Fulvue Drive-In.com
Current Reviews
In Stores Soon
 
In Stores Now
 
DVD Reviews, SACD Reviews Essays Interviews Contact Us Meet the Staff
An Explanation of Our Rating System Search  
Category:    Home > Reviews > Horror > Thriller > Zombie > Political > Comedy > Drama > Vampire > British > Mustery > Giallo > Italy > Alien > S > Day Of The Dead (1985 remaster/Romero/Umbrella Blu-ray)/Horror Of Dracula (1958/Hammer*)/Short Night Of Glass Dolls (1971/Twilight Time Limited Edition Blu-ray)/The Thing From Another World (1951/RKO/

Day Of The Dead (1985 remaster/Romero/Umbrella Blu-ray)/Horror Of Dracula (1958/Hammer*)/Short Night Of Glass Dolls (1971/Twilight Time Limited Edition Blu-ray)/The Thing From Another World (1951/RKO/*both Warner Archive Blu-rays)/Westworld - Season Two: The Door (2018/Warner 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray w/Blu-ray Set)



4K Ultra HD Picture: A- Picture: B+/B+/B/B+/B Sound: B+/B+/B/B+/B+ & B Extras: B/C-/B/C-/C+ Main Programs: B+/A/B/A/B



PLEASE NOTE: The Short Night Of Glass Dolls Blu-ray is now only available from our friends at Twilight Time is limited to only 3,000 copies and can be ordered while supplies last, the upgraded import Blu-ray set of Day Of The Dead is now only available from our friends at Umbrella Entertainment in Australia and can only play on all 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray players, while Horror Of Dracula and The Thing From Another World are now only available from Warner Bros. through their Warner Archive series. All can be ordered from the links below.



Here's a great set of genre releases that often exceed genre, which is why they are classics or nearly so...



Umbrella re-releases George A. Romero's third entry in the 'Living Dead' saga, Day of the Dead (1985) in this new, more definitive Blu-ray edition. While the film has been released on Blu-ray a few times, most recently by Scream Factory in the U.S., this is slightly more packed edition of the classic that has a solid HD presentation all around.


Produced several years after Romero's Dawn of the Dead (1979), Day was cited as the his favorite in the series, and has some of the greatest practical special effects in horror history by Tom Savini. Taking place mainly in a underground missile silo, the film centers around a small group of survivors (both scientists and soldiers) who study and prepare for the onslaught of the undead.


The film stars Lori Cardille, Terry Alexander, Richard Liberty, and Joseph Pilato. Special Effects Icon Greg Nicotero (a Pittsburgh native who now is a leading force behind The Walking Dead) is also seen here on screen as a solider. This one was his first big movie that helped spark his talent and special effects company, KNB, which has done countless films over the years. This is a fun little side tidbit for the film.


As with all of the Romero Living Dead movies, there are a few featured zombies that are truly memorable. In this one there's Dr. Tongue (whose seen in the opening titles sequence), and Bub - a self thinking zombie that slowly remembers his past.


The film is presented in a 1.77:1 widescreen aspect ratio in 1080p Blu-ray with a nice sounding DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) lossless tracks in 5.1 and 2.0. This release is pretty pristine and an improvement over the past Anchor Bay release, however comparable to the Scream Factory release it may or may not be.


Special Features include...


2 Audio Commentaries


World's End: The Legacy of Day of the Dead


Behind The Scenes Featurettes, On-Set, Tom Savini, The Many Days of the Dead, Joe of the Dead, Reflections on the Living Dead, Travelogue of the Dead


Interview with George A. Romero at MIFF 2000


Trailers/TV Spots


and Gateway Commerce Centre Promo Video


You can never have too many copies of George A. Romero's films in my opinion, and this new edition of Day is the Dead is slightly better than the last one. For more on this and the entire trilogy of Romero zombie films, try this link...


http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/10388/Night+Of+The+Living+Dead+(1968)+++Dawn+Of


and there's the restoration of the original 1968 Night Of The Living Dead on Criterion Blu-ray here...


http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/15134/Alfred+Hitchcock:+The+Ultimate+Collection+(1942



After the success that Hammer had with Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee in The Curse of Frankenstein (1957), Horror of Dracula (1958) was the company's second stab at the horror genre, and the film that solidified the two men as horror icons. Second only to the Bela Lugosi's 1931 original, this is a strong Dracula movie that remains timeless. This startling new HD restoration of the film easily bests its previous releases on DVD. Unlike the sequels which followed which were original takes on the character, Horror of Dracula is the closest to the original Bram Stoker story. Also, this was the first full color Dracula movie as the Frankenstein Hammer from the year before was, both scripted by the great James Sangster.


The Horror of Dracula is directed by Hammer mastermind Terence Fisher and also stars Michael Gough, Melissa Stribling, John Van Eyssen, Carol Marsh, and Olga Dickie.


As mentioned, Horror of Dracula is quite similar to the original Bram Stoker novel, but with a few liberties... Jonathan Harker (Eyssen) travels to Castle Dracula on a mission to kill him... but instead ends up a prey to the Count. It's up to Vampire Hunter Dr. Van Helsing (Cushing) to go up against Dracula (Lee) and protect Lucy, Harker's fiancee.


It's also worth noting that this is the third Hammer Dracula film that Warner Archive has released as of late. Be sure to check out the links below to read our reviews of them:


Dracula A.D. 1972

http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/15312/Dracula+A.D.+1972+(Hammer/Warner+Archive+Bl


The Satanic Rites of Dracula

http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/15319/Adventures+Of+Hajji+Baba+(1954/Fox/Twilight+Ti


Now, Warner Archive just needs to put out Scars of Dracula on Blu-ray and the Lee/Cushing classics will finally all be available in HD in the US! Sadly, the only extra on the disc is an HD trailer. This being such a landmark film for the company, I'm surprised there wasn't more supplemental material.


Horror of Dracula is presented here in 1080p high definition with a widescreen aspect ratio of 1.75:1 (original British widescreen aspect ratio) and a new English DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 2.0 Mono lossless mix. The film has been lovingly restored to the format thanks to Hammer and the BFI, and the splendid cinematography looks better than ever, save some softness. This new transfer restores the original color palette of the film, using dye-transfer three-strip Technicolor prints as a reference, and has been meticulously cleaned of film-related damage for a superior presentation. This disc is highly recommended!



The classic Italian giallo Short Night of Glass Dolls (1971) gets a fantastic HD restoration thanks to the new Blu-ray edition from Twilight Time. The film, directed by Aldo Lado (his film debut), is a whodunit murder/mystery with an excellent score by the icon Ennio Morricone (The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly). While it's not your traditional giallo, per say, as in it doesn't have a black gloved killer, it does have many of the tropes found that qualify it to be so.


The film stars Ingrid Thulin, Jean Sorel, Mario Adorf, and Barbara Bach to name a few.


The body of a reporter (Sorel) is found in a park and brought into a hospital. While thought to be dead, he is really alive and trapped inside his body. As he tries to recall the mystery that lead to his death and the disappearance of his girlfriend (Bach).


Short Night of Glass Dolls is presented in 1080p high definition with a widescreen aspect ratio of 2.35:1 and two great sounding DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 2.0 Mono lossless tracks in both English and Italian. The film has been nicely restored and is crystal clear throughout. You can tell even by watching trailers of the film, how much sharper and more defined it looks on his new HD release.


Special Features...


Audio Commentary by Film Historian David Del Valle and Matteo Molinari


Isolated Music Score by Ennio Morricone


Two HD Trailers (English/Italian)


and Insert Booklet with color photos with more great linear notes by Julie Kirgo.



Howard Hawks' RKO production of The Thing From Another World! (1951) finally gets the presentation that it deserves in 1080p and has been cleaned up considerably. This is, of course, the film which was remade as John Carpenter's The Thing (1982, reviewed elsewhere on this site), however the events that conspire don't go down the same way. I simply love watching this movie, and try to do so as often as possible... so needless to say, I'm thrilled about this release!


The Thing From Another World is directed by Christian Nyby (plus Howard Hawks in parts, reportedly) and stars Margaret Sheridan, Kenneth Tobey, Robert Cornthwaite, Douglas Spencer, James Young, and Dewey Martin.


The plot is similar to the Carpenter remake, and centers around a crew who journey to a remote Arctic Base. What at first seems to be a routine mission soon turns into a struggle for survival as they face off against an alien being from space.


The film is presented in the first time in the US in 1080p high definition black and white and has its original 1.37:1 widescreen aspect ratio. Paired with a DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 2.0 Mono lossless mix, this is the best that the film has looked or sounded maybe ever. It's a shame that this (and Horror of Dracula for that matter) didn't get limited releases in theaters to show these new transfers off. An isolated music score track would have been nice, but here's my review of the limited edition soundtrack, sadly long out of print...


http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/2162/The+Thing+From+Another+World+(1951)/Take+The



Last and absolutely not least is Westworld - Season Two: The Door (2018) that continues the remarkable debut season (and revival of a Michael Crichton franchise) that became an instant hit for HBO and people are still talking about. After the events of the previous season, Delos premiere adult amusement park is more complex than ever before, but whole new layers of storytelling, technology, possibilities, joys and nightmares. The exceptional cast is now really deep into their roles and to say anything much more plot-wise would spoil everything, but we get some nice new twists this time around.


Whereas last season, I thought they had too much of 'The West' itself, the events of the debut episodes has that West being twisted, turned and made out to be something else this time. New worlds of several kinds emerge and by the middle of these episodes, any gap between this series and the original two feature films has been addressed. Once you start watching (especially if you watched all of the First Season), it becomes much to take in and yet, you cannot stop until you get to the end. Save a few false turns in the final episode that might matter (or have their meaning changed later), this all amazingly holds together.


Though we get plenty of blood and violence, since much of it is between robots, you can only take it so seriously, but this is still too graphic for younger viewers just the same. It remains me of the violence complaints over Cameron's Terminator 2 (see the 4K review elsewhere on this site), but the separation of human and machines/biological replicants is more blurred here like Blade Runner, Alphaville and more challenging science fiction (think David Cronenberg at his best).


Thus, I strongly recommend this sophomore season of Westworld, but highly recommend you see the early episodes before this and even the two feature films from the 1970s. Lost producer J.J. Abrams has gone one better in what he did with that show here and it may just be on its way to becoming at least a minor classic.


The 2160p HEVC/H.265, Dolby Vision/HDR (10; Ultra HD Premium)-enhanced Ultra High Definition image once again delivers a wide variety of exceptional images and supports my belief that (even with some fine competition) that this is the best-looking show on television anywhere, still shot on Kodak Vision 3 35mm negative film, yet somehow managing to make all the expensive, advanced digital effects look first rate. There are demo shots a plenty, but it is never a show that wants to show off a look, but serve the narrative.


The 1080p 1.78 X 1 digital High Definition image on the Blu-ray is not bad, but simply cannot compared to the 4K disc which even has shots that exceed my letter grade. Still, the regular Blu-rays here can more than compete with most TV on Blu-ray.


The 4K discs exclusively offer an impressive Dolby Atmos 11.1 (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 mixdown for older systems) lossless mix is even a little better this time out with even more imaginative uses for the tracks and as the story advances, comes up with more ways to utilize the tracks. Remarkably, the DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless mix on the regular Blu-ray discs is also still impressive, but it is a mixdown as well and shows it limits when compared tot he Atmos soundmaster.


Extras include Digital HD Copy for PC, PC portable and other cyber iTunes capable devices and a paper pullout with episode guide and description of the extras, on both disc versions including four featurettes: The Truth Behind Delos, These Violent Delights Have Violent Ends, the 3-part Bring Yourself Back Online (love the group interview discussions) and the 10-part Creating Westworld's Reality.


For more on the series debut season, with links to the original feature films that started it all, go to this link for the great 4K set on the show...


http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/15091/Westworld+-+Season+One:+The+Maze+(2017/HB



To order the Short Night Of Glass Dolls limited edition Blu-ray, buy it and other limited editions while supplies last at these links:


www.screenarchives.com


and


http://www.twilighttimemovies.com/



...to order the upgraded Umbrella import Blu-ray of Day Of The Dead, go to this link:


http://www.umbrellaent.com.au/


...and to order either of the Warner Archive Blu-rays Horror Of Dracula and The Thing From Another World, go to this link for them and many more great web-exclusive releases at:


http://www.wbshop.com/



- Nicholas Sheffo (Westworld) and James Lockhart

https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/


Marketplace


 
 Copyright © MMIII through MMX fulvuedrive-in.com