Search - Macabre on DVD

MPAA Rating: NR Content Advisory: Violence, Adult Situations, Not For Children Movie Release: 1980 DVD Release: 05/29/2001 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Audio Tracks: English SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 30 mins Studio: Anchor Bay Members Wishing: 1 Genres: Horror, Psychological Thriller See Also: Macabre, MacAbro

The feature directorial debut of Lamberto Bava (son of Italian horror legend Mario Bava), tells the twisted tale of a New Orleans wife whose fragile sanity is about to be shattered. Jane (Bernice Stegers) is swept up in a torrid affair when she leaves her two children home alone as she dashes out to rendezvous with her lover Fred on the other side of town. When Jane's bitterly jealous daughter Lucy (Veronica Zinny) uncovers evidence of her mother's infidelity, she decides to punish the misdeed by drowning her brother in a bathtub. Upon receiving news of the incident, Jane races home and gets into an automobile accident that proves the end of her lover, and leads to an extended stint in a local asylum for the devastated mother. Released a year later, Jane rents an apartment owned by blind landlord Robert. But why is Jane's freezer always locked up so tight, and just what emotional sway does the malevolent Lucy hold over her psychologically vulnerable mother? As the mystery deepens, it soon becomes apparent that Jane has lost all touch with reality, and that even in death she's not willing to let go of her lover. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

This first feature film from director Lamberto Bava (Demons) owes more to his father's films than to the more fantastical gorefests he would later complete. The widescreen anamorphic print transfer (aspect ratio of 1.85:1) is solid, with few flaws. The sound is an adequate Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono mix. The disc comes with a couple of extras, most notably an eight-minute on-camera interview with the director, in which he discusses the reasons for making the film, as well as the problems he encountered while filming it. The disc has the theatrical trailer as well as a bio on the director. Though low on features, this is nevertheless a nice representation for this eerie movie. ~ A.R. Ferguson, All Movie Guide