[wp-review id=”75755″]
While trying to grieve over the death of his wife, Alan decided to spend time in a mental institution. When he was released, he found a new way to get over her death: bring women to his home and kill them. Because his wife was a redhead, the women that he brings home have to be as well.
I know that this is an incredibly short plot synopsis but I don’t ever like spoiling things, even when it has been released decades prior. It is directed by Emilio Miraglia and it is a part of the Italian Giallo boom of the 1970s. The genre is typically derived of literature and film with a killer or slasher.
THE NIGHT EVELYN CAME OUT OF THE GRAVE is a very visual slasher film with a lot of practical effects use and camera angles that make it a bit unique. Anthony Steffen has the lead role of the tormented Alan and the actor pulls it off. When the film opens, you can tell that this man has really been through something as he is trying to flee from the facility. It wasn’t just him in white PJs with orderlies chasing him through the grounds but it’s more in his range of emotion because of everything that happens to him. At times, he is filled with rage, sadness, thrills, and fear.
VIDEO QUALITY:
The transfer is a 1080p AVC presentation. The 2k scans from the original negative makes this movie look gorgeous on Blu-ray. The coloring has been adjusted in the remaster to make the skin tones look a little more natural. Anthony Steffen has a tan, olive complexion and with his victims being gingers, they all have a paler look. This just shows that the images were worked on to keep everything on point. There is also a lot of detail in the films with clean contrasting. Another example is in the opening scene, Alan is running around the ruins of a small amphitheater and you can practically make out every brick. The blacks have some excellent depth and the colors in the clothing especially look brilliant. Both films look excellent and Arrow has done a really good job with the remasters.
AUDIO QUALITY:
The audio is a DTS-HD Master Audio Mono mix that is the original mono tracks and it sounds great. The voices are cleanly reproduced and evenly played over the sound effects as well as the score.
SUPPLEMENTS & PACKAGING
-Audio Commentary: by author Troy Howarth
-An Exclusive introduction to the film by actress Erika Blanc: She plays Susie in the film.
-Remembering Evelyn: This is an interview with critic Stephen Thrower
-The Night Erika Came Out of the Grave: This is an exclusive interview with Erika Blanc from 2015.
-The Whip and the Body: This is an archival interview with Erika Blanc.
-Still Rising from the Grave: This is an archival interview with production designer Lorenzo Baraldi.
-Trailers
Disc Details
1 Blu-ray Disc
Running Time
103 mins
Edition Ratings
Rated R
Region Coding
Region A and B
Video Resolution
1080p AVC MPEG-4
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Audio Mixes
English DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0
Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0
Subtitles
English
English SDH
THE BOTTOM LINE:
I have become more interested in this genre the more films that I get to see. It is the type of film you might see on a late-night horror hour or what is shown on a Sunday afternoon but that’s what makes it unique. Arrow has done an amazing job at restoring this classic to the best presentation possible and I applaud them for it. The audio and video are strong as well as the included bonus features. If you’re into a solid slasher flick and want to dip your toes into the Italian Giallo genre, this is the film for you.
