The good news is that Dario Argento's latest film "Non Ho Sonno" (aka "Sleepless") is being hailed by many as a return to form for one of the few greats of horror cinema. The bad news is that his 1998 version of "The Phantom of the Opera" is a test even for hardened fans. If you still feel the need to satisfy your curiosity, then sadly this UK rental release is only going to make things worse.

Presenting any Dario film in fullscreen pan and scan is just silly. Some people prefer the viewing format, but Dario movies always suffer when cropped like this. Additionally, the picture is soft, often lacks detail, and is blighted by poor colours and grain.

The 2.0 surround mix is not a bad effort in terms of effects, but sadly the only available soundtrack is an English language dub. This leaves Parisian characters sporting cheesy US accents destroying potentially dramatic scenes.

It’s a rental DVD, so the lack of extra features is fine, but the treatment this already disappointing film gets only further compromises any impact it may have had.

Chapters: 12
Region: 2
Ratio: 1.33:1 (fullscreen)
Sound: Dolby Digital 2.0 (Dolby Surround)
Extra Features: Scene selection.