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Region 4 Winners and Losers

Region 4 Winners and Losers

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Explanatory Notes
Additions or corrections (Please refer to the Explanatory Notes before emailing an addition or correction to this listing)
Title Best
City of the Dead, The (Horror Hotel)R1

    The film has previously been released by MRA in Region 4 under the US release title Horror Hotel. I have a copy of this DVD which I had not gotten around to watching when I received the review copy of the new release, so my comparison is based on a brief audition of the earlier release. The film is presented in an aspect ratio of 1.72:1 but is not 16x9 enhanced, and runs 75:57. Extras amount to two pages of text about the film and two pages of biographical material about Christopher Lee. The transfer is quite poor in contrast, very blurry and washed out. The Umbrella edition is certainly an improvement on the older release.

    The film has also been released in the US in two Region 1 editions. Elite Entertainment released a transfer of a 16mm print in an aspect ratio of 1.75:1, which I believe was not 16x9 enhanced.

    VCI have released the film in Region 1 under the original British title. This edition is 16x9 enhanced in an aspect ratio of 1.66:1. It contains the following extras:

  • Interviews with Christopher Lee, John Llewellyn Moxey and Venetia Stevenson
  • Audio Commentary with Christopher Lee and Jason Slater
  • Audio Commentary with John Llewellyn Moxey
  • Theatrical Trailer
  • Photo Gallery
  • Cast and Crew Biographies
  • Reversible Slick

    Reviews indicate that the transfer is of the same quality as the Region 4, though perhaps cleaned up more. The interviews total about 90 minutes, half of which is devoted to Lee. Opinions vary on the quality of the commentaries, but Moxey's appears to be more concerned with artistic choices and has frequent pauses, while Lee spends a lot of time describing the on-screen action in between anecdotes about the cast and horror films in general.

    As noted above, this disc comes as part of a set devoted to Amicus. The UK Region 2 Amicus Collection contains five of the six films in this set, but not this one.

    Based on the copious extras, the Region 1 seems to be the best version, but I doubt whether anyone would be disappointed with the Region 4, particularly as you get 5 more horror films into the bargain. It does cost a bit more though.