Clive
Barker Origins: Salome And The Forbidden
(1973, 1978/Seraphim/MVD Visual DVD)
Picture:
B- Sound: B- Extras: C Film: B
For
fans of Clive Barker (Hellraiser, Nightbreed) comes a
collection of his early work on disc that is a must for fans.
Featuring Barker's early shorts, the silent film Salome (1973,
running 18 minutes) and The Forbidden (1978., running 35
minutes) that even feature actor Doug Bradley who went on to
infamously play Pinhead in the Hellraiser films. Inspired by
Warhol and underground films of the 70s, Barker succeeds in creating
haunting images with a low budget.
Somewhat
similar to early David Lynch films, these shorts have a very visceral
and artistically abstract quality that masterfully use smoke, black
and white and shadows to tell their stories. Along with this, the
16mm negatives look fantastic on disc.
Presented
in standard definition with in its original 1.33:1 full frame aspect
ratio, the transfer looks as good as it can but is obviously softly
in focus and grainy but to good effect. The soundtrack, a lossy
Dolby 2.0 track, helps support the eerie synth soundtrack that Barker
composed that is effective.
Special
features on the disc are 16 minutes worth of interviews with Barker,
Bradley, and other key cast and crew members.
MVD
Visual has done a nice job with this release with cool packaging and
a disc art, even if the content and extras are minimal, this is a
nice addition to any Barker fan's DVD library.
-
James Harland Lockhart V
www.facebook.com/jhl5films
