Blu-ray and 4K movie reviews: ‘Dr. Phibes Double Feature’ and ‘Scream’

Here’s a pair of reviews covering some classic horror films and the resurrection of a popular slasher franchise.

Dr. Phibes Double Feature (Kino Lorber, rated PG and PG-13, 1.85:1 aspect ratio, 183 minutes, $29.95) — One of my favorite horror icons growing up in the 1970s returns to the Blu-ray format to give a new generation of fans an extended evening of clever murders and a dose of dark British humor showcased in his two cinematic adventures.

Viewers first met former concert organist turned diabolical serial killer Dr. Anton Phibes (Vincent Price) in the 1971 campy classic “The Abominable Dr. Phibes.”

Phibes was out for revenge on a group of doctors he blamed for the death of his beloved wife Victoria (Caroline Munroe) in events that take on biblical proportions.

Compounding his rage, the musician was horribly disfigured from a car accident that occurred while going to the hospital to check on his wife.

He now uses Moses’ plagues to wipe out the nine doctors using bats, bees, rats, locusts and even a frog mask to smother a victim.

With the help of minion Vulnavia (Valli Kemp), he eludes the bumbling police including Inspector Trout (Peter Jeffrey), gets self-embalmed in a sarcophagus with his wife (in suspended animation) and then returns in the 1972 sequel “Dr. Phibes Rises Again.”

This time on a quest to resurrect his wife and attain immortality, his journey takes him to Egypt and another murderous rampage as the same incompetent detectives are in pursuit as well as Darius Biederbeck (Robert Quarry), a Dorian Grey-type character on a mission for his own eternal life.

Interestingly Price, an actor known for his distinctive voice, never speaks outright as his face is a reconstructive mask of prosthetic parts in both films. However, he still has plenty of devilish expressions and offers words when hooked into a vocal synthesizer.

Kino Lorber would have done well to have offered restored versions of films, especially as displayed in screen-filling presentations.

Although, the first movie has plenty of crisp and color-saturated moments, especially when examining the embalmed makeup work of Dr. Phibes (and his real grotesque face); or his art deco lairs complete with purple and red drapery and a pipe organ highlighted with neon red.

Unfortunately, the visuals suffer from many scratches and dirt specks popping up on the screen, and the second film has too much soft focus and a much drabber color palette.

No matter, Dr. Phibes’ legacy now continues in home theater realms to be appreciated by a new generation that can now enjoy a legendary killer who would influence horror filmmakers to this day.

Best extras: Viewers get two previously released commentary tracks for the first film, one with very old and slightly rambling director Robert Fuest (basically interviewed by film historian Marcus Hearn) and a much more informative overview focused on production design from the author of “The Dr. Phibes Companion,” Justin Humphreys.

Both of which are worthy of watching the movie multiple times just for the anecdotes and nostalgia trip.

For “Dr. Phibes Rises Again,” viewers also get two optional commentary tracks; one previously released track (from the 2014 Arrow release) with critic and author Tim Lucas and a new track with Mr. Humphreys.

Mr. Lucas offers intermittent introspection not only talking about the “troubled” sequel, in his words, but Fuest’s loss of control over the production (especially during editing) while covering Price’s career and touching on his declining popularity with studios due to age and the onset rift with Quarry.

Mr. Humphreys manages to not overlap Mr. Lucas too much and offers a much more positive take on the film, enjoying the lush musical score, offering much kudos to Price, countering the degree of tension between Quarry and Price, letting viewers know “it’s an art director’s movie” and pointing out the egregious cuts in the film.

Again, both tracks are worth watching the film two more times.

Scream (Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment, rated R, 2.39:1 aspect ratio, 115 minutes, $34.95) — The fifth film in the horror franchise, now available on the ultra-high definition disc format, brought back some familiar friends as well as a fresh group of high school victims for the latest iteration of the serial killer Ghostface.

Acting as a sequel as well as a reboot, the slasher whodunit takes viewers back to the small town of Woodsboro, 25 years after the first killing spree, to reveal Sam Carpenter (Melissa Barrera), the daughter of the original killer Billy Loomis, stuck in the midst of a new homicidal outbreak with her sister Tara (Jenna Ortega) and friends in imminent danger.

Directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett perfectly pick up the vibe of the series from the late Wes Craven and continue the clever twisting cliches of the slasher genre complete with splatters of comedic elements and plenty of grisly murders.

They also inject a welcomed level of nostalgia with original Scream characters Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), Dewey Riley (David Arquette) and Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) making crucial appearances.

When one compares the almost suffocating continuation of such franchises as “Halloween” and “Saw,” “Scream” is a breath of fresh air, although repackaged air, for its celebration of the horror genre.

The UHD presentation maintains an expected clarity but never has much reason to take advantage of high dynamic range enhancements due to the subdued color choices of the production design.

Best extras: Start with the always crucial optional commentary track starring Mr. Bettinelli-Olpin, Mr. Gillett, writers James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick and producer Chad Villella.

The enthusiastic group members are having fun, talking nonstop throughout as they offer an entertaining exploration of the film and its origins. They touch on nearly all facets including getting the chance to continue the franchise, writing the script, the three storylines, shooting sequences, the cast, the challenges of dealing with COVID-19 on the set, keeping within the mythology and bringing the older characters back.

Viewers also get three promotional and butt-kissing featurettes (averaging eight minutes each) covering the franchise’s legacy, comparing the originals to the current film and a homage to Craven’s work on “Scream.”