Why So Blu?

The Outing / The Godsend – Double Feature (Blu-ray Review)

A gift from Heaven…or a curse from Hell! Scream Factory presents a quartet of supernatural thrillers with brand new HD transfers. All part of the Scream Factory All Night Horror Marathon and All Night Horror Marathon 2 releases on DVD in 2013,fans called for better video transfers and here they are! The Outing & The Godsendand Cellar Dweller & Catacombs make their Blu-ray debut on July 14, 2015.  This is exciting to be seeing them make the jump, and maybe one day the remaining four films (C’mon The Dungeonmaster Blu-ray!!!) will get to see double feature releases too.  This review will be focusing on the two films coming from the Volume 1 release; the super campy The Outing and The Godsend.

The Outing 

An ancient genie is released from a lamp when thieves ransack an old woman’s house. They are killed and the lamp is sent to a museum to be studied. The curator’s daughter is soon possessed by the genie and invites her friends to spend the night at the museum, along with some uninvited guests.

No, they didn’t mess up the movie, the alternate title of the film is The Lamp.  The print of the movie and the title on the box don’t match up.  Doesn’t matter, its the same thing.  This cut of The Lamp is actually the longest cut of the film and includes all the bloody goodness.  While both titles actually fit the bill, The Lamp edges it out in horror relevance.

Here’s one of those 80s horror movies that doesn’t really scare but provides a whole lot of over the top and silly fun.  There is one very mean spirited moment in the film, but aside from that you’ll be giggling solidly, especially during the film’s final run.  It also contains one of the most RIDICULOUS 80s bullies on the planet.  This guy is a complete a-hole that could only exist in a movie.  Oh, and its got a sorta bo-staff wielding teacher who kicks his ass.  See, there’s all sorts of fun, plus some goopy bloody goodness to go with it.  You gotta check out The Outing, its a good riot.  Its one of my favorites from the original Horror Marathon releases.

The Godsend 

When a strange woman has her baby at the Marlowe’s house, then disappears, Kate Marlowe is forced to keep the baby, Bonnie. She loves the child, but when her own children are systematically killed, suspicion turns to Bonnie.

This is one of those movies that is a bit more effective now that I am a parent.  Translation – it was a bit brutal, disturbing and upsetting to watch.  This little evil girl one by one goes and kills her foster siblings.  And its just mortifying to see the father constantly carrying the dead bodies of his children every 10-12 minutes.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m not one of those people that hates a movie or calls it bad because it got to me (its doing its job), I’m saying its incredibly effective in that regard.

The Godsend is on the latter end of all the Omen cashin ins that started running a muck after it was a hit.  I guess you’d call it the “evil/satanic child” horror subgenre.  Its also an early film from Cannon.  The film is decently directed and acted, plays on its horror and drama angles well and makes for an effective little film.  Its just a bit more brutal when it comes to exactly “who” its killing off for the horror.

Video

The Outing 

The Godsend 

Encoding: MPEG-4 AVC

Resolution: 1o80p

Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 

Clarity/Detail:  Both films are a bit soft to the touch here.  Godsend really has a fuzzy look to it and that’s pretty much unavoidable because of how its filmed.  Great detail shines through in stuff such as wooden surface texture and grain.  The Outing is a bit rougher with not a lot of detail overall and some blurriness to it, but when you compare this to the DVD release of it from Scream Factory a few years ago, this is a MASSIVE step up even if its a bit rough of a transfer.

Depth:  Godsend does a decent job of looking a bit loose, with smoother movements.  The Outing has a bit more blur to it and isn’t really too sharp.

Black Levels:  Blacks can be a bit intrusive and make things hard to see, especially at the beginning of The Outing.  Plenty of detail hidden and things are hard to see.  Maybe its intent (It is a really low budget film after all).  Things are less problematic on The Godsend.  Blacks are accurate and no real issues occur.

Color Reproduction:  Colors look very good on both.  Reds stick out and the rad 80s colors on The Outing get their time to shine.

Flesh Tones:  Flesh tones lean natural and are consistent on both.  Facial features like freckles, wrinkles and such look good on The Godsend, while The Outing’s face have a smoothness and lack of detail much of the time.

Noise/Artifacts:  Both feature grain, specs, dirt and some light scratches.

Audio

The Outing 

The Godsend 

Audio Format(s): English 2.0 DTS-HD MA

Subtitles: English

Dynamics:  Both films feature solid work done.  The score on Godsend sometimes gets a little bit too loud and shrieking in the mix, but really that’s my only true qualm with either.  Respecting these film’s elements and just what kind they are, I think this is a pretty solid presentation.

Low Frequency Extension: N/A

Surround Sound Presentation: N/A

Dialogue Reproduction: Both feature clear, clean dialogue at a optimal volume.  Some s’s on Godsend hiss, but no other real infractions occur.

Extras 

The inside cover features some promotional photos and lobby card images from each film.

The Godsend Trailer (HD, 1:55)

Summary 

Whether or not this is the greatest Blu-ray ever isn’t what’s the point here.  Are these two both a significant upgrade over their DVD All Night Horror Marathon predecessors?  And the answer is a resounding YES.  The Outing actually gets to be in its natural aspect ratio and The Godsend looks much cleaner than before.  Sadly, no real bonus features are present here (There weren’t any before), but you’re getting two movies for the price of a single and that’s more a bonus than people give credit for.  These two are a weird pairing, but I think its because they shared a disc on the previous edition.