Witch Academy (Retromedia) Blu-ray Review + 1080p Screenshots + Packaging Shots

Another Fred Olen Ray film has hit blu-ray and this is cause for celebration. Here we have a group of sorority babes who are trying to humiliate a new pledge. This is Fred Olen Ray at his finest.

Studio: Retromedia
Release Date: 1995 (video premiere)
Run Time: 1 hour 20 minutes 38 seconds
Region Code:
Picture: 1080p (1.78:1 aspect ratio)
Sound: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, English Dolby Digital 2.0
Subtitles: No
Slipcover: Yes (signed by Michelle Bauer)
Digital Copy: No
Starring: Robert Vaughn, Suzanne Ager, Priscilla Barnes, Michelle Bauer, Veronica Carothers
Written by Mark Thomas McGee
Directed by Fred Olen Ray
Rating: Not Rated

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Poster

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What's It About?

Three Sorority Sisters played by Michelle Bauer (BEVERLY HILLS VAMP), Suzanne Ager (EVIL TOONS) and Ruth Collins (DOOM ASYLUM), find themselves in a tough spot when a hazing initiation goes wrong, drawing the attention of Lucifer himself, Robert Vaughn (THE MAN FROM UNCLE). Abetted by their evil den-mother, Priscilla Barnes (THREE'S COMPANY), newcomer, Veronica Carothers and the iconic, Jay Richardson (HOLLYWOOD CHAINSAW HOOKERS) you're in for a Hell of a Good Time!

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Video/Audio

WITCH ACADEMY comes to us from Retromedia and this transfer looks good. The packaging and website say that this is a "New HD Transfer from the Original Camera Negative." There is nothing about whether this is a 2K or a 4K scan, but I would say this is probably a 2K scan. The scenes that take place in most of the house look good with skin tones looking accurate. It is the scenes that take place in the basement that look outstanding. The colors pop right off the screen while the blacks are inky and deep. Detail can be pretty high throughout the film with a thin level of grain.

The lossless 2.0 track gets the job done. It is much beefier than the "secret" lossy 2.0 that is only accessible by using the audio button on your player's remote while the film plays.

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Extras/Packaging

Audio Commentary by Fred Olen Ray

Graveyard Theater Collection (9m 33s, SD, 1.33:1) I have never heard of this before. It looks like it was a throwback to the horror shows of the past where you would have a host (Svengoolie or Elvira were the most popular) that would introduce a film, come in a few times during the film to talk about it, and do an outro as well. This show has a host that doesn't talk about any of the films she is "introducing". She comes in, does some schtick, and then leaves. This feature looks to be a collection of all of her introductions, but not any of the other things she did for the films she featured. She says that she will be back at the end but never does. The schtick isn't funny and this was a slog to get through.

Nite Owl Theater Collection (22m 35s, SD, 1.33:1) Fred Olen Ray did these wraparounds for the films of his that he released on DVD. It was a horror show hosting thing like the aforementioned Graveyard Theater, but actually kind of fun. This is a collection of some of the host segments. There is a lot of nudity here so there's also that.

Trailer (2m 35s, HD, 1.78:1) Watching this trailer brought me back to the days when you would rent a video from your local video store. You would take the tape home and watch every trailer that was featured before the film. These trailers were often the first time you would hear about a film. Oh man, those were the days.

WITCH ACADEMY comes to us from Retromedia and they have done a nice job with the packaging. The included slipcover features some nice artwork on the front. On the back, we have a picture of Michelle Bauer from the flick with her autograph in the middle of the pic. The same artwork that was on the front of the slipcover is on the front of the blu-ray case. The disc art features a piece of the aforementioned artwork focusing on the three main girls.

The disc is REGION FREE

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Overall

Fred Olen Ray loves his bottle films (a film that takes place in one location) and WITCH ACADEMY might be his best. The girls are game for anything Fred Olen Ray throws at the them and they have great comic timing to boot. The film is exactly what you think it is, no more, no less. It is a fun time to kill an hour and twenty minutes. Retromedia has done right by this film in giving it a really nice blu-ray release. The picture and sound are both great and the special features are a lot of fun. This is a must-own for fans of Fred Olen Ray, 90s straight-to-video schlock, or fans of films like this one.

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Extras/Menus