Monday, November 3, 2014

Audrey Rose (Blu-ray Review) - Twilight Time


USA/1977
Directed By: Robert Wise
Written By:Frank De Felitta
Starring: Marsha Mason, Anthony Hopkins, John Beck
Color/113 Minutes/PG
Region A
Release Date: October 14, 2014

The Film
A well off family is shaken when their daughter Ivy changes from a happy girl into a girl terrorized by nightmares, visions of a nasty death and seemingly doesn't respond to her own name. Ivy's parents are contacted by a man claiming that his deceased daughter has been reincarnated in Ivy and is willing to go to extreme lengths to prove it while Ivy's illness and episodes are getting more dangerous as each day passes.

AUDREY ROSE has a lot of talent on board from director Robert Wise who won an Oscar for directing West Side Story, and also directed horror classics such as The Haunting, The Body Snatcher and Curse Of The Cat People. There's also star power in front of the camera with Anthony Hopkins and Marsha Mason. It is sort of baffling how the movie simply does not succeed at being a good film. AUDREY ROSE is essentially two hours of a girl screaming in her sleep, whining for her dad or crying and Anthony Hopkins yelling "Audrey Rose!" over and over. Simply put, this film is fucking boring. There's a powerful, effective and well done opening scene and then it quickly turns in to soap opera type shit. I don't doubt that there are fans of this film that got more out of it than I did but it nearly put me to sleep.

The Audio & Video
Twilight Time gives AUDREY ROSE it's debut Blu-ray release with mixed results. The 16x9 anamorphic widescreen transfer has a nice natural film look and a healthy grain structure. Colors look good but lack a certain punch. Detail level could be higher and the overall sharpness to the picture could be improved upon but it is a better looking transfer than what DVD could offer. The English 2.0 DTS-HD audio track sounds very good. It is a crystal clear track with no background noise, popping or crackling. The mix is well done between both channels and dialogue and score compliment each other nicely.

The Extras
This limited edition (3,000 copies) features an isolated score track, a trailer and a booklet.

The Bottom Line
If you're a fan of the film the Blu-ray is worth your while but if you're not acquainted with the film yet I suggest seeing it before you spend the money on this release.

AUDREY ROSE is available HERE

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