THE HORRIBLE DR. HICHCOCK On Blu-ray From Vinegar Syndrome

 

Vinegar Syndrome has released a super special edition of the famed Italian Gothic horror film THE HORRIBLE DR. HICHCOCK on 4K and Blu-ray. (For the purposes of this blog post, I will be reviewing the Blu-ray on this set, since I don't even have a 4K player. If there's anyone out there who would like to buy me a 4K player, go right ahead!) 

Vinegar Syndrome's release contains  two discs, a 4K and a Blu-ray. The 4K and Blu-ray discs have both the Italian and American cuts of the film, and the Blu-ray has all the extras as well. 

THE HORRIBLE DR. HICHCOCK is famed due to its starring Barbara Steele, and due to its rather lurid subject matter. For those who have not seen this film, let's just say that the main character, Prof. Bernard Hichcock (Robert Flemyng), likes his women passive--very, very passive. In 1885 London, the good doctor secretly subjects his wife to one of his kinky experiments, and the woman dies. The distraught Hichcock goes into exile for 12 years, and returns with a new wife, Cynthia (Barbara Steele). The doctor tries to go back to his old life, but that also includes his perverse hobbies....and is the first Mrs. Hichcock still alive, roaming the grounds of the estate? The innocent Cynthia soon realizes that there's a lot more to this marriage than she expected. 

THE HORRIBLE DR. HICHCOK (originally titled L'ORRIBILE SEGRETO DEL DR. HICHCOCK) was directed by Riccardo Freda and written by Ernesto Gastaldi, two important names in Eurocult cinema. Despite the main character's unusual tastes, the movie has very little gore and no nudity. It's a true 19th Century Gothic tale with luxurious color cinematography by Raffaele Masciocchi and opulent-looking production design by Franco Fumagalli (who in the main credits goes by the name Frank Smokecocks!) There's all sorts of stories about how little time it took to make this movie, but the visual aspects of it are right up there with the best Hammer horrors made during that company's golden period of the late Fifties and early Sixties. 

The name Dr. Hichcock was obviously a nod to Alfred Hitchcock, but there's more to the title than just a blatant name drop. THE HORRIBLE DR. HICHCOCK will remind viewers of such films by Sir Alfred as REBECCA, UNDER CAPRICORN, and SUSPICION. There's also a heavy influence from JANE EYRE. 

Despite Barbara Steele getting top billing, this is Robert Flemyng's film all the way. The English character actor was a strange choice for Dr. Hichcock (Flemyng wasn't even a major name in his native country). Flemyng plays the doctor in an unexpected manner--the man is quietly sinister instead of mad or outrageous (Hichcock does go off the rails during the climax). I think Flemyng's portrayal works very well, though some might want a mad scientist in the Bela Lugosi-Lionel Atwill mode. As for Barbara Steele, this is the only time in her Italian Gothic career where she played a truly generic damsel in distress. The role of Cynthia doesn't take advantage of Steele's ability to play dual characters, or at least characters with a dual nature, but she does make an extremely attractive scream queen. Harriet Medin offers up fine support as Hichcock's creepy housekeeper, a role the actress would inhabit in a number of other Italian Gothics. 

The original Italian 87 minute version of THE HORRIBLE DR. HICHCOCK is included on the Blu-ray, along with the 76 minute American cut. (Both versions are also on the 4K disc.) Vinegar Syndrome states that the full-length Italian version has been restored from its original 35mm camera negative, and the results are simply stunning. The American cut has also been restored from a 35mm negative, and it looks very impressive as well (though not as fantastic as the Italian version). Both versions have a 1.85:1 aspect ratio. The Italian version has Italian and English mono voice tracks with available English subtitles. The sound quality on the Italian version is much better than other home video releases of DR. HICHCOCK. The American version has an English mono voice track which is slightly different from the one on the Italian version, and this track also has some distortion on it. 

Vinegar Syndrome has filled this release with plenty of extras. There's a 40 page illustrated booklet with essays by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, Erica Shultz, and Nathaniel Thompson. Heller-Nicholas and Shultz focus mainly on the depraved desires of Dr. Hichcock, while Thompson discusses the film's production and its themes. Nathaniel Thompson also takes part in a brand new audio commentary which is on both the 4K and Blu-ray discs. Thompson is joined by Troy Howarth and Eugenio Ercolani. It's an excellent discussion, with the trio talking about the careers of Riccardo Freda and Ernesto Gastaldi. They also bring up the intriguing idea that Barbara Steele should have played both of Dr. Hichcock's wives. 

The Blu-ray also has a audio track featuring Barbara Steele and Russ Lanier. It is referred to as a scene select commentary track on the back of the disc case, but it's mainly a nearly half-hour interview in which Steele voices a number of opinions (at times it sounds as if she's reading from something she has already written down). It would have been much better if Steele had been able to do a full-length proper audio commentary. The Blu-ray also has three short featurettes. Two spotlight Marcello Avallone, who was an assistant director on DR. HICHCOCK. One has Avallone relating his memories about his relationship with Riccardo Freda, and the other has him discussing Italian horror films in general. The other featurette has an interview with Ernesto Gastaldi. Gastaldi is one of the few important names of Italian cult cinema still with us, and due to this he has been featured on the extras for many home video releases. If you buy the same time of cult movies as I do, you've no doubt heard most of the stories Gastaldi tells in this program from the other disc extras he has been on. I must point out that the three featurettes have very little discussion of DR. HICHCOCK. There's also an alternate English main title sequence, an original Italian trailer, and a still gallery. 

Vinegar Syndrome has put the Region A 4K and Blu-ray discs inside a slipcase with advertising art inside an overall case with new artwork. 

This is an outstanding release from Vinegar Syndrome, giving one of the great Italian Gothics the spotlight it deserves. Candelabras, negligees, sumptuous color, large portraits of dead wives, secret crypts, Barbara Steele.....it's all here, along with a very disturbing fetish. This is by far the ultimate version of THE HORRIBLE DR. HICHCOCK.