Ultra HD Blu-ray Movie Reviews

Some independent home entertainment labels excel at rescuing obscure titles and reinventing them as deluxe editions, far beyond even what the majors do with their blockbusters. That’s the deal with Severin Films, serving up a slew of fascinating titles with gorgeous 4K remasters, alternate versions, deeply researched extras and next-level packaging.

Some of these are movies we stumbled upon in our youth, perhaps late at night, and some so peculiar we might have wondered if we just imagined them. Periodically, Severin will drop curated bundles of their hot new releases, and a recent wave included four films spanning 1977 to 1986, all here in collectible 4K special editions produced with today’s physical media mavens in mind.

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Cathy's Curse
Thirty years ago, a young girl named Laura died in a horrific car accident. In the present day, her grown brother and his wife returns to their childhood home as they deal with some recent difficulties, with their innocent little daughter Cathy tagging along as children do. However, Cathy’s behavior begins to change drastically, making life difficult for everyone around her, and we eventually learn that she’s being possessed by the vengeful spirit of her departed “aunt,” Laura.

It’s always disturbing to see kids behaving this way, and director/co-writer Eddy Matalon does a fine job with the scares in this post-Exorcist creepfest. Both the 91-minute director’s cut and the 82-minute US release version benefit from 4K scans/HDR10 grades of the recently discovered negatives, with expert commentary on the shorter cut. The HD Blu-ray adds interviews with Matalon, actors Alan Scarfe and Randi Allen and even the costume designer. I’m not sure if it’s still available but there’s also a sold-separately limited edition slipcase with interactive green LED eyes that can glow, blink at two different speeds or power off when our nerves just can’t handle any more.

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The Devil's Honey
Known more for horrors such as The Psychic, The New York Ripper and my beloved Zombie, Lucio Fulci ventured into perhaps his most bizarre and decidedly adult territory with 1986’s The Devil’s Honey (Il miele del diavolo), full of kidnapping, infidelity, mutilation and domination.

After a freewheeling musician is seriously wounded in a motorcycle accident, his lustful girlfriend Jessica (Blanca Marsillach)—and she is a piece of work—vows revenge on the doctor who let him die on the operating table, and the mind games begin. Dangerous Obsession as it is also known has been scanned in 4K from the original negative and is bestowed upon fans in HDR10 with the option of English or Italian mono audio.

Disc two carries the movie in HD along with an alternate opening, new interviews from stars Marsillach, Brett Halsey and Corinne Cléry as well as a producer, the composer and a recently rediscovered archival audio interview with Fulci himself. In addition, cinema experts weigh in on the film and its place in Fulci’s canon. If purchased directly from Severin, the disc arrives in an exclusive embossed slipcover.

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The Great Alligator
Perhaps because they’re easier to simulate than sharks, alligators took center stage in multiple Jaws knockoffs in the latter half of the ‘70s, and audiences were only too happy to dive in for these creature features. Two years after The Spy Who Loved Me, Bond girl Barbara Bach starred in The Great Alligator (Il fiume del grande caimano) as an anthropologist who, along with a photographer and the wealthy owner of a newly opened jungle resort, must contend with angry natives, vexing guests and—most distressingly—a big ol’ ‘gator inhabiting the local river who views them all simply as lunch.

There are no extras on the 4K disc, just a lovely 2.35:1 HDR10 presentation from a new scan of the original negative, paired with English stereo and Italian mono audio. The HD Blu-ray includes an extensive array of interviews, among them director Sergio Martino, actress Silvia Collatina, the cinematographer, the camera operator and the underwater camera operator, the production designer and the special effects supervisor. Additionally, a terrific video essay by author Lee Gambin explores some of the deeper meanings at play. Severin’s webstore again sells an exclusive embossed slipcover edition.

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Butcher Baker Nightmare Maker
Former teen heartthrob Jimmy McNichol stars in one of the great WTF movies of the early ‘80s. Nigh-incredibly directed by William Asher, a veteran of 100+ episodes of I Love Lucy, it’s a tale of frisky high schoolers, murderous aunts, prejudiced police and lots of small-town folk conducting themselves poorly.

Jimmy plays an orphaned basketball prodigy offered a college scholarship, but drugs, lies and a growing pile of corpses might render that dream unattainable. He’s backed by a truly impressive cast, including a very young Bill Paxton and a magnificently unhinged Susan Tyrell. Flagged for its obscenity and added to the UK’s “Video Nasty” list, Butcher Baker (re-released as Night Warning) is now scanned from the original camera negative in extremely non-nasty 4K/HDR10.

The UHD disc is supplemented by three different audio commentaries, starting with McNichol himself, another with the co-writers and a third from a co-producer, each with something different and interesting to say. The 1080p platter serves up those commentaries again, plus interviews with actor Bo Svenson, director of photography Robbie Greenberg, film editor Ted Nicolaou and more, all wrapped up in a webstore-exclusive spot-varnished slipcover, if you dare.

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