Killer Nun – Arrow Video (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy, 1979
Director: Giulio Berruti
Writers: Giulio Berruti, Alberto Tarallo
Cast: Anita Ekberg, Paola Morra, Alida Valli, Massimo Serato, Daniele Dublino, Lou Castel, Joe Dallesandro, Laura Nucci

Release Date: October 15th, 2019
Approximate running time: 88 Minutes 56 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: LPCM Mono Italian, LPCM Mono English
Subtitles: English, English SDH
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $39.95

"Aging blonde-bombshell Anita Ekberg (La Dolce Vita, Pick-up Alley) gives a full-bodied performance as a sex-crazed sister with some seriously bad habits in the lurid cult classic Killer Nun. One of the most notorious 'nunsploitation' films, Killer Nun tells the sordid story of Sister Gertrude, a disturbed woman of the cloth who degenerates into a perverse mire of drug taking, sexual perversion, sadistic torture and murder." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.25/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "Scanning and restoration work was completed at L'Immagine Ritrovata, Bologna. The original 35mm camera negative was scanned in 2K resolution on a pin registered Arriscan. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, scratches, picture instability and other instances of film wear were reapired or removed through a combination of digital restoration tools and techniques.

The film was graded on Digital Vision's Nucoda Film Master at R3Store Studios, London.

All original materials used in this restoration were accessed from Surf Film."

Killer Nun comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 44.8 GB

Feature: 23.4 GB

Though Killer Nun had been previously released on Blu-ray by Blue Underground, that release's transfer was marred by scanner noise. That said, this new transfer from Arrow Video is a substantial upgrade when compared to those previous home video releases. And most importantly, Arrow Video’s transfer retains an organic look that is free of any digital intrusions.

Audio: 4.25/5 (LPCM Mono Italian, LPCM Mono English)

This release comes with two audio options, a LPCM mono mix in Italian and a LPCM mono mix in English. Both audio tracks are in great shape; dialog comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, and range-wise, the ambient sounds are well represented. There are two subtitle options for this release. Removable English SDH subtitles for the English language track and removable English subtitles for the Italian language track It should be noted that around the hour and thirteen minutes, for about one minute, there’s a dialog exchange that’s only in Italian with English subtitles. These lines of dialog most likely were never dubbed in English, and Blue Underground’s Blu-ray presents these lines of dialog the same way.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an image gallery (posters/lobby cards/stills), Italian theatrical trailer (2 minutes 56 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Italian with removable English subtitles), International theatrical trailer for the film (2 minutes 56 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), a video essay by film critic Kat Ellinger titled Beyond Convent Walls (29 minutes 19 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with actress Ileana Fraia titled Starry Eyes (23 minutes 47 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with editor Mario Giacco titled Cut & Noise (20 minutes 31 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with director Giulio Berruti titled Our Mother Hell (51 minutes 51 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an audio commentary with Italian genre film connoisseurs Adrian J. Smith and David Flint. reversible cover art and a forty-four page booklet (limited to first pressing) with cast & crew information, an essay titled Killer Nun: Text and Context written by Andreas Ehrenreich, nunsploitation filmography, an essay titled Sister Morphine: The Making of Killer Nun written by Roberto Curti, Killer Nun Original Review written by Leonardo Autera and information about the restoration.

Summary:

Though nunsploitation had long been established before Killer Nun, thanks mostly in part to Ken Russell’s controversial film The Devil’s It is another textbook example of how Italian cinema milked an idea until it was no longer viable. Killer Nun had all the ingredients that have become synonymous with nunsploitation and a few well-placed giallo elements. And yet, the result is a film that never achieves the depravity that nunsploitation cinema’s most celebrated films have in spades.

Casting can make or break most films. Case in point: the casting of Anita Ekberg (Boccaccio ’70) in the role of Sister Gertrude. Though she’s widely regarded as a sex symbol, by the time of Killer Nun, she’s far removed from La Dolce Vita’s sexy water fountain sequence. And nowhere is this clearer than in the scene in Killer Nun where her character picks up a stranger at a bar for a sexual encounter.

Besides Anita Ekberg, the cast has several recognizable Euro-cult faces, like Alida Valli (Suspiria) in the role of Mother Superior, Lou Castel (Fists in the Pocket) in the role of a patient at the clinic, and Joe Dallesandro (Savage Three) in the role of a doctor.

Other areas where Killer Nun falls flat are the relationships between Sister Gertrude and Sister Mathieu, which only hint at lesbianism. During these scenes, Anita Ekberg comes off as frigid, while Paola Morra feels more relaxed. Needless to say, it’s painfully obvious that they should have hired an actress who would have embraced the material without any inhibitions. And a slow-moving narrative that does not hit its’ stride until its very satisfying last act.

Killer Nun’s strongest asset is Alessandro Alessandroni’s schizophrenic Ennio Morricone-like score, which perfectly captures Sister Gertrude’s state of mind. Ultimately, Killer Nun is a movie that suffers from indecision as it tries to merge too many genres and themes together without ever establishing itself in a set direction.

Killer Nun gets a definitive release from Arrow Video, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer