I watched the 'controversial' Shriek Show Blu of
Beyond the Darkness earlier, and whilst it is by no means a perfect release, it is a lot better than what I expected having read some of the damning comments online.
It is certainly an upgrade over the DVD and shows no traces of DNR, instead it is grain heavy (but not to the point of distraction). The image looks slightly soft in places, plus there are a couple of audio sync issues - I think these may of been present on the DVD too.
Overall, I'd liken the presentation to an upscaling of the DVD, and aside from the 'alternative' (edited) opening sequence, there is still definitely room for improvement. However, I was generally happy with the transfer, particularly as it is a 1970s low-budget indy Italian horror film using post-production dubbing incorporating a dual mono audio track - you're not exactly going in expecting the best transfer.
Also, as you get the DVD anyway (which incorporates the longer opening sequence) I think the £11 odd I spent on it was a pretty fair price for what I consider to be an essential slice of Euro-horror from D'Amato.
There is talk that Midnight Legacy will release this in the not-to-distant future, and if they do I'll weigh up the merits of both releases and decide which one I prefer.