Venom – Blue Underground (4k UHD/Blu-ray Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: UK, 1981
Director: Piers Haggard
Writer: Robert Carrington
Cast: Sterling Hayden, Klaus Kinski, Sarah Miles, Nicol Williamson, Cornelia Sharpe, Susan George, Lance Holcomb, Oliver Reed

Release Date: March 25th, 2025
Approximate Running Time: 92 Minutes 28 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / Dolby Vision HDR10
Rating: R
Sound: DTS-HD Mono English, Dolby Atmos English, DTS-HD 5.1 English
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $49.95

"It was supposed to be the perfect crime: the sexy maid (Susan George of Straw Dogs), a psychotic chauffeur (Oliver Reed of The Brood) and an international terrorist (Klaus Kinski of Nosferatu the Vampyre) kidnap a wealthy ten-year-old boy from his elegant London townhouse. But they didn't count on a murdered cop, a desperate hostage siege, and one very unexpected houseguest: a furious Black Mamba, the most lethal and aggressive snake known to nature. It can attack from ten feet away. Its bite brings excruciating death. And it is on the loose. Now, terror knows no antidote..." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5 (4K UHD, Blu-ray)

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "a brand-new restoration, scanned in 4K 16-bit from its 35mm."

Venom comes on a 66 GB dual layer 4K UHD

Disc Size: 60.5 GB

Feature: 57.5 GB

This is a solid upgrade from Blue Underground that is superior to their 2016 Blu-ray release in every way. Flesh tones look healthy, colors look correct, black levels are strong, image clarity, contrast, and compression are solid, and the image retains an organic look.

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

Disc Size: 40.7 GB

Feature: 28.1 GB

This Blu-ray uses the same master that is used for the 4K UHD disc.

Audio: 5/5 (DTS-HD Mono English, Dolby Atmos English), 4.5/5 (DTS-HD 5.1 English)

This release comes with three audio options: a DTS-HD mono mix in English, a Dolby Atmos mix in English, and a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in English. All three audio tracks sound excellent; the mono and 5.1 audio tracks are carried over from Blue Underground’s 2016 Blu-ray, and the Atmos audio track is new. Dialog always comes through clearly; everything sounds balanced and robust when it should. Included are removable English SDH, Spanish, and French subtitles.

Extras:

Extras on the 4K UHD disc include a teaser trailer (31 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), a theatrical trailer (1 minute 25 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an archival audio commentary with director Piers Haggard, and an audio commentary with film historians Troy Howarth, Nathaniel Thompson and Eugenio Ercolani.

Extras on the Blu-ray disc include a poster & still gallery (118 images), TV spot 1 (33 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), TV spot 2 (34 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), TV spot 3 (33 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), a teaser trailer (31 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), a theatrical trailer (1 minute 25 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an interview with makeup artist Nick Dudman titled A Slithery Story (21 minutes, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with editor/second unit director Michael Bradsell titled Fangs For The Memories (26 minutes 12 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with The Dark Side’s Allan Bryce titled Pick Your Poison (15 minutes 26 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with author and film critic Kim Newman titled Mamba Memories (23 minutes 29 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival audio commentary with Piers Haggard, and an audio commentary with Troy Howarth, Nathaniel Thompson and Eugenio Ercolani.

Other extras include reversible cover art, a slipcover (limited to the first pressing), and a 20-page booklet (limited to the first pressing) with cast & crew information, an essay titled Filmmaking Bites: The Twisting, Turning History of “Venom” written by Michael Gingold.

Summary:

Piers Haggard directed Venom. He’s known for The Blood on Satan’s Claw and The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu.

A trio of terrorists plans to kidnap that child from a wealthy family, which quickly turns deadly. When they discover that a Black Mamba is lurking somewhere in the home, they are unable to leave due to law enforcement waiting for them outside.

Man versus nature is a theme that has been explored in countless other films. These types of films reached their peak in the late latter half of the 1970s. That said, man versus nature is a premise that works extremely well within the confines of the horror genre. Though Venom is a film that does a great job exploiting elements synonymous with man versus nature films, when it comes to nature, half of the equation, it is not as strong as it could be. A black mamba is accidentally dropped into the wrong environment instead of the more common habitat being invaded by man. Though this premise works well for a horror/suspense film, it turns the snake's actions from that of survival to your standard stalk and kill scenario.

It is not difficult to overlook any of Venom’s shortcomings since the real star of this show is the Black Mamba. Venom, when it comes to the black mamba snake, it takes the less-is-more approach established by Jaws. Most of the Black Mamba’s screen time is via the use of POV shots, which track the havoc it is causing. That said, these moments when the Black Mamba is stalking and attacking are well-crafted moments that are incredibly intense.

Venom has a solid cast of recognizable faces who are all excellent in their roles. The standout performances are Klaus Kinski (Marquis de Sade’s Justine) and Oliver Reed (The Brood), who portray kidnappers. Casting these two actors, who are known for their intense performances, provides some exciting moments. Other notable cast members are Susan George (Straw Dogs), who portrays a kidnapper, and Sterling Hayden (The Killing), who portrays the grandfather of the boy the kidnappers want.

Tobe Hooper was replaced as the director of Venom before the film was completed, and some actors had to be recast. Overcoming so much adversity often derails a film; fortunately, the replacements for those who were replaced bring their A-game. Another strength is Michael Kamen’s (Brazil) exemplary score, which does a phenomenal job reinforcing the forbidding mood. Ultimately, Venom is a well-made thriller whose positives far outweigh its negatives.

Venom gets an excellent release from Blue Underground that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and a wealth of informative extras; 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 MPC-HC player and lossless PNGs.

Written by Michael Den Boer