Twisted Nerve – Umbrella Entertainment (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: UK, 1968
Director: Roy Boulting
Writer: Leo Marks, Roy Boulting, Roger Marshall
Cast: Hayley Mills, Hywel Bennett, Billie Whitelaw, Phyllis Calvert, Frank Finlay, Barry Foster, Salmaan Peerzada, Christian Roberts, Gretchen Franklin, Thorley Walters

Release Date: April 2023
Approximate Running Time: 117 Minutes 50 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC & 1.33:1 Aspect Ratio / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: M (Australia)
Sound: DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $28.00

"Martin Durnley (Hywel Bennett) is a surly recluse of extraordinary cunning. After meeting an attractive young student, Susan Harper (Hayley Mills), Martin hatches an elaborate plan to charm his way into her life. To appeal to Susan’s nurturing instincts he adopts an alternate personality, Georgie, a simple, mentally challenged man-child.This devious deception sets in motion an unsettling tale of deadly obsession and frenzied murder!" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5

Twisted Nerve comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 44.7 GB

Feature: 27.8 GB (1.66:1 Aspect Ratio), 14.6 GB (1.33:1 Aspect Ratio)

Considering this film’s reputation, it has been vastly underrated on DVD and Blu-ray. With its only notable release before this release from Umbrella Entertainment being a 2007 DVD by Optimum Releasing.

Though no information has been provided about the source used for this release transfer, StudioCanal appears to be the source since their logo appears before the film.

Image clarity and color saturation are solid, flesh tones look healthy, black levels are strong, and compression is very good. That said, this is easily the best Twisted Nerve has ever looked on home video.

This release comes with two aspect ratio options. It should be noted that the audio and subtitle options are the same.

Audio: 4.5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in English, and included are removable English SDH subtitles. There are no issues with background hiss or sibilance; dialog comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced. Ambient sounds very good, and Bernard Herrmann’s score sounds appropriately robust.

Extras:

Extras for this release include reversible cover art, a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 31 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an interview with author and film historian Alan Jones titled Cleaver. Cleaver. Chop. Chop. (13 minutes 41 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an audio commentary with English Gothic author Jonathan Rigby and Encyclopedia of Fantastic Film & Television editor Kevin Lyons, a J-card (limited to first pressing) and a slipcover (limited to first pressing).

Other extras that were limited only to those who pre-ordered directly from Umbrella Entertainment included a daybill and a twenty-page press book. It should be noted that neither of these items fits inside the Blu-ray case.

Summary:

Twisted Nerve was co-written and directed by Roy Boulting, whose other notable films include a trio of films with Peter Sellers: Carlton-Browne of the F.O., There’s a Girl in My Soup, and Heavens Above! Twisted Nerve stars Hayley Mills, who rose to prominence as a child actress while working for Disney on films like Pollyanna, The Parent Trap, and That Darn Cat! In 1966, Haley Mills, while working on the film The Family Way, fell in love with the film’s director, Roy Boulting, who was thirty-three years her senior. Thirty-five years after it was first released, Twisted Nerve was brought back into the spotlight once again when director Quentin Tarantino used the film’s main theme in his 2003 film Kill Bill: Volume 1.

The narrative revolves around Martin, a troubled youth with an overbearing mother who treats him like a child. Martin has an alternate personality named Georgie that emerges whenever he feels vulnerable. One day while shopping, Martin encounters a young woman named Susan, whom he quickly fixes on. Martin, posing as Georgie, works his way into Susan’s life. Feeling sorry for Georgie, Susan convinces her mother to allow him to stay with them until his father returns from Paris. The more time Susan spends with Georgie, the more it becomes clear that he is mentally disturbed.

When it was first released fifty-five years ago, Twisted Nerve was a controversial and, in many ways, a film that was ahead of its time with its take on mongolism and the mentally disturbed. A prologue was added by the producers after it was felt that  Twisted Nerve negatively portrayed those with mongolism as mentally disturbed. The narrative centers around a young man named Martin who has a younger brother who suffers from mongolism. Martin’s mother, afraid that her other son might also turn out the same way, coddles him to the point that he suffers a psychotic break in which he invents a second personality, Georgie. After this opening prologue, Martin’s brother is only referred to and not seen ever again. Twisted Nerve manages to walk a fine line without ever negatively portraying those with monalism.

Visually, Roy Boulting creates a tense and suspenseful film. At nearly two hours, the film paced evenly, with no scene feeling padded or unnecessary. The violence is mostly off camera, with some of the aftermath shown on camera. One of Twisted Nerve's greatest strengths is composer Bernard Herrmann masterful score. The best use of the score is when Martin hums it as he follows Susan. The standout performance is Hywel Bennett's as Martin. When he switches into the character of Georgie, he really shines, giving a performance that ranks among the more memorable cinematic psychopaths. Cast in the role of Susan is Hayley Mills, who has an innocent quality to her that perfectly captures the essence of her character. The rest of the cast are all very good in their respective roles. Ultimately, Twisted Nerve is an entertaining Hitchcockian-like thriller that has lost some of its shock value over the years.

Twisted Nerve gets a solid release from Umbrella Entertainment that comes with a strong audio/video presentation and a pair of insightful extras, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer