Vault of Horror (1973)
 

This Amicus anthology film was recently released as a "Midnite Movies" double feature along with Tales from the Crypt. This is a Region 1 release.

I am a big fan of the Amicus anthology films, and have been waiting a long time for Vault of Horror to get a release. I know Vipco does a Region 2 version, but had heard that it was full frame and not of the best quality.

Anyway, Vault of Horror has been a favourite of mine for a long time - I remember seeing it when I was quite young, and at that age it was good for a few shocks. So it has some sentimental value.

The R1 release of Vault of Horror looks very good indeed. It is a 16:9 anamorphic transfer and the level of detail is quite fine. The transfer did not look quite as good to me as Tales from the Crypt, but certainly more than acceptable for a movie of its age and stature.

Unfortunately, it is a censored cut. Badly censored at that.

***SPOILERS***

The first story concerns vampires. The "shock" scene at the end features the protagonist being tapped for blood like a beer keg. In this censored version, not only is the moving image replaced with a still frame, but the part of the picture where the tap is inserted in the neck is covered by a black dot!

The second story similarly replaces a moving image with a still, and the final story has some gore removed.

***END SPOILERS***

I know there are threads about this on other sites (IMDB, amazon.com to name two), but what does everyone here think? Both about the movie and the cuts?

Subsequently, I have ordered the Vipco disc from the UK.

It is full frame, but that is not as bad as it sounds. The frame seems to be a combination of open-matte (there is more info on the top and bottom of the frame than in the R1 release) and some loss of info from the side. Fortunately the loss of picture from the sides of the frame is not as bad as if it was purely a pan&scan of the 16:9 print.

The picture quality is not as good, with less detail present and a less sharp image.

Overall, I prefer the Vipco release. The picture quality would have to be really bad for me to favour a censored print over an uncut print. Especially one that is cut so haphazardly.

I like Vault of Horror pretty good.



Is From Beyond the Grave (Amicus) any good?It's the only film from the Warner Bros. "Twisted Terror Collection" that I haven't watched yet.

I got From Beyond the Grave last week, but haven't watched it yet. From what I have heard, it is one of Amicus' best.

Hope to watch it tonight - I will let you know how it goes.

I watched it last night.

Great film. Peter Cushing plays the proprietor of an antique shop in the linking story, and there are four segments that are linked.

They are all quite good, although I enjoyed the second segment the most.

Definitely worth a viewing - I am glad I purchased it.

I just heard about this release from a friend, but I've never seen Vault Of Horror , and am glad to get this info on it, sounds great, BUT wish it wasn't censored!!. Thank you . :) I have Tales From The crypt on VHS but have been awaiting it's DVD release to add to my collection . Much Love~Blood Dragoness~

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Thanks for the heads up. I almost bought it.

I do think this is still worth purchasing - mainly for Tales from the Crypt.

The double costs less than $10 if you shop wisely, so it is a reasonable price for Tales from the Crypt, with Vault of Horror as a bonus.

But if your DVD player can play other regions, it is worth getting the Region 2 version of Vault of Horror as well (cost me just over 5 pounds + delivery).

Such a shame that the double didn't feature a full cut of Vault of Horror. It is a great film and deserves better than it has received.

Tales from the Crypt is very much like its twin movie Vault of Horror and both are awesome.From Beyond the Grave is equally just as good.Also try Dr.Terror`s House of Horror and you have four movies to keep anyone happy at night.

Dr Terror's House of Horrors is great.

In fact, I don't think there is an Amicus anthology that I don't like.

I`m with you on that one MM:)