Steven Speilberg's first classic/masterpiece gets a great bluray treatment and if you're looking into buying this, that's the only thing in question, so go for it!
After spending years consigned to one half of a double-feature disc, David Cronenberg's brilliantly personalized take on The Fly has received a special edition worthy of its merits. Starting off the package is a slick new transfer; the video offers a slight but noticeable improvement on the past edition, with a richer sense of color and detail as well as mastering for high-definition. The audio portion of the disc offers effective 5.1 Dolby and DTS mixes guaranteed to give the viewer's stereo system a workout. The first disc also features an excellent commentary track from Cronenberg that covers everything from technical and aesthetic details to on-the-set memories in the director's wry, understated style. The second disc is where the real treats begin for the film's longtime fans. First up is a new epic-length documentary on the making of The Fly that covers everything one could ever want to know about the film (with the selection of optional scene extensions, it can go all the way up to two hours and 45 minutes). This might be too much of a good thing for some viewers but the producers' willingness to leave no stone unturned is truly impressive. There's also a gallery of deleted scenes that have been painstakingly reconstructed and given new sound mixes for this disc -- fans of the film will flip over the often discussed but rarely seen "Monkey Cat" sequence. The viewer's behind-the-scenes knowledge is further extended with a series of film tests, including an amusing bit where Cronenberg camps it up in a fly costume on the film's revolving set. Elsewhere, the second disc features an elaborate series of still galleries that cover everything from the expected stills and conceptual art to reproductions of script drafts and the George Langelaan short story that inspired all the Fly films. Rounding out the disc is a generous trailer collection that includes all the theatrical and television trailers for the 1986 version of The Fly as well as trailers from The Fly 2, the 1958 version of The Fly, and The Return of the Fly. In short, this is a stellar DVD package, and fans of horror and sci-fi classics will be thrilled with its thorough excellence.
Alfred Hitchcock's masterpiece of suspense and horror gets a highly respectable release on DVD in this Collector's Edition. The quality of the 1.85:1 widescreen transfer is superb, and though the print shows some signs of age, the overall effect is that one is viewing moving, high-contrast, black-and-white photographs. The audio is also first-rate. Bernard Herrman's sinister, punishing score is scarier than ever here. All in all it's a technically masterful digital presentation; the movie has never seemed more chilling. The bonus materials are enlightening and thorough. The "Making of Psycho" documentary is one-and-a-half hours of juicy behind-the-scenes nuggets. Interviews with Janet Leigh, writer Joseph Stephano, and other cast and crew members are edited together with scenes from the movie for a historical, entertaining look at the modern classic. The theatrical trailer is nearly seven minutes in length; it's the tongue-in-cheek, bizarre, and now quite famous tour of the Bates Motel, with Hitchcock as the tour guide. "Production Notes" and "Cast & Filmmakers" provide the usual static images, brief biographies, talent filmographies, and movie trivia information. This Collector's Edition DVD of Psycho consistently stuns and shocks, allowing the full impact of Hitchcock's creepy opus to unnerve and distress future generations of unsuspecting viewers.
Perhaps this is such a unique horror classic b/c it was directed by a director of comedies, since he was able to provide a fresh perspective? Either way, it's a classic and must own!