Brides of Blood appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 1.33:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. While it came with a few minor issues, this nonetheless turned into a solid image for a cheaply-made movie from the 1960s.
For the most part, sharpness looked positive. A few slightly soft shots popped up, but the majority of the movie appeared accurate and well-defined.
No concerns with jagged edges or shimmering occurred, and I saw no edge haloes. The movie brought light grain and largely lacked print flaws, though some thin vertical lines showed up on a few brief occasions.
Colors mostly leaned toward a natural palette that made sense for the tropical setting, though the image could seem a little too green at times. Still, the hues usually offered appealing vivacity.
Blacks felt deep and dense, while shadows brought good clarity. Even with some small concerns, I still thought the presentation satisfied.
Unfortunately, the movie’s DTS-HD MA monaural audio survived less well. Speech suffered from poor looping and tended to sound flat.
Effects and music followed suit. They showed some roughness but mainly felt dull and bland, without range.
Some light pops cropped up during the track but these didn’t turn into a notable distraction. Even for its era, the audio seemed iffy.
A mix of extras appears here, and we get an audio commentary from Hemisphere Films Marketing Consultant Samuel M. Sherman. He gives us a running, sporadically-screen-specific look at the output of Hemisphere as well as his promotional efforts.
Sherman hardly ever discusses the movie itself as it goes, but that doesn’t become a problem. He covers the behind the scenes elements related to the production company and advertising in a fun and informative manner.
Note that Sherman’s commentary ends at the 47-minute, 20-second mark. He then tells us he’ll pick up his discussion with his track for 1969’s Mad Doctor of Blood Island.
Three featurettes follow, and Jungle Fury goes for 13 minutes, 47 seconds. The reel provides a chat with co-director Eddie Romero.
The filmmaker tells us how he got into the movie business as well as other aspects of his career. Romero tells us nothing specific about Brides but he still makes this an interesting piece.
Here Comes the Bride spans 21 minutes, 45 seconds. Here we find more from Sam Sherman.
He discusses Hemisphere and their move to productions in the Philippines along with thoughts about cast/crew and Brides. While a good conversation in its own right, much of this material already appears in the commentary, so don’t expect lots of fresh details.
Finally, we get the seven-minute, nine-second Beverly Hills on Blood Island. This one offers an interview with actor Beverly Powers.
She looks at her experiences during the movie’s production. While brief, Powers gives us some enjoyable memories.
In addition to the movie’s teaser and trailer, we find an Alternate Brides of Blood Title Sequence and Jungle Fury Title Card (1:21). The first segment calls the movie The Brides of Blood Island and shows that version of the opening credits, and then we simply see a quick flash of Jungle Fury as the movie’s name. This quick reel offers archival interest and nothing more.
The disc ends with a Poster and Still Gallery. The running compilation gives us 70 screens of ads, publicity materials and studio notes.
The “Gallery” also opens with a two-minute radio ad and then plays movie music the rest of the way. It turns into an effective compilation.
If you expect anything more than cheap drive-in fare from Brides of Blood, you will encounter disappointment. The flick lacks much entertainment value, as even with its campy side, it feels dull. The Blu-ray comes with pretty good picture, mediocre audio and a mix of bonus materials. Not much about Brides works.
Note that this version of Brides of Blood appears solely as part of a four-movie set entitled “Fear in the Philippines: The Complete Blood Island Films”. This package also includes 1959’s Terror Is a Man, 1969’s Mad Doctor of Blood Island and 1970’s Beast of Blood.
