The Mansion of Madness – Vinegar Syndrome Labs (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Mexico, 1973
Director: Juan López Moctezuma
Writers: Juan López Moctezuma, Carlos Illescas, Gabriel Weiss
Cast: Claudio Brook, Arthur Hansel, Ellen Sherman, Martin LaSalle, David Silva, Mónica Serna, Max Kerlow, Susana Kamini, Pancho Córdova

Release Date: February 18th, 2025
Approximate Running Time: 84 Minutes 12 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Spanish, DTS-HD English
Subtitles: English, English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $44.98

"Journalist Gaston LeBlanc travels deep into the woods of France in order to investigate a mental institution run by the famed Dr. Maillard, who purports to have developed an experimental form of treatment for his patients, which he deems to be more "soothing." Once Gaston and his entourage arrive just outside the institution walls, they are immediately greeted by a hostile display from the guards. Being the only one allowed inside, Gaston meets with Dr. Maillard, who gives him a tour of the facility and explains his new treatment method, seemingly allowing the patients to roam the grounds freely and engage in their own delusions. Gaston is also introduced to Dr. Maillard's beautiful niece, Eugénie, who he is warned is more dangerous than she appears. As Gaston spends more time in the institution, he becomes wary of Dr. Maillard's intentions as the patients engage in an almost cult-like worship of him, and soon, Gaston begins to question what is actually taking place inside the sanitorium walls." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5

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

The Mansion of Madness comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 44.9 GB

Feature: 24.4 GB

The source is in excellent shape; flesh tone looks healthy, colors are nicely saturated, image clarity, black levels, and compression are solid, and grain remains intact.

Audio: 4.25/5 (Both Audio Tracks)

This release comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD mono mix in Spanish and a DTS-HD mono mix in English. Both audio tracks sound clean, clear, and balanced, and range-wise they sound very good. The differences between these two audio tracks are minimal. Included are removable English subtitles for the Spanish language track and removable English SDH for the English language track.

Extras:

Extras for this release include alternate Spanish language titles (3 minutes 58 seconds, Dolby Digital mono), English language theatrical trailer (4 minutes 35 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an interview with actress Ellen Sherman titled Surreal Experiment (16 minutes 6 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with production designer Gabriel Weisz Carrington titled Room for Play (5 minutes 42 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Spanish with non-removable English subtitles), an interview with Alessandra Moctezuma, daughter of director Juan López Moctezuma titled Art in 24 Frames Per Second (14 minutes 28 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a feature-length documentary from 2011 on director Juan López Moctezuma titled Alucardos: Portrait of a Vampire (88 minutes 36 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Spanish with removable English subtitles), an audio commentary with Mexican film historian and author Francisco Peredo, reversible cover art, a spot gloss slipcover (limited to 3,000 units), and a 20-page booklet with an essay titled La Mansión de la Locura, a Fever Dream That Conquers Reality written by Alessandra Moctezuma.

Summary:

Juan López Moctezuma directed The Mansion of Madness. His other notable films are Mary, Mary, Bloody Mary and Alucarda.

A journalist visits an asylum isolated in the woods that is run by a doctor known for his controversial treatments.

The Mansion of Madness is a very loose adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe’s short story The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether. The Mansion of Madness is a fantasy film overflowing with surrealism that fits in the art collective Panic Movement. The connection between The Mansion of Madness and the Panic Movement is not surprising, given that Juan López Moctezuma produced Alejandro Jodorowsky’s El Topo and Fando and Lis. That said, although the Panic Movement has had an influence, The Mansion of Madness is not as confrontational as other films from the Panic Movement.

The events that unfold in The Mansion of Madness are more like a guided tour of bizarre vignettes than a conventional narrative. The Mansion of Madness does not rely on performances, as the cast functions merely as props. Reportedly, The Mansion of Madness was filmed in English, even though it is a Mexican film. Visuals are the one area where The Mansion of Madness truly excels. That said, the visuals effectively elevate the mood, and the ambient sounds are utilized with great impact. Ultimately, The Mansion of Madness serves more as a cinematic experience than as a film intended for entertainment.

The Mansion of Madness gets a definitive release from Vinegar Syndrome Labs, highly recommended.

 

Written by Michael Den Boer