Catacombs (1965) (Blu-ray Review)
- Review Date: May 30, 2025
- Format: Blu-ray Disc
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Director
Gordon HesslerRelease Date(s)
1965 (June 5, 2024)Studio(s)
British Lion Films (Imprint Films/Via Vision Entertainment)- Film/Program Grade: B-
- Video Grade: A-
- Audio Grade: A-
- Extras Grade: B-
Review
[Editor’s Note: This is a Region-Free Australian Blu-ray import.]
Six years after the release of Jay Bennett’s debut novel Catacombs, Gordon Hessler, known mostly today for Amicus Productions and American International Pictures films like The Oblong Box and Scream and Scream Again, would helm his debut feature based upon Bennett’s novel. Released in 1965, Catacombs, or as it was titled in the US, The Woman Who Wouldn’t Die, didn’t make an enormous splash upon release, drawing comparisons to Edgar Allan Poe and Alfred Hitchcock, the latter of whom Hessler was trying not to emulate, but contained a story that more or less mimicked (as did in many other films) another psychological horror thriller released several years before. However, even referring to that film’s title would instantly spoil Catacombs for those who might be familiar with it.
Raymond (Gary Merrill) is married to the wealthy and domineering Ellen (Georgina Cookson), who occasionally has debilitating pains, for which she uses a mirror to put herself into a trance with in order to escape from the pain. Their existence is humdrum until Ellen’s grown-up niece Alice (Jane Merrow) arrives for a visit. Raymond is immediately smitten with Alice and the feeling is mutual, and after they’re caught in a loving embrace, Raymond murders Ellen and hides the body. Ellen’s contemptuous assistant Richard (Neil McCallum) helps Raymond by secretly hiring a lookalike (also Cookson) and murdering her in order to openly convince everyone, including the housekeeper Christine (Rachel Thomas), that Ellen died tragically. However, Raymond, haunted by Ellen’s memory, isn’t convinced that she’s really dead.
Purportedly, Catacombs is a much different story in the original novel, making far more use of actual catacombs than the film does, even making them a major plot point. In fact, in a rare instance of a US distributor changing the title of a film, The Woman Who Wouldn’t Die, which is much more sensational and exploitative, is also more descriptive of what the film is actually about. At the same time, the US poster art of a death-like figure with a lady’s leg sticking out makes it seem more like a horror romp of sorts than a thriller. It’s actually not much of a horror film at all, and the atmospheric material doesn’t kick in until nearly an hour in.
That’s not to say that Catacombs doesn’t have its positive aspects. Performances are strong across the board, particularly from Georgina Cookson and Jane Merrow, and there’s some risqué material at play, especially concerning sexual activity and an older man having an affair with a younger woman who’s essentially a family member, one that he knew when she was a small child. Yet the film is uneven on the whole, as intriguing as it is. The ending isn’t much of a shocker if you’ve seen these types of thrillers before, but good cinematography from Arthur Lavis (Witchcraft and The Earth Dies Screaming), decent atmosphere, and solid acting chops carry you through. It would have made for a fine evening at the movies in 1965 when it was double-billed as the B picture to William Conrad’s Brainstorm. Sometimes even Psycho was added to the bill, and since Gorgon Hessler didn’t want to be compared to Hitchcock, there’s irony there.
Catacombs was shot by cinematographer Arthur Lavis on 35mm black-and-white film using Arriflex cameras and spherical lenses, finished photochemically, and presented in the aspect ratio of 1.66:1. Imprint Films’ Region-Free Blu-ray release features a 2023 4K restoration of the original nitrate camera negative that was completed by StudioCanal, and encoded to a dual-layered BD-50 disc. It’s a crisp and attractive presentation with a mild but mostly well-attenuated layer of grain. The bitrate hovers mostly in the 25 to 30Mbps range, and only stock footage and opticals are the least-appealing visually. There’s also extremely mild telecine wobble and speckling, but very good contrast, with mostly deep blacks and some nice gradations, though some shots are occasionally a little flat. Overall, it’s quite an organic and satisfying image.
Audio is included in English 2.0 mono LPCM with optional subtitles in English SDH. It’s a clean audio presentation with only a mild hiss presentation from time to time. There’s plenty of support for dialogue and score, with only occasional sibilance. However, there no instances of crackle or dropouts.
Catacombs on Region-Free Blu-ray sits in a clear Amaray case with an insert featuring artwork from the film’s original UK theatrical quad poster on the front and a still from the film on the reverse. Everything sits in a slipcase featuring artwork from the original US theatrical poster, but with the Catacombs title instead of The Woman Who Wouldn’t Die. The following extras are included:
- Audio Commentary by Jonathan Rigby and Kevin Lyons
- Merrow & Merrill: Jane Merrow Remembers Catacombs (HD – 10:05)
- The Glynne-Miller Story: Renée Glynne and Colin Miller Remember Catacombs (HD – 7:42)
- Martelli & Martell: Carlo Martelli Remembers Catacombs (HD – 10:43)
- Stills Gallery (Upscaled SD – 94 in all – 4:43)
The extras begin with a new audio commentary featuring authors and film scholars Jonathan Rigby and Kevin Lyons. They offer an excellent examination of the film versus the original novel. They also delve into the careers of members of the cast and crew, discuss various facets of the story and the era in which it was made, and point out many of the film’s positives, as well as its lesser qualities. For a historical commentary, it’s definitely a cut above and well worth a listen. In Merrow & Merrill, actress Jane Merrow details how she became involved with the project, her excitement at working with Gordon Hessler and Gary Merrill, the fashion of the era, working at Shepperton Studios, being grateful for the revision of her career because of home video and streaming, getting along with the actors, the importance of acting, social media fans, and her final thoughts on the film. In The Glynne-Miller Story, continuity girl Renée Glynne and sound editor Colin Miller are interviewed separately and discuss their careers during this era, working in horror, the various members of the crew, what the set was like, and their duties on the film. In Martelli & Martell, composer Carlo Martelli talks about how he became a composer, becoming involved with the film, the editor attempting to help him unnecessarily, the nature of the recording sessions, and his retrospective feelings on the project. Last is a Stills Gallery (carried over from the Network DVD release) containing a total of 94 posters, production stills, behind-the-scenes photos, and publicity stills.
Though none of the film’s advertising materials have been included, there’s a high quality version of the films’ US trailer on Youtube, paired as a double feature with Brainstorm. It’s also likely that the opening credits featuring the title The Woman Who Wouldn’t Die are likely locked away at Warner Bros., since they distributed the film in the states. Regardless, Imprint’s Region-Free Blu-ray of Catacombs is a very fine release for those wanting to fill gaps in their 1960s black-and-white British thriller knowledge.
- Tim Salmons
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