Black Magic Rites – Indicator Series (4k UHD)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy, 1973
Director: Renato Polselli
Writer: Renato Polselli
Cast: Mickey Hargitay, Rita Calderoni, Raul Lovecchio, Christa Barrymore, Consolata Moschera, William Darni, Max Dorian, Marcello Bonini Olas, Cristina Perrier, Stefania Fassio, Gabriele Bentivoglio, Vittorio Fanfoni, Anna Ardizzone, Marisa Indice, Dunca Balsor, Tano Cimarosa, Carmen Young

Release Date: August 28th, 2023 (UK), August 29th, 2023 (USA)
Approximate Running Time: 98 Minutes 14 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / Dolby Vision HDR10
Rating: 18 (UK), NR (USA)
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Italian
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: £24.99 (UK), $49.95 (USA)

"When beautiful Laureen throws a wild party at the castle which she has just inherited, she is blissfully unaware that its dark cellar harbors an occult sect that is hellbent on avenging the death of Isabel, who was burned at the stake 600 years earlier as a witch. The occultists’ satanic rituals call for the blood of virgins… Could Laureen be next?" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, “Black Magic Rites was scanned, restored and color corrected in 4K HDR at Final Frame Post, London, using the original 35mm negative. A combination of MTI and Nucoda DVO image-processing tools were used to remove many thousands of instances of dirt, eliminate scratches and other imperfections, as well as repair damaged frames. No grain management, edge enhancement or sharpening tools were employed to artificially alter the image in any way."

Black Magic Rites comes on a 66 GB dual layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 61.4 GB

Feature: 52.6 GB

The source used for this transfer looks exceptional; it is a substantial upgrade over previous home video releases. Flesh tones look healthy, colors are nicely saturated and at times vivid, image clarity, contrast, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image always looks organic.

Audio: 4.5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in Italian with removable English subtitles. The audio is in great shape; it is a massive improvement over previous home video releases. Dialog always comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced. Range-wise, ambient sounds and the score are well represented.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an image gallery (15 images - lobby cards/press book/posters), a theatrical trailer (3 minutes 31 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with DJ and soundtrack enthusiast Lovely Jon titled Rock Delirium who discusses composer Gianfranco Reverberi (24 minutes 57 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with author and musician Stephen Thrower titled Chaos Magic who discusses Renato Polselli and Black Magic Rites (38 minutes 47 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with composer Gianfranco Reverberi titled When We Were Crazy (18 minutes 32 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), a far-reaching documentary on the first half of writer-director Renato Polselli’s career, featuring archival interviews with the filmmaker and his regular collaborator, actor Mickey Hargitay, as well as new contributions from director and programmer Luca Rea titled The 7th Art According to Ralph Brown (33 minutes 43 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English and Italian with removable English subtitles), an audio commentary with film critics and authors David Flint and Kim Newman, and an 80-page booklet with cast & crew information, an essay titled Black Magic Rites and Popular Satanism in the 1970s written by Miranda Corcoran, a career-spanning archival interview with director Renato Polselli by Jay Slater titled Renato Polselli: Blood, Sex, and Gialli, an archival autobiographical piece by Polselli assessing his career as a filmmaker titled Renato Polselli The Cinema Is Not Art written by Andrea di Francesco and Giuseppe Pollicelli, an essay about Black Magic Rites’ censorship history titled The Rites of Censorship written by Roberto Curti, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and information about the restoration.

Summary:

Directed by Renato Polselli, whose other notable films include The Truth According to Satan, Delirium (Delirio caldo), Revelations of a Psychiatrist on the World of Sexual Perversion, and Mania. Black Magic Rites has been released under alternative titles, like The Reincarnation of Isabel. Black Magic Rites literal English language is Rites, Black Magic, and Secret Orgies in the Fourteenth Century.

The narrative revolves around a satanic cult that tries to resurrect a witch who was burned at the stake four hundred years before.

One should not judge Renato Polselli by his complete filmography. The films that he directed before the 1970s bear no connection to the films he directed in the 1970s. Also, when one first encounters a filmmaker or film for the first time, the way in which you watch said film can greatly affect what you think about it. Case in point: Black Magic Rites was the first Renato Polselli film that I saw, and it had a mediocre audio/video presentation. Though I was not impressed with Black Magic Rites after its first viewing, revisiting it all these years later via this exceptional restoration by Powerhouse Films has greatly increased my appreciation for Black Magic Rites.

From its opening moments, Black Magic Rites does a superb job setting an uneasy mood that perfectly suits the story that unfolds. The narrative, which mostly takes place in the present, juxtaposes events that happened 400 years ago. Also, Black Magic Rites is filled with doppelgängers; each character that exists in the present day has a descendant who helped burn a witch named Isabella at the stake four hundred years before.

Though the narrative does a great job laying out who everyone is, Black Magic Rites is more of a visual experience, with the sparse dialog filling in the essentials of the story. That said, Renato Polselli manages to create many exciting moments visually, notably the scene that takes place in the past. And not to be overlooked is how Gianfranco Reverberi’s score perfectly fuses with the visuals.

Most of the cast also worked with Renato Polselli on Delirium (Delirio caldo). In fact, there are several cast members whose only films that they appeared in were Delirium (Delirio caldo) and Black Magic Rites. Mickey Hargitay and Rita Calderoni, the two leads, also starred in Delirium (Delirio caldo). The performances are best described as big; most of the characters emotions and actions can be classified as over the top. The standout performance is by Rita Calderoni, who delivers what is arguably her best performance.

Content-wise, Black Magic Rites is equal parts horror film and erotica. It is a good blend of sleaze, sadism, and mayhem. The one area where Black Magic Rites struggles is its use of humor. That said, it is remarkable just how much Renato Polselli was able to achieve with Black Magic Rites when it is clear that he was working with minimal resources. The main location is a castle, which was used in many other films, notably Bloody Pit of Horror, which also starred Mickey Hargitay. Ultimately, Black Magic Rites is a truly unique cinematic experience that divides its audience; it is either a film that you embrace or loathe.

Black Magic Rites makes its way to 4K UHD via a definitive release from Powerhouse Films, highly recommended.

Note: This release is a limited edition of 10,000 numbered units (6,000 4K UHDs and 4,000 Blu-rays) for the UK and US.

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 VLC player and lossless PNGs.

Written by Michael Den Boer