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Ghost Canyon

Audrey Rose: Special Edition [Blu-ray]
(Anthony Hopkins, Marsha Mason, John Beck, et al / Blu-ray / NR / (1977) 2022 / Arrow Films - MVD Visual)

Overview: Master filmmaker Robert Wise began his career with horror classics The Curse of the Cat People and The Body Snatcher for producer Val Lewton. His career would go on to include westerns, thrillers, science fiction and musicals, earning him two academy awards for Best Director.

In 1963 he returned to his Lewtonian roots with the classic ghost story The Haunting. In 1977 he returned once more with the supernatural thriller Audrey Rose.

All Bill and Jane Templeton wish for is a quiet, peaceful life with their 11-year-old daughter Ivy. But their dreams turn to nightmares as Ivy is besieged first by terrifying memories of events that never occurred ... and then by a mysterious stranger who stalks her every move, and claims that Ivy was in fact his daughter in another life.

Released in the wake of The Exorcist and The Omen, Audrey Rose is an intelligent, heartfelt drama that approaches it’s subject with an open mind and seriousness of intent that caught many off guard but typifies Wise’s previous genre forays.

Sensitively played by a sterling cast at the top of their game, this under seen gem deserves a place on the shelf of any fan of classic horror.

Blu-ray Verdict: Audrey Rose is a strange little tale of reincarnation. The story centers around a Janice (Marsha Mason) and Bill (John Beck) Templeton, a New York city couple who have a wonderful daughter named Ivy. Their lives are fairly normal, that is until a stranger (Anthony Hopkins) begins to stalk Ivy, claiming that within her body is the reincarnated spirit of his daughter, Audrey Rose, who burned to death in a horrible car accident.

Of course, the Templetons think this stranger, named Elliot, is a madman. But when Ivy begins having horrible nightmares, running through her room, and banging on her bedroom window with her fists, they begin to wonder if Elliot’s claims may just be true!

From the director of the horror classic, The Haunting, Robert Wise, comes this bizarre but spooky little tale of reincarnation, but the story is based on Frank DeFelitta’s novel of the same name, and the plot is nonetheless fascinating.

Reincarnation was a topic that hadn’t really been addressed at the time, but while this film is constructed all around the basic idea of reincarnation, many people have mistaken it for some sort of Exorcist rip-off, mainly because of the fact that it displays horrible events plaguing a young girl. It’s an intelligent premise and a well-written plot, but the problem with the film is that it is quite plodding and almost too slow for it’s own good.

Now, please don’t get me wrong, as I don’t have a problem with slow-going stories, but I think most people can agree that the pacing here is a little tedious at times. On the plus side, there are some genuinely frightening hysteria sequences involving the young Ivy, along with the awful car crash death in the beginning that is the basis of the film.

As far as the acting goes, it was all good - some of the hysteria scenes were obviously overacted, but aside from that it wasn’t bad. Marsha Mason conveys a very emotional, frantic mother, while John Beck isn’t given much to work with. The brilliant Anthony Hopkins plays Elliot (in one of his earlier roles, before The Silence Of The Lambs fame that he earned later in his career) quite well, which isn’t surprising because he’s always good.

And Susan Swift (who much later appeared in a Halloween sequel), plays the tormented Ivy. I’m actually surprised we didn’t see more of her as an actress, as she seems to have had the potential, in my humble opinion.

To sum things up, Audrey Rose is a very decent horror movie. The story line is excellent, but unfortunately the pacing here breaks a lot of tension. On the plus side, there are some frightening scenes and a few memorable sequences, plus the story is intelligent and original.

While it’s a decent horror movie, it’s not the kind of movie you can sit down and watch if you’re in a tired mood, because it will likely aid in your sleepiness, at times. So go into it with an open mind, but don’t expect anything in terms of The Haunting or Wise’s other films, as this one is a little more left of center, so to speak.

Special Features:
Brand new 2K restoration by Arrow Films from a new 4K scan of the original 35mm camera negative
High Definition (1080p) Blu-Ray presentation
Original lossless mono audio
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Brand new audio commentary by film critic Jon Towlson
Faith and Fraud, a brand new interview with magician Adam Cardone about reincarnation and belief in Audrey Rose
Then and Now, a brand new featurette looking at the New York locations used in the film
I’ve Been Here Before, archive visual essay by Lee Gambin looking at reincarnation in cinema
Investigator: The Paranormal World of Frank De Felitta, an archive interview with the author and scriptwriter of Audrey Rose
The Role of a Mother, an archive Interview with Marsha Mason
Hypnotist: Inside the score for Audrey Rose, an archive interview with film music historian Daniel Schweiger
Theatrical trailer
Image gallery
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Christopher Shy
FIRST PRESSING ONLY: fully illustrated collectors booklet featuring new writing by critics Kimberly Lindbergs and Johnny Mains

Audrey Rose Original Trailer (Robert Wise, 1977)

www.ArrowFilms.com

www.MVDvisual.com





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