A Spectacular Bay of Blood

1971's A Bay Of Blood may have slowly wormed its way into being my favorite Mario Bava film.  The last segment in Black Sabbath is the most artfully shot, and Black Sunday is his most overtly stylish giallo.  But for just being the all around most rewarding film, the one I appreciate more and more with each revisit, it's Bay of Blood.  It's still got fancy photography in spades, from the opulent opening scene of the countess's murder to its inventive combination of zooms pushing in and out of focus.  A lot has been made of how this film is a proto-slasher, inspiring the Friday the 13th series in particular.  And it's true, this has some great kills, truly cutting edge for their time, and a high enough body count to keep the grumpiest teenager from getting bored.  But it's also got a pretty great, completely wild and utterly entertaining story courtesy of the underrated Dardano Sacchetti, full of betrayal, passion, plot twists and an array of colorful killers even the Scream franchise can't match.

original defective disc left; replacement disc right.

Update 3/5/26: The replacement discs are here - that was quick!  As I described lower in this post, there was a replication error on the second blu-ray disc that interrupted playback of both Italian cuts of the film (the UHD version is).  Well, Severin has already released and mailed out corrected discs, and all future versions you can order should feature the fixed disc, but to be sure, look for the V2 [circled, above] on the label's run-out text.

A Bay of Blood has had a crapton (to use a technical term) of releases over the year.  Simitar first released a non-anamorphic in 1999, which Image then corrected with their own edition under the title Twitch Of the Death Nerve in 2001.  I got the 2005 Raro DVD because it had the Italian language version for the first time, and also a neat little documentary, which I'll get into later.  Anchor Bay released it, and a whole Mario Bava collection, in 2007, and their were plenty of other DVDs around the world.  Arrow was the first to give us an HD version, releasing their limited edition blu-ray in 2010.  They put out their non-limited version in 2013; and that same year, Kino released it in the US.  And again, there were plenty of other BDs released subsequently around the world.  But there hasn't been a major progression until now that Severin has restored the film in 4k and issued it as whopping a 4-disc BD/ UHD combo-pack.

1) 2005 Raro DVD; 2) 2010 Arrow BD, English version;
3) 2010 Arrow BD, Italian version; 4) 2026 Severin BD English version;
5) 2026 Severin BD Italian version; 6) 2026 Severin BD longer Italian version;
7) 2026 Severin BD shorter Italian version; 8) 2026 Severin UHD English version;
9) 2026 Severin UHD longer Italian version; 10) 2026 Severin UHD shorter Italian version.

Wondering why the second set of shots don't always match?  It's because that's a shot that differs between the English and Italian cuts.  Different cuts?  Yeah, I'll just briefly explain.  Unlike the usual I-horror title, there isn't just an English and Italian dub track that can be applied to the same video. Bava actually shot alternate takes with the actors speaking English and Italian.  So they're still dubbed, but the English and Italian versions actually include different footage, too.  And to be real completionists about it, Severin has released a third but, basically a second Italian cut that's a few seconds shorter.  So they're all featured here in the comparisons above; though as you can see the two Italian cuts in the Severin set are identical, picture quality-wise.

So, okay, beginning at the beginning.  Raro's DVD is anamorphic widescreen at 1.86:1, and obviously taken from a print, with its strong over-contrast and yellowed colors.  And Arrow's presentation of the Italian cut, though upconverted to HD, is clearly based on the same yellow transfer, 1.86 framing and all.  But their English version looks much better.  It's worth noting the back of their case only promises a "brand new transfer" of that version.  Kino did the same thing, which is one of the reasons the new Severin release is such a big deal; it's the first time anyone's made an effort to bring the Italian version up to modern standards.  Colors are much more natural and film grain is captured surprisingly well for a blu as old as 2010.  It's matted to 1.89, revealing more on the left side in particular.

But now of course, we come to the Severin, which we're told have been restored in 4k "from superior vault elements."  I believe that's left a little vague because the Italian cuts seem to be composite cuts.  You can see how the first set of shots, which uses the same footage across all three versions, is virtually identical, but the second set of shots, which has distinct footage between the English and Italian versions, has a shift in quality.  Look how much more faded and orange the woman's shawl looks in the Italian cut, as opposed to the deeper red in the English.  All three versions are precisely matted to 1.85, now, tightening back in on the sides than Arrow's, which showed more on both, plus along the bottom.

But comparing the best of each world - Arrow and Severin's English versions - this is a clear improvement, even just looking at Severin's BD.  Their colors are better separated; Arrow's BD doesn't look nearly as yellow as the older Italian versions, but it still has a yellow hue cast over the whole thing which Severin has cleaned up.  That gives Arrow's version a flatter feel, making Severin's play as more vibrant and alive.  Detail is fairly equivalent though, until we switch over to the actual UHD.  We still can't quite make out the title of that yellow book on the table in the first set of shots, but the letters look rounded and photo realistic as opposed to how pixelated it is on the Arrow.

Raro's DVD has the Italian mono in Dolby Digital with optional English subtitles.  Arrow has both the Italian and English mono tracks in LPCM, with optional English subtitles for both versions.  And Severin has the all three versions in DTS-HD with optional subs for all of them.

So the original Bay of Blood DVDs were barebones, apart from the trailer or the odd radio spot.  Raro's 2005 DVD was the first one with a real, important extra: a half-hour documentary called The Art Of Crime, which got interviews with Lamberto Bava, Roy Bava, Sacchetti, the original set photographer, a couple Italian critics and even Joe Dante, who they point out wrote one of this film's very few rave reviews during its original theatrical release.  It's a great piece that fortunately has stayed with us through future releases.  That and the trailer is all Raro had, but it was enough to round it out to a very satisfying release at the time.

But Arrow really turned it into a special edition.  And yes, they have The Art of Crime.  They also have one of Tim Lucas's famous Mario Bava commentary tracks that originated from Anchor Bay's 2007 DVDs.  Then they introduce some brand new stuff, including on-camera interviews with Lamberto Bava, cinematographer Gianlorenzo Battagalia.  And they conduct a new, audio-only interview with Joe Dante, and include the two Trailers From Hell for this film, hosted by Edgar Wright.  They also add two radio spots, though, apart from the TFHs, they don't have the actual trailer proper.  It came with an 8-page booklet by Jay Slater and a double-sided fold-out poster, with reversible artwork and one of those windowed slipboxes Arrow used to always do.

And now Severin comes with the most loaded edition yet.  For starters, yep, The Art of Crime is still here, as well as that Dante audio piece.  They don't however, have any of the other Arrow extras.  But before you get too bummed about that, there's a good reason for it.  They got all new, better interviews with Lamberto and Battagalia, which are more focused and are more professionally shot with HD equipment.  In fact, there are two new Bava interviews, the second one being just about Lamberto's memories of his father.  And they brought back Lucas to record an all new, improved commentary, where he corrects some errors from his previous track.  So, it's a bit of a shame to lose the Trailers From Hell, but otherwise it's all an upgrade.  And they've added plenty more, including an interview with Nicoletta Elmi, who played the little girl, and a new, much fuller interview with Sacchetti.

There are also two expert interviews, with Stephen Thrower and Stephen R. Bissette, although I have to say, both of them and Tim Lucas mostly say much of the same things, covering the film's many alternate titles, campaigns and release history.  It becomes a redundant grind, so I'd recommend just picking one of the three, and only delving into the others on later rewatches.  Severin also has two trailers - English and Italian - the radio spots, a brief introduction by Lamberto Bava filmed at some festival and a brief look at the storyboards.    

This initial limited edition also includes some neat bonus goods, including the soundtrack as a fifth disc.  It comes in a black amary case with reversible artwork, which is then housed in an embossed slipbox.  There's also a lobby card insert with the CD track-listing on the back, and a reproduction of the film's original barf bag that was given out at screenings when it played under the title Carnage.

Before I leave you, a final note about "V2."  Severin's Bay of Blood debuted as a pre-order in their Black Friday sale, and it shipped in 2026.  But it shipped with a problem.  Disc four, the BD with the Italian cuts, has a replication error, messing with the playback of both cuts (the extras play fine).  It's just the blu-ray version, not the UHDs, so it's not the worst thing in the world.  But for the price they charge, you expect every disc to work.  And they're aware and are fixing it.  Anyone who already has it will be getting V2 mailed to them.  If you don't already have it, though, you have to wait; V2 is currently on pre-order so it will only be sold with the fixed disc.  So if you're wondering what's the hold up, that's it.  But it'll be worth the wait.

Some Quality Renovations On The Carpenter

The Carpenter is a wild, direct-to-video supernatural slasher from 1987.  A young couple moves into a new home, and as they're having the house renovated, we start to learn things aren't as idyllic as they seem.  The husband's a sleazy cheat, the wife has a history of serious mental illness, and even the contractors are slackers and crooks.  All but one of them, anyway, as one carpenter is always working late and doing the work of a whole crew on his own.  Soon he's not just doing all the repairs, he's solving all the wife's troubles, including murdering whoever needs murdering.

Update 10/3/20 - 3/28/25: For a while there, I thought this one might never receive a proper special edition, but in retrospect I shouldn't have worried.  It's an 80s slasher; somebody was going to bring it back.  Turns out it was Vinegar Syndrome, so expectations are high.

But something's too good, or too evil, to be true about this carpenter.  Is he a madman obsessed with the young couple, a ghost determined to finish the house he could never complete in life, or all a part of the wife's mind?  It's very rough around the edges, but the script at its core is clever enough to keep even jaded horror vets on the hook.  It's tongue-in-cheek at times, with all the cheerfully over-the-top handyman-themed kills you'd expect, but the humor is never at the expense of the characters or the story.  This isn't a horror comedy so much as a legit dramatic horror with some wit, striking a tone very similar to The Stepfather, and almost as successfully.  And character actor Wings Hauser is at his best as the titular laborer out of his time and his mind.  Admittedly, this film puts a lot of weight on his shoulders, but he carries it well, delivering demented speeches over his coworkers' wriggling bodies.

When this finally came out on DVD in 2011, I was amped.  The only bummer was that Scorpion only came up with an essentially barebones DVD-only release.  Apparently elements didn't exist for a blu, and the bets they could do was a composite cut.  See, when this was released on VHS, there were two versions: R and Unrated.  Whatever elements Scorpion had for their transfer was the R rated cut, so they had to cut in the unrated footage, i.e. all the best bits, from a tape.  So yes, it was the full unrated version, but SD is all we got.  ...Until 2025, that is.  Vinegar Syndrome apparently felt the materials warranted an upgrade, and so we get an all new 2k scan on BD from "the best existing film elements," a 35mm release print.  And yes, this one's a composite cut, too.  So don't expect immaculate PQ, but if anyone can make this movie look prettier in HD, it's Vinegar Syndrome.

1) 2011 US Scorpion DVD; 2) 2025 US Vinegar Syndrome BD.

As you can see, the film is presented as it was originally shot, in widescreen (1.78:1 on the DVD, 1.85:1 on the BD), as opposed to the old 1:33 VHS tapes.  It's obvious this was shot on film, not tape, so it looks markedly better than it ever has before.  That said, Scorpion's disc retains some evident print damage, from little specks to vertical lines running through the shot and even green chemical burns.  Most of it's pretty clean, but the when it's there, the damage is hard to miss.  Happiily, however, VS has cleaned all of that up.  The image is definitely sharper and clearer now in HD, with very natural looking grain captured in 2k, and the colors look decidedly more natural.  Even in the SD composite footage. 

Looking above here, the second shot is the main footage, while the first is from the unrated inserts.  There's a bunch, and you can clearly see it's from a weaker, noisier source, but it's far from unwatchable.  If you got through Scream Factory's Silent Night, Deadly Night or Arrow's Hellraiser 3 without falling on the floor, you'll be fine here.  There is a noticeable shift in quality even in motion, but VS's additional color correction (and grain filter added to the SD stuff?) blend it together quite satisfactorily.  We lose some fine detail, but they've done a first class job with it, and fans should be more than satisfied.

In terms of audio, we just get the original mono track, but that's all I'd ask for anyway.  Even on the DVD, it's a pretty clear track, with any weaknesses seeming to stem from how it was originally filmed.  You can hear the shift in quality when the scene shifts from the R to unrated footage; it sounds more echo-y and thin.  But it's still pretty clean and hiss-free.  VS bumps it up to DTS-HD, and there's an appreciable improvement on the insert stuff.  They must've done some intense remastering, because you no longer have that distinct shift between the cleaner and composite audio.  They've also included optional English subtitles, which the Scorpion lacked.

There are no extras on the DVD, really, apart from the Katarina's Nightmare Theater wrap-arounds.  She doesn't have much to say even by Katarina's usual standards... her credits sequences last longer than the segments themselves, which are mostly just an excuse for her to pose holding a power drill.  The only other things on this disc are bonus trailers, not even a trailer for The Carpenter... although it's possible none were ever created, apart from those thirty-second "coming soon to home video" ads.  Anyway, this release does at least come with reversible artwork.  It's the same imagery on both sides, but allows you to hide the garish Katrina banners.

The BD, on the other hand, is well stocked.  There are two audio commentaries, including a top notch one by the director and the screenwriter, and then a more casual, but enthusiastic, track by two flippant podcast guys.  Then there's a great half hour+ retrospective with the stars and main cast members.  A few moments repeat what we'd already heard in the commentary, but it's still a must-watch for any fan.  There's an additional Hauser interview, too, which is essentially bonus footage from the doc, because he was in that, too, in the same hat and the same chair.  But you can never have too much Wings Hauser on a Carpenter release.  This new release comes in reversible cover art (though, honestly, I'm not a fan of either... I wish they'd stuck to the old photo image), and if you got the limited edition direct from VS's website, a slipcover.  We do lose the Katrina wrap-arounds, though.

This was a real must-have DVD for me, and just as crucial a double-dip to blu.  As I wrote in 2020, "[s]core an interview with Hauser and the director, and I think you'd have a high demand title."  Yeah, this film's low budget and won't bowl you over with production values, but it's a neat little film that still manages to amuse after all these years.  For 80s slasher fans, this is a staple.  And even if you're not particularly hung-up on the subgenre, this has a broader appeal as well.

R.I.P. Wings.

The One and Only Silent Night, Deadly Night Is Back

Silent Night, Deadly Night is one of the most famous and infamous slasher films out there. I mean, under Friday the 13th and Halloween, but it's pretty much right at the top of the tier under those. The fact that it spawned four sequels and a remake surely helped, but the fact that it wound up generating such a huge controversy that it got pulled out of the theaters is probably a bigger reason. But it's not just the film that's been controversial over the years, the recent blu-ray release from Anchor Bay has generated a lot of ire among collectors for its own reasons.

Update 4/28/15 - 12/8/17: Happy Ho-Ho-Holidays! Updating with the brand spankin' new, Scream Factory 2-disc blu-ray Collector's Edition. Oh, and Code Red Catch-Up isn't actually finished.  I just got busy this week and then had to do this update.  But I've got 3 more CR's sitting here on my desk, ready to go after this post. 🎅

Update 12/25/24: It's Christmas - time to celebrate with an all new, UHD upgrade of horror's most notorious seasonal slasher!  Let's just hope we won't be disappointed once we unwrap it, right?

The iconic imagery of a killer Santa Claus is a huge part of this movie's success, which is interesting because it's far from the Christmas themed horror movie... or even the first one to specifically feature a killer in a Santa suit.  Black Christmas, To All a Good Night, the classic segment from Tales From the Crypt, and even the similarly titled Silent Night, Bloody Night all precede it; and Don't Open Till Christmas was playing in theaters the very same year. But I guess this one's television ads played before the wrong angsty parents, because they protested and got the film pulled. Curiously, longtime Hollywood star Mickey Rooney got on board with the movement, saying, "How dare they! ...The scum who made that movie should be run out of town."¹ But then he later wound up starring in Silent Night, Deadly Night part 5.

At any rate, it's a pretty good, little movie. It is also a very pure slasher film, in that it follows all the "rules" and stays very true to the elements of a traditional 80s slasher film. It's got a simple but effective concept, good lines, a nice look, some creative kills and Linnea Quigley, But one thing it does a little different than the norm is follow the killer for the entire film, rather than giving us the standard "good girl" protagonist. Eventually, our heroes turn out to be a pair of nuns who've known the killer since he was a little boy, including the very stern and downright frightening Mother Superior, excellently played by Lilyan Chauvin. Most of the film plays it pretty safe, and while well executed, doesn't try to stand out from its peers; and in the long run it's a little too much of a generic slasher to be really great. But the fact that it's so well crafted from at least some of the performances to the music that have kept it popular among horror fans for decades.

So Anchor Bay, when they were the reigning kings of horror DVDs, first released Silent Night, Deadly Night as a double-sided "flipper" disc with Part 2 in 2003. They later reissued it as a 2-disc set, and Arrow released it in the UK. All of these releases were a little disappointing though, because they were light on extras compared to how beloved and anticipated this particular film has always been, and because their transfers were based on an edited print, with most of the violence reinstated from a much lower quality source. It was murky and grungy, but it was the best they could do. So when Anchor Bay announced an uncut blu-ray special edition taken from a high quality source, people got excited. But... they never technically said it wasn't going to be another composite cut, which it was. And then when Scream Factory announced their uncut blu-ray special edition taken from an brand new 4k scan done by Sony with the original camera negative, people got excited again. But... they never technically said it wasn't going to be another composite cut either, and, well:

Scream also made the interesting decision to give us two discs with both cuts.  That way, you can watch the edited theatrical cut in 4k quality without the seams and dupey inserts.  But the theatrical cut is really gutted.  It's about six minutes difference, and frankly, more than half of the movie's highlights.  So if you really wanna watch the theatrical cut, you do you.  But for me and most fans, Silent Night, Deadly Night is likely going to be a composite cut for now and forever... something only further reiterated by Scream's latest 2024 release, which gives the film an updated 4k scan on a proper UHD disc.  But more frustratingly, not only do they still not have the elements to restore the unrated footage - which fair enough, I think we all expected - but they haven't even put the composite cut on UHD, only the theatrical!  So, basically, we're expected to buy a UHD and only watch the included unrated BD (which does, for the record, utilize the new scan), or the crap censored version.  Why, Scream Factory, why?!?

1) Anchor Bay 2003 DVD; 2) Anchor Bay 2014 BD; 3) Scream Factory 2017 theatrical BD;
4) Scream Factory 2017 uncut BD; 5) Scream Factory 2024 theatrical BD;
6) Scream Factory 2024 uncut BD; 7) Scream Factory 2024 theatrical UHD.

4) There's no theatrical shot of this scene, 'cause it's not in the theatrical cut.
5) ibid.

7) This shot's not on the UHD either, again, because it's not in the theatrical cut.

So, right off the bat, the two Anchor Bays are a little different. Their BD has been accused of being an upconvert, but seeing them right up against each other, I'm relieved to say that this isn't the case. In other words, Anchor Bay didn't just take the files they made the DVD with and slap them onto a BD. It's not a lovingly restored new scan, but someone's done something to try and make it look a little better, at least.  The main difference you'll note is the color. In the top shot, the whites and reds look crisper on the blu, while the DVD's still a bit green.  But the difference is especially apparent in the low quality composite footage.  Look how Anchor Bay nicely white balanced that second shot. Sure, it still looks like the kind of crap that you should never find on a blu-ray; but it's better than the DVD.  Scream Factory mentions that they spent time matching the colors of the inserts to match the rest of the film, and I don't disbelieve them.  But Anchor Bay already did that for their blu, and Scream seems to have just essentially replicated their work.

But where does Scream Factory's new disc stand out?  In all of the 79 other minutes!  AB's blu was a mild upgrade on their DVD, they dialed down those nasty compression splotches and all; but Scream is playing in a whole other ballpark.  Their 2017 1.85:1 framing is basically the same, but otherwise, it's like a brand new film with so much more photo realism than we've see before.  And yes, the uncut and theatrical cuts are essentially identical (except for those dang inserts, of course).  They didn't leave themselves a ton of room for improvement on their new 2024 scan, but one thing you'll notice right away is that, while it's still perfectly framed at 1.85, it's clearly pulled back to reveal a little more along all four sides.  Besides that, the only noteworthy difference between the 2017 and 2024 BDs is the color timing.  Like in these sets of shots, Santa's suit is decidedly more orange in the new transfer.  But it's a tough judgement call to say which version is better.

It does look best on the UHD, though.  The suit still looks brighter red than the 2017 edition, but more red than orange.  It's essentially the best of both worlds.  Resolution is also naturally improved.  Comparing the two BD transfers again, it's really a tie.  One speck of grain will be clearer on one disc, and another will be on the other.  But it's all much better resolved, with smoother, less pixelated edges on the true, 4k disc.  It's just a shame I'll never have cause to watch it because it's heavily cut.

Maybe the only reason I can think of to hang onto the AB blu-ray is if you're a big surround mix lover, because they bumped the DVD's old mono track up to a Dolby TrueHD 5.1.  But frankly, it wasn't much.  It was still kind of flat and basically like the movie's always sounded.  And, of course, it's revisionist.  Scream Factory has dumped the 5.1 and gone back to a purist DTS-HD mono (in 2.0, of course) on both the 2017 and 2024 releases.  I'm a little surprised they didn't throw in both for those fans who've gotta have that 5.1; but I don't miss it and far more pleased to have the mono back, now in HD, the best audio option yet.  Oh, and every release except the DVD does have optional subs (AB even has Spanish, too).

But if you're on the fence about double-dipping with the same old SD insert footage, consider the extras. Like I said, the DVDs came up short: essentially just an audio interview with director Charles E. Sellier, Jr. It was good, but just one non-video interview. Well, there was also an insert/ booklet with notes, a stills gallery and "Santa's Stocking of Outrage" which sounds awesome but was really just another gallery, this time of quotes from protestors. Even the trailer or the notorious TV commercial would've been nice, but nope.  Just coal in that stocking.

Now, the AB blu-ray still wasn't the loaded special edition fans want, but in addition to porting over all the DVD extras, they did get an audio commentary. It features writer Michael Hickey, composer Perry Botkin, editor/ second unit director Michael Spence and co-executive producer Scott J. Schneid. And it's pretty good. I saw some people knock it, but I think they were just salty over their other disappointments with the disc. It's not one of the great commentaries like the ones by John Carpenter or Bruce Campbell; but between the four of them they keep it pretty lively and informative.

 

But count on Scream Factory to seize the special features day!  Yes, they have all the old extras from both the DVD and the newer AB commentary.  Even that dumb "Santa's Stocking of Outrage." But oh yeah, also a whole bunch of new stuff.  We have a brand new commentary by Billy himself, Robert Brian Wilson, along with producer Schneid, back for more.  Then all those guys - Hickey, Schneid, Spence, Botkin and Wilson come back for a great little 45 minute documentary, with co-producer Dennis Whitehead, too.  My only complaint is that some of these do incorporate some repetition.

You know what's less repetitious, though?  All the other new extras with different people.  How about a 20+ minute on-camera interview with Linnea Quigley?  Okay, it looks like it was shot with a cellphone before cellphone cameras were invented.  But still, it's great to finally get her on disc with this film.  And I love when they go back and track down the old locations now.  This one's no Horror's Hallowed Ground, but it's still a treat.  And finally - finally! - the infamous TV ads that cause all the uproar are here.  In fact, we get the theatrical trailer, two TV spots, a radio ad and even a VHS trailer.  Plus Scream's set comes in a slip cover, and I usually hate their comic book style revisionist artwork, but this is one of their best.  But of course I prefer the reversible cover with the original art that we also get.  Oh, and if you ordered the "deluxe" version directly from Scream's site, you didn't just get an 18"x24" poster (they roll them now!) but an 8" Billy figure - holy crap!  I didn't spring for it, but that's pretty wild.

2024 did net us some additional extras, in addition to carrying everything from the previous editions forward, but it's a little underwhelming.  The Hysteria Continues join up with expert Amanda Reyes for an expert commentary on the theatrical cut, in an effort to give us some reason to watch their new UHD.  They do come up with some new informative details, but I wish we could've gotten those in a brief interview/ visual essay rather than having to sift through a whole feature commentary to hear them.  And we get two more interviews with Schneid and Spence, who've already been featured heavily on previous editions and repeat almost all the same anecdotes they've already shared on their previous extras.  The most fun/ rewarding of the new lot is probably a short featurette, which again talks to Schneid and Whitehead (look, nothing against these guys; in fact, it's great to have them on these discs, but how many times can we dip back into the same well?), but this time they tackle a fresher topic, looking at merch from the film, including comic books, soundtrack albums, and the board game.  By the way, I've played that game, and it's too simple/ easy (we won it in like 10 minutes on the first try), so it probably needs some additional house rules to make it interesting.  But they did a good job with the art and all the little pieces and everything, so fans should get a kick out of it.  But anyway, back to Scream's release, that's it for new content, but it does come in a nice slipcover with the beloved traditional artwork.

And since Part 2 comes in the Anchor Bay set, let's take a quick look at that, too; not that the film's any good really. An unbelievable bulk of the film - a good, solid half! - is just footage from Part 1. It basically goes through the entire first film again, using the exact same film, from beginning to end. The only difference is that this time, we keep cutting away every so often to Ricky, the younger brother of the killer in the first film, who's now grown up and recounting the tale to a psychiatrist. Finally, at the end, he gets out and goes on a killing rampage just like his big brother. And none of that new story is anywhere near the quality of the original. But at least it's a direct continuation of the story, unlike subsequent films, which wound up being pretty disconnected.  And some of the crazy line deliveries ("garbage day!") have earned this one its own, distinct cult following, so there's that.

Yes, this IS a screencap from Part 2.
I told ya, a huge, huge chunk of it is just footage from Part 1.

Like the first one, AB gave this an anamorphic widescreen image, slightly letterboxed to 1.85:1. So that's good news.  It's got the trailer, a stills gallery, and best of all, an audio commentary by writer/ director Lee Harry, co-writer Joseph H. Earle and actor James Newman. They're actually quite plugged into their movie, even though so much of it isn't theirs. I daresay, in fact, I'd rather watch the movie with the commentary on than off anytime.  But for those who are more appreciative of this film, it's worth noting that Part 2 has since been released as its own Collector's Edition blu-ray from Scream Factory, and as a double-feature BD, still paired with the first one, from 101 Films in the UK.

Silent Night, Deadly Night may not be the best yuletide horror movie ever (Christmas Evil, anyone?), but it's one of the most popular, and it sure is fun to watch with the family gathered together on Christmas Eve night.  But this latest edition is annoying.  Scream continues their tradition of only wanting to pay for a single cut of a film onto UHD, and relegating other versions to BD only (see also: Lifeforce, Army of Darkness, Exorcist 3, etc).  That's especially frustrating in cases like this one or Nightbreed, where the cuts they leave off are the most desirable versions.  scream used to impress by including multiple cuts even when barely warranted; now it seems the pendulum has swung in the other direction, and some of these 4ks are starting to feel like quick cash-ins on the excellent work they did before.

But, now I'm starting to get a little too negative, because no matter how you slice it, their new 3-disc release is easily the best edition of Silent Night, Deadly Night going.  If you've already got the 2017 edition, I'd consider this a very low priority to replace.  But if you don't already own this film, yeah, there's no reasonable argument to be made that the 2024 isn't the one to buy.


¹Schanie, A. (2010) Movie Confidential: Sex, Scandal, Murder and Mayhem In the Film Industry. Clerisy Press, p 108.