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

ADDITION: Kino Cult Blu-ray (October 2025): Kino have transferred Jess Franco's Death Packs a Suitcase to Blu-ray. While no specific restoration details are provided, Kino produces a solid 1080P transfer sourced from archival elements, improving upon inferior SD releases or bootlegs by offering impressive clarity, balanced colors, and reduced print damage typical of low-budget Euro-thrillers shot on 35mm. Cinematographer Manuel Merino (The Vengeance of Doctor Mabuse, She Killed in Ecstasy, Count Dracula), The Blood of Fu Manchu, The Castle of Fu Manchu) captures a moody, fog-laden aesthetic that evokes classic film noir, though budget constraints result in mismatched day-for-night shots and obvious studio sets. The visuals capture Jess Franco's dynamic camerawork, including his signature zooms and atmospheric locales, with good contrast in the shadowy London-set scenes, though some inherent softness from the era's cinematography persists (sample HERE.) This is evident in blurry close-ups and dodgy day-for-night filming that further emphasizes the amateurish quality, littering the frame with soft-focus imperfections that some critics interpret as intentional surrealism, though others see them as signs of rushed, minimal-effort direction. I lean to the former - they can be quite dark. Overall this looks like an accurate HD presentation with infrequent inconsistencies surfacing. 

NOTE: We have added 52 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Kino Cult use a DTS-HD Master dual-mono track (24-bit) in the original German language. The audio offers solid fidelity for a 1970s production, ensuring Horst Tappert's dual-role performances and the knife-throwing impacts come through crisply, making it a reliable option for international viewers appreciating the film's krimi roots. Clarinetist and arranger Rolf Kühn's (The Vengeance of Doctor Mabuse,) groovy jazz soundtrack - cool, improvisational riffs, subtle percussion, and melodic horns - dialogue, and sound effects are exported without significant distortion or hiss, providing a clear auditory experience that highlights the thriller's suspenseful cues and comic elements. Kühn's score features laid-back, lounge-inspired melodies with elements of bop and fusion, typical of his background in post-war European jazz, providing a rhythmic underscore to the thriller's suspenseful moments and nightclub sequences. Kino offer optional English subtitles on their Region 'A'-locked Blu-ray.

The Kino Cult Blu-ray extras package offers a new audio commentary track featuring film historians Troy Howarth (So Deadly, So Perverse: Giallo-Style Films From Around the World, Vol. 3) and Nathaniel Thompson (FrightFest Guide to Vampire Movies,) who delve into Jess Franco's career, the Edgar Wallace krimi genre, production anecdotes, and the film's place in Euro-horror history. This commentary is a highlight, offering insightful analysis on the adaptation from Bryan Edgar Wallace's novel, Franco's stylistic choices, and cast details like Tappert's pre-Derrick role, making it essential for cult film enthusiasts. There are no other supplements.

Jess Franco's Death Packs a Suitcase marks one of the final entries in the long-running Edgar Wallace krimi series (The Encyclopedia of Krimi Part I: Movies 1958-1964) a popular wave of German crime thrillers from the 1960s and early 1970s inspired by the works of British author Edgar Wallace and his son Bryan Edgar Wallace. Specifically, it adapts Bryan Edgar Wallace's novel Death Packs a Suitcase, which had previously been filmed in 1962 as The Secret of the Black Trunk (Das Geheimnis der schwarzen Koffer), and Franco's version closely mirrors elements from that earlier adaptation, including replicated scenes. Produced on a modest budget by Artur Brauner's (The Indian Tomb, The Tiger of Eschnapur, The Curse of the Yellow Snake, Sherlock Holmes and the Deadly Necklace) CCC Films in collaboration with Spanish outfit Fénix Films (The Erotic Rites of Frankenstein, Night of the Skull,) the movie was shot primarily in Alicante, Spain, despite its London setting, leading to noticeable anachronisms like right-hand-drive cars in supposed British streets and a mismatched foggy atmosphere that feels more contrived than authentic. Franco, known for his prolific output - directing over 200 films often centered on eroticism, horror, and sadomasochism - took a relatively restrained approach here, dialing back his signature sleaze to fit the krimi (see Terror in the Fog: the Wallace Krimi at Ccc, or adjacent films like Creature with the Blue Hand, the Dr. Mabuse series, The Head, Double Face, The Devil's Girls,) genre's whodunit formula, though his idiosyncratic style still permeates the work. At its core, Death Packs a Suitcase explores themes of deception, identity, and the blurred line between reality and fiction, hallmarks of both the Wallace krimi tradition and Franco's oeuvre. Overall, it blends whodunit intrigue with giallo sensationalism, creating a hybrid that feels both nostalgic for 1960s krimis and prescient of 1970s Euro-horror excesses. Franco's low-budget ethos shines through in the production design, with character-driven moments - eccentric suspects and quirky dialogues - elevating the material beyond its pulpy roots, though pacing lags in talky exposition scenes. In Franco's vast filmography, it stands as a characterful outlier, demonstrating his adaptability while retaining the chaotic energy that defines his cult status. Death Packs a Suitcase exemplifies Jess Franco's ability to infuse a standard krimi template with his unique, if erratic, vision, resulting in a film that's equal parts frustrating and fascinating. Its thematic depth, stylistic quirks, and genre-blending make it a worthwhile study for fans of Euro-cult cinema, offering a snapshot of 1970s thriller evolution amid declining krimi popularity. While not Franco's masterpiece, its enduring charm lies in its unpolished authenticity, proving that even in restraint, his libido for filmmaking - libido in the broadest sense - never waned. Overall, Kino Cult's Blu-ray edition of Death Packs a Suitcase serves as a welcome physical media debut for this quirky 1972 Jess Franco krimi, delivering competent video and audio presentations that respect the film's low-budget origins while providing a key extra in the form of an informative commentary by Howarth and Thompson. 'Niche' appeal for sure - German crime thrillers, Euro-cult cinema, or Franco completists - but that group will enjoy. 

Gary Tooze