Ruby (1977) (Blu-ray Review)
DIRECTED BY: Curtis Harrington
STARRING: Piper Laurie, Stuart Whitman, Roger Davis
RATED: UR/Region: A/1:85/1080P/NUMBER OF DISCS 2
AVAILABLE FROM VCI Entertainment
Ruby (1977) is the cinematic equivalent of finding a dusty, slightly cursed relic at a yard sale—mildly fascinating, questionably functional, and you’re never quite sure if you should display it proudly or quietly shove it back into the box. The film tries to juggle mob drama, supernatural horror, and low-rent exploitation sleaze, and while it certainly earns points for ambition, the execution often feels like it was stitched together during a power outage.
The story centers around former gangster Ruby, who’s now running a Florida drive-in theater while attempting to bury her violent past. Naturally, because this is a ‘70s horror flick, her past responds by clawing its way back from the grave… literally. The premise has some genuine potential, mixing crime flick grit with ghostly revenge, but the movie never fully commits to either side. It’s like watching a mob movie that keeps getting distracted by a haunted house attraction set up in the parking lot.
The pacing is particularly… leisurely. Scenes linger well past their expiration date, and the narrative occasionally wanders off like it forgot why it walked into the room. The effects and horror elements are very much products of their time—sometimes charmingly dated, sometimes just dated-dated. Still, there’s a grimy, regional horror vibe that gives the movie a certain sleazy drive-in authenticity that genre fans may find endearing in a “this is objectively not good, but I’m weirdly enjoying it” sort of way.
Performance-wise, the cast swings for the fences, even when the script is clearly still warming up in the dugout. There’s enough earnestness here to keep things watchable, and every once in a while, the film stumbles into an actually effective creepy moment before quickly tripping over its own tone again.
Thankfully, while the movie itself may be more curiosity than classic, VCI Entertainment gives it far more respect than the film probably deserves with a genuinely nice-looking Blu-ray release. The transfer is surprisingly sharp, preserving all the grimy atmosphere and vintage textures that help sell the movie’s drive-in charm. It’s one of those releases where the presentation almost feels like it’s politely apologizing for the film while still celebrating its cult oddball status.
Overall, Ruby isn’t exactly a hidden gem—it’s more like a mildly interesting rock that you pick up, examine, and keep around because it’s got a weird shape. It never quite figures out what kind of movie it wants to be, but if you’ve got a soft spot for messy ‘70s horror hybrids and regional exploitation oddities, there’s enough here to justify the trip… especially when it looks this good on Blu-ray.
Extras
- NEW 2K RESTORATION from the original camera negative
- Original theatrical trailer
- Audio Commentary with Director Curtis Harrington & Actress Piper Laurie
- New Audio Commentary with David Del Valle and Curtis Harrington historian Nate Bell
- Two Interviews with Curtis Harrington by Film Critic David Del Valle
- Photo Gallery
- Optional English SDH subtitles
