Torture Garden (Standard Edition)

This is the Australian blu ray release of Torture Garden. Torture Garden was on of the Amicus anthology (several short tales in one feature film) films and starred Jack Palance, Bergess Meradith, Michael Ripper and Peter Cushing. The print is excellent with a nice sharp picture and is presented in the original 1.85 aspect ratio. The blu ray is region B coded and should work on most UK blu ray players. The only let down is the lack of any special features.

Although I have previously seen (and liked) other Amicus portmanteaus like Tales from the Crypt, From Beyond the Grave and The House That Dripped Blood, this one was the first time watch for me. The framing story has a leering Burgess Meredith as Dr. Diabolo, the sinister carnival showman who promises to show a motley group of people a glimpse into their possible fate. Each person has their own little story - A man who meets a diabolical cat, a girl that discovers the scary truth behind her Hollywood idols, a sentient piano that claims its musician, a man with an obsession for Poe memorabilia. While most of the tales aren't by themselves grippers (unlike the masterful Dead of Night anthology), they're decent enough to sit through, and the Poe segment is given an additional lift by the welcome presence of Peter Cushing. Jack Palance is a really odd fit in this kind of picture (apparently him and Meredith were taken on as contractual obligation from Columbia who was picking it up for distribution in America). Being directed by the great cinematographer Freddie Francis, TG has several stylish and unusual shots (including a number of POV angles). On the whole a solid entry in the (mostly) British horror anthology sub-genre and a reliable standby for when you want a cozy comforting watch. While not in the same league as their most remarkable releases (like 10 Rillington Place), Indicator gives a decent A/V presentation for TG. Colors are muted but stable and the mono sound is clear, optional English SDH subs available. I also watched all the video extras on the Torture Garden blu-ray. The biggest if of course the Guardian Interview with Freddie Francis. Freddie is a charming person with a sense of humor. It was disappointing to hear that he doesn't have any special affinity towards horror as a genre and doesn't watch horror films as such (considering that a lot of his output as a director happened here), but he had some interesting memories of his time with Hammer and Amicus, and his work with David Lynch. The other substantial extra is the half-hour dissection of Torture Garden by Kim Newman, done with his characteristic enthusiasm and flair, in which he briefly touches on the history of Amicus, Freddie Francis and Robert Bloch, and gives his affectionate but also hole-poking opinion of the various segments of the film. Fiona Subotsky had a short interview (sub-10min) in which she spoke about Milton Subotsky and his enthusiasm for his film work, especially being on the lookout for adaptable stories and working on screenplays. Ramsey Campbell talks a bit about the work of Robert Bloch and his association with Amicus.

i love the film 5 stars but o want to draw attention to f the company who released it , yet again powerhouse decide to release a rare uk film on bluray only YES NO DVD RELEASE also i contacted them and they say they wont be releasing this on dvd in the future this excludes many customers and uk horror fans as we dont all want blurays it would be nice to have a dual format or dvd in its own and the price seems to be as much as the dual formats that they have released in the past if you agree with me please email powerhouse and inform them that you would like a dvd release of this + fragment of fear =the spiders web + the hammer collection thats OUT SOON ON BLU ONLY they want to release 1975s the ghoul lets hope someone who releases dvd or dual; gets the rights before they do

The second anthology movie from Amicus finally gets a UK BD release... and Indicator have definately pulled out all the stops!! Fantastic presentation of both the original theatrical release as well as the slightly longer extended tv version. Picture and sound are top notch. You get a really informative limited edition booklet delving into the making of the feature and rarely seen pictures from the press release material... the gimmicks used to promote the movie back in 1968 are hilarious! Also comes with a reversible sleeve with alternate artwork. Some good extra bonus material included too, with interviews ect. Best of the special features is the 1995 interview on stage with the legendary Freddie Francis talking about his output over the years. Overall, another fantastic blu-ray release from Indicator, giving us a definitive version of this classic horror. Here's hoping they can gain the rights for some more Amicus anthologys such as Asylum and The House That Dripped Blood 😁 10/10

Torture Garden is one of Amicus films first anthology efforts and the end results are - could do better. There are 4 stories here, all flicker with some delight but all have weak points or just go plain silly. Our guide is played by the excellent Burgess Meredith who in all fairness absolutely steals the show here. Indeed Meredith seems right in his element here. The first story is a bit of a yawn if not a little eerie, involving withcraft, money and a thinking cat that prefers human heads to whiskers. Personally I do like the quite frankly over the top second story involving a desperate actress trying to make it to the top in Hollywood. Feels like it came straight out of a Twilight Zone episode, but I like the feel for this one. Next up is a jealous piano, yes you heard that right. I couldn't really get on with this. Perhaps the best is saved for last. Peter Cushing and Jack Palance co starring in an episode about who has the bigger collection of Edgar Allen Poe. The climax is a little far fetched, but seeing these two greats share screen time is good enough. All in all Torture Garden isn't that tortoureous but it isn't as good as later Amicus offerings.

One of Amicus best thrillers in my opinion now gets new respect from U.K. powerhouse films a new 1:85:1 HD transfer & new 2.0 master stereo mix and for the first time on blu-ray the Extended tv version which runs at 100min, the Theatrical cut is 93min both versions get new HD transfers and new extras new interviews with Fiona subotsky (wife of Amicus producer Milton subotsky) new interview with writer Rober Bloch, lengthy archival interview with Freddie francis- 77mins and few other interviews plus original Theatrical trailer in HD quality plus exclusive booklet on the making of the film plus this new blu-ray reissue is ABC coded so it'l work for U.S. fans aswell 5 stars for this new blu-ray reissue worth the money for sure

Love these short stories horror while this is not the best it's certainly not the worst as usual Peter Cushing is brilliant

Great part of the Anthology series, though as mentioned elsewhere some more weaker than others. I love Jack Palance and of course Peter Cushing, who star in the best of the stories.. Apart from a bit of a silly ending, great viewing.

Die DVD ist das UK Gegenstück von Der Foltergarten des Dr.Diavolo.Eine Deutsche Tonspur ist auch vorhanden.Die Deutsche DVD ist schon out of Print.Also alle Fans von Hammer und Amicus sollten hier bei dem Preis zugreifen,falls ihr das Ding noch nicht euer eigen nennt...

Love these British horror films. As usual there are multiple stories but this one has a mixed cast of Americans and British. You have a range from Peter Cushing, who needs no explanation, to Beverly Adams who played girl Friday Lovie Cravesit from the Matt Helm movies with Dean Martin! Burgess Meredith and Jack Palance are great and creepy as well.No spoilers here folks.If you like 60s British horror with atmosphere and quality acting,order this movie. You won't regret it! I love it!

Great picture quality. One of the interesting horror anthology films in the era.

One of a long line of anthology horror films, perhaps lesser known but every bit as good as the best of them. The grand piano from Hell is a hoot, as is the hypnotic cat! Some real thrills ('70s-style) throughout. Jack Palance very good as an Edgar Allan Poe fanatic. Burgess Meredith knows just the right level of camp to bring to the proceedings and the perennial of them all (for this type of film) Peter Cushing, is wonderful.

La entrega se produjo en un plazo razonable. Hay dos cosas que no me han gustado. La primera, la carátula estaba rota por dentro, una de las pestañas de plástico de la parte izquierda. No es importante, pero da mala impresión. La otra, que en varios segmentos de la película se escucha el audio en inglés a pesar de haber seleccionado el castellano. Al margen de lo anterior, película decente de relatos típica de la Hammer y Amicus de los 60. Tiene mucho encanto.