Review Detail
9.6 5 10
Overall rating
10.0
Audio/Video Quality
10.0
Audio Editing
10.0
Visual Editing
10.0
Narrative
10.0
Enjoyment
10.0
This was an incredible nostalgia watch for me.
Growing up in the 70s, my Horror foundation was poured and cemented by three things -- the Universal Monster movies, the Network tv version of John Carpenter's Halloween and SALEMS LOT.
As a nine year old, it forever became imprinted on my DNA in terms of visuals and storytelling.
Now, as boy in his 50s, I can appreciate the filmmaking that went into telling this story even more but can also can acknowledge the weakness of this beloved childhood spookfest.
Thankfully, MusicEd has eliminated most of the weaker elements. Padding and characters that serve little to no purpose have been either eliminated entirely or relegated to the background. By doing so, the Hitchcockian style of the story becomes significantly more pronounced. The movie tension now builds unfettered until the third act which still gives me uncomfortable goosebumps all these decades later.
There is masterful skill NOT on display here. And what I mean by that, unless you are intimately familiar with every frame of the original, you will never notice most of the cuts and audio work. Commercial breaks are gone, scenes flow naturally from one into another through talented editing trickery. The new 16x9 reframing is excellent. If this was my first exposure to Salems Lot, I never would have guessed this was originally 4x3.
Now there are multiple moments where the viewer might think the audio goes off sync for a second or two. I can assure the viewer this is not the case. It is simply how the original ADR/Dubbing/audio was mixed back in the day. However, I should also note, the fan edit video file did have audio issues when I used my computer's default player (Dell Media). But when played with VLC or from a Memory Stick on my television, the audio was equal to the original source.
Again, I want stress how much of a fun throwback watch this was. Seeing so many familiar, fantastic 70s character actors in this production made me smile. David Soul gives an exceptional performance, especially during the 3rd Act. And James Mason! So creepy!
MusicEd has taken an already good old, if dated, horror thriller and has made it tighter, better and scarier.
A definite Halloween Treat!!!
Growing up in the 70s, my Horror foundation was poured and cemented by three things -- the Universal Monster movies, the Network tv version of John Carpenter's Halloween and SALEMS LOT.
As a nine year old, it forever became imprinted on my DNA in terms of visuals and storytelling.
Now, as boy in his 50s, I can appreciate the filmmaking that went into telling this story even more but can also can acknowledge the weakness of this beloved childhood spookfest.
Thankfully, MusicEd has eliminated most of the weaker elements. Padding and characters that serve little to no purpose have been either eliminated entirely or relegated to the background. By doing so, the Hitchcockian style of the story becomes significantly more pronounced. The movie tension now builds unfettered until the third act which still gives me uncomfortable goosebumps all these decades later.
There is masterful skill NOT on display here. And what I mean by that, unless you are intimately familiar with every frame of the original, you will never notice most of the cuts and audio work. Commercial breaks are gone, scenes flow naturally from one into another through talented editing trickery. The new 16x9 reframing is excellent. If this was my first exposure to Salems Lot, I never would have guessed this was originally 4x3.
Now there are multiple moments where the viewer might think the audio goes off sync for a second or two. I can assure the viewer this is not the case. It is simply how the original ADR/Dubbing/audio was mixed back in the day. However, I should also note, the fan edit video file did have audio issues when I used my computer's default player (Dell Media). But when played with VLC or from a Memory Stick on my television, the audio was equal to the original source.
Again, I want stress how much of a fun throwback watch this was. Seeing so many familiar, fantastic 70s character actors in this production made me smile. David Soul gives an exceptional performance, especially during the 3rd Act. And James Mason! So creepy!
MusicEd has taken an already good old, if dated, horror thriller and has made it tighter, better and scarier.
A definite Halloween Treat!!!
B
Comments
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Ordering
October 17, 2022
Like you Bionic Bob, Salem's Lot was a staple on our TV growing up. The boy in the window still gives me nightmares. I have yet to view this edit but you have got me hyped to do so. I'll request it and watch it with the kids on Halloween, so they too can be traumatised :)
L
last-impressions
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