Gothic was released in 1986 but might as well have been filmed in the ‘60s with its psychedelic-like filmmaking style which some might find a lot of fun, but I felt was more confusing and even tedious. The performances at least weren’t bad headlined by Natasha Richardson along with respectable production design.
Gothic
(1986)
Genre(s): Horror, Supernatural, Suspense
Lionsgate | R – 87 min. – $39.97 | January 30, 2018
Date Published: 02/01/2018 | Author: The Movieman
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THE MOVIE — 2.25/5 |
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Plot Synopsis: 1816. A sprawling villa in Switzerland is the setting for the night of the “Haunted Summer,” when five famous friends gather around an ancient skull to conjure up their darkest fears. Poets Lord Byron (GABRIEL BYRNE) and Percy Shelley (JULIAN SANDS); Shelley’s fiancée, Mary Godwin (NATASHA RICHARDSON); Mary’s stepsister, Claire Clairmont (MYRIAM CYR); and Byron’s friend, Dr. John Polidori (TIMOTHY SPALL), spend a hallucinogenic evening confronting their fears in an orgiastic frenzy of shock and lunacy that later inspired Mary Shelley to write the classic Frankenstein and Dr. Polidori to pen The Vampyre, which became the basis for the creation of Dracula. Quick Hit Review: Gothic tells a story I wasn’t all that familiar with and had been told again in cinemas two years later with Haunted Summer, and I have to say, despite the cheesy yet creepy cover artwork, I wasn’t all that enamored with the film. Sure, the setting is well done with the production design and I didn’t have a problem with the performances, however I found it, when I wasn’t utterly confused what was going on (as presumably you need some recreational assistance), I actually was a tad bored and really couldn’t wait for it to end. Is it awful? No, but I really have little desire to revisit, though I wouldn’t mind checking out Haunted Summer one day… |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 3.0/5 |
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This release comes with a sleek glossy slip cover. Audio Commentary – This is more of an interview style track with Lisi Russell and Film Historian Matthew Melia Isolated Score Selections and Audio Interview with Composer Thomas Dolby – Kind of interesting especially if you’re into movie scores like I am. Interviews:
This is probably the most interesting set of features as each participant gives their recollection of their parts in the movie and thankfully these were just short, fluff pieces. Also included is a TV Spot (0:34; HD), the Theatrical Trailer (2:17; HD) and a Still Gallery (4:08; HD). |
VIDEO – 4.0/5 |
| Lionsgate releases Gothic through their Vestron Video Collector’s Series line (#13), presented in its original 1.85 widescreen aspect ratio and given a remastered 1080p high-definition transfer. This looks wonderfully clean of any noticeable dust marks or scratches and colors tended to be rich and stood out against the darker interiors and all in all, well defined details. |
AUDIO – 3.75/5 |
| The provided DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track is serviceable outputting crisp and clear dialogue levels but also showing off nice depth especially with the lightning strikes or the mood-enhancing score. Nothing outstanding but still notable. |
OVERALL – 3.0/5 |
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Overall, Gothic was released in 1986 but might as well have been filmed in the ‘60s with its psychedelic-like filmmaking style which some might find a lot of fun, but I felt was more confusing and even tedious. The performances at least weren’t bad headlined by Natasha Richardson along with respectable production design. The Blu-ray released through Lionsgate’s “Vestron Video Collector’s Series” has good video/audio transfers and a fine amount of features. |
Check out some more 1080p screen caps by going to page 2. Please note, these do contain spoilers.