(Freddie Francis, 1967)
Release date: 30 October 2017
Limited Blu-ray Edition (UK Blu-ray premiere)
From Hammer-rival Amicus Productions comes this horror anthology penned by Robert Bloch (author of Psycho) and directed by the great British cinematographer Freddie Francis. Genre legend Peter Cushing stars alongside Jack Palance and Burgess Meredith in an omnibus of chilling and gruesome stories, inspired by E.C. Comics' Tales from the Crypt comic-book series of the 1950s.
INDICATOR LIMITED EDITION SPECIAL FEATURES:
• High Definition remaster
• Original mono audio
• World premiere Blu-ray presentation of the original theatrical cut (93 mins)
• Alternative presentation of the extended TV cut (100 mins)
• The Guardian Interview with Freddie Francis (1995, 77 mins): the great cinematographer and director in conversation with journalist Alan Jones recorded at the National Film Theatre, London
• Production Supervisor Ted Wallis on ‘Torture Garden’ (2017, 5 mins): a brief look at the film’s production
• Ramsey Campbell on Robert Bloch (2017, 17 mins): the horror-fiction author explores the importance of the prolific Bloch
• Fiona Subotsky on Milton Subotsky (2017, 8 mins): a personal remembrance
• Kim Newman on ‘Torture Garden’ (2017, 25 mins): new appreciation by the author and genre-film expert
• Original theatrical trailer
• Stills Gallery: on-set and promotional photography
• Lobby Cards and Posters Gallery: an extensive selection of original international promotional material
• New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
• Limited edition exclusive 36-page booklet with a new essay by Laura Mayne, an overview of Amicus Productions, and extracts from the original press kit, advertising and promotion guide
• UK premiere on Blu-ray
• Limited Edition of 3,000 copies
This is definitely one of the weaker of the Amicus omnibuses, and I defy anybody to make a killer piano film work (oh sorry, did I spoil that for you?), but you can get your money's worth from the disc just by watching the wonderful Freddie Francis interview, which is feature-length and extends right across his long and illustrious career.
