The Terrornauts – Vinegar Syndrome Labs (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: UK, 1967
Director: Montgomery Tully
Writer: John Brunner
Cast: Simon Oates, Zena Marshall, Charles Hawtrey, Patricia Hayes, Stanley Meadows, Max Adrian

Release Date: January 21st, 2024
Approximate Running Time: 77 Minutes 7 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $44.98

"Scientist Joe Burke is determined to prove the existence of alien life and has set up a powerful radio telescope to look for signs. One night, after months of failure, he detects a clear but faint communication emerging from the deepest reaches of space. Excited by his findings, he rushes to his nearby research quarters. No sooner than arriving, the entire building, including its occupants, is lifted into space by a mysterious extraterrestrial force. After docking on a spacecraft, the frightened abductees realize that they have been selected to participate in a dangerous mission, the success of which will determine the fate and survival of Earth..." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "Newly scanned & restored in 4K from its 35mm original camera negative."

The Terrornauts comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 29.6 GB

Feature: 21.1 GB

The source looks excellent; flesh tones look healthy, colors are nicely saturated, image clarity, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image retains an organic look.

Audio: 4.5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in English with removable English SDH. There are no issues with background hiss or distortion; dialog comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced. Range-wise, this audio track sounds great.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an archival interview with editor Peter Musgrave tilted Budget Cuts (8 minutes 13 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with production manager Ted Wallis titled Managing on a Budget  (7 minutes 32 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with writer/film critic Kim Newman titled Subotsky the Trailblazer (22 minutes 28 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an audio commentary with author and film historian Brian Hannan, reversible cover art, and a spot gloss slipcover (limited to 3,000 units).

Summary:

Scientists whose radio telescope picks up a mysterious signal from outer space are kidnapped and taken aboard a flying saucer.

The Terrornauts was made simultaneously with They Came from Beyond Space and they were distributed as a double feature. The Terrornauts and They Came from Beyond Space are widely regarded as Amicus Productions' worst films. The Terrornauts was adapted from Murray Leinster’s novel The Wailing Asteroid.

Though Amicus worked in a variety of genres, they are most known for their horror output. The Terrornauts, like their other sci-fi films, are known for their minimalism: basic sets and primitive special effects. Amicus was a company that often worked in the margins, and despite many of their films working well in these limited perimeters, all of their sci-fi films came off looking cheap, like an episode of Dr. Who.

Though no one performance stands out, you can’t really fault any of them. The characters are one-dimensional, and the cast is given little to work with. A cast member of note is Zena Marshall (Dr. No); in her final role, she portrays one of the scientists.

At 77 minutes in length, the narrative never overstays its welcome. Though there are a few lulls, there are enough twists and turns to keep things interesting. The narrative's biggest flaw is the vagueness behind the aliens who abducted the scientists.

The Terrornauts is a product of its time; it was made before sci-fi cinema made great advancements with special effects. The space alien monster with a crab claw hand on the flying saucer is a sight to behold. That said, The Terrornauts is a film that fans of 1950s and 60s sci-fi cinema should thoroughly enjoy.

The Terrornauts gets an excellent release from Vinegar Syndrome Labs that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and informative extras, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer