Adcatalano

I didn�t realize this was getting released next month. I�m frankly shocked we�re getting it on blu. This is a criminally under-seen horror film that really left an impact on me.

Member-222782

Ordered this from Diabolik since they already have it in stock. Nice to get it 3 weeks early

Todd Tomorrow

Love this movie, but I was hoping for it to be released eventually rather than be shocked. It has a cult following, enough for a (poor and already forgotten) remake to have been made.

It makes a nice double feature with See No Evil (aka Blind Terror) which was also written by Brian Clemens and made around the same time. Both are about isolated women stalked by an unseen murderer and they have a very similar feel and atmosphere. I have the Indicator BD of that one.

The Great Owl

Jane and Cathy, two English nurses played respectively by Pamela Franklin and Michele Dotrice, are cycling across the rural countryside of France while on holiday. Shortly after Cathy becomes intrigued by a mysterious man at a roadside cafe, she disappears from a wooded area while taking a break. Jane searches frantically for her friend, only to find herself a stranger in a strange land where most of the locals do not speak her language. When she hears a story about another girl who was murdered in the exact same location where Cathy went missing, she becomes convinced that her worst fears have come true, but she does not know who to trust.

The 1970 British thriller, And Soon the Darkness, is a deliberately-paced slow burn of a film that takes suspense cues from the Alfred Hitchcock playbook, ultimately escalating into full-blown horror. Director Robert Fuest (The Abominable Dr. Phibes) takes his time acquainting us with our two leads, Franklin’s schedule-driven Jane and Dotrice’s spontaneous Cathy, in order to show us that these women are probably not the most compatible travel mates in the first place. This expository exercise in character-building adds another layer of uncertainly to what may have become a routine missing persons mystery in lesser hands.

The use of beautifully sunlit French farm fields and wide open spaces to generate unease is this film’s greatest asset. I love movies that exploit postcard-visual settings to emphasize the notion that tragedy can strike anywhere, and that there are no truly safe places in the world. I would not be surprised if the contemporary filmmaker, Ari Aster, had been inspired by the visual approach of this tale while scripting his masterful 2019 release, Midsommar.

Pamela Franklin, who is well known for her childhood role in the 1961 psychological horror masterpiece, The Innocents, and for her adult work in the 1973 chiller, The Legend of Hell House, delivers what is perhaps her best role here. Much of the tension arises from her expressive face as she reacts to inexplicable behavior from new people around her and as she wonders who is a friend or a foe. The fact that the dialogue among the French locals is not subtitled is also instrumental in establishing our heroine’s isolation from any semblance of reassurance.

And Soon the Darkness was remade in 2010, with Amber Heard and Odette Annable cast as the vacationing women. That version is a decently entertaining endeavor in its own right, but my preferences are strong for the brilliantly low-key atmospherics of this original. This is an exceptional best kept secret in the world of 1970s horror from across the pond.

This Kino Lorber Studio Classics Blu-ray delivers a stellar presentation in terms of audio and video. The main feature is a thing of beauty. The Troy Howarth historian commentary is a fun listen, as is the filmmaker commentary track.

This is one of my favorite Blu-ray releases of 2019.

Member-222782

Looking forward to revisiting this soon. I also really liked the remake. It's one of those rare good ones.

Scoot79

So are there any differences between and ?

Ulke666

Also curious if there are any differences or if its the same transfer?

CelestialAgent

German 4K release comes out in July

Sergeant Howie

No option to ship to the UK! Not in the list of countries in the dropdown, not mentioned in the shipping terms. Without country entered, shipping costs are not calculated, so cannot complete [pre-order] purchase, even when using PayPal (with my full address already . Seems to ship only within the EU/EEA and to the US/Canada!