Door-to-Door Maniac/Right Hand of the Devil – Film Masters (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Dates: USA, 1961 (Door-to-Door Maniac), USA, 1963 (Right Hand of the Devil)
Directors: Bill Karn (Door-to-Door Maniac), Aram Katcher (Right Hand of the Devil)
Cast: Johnny Cash, Donald Woods, Cay Forester, Pamela Mason, Midge Ware, Vic Tayback, Ron Howard, Merle Travis, Norma Varden (Door-to-Door Maniac), Aram Katcher, Lisa McDonald, Brad Trumbull, James V. Christy, Chris Randall, Monte Lee, Georgia Holden, Luigi Gardneri, Lydia Goya, Pepita, Adonis, Jack Elton (Right Hand of the Devil)

Release Date: August 27th, 2024
Approximate Running Times: 75 Minutes 18 Seconds (Door-to-Door Maniac), 67 Minutes 18 Seconds (Right Hand of the Devil)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (Door-to-Door Maniac), 1.66:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (Right Hand of the Devil), 1.33:1 Aspect Ratio / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (Both Films)
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono English, Dolby Digital Mono English (Both Films)
Subtitles: English SDH (Both Films)
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $29.95

"From the early 60s, Film Masters brings you two independently produced films, both with their own cult following. Representative of the neo-noir crime films of that era, these regional films make for a perfect back-to-back viewing late at night!

The more famous of the two, "Door-to-Door Maniac," originally released in 1961 as "Five Minutes to Live." Starring Johnny Cash as a hardened criminal (Johnny Cabot); the wife (Cay Forester) of the bank vice president is taken hostage in her own home. What follows is a robbery gone awry in every way! Directed by Bill Karn, this thrilling crime-drama also stars Donald Woods. Also look for a very young Ronnie Howard in a small role, and Vic Tayback (best known as Mel from the TV show, "Alice.")

In the little-known film, "Right Hand of the Devil," Aram Katcher makes his bid to become the next Hitchcock. While prominent movie director he is not, Turkish-born Katcher does star in the film... and not just on-screen. Producer, story creator, editor, title designer, and costume designer are just some of the other roles he took with his magnum opus. Katcher leads the cast as an ingenious criminal mastermind who hires a motley crew of questionable henchmen who are intent on robbing a sports arena. Along the way, and critical to their plans, he seduces a middle-aged cashier, but she is not so easily convinced as she may appear. Will Katcher triumph in his hard won leading role?" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4/5 (Door-to-Door Maniac), 3.75/5 (Right Hand of the Devil)

Here’s the information provided about the transfers, "New 4k transfer from original 35mm archival elements."

Door-to-Door Maniac comes on a 25 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 41.7 GB

Feature: 20.5 GB (1.85:1 Aspect Ratio), 20.5 GB (1.33:1 Aspect Ratio)

The source looks excellent; image clarity is solid, contrast and black levels are strong, compression is very good, and the image looks organic.

Right Hand of the Devil comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 39.8 GB

Feature: 18.3 GB (1.85:1 Aspect Ratio), 18.3 GB (1.33:1 Aspect Ratio)

The source looks great; image clarity, contrast, and black levels are strong; compression is very good; and the image looks organic.

Audio: 4/5 (Door-to-Door Maniac), 3.5/5 (Right Hand of the Devil)

Door-to-Door Maniac and Right Hand of the Devil each come with two audio options, a DTS-HD mono mix in English and a Dolby Digital mono mix in English. For this review, I only listened to the DTS-HD mono tracks. Door-to-Door Maniac’s audio track sounds clean, clear, and balanced. Right Hand of the Devil’s is lacking range-wise; that said, dialog comes through clear enough to follow. Both films come with removable English SDH.

Extras:

Extras for Door-to-Door Maniac include a recreated 2024 trailer (1 minute 33 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), and an audio commentary with author/podcaster Daniel Budnik and film historian Rob Kelly with optional English subtitles.

Extras for Right Hand of the Devil include a theatrical trailer (1 minute 36 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), a video essay by Someone's Favorite Productions, narrated by Will Dodson titled Player Piano: Passion of Aram Katcher (10 minutes 52 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with removable English SDH), and an audio commentary with the Monstery Party Podcast with optional English subtitles.

Other extras include a 24-page booklet with an essay titled You Gals Are All Alike When Old Johnny Steps on Your Starter! The Joys of Door-to-Door Maniac written by Don Stradley, and an essay titled The Right Hand to the Right Hand of the Devil written by C. Courtney Joyner.

Summary:

Door-to-Door Maniac: Bank robbers blackmail a bank vice president by taking his wife hostage.

Only twice did Johnny Cash portray a character in a theatrical feature film, Door-to-Door Maniac and A Gunfight. He performs multiple songs in the film, among them Five Minutes to Live, which was the original title before its release by American International Pictures. That said, for an overwhelming majority, Johnny Cash will be the main draw, and he delivers a pitch-perfect performance of a cold-blooded criminal.

Despite being a crime film that has film noir elements, Door-to-Door Maniac’s visuals lack the light and shadow look that is synonymous with this genre. The premise of a robbery that puts characters who could not be more unalike at odds is superbly realized. Fred Dorella calmly and meticulously comes up with the plan, while Johnny Cabot, with a short fuse, is driven by impulse. The contrast between these two characters also helps heighten the mounting tension from the robbery as it unfolds.

Cay Forester, who wrote the screenplay, delivers a compelling performance as the kidnapped wife being held for ransom. Ron Howard’s (The Andy Griffith Show) portrayal of the kidnapped woman's son is another performance of note. Despite his limited screen time, his character plays a pivotal role in the finale. That said, you really can't fault any of the performances.

Though the kidnapping and the robbery are the main focus, there is a subplot revolving around the husband and his mistress. On the morning of the kidnapping, the husband is planning on leaving his wife for his mistress, and her kidnapping gives him a way out. From this scenario, additional tension arises: does he give in to the kidnappers demands, or does he let them get rid of his wife, clearing a way for him to be with his mistress?

Despite Door-to-Door Maniac’s limited budget, the end result is a film that does not have any glaring shortcomings. The well-executed narrative moves along at brisk momentum, and a solid finale perfectly brings everything to a head. Ultimately, Door-to-Door Maniac is a well-made crime film about how even the best laid plans can go awry.

Right Hand of the Devil: A criminal mastermind puts together a full-proof plan to rob a sports area that had a major event the night before.

Aram Katcher starred, produced, directed, co-wrote the screenplay, edited, and was the makeup supervisor and hairstyle supervisor of Right Hand of the Devil; it was a one-man passion project. Despite performing so many jobs, the end result is a film that often exceeds the sum of its parts. That said, it would be the only film that Aram Katcher directed; he did have an acting career that spanned three decades.

If you watch Right Hand of the Devil and feel a sense of Déjà vu, it's because the film's premise covers ground already explored in The Killing. Also, the protagonist Pepe Lusara foreshadows the devil-like character Keyser Söze from The Usual Suspects. After completing each elaborate crime, Pepe disappears without leaving a trace behind. And when it comes to the men Pepe hires to work for him, he makes them agree to a contract that the devil would be proud of.

The heist sequence, effectively executed, is the main set piece. The evolution of this sequence and the elaborate planning enhance the mounting tension. Though the opening setup does a solid job focusing on the putting together of the team and the planning of the heist, things do move at a deliberate pace in these moments that lead up to the heist. Fortunately, things pick up considerably in the last act.

From a production standpoint, despite there being several areas where its limited budget shows, Right Hand of the Devil somehow takes these limitations and uses them for maximum effect. The most notable of these limitations is in regard to a lack of character spoken dialog; most of the cast have limited range, and keeping their performances to a minimum suits the story that unfolds. The most surprising aspect of Right Hand of the Devil is how strong the visuals are. Ultimately, despite not being a long-lost forgotten classic, Right Hand of the Devil is a highly entertaining film that features one of the most outlandish finales.

Door-to-Door Maniac and Right Hand of the Devil get a solid release from Film Masters that gives both films strong audio/video presentations and informative extras, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer