Shivers [Blu-ray +Digital]

"Shivers" (a.k.a. They Came From Within) was legendary Canadian filmmaker David Cronenberg's 1975 feature film debut after his previous short films "Stereo" (1969) and "Crimes of the Future" (1970). "Shivers" sees Cronenberg already delving headlong into his signature brand of body horror in which parasites turn people in an apartment high rise into violent and sexually aggressive lunatics. Considering the miniscule budget the film was made for, it still represents a most assured and confident feature film debut for writer/director David Cronenberg. It also represented a huge turning point in moving away from traditional horror tropes into something much more unsettling and extreme that was also grounded in a much more naturalistic setting. Shivers had received a nice region B blu-ray release from Arrow Video back in 2014. That release though had problems due to the initial run of discs unknowingly contained the censored R rated version of the film which was missing 15 seconds of footage. This was corrected and replacement discs were offered with the unrated director's cut. David Cronenberg approved the transfer on the Arrow Video release which was restored by the Toronto International Film Festival. Lionsgate in 2020 as part of their Vestron Video Collector's Series gave "Shivers" its long overdue North American blu-ray release. Fans should be estastic with this release as it represents in my opinion the best blu-ray release of "Shivers" to date. The uncensored version of the film is presented on a dual layer disc in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio utilizing the AVC codec at a rock solid bit rate often staying in the upper 20's occasionally dipping into the low 30's. Nothing is mentioned on the back of the case of where this transfer originated, but I have seen online that it is the same restored master used for the 2014 Arrow Video release which does feature a higher bit rate. While the film has an intentionally soft focus look to it, detail on the 2020 release is solid with accurate colors, and natural flesh tones, along with decent contrast and black levels. No digital noise reduction or edge enhancement is visible. The film retains a well resolved and filmic grain structure. Overall I was very pleased with how "Shivers" looks on this release. Sound is presented in 2.0 channel English DTS-HD master audio. The mix sounded well balanced and clear with no hiss or pops. English subtitles are included for the hearing impaired. Extras are as follow: - NEW Audio Commentary featuring David Cronenberg moderated by Chris Alexander - NEW Audio Commentary featuring Co-Producer Don Carmody moderated by Chris Alexander - NEW Mind Over Matter: An Interview with David Cronenberg (HD 12:01) - NEW Good Night Nurse: An Interview with Lynn Lowry (HD 16:54) - NEW Outside and Within: An Interview with Joe Blasco (HD 12:55) - NEW Celebrating Cinepix: The Legacy of John Dunning (HD 10:05) - Archival David Cronenberg Interview from 1998 (SD 21:16) - Still Gallery with Optional Archival Commentary from John Dunning (HD 8:37) - TV Spots (HD 1:03) - Theatrical Trailers (HD 3:01) - Still Gallery (HD 8:01) - Radio Spots (2:17) Should you own the prior Arrow Video blu-ray release, hang onto it as several extras were not ported to the 2020 Vestron disc. I do feel though that the 2020 release has superior extras overall especially with the new Cronenberg commentary track though the addition of a moderator was unnecessary. While the older Arrow Video release does have a slightly better encode compared to the 2020 release, the differences are negligible. The Vestron Video Collector's Series blu-ray by Lionsgate is the most comprehensive release of "Shivers" to date in my opinion. Highly recommended!

where to start this review... how about by talking about another review of it: to say it's about 'the making of a monster' as written in the NYT would be.. to completely misunderstand the current below the surface of the movie. it would be much better to say its about the confusion of growing up in a politically charged atmosphere. the main character is exposed to the hypocrisy of strict ideologies and each time he's reached his limit and wants out, the actions he takes to extricate himself only serve to drag him in deeper. he's torn throughout, questions everything. ultimately his attraction to one of the camp leaders makes him decide to play along and act the person he thinks they want him to be while doubting his actions the whole time. that now taken care of, we'll get to the meat of why this is such a great movie. the eye for composition that Wojciech Marczewski first showed in Zmory is on full display here, coupled with an unmatched sense of space created by a great attention to separating fore- middle- and back-ground elements cleanly even as the camera moves gently through these spaces. the artistry on display is amazing. in terms of story here, Marczewski also grew immensely as a writer. the form, like Zmory, is the bildungsroman; the execution of the story though is much, much more nuanced. he shows great economy within scenes by creating ironic dualities, situations that reveal the truths and foolishnesses of two opposing ideologies at the same time. the use of symbolism is quite pronounced throughout to illustrate Tomasz' inner turmoil; his shaking hands (the 'shivers' or tremors of the title) are equated with birds, both black and white, flapping against grimy glass windows. another great example of ironic duality is that after professing to another scout at the camp that he believes in god, the scout shows him the outline of a cross on the wall under a picture of Stalin; when we revisit this later, Tomasz prays, but it is ambiguous as to who he is praying to. Tomasz, for all his confusion, will try to remain innocent throughout; a boy in the train yard tries to buy his favorite stamp, Madagascar 1937, with both sex (condoms) and violence (a knife) but he refuses- he clings to his childhood, his innocence. only at the very end does he relinquish it, placing it on the window of his train cabin in his literal passage into adulthood.

I seen this movie whenever I was a kid. It's weird but this was awesome getting it on blu-ray.

Fantastic edition to my horror movie collection.

Great film, already owned an import Blu but this one is nicer. The horror is pretty brutal, not a lot of relief for our characters once it gets going. Prime example of 70s excess and doom and gloom.

Freaky insane madness. Better than videodrome in my opinion, very stripped back and raw movie. Amazing filming location and cast is fantastic

No slip cover. Super bummed.

One of my favorite Cronenberg movies. It really gets under your skin and makes you uncomfortable.

Good feel for communist era life in Poland.

This Blu-Ray disc is a must see/own for any Cronenberg fan. Disturbing, and funny, this film is truly one the greatest film ever produced in Canada. The Blu-Ray comes in beautiful slip-case with the lovely, and nostalgic Vestron logo. It is a true gem. You need this.

Un excelente producto, contiene: Audio-comentario de David Cronenberg y de Don Carmody Entrevistas Galería Corto cinematográfico Spot televisivo Spots de radio tiene Audio original en inglés DTS-HD mono, subtítulos en español únicamente, imágen restaurada digitalmente una excelente pieza para la colección. El envío como siempre muy bueno.

J'avais vu ce film en salles en 1981, date de sortie de ce film qui s'appelait alors FRISSONS. Nous sommes en POLOGNE début des années 1950 et la POLOGNE est alors un état satellite de l'URSS. STALINE vient de décéder donc en mars 1953 et, le jeune adolescent TOMASZ (interprété remarquablement par TOMEK ZUKOWSKI) se retrouve dans un camp de scouts polonais notamment parce que son père a été emprisonné. Mais c'est un genre de camp de scouts un peu particulier où les enfants, filles et garçons, sont initiés au communisme avec tout ce que cela comporte comme embrigadement, bourrage de crâne, délations, humiliations, bassesses sous toutes les formes, reniement de la religion, dénonciations même au sein de sa propre famille. En somme, il s'agit d'un véritable cauchemar éveillé. Le garçon retrouvera son père sorti de prison et celui ci le trouvera alors quelque peu changé. Il s'agit du film que WOJCIECH MARCZEWSKI a réalisé en 1981 juste après ce film formidable nommé ZMORY que j'ai eu le plaisir de commenter par ailleurs. Un film donc qui est bien oublié maintenant et qu'il faut revoir pour se rendre compte ce que peut engendrer la folie des hommes et des femmes vis à vis des enfants de leur propre nation au nom d'une idéologie totalitaire.

Didn’t include the slipcase shown in the picture, which makes it absolutely worthless in my eyes. Will be returning.