House of the Long Shadows (1983) Blu-ray Review

In the history of horror cinema there are a few names that stand above the rest. Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Vincent Price, Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. These men played some of the legendary characters and brought us films that haunt our imaginations.

Well, in 1983 film legends Vincent Price, Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing and John Caradine joined forces for a horror comedy entitled House of the Long Shadows. Now the good folks at KL Studio Classics are giving this film a Blu-ray release.

When a young novelist (Desi Arnaz, Jr., Billy Two Hats) spends a night at Baldpate Manor to win a bet that he can turn out a bestselling thriller in 24 hours, he gets more than he wagers on. The grizzly Grisbane clan arrives to celebrate the 40th anniversary of a ghoulish family secret. And their dinner party has murder on the menu! Lightning. Thunder. Torrential rain. Clattering shutters. Creaking doors. A locked attic. A sinister secret. Murder! All the ingredients of the classic Old Dark House tale come together with the screen’s greatest gruesome foursome in this tongue-in-cheek chiller directed by cult filmmaker Pete Walker (The Flesh and Blood Show, House of Whipcord).

During this time in Vincent Price's career, he was doing a lot of spoof horror. Here he is joined by these other legends. The legends are amazing in this film, but Desi Arnaz Jr. plays this role a little too serious for me. I'm sure it was mean't to be that way, but a little more camp would have made it fun. He should have just been able to let go and have fun with it! Also the story is a bit muddy at times and the ending however not great. I won't spoil it here!

The film has been transferred to Blu-ray in 1080p and is presented in 1.85:1 aspect ratio. The soundtrack is a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. There is also the option for English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing. This new Blu-ray brings this 80s film to HD. The colors are vibrant, the picture quality is crisp, and the audio is clean. This is a really nice looking transfer!

Now Kino Lorber didn't stop at a tremendous looking transfer. They really went above and beyond for this release adding some great additional features. Take a look at the bonus features included on this Blu-ray release.

• Peter Walker's House of Horror: Interview with Director Pete Walker

• Audio Commentary by Author Derek Pykett and Director Peter Walker

• Audio Commentary by Film Historian David Del Valle

• House Of The Long Shadows… Revisited – Documentary

• Trailers: The House of the Long Shadows, The Blood Beast Terror, Die Screaming Marianne, House of Whipcord, The Abominable Dr. Phibes, Theater of Blood, The Whip and The Body, The Crimson Cult, Dr. Who and the Daleks, The Black Sleep, The Astro-Zombies, and Billy Two Hats.

Even with the film's flaws and less than stellar ending it is a fun little film to watch! And with the addition of not one but two audio commentaries, a special interview with 15 minute interview with director Pete Walker, trailers and the full length feature documentary House of the Long Shadows.. revisited. The addintion of this documentary takes this Blu-ray for cool to totally awesome!

If you love horror comedies and you enjoy the horror legend. The House of the Long Shadows is going to be a fun addition to your collection. Head over to Amazon and order your copy today!