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

ADDITION: Indicator Blu-ray (May 2021): Indicator have transferred John Gilling's The Shadow of the Cat to Blu-ray, as part of their Hammer Volume Six: Night Shadows with Captain Clegg, The Phantom of the Opera, and Nightmare joining The Shadow of the Cat. Like the 1080P in Shout! Factory's Universal Horror Collection: Volume 6 Blu-ray, reviewed in full HERE, it likewise has a max'ed out bitrate. The Indicator though has a batter representation of the contrast (see comparisons of the bitrate graph charts above.) The UK HD transfer has better layering and looks superior in-motion. It will depend on your system or discerning eye but the Indicator provides a marginally better presentation. This can tend to represent itself in improved depth.  

NOTE: We have added 62 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Indicator use a linear PCM mono track (24-bit) in the original English language. There are effects, many cat-related, but a supportive and tension-inducing score by Mikis Theodorakis (Iphigenia, State of Siege, Zorba the Greek, Serpico, Z), sounding crisp and authentically flat in the uncompressed transfer. Indicator offer optional English (SDH) subtitles on their Region 'B' Blu-ray.

The Indicator Blu-ray has included the commentary by Bruce G. Hallenbeck (author of Poe Pictures: The Film Legacy of Edgar Allan Poe) that was on the Shout! Factory. He offers answers to the question of The Shadow of the Cat being a true Hammer production (it is!) and credits about the screenplay revisions.  He cites interviews with the cast, including his own with Barbara Shelley and the generally poor opinion of John Gilling being difficult or less-fun to work with. Bruce digs deep and it's an excellent commentary. Also on the US Blu-ray edition and included here are In the Shadow of Shelley is a 2020, 25-minute, in-depth interview with the legendary horror actor Barbara Shelley. Repeated is 1-minute Double-bill TV spot. Then Indicator stack the disc with further supplements. We get another new segment of Hammer’s Women where Freda Jackson is profiled by the distinctive actress by academic Lucy Bolton. There is a wonderful new (2021) introduction by Kim Newman on ‘The Shadow of the Cat’ showing his appreciation of the film. Catmotifs is also new and spends 20-minutes in an appreciation of Mikis Theodorakis’ score by David Huckvale, author of Hammer Film Scores and the Musical Avant-Garde. Shadow Play: Inside ‘The Shadow of the Cat’ is from 2014 (and found on the Final Cut DVD) - a 25-minute documentary featuring Hammer historians Alan Barnes, Marcus Hearn, Denis Meikle, Jason Morell and Jonathan Rigby uncovering more about this production. Also found on the 2014 DVD and included here is Special FX Catastrophe - 4-minutes of an audio interview with assistant special effects artist Ian Scoones. Lastly are image galleries of promotional and publicity material. The Hammer Volume Six: Night Shadows package has a limited edition exclusive 40-page booklet with a new essay by Emma Westwood, extracts from original press materials, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and film credits.    

The Shadow of the Cat has grown in stature and its appreciation seems to have advanced over time. Gilling may have been difficult but was able to craft a solid film (The Flesh and the Fiends, The Plague of the Zombies, Pickup Alley, The Reptile, The Mummy's Shroud etc.) with maybe a couple of unnecessary 'killing'. Indicator's Blu-ray of The Shadow of the Cat has superior video and a host of new extras keeping the valuable commentary. It's another wonderful addition of their Hammer Volume Six: Night Shadows package. Absolutely recommended!

Gary Tooze