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Stagefright – Blue Underground (Blu-ray)/Exposure Cinema (Blu-ray/DVD Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy, 1987
Director: Michele Soavi
Writers: George Eastman, Sheila Goldberg
Cast: David Brandon, Richard Barkeley, Barbara Cupisti, Domenico Fiore, Robert Gligorov, Sheila Goldberg, Mickey Knox, Giovanni Lombardo Radice, Clain Parker, Loredana Parrella, Martin Philips, James Edward Sampson, Ulrike Schwerk, Mary Sellers, Jo Ann Smith, Piero Vida, George Eastman, Michele Soavi

Blue Underground Release Date: August 19th, 2014
Approximate running time: 90 Minutes 15 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD 5.1 English, DTS-HD Stereo English
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $29.95

Exposure Cinema Release Date: September 15th, 2014
Approximate running time: 90 Minutes 21 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: 18 (UK)
Sound: LPCM Stereo English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: OOP

"While a group of young actors rehearse a new musical about a mass murderer, a notorious psychopath escapes from a nearby insane asylum. But when the show's director locks his cast in the theater overnight, the madman is accidentally locked inside as well. Now, a killer with acting in his blood has gone berserk for the blood of actors (including several scenes that EuroHorror fans worldwide consider to be the most violent of the decade) and the stage is set for one unforgettable evening of shock, suspense and unstoppable carnage.." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.25/5 (Blue Underground), 4/5 (Exposure Cinema)

Here’s the information provided about Blue Underground's transfer, "in gore-drenched High Definition from the original uncut and uncensored negative".

Stagefright comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 38.1 GB

Feature: 25 GB

Here’s the information provided about Exposure Cinema's transfer, "Newly restored and remastered from original vault elements".

Stagefright comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 44.8 GB

Feature: 22.3 GB

Both of these releases came out within a month of each other, almost 10 years ago. And though they most likely came from the same source, there are several areas where they differ. Notably, when it comes to colors and framing, Blue Underground’s release is in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio, while Exposure Cinema’s release opens things up slightly with a 1.78:1 aspect ratio. Also, though grain is present in both transfers, there are moments where it could have been better resolved. That said, neither release appears to use digital noise reduction.

Audio: 4.5/5 (DTS-HD 5.1 English, DTS-HD Stereo English, LPCM Stereo English)

Blue Underground's release comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in English and a DTS-HD stereo mix in English. This release comes with these subtitle options: English SDH, French, and Spanish, all removable.

Exposure Cinema's release comes with one audio option, a LPCM stereo mix in English. This release comes with removable English SDH.

All of these audio tracks are in great shape; there are no issues with hiss or distortion. Dialog comes through clearly; everything sounds balanced and robust when it should. That said, the two stereo tracks are comparable, while the DTS-HD 5.1 track offers a more expansive sound spectrum.

Extras:

Extras for Blue Underground's release include a poster & stills gallery, a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 18 seconds, DTS-HD stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with director Michele Soavi titled Theatre of Delirium (19 minutes 1 second, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with non-removable English subtitles), an interview with actor David Brandon titled Head of the Company (11 minutes 40 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with actor Giovanni Lombardo Radice titled Blood on the Stage Floor (14 minutes, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with non-removable English subtitles), an interview with make-up effects artist Pietro Tenoglio titled The Owl Murders (11 minutes 21 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with non-removable English subtitles), and an interview with composer Simon Boswell titled The Sound of Aquarius (18 minutes 2 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles).

Extras for Exposure Cinema's release include an image gallery, a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 17 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), a segment that compares the Avatar Videos cut UK video release verse the uncut version of same scenes (1 minute 38 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), a documentary about VHS collectors titled Revenge of the Video Cassette (25 minutes 12 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), a documentary titled Joe D’Amato: Totally Uncut 2 (54 minutes 43 seconds, LPCM stereo Italian with non-removable English subtitles),a, interview with Giovanni Lombardo Radice titled Giovanni’s Method (20 minutes 45 seconds, LPCM stereo Italian with non-removable English subtitles), an interview with film critic Alan Jones titled The Critic’s Take (28 minutes 1 second, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), a featurette titled A Bloodstained Featherstorm with comments by actresses Barbara Cupisti and Mary Sellers, director Michele Soavi and screenwriter George Eastman (28 minutes 3 seconds, LPCM stereo Italian with non-removable English subtitles), a trailer for Zombie Holocaust (5 minutes 33 seconds, LPCM mono English, no subtitles), and a booklet with an essay about later in the cycle Gialli and overlooked slasher films, trivia, rare stills and international VHS artwork. Also, Exposure Cinema's release is a combo release that comes with a DVD.

Summary:

Stagefright was the directorial debut of Michele Soavi (Dellamorte Dellamore), who honed his craft as a filmmaker while working as an assistant director for Dario Argento. Key collaborators of Stagefright include screenwriter George Eastman (Rabid Dogs), cinematographer Renato Tafuri (The Church), composer Simon Boswell (Hardware), and producer Joe D’Amato (Emanuelle in America).

The narrative revolves around a cast rehearsing a play who find themselves locked in a theater with a madman who is knocking them off one by one.

It is ironic how time can change one's perspective on something. When Stagefright was first released, it was a failure at the box office, and if it weren’t for its subsequent home video releases, it may have faded away into obscurity. Fortunately for us diehard fans of Italian thrillers, Stagefright is as relentless as the killer that is terrorizing the cast, who are preparing for their big show.

The first indication that Stagefright is going to be something special is its meticulously constructed narrative that is perfectly paced, as each moment is allowed just the right amount of time to resonate. And when it comes to set-up and character development, things are also in top form. The opening act does a superb job of setting out who everyone is and giving just a glimpse of the monster that is about to go on a killing spree. The middle act is a highly entertaining game of cat and mouse, while the final act is a classic showdown between the victim, who just won’t die, and a determined killer, whose own undoing comes from their own stubbornness.

From the get-go, Stagefright does a great job establishing and maintaining tension. And nowhere is this more evident than when it comes to the death sequences. All of the murders are of the moment, and the killers improvising when it comes to weapon choice makes everything a potential weapon. And when it comes to each death sequence, they are inventive and sufficiently gory.

It should not come as a surprise that the visuals are first-rate considering that Michele Soavi worked with Dario Argento, another filmmaker known for their stylish visuals. The same year that he made Stagefright, Michele Soavi worked as an assistant director on Opera. Michele Soavi’s clear nod to his mentor comes in a scene where a character standing in front of the mirror bows, and the killer is standing behind them. A similar scene appeared in Dario Argento’s Tenebrae.

In a film with many standout moments visually, Stagefright’s most memorable moment is a sequence where the last survivor is trying to get a key that is literally stuck in the stage at the killers’ feet. And in order to do this, the last survivor must crawl under the stage and pry the key away without disturbing the killer who sits above them.

Another area of this production that holds a lot of weight is Simon Boswell’s excellent score, which ranks among his best work to emerge from his work in Italy. And like many of the most revered thrillers and horror films, the score plays an integral part as it firmly establishes the mood. Though he composed the majority of the music that appears in Stagefright, there is a classical-sounding composition that originally appeared in Sergei M. Eisenstein’s silent film Stachka.

Performance-wise, the cast is very good in their respective roles, especially David Brandon in the role of Peter, a down-on-his-luck theatrical director who will do anything to get his next hit play. Other performances of note are Giovanni Lombardo Radice (City of the Living Dead) in the role of Brett, an obnoxious actor who likes to prank everyone, and Barbara Cupisti (The Key) in the role of Alicia, an actress whose determination keeps her one step ahead of the killer. Ultimately, Stagefright is an exceptional film and one of the last great thrillers to emerge out of Italian cinema in the last 40 years.

With the recent exceptional releases of The Church, The Sect, and Cemetery Man (Dellamorte Dellamore), the time is right for Stagefright to get the same treatment since it has been almost a decade since it has been given a new transfer.

Blue Underground Screenshot.