DVD Reviews

The Anniversary (1968)

What's more scary then Michael Myers, more brutal then Jason Vorhees and more vicious then Freddy? It's the ever, evil, mother-in-law!!!  The Anniversary comes to us from Anchor Bay.  The cover is alright though nothing special.  Considering Anchor Bay released a ton of Hammer films years ago I wonder why this is just being released now.  Did they just get the rights to the film?  Were there problems? We may never know.  For fans, it really doesn’t matter.  The wait is over and their film is now available.

The legendary Bette Davis stars as Mrs. Taggart, a venomous one-eyed matriarch who - despite her husband being long dead - demands her three grown sons gather for her 40th anniversary. Eldest Henry is a mild-mannered cross-dresser; middle child Terry is a henpecked weakling; and carefree yongest son Thomas arrives with his pregnant fiancee.  But this bumpy night has only just begun, as family secrets will be revealed, cruel insults hurled, and frilly underwear stolen. Even if the siblings can survive the festivities unscathed, does the biggest mother of them all have a shocking final surprise for everyone?

I generally find that Anchor Bay does a really good job on their DVDs and this one is no different.  The anamorphic widescreen picture (1.85:1) is nice and colourful, full of great detail and looking much better then some of the digital films shot within the last few years.  Quite an accomplishment considering how old this film is.  The audio is standard.  It’s clean and clear but never overly impressive.  Presented in Dolby Digital Mono there isn’t any use of surrounds and the base response is minimal.

Luckily for fans, this isn’t a bare bones release. The big extra on the DVD is an audio commentary with Director Roy Ward and Producer/Screenwriter Jimmy Sangster.  The commentary is moderated by Perry Martin, the producer of the DVD.  It is quite educational and a good listen. We have two promos/trailers for the film itself.   There are some Talent Bios (an easy addition to any DVD) for Bette Davis, Roy Ward Baker and Jimmy Sangster. Also included is a Poster & Still Gallery containing 20 images. Finally there's trailers for Visiting Hours, The Entity, Quicksilver Highway, Ghost in the Machine and Bad Dreams, all available from Anchor Bay Entertainment.

I can easily recommend this DVD to fans of the film and Hammer studios.  Anchor Bay has done a good job of bringing the film to DVD.  If you aren’t into Hammer films this might not be your cup of tea.  Think back to Sunday afternoon television in the 80s and you may remember seeing it.  Bette Davis is superb and her fans should easily snatch this one up.

Review By Robert Harding