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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
