Deathdream (Dead of Night) – Blue Underground (4k UHD/Blu-ray Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: UK/Canada, 1974
Director: Bob Clark
Writer: Alan Ormsby
Cast: John Marley, Lynn Carlin, Richard Backus, Henderson Forsythe, Anya Ormsby, Jane Daly, Michael Mazes, Arthur Anderson, Alan Ormsby, Mal Jones 

Release Date: May 21st, 2024
Approximate Running Time: 88 Minutes 28 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / Dolby Vision HDR10
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $49.95

"In this shattering variation on "The Monkey's Paw," grief-stricken suburban parents (Academy Award nominees John Marley of The Godfather and Lynn Carlin of Faces) refuse to accept the news that their son Andy (Richard Backus) has been killed in Vietnam. But when Andy returns home soon after, something may be horribly wrong: Andy is alive and well... or is he?" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5 (4K UHD, Blu-ray)

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "brand-new restoration, scanned in 4K 16-bit from the 35mm negative with Dolby Vision HDR."

Deathdream (Dead of Night) comes on a 66 GB dual layer 4K UHD

Disc Size: 54.8 GB

Feature: 51.7 GB

The source looks excellent. The flesh tones look correct, the colors are nicely saturated, and the image always looks organic. Image clarity, contrast, black levels, and compression are solid. Though Blue Underground’s 2017 Blu-ray was a huge upgrade over previous releases, this new transfer is by far and away the best Deathdream (Dead of Night) has ever looked.

Deathdream (Dead of Night) comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 40.7 GB

Feature: 23.9 GB

The Blu-ray included as part of this release uses the same source that was used for the 4K UHD’s transfer.

Audio: 4.5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in English. The audio is in excellent shape. Dialog always comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced and robust when it should, and ambient sounds are well-represented. Included with this release are three subtitle options: English SDH, Spanish, and French.

Extras:

Extras on the 4K UHD include a theatrical trailer (3 minutes 49 seconds, DTS-HD mono English, no subtitles), an archival audio commentary with director Bob Clark, an archival audio commentary with Alan Ormsby, and an audio commentary with film historians Troy Howarth and Nathaniel Thompson.

Extras on the Blu-ray include image galleries: posters & ads (9 images), U.S. pressbook (25 images), publicity stills (29 images), behind-the-scenes (12 images), make-up effects (48 images), video (17 images), Alan Ormsby’s movie monsters (23 images), and Alan Ormsby’s creatures (25 images), a theatrical trailer (3 minutes 49 seconds, DTS-HD mono English, no subtitles), alternate Deathdream opening credits (3 minutes 28 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), a student film directed by Alan Ormsby (10 minutes 12 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), screen test with Gary Swanson, the original actor cast in the role of Andy (12 minutes 31 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an archival interview with actress Anya Liffey and screenwriter/make-up artist Alan Ormsby (29 minutes 29 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with composer Carl Zittrer titled Notes For A Homecoming (19 minutes 8 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with production manager John ‘Bud’ Cardos titled Flying Down To Brooksville (5 minutes 21 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with actor Richard Backus titled Deathdreaming (11 minutes 43 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival featurette titled Tom Savini: The Early Years (10 minutes, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with actor Gary Swanson titled The First Andy (12 minutes 23 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival audio commentary with Bob Clark, an archival audio commentary with Alan Ormsby, and an audio commentary with Troy Howarth and Nathaniel Thompson.

Other extras include reversible cover art and a slipcover (limited to the first pressing).

Summary:

Deathdream was directed by Bob Clark, a versatile director whose other notable films include Children Shouldn’t Play with Dead Things, Black Christmas, Breaking Point, Porky's, and A Christmas Story.

Deathdream is clearly an allegory about war, but the actual war is never mentioned. That being said, when one takes into account when Deathdream was made, there is a strong indication that the film is referencing the Vietnam War.

Performance-wise, the cast is all very good in their respective roles. with the standout performance being Richard Backus in the role of Andy Brooks, the young man who returns home after dying in combat. Other notable performances include John Marley (The Godfather) in the role of Andy’s father and Lynn Carlin (Faces) in the role of Andy’s distraught mother, who refuses to acknowledge the truth about her son.

From a production standpoint, the premise is superbly executed. And nowhere is this more evident than when it comes to the eerie visuals. With the finale, we get a very satisfying resolution to the events that have just unfolded.

Throughout the history of cinema, there have been countless films that have explored the horrors of war. And though there have been a handful of horror-themed films that have explored this subject matter, one would be hard-pressed to name a horror film that delivered this subject matter as effectively as it is executed in Deathdream.

Deathdream (Dead of Night) is another phenomenal 4K UHD upgrade from Blue Underground, highly recommended.

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