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Blu-Ray : Recommended
Ranking:
Sale Price: $14.9 Last Price: $ Buy now! 3rd Party 14.9 In Stock
Release Date: April 8th, 2022 Movie Release Year: 1977

Audrey Rose - Imprint Films Limited Edition

Overview -

Almost ten years after the Twilight Time release, Audrey Rose comes back to disc from Imprint with the same video and audio presentation but with all-new bonus features that are worth watching. The movie itself still packs a horrifying punch in its first act, but fizzles out soon after that. Recommended!

 

A haunting vision of reincarnation.

A happily married couple find their lives thrown into frightening disruption when a stranger appears at their door claiming that their adopted 12-year-old daughter contains the reincarnated spirit of his little girl!

Underrated 1970’s psychological horror from Director Robert Wise, and also starring Anthony Hopkins & Marsha Mason.

“Audrey Rose is a thinking man’s horror film” – DVD Beaver

Special Features and Technical Specs: 

  • 1080p High definition presentation
  • NEW Audio commentary by film historian Samm Deighan
  • NEW Video Interview with Kim Newman
  • Video Interview with Marsha Mason
  • NEW Visual Essay on the cinema of reincarnation by film historian Lee Gambin
  • NEW Interview on the music of Michael Small
  • Archival interview with author Frank De Felitta
  • Isolated Score
  • Theatrical Trailer
  • Original Aspect Ratio 1.85:1
  • LPCM Dual Mono Audio English
  • Optional English subtitles
  • Limited Edition slipcase on the first 2000 copies with unique artwork.

OVERALL:
Recommended
Rating Breakdown
STORY
VIDEO
AUDIO
SPECIAL FEATURES
Tech Specs & Release Details
Technical Specs:
Blu-ray Disc
Video Resolution/Codec:
1080p AVC/MPEG-4
Length:
113
Aspect Ratio(s):
1.85:1
Audio Formats:
English: LPCM 2.0 Mono
Subtitles/Captions:
English SDH
Release Date:
April 8th, 2022

Storyline: Our Reviewer's Take

Ranking:

It's uncanny that the movie Audrey Rose wasn't bigger than it was upon its initial release. Even today, the film is forgotten and not talked about much, which is odd given the star power behind the movie. Audrey Rose takes the great elements from The Exorcist and Rosemary's Baby and adds them into one movie about a creepy man who stalks a family with a young girl. Its first half is suspenseful, frightening, and wonderful. But the second half of Audrey Rose switches gears into more dramatic territory that slows its pace way down and feels like a courtroom drama than the horror film it really is. 

Audrey Rose was released in 1977 and is based on the 1975 novel of the same name by Frank De Felitta, who also wrote the screenplay for the film. The film Starred Anthony Hopkins before he became a cannibal and was directed by the legend Robert Wise. The man who brought Sound of Music, West Side Story, and the first Star Trek film to the big screen is making this small horror movie that should have done better than it originally did. But it only made a couple of million dollars at the box office, which was less than half its budget. Maybe it's because Audrey Rose didn't have the star power of the time or come as a musical like Robert Wise was so successful at. Or it could be the complete tonal shift of the film halfway through that brought audiences to a screeching halt. But one thing is for sure, the camerawork and performances from Hopkins and Marsha Mason are fantastic, even though the film loses its horror ability to scare midway through. 

Read Our Full Review From The Twilight Time Release Here.

Vital Disc Stats: The Blu-ray
Audrey Rose stalks its way to Blu-ray again via Imprint with spine number 114. The sole disc is housed inside a clear plastic case with a hard cardboard sleeve. The artwork on the sleeve features an illustrated terrifying scene of a child possessed with adults blurred out trying to survive. The reversible artwork on the case reveals actual stills from the movie. There is no insert, booklet, or digital code included.

Video Review

Ranking:

The Imprint discs don't usually have brand new transfers, but rather give a quick gloss over a previous release and debut its new packaging with brand new extras. Imprint states that this is just a 1080p HD transfer, but not necessarily new, which is probably sourced from that 2014 Twilight Time release from almost ten years ago. Judging from both video presentations, this Imprint version seems to be just a tiny bit darker than the Twilight Time disc, revealing inkier black levels and less swarming noise. Other than that, the video is almost identical. 

Read Our Full Review From The Twilight Time Release Here.

Audio Review

Ranking:

This release comes with an LPCM 2.0 audio track that is basically the same mix from the Twilight Time release, although that release went for the DTS-HD 2.0 option. Both tracks sound pretty much identical without a lot of strong sound effects or full ambient noises. It's a rather full listening experience for the most part without any pizzazz. 

Read Our Full Review From The Twilight Time Release Here.

Special Features

Ranking:

There are about 91 minutes of new bonus materials here, most of which are new or recent interviews with film historians or the cast and crew. There is no Hopkins or Wise here. These are worth the watch for fans of the film. 

  • Audio Commentary - A new commentary track from film historian Samm Deighan is presented here. He covers the comparisons to other horror movies, Hopkins' career, Wise's previous horror movie resume, the production, and more. It's a decent audio track. 
  • Investigator: The Paranormal World of Frank De Felitta (HD, 12 Mins.) - Another new featurette that has a recent interview with the late author and screenwriter as he talks about ghosts, the supernatural, and more. 
  • Kim Newman on Audrey Rose (HD, 24 Mins.) - The film critic gives a new interview about the movie and its release.
  • The Role of Mother (HD, 18 Mins.) - Here's a recent interview with the actress Martha Mason who talks about working on the film, and working with Robert Wise, and Anthony Hopkins. She has some fond memories of the shoot. 
  • I've Been Here Before (HD, 18 Mins.) - This is a visual essay from film historian Lee Gambin who focuses on the supernatural, reincarnation, and some of the other themes from the film. 
  • Hypnotist (HD, 17 Mins.) - Music historian Daniel Sweiger discusses the movie's music and the work of composer Michael Small. 
  • Isolated Score Track - The score for the film without dialogue. 
  • Theatrical Trailer (HD, 2 Mins.) - Trailer for the film.

Final Thoughts

Audrey Rose has a great premise and a wonderful first half full of horror and suspense. With a stellar cast and a legendary director, it's baffling why this film didn't perform the way it should have. Maybe it's because of the tone shifting into a slow-paced drama for its latter half. Still, this movie shouldn't be slept on due to its extreme tension-building scenes, especially in its first hour. The video and audio presentations are nothing new and aren't particularly great. But the new bonus features from Imprint are great. Recommended!