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Inquisition – Mondo Macabro (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Spain, 1978
Director: Paul Naschy
Writer: Paul Naschy
Cast: Paul Naschy, Daniela Giordano, Mónica Randall, Ricardo Merino, Tony Isbert, Julia Saly, Antonio Iranzo, Juan Luis Galiardo, Eduardo Calvo, Tota Alba

Release Date: June 13th, 2017
Approximate running time: 90 Minutes 48 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: LPCM Mono Spanish, LPCM Mono English
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $29.95

"In 16th century France, Inquisitor and magistrate Bernard de Fossey (Paul Naschy) travels to the plague-ridden region of Peyriac in search of witches and devil worshipers. Local beauty Catherine (Daniela Giordano) quickly catches his eye, tormenting him with impure thoughts, although her affections lie with her handsome fiancé Jean. Meanwhile, embittered one-eyed manservant Rénover (Antonio Iranzo) presents Bernard with his first group of torture victims when he accuses several sexy young things who spurned his advances of being witches responsible for the plague.

One by one beautiful women are tortured on the rack then burned at the stake. No-one seems able to halt the Inquisition's reign of terror or the baseless accusations that cause so many innocent deaths. When Jean dies in mysterious circumstances, Catherine allies herself with Satan to get revenge on her enemies - foremost among them, De Fossey himself." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, “1080p HD presentation, transferred from the original negative”.

Inquisition comes on a 25 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 22.5 GB

Feature: 20.4 GB

Colors look correct, and image clarity and black levels look very good. That said, though there's some mild use of DNR, this is a well-authored disc that is easily the best this film has looked to date on home video.

Audio: 4.5/5 (LPCM Mono Spanish), 4.25/5 (LPCM Mono English)

This release comes with two audio options, a LPCM mono mix in English and a LPCM mono mix in Spanish. With this release are removable English subtitles. Both tracks sound clean, clear, and balanced throughout. The main difference between these two audio mixes is the quality of their translations. The Spanish track does a better job reinforcing the subject matter at hand.

Extras:

Extras for this release include the Mondo Macabro’s Promo Reel, an introduction with actor/director Paul Naschy (7 minutes 56 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Spanish with removable English subtitles), a documentary about Spanish horror films titled Blood and Sand (24 minutes 24 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Spanish and English with English subtitles), an interview with actress Daniela Giordano (14 minutes 23 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with English subtitles) and an audio commentary with Rod Barnett and Troy Guinn (the Naschycast).

Summary:

Inquisition marked Paul Naschy's debut as director. Besides casting himself in the lead role, he also wrote this film's screenplay. No name has become more synonymous with Spanish horror cinema than Paul Naschy, who, as an actor, portrayed wolf men, a hunchback, vampires, and other monsters. Although he is most remembered for his films that had classic horror cinema monsters, his diverse filmography includes films like Inquisition that take horror to another level. Inquisition’s narrative takes place during mediaeval evil times, and the result is a film that is one of the best examples of the panic and destruction caused by inquisitions.

A witchfinder general falls in love with a woman who’s made a pact with the devil.

The opening step up does a phenomenal job setting the tone and the stage for the events that follow. The well-crafted narrative builds momentum with a series of tense moments that build upon each other and culminate with an exemplary finale that serves as a perfect coda. Another strength of the narrative is how well it blends exposition and explanation elements.

All around, the cast are great in their roles, especially Daniela Giordano (Four Times That Night) in the role of Catherine, a young woman who professes her loyalty to Satan after the man she loved gets murdered. Other performances of note are Mónica Randall (My Dear Killer) in the role of Madeleine, the woman who introduces Catherine to black magic and Antonio Iranzo (Cut-Throats Nine) in the role of Rénover, a disfigured servant who lusts after Catherine’s sister. Of course, Paul Naschy (Curse of the Devil) delivers another solid performance in the dual roles of a witch-finder named Bernard de Fossey and Satan.

While carnage is a given for a horror film, when it comes to the cinema of Paul Naschy, his films tend to lean into the sleaze, and Inquisition takes full advantage of its female cast members' alluring attributes. Another area where Inquisition stands out is its torture scenes, most of which are not for the faint of heart. Ultimately, Inquisition is an unflinching account of the power given to those who expose witches and other heretics.

Inquisition gets a strong release from Mondo Macabro that comes with a wealth of insightful content. Recommended.