Review: Blue Underground's New 4K Release of Shocker 'Two Evil Eyes' Stuns

Edgar Allen Poe's writing has inspired some of the creepiest and most unsettling films ever made – looking at you, Roger Corman's "The Masque of the Red Death"– so it should come as no surprise that the Dario Argento/George Romero team-up anthology movie based upon Poe's work brings the thrills, even if the chills don't necessarily rise to the challenge. Romero's segment in the beginning feels like a somewhat-lame retread of Poe hallmarks without the director's usual resourcefulness, while the Argento-directed segment is balls-to-the-wall inanity that is equally harebrained, but at least directed with gusto.

Blue Underground upgrades their previous edition of "Two Evil Eyes" to 4K Ultra HD with Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos audio in tow. The result is, expectedly, stellar and further cements BU's permanent place within genre film revival and distribution. They've clearly given this erstwhile film a top-of-the-line edition that I can't expect will ever be topped. Plus, they've carried over all the special features produced for the previous Blu-ray. If you're a fan of either director, I wouldn't hesitate to pick up this release.

In the first segment of "Two Evil Eyes," "The Facts in the Case of Mr. Valdemar," conniving wife Jessica (Adrienne Barbeau) and her lover plot to steal the fortune from her rich, dying husband. Naturally, some things go bump in the night in their plan, and they're met with all kinds of surprises, even with Jessica's husband being six feet underground. The second segment, "The Black Cat," follows a crime scene photographer (Harvey Keitel) and his descent into madness, caused by his girlfriend's black feline companion.

As if this could ever be overstated, Blue Underground's work on the film should be rightfully heralded; the new 4K 16-bit scan from the original camera negative is nothing short of stunning. The same goes for the new Dolby Atmos audio track. If you have a home theater setup capable of playing Atmos content, it's worth noting that this particular track is boastful in all of the right ways. It's an audiophile's dream.

If you're a fan of the shocking short stories written by Poe, or just of Argento and Romero in general, I'm sure you'll get plenty of enjoyment out of this terrific release. Although these short features don't rank in the top echelon of the oeuvre of either filmmaker, it certainly has the fun trappings they're both known for. That alone is worthy of watching in 4K.

Special features include:

� Audio commentary with Troy Howarth, author of "Murder By Design: The Unsane Cinema of Dario Argento"
� Theatrical trailer
� Poster & still gallery
� "Two Masters' Eyes" - Interviews with directors Dario Argento & George Romero, special make-up effects supervisor Tom Savini, executive producer Claudio Argento, and Asia Argento
� "Savini's EFX" - A behind-the-scenes look at the film's special make-up effects
� "At Home With Tom Savini" - A personal tour of Tom Savini's home
� Adrienne Barbeau on George Romero
� "Before I Wake" - interview with star Ramy Zada
� "Behind the Wall" - interview with star Madeleine Potter
� "One Maestro and Two Masters" - interview with composer Pino Donaggio
� "Rewriting Poe" - interview with co-writer Franco Ferrini
� "The Cat Who Wouldn't Die" - interview with assistant director Luigi Cozzi
� "Two Evil Brothers" - interview with special make-up assistant Everett Burrell
� "Working with George" - interview with costume designer Barbara Anderson

"Two Evil Eyes" is now available in a 4K Blu-ray and standard Blu-ray edition from Blue Underground.