Graveyards of Honor – Arrow Video (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Dates: Japan, 1975 (Graveyards of Honor), Japan, 2002 (Graveyards of Honor)
Directors: Kinji Fukasaku (Graveyards of Honor 1975), Takashi Miike (Graveyards of Honor 2002)
Cast: Tetsuya Watari, Tatsuo Umemiya, Yumi Takigawa, Eiji Gô, Noboru Andô, Hajime Hana, Mikio Narita, Kunie Tanaka, Shingo Yamashiro, Reiko Ike, Hideo Murota (Graveyards of Honor 1975), Ryo Amamiya, Narimi Arimori, Yoshiyuki Daichi, Hirotarô Honda, Harumi Inoue, Renji Ishibashi, Gorô Kishitani, Shun Sugata, Tetsurô Tanba (Graveyards of Honor 2002)

Release Date: April 5th, 2021 (UK), April 6th, 2021 (USA)
Approximate Running Times: 93 Minutes 38 Seconds (Graveyard  of Honor 1975), 130 Minutes 35 Seconds (Graveyard  of Honor 2002)
Aspect Ratios: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (Graveyard  of Honor 1975), 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (Graveyard  of Honor 2002)
Rating: 18 (UK), NR(USA)
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Japanese (Graveyard  of Honor 1975), DTS-HD Stereo Japanese (Graveyard  of Honor 2002)
Subtitles: English (Both Films)
Region Coding: Region A,B
Retail Price: $49.95 (USA) / £29.99 (UK)

"Set during the turbulent post-war years, Fukasaku’s original 1975 film charts the rise and fall of real-life gangster Rikio Ishikawa (Tetsuya Watari, Outlaw Gangster VIP). Shot through with the same stark realism and quasidocumentarian approach as Fukasaku’s earlier Battles Without Honor and Humanity, Fukasaku nonetheless breaks new ground through his portrayal of a gangster utterly without honor or ethics, surviving by any means necessary in a world of brutal criminality.

Meanwhile, Miike’s 2002 retelling transplants the story to Tokyo at the turn of the millennium. Less a direct remake of Fukasaku’s film than a radical reimagining of the same overarching premise, Miike’s film captures both the hedonism and nihilism of the modern Japanese crime scene in deliriously stylish fashion, resulting in a fascinating companion piece to the original that nonetheless stands as its own entity." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4/5 (Graveyard  of Honor 1975), 4.25/5 (Graveyard  of Honor 2002)

Here’s the information provided about Graveyard of Honor's (1975) transfer, "The High Definition master was produced and supplied by TOEI, with additional grading by Arrow Films at R3Store Studios, London."

Here’s the information provided about Graveyard of Honor's (2002) transfer, "The High Definition master was produced and supplied by Kadakowa."

Graveyard of Honor 1975 comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 31.1 GB

Feature: 23.9 GB

Graveyard of Honor 2002 comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 45 GB

Feature: 34.6 GB

The source used for both transfers looks clean and both transfers have an organic look. That said, Graveyard of Honor 1975 has a few moments where the image looks soft and some darker scenes do not look as strong as the bulk of the transfer. Colors look very good on both transfers and outside of a few minor moments (Graveyard of Honor 1975), image clarity looks solid throughout.

Audio: 4/5 (Graveyard  of Honor 1975, Graveyard  of Honor 2002)

Graveyard of Honor 1975 comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in Japanese and included with this release are removable English subtitles.

Graveyard of Honor 2002 comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD stereo mix in Japanese and included with this release are removable English subtitles.

Both of these audio mixes sound clean, clear and balanced throughout. With Graveyard of Honor 2002 sounding fuller than its counterpart.

Extras:

Extras for Graveyard of Honor 1975 include reversible cover art, an image gallery (28 images - stills/posters), a theatrical trailer for Graveyard of Honor 1975 (3 minutes 31 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Japanese with removable English subtitles), an archival interview with assistant director Kenichi Oguri titled On the Set with Fukasaku (5 minutes 34 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles), an archival appreciation of Fukasaku and his films, featuring interviews with filmmakers, scholars, and friends of the director titled A Portrait of Rage (19 minutes 46 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles), a visual essay by critic and Projection Booth podcast host Mike White titled Like a Balloon: The Life of a Yakuza (13 minutes 11 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles) and an audio commentary with author and film critic Mark Schilling.

Extras for Graveyard of Honor 2002 include reversible cover art, an image gallery (5 images - stills/poster), a theatrical trailer for Graveyard of Honor 2002 (1 minute 39 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles), an archival featurette titled Premiere Special (4 minutes 3 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles), an archival featurette titled Press Conference (4 minutes 17 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles), an archival featurette titled Making of Teaser (2 minutes 14 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles), an archival Making of featurette (8 minutes 2 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles), an archival featurette titled Interview Special (17 minutes 59 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles), a visual essay by author and film critic Kat Ellinger titled Men of Violence: The Male Driving Forces in Takashi Miike’s Cinema (23 minutes 46 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles) and an audio commentary with Takashi Miike biographer Tom Mes.

Summary:

Graveyard of Honor 1975: Kinji Fukasaku's initial output in the 1960’s B-films that featured criminals/outsiders who lived on just outside of the law. And though his later films would feature similar characters, he would not find his groove as a filmmaker until the early 1970’s when he ventured into the Yakuza film genre. With his break-through as a filmmaker being the Battles Without Honor and Humanity films series. Creatively, Kinji Fukasaku's peak as a filmmaker was a six-year period between 1970 and 1976. During this period he would make some of the most brutal and influential Japanese films to ever emerge from Japan.

Though Kinji Fukasaku has many films that can-be called his best or called some of Japanese cinema’s greatest films. In 1976 he directed Graveyard of Honor, what is undeniably his greatest film. Content wise, Graveyard of Honor is the quintessential Japanese gangster film that not only influenced all Japanese gangster films that followed. It’s easy to see how a film like Graveyard of Honor influenced American gangster films like Martin Scorsese’s Goodfella’s.

Without a doubt, the single element that has made 1970’s Yakuza endure is how most of these films inspired by headlines and quickly thrown into production. There’s an immediacy to 1970’s Yakuza cinema that reinforces their intense narratives. That said, though Graveyard of Honor was not ripped from the headlines, it was loosely based on the life of Rikio Ishikawa an infamous member of the Yakuza.

Graveyard of Honor’s heart and soul is Tetsuya Watari portrayal of Rikio Ishikawa. He's most known for his role in Seijun Suzuki’s Tokyo Drifter and portraying Gorô Fujikawa in the Outlaw Gangster VIP film series. It’s hard to imagine a better performance than the one he delivers in Graveyard of Honor. He’s utterly convincing as a mean son of a bitch who’s fearlessness always has him one step away from death's door.

From a production standpoint, Kinji Fukasaku is at the top of his game. His direction perfectly captures Rikio Ishikawa’s explosive persona and the chaos that surrounds him. Also, visually Kinji Fukasaku superbly employs a variety of cinema techniques like, the use of sepia tone for flashbacks, black & white photography with voice-over narration, odd angle compositions and handheld shots that are overflowing with kinetic energy. Ultimately, Graveyard of Honor is a explosion of violence that perfectly captures the turmoil that engulfed post war Japan.

Graveyard of Honor 2002: It’s not surprising that a filmmaker like Takashi Miike would remake Graveyard of Honor. Visually and content wise, Takashi Miike has more similarities to Kinji Fukasaku than any other director. That said, though Takashi Miike’s Graveyard of Honor might be considered a remake, it's better described as a retelling of the same source. With Takashi Miike finding that perfect balance between Yakuza cinema’s well established cliches and his own cinematic sensibilities. Needless to say Takashi Miike’s Graveyard of Honor is an exhilarating film that more than holds its own when compared to Kinji Fukasaku’s Graveyard of Honor.

Graveyards of Honor was originally released as a limited edition by Arrow Video that came with a booklet that’s not included as part of this re-release. That said, Graveyards of Honor is a solid release from Arrow Video that comes with strong audio/video presentations and a wealth of extra content, highly recommended.

                                            Graveyard of Honor 1975 screenshots.

                                             Graveyard of Honor 2002 screenshots.

Written by Michael Den Boer

No One Heard the Scream – Severin Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Spain, 1973
Director: Eloy De La Iglesia
Writers: Antonio Fos, Gabriel Moreno Burgos, Eloy de la Iglesia
Cast: Carmen Sevilla, Vicente Parra, María Asquerino, Antonio Casas, Goyo Lebrero, Felipe Solano, Ramón Lillo, Antonio del, Tony Isbert

Release Date: August 24th, 2021
Approximate Running Time: 92 Minutes 12 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVCC
Rating: R
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Spanish
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $34.95

"When a woman spies her neighbor disposing of his wife's corpse, she will cross the line from witness to accomplice to something far more depraved."- synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.25/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "HD scan from the original negative."

No One Heard the Scream comes on a 25 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 22.2 GB

Feature: 21.1 GB

The source used for both versions is in excellent shape. Colors and flesh tones look correct; image clarity and black levels look strong throughout, and the image retains an organic look. That said, there are some minor compression artifacts.

Audio: 4.5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in Spanish and included with this release are removable English subtitles. It should be noted that in the opening moments of the film there is a brief dialog exchange in English and this is not subtitled. This audio track is in excellent shape; dialog always comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, and ambient sounds/the score are well-represented.

Extras:

Extras for this release are limited to an interview with film scholar Dr. Andy Willis titled Eloy de la Iglesia And The Spanish Giallo (23 minutes 45 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles).

Summary:

Though a lot of Euro-cult cinema from the 1970s gets lumped into whatever was in vogue in Italian cinema. With some of this being attributed to Italian films often being co-productions with other countries. Spanish cinema of the 1970s, more than any other European cinema from this era, tends to get lumped in with their Italian counterparts. When in reality, Spanish cinema of the 1970s couldn’t be more different from 1970s Italian cinema.

Case in point: Spanish cinema’s take on the thriller genre. Where Italian thrillers focused more on salacious content and visceral murder set pieces. Spanish thrillers will come off as more restrained than their Italian counterparts. That said, a lot of these differences had to do with censorship in Spain. 

Once you get past that, all European thrillers from the 1970s are not alike, and most of them are nothing like Italian thrillers from this era. It’s easier to appreciate other 1970s European thrillers not made by Italians. Most notably, thrillers that came from Spain in the 1970s.

Though No One Heard the Scream and Eloy de la Iglesia’s previous film The Cannibal Man often get compared to the films of Alfred Hitchcock. Beyond their surface similarities, there’s very little that links these two filmmakers.

No One Heard the Scream is a textbook example of how to make a thriller. The opening setup does a superb job laying the foundation for a tension-filled narrative that has an ample amount of well-timed twists and a very satisfying circular finale. 

Also, though No One Heard the Scream is a rather bloodless film that’s limited to only one death. The way that No One Heard the Scream employs images from this gruesome death makes it more potent than most body count thrillers.

Without a doubt, No One Heard the Scream’s strongest asset is its two leads, Carmen Sevilla (Glass Ceiling) in the role of Elisa, the neighbor who sees something she should not have seen and Vicente Parra (The Cannibal Man) in the role of Miguel, a man who’s caught disposing of a body down an elevator shaft. Their onscreen chemistry is another area where No One Heard the Scream excels. That said, without giving away too much about the ending, there is one more performance that serves a lot of praise.

With each new Eloy de la Iglesia that I see, the more I appreciate what he was able to do as a filmmaker. And though social commentary is at the forefront of most of his films. From a technical standpoint, all of his films excel. Most notably, the visuals and how he frames compositions.

No One Heard the Scream gets a first-rate release from Severin Films that comes with a strong audio/video presentation and an insightful extra. Highly recommended. 

Written by Michael Den Boer

The Cannibal Man – Severin Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Spain, 1972
Director: Eloy De La Iglesia
Writers: Eloy De La Iglesia, Anthony Fos
Cast: Vincente Parra, Emma Cohen, Vicky Lagos, Eusebio Poncela, Fernando Sanchez Polack, Charlie Bravo, Rafael Hernandez, Jose Franco, Goyo Lebrero, Ismael Merlo, Valentin Tornos

Release Date: August 24th, 2021
Approximate Running Times: 107 Minutes 19 Seconds (Extended Version), 98 Minutes 25 Seconds (International Version)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVCC (Both Versions)
Rating: R
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Spanish, DTS-HD Mono English (Both Versions)
Subtitles: English, English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $34.95

"When a slaughterhouse worker (Vicente Parra of NO ONE HEARD THE SCREAM) accidentally kills a man during a fight, it will trigger a desperate descent into madness" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "International and extended Spanish Version newly scanned from the original negatives for the first time ever."

The Cannibal Man comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 46.4 GB

Feature: 28 GB (Extended Version), 16.7 GB (International Version)

For this release Severin Films gives the extended version about 28 GB of space, while Code Red’s 2018 Blu-ray release gives the extended version about 22.6 GB of space.

The source used for both versions is in excellent shape. Colors and flesh tones look correct, image clarity and black levels look strong throughout, and the image retains an organic look.

Audio: 4.5/5

Both versions come with two audio options, a DTS-HD mono mix in Spanish and a DTS-HD mono mix in English. It should be noted that the extended version has scenes that are only in Spanish and when watching this version in English, those scenes have English subtitles. Both audio tracks are in excellent shape; dialog always comes through clearly; everything sounds balanced and ambient sounds/the score are well-represented. Included are removable English subtitles for the Spanish language track and removable English SDH subtitles for the English language track. 

Extras:

Extras for this release include reversible cover art, a slipcover, a trailer for The Cannibal Man (3 minutes 7 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), three deleted scenes (1 minute 35 seconds, no sound), an interview with filmmaker Carlos Aguilar titled The Director and The Cannibal Man (17 minutes 54 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Spanish with removable English subtitles) and an interview with Stephen Thrower and Dr. Shelagh Rowan-Legg titled Cinema At The Margins (26 minutes 11 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles).

Summary:

This film’s title, 'The Cannibal Man' is a misleading title, since there never is a moment where the protagonist Marcos eats human flesh. There is, however, one brief scene that alludes to possible cannibalism in the film. And even this moment doesn’t fully expose Marcos or anyone else for that matter, as a cannibal.

Although there are many elements in The Cannibal Man associated with horror cinema. To call The Cannibal Man a horror film would be doing this extraordinary film a great disservice. That said, The Cannibal Man is a thought-provoking film that’s overflowing with social commentary.

The narrative is simple and to the point. There are only a handful of locations in The Cannibal Man. With the primary one being Marcos’s home, where most of his murders occur. The way the plot evolves and the use of mainly one location are reminiscent of Roman Polanski’s Repulsion.

Visually the film at times looks gritty, especially when we are at Marcos’s home. And then there are times when things just light up, like the scene where Marcos and a neighbor named Néstor go swimming late one evening. It also happens that this neighbor, in a Rear Window-like way, has been watching Marcos cover up his crimes.

The spying neighbor Néstor is also a homosexual who tries to seduce Marcos. With the scene where they go swimming together being a perfectly orchestrated game of foreplay between the two men. Marcos at this point is so far gone psychologically, and because of this, he does not pick up on Néstor’s infatuation with him.

The murder scenes are well executed. With the most extreme moment of bloodletting being the scene where Marcos murders his brother. Ultimately, despite its dark subject matter and unsympathetic killer The Cannibal Man is a captivating story that gets better with each new viewing!

The Cannibal Man gets an exceptional release from Severin Films that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and a pair of insightful Eloy de la Iglesia career retrospectives; highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer

Horror Rises From The Tomb (The Paul Naschy Collection) – Scream Factory (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Spain, 1973
Director: Carlos Aured
Writer: Jacinto Molina (Paul Naschy)
Cast: Paul Naschy, Emma Cohen, Víctor Alcázar, Helga Liné, Betsabé Ruiz, Luis Ciges, Julio Peña, María José Cantudo, Juan Cazalilla

Release Date: June 20th, 2017
Approximate running time: 87 Minutes 48 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Spanish, DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $59.99

"A warlock and witch are executed during medieval times. They put a curse on those responsible for their death and their descendants. Flash forward present day a man accompanied by three friends returns to his ancestral home which also happens to be the same place where four hundred years before the Warlock and Witch were executed. Immediately after his arrival at his family’s ancestral home strange things start to happen when those around him disappear or turn up dead." - Synopsis

Video: 3.75/5

There’s no information given about this transfer. It looks like the same source BCI used for their 2007 DVD release.

Horror Rises From The Tomb comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 29 GB

Feature: 26.5 GB

For an older master Horror Rises From The Tomb looks good. Colors are nicely saturated, the image looks crisp and black levels fare well. That said, there are moments where digital filtering has been applied.

Audio: 4/5

This release comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD mono mix in Spanish and a DTS-HD mono mix in English. Both audio mixes sound clean, clear and balanced. Included with this release are removable English subtitles for the Spanish language track.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an image gallery, alternate clothed sequences (5 minutes 49 seconds, Dolby Digital mono), alternate end sequence (2 minutes 37 seconds, no sound)  two trailers for Horror Rises From The Tomb (2 minutes 40 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Spanish with removable English subtitles and 2 minutes 44 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles) and an audio commentary with Rod Barnett and Troy Guinn (the Naschycast).

Extras not ported over from BCI’s 2007 DVD release include Spanish opening credits sequence, an audio commentary with actor Paul Naschy, director Carlos Aured and moderator by Angel Gomez Rivero, and a booklet with liner notes about Horror Rises From The Tomb written by Mikek Lipinski.

Horror Rises From The Tomb is part of The Paul Naschy Collection, a box set released by Scream Factory. The other films in this box set are Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll, Vengeance of the Zombies, Human Beasts and Night of the Werewolf. This box set comes with twenty-four page booklet that comes with liner notes Horror Rises from the Tomb, Vengeance of the Zombies, Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll, Human Beasts and Night of the Werewolf written by Mikek Lipinski.

Summary:

Horror Rises From The Tomb would reunite Paul Naschy with Carlos Aured who had already directed him three times, The Mummy’s Revenge, Curse of the Devil and Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll.

Though the plot for Horror Rises from the Tomb shows a lot of promise early on that it doesn’t pay off before all's said and done. Things start to fall apart after Hugo de Marnac and his friends arrive at his family’s ancestral home. Also, something that’s not exploited enough is the superstitious villagers. That said, though the last thirty minutes are rampant with walking dead, murder, bloodshed and nudity. The anticlimactic ending feels rushed. Surprisingly despite these shortcomings, Horror Rises from the Tomb somehow retains an odd kind of charm to it.

Visually Horror Rises From The Tomb is a beautifully photographed film. The two shots that standout the most are Mabille De Lancré naked hanging upside down from a tree and the housekeepers’ lifeless body dangling over the kitchen table.

Horror Rises From The Tomb’s cinematographer Manuel Merino is most known for his collaborations with Jesus Franco. Most notably, Marquis de Sade: Justine, Eugenie… the Story of Her Journey Into Perversion, Vampiros Lesbos and She Killed in Ecstasy,

Besides portraying three characters Alaric de Marnac / Hugo de Marnac / Armand de Marnac, Paul Naschy also wrote the screenplay. And he delivers a strong performance in which he surrounds himself with beautiful women. The most memorable of Paul Naschy’s co-stars is Helga Liné in the role of Mabille De Lancréa of a witch who’s resurrected. The other leading ladies include Emma Cohen (The Other Side of the Mirror), Betsabé Ruiz (The Loreley’s Grasp) and María José Cantudo (Back of the Store). Though the acting leaves a lot too be desired, at least there’s plenty of eye candy. Ultimately, Horror Rises From The Tomb is an entertaining gothic horror film that fans of Paul Naschy should thoroughly enjoy.

Horror Rises From The Tomb gets a good audio/video presentation that comes with a pair of insightful extras, recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer

Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll (The Paul Naschy Collection) – Scream Factory (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Spain, 1973
Director: Carlos Aured
Writers: Carlos Aured, Paul Naschy
Cast: Paul Naschy, Diana Lorys, Eduardo Calvo, Eva León, Inés Morales, Antonio Pica, Luis Ciges, Pilar Bardem, Maria Perschy

Release Date: June 20th, 2017
Approximate running time: 89 Minutes 2 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 Aspect Ratio / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Spanish, DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $59.99

"A series of brutal slayings start to occur shortly after the arrival of convicted rapist who gets hired on as the caretaker of an estate. All the victims have two things in common they have blue eyes and blonde hair. What can motivate such a diabolical mind to remove their victims’ eyes?" - Synopsis

Video: 3.5/5

There’s no information given about this transfer. It looks like the same source BCI used for their 2008 DVD release.

Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 28.7 GB

Feature: 26.9 GB

Just like BCI’s release, this new release from Scream Factory presents Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll in a 1.33:1 aspect ratio. And though the source looks clean, it also looks dated. Colors are nicely saturated, and image clarity and black levels look good. It should-be this transfer exhibits digital filtering.

Audio: 4/5

This release comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD mono mix in Spanish and a DTS-HD mono mix in English. Both audio mixes sound clean, clear and balanced. Included with this release are removable English subtitles for the Spanish language track.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an image gallery, Spanish opening credits (5 minutes 9 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Spanish), two trailers for Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll (2 minutes 37 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Spanish with removable English subtitles and 2 minutes 37 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles) and an audio commentary with Rod Barnett and Troy Guinn (the Naschycast).

Extras not ported over from BCI’s 2008 DVD release include an introduction by actor Paul Naschy, an audio commentary with Paul Naschy and director Carlos Aured and a booklet with liner notes about Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll written by Mikek Lipinski.

Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll is part of The Paul Naschy Collection, a box set released by Scream Factory. The other films in this box set are Horror Rises from the Tomb, Vengeance of the Zombies, Human Beasts and Night of the Werewolf. This box set comes with twenty-four page booklet that comes with liner notes Horror Rises from the Tomb, Vengeance of the Zombies, Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll, Human Beasts and Night of the Werewolf written by Mikek Lipinski.

Summary:

Though there were many Italian/Spanish thriller co-productions in the 1970’s. There is a clear distinction that can-be made between Italian/Spanish and a Spanish thriller. With most of the latter being restrained thriller that owed more to Agatha Christie than the more violent Italian thriller. That said, there are a few rare exceptions of Spanish thrillers that hold their own when compared to their Italian counterparts. 

Case in point Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll, a Spanish thriller borrows elements from the Giallo genre and Gothic horror films like Georges Franju’s Eyes without a Face. Most notably how the killer's identity is not revealed until the end and the killer's attire is in line with Giallo cinema’s black gloved killers. And the gory murder set pieces do not disappoint. Also, there’s an ample amount of nudity in Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll. With most of its female cast spending time out of their clothes.

The cast for Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll features a bevy of Euro beauties most of which end up getting seduced by Paul Naschy’s character Gilles. The four women leads are Diana Lorys as Claude the eldest sister who right arm was deformed from an accident, Maria Perschy Yvette who's confined in a wheelchair due to a past trauma, Eva León plays Nicole a nymphomaniac and rounding out the main cast of women is Inés Morales as Michelle a nurse recently hired to take care of Yvette. In the lead role is Spanish film icon Paul Naschy as Gilles, a loner drifter just out of prison. Overall the acting is very good all around with Eva León in the role of Nicole stands out more than the rest of the cast.

Pacing, plot twists and characters motivations are all fully realized. Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll's dream/flashback sequences that is filled with bold colors and at times they are reminiscent of the flashbacks in Deep Red. Another similarity to Deep Red occurs via Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll’s superb score composed by Juan Carlos Calderón. Every time the killer is about to take out another victim, the same music plays over each kill. The killers’ musical motif is none other than “London Bridge”. Ultimately, fans of Giallo cinema should thoroughly enjoy  Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll.

Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll gets a good audio/video presentation that comes with a pair of insightful extras, recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer