The Doctor and the Devils might not be a well known horror-thriller but it’s a well made one headed by fine performances by Timothy Dalton and Jonathan Pryce with a good and darkly fun story.
The Doctor and the Devils
(1985)
Genre(s): Horror, Drama
Shout Factory | R – 93 min. – $24.97 | November 4, 2014
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MOVIE INFO: Directed by: Freddie Francis Writer(s): Dylan Thomas (original screenplay), Ronald Harwood (screenplay) Cast: Timothy Dalton, Jonathan Pryce, Twiggy, Julian Sands, Patrick Stewart DISC INFO: Audio: English (DTS-HD MA 2.0) |
PLOT SYNOPSIS
Thomas Rock (TIMOTHY DALTON) is a brilliant young anatomy professor in 1920s Edinburgh. At first accepting only the cadavers provided him for study – those of a few hanged criminals per year – Rock eventually recruits two grave robbers (JONATHAN PRYCE and STEPHEN REA) to secure a better supply of corpses. Coming to the gory conclusion that they will earn more the “fresher” the corpses, the two begin committing murder and delivering warm bodies to the doctor’s lecture chambers.
SPECIAL FEATURES – 2.0/5
The features are relatively light but better than nothing as we get an Audio Commentary with Steve Haberman, New Interviews (15:42; HD) with Producers Mel Brooks and Jonathan Sanger and Sanger’s assistant, Randy Auerbach and the Theatrical Trailer (1:32; SD).
VIDEO – 3.5/5
The Doctor and the Devils rises from the grave onto Blu-ray presented with a 2.35 widescreen aspect ratio and a 1080p high-definition transfer. The picture for this nearly 20-year-old movie doesn’t always look the best and although there are some minor dust marks and scratches, but details are good while darker scenes do sometimes show heavy grain. Even so, it’s more than an acceptable transfer.
AUDIO – 4.0/5
The DTS-HD Master Audio Stereo track gets the job done showing off clear dialogue levels and other elements, although minor, come through well enough, however the bulk of the track is centrally located.
OVERALL – 3.0/5
Overall, The Doctor and the Devils might not be a well known horror-thriller but it’s a well made one headed by fine performances by Timothy Dalton and Jonathan Pryce with a good and darkly fun story. The Blu-ray released by Shout Factory, via their Scream Factory line, and has fine video and audio transfers while the special features are relatively ordinary.
Published: 11/04/2014