Meridian - Full Moon Features (Blu-ray)

Release Date: USA/Italy, 1990
Director: Charles Band
Writers: Charles Band, Dennis Paoli
Cast: Sherilyn Fenn, Malcolm Jamieson, Charlie Spradling, Hilary Mason, Phil Fondacaro, Vernon Dobtcheff, Alex Daniels

Release Date: November 4th, 2025
Approximate Running Time: 86 Minutes 21 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: R
Sound: Dolby Digital Stereo English, Dolby Digital 5.1 English
Subtitles: N/A
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $24.95

"a beautiful young artist who must choose her destiny in this hauntingly sensual tale of love, passion and revenge." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 3.75/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "Digitally restored from original 35mm camera negative."

Meridian comes on a 25 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 18.4 GB

Feature: 16 GB

There is some very minor debris; flesh tones and colors look correct, image clarity and black levels are strong, and there are no issues with compression or digital noise reduction.

Audio: 3.75/5 (Dolby Digital Stereo English), 3.5/5 (Dolby Digital 5.1 English)

This release comes with two audio options, a Dolby Digital stereo mix in English and a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix in English. Both audio tracks sound clean, clear, balanced, and robust when they should. Although this release does not have English SDH, it does have some moments with burnt-in English subtitles for dialogue spoken in Italian.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an archival Behind-the-Scenes featurette for Meridian (5 minutes 23 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles) and trailers for Specters, Deformed Monsters, Head of the Family, Dark Angel, The Ravaging, Puppet Master 3, and Trancers 2.

Summary:

Charles Band, the man behind Full Moon, co-wrote and directed Meridian. Other notable films he directed are Parasite, Trancers, Crash and Burn, and Blood Dolls.

An artist who recently arrived in Italy invites her friend to stay with her at her family's ancestral castle. After visiting a traveling carnival, impressed by the show, the two women invite a magician and his friends for dinner at the castle. After dinner, the magician drugs them, and a series of unusual events unfold.

Meridian is a gothic horror film that’s infused with some erotica. At the heart of the film is a story about ghosts from one's past and confronting them. A woman’s return to her family’s ancestral home uncovers truths, notably a family curse that’s been going on for centuries. That said, her journey mirrors that of a deceased aunt, and it is up to her to break the cycle.

The opening setup does an excellent job drawing you in and holding your attention. The pacing of the narrative masterfully builds momentum, culminating in a highly satisfying coda where love triumphs over all obstacles. Another area where the narrative excels is how it blurs lines between reality and illusion.

All around the performances are outstanding, especially Sherilyn Fenn’s (Boxing Helena) portrayal of Catherine, a woman who’s haunted by a family curse. Her performance holds up extremely well because of her physical presence. Another performance of note is Malcolm Jamieson in the dual role of magician twin brothers Lawrence and Oliver. There is an air of mystery and danger about his characters that he perfectly captures. A cast member of note is Hilary Mason (Don’t Look Now), who portrays the housekeeper.

Charles Band's films have consistently operated on tight budgets, often resulting in disappointing outcomes. That said, Meridian is one of his better films, as it does a superb job maximizing its resources, notably its central location, a castle. Meridian's other strengths are the visuals, which are filled with striking moments, and Pino Donaggio (Don’t Look Now), who delivers an exemplary mood-reinforcing score. Ultimately, Meridian is a skillfully crafted supernatural horror film that consistently surpasses its individual components.

Meridian gets a solid audio/video presentation from Full Moon Features. Recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer