The Black Cat – Severin Films (4k UHD/Blu-ray Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy, 1981
Director: Lucio Fulci
Writers: Biagio Proietti, Lucio Fulci
Cast: Patrick Magee, Mimsy Farmer, David Warbeck, Al Cliver, Dagmar Lassander, Bruno Corazzari, Geoffrey Copleston, Daniela Doria

Release Date: October 13th, 2026
Approximate Running Time: 91 Minutes 48 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 HDR10
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Italian, DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: English, English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free (4K UHD), Region Free (Blu-ray)
Retail Price: $49.95

"In a rural English village, an increasingly deranged professor (Patrick Magee of A CLOCKWORK ORANGE and ASYLUM fame in his final lead role) obsessed with the supernatural will instill his pet feline with powers of homicidal mayhem." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5 (4K UHD), 4.25/5 (Blu-ray)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "newly restored and scanned in 4K from the original camera negative."

The Black Cat comes on a 66 GB dual layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 59.5 GB

Feature: 58.4 GB

While Lucio Fulci’s The Black Cat is a film that has never fared well on home media, Severin Films' release aims to correct that. Although the source still has some minor damage, including a line that appears on the right side of the frame a few times, it has never looked better on home media. Flesh tones and colors look correct, image clarity and black levels are strong throughout, there are no issues with compression, and the image retains an organic appearance.

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

Disc Size: 40 GB

Feature: 27 GB

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

Audio: 4.25/5 (Both Audio Tracks)

This release comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD mono mix in Italian and a DTS-HD mono mix in English. The two tracks are comparable; both tracks are an improvement over previous home media releases. Both tracks sound clear and balanced, and the ambient sounds and the score are well represented. Included are removable English subtitles for the Italian-language track and removable English SDH for the English-language track.

Extras:

Extras on the 4K UHD disc include a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 59 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles).

Extras on the Blu-ray disc with the film include a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 59 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an interview with composer Pino Donaggio titled Symphony for a Black Cat (11 minutes 33 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with camera operator Roberto Forges Davanzati titled Nine Lives (16 minutes 37 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with special effects artist Paolo Ricci titled Of Bats and Cats (11 minutes 48 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), and an interview with screenwriter Biagio Proietti titled Mr. Poe and Me (26 minutes 55 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles).

Extras on a second Blu-ray disc include a career-spanning interview with actress Dagmar Lassander titled Frightened Dagmar (20 minutes 10 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo German with removable English subtitles), an archival interview titled At Home With David Warbeck (70 minutes 20 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with Stephen Thrower, author of Beyond Terror: The Films of Lucio Fulci, titled From Poe Into Fulci: The Spirit of Perverseness (25 minutes 39 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles) and a locations featurette with Stephen Thrower titled In The Paw-Prints of The Black Cat (8 minutes 28 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles).

Summary:

A professor with psychic abilities uses telepathy to communicate with a black cat who kills his enemies.

After two decades as a director, Lucio Fulci was hitting his stride in the late 1970s/early 1980s with what is widely regarded as his most celebrated films. The Black Cat, made during this outstanding run of films, is often overlooked when discussing his other horror films from that era. While The Black Cat takes its name from an Edgar Allan Poe story, it is a very loose adaptation that actually borrows elements from other Poe stories.

There are two areas where The Black Cat is noticeably different from Lucio Fulci’s other films from the early 1980s: it is not as gory and how grounded in reality it is. When it comes to the scenes where the black cat attacks, Lucio Fulci employs a POV camera that greatly heightens the mood. The visuals are overflowing with atmosphere and they are infused with a gothic horror style that is reminiscent of the Hammer Horror films and the Roger Corman Edgar Allen Poe films of the 1960s.

Although Lucio Fulci’s films are more known for their mood than their performances, The Black Cat features an outstanding performance from Patrick Magee (A Clockwork Orange), who portrays a professor with psychic abilities. The only performance that disappoints is Mimsy Farmer’s (Four Flies on Grey Velvet) portrayal of a photographer, an outsider visiting  the town. Other notable cast members are Dagmar Lassander (Hatchet for the Honeymoon), Al Cliver (Zombie), and David Warbeck, who worked with Lucio Fulci on his masterpiece The Beyond.

While not as gory as one has come to expect from Lucio Fulci, The Black Cat features several well-crafted moments of carnage. When it comes to the special effects, they hold up well considering their limitations. The most notable moment is a scene where a room is engulfed in fire. Not to be overlooked when discussing The Black Cat is Pino Donaggio’s (Carrie) remarkable mood-enhancing score. Nine years after this film, Pino Donaggio would score his second of two The Black Cat adaptations for Dario Argento’s Two Evil Eyes segment.

One’s opinion of a film can be significantly influenced by the timing of when it is watched, particularly in relation to other films by the same director. This has certainly been true for me, as I viewed The Black Cat after watching all of Lucio Fulci’s other horror films from the late 1970s and early 1980s. Upon reflecting on The Black Cat, I have found that my opinion of it has evolved over the years. Nevertheless, The Black Cat remains a solid horror film that takes familiar story elements and subverts them.

Severin Films gives Lucio Fulci’s The Black Cat its best home media release to date. 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.

                                                 An example of the source damage.

Written by Michael Den Boer

Murders in the Rue Morgue: Limited Edition - Hammer Films (UHD)

Theatrical Release Date: UK, 1971
Director: Gordon Hessler
Writers: Christopher Wicking, Henry Slesar
Cast: Jason Robards, Christine Kaufmann, Herbert Lom, Adolfo Celi, Michael Dunn, Lilli Palmer, Maria Perschy, Adolfo Celi, Inma de Santis

Release Date: July 20th, 2026
Approximate Running Times: 98 Minutes 23 Seconds (Director's Cut), 87 Minutes 11 Seconds (AIP Re-edited Theatrical Version)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / HDR10 Dolby Vision (Director's Cut), 1.66:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / HDR10 Dolby Vision (AIP Re-edited Theatrical Version)
Rating: 12 (UK)
Sound: LPCM Mono English (Both Versions), DTS-HD 5.1 English (Director's Cut)
Subtitles: English SDH (Both Versions)
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: £22.99 (UK)

"Loosely based on a story by Edgar Allan Poe, this meta murder mystery stars Jason Robards and Herbert Lom, spinning a chilling tale where the line between performance and reality blurs, and the players become the real-life victims." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5 (Director's Cut, AIP Re-edited Theatrical Version)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, “Held by Pro-Tek Vaults in Burbank for MGM, the 35mm original negative for the theatrical cut of Murders in the Rue Morgue was scanned in 4K resolution (16 bit) and restored extensively using Phoenix and Resolve software. In addition to the usual dirt and defects, the main issues with the image were general instability and density/color fluctuations causing flicker throughout. By careful processing, these effects were minimized, allowing for a more even, stable picture. The director's cut is a different edit using alternative shots, different end titles, and around eleven minutes of additional footage—the negative picture scans were used where possible, but any different material was taken from alternate scenes and restored to match. HDR grading (with Dolby Vision) was carried out on the Resolve system."

Murders in the Rue Morgue comes on a 100 GB triple layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 89.7 GB

Feature: 46.3 GB (Director's Cut), 39.2 GB (AIP Re-edited Theatrical Version)

This release comes with multiple versions, which look excellent. Flesh tones look healthy; colors are nicely saturated; image clarity, contrast, black levels, and compression are solid; and the image always looks organic.

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

This release comes with two audio options, a LPCM mono mix in English and a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in English. Both tracks sound excellent; dialogue always comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced and robust when it should. Included are removable English SDH.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an image gallery (posters/lobby cards/advertisments/stills), a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 50 seconds, DTS-HD mono English, no subtitles), an archival interview with director Gordon Hessler titled Stage Tricks and Screen Fights (11 minutes 39 seconds, DTS-HD stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with film critic Kim Newman titled A Crazed Resurrection (21 minutes 29 seconds, DTS-HD stereo English, no subtitles), and an audio commentary with filmmaker and former Fangoria editor-in-chief, Chris Alexander.

Other extras include an O-Card slipcover and liner notes and information about the transfer on the inside cover.

Summary:

Gordon Hessler directed Murders in the Rue Morgue. He’s known for The Oblong Box, Scream and Scream Again, Cry of the Banshee, and The Golden Voyage of Sinbad.

A theater performing Edgar Allan Poe’s Murders in the Rue Morgue is besieged by a psychopath who’s killing off cast members.

11 years after it began with House of Usher, AIP would end their Edgar Allan Poe film cycle with Murders in the Rue Morgue. AIP’s Murders in the Rue Morgue, like most of their Edgar Allan Poe films, is a loose adaptation of its source story. That said, what makes AIP’s Murders in the Rue Morgue such an interesting adaptation is how it reapproaches the source material.

While Murders in the Rue Morgue incorporates elements associated with the macabre, it is more of a detective story like Edgar Allan Poe’s short story than it is a horror film. Another possible influence of Murders in the Rue Morgue is Gaston Leroux's The Phantom of the Opera. Rene Marot, the masked madman in Murder in the Rue Morgue, has more than a passing resemblance to Erik, the phantom of the opera.

The opening setup, which features a clever moment of misdirection, does an excellent job setting the tone. The well-crafted narrative quickly grabs you, and it effectively builds momentum to a finale that serves as a perfect coda. The narrative's use of flashbacks, which reenact Madeleine’s past trauma and nightmares caused by her trauma, to heighten the mood, is another area where Murders in the Rue Morgue excels.

Murders in the Rue Morgue features a solid cast of recognizable faces from European cinema of the 1960s and 70s. The standout performance is Herbert Lom's (99 Women) portrayal of Rene Marot, a former lover of Madeleine’s mother, thought to be dead, who faked their death. Another performance of note is Christine Kaufmann (Terror After Midnight) in the role of Madeleine. She delivers a performance that perfectly captures a woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Other cast members of note are Jason Robards (Once Upon a Time in the West) in the role of Madeleine’s husband, Maria Perschy (Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll) in the role of a prostitute who has acid thrown at her face, Adolfo Celi (Danger: Daibolik) in the role of a police inspector, and Inma de Santis (Forbidden Love Game), who portrays a young version of Madeleine.

There are two versions of Murders in the Rue Morgue, and the clear winner is Gordon Hessler’s director’s cut. That said, it is not just additional footage that fleshes the story out; there is a dramatic tonal difference between the two versions. Gordon Hessler’s direction for his preferred version is rock solid; it is arguably his best film. The visuals, which at times veer into gothic horror and Waldo de los Ríos’ (Who Can Kill a Child?) an exemplary score greatly heighten the mood. Ultimately, viewers need to see Murders in the Rue Morgue in its director's cut to fully appreciate this underrated film.

Hammer Films gives Murders in the Rue Morgue its definitive home media release. 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

The Oblong Box – BFI (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: UK, 1969
Director: Gordon Hessler
Writers: Lawrence Huntington, Christopher Wicking, Michael Reeves
Cast: Vincent Price, Christopher Lee, Rupert Davies, Uta Levka, Sally Geeson, Alister Williamson, Peter Arne, Hilary Heath

Release Date: October 21st, 2024
Approximate Running Time: 96 Minutes 9 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVCC
Rating: 15 (UK)
Sound: LPCM Mono English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region B
Retail Price: £16.99 (UK)

"In shadow-shrouded Victorian England, Sir Julian Markham (Price) is a landowner hiding a terrible family secret, while Dr Neuhartt (Lee) is a surgeon carrying out dreadful experiments upon stolen cadavers. When their disparate destinies entwine – and a mysterious murderer in a red mask begins a mission of vengeance – a series of brazen, bloody atrocities ensue." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 3.75/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "The Oblong Box has been supplied to the BFI by MGM and is presented in High Definition".

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

Disc Size: 45.8 GB

Feature: 28.7 GB

This Blu-ray release uses the same master as all previous Blu-ray releases. Colors look correct, image clarity and black levels are strong, and compression is very good. That said, some minor source debris remains and instances where grain is not well resolved.

Audio: 3.75/5

This release comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in English with removable English SDH. The audio sounds clear and balanced, and range-wise, things are satisfactory.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an extensive image gallery (stills/lobby cards/posters/advertisements), a theatrical trailer (1 minute 54 seconds, LPCM mono English, no subtitles), an archival interview with filmmaker Roger Corman titled Roger Corman on Edgar Allan Poe (9 minutes 48 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with Victoria Price, Vincent Price’s daughter titled The Immortal Mr Price (16 minutes 53 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), three Edgar Allan Poe short film adaptations; a silent short film titled The Bells (14 minutes 33 seconds, 1.33:1 aspect ratio, LPCM stereo with English intertitles, no subtitles), a silent short film titled Prelude (6 minutes 53 seconds, 1.33:1 aspect ratio, LPCM stereo with English intertitles, no subtitles), and a short film titled The Pit (26 minutes 59 seconds, 1.33:1 aspect ratio, LPCM mono English, no subtitles), an archival audio commentary with film historian Steve Haberman, and a 26-page booklet (first pressing only) with an essay titled Unlocking The Oblong Box written by Peter Fuller, an essay titled Boxed-In and Bowing-Out: Michael Reeves Quits The Oblong Box written by Benjamin Halligan, cast & crew information for The Oblong Box, The Bells, Prelude and The Pit, a text piece titled The Pit written by James Bell, and information about the transfer.

Summary:

Directed by Gordon Hessler, whose other notable films are Scream and Scream Again, Cry of the Banshee, Murders in the Rue Morgue, and The Golden Voyage of Sinbad. The Oblong Box is one of two films in which Gordon Hessler replaced Michael Reeves; the other film is Scream and Scream Again. The Oblong Box was adapted from the Edgar Allan Poe short story of the same name.

A man disfigured in a voodoo ritual is locked in the room by his guilt-ridden brother.

Though Vincent Price is widely known for his contribution to horror cinema, no other actor is more connected to the works of Edgar Allan Poe than he is. With The Oblong Box, he appeared in his final feature film adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe; the following year he would narrate a TV special titled An Evening of Edgar Allan Poe. His collaborations with Roger Corman are the best, while The Oblong Box falls somewhere in the middle. That said, the quality of these Edgar Allan Poe adaptations would greatly vary.

Things start off strong with a voodoo ritual that lays the foundation for the events that follow. Though there are a few tense moments before the big reveal in the finale, the narrative ultimately suffers from predictability. That said, despite this shortcoming, things move along quickly enough that there are no major lulls.

As good as the entire cast is, the main attraction is Vincent Price in the role of Sir Julian Markham. He delivers another superlative performance that elevates the material and everyone around him. That said, it's a shame they didn’t go with the original idea of making the brothers twins and having Vincent Price portray both of them. The cast features another horror icon, Christopher Lee (The Wicker Man), who portrays a doctor who employs grave robbers. Even with his limited screen time, he manages to steal a few scenes.

From a production standpoint, The Oblong Box is a film that does not waste any of its resources. Though the visuals are not overly stylish, Gordon Hessler’s solid direction lets the performances take center stage. That said, the scene where the doctor opens the coffin with the buried-alive brother is the most visually arresting moment. Ultimately, The Oblong Box is a well-made Edgar Allan Poe film that greatly benefits from Vincent Price’s performance.

BFI gives The Oblong Box an audio/video presentation that's on par with this film’s other home media release and an assortment of insightful extras.

Written by Michael Den Boer

Creature with the Blue Hand/Web of the Spider – Film Masters (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Dates: West Germany, 1967 (Creature with the Blue Hand), Italy, 1971 (Web of the Spider)
Directors: Alfred Vohrer (Creature with the Blue Hand), Antonio Margheriti (Web of the Spider)
Cast: Harald Leipnitz, Klaus Kinski, Carl Lange, Ilse Steppat, Hermann Lenschau, Diana Körner, Ilse Pagé (Creature with the Blue Hand), Anthony Franciosa, Michèle Mercier, Klaus Kinski, Peter Carsten, Silvano Tranquilli, Karin Field, Raf Baldassarre, Irina Maleeva, Enrico Osterman, Marco Bonetti, Vittorio Fanfoni, Carla Mancini, Omero Capanna (Web of the Spider)

Release Date: October 22nd, 2024
Approximate Running Times: 74 Minutes 18 Seconds (Creature with the Blue Hand), 93 Minutes 15 Seconds (Web of the Spider)
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (Creature with the Blue Hand), 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (Web of the Spider)
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono English, Dolby Digital Mono English (Both Films)
Subtitles: English SDH (Both Films)
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $29.95

"For those craving a taste of "Euro-Kinski," two of Klaus Kinski's European features are now available in one creepy package. Presented for the first time in Blu-ray, Creature with the Blue Hand (1967) is a mystery-thriller about a series of grisly murders. It's one of several German films based on the novels of Edgar Wallace, many adaptations of which starred Kinski. This time he plays an escaped mental patient who might be the killer. Meanwhile, Web of the Spider (1971) is a classic haunted house tale from Italian maestro, Antonio Margheriti, with Kinski as none other than Edgar Allan Poe! It's a diabolical double dose from one of cinema's most controversial and unique figures!" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 3.75/5 (Creature with the Blue Hand, Web of the Spider)

Here’s the information provided about Creature with the Blue Hand's transfer, "Scanned in 4K from 35mm archival elements."

Creature with the Blue Hand comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 44.5 GB

Feature: 20.2 GB (Creature with the Blue Hand), 19 GB (The Bloody Dead)

Here’s the information provided about Web of the Spider's transfer, "a new 4K scan."

Web of the Spider comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 26.6 GB

Feature: 25.4 GB

The sources are in great shape, colors look good, black levels fare well, compression is very good, and there appears to be some digital noise reduction. Also, though the image is generally crisp, at times it looks soft.

Audio: 3.75/5 (Creature with the Blue Hand, Web of the Spider)

Creature with the Blue Hand and Web of the Spider each come with two audio options, a DTS-HD mono mix in English and a Dolby Digital mono mix in English. For this review, I only listened to the DTS-HD mono tracks. Dialog comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced. That said, there are some sibilance issues. Both films come with removable English SDH.

Extras:

Extras for Creature with the Blue Hand include original theatrical trailer for Creature with the Blue Hand (1 minute 49 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), a re-created 2024 trailer for Creature with the Blue Hand (1 minute 48 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), a featurette with author/screenwriter Pete Atkins titled A Man of Mystery: Inside the World of Edgar Wallace (13 minutes 34 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with removable English SDH), a featurette with C. Courtney Joyner titled Kinski Krimis: Inside the Rialto Films Adaptations  (17 minutes 42 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with removable English SDH), an audio commentary with Stephen Jones and Kim Newman with optional English SDH, a bonus feature film titled The Bloody Dead (80 minutes 13 seconds, 1.66:1 aspect ratio, Dolby Digital mono English with removable English SDH), an archival audio commentary with Samuel M. Sherman for The Bloody Dead, and The Bloody Dead Raw Footage & Behind the Scenes (9 minutes 21 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles).

Extras for Web of the Spider include a re-created 2024 trailer for Web of Spider (1 minute 56 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), original English language theatrical trailer for Castle of Blood (1 minute 42 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), and an audio commentary with Stephen Jones and Kim Newman with optional English SDH.

Other extras include a 24-page booklet with an essay titled Creature with the Blue Hand and Germany’s Undersung Branch of Genre Cinema written by Nick Clark, and an essay titled Cobwebs and Castles Comparing Antonio Margheriti’s Castle of Blood and Web of the Spider written by Christopher Stewardson.

Summary:

Creature with the Blue Hand: Alfred Vohrer directed the film Creature with the Blue Hand. He is also known for making Dead Eyes of London, School of Fear, and The Horror of Blackwood Castle.

A psychopath with a blue hand terrorizes and kills a family in this narrative.

How can you go wrong with a film where Klaus Kinski portrays twin brothers? The other selling point is that one of the brothers is unhinged; unfortunately, there are very few moments where Klaus Kinski lets loose. His performance in Creature with the Blue Hand is one of his most subdued. That said, whenever he’s onscreen, these are the most enthralling moments.

Though the narrative has a lot of moving parts, there are an ample amount of red herrings. Unfortunately, the narrative is slow moving, never really builds momentum, and about halfway through becomes predictable. Despite having horror elements, Creature with the Blue Hand leans more towards a whodunit mystery. Fortunately, when it comes to the killer's weapon, an iron blue hand, and on screen carnage, these are two areas where Creature with the Blue Hand excels.

Twenty years after its original release, new footage was shot, and the film was renamed The Bloody Dead. This new footage does nothing to enhance the original film’s shortcomings. That said, though there have been numerous Krimi adaptations of Edgar Wallace, Creature with the Blue Hand is not one of the better ones.

Web of the Spider: Directed by Antonio Margheriti, whose notable films are The Virgin of Nuremberg, Castle of Blood, The Long Hair of Death, and Seven Deaths in the Cat's Eyes. Before Antonio Margheriti made a name for himself in the gothic horror genre, he was the premier Italian filmmaker working in the sci-fi genre, directing Assignment: Outer Space, Battle of the Worlds, and the Gamma One Quadrilogy (The Wild, Wild Planet, The War of the Planets, War Between the Planets, and Snow Devils).

The narrative revolves around a journalist who takes a bet to stay one night in a haunted castle.

There are a few genres that work better in black and white than they do when shot in color. And nowhere is this more evident than the Gothic horror genre and its striking use of black-and-white cinematography. By the early 1970s, gothic horror films shot in black and white were few and far between. Notable examples of gothic horror films shot in color are Hammer Films 1958 adaptation of Dracula and Roger Corman’s The Pit and the Pendulum.

Italian genre cinema throughout the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s was filled with films that knocked off whatever genre was in vogue at the time. And though many Italian directors from this time frame were pigeonholed into a specific genre, there were a handful of directors who were able to be successful in multiple genres. 

Case in point: Antonio Margheriti, an Italian director whose career spanned five decades. His most successful periods were the 1960s and 1970s. And it is his work within the Gothic horror genre during the 1960s that is arguably his best film as a director. In the 1970s, he would return to the Gothic horror genre with Web of the Spider. And for the first time, he would shoot a Gothic horror film in color. The Web of the Spider would mark the first of two gothic horror films that he shot in color. The other film is Seven Dead in the Cat’s Eye.

Content-wise, Web of the Spider is a remake of Castle of Blood, a film that he directed seven years before and shot in black and white. And though there are many areas where these two films are virtually identical, when it comes to their visuals, they are like night and day. That said, both films create a tremendous amount of atmosphere, albeit in different ways. The way in which Web of Spider-Lights scenes give the visuals an unnatural look that superbly reinforces the state of limbo that the protagonist finds himself trapped in.

Though the performances in Web of the Spider are very good, none of the cast ever came close to matching Barbara Steele’s (Black Sunday) captivating performance from Castle of Blood. The most memorable performance was by Klaus Kinski (Count Dracula) in the role of Edgar Allen Poe. His character fills a similar role to the character he portrayed in Jess Franco’s Marquis de Sade’s Justine, a name actor brought in for a role that required limited screentime. Other notable cast members include Irina Maleeva (Kidnap Syndicate), Michèle Mercier (Black Sabbath) in the role of Elisabeth Blackwood, and Anthony Franciosa (Tenebrae) in the role of Alan Foster. Ultimately, Web of the Spider is a very good remake and one of the best examples of an Italian gothic horror film in color.

Creature with the Blue Hand and Web of the Spider is another solid release from Film Masters, recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer