After reviewing his case files, Vesalius realizes that Victoria Phibes was the only common thread that tied that select group of surgeons together. While this would normally place the bereaved husband on the top of the list of suspects, by all accounts Dr. Phibes burned to death in an automobile accident while rushing to his wife s side. Fuest also shows a keen visual sense and makes the most of the art deco trappings of Phibes' lair, as well as the period cars and costumes of the 1930's setting. Image quality is absolutely first rate for a modestly budgeted film from 1971. Everything appears quite sharp and there is a high level of detail.
Colors are fairly vibrant and the flesh tones are appealing.
There are no signs of chromatic distortion or smearing during the presentation. The film element used for the transfer shows a few blemishes, but nothing too bad. Blacks are accurate, plus there is a respectable amount of shadow detail in the picture. Digital compression artifacts remain in check throughout. The Dolby Digital monaural soundtrack is crisp and clean, although there are a couple of moments, where it sounds a bit harsh.