Arrow Impresses with Restored ‘The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave’ Blu-ray (Review)

You want to talk strange gothic creepfests? Open your mind to The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave, an absolutely bizarre goth piece that never seems entirely certain of what it wants to be, but decides to attempt to be a little bit of… well… everything. The quirkiest part of the whole ordeal? It’s that nuttiness that makes the flick legitimately entertaining (even if it can be rather confusing)!

This is an unpredictable script if ever there was one. It feels almost as though director Emilio Miraglia gets about halfway through the second act and says, you know what, we’re going to just keep hitting the audience with a twist every five or ten minutes until this motor stops running. And it’s trippy! It’s successful in a flabbergasting manner, but it’s also a Picasso to the average eye, there’s just so much happening it leaves your head spinning in circles.

But I love the vintage sets and décor. The film looks quite fine (as do the numerous ladies who spend plenty of time prancing about with little to no clothing), and the colors are vibrant, dancing on the screen, a result no doubt of an excellent 2k restoration. The sound is excellent, the dubs crisp and very well-mixed, and while I’d have enjoyed seeing some of the darker moments of the film lightened up just a hair, I really can’t complain about a handful of scenes that generate a lot of mystery and tension.

If outrageous cinema is for you, you’re going to adore The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave. The newly worked pic shines like it never has and the sound may be just as impressive. It doesn’t make a world of sense in a number of different sequences (the finale itself is wildly ambiguous), and you’ll laugh out loud at a few of the plot’s gags, but that’s all part of the charm of this keeper.

Be on the lookout for some solid bonus supplements on Arrow’s excellent release (you can pick it up here). Among the shining additions are Remembering Evelyn, The Night Erika Came Out of the Grave and the audio commentary track featuring Troy Howarth in addition to a few archival extras. It’s a damn solid disc!

Rating: 3.5/5