‘Eli Roth’s History of Horror’: Season 3 Blu-Ray Review – A Fun Breakdown Of Weird & Thrilling Cinema

Season 3 of Eli Roth’s History of Horror continues with its winning combination of insightful interviews with masterfully-edited clips from films that have seared themselves into popular culture, framed through sub-genres that speak to the moment.

For in-depth thoughts on Eli Roth’s History of Horror: Season 3, please see my previous piece here. 

Video Quality

Eli Roth’s History of Horror: Season 3 arrives on Blu-Ray featuring a terrific transfer with a variety of material in mostly stable quality. Interview segments are very well shot and look incredibly crisp and clear with natural skin tones and subtle facial features on display. The movie clips presented seem to be the best versions that were available when the episode was produced, with most of them looking pretty excellent. Unlike some other similar shows, most of the clips maintain their original aspect ratio which is a real treat. The baseline transfer of the show itself and everything within it looks as technically excellent as you would hope for in high definition. RLJE Films spreads these six episodes over two discs which allows the content plenty of room to breathe where we can avoid any compression artifacts. This transfer is stellar all around. 

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray disc comes with a DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that provides this show with a steady presentation. This is mostly an interview show with talking heads abound, so dialogue is the focus right up front in the center channel. Environmental sounds from the clips and the score make the soundscape feel a bit more open, but overall the show is more reserved. The movie clips maintain their quality pretty well even if it is a slightly more contained experience than watching the same scene within the context of the film. This audio track is not pushing any boundaries, but you get all of the information clearly. There are optional English SDH subtitles provided. 

Special Features

• Horror Actresses: An eight-minute collection of interviews in which actresses such as Lydia Hearst, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jennifer Tilly, Katharine Isabelle, Lex Scott Davis, and Nancy Allen share some thoughts about their experiences in horror movies, the physical response their bodies have from being put in certain situations, the behind-the-scenes creative decisions and more. 

• The Apocalypse: A six-minute collection of interviews in which Joe Hill,  Jonah Ray, Rosa Salazar, Lex Scott Davis, Lydia Hearst, Max Brooks, and others discuss the fascination of “end of the world” narratives and how they can be explored to great effect on film. 

• Pandemic Films: A five-minute collection of interviews in which Joe Dante, Leonard Maltin, Jessica Roth, Max Brooks, Michael Dougherty and more discuss their response to the pandemic when it comes to revisiting films on the subject along with how the genre can be utilized to tell harrowing stories. 

Final Thoughts

Eli Roth’s History of Horror: Season 3 finds the series drilling down into some really interesting subgenres of horror which allows for some fresh discussions of titles that are not the subject of 100 other such explorations. Eli Roth proves to be a strong anchor for this show as we gain his valuable insight alongside a top notch assortment of interview subjects. These types of shows are incredibly valuable to burgeoning horror fans who may be looking to discover some hidden gems, but even firmly established genre fans will love the new insights that are provided. RLJE Films has provided a Blu-Ray set with an excellent A/V presentation along with a few special features. If you are already a fan of the first two outings, this third and final one is a safe purchase. Recommended 

Eli Roth’s History of Horror: Season 3 is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray and DVD. 

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: RLJE Films has supplied a copy of this set free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.