Blu-ray Release: Apprentice to Murder

Blu-ray Release Date: Nov. 12, 2019
Price: Blu-ray $22.97
Studio: Arrow/MVD


Was it magic, murder or madness?

In early twentieth-century Pennsylvania Dutch Country, young Billy Kelly (Chad Lowe, Highway to Hell) falls in with a charismatic “powwower” or folk magic healer, Dr. John Reese (Donald Sutherland, Don’t Look Now), shunned by the rest of the community for his non-conformist beliefs. Together, they investigate the mysterious sickness that is blighting the area, which Reese believes to be the work of a sinister local hermit. But as the plague spreads and the wide-eyed Billy falls ever deeper under Reese’s spell, are they doing God’s work or the Devil’s bidding?

Also starring Mia Sara (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off) and featuring a powerhouse performance by Sutherland – reunited here with Don’t Look Now screenwriter Allan Scott – 1988’s Apprentice to Murder, directed by Ralph L. Thomas, is a chilling and unforgettable tale of the macabre that blurs the lines between conventional notions of “good” and “evil”.

Here’s the disc’s got:

    • Brand new 2K restoration of the film from the original 35mm interpositive
    • High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
    • Original lossless mono soundtrack
    • Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
    • New audio commentary by author and critic Bryan Reesman
    • New video interview on religious horror cinema with Kat Ellinger, author and editor-in-chief of Diabolique Magazine
    • New video interview with cinematographer Kelvin Pike
    • New video interview with makeup supervisor Robin Grantham
    • Theatrical trailer
    • Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Haunt Love

Buy or Rent Apprentice to Murder

About Laurence

Founder and editor Laurence Lerman saw Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest when he was 13 years old and that’s all it took. He has been writing about film and video for more than a quarter of a century for magazines, anthologies, websites and most recently, Video Business magazine, where he served as the Reviews Editor for 15 years.