ANCHOR BAY has been taking great care in the quality control aspect of director Dario Argento's films on dvd, and "DEEP RED" is no exception. Similar in theme to his early "semi-masterpiece", "THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE", this time David Hemmings is witness to an extremely brutal murder of a psychic.  Argento's casting of Hemmings is interesting, as Hemmings also played a similar role in the ground-breaking "BLOW-UP".  This is no "BLOW-UP", but it's still impressive, and even fun, well,...at least as fun as slasher/serial killer movies can be!   In "BLOW-UP", Hemmings' character believes the clue to a killer's identity is hidden in a photo he needs to "Blow-Up".

In "Deep Red",  Hemmings' character believes a "painting" in the
apartment of the murdered psychic holds the secret to the killer's
identity.  While it seems ridiculous on paper, Argento's choices in
compositions, as well as in production design and music, help make the film captivating. 

The transfer is good, although it has a few spots with excessive grain. ANCHOR BAY has presented this 2.35:1 film with proper framing and 16:9 enhancement.  Overall, the results are impressive.  Color values are solid, with natural fleshtones and excellent resolution.  The dolby digital 5.1 sound mix offers great range, with excellent highs and lows, although directional effects are restrained.  The music, adding greatly to the film's atmosphere, utilizes all speakers effectively.  There are
small portions of the film that are presented in Italian "only" with
English subtitles, as these spots were either not recorded or lost.

The best version of "THE SPIRAL STAIRCASE" has received an exemplary transfer from ANCHOR BAY.  One of the remakes also starred Jacquelline Bisset, but we prefer Dorothy McGuire in the lead role as a young mute woman caring for an elderly woman in a small New England town, while a
murderer stalks victims with various afflictions.  As it appears McGuire may be the next target, things get worse when a storm traps the two in the dark house along with others, one of who may be the killer.  While the cast is outstanding, the film's terrific suspense is mostly due to the taught direction of Robert Siodmak. 

Anchor Bay Entertainment has released the film with its original full frame ratio.  While there are signs of age showing up in various spots, the transfer is generally in fine shape.  The transfer looks sharp with great detail and near perfect contrast.  The monaural sound is always sharp and intelligible, free of distortion.  The theatrical trailer is included.