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The Vampire and the Ballerina – Scream Factory (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy, 1960
Director: Renato Polselli
Writers: Ernesto Gastaldi, Giuseppe Pellegrini, Renato Polselli
Cast: Hélène Rémy, Tina Gloriani, Walter Brandi, Isarco Ravaioli, Gino Turini, Pier Ugo Gragnani, María Luisa Rolando

Release Date: May 22nd, 2018
Approximate Running Time: 87 Minutes 37 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Italian, DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: English, English SDH
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: OOP

"Shot in and around the grounds of an ancient Italian castle, this creepy and atmospheric thriller follows a company of beautiful ballerinas on tour, when they become stranded within its sinister, stony old walls. They have no idea that a horror legend two thousand years old is about to come alive in the form of a group of vampires, all thirsting for blood…especially their nefarious and brutal queen." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "2K transfer of the film sourced from the last surviving film elements."

The Vampire and the Ballerina comes on a 25 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 21.6 GB

Feature: 20.5 GB

The source used for this transfer is in great shape; there is some minor print debris throughout. Image clarity, contrast, and black levels are strong; compression is very good; and the image looks organic.

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. Both audio mixes sound clean, clear, and balanced. Range-wise, both tracks sound good considering their mono limitations. That said, quality-wise, these two tracks are comparable. Included are English subtitles for the Italian language track and English SDH for the English language track. It should be noted that you cannot switch between the two audio tracks or subtitle tracks during playback; subtitles can only be disabled via the menu.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an image gallery with music from The Vampire and the Ballerina playing in the background (stills/lobby cards/posters/other promotional materials) and a vintage condensed 8MM version of The Vampire and the Ballerina (9 Minutes 55 seconds, no audio with burnt in English subtitles).

Summary:

Renato Polselli’s filmography is arguably Italian cinema’s most unusual. Most of his contemporaries had an identifiable style and worked in whatever genre was popular. His filmography can be broken down into two distinctive eras. The initial group of films, which includes dramas, gothic horror films, a comedy, and a spaghetti western, can be seen as his commercials in the book. While the latter group of films that he made, starting with The Truth According to Satan, are known for psychology themes and erotica,

The narrative revolves around a troupe of dancers who cross paths with a blood-sucking vampire who lives in a castle in the middle of nowhere.

Though Renato Polselli is most remembered for his later output like Delirium (Delirio caldo) and The Reincarnation of Isabel, out of his earlier output of films, he is most remembered for directing a pair of gothic horror films, The Vampire and the Ballerina and The Monster of the Opera. Also, besides both of these films being gothic horror films, there are many elements in which they overlap.

Content-wise, The Vampire and the Ballerina is best summed up as Dracula in an Old Dark House (actually a castle). And though The Vampire and the Ballerina is billed as a horror film, one would be hard-pressed to think of many horror films that have dance routines. Oddly enough, Renato Polselli would also have dance routines in The Monster of the Opera. Also, there are a few initially funny moments in The Vampire and the Ballerina.

The cast is best described as serviceable, with a large portion of the cast having a limited filmography, or this would be their only film credit. The only performance that leaves a lasting memory is Maria Luisa Lombardo in the role of the countess Alda, a 400-year-old vampire.

From a production standpoint, everything about The Vampire and the Ballerina screams low-budget cinema. Notably a cast with limited acting experience and crude special effects, just to name a few things. Another shortcoming is a slow-moving narrative that is mostly made up of mundane moments in which nothing remotely frightening happens. On the positive side, the visuals create a lot of atmosphere, and there are a few titillating moments where women prance around in nighties. Ultimately, The Vampire and the Ballerina is a mediocre horror film that fans of schlocky cinema should enjoy.

The Vampire and the Ballerina makes its way to Blu-ray via a strong audio/video presentation from Scream Factory.