I vampiri: Limited Edition – Radiance Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy, 1957
Directors: Riccardo Freda, Mario Bava
Writers: Piero Regnoli, Mario Bava, Riccardo Freda
Cast: Gianna Maria Canale, Carlo D'Angelo, Dario Michaelis, Wandisa Guida, Angelo Galassi, Renato Tontini, Charles Fawcett, Gisella Mancinotti, Miranda Campa, Antoine Balpêtré, Paul Muller

Release Date: October 28th, 2024 (UK)
Approximate running time: 81 Minutes 31 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: 12 (UK)
Sound: LPCM Mono Italian
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: £14.99 (UK)

"A mad scientist captures young women in Paris and drains them of their blood in service of an evil Duchess. Also known as Lust of the Vampire, Riccardo Freda’s I vampiri mixes the Bathory and Frankenstein stories to create its gothic tale, Italy’s first horror film." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5 (I vampiri)

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "I vampiri was restored in 2K by Titanus/RAICOM in Italy. The film was supplied to Radiance Films as a High-Definition digital file. Lust of Vampire was scanned from a 1959 Eastman safety stock print courtesy of the BFI National Archive. The material was transferred at Silver Salt Restoration."

I vampiri comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 45.7 GB

Feature: 20.5 GB (I vampiri), 14 GB (Lust of the Vampire), 4.9 GB (The Devil’s Commandment)

The source looks excellent; it's a marked improvement over this film’s previous home media releases. Flesh tones look healthy, image clarity is strong, contrast, black levels, and compression are solid, and there are no issues with digital noise reduction.

Audio: 4.5/5 (I vampiri)

This release comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in Italian with removable English subtitles. The audio is also a marked improvement over this film’s previous home media releases. The audio delivers clear dialog, maintains a balanced sound, and effectively represents ambient sounds.

Extras: 

Extras for this release include The Devil’s Commandment theatrical trailer (1 minute 41 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an interview with Leon Hunt, author of Mario Bava: The Artisan as Italian Horror Auteur (20 minutes 55 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with Lamberto Bava (14 minutes 44 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an archival documentary about I Vampiri titled Bloodthirst, featuring comments by Fabio Melelli, Mario Bava and Dario Michaelis (17 minutes 17 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an archival audio commentary with Tim Lucas, author of Mario Bava – All the Colors of the Dark, an alternate presentation of the UK Lust of the Vampire cut, newly transferred for this release from archival materials courtesy of the BFI National Archive (65 minutes 36 seconds, 2.35:1 aspect ratio, LPCM mono English with removable English SDH), an alternate SD presentation of the US The Devil’s Commandment cut (72 minutes 18 seconds, 2.35:1 aspect ratio, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), reversible cover art, removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings and a 20-page booklet (limited to 3000 copies) cast & crew information, an essay titled Do You Believe in Vampires? written by Roberto Curti, and information about the transfer.

It is interesting to see how alternate versions differ from the original. There are three newly shot scenes, including an opening sequence, that are exclusive to these two alternate versions. Also, the majority of the footage cut from the original version are dialog-heavy scenes. And in one of the newly shot scenes, Al Lewis (The Munsters) makes an uncredited appearance.

Summary:

Co-directed by Riccardo Freda (The Horrible Dr. Hichcock) and Mario Bava (Black Sabbath); in the case of the latter, he was also the cinematographer. I Vampiri was Italy’s first horror film in the sound era. Other titles I Vampiri was released under include The Devil's Commandment and Lust of the Vampire.

The narrative revolves around a reporter looking into a series of murders where women are killed and their bodies are drained of blood.

I Vampiri starts off strong with a scene where a woman’s lifeless body is found floating in water. Shortly thereafter, there is another solid sequence in which an unseen intruder wearing gloves abducts another woman. Without giving away too much more about the plot, long before the finale, it is revealed who's behind the abductions and killings.

Though the performances are best described as serviceable, there are a few that stand out, notably Gianna Maria Canale (The Slave) in the role of Margherita du Grand, a mysterious woman who wears a veil and dresses all in black. Another performance of note is Paul Müller (She Killed in Ecstasy) in the role of Joseph Signoret, a drug addict who is being exploited by the killer.

Despite its budget limitations, I Vampiri is a film that often exceeds its limited resources. The premise is well executed, and the narrative does a great job building momentum towards a strong finale. Though there are many elements in I Vampiri that are associated with horror cinema, there are a few elements like a killer who wears gloves and an amaeuter sleuth who helps solve the crimes that foreshadow elements synonymous with the giallo genre. Ultimately, I Vampiri is a well-made horror film that works as well as it does because of Mario Bava’s striking visuals, which are filled with atmosphere.

I vampiri gets a definitive release from Radiance Films that comes with a solid audio/video presentation, three versions of the film, and insightful extras, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer