The Hand Blu-ray Movie – Thriller Horror Film for Movie Night & Home Theater Collections

‘The Hand’ may not rank among Oliver Stone’s masterpieces but it is an intense psychological horror film. Aside from the twist at the end which damages the film (IMHO) and has the feeling of a studio asking for some sort of payoff for the audience, Stone crafts a memorable thriller that rides on the strong lead performance of Michael Caine.Caine pays a comic strip artist who’s life is turned upside down when his marriage begins to disintegrate and, during a car accident, he loses the hand he draws with crippling him both physically and psychologically. He begins to experience horrible dreams that his hand is alive doing his bidding aginst those who cross him while also having unexplained blackouts.Scream’s Blu-Ray was struck from a new 2K scan of an inter-positive which increases the detail and quality of the visuals but also highlights some of the flaws of the original as well. Grain is largely well managed (don’t be discouraged by the grain the size of hams at the beginning) but be aware this is an early 80’s film so the look of the film-including the higher level of grain-is to be expected from a film from this time.The audio sounds fine with a nice mono presentation with dialog clear and pretty robust. English subtitles are included.The special features include a vintage commentary from Stone, a new interview with him, Bruce McGill, Producer Edward R. pressman, his wife actress Annie McEnroe and Andrea Marcovicci. MIA is Michael Caine which is a pity. He took the role to pay for a new garage after the success of “Dressed to Kill” but I would love to hear his take on the film, his performance (which like all of his performances is nothing less than committed) and the production.Sadly, “The Hand” was a box office flop. It revisits a common theme from horror films and has an almost Cronenberg styled obsession with body horror. It’s still an entertaining and enjoyable film.