Venom 4K Review (Blue Underground)

Venom is a 1981 horror thriller directed by Piers Haggard (The Blood on Satan’s Claw, Wedding Night, The Quatermass Conclusion, The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu, Waters of the Moon, A Summer Story, and The Newcomers). Tobe Hooper (The Texas Chain Saw Massacre franchise, Eaten Alive, Salem’s Lot, The Funhouse, Invaders from Mars, Lifeforce, Spontaneous Combustion, The Mangler, Body Bags, and Poltergeist) was the original director before he was left the production after 10 days of shooting. It was written by Robert Carrington (Wait Until Dark, Blind Witness, High Risk, Fear is the Key, and Mind Over Murder). It’s based on the novel from author Alan Scholefield (Hunted, River Horse Lake, and The Sea Tiger). It was produced by Martin Bregman (Scarface, Dog Day Afternoon, Sea of Love, Carlito’s Way, The Shadow, Serpico, Eddie Macon’s Run, and The Bone Collector). It grossed $5,229,643 in the U.S. and Canada!!!! It was going to be the perfect crime when the sexy maid Louise (played by: Susan George from Straw Dogs, Dirty Mary Crazy Larry, Sudden Terror, Fright, Die Screaming Marianne, and Enter the Ninja), a psychotic chauffeur Dave (played by: Oliver Reed from The Pit and the Pendulum, Gladiator, Spasms, The Brood, Burnt Offerings, and Revolver) and an international terrorist Jacmel (played by: Klaus Kinski from Nosferatu the Vampyre, Vampire in Venice, Crawlspace, The Great Silence, Count Dracula, and For a Few Dollars More) kidnap a wealthy ten-year-old boy Philip Hopkins (played by: Lance Holcomb from Christmas Evil and Ghost Story) from his huge London townhouse. They didn’t one very unexpected houseguest which ends up being a dangerous Black Mamba, the most lethal and aggressive snake known to nature. As they plan their escape, the brutal reptile is loose around the house and looking to kill anything in sight with it’s poisonous bite!!!! Snake horror will always be the realest type of feature for me because I’m terrified of them. It’s always a legitimate horror and it actually gives me nightmares sometimes. Tobe Hooper is one of my all time favorite horror directors but it’s wild how many projects he either left or gotten fired from over the years. Unfortunately, Piers Haggard had to step in the last minute after only a few weeks of shooting Venom. He did a great job with this intense thriller but I would have loved to see Hooper’s take on it. The script is loaded with suspense and thrills. Venom is loaded with talent when it comes to the cast. The beautiful Susan George is great as the shady Louise. She gets to meet the lethal houseguest before anyone else. I always thought she was underrated and she was consistently good in everything she showed up in over the years. Oliver Reed is the unpredictable Dave and you never know what he’s going to do during these chaotic situations. Reed was one of the greatest actors of his time and he killed it in every role no matter what it was. He went back for some more snake horror a few years later with Spasms. The iconic Klaus Kinski is the real villain here. He’s the enforcer of this crime and he’s willing to carry it out at any cost. He tries his best to handle with this unique scenario. Venom is full of unlikable and cruel characters so you really don’t care what happens to them once the mayhem sets in. The rest of the supporting cast includes Lance Holcomb, Nicol Williamson (Spawn), Sarah Miles (Blow-Up), Sterling Hayden (Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb), Cornelia Sharpe (Serpico), Edward Hardwicke (Oliver Twist), John Forbes-Robertson (Lifeforce), Alan Ford (Snatch), and Michael Gough (Batman franchise). The production team for Venom got really creative with their actual snake. It looks exactly like infamous Black Mamba but it’s not deadly. That’s why they could do so many crazy and close shots of the murderous predator. This one always gives me high anxiety with it’s concept. It’s actually one of most realistic snake horror films made unlike most of it’s over the top competition. It has some quality special fx and it always keeps you on your toes. The replay value is very strong. Venom is highly entertaining and it’s so much fun, RECOMMENDED!!!! Let’s discuss this high definition presentation and special features from Blue Underground! This 2160p.(1.85:1) transfer with Dolby Vision and HDR10+ is from a brand new 4K restoration from the original camera negative. This is a really nice upgrade compared to the previous blu ray from Blue Underground and it’s definitely the best it’s ever looked on home video. This 80’s snake horror thriller looks very sharp and everything really pops on the screen now from Venom. It has a few different audio options which includes English: Dolby Atmos, English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, and English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 on the UHD. The Dolby Atmos is brand new and exclusive to this 4K release. It’s one of the main reasons why Venom should be upgraded if it’s already in your collection. It’s a major improvement from all the past versions and it honestly blows them away. The audio has always good for Venom but now it’s even better. All of the dialogue is crisp, the tension is elevated, and the music has a killer boost to it. It has English SDH, French, and Spanish subtitles. It has the archive “Audio Commentary” with director Piers Haggard from the original DVD home video release. The film maker is very blunt and direct about his experiences on Venom. He chats about dealing with the cast and all their interesting personalities. A few are widely known for their issues on sets. He goes over the shoot and the scenes that were harder to execute including stuff he couldn’t do for it. He brings up locations and working with snakes. He gets very technical on this track, he drops all kinds of information and stories from the 80’s horror production. It has a brand new exclusive “Audio Commentary” with critics Troy Howarth, Nathaniel Thompson, and Eugenio Ercolani. They chat about the novel and original source material. They talk about the main cast no longer considered stars when they booked Venom and they discuss Piers Haggard’s direction for it. They go over his career a little bit on here. Lots of interesting things are brought up here. It’s a worth a listen if you are fan of Venom. It has a variety of “Trailers”. These are the only extras on the UHD, the rest of them are located on the blu ray. It has the brand new exclusive 27 minute “Fangs For the Memories” with editor and 2nd unit director Michael Bradsell. He chats about how he got the gig. He talks about director Tobe Hooper and him leaving the production early on. He brings up working with the producers for this. He goes over his experiences from Venom. It has the brand new exclusive 27 minute “A Slithery Story” with special fx artist Nick Dudman. He chats about working with both Tobe Hooper and Piers Haggard for the 80’s horror movie. He goes over his personal encounters with actors Klaus Kinski and Oliver Reed. He brings up working with snakes. It has the brand new exclusive 24 minute “Mamba Memories” with author and critic Kim Newman. He chats about original book and some of the changes made in the actual film. He dives into the cast, the visual style, British cinema, and legendary horror director Tobe Hooper leaving Venom. It has the brand new exclusive 16 minute “Pick Your Poison” with critic and author Allan Bryce. He chats about the 80’s when it comes to the sub-genre and British horror. He brings up some other Snake horror films and shares his thoughts on them. It has 3 “TV Spots” for Venom. It has the exclusive “Poster and Stills Gallery’. It has a high quality slipcover, 18 page booklet, reversible artwork, and a blu ray. Blue Underground really went all out with this 4K re-release and they added all kinds of brand new exclusive material for this. It should be in your collection especially if you are into snake or animal horror. It’s available everywhere right now, CHECK IT OUT!!!!