The Long Hair of Death – Raro Video (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy, 1964
Director: Antonio Margheriti
Writers: Ernesto Gastaldi, Antonio Margheriti, Tonino Valerii
Cast: Barbara Steele, George Ardisson, Halina Zalewska, Umberto Raho, Laura Nucci, Giuliano Raffaelli, Nello Pazzafini, Jeffrey Darcey

Release Date: December 16th, 2014
Approximate Running Time: 96 Minutes 16 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: LPCM Mono Italian, LPCM Mono English
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $29.95

"In a 15th-century feudal village a woman is accused of witchcraft and put to death. Her beautiful older daughter knows that the real reason for the execution lies in the lord’s sexual desire for her mother. After confronting the lord on the matter she too is killed. A much younger daughter is spared and taken in by her mother’s killers. Once she is of age a horrible deadly plague sweeps the land and she marries the lord’s worthless son. Then, during a brutal thunderstorm, the older daughter mysteriously reappears and begins to avenge her mother’s death." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 2.75/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "New HD transfer digitally restored."

The Long Hair of Death comes on a 25 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 22.2 GB

Feature: 18.9 GB

Though the bulk of the source used for this transfer looks very good, it does have some minor instances of print debris, instances of vertical lines on the edge of the frame, and some moments where the image judders. The image at times looks soft, with the only times it looks crisp being close-ups; contrast and black levels are serviceable; there are some mild compression issues; and there appears to be some digital noise reduction.

Audio: 3.5/5 (LPCM Mono Italian), 3/5 (LPCM Mono English)

This release comes with two audio options, an LPCM mono mix in Italian and an LPCM mono mix in English. Though both audio tracks are in good shape, they are not without their shortcomings. The English-language track has some background noise, and both audio tracks can be limited when it comes to range. That said, the dialog comes through clearly, and the score sounds noticeably fuller than the rest of the mix. Included with this release are removable English subtitles for the Italian-language track.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a English language theatrical trailer (3 minutes 37 seconds, LPCM mono English, no subtitles), a Italian language theatrical trailer (3 minutes 37 seconds, LPCM mono Italian with removable subtitles), an introduction by Chris Alexander (3 minutes 51 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with Edoardo Margheriti, son of Antonio Margheriti (10 minutes 31 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with Antonio Tentori (6 minutes 17 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), a slipcover and a eight-page booklet with cat & crew information, and an essay titled The Golden Age of the Gothic: Exploring The Long Hair of Death. 

Summary:

Directed by Antonio Margheriti, whose notable films are The Virgin of Nuremberg, Castle of Blood, Web of the Spider, and Seven Deaths in the Cat's Eyes. Before Antonio Margheriti made a name for himself in the gothic horror genre, he was the premier Italian filmmaker working in the sci-fi genre, directing Assignment: Outer Space, Battle of the Worlds, and the Gamma One Quadrilogy (The Wild, Wild Planet, The War of the Planets, War Between the Planets, and Snow Devils).

The narrative revolves around a woman who is wrongfully accused of being a witch and burned at the stake. Her eldest daughter proclaims a curse on the prominent family that is behind her mother's death. Unfortunately for her, not everyone wants the truth to be known, and her outspokenness leads to the eldest daughter’s own untimely death. Flash forward a few years later, when a mysterious woman (who looks oddly familiar) arrives while the town is besieged by a plague.

Though The Long Hair of Death has all of the ingredients that one would want or expect from a Gothic horror film, these genre staples are ultimately not the reasons why The Long Hair of Death has maintained its ability to seduce audiences after all of these years. The Long Hair of Death’s undeniable allure is rooted in its psychological approach to the story at hand.

Structurally, The Long Hair of Death’s narrative mirrors a symphony with its grand opening that announces itself only to slightly scale back into a slow-moving section that gives the characters time to establish who they are and what their motivations are. From there, the third movement in this four-movement symphony of terror is the one that sets the diabolical plan in motion, with the four-movement final act setting up a coda to all the events that have just transpired.

As mentioned before, The Long Hair of Death does retain many of the qualities that one would expect when watching a Gothic horror film. Most notable are its stark imagery and meticulously framed compositions, which give The Long Hair of Death a tremendous amount of atmosphere. Another area where The Long Hair of Death often excels is its special effects, most specifically Helen’s resurrection sequence.

Of course, when discussing acting and any film involving Barbara Steele (Black Sunday), one would be hard-pressed to find another performance that stands out more than hers. In The Long Hair of Death, she is given the chance to portray two characters, albeit mirror images of each other. Needless to say, she is by far and away the most captivating presence in The Long Hair of Death, and she elevates The Long Hair of Death to another level every time she appears onscreen. In regards to the rest of the cast's performances, they are all very good in their respective roles. Ultimately, The Long Hair of Death is a well-made Italian gothic horror film that works as well as it does because of its leading lady's phenomenal performance.

The Long Hair of Death gets a good release from Raro Video that comes with a lackluster audio/video presentation and informative extras.

Written by Michael Den Boer