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Scream of the Banshee (Blu-ray)
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray B - United Kingdom - G2 Pictures Review written by and copyright: Samuel Scott (23rd July 2014). |
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The Film
 ***This is a technical review only. For reviews on the movie from various critics, we recommend visiting HERE.*** ACCORDING TO IRISH LORE, IF YOU HEAR A BANSHEE SCREAM, YOU WILL DIE... When a college professor opens up a strange, ornate box, discovered in the basement of a university, she and her students hear a horrifying scream. They think nothing of it, until that scream begins to haunt them in strange and surreal ways. As people start dying one by one it becomes clear that the merciless banshee is out to teach them the ultimate lesson. SCREAM OF THE BANSHEE is directed by Steven C. Miller (Automation Transfusion) and stars LAUREN HOLLY (NCIS, Dumb and Dumber) and LANCE HENRIKSEN (Aliens, The Terminator).
Video
Independent British distributor G2 Pictures have released the After Dark Horror movie "Scream of the Banshee" on to Blu-ray in the United Kingdom at an aspect ratio of 1.78:1 (original aspect ratio is 1.85:1). The transfer is 1080p and uses an AVC MPEG-4 encode. Unfortunately, it looks no better than an up-scaled DVD. Shot on 35mm, the grain structure is quite heavy throughout, looking natural for the most part. On occasion however, the transfer becomes rather noisy, especially in the darker shots. Lighter colours are ordinarily okay, but darker shades (especially blacks), lack definition and clarity, resulting in some crush and blockiness. Some light banding can be spotted in the backgrounds of panning shots, and aliasing creeps in along window sills and other distant edges, particularly in buildings. Facial close-ups can look waxy, but I don't know if this is due to overblown lighting issues, or perhaps some minor digital noise reduction. Details are average at best, and often inadequate. The environments look drab and musky, but the poor transfer equates to an overall loss of depth, making these locales rather flat. On the plus side, apart from some very scant flecks, the print is virtually damage free, with no obvious scratches or other such blemishes. The disc is region B locked, and the feature is uncut, running 90:07.
Audio
G2 Pictures have provided us with a single audio track; English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Thankfully, this fares a little better than the transfer, with the score making full use of the surrounds and mixing up the volume levels according to the intensity and horror in the scene in question. The LFE gets a couple of boosts from subtle effects such as slamming doors, but is otherwise reasonable quiet. Overall, the track is actually quite basic. Dialogue is firmly stuck to the front speakers, with separation minimal, and directionality lacks conviction. The occasional environmental effect (like insects) flows from the surrounds, but it doesn't really add to the depth too much. There are no issues with the track such as drop outs or scratches. No subtitles have been included.
Extras
The extra features are unsubstantial and self-explanatory. Bonus Trailer: - "After Dark Originals Main Event" (2:46) Start-up Trailers: - "The Task" (2:23) - "51" (1:44) - "Seconds Apart" (2:25) Theatrical Trailer (2:06)
Overall
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