‘The Blood of Fu Manchu’ & ‘The Castle of Fu Manchu’ 4K UHD Review (Blue Underground)
When you think of Hammer Horror – or horror in general – one of the first names that comes to mind is Christopher Lee. But Lee’s career stretched far beyond the genre. He starred in major franchises like The Lord of the Rings and Star Wars, cementing his place as not just a horror legend but a true film icon. Personally, I’ve loved his horror films for most of my life, with The Horror of Dracula standing as my favourite. Like fellow icon Boris Karloff, Lee also portrayed the villainous Fu Manchu. While Karloff played the role once, Lee took it on five times. Now, Blue Underground has released the final two of Lee’s Fu Manchu films in stunning 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray for the very first time!
From his secret lair deep within the South American jungle, international super-villain Fu Manchu (Christopher Lee of THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN) and his sadistic daughter Lin Tang (Tsai Chin of YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE) reveal their latest diabolical plot for world domination: ten beautiful women are infected with an ancient poison so deadly that one kiss from their lips will bring instant death and lead to a global plague. Now the Asian madman’s nemesis, Nayland Smith (Richard Greene of TALES FROM THE CRYPT), must desperately hunt an antidote in a savage land where rape and torture reign and the ultimate evil lies in THE BLOOD OF FU MANCHU.
Christopher Lee (THE LORD OF THE RINGS) returns as the diabolical super-villain who, along with his sadistic daughter Lin Tang (Tsai Chin of CASINO ROYALE), creates a fiendish new chemical weapon that will turn the seas into a giant block of ice. But when his archenemy Nayland Smith (Richard Greene of THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD) tracks the madman’s trail of kidnapping, murder and massive global destruction, he himself becomes trapped in Fu Manchu’s impenetrable lair of cruelty. Can any of the world’s top-secret agents (including a wild performance by Jess Franco) now stop the cold-blooded terror that lives in THE CASTLE OF FU MANCHU?
Jess Franco’s imaginative filmmaking style is on full display in these films. Christopher Lee simply is amazing as the super-villain Fu Manchu. These films were not big blockbuster budget films. But Franco put the money to great use and makes films that are entertaining and look pretty good. Speaking of which, Blue Underground have transferred these films to both Ultra HD Blu-ray (2160p) and HD Blu-ray (1080p). The films are presented in widescreen edition in 1.66:1. The Audio track is an English DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0. There is also the option for subtitles in English SDH, French and Spanish.
When you get a Blue Underground release you can rest assured you are getting a version that has the best quality possible. The Blood of Fu Manchu and The Castle of Fu Manchu simply look stunning. The colours pop and flesh tones are correct; the picture is crisp, and the audio is clear. These are two more wonderful 4K releases from the good folks at Blue Underground. In addition to these films looking wonderful on both 4K and Blu-ray. Blue Underground added some cool bonus features to each of these releases. Take a look at what is included:
‘The Blood of Fu Manchu’ Bonus Features:
- NEW! Audio Commentary with Film Historians Troy Howarth and Nathaniel Thompson
- The Rise of Fu Manchu – Interviews with Director Jess Franco, Producer Harry Alan Towers, and Stars Christopher Lee, Tsai Chin, & Shirley Eaton
- NEW! Sanguine-Stained Celluloid – Interview with Stephen Thrower, Author of “Murderous Passions: The Delirious Cinema of Jesus Franco”
- Trailers
- NEWLY EXPANDED! Poster & Still Gallery
- NEW! RiffTrax Edition – THE BLOOD OF FU MANCHU Riffed by Mike Nelson, Bill Corbett & Kevin Murphy (77 Mins.)
‘The Castle of Fu Manchu’ Bonus Features:
- NEW! Audio Commentary with Film Historians Nathaniel Thompson and Troy Howarth
- The Fall of Fu Manchu – Interviews with Director Jess Franco, Producer Harry Alan Towers, and Stars Christopher Lee & Tsai Chin
- NEW! Castle of Carnage – Interview with Stephen Thrower, Author of “Murderous Passions: The Delirious Cinema of Jesus Franco”
- International Trailer
- NEWLY EXPANDED! Poster & Still Gallery
- NEW! RiffTrax Edition – THE CASTLE OF FU MANCHU Riffed by Mike Nelson, Bill Corbett & Kevin Murphy (75 Mins.)
Insightful audio commentaries, interviews, trailers and galleries are cool. But the addition of RiffTrack? Those are really fun and make a great watch after enjoying the film itself. Plus, each of these 4Ks comes with a deluxe slipcover! Blue Underground really went above and beyond here to make these two releases something extremely special.
The films of Fu Manchu, especially those by Jess Franco, are not for everyone, but if you do enjoy them, you need these 4ks in your collection. They are simply stunning and would make a great addition or upgrade if you have previous iterations.
***** 5/5
The Blood of Fu Manchu and The Castle of Fu Manchu are out now on Blu-ray and 4K UHD from Blue Underground.
______
