UHD Review A Few Words About A few words about...™ - Full Circle aka The Haunting of Julia -- in 4k UHD (1 Viewer)

[Robert Harris]

Based upon Peter Straub’s novel Julia, this 1977 production directed by Richard Loncraine, arrives for the first time on Blu-ray here in the Colonies.

And in tow, comes a 4k UHD.

Struck from a new 4k scan of the OCN, Scream Factory's new release could not possibly appear in better form. Interestingly, some sequences are quite filtered (in camera), giving them a beautifully soft etherial appearance. But the Blu-ray variant of the film carries more than enough resolution to deal with both those sequences as well as the rest of the film.

This is one of those 4k situations that we've discussed in this column, via which while Dolby Vision / HDR may add a bit of richer black, as far as resolution goes, the film tops at as a Blu-ray.

For those waiting patiently for this Mia Farrow starrer to arrive, there's a veritable cornucopia of extras, mostly held on the Blu-ray, that at least to me, places this release in the Shout Select category. I presume there is no Scream Select, but if there was...

Colors, densities, black levels are nicely captured and transferred to disc in both variants. Audio, which is listed as being originally in monaural, is here offered as DTS-HD MA Stereo.

A quality thriller finally arriving in quality form.

Image – 5 (Dolby Vision)

Audio – 5 (DTS HD-MA 2-Track Monaural)*

Pass / Fail – Pass

Plays nicely with projectors - Yes

Makes use of and works well in 4k - 3

Worth your attention - 5

Upgrade from DVD - About time

Recommended

RAH

* Listed incorrectly on the packaging as Stereo. It is confirmed 2.0 Monaural.


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[Winston T. Boogie]

Thanks for reviewing this one. It's a bit of an obscure picture at this point no doubt but I am one of the people hoping to see it get a release on Blu or 4K. I have it preordered. What really brought it back to my attention was Joe Dante and Josh Olsen had a guest on their podcast and she named this one of the movies that made her and a favorite horror/thriller.

I hope it attracts some attention with this new release and you providing your thoughts probably will help that situation.

 

[Thomas T]

As a Mia Farrow fanboy, this is one of the few Mia Farrow movies not on physical media so this will be an immediate purchase to add to my Farrow collection. Still missing in action are Claude Chabrol's Dr. Popaul (1972) with Jean Paul Belmondo, the criminally underseen Reckless (1995) and the 1967 TV version of Johnny Belinda.

 

[cineMANIAC]

Watched the film over the weekend. Wasn't too impressed by it tbh. I didn't think it was scary at all and thought the soundtrack was a bit too garish for the subject matter. I'm still processing the ending. May need to watch the film again to try to comprehend it better. PQ was good but it won't win any awards.

 

[Robert Harris]

Watched the film over the weekend. Wasn't too impressed by it tbh. I didn't think it was scary at all and thought the soundtrack was a bit too garish for the subject matter. I'm still processing the ending. May need to watch the film again to try to comprehend it better. PQ was good but it won't win any awards.

PQ can only be what's on the neg. And the harvest seems fine.

 

[jayembee]

The BFI is releasing a UHD of this next week. I wonder how the two will compare.

I've not seen this, and to be honest, this doesn't seem like my kind of film, but I've liked the other Loncraine films I've seen, so...

 

[cineMANIAC]

PQ can only be what's on the neg. And the harvest seems fine.

I guess my point was if there had been just a Blu-ray edition (maybe there is), the BD would've been just fine. This type of release exemplifies that not everything needs to be on 4K (IMO).

 

[Richard Kaufman]

Very difficult to watch anything with Ms. Farrow in it these days.

 

[Thomas T]

Watched the film over the weekend. Wasn't too impressed by it tbh. I didn't think it was scary at all

Unlike many "horror" fans, I don't need a horror movie to be "scary". I much prefer mood, atmosphere and some psychological terrain. Would anyone call the classic Val Lewton films (Cat People, I Walked With A Zombie, Seventh Victim etc.) scary? Dreyer's Vampyr? Even recent "horror" films like Jordan Peele's Get Out are more concerned with mood, atmosphere and psychological terrain than traditional "scares".

 

[jayembee]

Would anyone call the classic Val Lewton films (Cat People, I Walked With A Zombie, Seventh Victim etc.) scary?

Or even more to the point, The Curse of the Cat People, which is more a gentle fantasy about a little girl's imaginary friend than a horror film. And yet, it's classified as a horror film. And it's my favorite of the Lewton films.

 

[Stephen_J_H]

Would anyone call the classic Val Lewton films (Cat People, I Walked With A Zombie, Seventh Victim etc.) scary? Dreyer's Vampyr? Even recent "horror" films like Jordan Peele's Get Out are more concerned with mood, atmosphere and psychological terrain than traditional "scares".

Or even more to the point, The Curse of the Cat People, which is more a gentle fantasy about a little girl's imaginary friend than a horror film. And yet, it's classified as a horror film. And it's my favorite of the Lewton films.

Thomas, I think you've nailed it when you refer to mood and atmosphere when it comes to the Val Lewton films. There's a creeping dread in several of them, The Curse of the Cat People included. Get Out, while suffused with atmosphere, does create some genuine scares and tension. I don't scare easily, but dread and nihilism are their own beasts, with the Texas Chain Saw Massacre being a masterclass in nihilism; it doesn't scare me, but it's grim.

 

[cineMANIAC]

Unlike many "horror" fans, I don't need a horror movie to be "scary". I much prefer mood, atmosphere and some psychological terrain. Would anyone call the classic Val Lewton films (Cat People, I Walked With A Zombie, Seventh Victim etc.) scary? Dreyer's Vampyr? Even recent "horror" films like Jordan Peele's Get Out are more concerned with mood, atmosphere and psychological terrain than traditional "scares".

I'm a big mood and atmosphere guy myself, but mood and atmosphere are just part of the experience. I think movies like this also need a good jump scare or two. If choreographed tastefully, all of these characteristics can add up to a more satisfying thriller. I mean, this is entertainment after all - you don't want to bore your audiences to death

 

[Robert Crawford]

I'm a big mood and atmosphere guy myself, but mood and atmosphere are just part of the experience. I think movies like this also need a good jump scare or two. If choreographed tastefully, all of these characteristics can add up to a more satisfying thriller. I mean, this is entertainment after all - you don't want to bore your audiences to death

I don't think a horror movie needs to have such a thing.

 

[cineMANIAC]

I don't think a horror movie needs to have such a thing.

Then don't call it a horror movie. Call it a drama or thriller.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Then don't call it a horror movie.

That's your opinion.

 

[Thomas T]

I'm a big mood and atmosphere guy myself, but mood and atmosphere are just part of the experience. I think movies like this also need a good jump scare or two. If choreographed tastefully, all of these characteristics can add up to a more satisfying thriller. I mean, this is entertainment after all - you don't want to bore your audiences to death

I totally understand where you're coming from. That's your kind of horror movie. Not too long ago, I showed a friend The Haunting (1963) which to me is one of the greatest horror films ever made. He was restless and bored through out and didn't find it scary at all. But the film gives me the shivers every time I watch it. It's my kind of horror and I wasn't bored to death at all. And yes The Haunting is a horror movie, not a drama or a thriller

 

[cineMANIAC]

I totally understand where you're coming from. That's your kind of horror movie. Not too long ago, I showed a friend The Haunting (1963) which to me is one of the greatest horror films ever made. He was restless and bored through out and didn't find it scary at all. But the film gives me the shivers every time I watch it. It's my kind of horror and I wasn't bored to death at all. And yes The Haunting is a horror movie, not a drama or a thriller

I LOVE The Haunting! Indeed a classic and a great example of a subtle yet effective chiller. I don't agree with the notion that horror films don't need jump scares, though. Or that the film is somehow not worthy of praise because it's more of a mass market thrill ride. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that

 

[Thomas T]

I LOVE The Haunting! Indeed a classic and a great example of a subtle yet effective chiller. I don't agree with the notion that horror films don't need jump scares, though. Or that the film is somehow not worthy of praise because it's more of a mass market thrill ride. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that

I have nothing against mass market thrill rides, they can be fun and I don't think anyone is putting them down. I think it just comes down to personal cinematic preferences. As to mandatory jump scares, well ..... we'll just have to agree to disagree.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

Horror and comedy have the common factor that different things scare people and make them laugh. Take clowns for example, for some people, funny, for others, terrifying. And then there are the sad face clowns that do mime, they just inspire murderous rage in people.

 

[sbjork]

So, now we've gone from people gatekeeping over what constitutes a giallo to people gatekeeping over what constitutes horror itself. I'm not sure that this qualifies as progress, but different strokes, I guess.