film's incredible kitsch value. Scorpion Releasing offer optional English subtitles on their Region FREE Blu-ray.

The Scorpion Releasing Blu-ray offers a new commentary by Troy Howarth (author of Human Beasts: The Films of Paul Naschy) who is an expert in this Euro-genre of films. He discusses Naschy's La furia del Hombre Lobo, the cast, director changes, the quality of the make-up etc. and he doesn't seem to like Assignment Terror as much as I do, although he talks about details of the production that he could research and he is gregarious and informative. Another of his excellent, honest, commentaries. I enjoyed it very much. There is also an alternate German title sequence (Dracula jagt Frankenstein) for 5-minutes, a still gallery and two trailers. The package has a liner notes essay by Mirek Lipinski seen through the inside of the transparent case. It has a limited edition slipcover.

Well, what can I say? I loved Assignment Terror as I did trashy Euro genre flics like Werewolf in a Girls' Dormitory, Horrors of Spider Island and Castle of the Creeping Flesh. Naschy is underused as his Waldemar Daninsky / Werewolf character but the Tao-Tet Mummy is a wonderful, green-Asian-zombi-fied, stalking monster (look at those captures!) Assignment Terror's flaws and sincerity at taking itself seriously are part of its huge 'campy' appeal. As well as star Michael Rennie - the benevolent alien in 1951's The Day the Earth Stood Still - playing a less-peaceful Cosmic invader (with the old excuse of his planet dying), stalwart and iconic Paul Naschy as Professor (and Count) Daninsky, plus a trifecta of babes; stunning Spanish actress Diana Sorel, German Karin Dor and her penetrating dark eyes as well as American nubile Patty Shepard. Score! What about handsome Craig Hill's sparkling green eyes fro the ladies? I really enjoyed the Scorpion Releasing Blu-ray and couldn't stop watching the screen as there was so much going on - it really moves at quite a clip in advancing the plot's absurdities. I found this a quintessential example of this fascinating genre of slap-dash weak older horrors that tenuously link to the Universal monsters of the past. Howarth's commentary was insightful and adds further value to this package. Certainly recommended to others who can appreciate this niche of messy films. This is something I would throw on at parties, although it would be very distracting.