Violent Midnight

"This well-crafted ""adults only"" thriller (which in 1963 meant it included a few brief nude scenes and suggestions of sex between some characters) gets a stronger than expected presentation in this DVD release from Dark Sky Films. Violent Midnight (aka Psychomania and Black Autumn) has been transferred to disc in its original full-frame aspect ratio of 1.33:1, and the image quality is outstanding. The source materials are pristine, and the transfer is pin-sharp and shows a wide range of gray tones. The audio has been mastered in Dolby Digital 2.0, preserving the original monophonic mix, and the sound is crisp and well-detailed. The dialogue is in English, and no multiple language options are included, though the disc does include English subtitles for the hearing-impaired. As a bonus, this edition also includes a commentary track from producer Del Tenney, who claims to have also made uncredited contributions to the screenplay and handled some of the direction; unfortunately, Tenney's comments are not as interesting as one might hope, but he still offers some useful background on the cast and working with the always fascinating Sylvia Miles. Low-budget films from the 1960s rarely look this good on DVD, and Dark Sky have really gone the extra mile to give a relatively little-known film a top-shelf release on disc; genre fans will be well-pleased."