Films
/
Madman (1981)
Madman (1981) poster

Madman (1981)

Horror, Thriller • 1h 29m

Director: Joe Giannone

Cast: Gaylen Ross, Tony Fish, Harriet Bass, Seth Jones, Jan Claire, Alexander Murphy Jr., Jimmy Steele, Carl Fredericks, Paul Ehlers, Tom Veilleux, Stephen Clark, Vicki Kenneally, Shelley Mathes, Lori Mathes, Jane Pappidas, Travis Sawyer, Deidre Higgins, Michael Sullivan

Best English-friendly & video release

Updated 1 year ago


UHD tiers

Solid
Vinegar Syndrome

About the film

Madman Marz, an old folklore legend who murdered his family before escaping into the woods, is inadvertently summoned to a campsite to finish the spree he started decades ago.

More from Vinegar Syndrome

See more →

Director: Lam Nai-choi

Best English-Friendly & Video:

88 Films UK or Vinegar Syndrome US Blu-ray (preference)

Video Notes:

Different color gradings, 88 Films disc is encoded by FiM but Vinegar Syndrome encode (by Marcus Johnson) is more than robust

Audio Notes:

Vinegar Syndrome potentially has better audio than 88 Films, due to VinSyn possibly having EQ'd the audio mix after Fortune Star scanned the track in a way that makes it sound too hot, whereas 88 left it alone without addressing that issue. However, no direct comparisons exist

Director: Hal Needham

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Vinegar Syndrome 4K Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

2026 Vinegar Syndrome 4K Blu-ray, 2025 Umbrella 4K Blu-ray

Director: Trey Parker

Best English-Friendly & Video:

UK Refuse Films or US Vinegar Syndrome Blu-ray

Video Notes:

Both releases have two presentations: sourced from the original Betacam master tapes, and another that uses a filmout of the tapes.

Director: Simon Wincer

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Vinegar Syndrome 4K Blu-ray

Director: Keenen Ivory Wayans

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:

Vinegar Syndrome 4K Blu-ray

Director: William Friedkin

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Vinegar Syndrome 4K Blu-ray

Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Vinegar Syndrome 4K Blu-ray see caps

For Blu-ray, UK Second Sight is better than Kino Lorber Blu-ray

Director: Joe Dante

4K · Excellent

Director: Abel Ferrara

Video format: UHD Blu-ray

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Warner Archive Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

Vinegar Syndrome 4K Blu-ray in July

Director: John Newland

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Vinegar Syndrome 4K Blu-ray

Director: Robert Downey Sr.

Best English-Friendly & Video:

UK Indicator Blu-ray or US Vinegar Syndrome Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

UK Indicator Blu-ray or US Vinegar Syndrome Blu-ray no comparison available but both from the same Academy 4K restoration

More Horror on Blu-ray

Director: Guillermo del Toro

Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Additional Info:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray also includes exclusive "Reborn Cut"

Director: Tobe Hooper

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:

Warner Bros 4K Blu-ray

Audio Notes:

4K Blu-ray has both the original Dolby Stereo mix and a 5.1 remix.

Additional Info:

HBO Max Streaming includes the theatrical version with original credits, goofs. 1080p with the 5.1 remix

Director: Stanley Kubrick

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Video Notes:

Included in the Complete Kubrick box set with FiM encode of the same master from the WB release without the filtering, 1.85 ratio restored for US Cut; both US and International Cuts are 4K.

Best Audio:

US Cut: 1999 WB DVD/Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Additional Info:

No Blu-ray or DVD release until the Criterion 4K Blu-ray has presented the US in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1. The International Cut has never been presented in it's OAR of 1.66:1 in any home video releases.

The packaging on the back of the WB 4K Blu-ray incorrectly states it as 1.85:1 when the movie is actually 1.78:1 as is the original Blu-ray. 

Director: Lewis Teague

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:

UK Arrow 4K Blu-ray 

Video Notes:

> disappointing US Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray

Audio Notes:

UK Arrow 4K Blu-ray / R1 Lionsgate DVD sounds best and has the original mono and the R1 Lionsgate DVD has a Dolby Stereo remix

Director: Alexandre Aja

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly:

US Lionsgate Limited 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

US Lionsgate Limited, France ESC, or Germany Plaion 4K Blu-ray?

Video Notes:

Germany Plaion is reportedly better than UK Second Sight.

Not sure about the US Lionsgate or France ESC.

Director: Ryuhei Kitamura

Best English-Friendly:

Theatrical Cut: Austria NSM Blu-ray
Director's Cut: US Lionsgate Blu-ray

Best Video:

Theatrical Cut: Austria NSM Blu-ray
Director's Cut: France Metropolitan Blu-ray

Video Notes:

Metropolitan got better picture (higher bitrate + better grain + more detail) than Lionsgate

Best Audio:

Director's Cut: US Lionsgate Blu-ray

Director: Glen Morgan

Best English-Friendly:

2008 Canada TVA Films Blu-ray

Best Video:

2022 Germany Nameless Media 3-Disc Edition Blu-ray

Directors: Irving Pichel & Ernest B. Schoedsack

Best English-Friendly & Video:

UK MoC Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · DVDBeaver (opens in a new tab)

Best Audio:

MoC Blu-ray offers both restored and an unrestored tracks

Director: George Pavlou

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Germany Wicked Vision 4K Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

Arrow 4K Blu-ray teased

Video Notes:

Germany Wicked Vision 4K Blu-ray better than US Kino Lorber?

Director: Roman Polanski

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Lionsgate Limited 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Lionsgate Limited 4K Blu-ray see caps. Much better contrast and grain exposure but the grade is a bit questionable as it skews heavily towards magenta in some caps and the encode looks low-pass filtered.

Lionsgate and the upcoming Imprint have the same discs.

Best Audio:

Atmos Remix: Lionsgate 4K Blu-ray
Original 5.1: Imprint Australia Blu-ray or StudioCanal Germany/France Blu-ray

Audio Notes:

Lionsgate 4K Blu-ray encoded the "Original 5.1" as lossy Dolby Digital, which is very different from the AC3 on the original DVD.  This new "Original 5.1" may in fact be a downmix of the Atmos track.  FWIW, the original DVD AC3 still sounds very good.

Edit history

1 edit

Researched and maintained by

vanshady

· last reviewed 1 year ago

Every recommendation follows the same method — how these calls are made.