On a dark night, in an isolated Italian villa, the last will and testament of a disabled former concert pianist is read. From another room comes the sound of a piano being played in the unmistakable style of the dead man–the start of a reign of terror by The Beast with Five Fingers. Terrified, the heirs disinter the dead man and discover his long-paralyzed left hand has been severed and is missing. Now, one-by-one the people in the villa die, and the gruesome disembodied hand is not going to stop killing until it finds revenge for the pianist’s murder in this terrifying horror classic.

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Video Quality

Warner Archive presents The Beast with Five Fingers for the first time on Blu-Ray with a 1080p transfer sourced from a 4K restoration of the Original Camera Negative. Horror fans are one of the most dedicated groups supporting physical media, and it feels like the label wants to reward their support by delivering one knockout presentation after the next for the more spooky fare. Print damage has been eradicated from virtually every frame. This black-and-white feature has stellar natural film grain throughout that provides a fetching amount of detail to the image. There are never circumstances when it gets too clumpy or unnatural. The presentation reveals a pleasing amount of depth to it including in the shadows where there is no trace of any black crush. There is a reason Warner Archive is one of our favorites.

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray release comes with a DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio split mono track that nails the sonic intentions. The narrative is not particularly brash even when the titular “beast” is running amok around the house, but a few key moments get lively in the speakers. Dialogue overwhelmingly comes through crisp and clear with nothing getting buried in the mix. None of the creepy effects or the underlying Max Steiner score ever steal focus from the dialogue on this release. There does not appear to be any damage or age-related wear to the track. Overall, this is an ideal audio presentation that represents the film well. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: A new commentary track featuring author/film historian Dr. Steve Haberman and filmmaker/film historian Constantine Nasr in which they discuss the legacy of this film, the career of writer Curt Siodmak, the tonal inconsistencies, the contributions of the performers, and more.

The Foxy Duckling A nearly eight-minute Merrie Melodies cartoon is presented in remastered HD in which a fox trying to get some sleep goes to some extremes in order to get his rest.

The Gay Anties: A seven-minute Merrie Melodies cartoon is presented in remastered HD which details the activities of ants at a picnic.

Theatrical Trailer: The two-minute trailer is provided for the film.

Final Thoughts

The Beast with Five Fingers is a really great idea that never quite reaches its full potential despite delivering a fun viewing experience. Peter Lorre is a cheat code to making your movie appear more menacing or scary, and he is the standout of the narrative. The special effects work is very good for the time, but we kind of wish things were pushed even further in the thrill department. The film moves along at a good clip so that you never get too bored when the hand is not on screen. It is not at the highest peak of the classic horror mountain, but it easily earns a place in the upper echelon. Warner Archive has released a Blu-Ray featuring a sterling A/V presentation and some grand special features. If you need some throwback thrills and chills, this movie will hit the spot. Recommended

The Beast with Five Fingers can be purchased directly through MovieZyng or various other online retailers.

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

Disclaimer: Warner Archive 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.