Venom: 4K UHD Review
Available on 4K UHD for the very first time, is director Piers Haggard’s 1981 horror film, Venom, based on Alan Scholefield’s novel of the same name. This was the first viewing of the film for me. While I was familiar with Venom, I never got around to watching it. It was the fact that The Texas Chainsaw Massacre filmmaker, Tobe Hooper quit the project while filming that made me aware of Venom.
Ruth Hopkins (Cornelia Sharpe) is quite nervous about going on her trip, because her son, Philip (Lance Holcomb) suffers from asthma. Her father Howard (Sterling Hayden) assures Ruth that his grandson will be fine, and they also have the maid Louise (Susan George) and their driver Dave (Oliver Reed). Everything should be just fine. Unfortunately, what the family does not know is that Louise and her boyfriend Jacques Müller (Klaus Kinski) are international criminals, and they plan to kidnap Philip for a large ransom. Louise even convinced Dave to work with them. After all, the Hopkins family are very wealthy.
The plan was working until Philip is accidentally given the wrong box at the pet store, and he winds up bringing home one of the deadliest snakes in the world, the black mamba. It doesn’t take long for the snake to claim its’ first victim. Louise takes a bite on the face and dies shortly after. When the police are alerted, that Philip accidentally brought home a deadly animal by Dr. Marion Stowe (Sarah Miles), an officer arrives at the residence only to be shot with a shotgun by Dave. Now the entire police force has taken over the block, and Philip and Howard are trapped in the house with two bad guys and a black mamba. Dr. Stowe is also the only one with the anti-venom and Commander William Bulloch (Nicol Williamson) has no intention of letter her enter the house. Unfortunately, they are both outsmarted by Jacques and now he has an extra hostage and the anti-venom.
As someone who is extremely afraid of snakes (even the non-venomous ones), I have to say that the black mamba attacks in the film are unsettling to say the least. It’s not about blood or anything like that. I found the reptile with the black mouth to be nightmare-inducing. The hissing sound the animal makes didn’t help matters. These attacks are quick and sometimes unexpected. The moment the mamba jumped out of the dresser was the scariest moment for me. As for the human element of the film, it’s a good thing Klaus Kinski turned down Raiders of the Lost Ark to do Venom, because he is the film’s stand-out actor.
Blue Underground’s new 2160p presentation was sourced from the original camera negative and presented with Dolby Vision. As mentioned prior, this was my first time viewing for me, but I can say that the new 4K restoration looks great. Mostly set within the family home, the rooms look incredibly detailed. Colors are sharp, just look at Louise’s skin when she turns blue from the snake bite. The outdoor locations also pop. A perfect example is when Phillip is taking a taxi ride through the city. We also got a new Dolby Atmos audio track which was created for this release. While I am not sure if any upgrade from the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 was necessary for this film, the new track delivers on the film’s more thrilling moments. If you are a fan of Venom, I recommend picking up this release.
Bonus Materials:
- Audio Commentary #1 with Director Piers Haggard
- NEW! Audio Commentary #2 with Film Historians Troy Howarth, Nathaniel Thompson and Eugenio Ercolani
- NEW! Fangs For The Memories – Interview with Editor/Second Unit Director Michael Bradsell
- NEW! A Slithery Story – Interview with Makeup Artist Nick Dudman
- NEW! Mamba Memories – Interview with Author & Critic Kim Newman
- NEW! Pick Your Poison – Interview with The Dark Side’s Allan Bryce
- Trailers
- TV Spots
- NEWLY EXPANDED! Poster & Still Gallery
By: Marc Ferman
