Anthropophagous – Severin Films (4k UHD/Blu-ray Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy, 1980
Director: Joe D’Amato (Aristide Massaccesi)
Writers: George Eastman, Joe D’Amato
Cast: Tisa Farrow, Saverio Vallone, Serena Grandi, Margaret Mazzantini, Mark Bodin, Bob Larson, Rubina Rey, Simone Baker, Mark Logan, George Eastman, Zora Kerova, Joe D’Amato

Release Date: September 29th, 2026
Approximate Running Times: 92 Minutes 7 Seconds (Italian Version), 92 Minutes27 Seconds (Extended Italian Version)
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 HDR10 (Both Versions)
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Italian (Both Versions), DTS-HD Mono English (Both Versions)
Subtitles: English (Both Versions), English SDH (Both Versions)
Region Coding: Region Free (4K UHD), Region A (Blu-ray)
Retail Price: $44.95

"Tisa Farrow (ZOMBIE), Zora Kerova (CANNIBAL FEROX) and co-writer/producer George Eastman/Luigi Montefiori (THE GREAT ALLIGATOR, ABSURD) star in this depraved daddy of cannibal carnage from “Italy’s King of Trash Sinema” (Horrorpedia)." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5 (4K UHD), 4/5 (Blu-ray)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "scanned in 4K from the original camera negative".

Anthropophagous comes on a 66 GB dual layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 60.3 GB

Feature: 58.6 GB

This release uses seamless branching for the two versions. Where Severin Films 2018 Blu-ray was a 2K scan, this new release is sourced from a 4K scan. Image clarity and black levels are improved. While some source-related imperfections remain, they are better managed this time around. That said, there are no issues with compression and a healthy, albeit thick, layer of grain remains intact.

Anthropophagous comes on a 50 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 41.5 GB

Feature: 27 GB

This release uses seamless branching for the two versions. This Blu-ray uses the same master that is used for the 4K UHD disc.

Audio: 4/5 (DTS-HD Mono Italian, DTS-HD Mono English)

This release comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD mono mix in Italian and a DTS-HD mono mix in English. These two tracks are comparable quality-wise; they are both in good shape. Dialog comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced. Included are removable English subtitles for the Italian language track and removable English SDH for the English language track. It should be noted that the dialog in the opening sequence is in German, and only the English subtitles for the Italian language track translate this dialog.

Extras:

Extras on the 4K UHD disc include a theatrical trailer (1 minute 36 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles).

Extras on the Blu-ray disc include a theatrical trailer (1 minute 36 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), a video essay by Aaron AuBuchon of Discover The Horror and S.A. Bradley of Hellbent for Horror, titled They Eat Their Own: Antisocial Cannibalism in Italian Cinema of the '70s and '80s (39 minutes 50 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with FX Artist Pietro Tenoglio titled Cannibal Frenzy (6 minutes 1 second, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with editor Bruno Micheli titled Brother and Sister in Editing (12 minutes 50 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with actress Zora Kerova titled Inside Zora's Mouth (10 minutes 1 second, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with actor Saverio Vallone titled The Man Who Killed The Anthropophagus (13 minutes 55 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with screenwriter/actor Luigi Montefiori aka George Eastman titled Don't Fear The Man-Eater (11 minutes 26 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles) and an archival interview with director Joe D'Amato titled Speaking of Man-Eaters (9 minutes 16 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles).

Summary:

Anthropophagous was directed by Joe D’Amato (Emanuelle in America), a prolific filmmaker who has just under two hundred films attributed to him as a director. Besides his extensive filmography as a director, he also worked extensively as a cinematographer, most notably on films like The Antichrist and What Have You Done to Solange?.

A psychopath who feeds off of human flesh stalks and kills a group of tourists trapped on an island.

It is a shame that Joe D’Amato did not direct more horror films. Although he made his debut as a director with the horror film Death Smiles on a Murderer, instead of exploring further within the horror genre, he made an abrupt detour towards soft-core erotica films like the Black Emanuelle film series.

He eventually returned to the horror film genre with Beyond the Darkness. He would create a new kind of horror film that owed more to the erotic films he directed than Death Smiles on a Murderer. And with his next foray into the horror genre, Anthropophagous, he would venture into the by-the-numbers horror template.

Although Anthropophagous opens with a gruesome double murder, it is thirty-three minutes before the next violent outburst. The bulk of the first act revolves around the tourists planning their trip, traveling to the island, and hanging out in an abandoned house once there. Fortunately, things pick up considerably by the last act. The bulk of the carnage occurs during the last act.

Performance-wise, the cast is best described as serviceable. The most memorable performance is by George Eastman (Rabid Dogs) in the role of a flesh-eating psychopath named Nikos Karamanlis. Other notable cast members include Serena Grandi (Miranda), Zora Kerova (Cannibal Ferox), and Tisa Farrow (Zombie).

Despite his films being hampered by anemic budgets, Joe D’Amato was a gifted filmmaker who often overshadowed his limited resources. Nowhere is Joe D'Amato's ability to overcome limited resources clearer than when it comes to creating memorable set pieces. Standout moments include a scene in the cellar where a cat on a piano foreshadows someone lurking in the shadows with a knife, a flashback sequence that explains how Nikos Karamanlis became Antropophagus, and the scene where Antropophagus rips a fetus from its mother's womb. Ultimately, Anthropophagous is a must-see film if you're a fan of blood-soaked, gut-munching spaghetti nightmares.

Anthropophagous makes its way to 4K UHD via a solid release that ports over the extras from Severin Films 2018 Blu-ray release. Recommended.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a MPC-HC player and lossless PNGs.

Written by Michael Den Boer

Absurd – Severin Films (4k UHD/Blu-ray Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy, 1981
Director: Joe D’Amato (Aristide Massaccesi)
Writer: George Eastman
Cast: George Eastman, Annie Belle, Charles Borromel, Katya Berger, Kasimir Berger, Hanja Kochansky, Ian Danby, Ted Rusoff, Edmund Purdom, Carolyn De Fonseca, Cindy Leadbetter, Lucia Ramirez, Mark Shannon, Michele Soavi, Martin Sorrentino, Goffredo Unger

Release Date: September 29th, 2026
Approximate Running Times: 88 Minutes 43 Seconds (Rosso Sangue), 94 Minutes 2 Seconds (Absurd)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 HDR10 (Both Versions)
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Italian (Both Versions), DTS-HD Mono English (Both Versions)
Subtitles: English (Both Versions), English SDH (Both Versions)
Region Coding: Region Free (4K UHD), Region Free (Blu-ray)
Retail Price: $44.95

"Joe D’Amato’s “top-notch gruesome” (Morbidly Beautiful) follow-up to ANTHROPOPHAGOUS in UHD for the first time ever in North America: Borrowing heavily from HALLOWEEN, D’Amato unleashes a gut-spewing boogeyman (screenwriter Luigi Montefiori/George Eastman) into suburban America for an “incredibly vicious and unforgiving” (A Slash Above) saga of doomed nurses, butchered babysitters, bio-chemical clergy and some of the most insane splatter scenes in Italian exploitation history." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5 (4K UHD), 4.5/5 (Blu-ray)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "both its English and Italian Versions, scanned in 4K from the original camera negative."

Absurd comes on a 66 GB dual layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 65.8 GB

Feature: 62.8 GB

This release uses seamless branching for the two versions. The source looks excellent; flesh tones look healthy, colors are nicely saturated, image clarity and black levels are solid, and there are no issues with compression or digital noise reduction.

Absurd comes on a 50 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 42.7 GB

Feature: 27.6 GB

This release uses seamless branching for the two versions. This Blu-ray uses the same master that is used for the 4K UHD disc.

Audio: 4.5/5 (Both Audio Tracks)

There are two versions of Absurd and each comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD mono mix in Italian and a DTS-HD mono mix in English. Both tracks sound clean, clear, and balanced. The differences between the tracks are minimal. Included are removable English subtitles for the Italian-language track and removable English SDH for the English-language track.

Extras:

Extras of the 4K UHD disc include a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 44 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles).

Extras of the Blu-ray disc include a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 44 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an interview with editor Vanio Amici titled Building with Images (12 minutes 12 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with composer Carlo Maria Cordio titled My Absurd Film Music (10 minutes 43 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with actor/assistant director Michele Soavi A Biker (Uncredited) (17 minutes 47 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with non-removable English subtitles), an archival interview with director Joe D'Amato titled D'Amato on Video (19 minutes 43 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with non-removable English subtitles), an archival interview with Joe D'Amato titled As Red as Blood (9 minutes 55 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), and an interview with actor Luigi Montefiori titled The Return of The Grim Reaper (30 minutes 49 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles).

Summary:

Absurd was directed by Joe D’Amato (Emanuelle in America), a prolific filmmaker who has just under two hundred films attributed to him as a director. Besides his extensive filmography as a director, he also worked extensively as a cinematographer, most notably on films like The Antichrist and What Have You Done to Solange?. 

While Absurd is an indirect sequel of sorts to Anthropophagus, its only connection to Anthropophagus is that they both feature George Eastman (Rabid Dogs) in similar-type roles. Alternate titles for Absurd include Anthropophagous 2, Rosso Sangue (Red Blood), and Horrible.

A priest is in pursuit of a living dead madman who possesses an unusual ability to heal himself when injured.

The narrative is simple: George Eastman is cast in the role of Nikos Karamanlis, a man with a rare blood disease that allows him to heal his wounds quickly. Nikos escapes from a laboratory in Greece where a priest had taken care of him. Somehow Nikos boards a plane and flies to America, where he then proceeds to raise hell, ripping to shreds anyone who crosses his path. The priest enlists the help of local law enforcement to track down Nikos, who is becoming more demented with each new injury from which he heals himself. In many ways, the Nikos character is like the Frankenstein monster, and the priest is his creator, who is now forced to kill the thing he helped bring to life.

Of course, the best part of Absurd is watching George Eastman go bonkers. All of the kill scenes are entertaining and on par with other kill scenes from similar Italian horror films from this era. Some of the deaths include a drill bit through the temple, a meat-cutting saw to the head, and a woman being forced into a blazing hot oven.

Besides George Eastman, the cast also features two other familiar faces in prominent roles: Edmund Purdom (Pieces) in the role of the priest and Annie Belle (House on the Edge of the Park) in the role of a nurse named Emily. Other notable cast members are a cameo from Michele Soavi (Cemetery Man) and Mark Shannon, whose appearance in Absurd is taken from another film that he also did with Joe D’Amato. Ultimately, Absurd is a crazy film that sticks to its strengths—blood and guts.

Absurd makes its way to 4K UHD via a solid release that ports over the extras from Severin Films 2018 Blu-ray release. Highly recommended.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a MPC-HC player and lossless PNGs.

Written by Michael Den Boer

Sex and the Emperor – 88 Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Hong Kong, 1994
Director: Sherman Wong
Writer: Cheuk Bing
Cast: Yvonne Yung Hung, Sung Boon-Chung, Leung Si-Ho, Jimmy Wong Shu-Kei, Stuart Ong, Kingdom Yuen King-Tan, Julie Lee Wa-Yuet, Chin Gwan, Wong Yat-Fei

Release Date: October 5th, 2026 (UK), October 6th, 2026 (USA)
Approximate Running Time: 93 Minutes 30 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: 18 (UK), NR (USA)
Sound: LPCM Mono Cantonese, LPCM Mono English
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region A,B
Retail Price: £17.00 (UK), $29.95 (USA)

"Told through the perspective of Li, a palace servant who secretly retains his manhood despite posing as a eunuch, the story unfolds as he becomes an indispensable tool of the emperor's whims. Whether aiding in voyeuristic indulgences, navigating the treacherous politics of concubines and rivals, or executing covert missions beyond the palace walls, Li finds himself caught between survival and complicity in a world ruled by unchecked authority. As alliances shift and tensions rise, the film reveals a court driven as much by lust and manipulation as by power and control." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "a 2K Remaster of the original camera negative."

Sex and the Emperor comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 37.2 GB

Feature: 28.3 GB

The source looks excellent; flesh tones and colors look correct, image clarity, black levels, and compression are solid, and there are no issues with digital noise reduction.

Audio: 4.25/5 (Both Audio Tracks)

This release comes with two audio options, a LPCM mono mix in Cantonese and a LPCM mono mix in English. Both tracks sound clean, clear, and balanced, and ambient sounds are well-represented. Included are removable English subtitles for the Cantonese-language track and removable English subtitles for Cantonese text when listening to the English-language track.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an image gallery with music from the film playing in the background (lobby cards/stills/posters), a theatrical trailer (4 minutes 56 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an interview with film critic James Mudge titled If This Castle A-Rocking (22 minutes 22 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an audio commentary with film critic David West, reversible cover art featuring original Hong Kong art, a removable U-card leaving the O-Ring free of certificates and markings, a doubled-walled O-Ring slipcase (limited to the first pressing), and a 24-page booklet (limited to the first pressing) with an essay titled Sex and the Emperor: The Fallacy of Power & Prestige written by Zoe Rose Smith, and cast & crew information.

Summary:

Sherman Wong directed Sex and the Emperor. He’s most known for Queen of the Underworld and The Enigma of Love.

There are two stories at play in Sex and the Emperor. The first revolves around an Li, a eunuch who’s entered the forbidden city under false pretenses. Where an eunuch is supposed to be fully castrated, Li’s father made a deal where only one of his sons' testicles was removed so he could still have a child one day. The other revolves around Emperor Tongzhi, the heir to the Qing dynasty. Li quickly forges a bond with Tongzhi, who helps him break free of his overbearing mother, the empress.

Although Sex and the Emperor takes a Chinese historical figure, Emperor Tongzhi, it is not a biographical retelling of his story as much as a blending of fiction with some fact. The premise leans perfectly into the requirements of a category III film, with its graphic sexual content and other exploitation elements. That said, while Sex and the Emperor has some more serious moments, notably its tragic finale, it never strays too far from its more salacious content.

The performances are best described as serviceable and nothing more than a means to move narrative forward. The most notable cast member is Yvonne Yung Hung (A Chinese Torture Chamber Story); she portrays Guillian, a chambermaid that Emperor Tongzhi becomes infatuated with. The most surprising aspect of Sex and the Emperor is its use of humor, in particular the Li character. Ultimately, Sex and the Emperor is a formulaic film that lacks the inventiveness and surprises characteristic of the best category III films.

Sex and the Emperor gets an excellent release from 88 Films that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and informative extras.

Written by Michael Den Boer

Black Sunday – Shout! Factory (4k UHD/Blu-ray Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy, 1960
Director: Mario Bava
Writers: Mario Bava, Nikolai Gogol, Ennio De Concini, Mario Serandrei
Cast: Barbara Steele, John Richardson, Andrea Checchi, Ivo Garrani, Arturo Dominici, Enrico Olivieri

Release Date: October 7th, 2025
Approximate Running Time: 87 Minutes 26 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free (4K UHD), Region A (Blu-ray)
Retail Price: $39.98

"A Bavarian princess, burned at the stake with her lover for being a witch, comes to life after three hundred years to enact the curse of revenge on her remaining family members." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5 (4K UHD), 4.5/5 (Blu-ray)

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "4K restoration from the original camera negative.

La maschera del demonio (Mario Bava, 1960) was restored in 4K by Fondazione Cineteca di Bolognaq, in collaboration with the copyright holders Alfredo Leone and Naor World Media Films, from the original camera and sound nagetiaves provided by Iron Mountain Entertainment Services.

The restoration work was carried out by L'Immagine Ritrovata laboratory in 2023."

Black Sunday comes on a 66 GB dual layer 4K UHD

Disc Size: 56.7 GB

Feature: 55.8 GB

This new transfer is a noticeable improvement over Arrow Video and Kino Lorber’s Blu-ray releases. The source looks excellent; flesh tones look healthy, contrast, black levels, and image clarity are solid, there are no issues with compression, and the image retains an organic appearance.

Black Sunday comes on a 25 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 24.7 GB

Feature: 22.5   GB

This Blu-ray uses the same master that is used for the 4K UHD disc.

Audio: 5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in English with removable English SDH. The track sounds excellent, the dialogue comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced and robust when it should.

Extras:

Extras on the 4K UHD disc include an audio commentary with writer Dr. Rebekah King, an audio commentary with Dr. Karen Stallznow, Matt Baxter, and Blake Smith, an audio commentary with film critic Brian Keiper, and an audio commentary with film critic Meagan Navarro.

Extras on the Blu-ray disc include an image gallery (44 images—posters/lobby cards/advertisements), a U.S. TV spot (18 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), a U.S. theatrical trailer (2 minutes 5 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an international theatrical trailer (3 minutes 35 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), Trailers from Hell interview with Larry Cohen (2 minutes 16 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an audio commentary with Rebekah King, an audio commentary with Karen Stallznow, Matt Baxter, and Blake Smith, an audio commentary with Brian Keiper, and an audio commentary with Meagan Navarro.

Summary:

There are two English-language versions of La maschera del demonio, Black Sunday. AIP’s North American release runs about three minutes shorter than the international version of the film, which is known under the Mask of Satan title. Most of the footage that has been excised from AIP’s version are moments that were deemed too graphic, and in all of Mario Bava’s other films that were released by AIP, a new score has been added in favor of the original score. Also, AIP reportedly commissioned a brand new English-language score for Black Sunday since they deemed the one that was supplied to them inadequate. It should be noted that neither of these English-language versions contains Barbara Steele’s voice.

Three hundred years ago, Princess Asa was condemned and burned at the stake for practicing witchcraft. Flash forward to the modern day, when two doctors en route to a medical convention stumble upon Princess Asa’s grave, which accidentally sets her resurrection in motion. Once reanimated, Princess Asa plans on taking the place of a woman named Katia Vajda, who looks exactly like her.

By the time Mario Bava had the opportunity to direct La maschera del demonio, he already had twenty years of experience behind the camera as a cinematographer. A few of the films that he worked on include Hercules, Hercules Unchained, and The Day the Sky Exploded. In the years leading up to Black Sunday, he also started several films as a cinematographer, only to complete them as a director when the original director exited the film. Two of these films, I Vampire and Caltiki, the Immortal Monster, foreshadow his work within the horror film genre.

When it comes to an opening scene for a horror film, one would be hard-pressed to name a sequence more terrifying than the opening scene for La maschera del demonio. The aforementioned scene revolves around a woman named Asa, who has been accused and simultaneously condemned for being a witch. Her persecutors then brand her by burning the ‘S’ into her flesh. After that, they put a spiked mask over her face and nailed it down as blood gushed out of the sides of the mask. And to finish her off, they attempt to burn her at the stake. Needless to say, this is a scene that leaves little for the imagination. With its in-your-face depiction of violence that firmly establishes the tone of La maschera del demonio.

Besides Nikolai Gogol’s short story Viy, which La Maschera del Demono was loosely adapted from, another clear inspiration is Hammer Horror Films and Universal classic monster films, most notably their Gothic-themed ones. And when it comes to visuals, there is never a shortage of atmosphere in La Maschera del Demon. And visually, there is not a moment wasted, as every inch of every frame is exploited for maximum effect, especially Mario Bava’s rendering of light and shadow. Another area where La Maschera del Demonio excels is its special effects, most notably during the reanimation sequence in its final moments.

The performances range from good to great. This most memorable performance comes from Barbara Steele (Nightmare Castle) in the dual roles of Katia Vajda and Princess Asa Vajda. She is mesmerizing in both roles as she delivers what is widely considered the best performance of her career. Another performance of note is Andrea Checchi (A Bullet for the General) in the role of an inquisitive doctor named Thomas Kruvajan, whose moment of indiscretion leads to Asa’s resurrection. Ultimately, La Maschera del Demono is an extraordinary horror film that ushered in a new era of terror in Italian cinema, and the magnitude of its legacy continues to shape the landscape of horror cinema.

Black Sunday makes its way to 4K UHD via a first-rate release that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and informative extras. Recommended.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a MPC-HC player and lossless PNGs.

Written by Michael Den Boer

Salon Kitty – Cult Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy/West Germany/France, 1976
Director: Tinto Brass
Writers: Ennio De Concini, Maria Pia Fusco, Tinto Brass
Cast: Helmut Berger, Ingrid Thulin, Teresa Ann Savoy, John Steiner, Sara Sperati, Maria Michi, Rosemarie Lindt, Paola Senatore, John Ireland, Tina Aumont, Alexandra Bogojevic, Stefano Satta Flores, Bekim Fehmiu

Release Date: November 10th, 2026
Approximate Running Time: 133 Minutes 9 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Italian, DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: English, English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $34.95

"Berlin, in the final years of the Third Reich. Salon Kitty is an elegant, high-class brothel where officers, diplomats and party officials come to unwind far from the pressures of the war. What none of them know is that the whole place has been quietly turned into a trap. Wallenberg (Helmut Berger, The Damned, The Godfather Part III, an ambitious and ruthless SS officer, has had hidden microphones installed in every room and has replaced Madame Kitty's girls with party-loyalist women he personally selected and trained to seduce, listen and report. His plan is coldly simple: gather every secret, every doubt and every disloyal word spoken in those beds, then use that mountain of compromising material to blackmail his way to the very top, even above Hitler himself.

Among the new recruits is Margherita (Teresa Ann Savoy, Caligula), an idealistic young woman who genuinely believes she is serving the Reich by giving herself to its soldiers. Little by little she begins to notice the strange details around her, and she uncovers the truth behind the salon and the man pulling the strings. Her faith collapses into disgust, and disgust hardens into a need for revenge.

Working carefully alongside Madame Kitty (frequent Bergman collaborator, Ingrid Thulin, Wild Strawberries, The Silence), who has her own reasons to want Wallendorf destroyed, Margherita sets out on a dangerous game of double deception." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 3.5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "Global first Hi-Definition Blu-ray Release."

Salon Kitty comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 43.6 GB

Feature: 36.5 GB

Cult Films' transfer is comparable to their 2011 Blu-ray release and Blue Underground’s Blu-ray release. That said, the result is a transfer that leaves a lot of room for improvement.

Audio: 4/5 (DTS-HD Mono Italian), 3.5/5 (DTS-HD Mono English)

This release comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD mono mix in Italian and a DTS-HD mono mix in English. While both tracks sound clean, clear, and balanced, the Italian-language track sounds more robust. Included are removable English subtitles for the Italian-language track and removable English SDH for the English-language track. It should be noted that when watching the English-language track, there is some dialogue in German, Italian, and Spanish, and there are removable English subtitles for these moments.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a U.S. theatrical trailer (1 minute 48 seconds, LPCM mono English, no subtitles), an international theatrical trailer (3 minutes 55 seconds, LPCM mono English, no subtitles), an archival interview with director Tinto Brass (23 minutes 48 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), reversible cover art, a poster, and a slipcover.

Other extras are trailers for Miranda and The Night Porter.

Summary:

A power-hungry Nazi SS commandant uses a brothel to blackmail those he sees as traitors. 

The cinema of Tinto Brass can be broken down into two distinct periods. The films Tinto Brass made before Salon Kitty were avant-garde, while everything that followed marked his transition into erotica, which still retained elements of his earlier experimentation. Although Salon Kitty is the film that started Tinto Brass’ shift into erotica, the result is more of a straight-up exploitation film that makes no attempt to titillate.

The earliest examples of Nazisploitation can be traced back to Roberto Rossellini's Rome, Open City, and Germany, Year Zero. The defining moment for Nazisploitation was Luchino Visconti’s The Damned. Some Nazisploitation films, like The Damned and The Night Porter, were more arthouse than exploitation, while the bulk of the genre was down-and-dirty exploitation films that pushed depravity to its limits. That said, Salon Kitty is a rarer example of a Nazisploitation film that balances arthouse and exploitation.

While there are many things that Salon Kitty does extremely well, notably its exemplary production design, its most challenging aspect is its duration. At 133 minutes in length, the narrative has many stretches where things move slowly, disrupting any momentum. That said, what the narrative lacks, it more than makes up for in pure spectacle, where style takes precedence over substance.

Another area where Salon Kitty excels is its outstanding cast, who all deliver deliriously over-the-top performances where they fully embrace the madness. The most memorable performance is Helmut Berger (Beast with a Gun) in the role of a power-hungry Nazi SS commandant named Helmut Wallenberg. The standout performance is Teresa Ann Savoy’s portrayal of Margherita, a woman Helmut becomes infatuated with. Other notable cast members are John Steiner (Shock), Tina Aumont (Torso), and Ingrid Thulin (Persona) in the role of Madame Kitty.

When it comes to the visuals, this is the area where Salon Kitty is most impactful. Tinto Brass’ direction is pitch-perfect; every inch of every frame is exploited for maximum effect. Besides taking full advantage of Ken Adams' opportunity sets, there are an abundance of visually arresting moments that greatly enhance the mood. Some of the most striking moments are a montage where women are having sex with deformed men and a scene where Leni Riefenstahl’s Nazi propaganda film The Triumph of the Will is being projected off a nude woman’s body, while a Nazi soldier is masturbating. Ultimately, Salon Kitty is a film that’s geared more towards fans of exploitation cinema than Tinto Brass’ erotic films.

Salon Kitty gets a strong audio/video presentation and an insightful interview with Tinto Brass.

Written by Michael Den Boer