Young and easily frightened Heather (Lesleh Donaldson, Happy Birthday To Me) is called to stay with her grandmother in the hopes of helping her turn an old funeral home into a bed-and-breakfast. But strange happenings and unexplained murders around the home quickly make this vacation spot a “dead-and-breakfast.” It is up to Heather to investigate the eerie and creepy corners of the former funeral home to unlock a decades-old secret. Will she survive long enough to solve the mystery???

For thoughts on Funeral Home, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

[youtube https://youtu.be/FZa2peI-zyg?si=f5B19dBuLMCZ2pn1&t=393]

Video Quality

Funeral Home debuts on Blu-Ray courtesy of Scream Factory with a 1080p transfer derived from a scan of the Original Camera Negative. This alone is something of a miracle, as most horror fans have heard over the years that the possibility of this getting anything but an upscaled VHS release was near zero. Previous releases were atrocious with most elements hard to see due to the quality of the master. With this in mind, we say the new release is a monumental improvement upon anything anyone ever expected to see. Nevertheless, due to the quality of the source, some core deficiencies keep this from being immaculate.

We are grateful that the source has been cleaned up when it comes to nicks and scratches as they avoid showing up too often outside of small blemishes here and there. Where the limitations are most apparent is in the color fluctuations that teeter up and down throughout the presentation. The effect is mildly distracting, but never so much as to pull you out of the viewing experience. Elsewhere, the film has a soft appearance with detail showing up more so in brightly lit lighting conditions. Black levels struggle slightly with a milky appearance and a bit of crush when exploring the titular home. The colors on display are fairly saturated when you leave aside the temperature fluctuations. This Blu-Ray release is spotty if you do not understand where it came from, but if you take into consideration its limitations, this is a huge win for fans.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray disc comes with a similarly inconsistent DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio mono track that represents the film to the best of its abilities. The music from Jerry Fielding is a highlight of the experience as it establishes the tone of the story. There are obvious signs of age in some of the notes, but no indication of damage or distortion. Dialogue sounds a bit hollow for the most part. Environmental noises such as screams or crashes are delineated well within the mix. The low end does not provide much in the way of texture within the source limitations. Scream Factory has delivered an acceptable audio experience that is held back by its origins. English SDH subtitles are provided for those who want them.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Film Historians Jason Pichonsky and Paul Corupe provide a new commentary track in which they discuss the legacy of the film, its place in Canadian horror cinema, the production of the feature, the background of the talent involved, the reaction to the feature over the years, and much more that give some nice context to the picture.

Isolated Score Selections and Audio Interview with Music Historian Douglass Fake: Music Historian Douglass Fake guides the audience through the Jerry Fielding score as he discusses specific facets of different pieces along with the history of Fielding during the quiet moments.

Audio Interviews with Actor Lesleh Donaldson, First Assistant Director Ray Sager, and Production Assistant Shelley Allen: Michael Felsher from Red Shirt Pictures conducts a series of interviews with key figures from the film in which they discuss their experiences during production, memories of the performers, the work of director William Fruet, the casting process, and much more that reveals a lot of juicy details and anecdotes.

Secrets & Shadows – Interview with Director of Photography Mark Irwin: A new 16-minute interview with the cinematographer who discusses the development of the feature, shooting the picture on a limited budget, the mixture of on-location and set shooting, techniques that he developed on this feature, filming stunts at the quarry, and more.

Dead & Breakfast – Interview with Art Director Susan Longmire and Set Assistant Elinor Galbraith: A 14-minute new interview with these two women involved with the production in which they discuss their backgrounds, getting involved with the production, dressing the set, the difficulties of replicating certain items, the parts of the house that fascinated them most, and more.

Family Owned & Operated – Interview with Brian Allen, President of Premier Drive-In Theaters: A 13-minute new interview with the son of Executive Producer Barry Allen who reflects on the production, the adventure of his dad making a movie, memories of visiting the set, and more.

Original Filming Location Footage: A nearly seven-minute look at the modern shooting locations as captured and narrated by Michael Felsher from Red Shirt Pictures.

Trailers: This disc provides the Theatrical Trailer (1:50) and Video Trailer (1:44).

TV Spots: A minute-long selection of TV spots is provided.

Radio Spots: A two-and-a-half-minute-long selection of radio spots is provided.

Still Gallery: A five-minute selection of photos from the production and marketing is provided.

Final Thoughts

Funeral Home is a somewhat forgettable semi-slasher that entertains without lingering. The atmosphere that is conjured is the film’s strongest element, as there is an inherently creepy nature to the house and some of the performers. The film simply doesn’t do too much with what it has, at least not at a particularly thrilling pace. Things pick up more near the end, but it never establishes itself as a forgotten horror masterpiece. This one is more for hardcore fans of the genre. Scream Factory has provided the film with a Blu-Ray release that delivers a fine A/V presentation and a significant amount of special features. If you have been waiting for the film to be treated with respect, you are in luck.

Funeral Home (Collector’s Edition) is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.

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

Disclaimer: Scream Factory has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.