The Shout (1978) (Blu-ray)

A tour de force of psychic dread that begins as an ambient murmur and builds to an existential shriek, legendary Polish director Jerzy Skolimowski’s provocative adaptation of a short story by Robert Graves is a hallucinatory confrontation with the unknown. In a small English village, an experimental composer (John Hurt) and his wife (Susannah York) see their routine existence upended by the arrival of an enigmatic stranger (a seductively sinister Alan Bates), who claims to possess knowledge of Aboriginal magic and the ability to kill using a deadly scream—a power that makes him an object of both terror and desire. With its puzzle-box structure, unnerving ambiguity, and otherworldly electronic sound design, this Cannes Film Festival award winner quivers with the primal fear of mysterious and uncontrollable forces. DIRECTOR-APPROVED BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES • 2K digital restoration, approved by director Jerzy Skolimowski and director of photography Mike Molloy, with 2.0 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack • New interviews with Skolimowski and producer Jeremy Thomas • Excerpts from Skolimowski’s appearance at the 1997 Midnight Sun Festival • On the Set of “The Shout,” a short UK television program from 1977 • English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing • PLUS: An essay by scholar Leo Goldsmith