Formerly a film editor at RKO Radio Pictures, Robert Wise became a director starting with The Curse of the Cat People (1944), which he shared co-directing duties with Gunther von Frisch for producer Val Lewton. He would make one more horror film for Lewton – The Body Snatcher (1945) – before an 18-year break from the genre before returning with The Haunting (1963), which was sandwiched between his two Oscar winning films West Side Story (1961) and The Sound of Music (1965). Wise would return to his horror roots one more time with Audrey Rose during the 1970’s. Previously released on DVD by MGM and on Blu-ray in a limited batch run by Twilight Time and Imprint Films, Arrow Video has revived the movie on Blu-ray for a brand new release here in the states.
The Production: 4/5
The Templetons – 11-year-old Ivy (Susan Swift) and parents Bill (John Beck) and Janice (Marsha Mason) – appear to be the picture of the typical New York City family. However, their seemingly placid existence is shattered with Ivy’s increasingly frightening nightmares and the presence of Elliott Hoover (Anthony Hopkins), who claims that Ivy is the reincarnation of his departed daughter Audrey Rose. With these factors and tensions coming to a head – particularly over Janice’s gradual belief in Hoover’s own belief of reincarnation and Bill’s outright rejection of it – a climatic trial and hypnosis session will reveal the truth and test the faith of everyone involved…
For his last sojourn into the supernatural, director Robert Wise fills Audrey Rose with a sense of both the unknown as well as the hopeful. Adapted from the Frank De Felitta novel of the same name – De Felitta wrote the script as well as serving as co-producer – the movie follows in the wake of both The Exorcist (1973) and The Omen (1976) but charts its own path by dealing with the concept of reincarnation rather than soul possession (something of an anomaly in this era of horror cinema). Wise’s days of working for Val Lewton are clearly evident here, as atmosphere and slow burning tension drips from each corner of the Upper West Side of Manhattan throughout the proceedings (and clearly from the amazing opening sequence prior to the opening credits); and the director’s not alone in pulling this off: he has the talents of production designer Harry Horner, costume designer Dorothy Jeakins, cinematographer Victor J. Kemper and composer Michael Small at his disposal to help bring the story to life. If there’s only one major flaw with the film, it’s that one of the four key performances here is not aligned with the other three (more about that soon); also, the film’s nearly two hour running time and deliberate pacing may be a bit off putting for those who prefer their supernatural films swift and to the point. Nevertheless, Audrey Rose is still a nicely done film by a master filmmaker who treats the subject matter here with respect and some restraint as well; it’s one movie that’s definitely worthy of reappraisal.
Top billed here, Marsha Mason – in her first film following her first Oscar nominated role in Cinderella Liberty (1973) – does a splendid job as Janice, who first doubts then comes to believe in the idea of reincarnation; the same year this movie was released, shoe would receive another Oscar nomination for one of her best performances in the adaptation of Neil Simon’s The Goodbye Girl. In his first foray into the horror genre, Anthony Hopkins fully rivals Mason in a brilliantly subdued performance as the father of the eponymous child who believes that Ivy is her reincarnated form; he would return to the genre with greater success as Hannibal Lecter – in an Oscar winning triumph – in The Silence of the Lambs (1991). Susan Swift – in her debut role – is convincing young Ivy although the same can’t be said for John Beck, who apparently tries a little too hard in his performance as the skeptical Bill to keep up with Mason, Hopkins and Swift. Filling out the cast are John Hillerman (nearly unrecognizable without the mustache here) as the district attorney, Norman Lloyd as the hypnotist Dr. Lipscomb in the climax, Stephen Pearlman as the attorney and friend of the Templetons, Mary Jackson as the head nun of a Catholic boarding school Ivy attends during the trial, Robert Walden as Brice Mack, Richard Lawson as a police officer and Aly Wassil as the Hindu holy man who testifies to the belief of reincarnation during the trial.
Video: 4.5/5
3D Rating: NA
The film is presented in its original 1:85:1 aspect ratio, taken from a 2K restoration by Arrow Films from a new 4K scan of the original 35mm camera negative. Film grain, color palette and fine details appear to be faithfully represented with only minor cases of scratches, nicks, tears and dirt present; this release also has the original United Artists/Transamerica logo at the start of the film, seen for the first time on home video since its initial theatrical release. Overall, this release is likely the best the movie will ever look on home video and surpasses all previous incarnations on home video.
Audio: 5/5
The film’s original mono soundtrack is presented on a PCM track for this release. Dialogue, sound mix and Michael Small’s hauntingly beautiful and moody score are all given a strong and clear presentation with minimal cases of distortion, clicking, flutter, crackling, popping and hissing present here. Again, this release is likely the best the movie will ever sound on home video and is an improvement over previous home video editions.
Special Features: 4/5
Commentary by film critic Jon Towlson – Recorded for this release, Towlson goes over some of the background on the movie’s production as well as its relation to other movies dealing with reincarnation as well as
Faith and Fraud: A Wizard’s Perspective on Audrey Rose (18:49) – Magician Adam Cardone talks about the concept of reincarnation, its belief and how its applied in the movie in this brand new interview.
Never Birth Nor Death (4:27) – A comparison of the NYC locations featured in the movie and how they look today, accompanied with a selection from Michael Small’s score.
Investigator: The Paranormal World of Frank De Felitta (16:53) – Carried over from the Imprint Blu-ray, the author of the novel and screenwriter/co-producer of the movie talks about his work in television dealing with the supernatural leading up to this movie as well as the movie itself.
The Role of a Mother (17:55) – Also carried over from the Imprint Blu-ray, Marsha Mason talks about her memories working with Robert Wise as well as her own belief in reincarnation beyond the relation to her role in the movie.
Hypnotist: Inside the Score of Audrey Rose (16:53) – Film music historian Daniel Schweiger breaks down Michael Small’s music in the movie in this interview carried over from the Imprint Blu-ray.
I’ve Been Here Before (17:30) – Another carryover from the Imprint Blu-ray, Lee Gambin’s visual essay looking at how reincarnation was utilized in film prior to Audrey Rose, ranging from The Mummy (1932) to On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (1970) and The Reincarnation of Peter Proud (1975).
Image Gallery (107)
Theatrical Trailer (1:35)
Booklet feat. essays by film critics Kimberly Lindbergs and Johnny Mains (1st pressing only)
Noticeably missing on this release are the original teaser trailer present on the 1998 MGM DVD, the isolated score track and the booklet with an essay by Julie Kirgo on the Twilight Time Blu-ray, and a commentary track by Samm Deighan and interview with author/film historian Kim Newman on the Region Free Imprint Blu-ray.
Overall: 4/5
Drawing a mixed reception and an underwhelming take at the box office, Audrey Rose is nonetheless an interesting work from Robert Wise that dared to take a different path in 1970’s horror cinema and is worth a second look. Arrow Video has likely given the movie its best home video release to date with a solid HD transfer – restoring the original UA logo – and a good mix of new and legacy special features (although not everything from previous releases was carried over). Highly recommended and worth getting if you missed out on getting either or both the Twilight Time and Imprint Blu-rays (but hold on them if you do have them for the special features not included on this release).
Audrey Rose (Special Edition) [Blu-ray]
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Mychal has been on the Home Theater Forum’s reviewing staff since 2018, with reviews numbering close to 300. During this time, he has also been working as an assistant manager at The Cotton Patch – his family’s fabric and quilting supplies business in Keizer, Oregon. When not working at reviewing movies or working at the family business, he enjoys exploring the Oregon Coast, playing video games and watching baseball in addition to his expansive collection of movies on DVD, Blu-ray and UHD, totalling over 3,000 movies.
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