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, 2025
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

Dr. Terror's House of Horrors – Vinegar Syndrome (4k UHD/Blu-ray Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: UK, 1965
Director: Freddie Francis
Writer: Milton Subotsky
Cast: Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Donald Sutherland, Roy Castle, Alan Freeman, Neil Mcallum

Release Date: March 26th, 2024
Approximate Running Time: 98 Minutes 17 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / HDR10
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free (4K UHD), Region A (Blu-ray)
Retail Price: $52.98

"Five men, all strangers, board a carriage on a train from London to the town of Bradley, where they're joined at the last minute by a sixth - a mysterious, black-clad older gentleman who introduces himself as Doctor Schreck (German for “terror”, as he informs them). Bearing a stack of Tarot cards, Doctor Schreck claims to have the ability to read fortunes, and although some of the group are initially skeptical, it’s not long before his fellow passengers are asking him each in turn to relate what the future holds in store. What follows is five fiendish tales of terror, as the doctor reveals the various dreadful fates that are to befall his traveling companions - which include bone-chilling encounters with werewolves, killer plants, voracious vampires and all other manner of horrors!" - synopsis provided by the distributor

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

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

Dr. Terror's House of Horrors comes on a 66 GB dual layer 4K UHD

Disc Size: 60.2 GB

Feature: 59.9 GB

There have been at least three Blu-ray releases of Dr. Terror's House of Horrors. The worst-looking of these three was Olive Films U.S. release, while Odeon Entertainment’s UK release and Wicked Visions German release are comparable in most areas. That said, as good as any of those releases were, this new 4K transfer from Vinegar Syndrome is superior in every way. Flesh tones look healthy, colors are nicely saturated, image clarity and compression are solid, contrast and black levels are excellent, and the image always looks organic.

Dr. Terror's House of Horrors comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 45.4 GB

Feature: 26.1 GB 

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

Audio: 4.5/5

This release comes with one audio option: a DTS-HD mono mix in English with removable English SDH. The audio is in excellent shape, the dialog comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced and robust when it should. Range-wise, this audio track sounds great.

Extras:

Extras on the 4K UHD disc include an archival audio commentary with director Freddie Francis and moderator Jonathan Sothcott.

Extras on the Blu-ray disc include promotional image gallery #1, promotional image gallery #2, English language theatrical trailer (1 minute 6 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), German language theatrical trailer (2 minutes 45 seconds, Dolby Digital mono German, no subtitles), Italian language theatrical trailer (2 minutes 48 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Italian, no subtitles), an archival audio interview with screenwriter/producer Milton Subotsky (12 minutes 21 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival audio interview with producer Max Rosenberg  (1 minute 50 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with actor Kenny Lynch (24 minutes 42 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with actress Ann Bell (21 minutes 22 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with actor Jeremy Kemp (8 minutes 13 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival making-of documentary titled House of Cards (57 minutes 50 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with author Stephen Thrower titled Tales of Terror (39 minutes 2 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a featurette titled A New Home of Horror including never-before-seen interviews with actress Katy Wild, second assistant director Hugh Harlow, propman Arthur Wicks, continuity supervisor Pauline Harlow and dubbing mixer John Aldred (14 minutes 50 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles) and an archival audio commentary with Freddie Francis and Jonathan Sothcott.

Other extras include reversible cover art and a slipcover (limited to 8,000 units).

Summary:

Dr. Terror's House of Horrors was Directed by Freddie Francis, whose other notable directing credits include Paranoiac, The Skull, and Girly. Besides directing, Freddie Francis has an extensive resume as a cinematographer. His notable credits as a cinematographer include Time without Pity, Sons and Lovers, The Innocents, and The Elephant Man.

The narrative revolves around five strangers traveling on a train who have their futures revealed to them by a fortune teller named Dr.Schreck.

Dr. Terror's House of Horrors narrative features five tales with an opening sequence that sets the premise in motion and a twist ending that perfectly brings these five tales together.

The first tale, ‘Werewolf’ revolves around an architect who is lured by a vengeful werewolf back to an estate that was formerly owned by his family. The second tale, ‘Creeping Vine,’ centers on a family who finds themselves besieged by vines that kill anyone who tries to remove them. The third tale, 'Voodoo', involves a musician who tries to steal music that he heard at a voodoo ceremony. The fourth tale, ‘Disembodied Hand’ revolves around an art critic who becomes the target of a disembodied hand. The fifth tale, ‘Vampire’ centers on a doctor who discovers that his new wife is a vampire.

Of course, one of the strengths of Dr. Terror's House of Horrors is its cast. Which features several recognizable faces like Christopher Lee The Wicker Man) in the role of Franklyn Marsh, the critic who is terrorized by a disembodied hand; Donald Sutherland (Don’t Look Now) in the role of a newlywed doctor who discovers that his wife is a vampire; and Peter Cushing (Corruption) in the role of the tarot card reader Dr. Schreck (aka Dr. Terror). Other recognizable faces include Michael Gough (Horrors of the Black Museum) and Bernard Lee, who is most remembered for portraying ‘M’ in the first eleven James Bond films.

From a production standpoint, the visuals are rock solid and give these tales a tremendous amount of atmosphere. And when it comes to pacing, there are no issues with forward momentum, as this film does a great job in its transition from one tale to the next. Out of these five tales, the strongest one would be ‘Disembodied Hand’, while the weakest of the lot is ‘Voodoo’. That said, no matter where you stand with any of these tales, the end result is a highly effective horror film that holds up remarkable well even after all of these years.

Dr. Terror's House of Horrors is an exceptional release from Vinegar Syndrome 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 VLC player and lossless PNGs.

Written by Michael Den Boer