RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD 3 - BLU-RAY REVIEW

Trioxin 245, the chemical agent responsible for bringing the dead back to life in Dan O’Bannon’s original RETURN OF THE LIVIND DEAD (1985) is pretty much the only commonality in all the subsequent sequels, including this smaller-budgeted, atypical approach to this somewhat confusing zombie franchise.  Much like his earlier BRIDE OF RE-ANIMATOR (1989), director Brian Yuzna once again incorporates elements of James Whale’s The BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1935), albeit mixed with touches of “Romeo and Juliet.”  Difficult to see in its original uncut, unrated version since its VHS and laserdisc debuts, Lionsgate have thankfully remedied this oversight with volume 4 in their Vestron Video Collector’s Series.

Curt (J. Trevor Edmond) and Julie (Melinda Clarke) are a pair of young lovers who decide to sneak into a top secret military installation, where they witness Curt’s dad, Colonel John Reynolds (Kent McCord), developing the newest techniques involving those barrel-encased zombies.  Instead of just storing them away, the military plans on utilizing them as weapons of war and, in between use, Reynolds has devised a revolutionary technique of freezing them using bullet-like ammunition.  However, Curt and Julie leave before witnessing the entire – badly botched – experiment, which enables Colonel Sinclair (Sarah Douglas), Reynolds’ rival, to embark on her exoskeleton design, and which results in Reynolds’ relocation.  Curt is none too happy about this sudden change and decides to leave for Seattle with Julie, but as they make their way out of town, he crashes his motorcycle and Julie is killed; so of course – what else?! – he heads back to the military facility in the hopes of reviving his newly dead girlfriend…

Although hiding behind the façade of a zombie film, this is essentially a ‘love story’, as Curt does what he can to keep his love for Julie burning bright even in the face of death.  Most of the cast of this competently-put-together production really do give it their all, and even though Curt’s actions may be a little too over-the-top at times, this works well within the context of the story further accentuating his ‘obsessive’ fascination with her.  Melinda Clarke, future star of The O.C. (2003-2007), also puts in a solid performance as the rebellious and subsequently highly-confused tortured zombie.  Her desperation and utter disorientation is akin to Richard Backus’ character Andy Brooks from Bob Clark’s DEATHDREAM (1974), and in an interesting take on the zombie mythos, her use of self-mutilation to ‘ease the pain’ of death is certainly original.  Scripted by John Penney, the second assistant editor on the original RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD, definitely attempted something distinctive here and, despite the limited budget, the film moves at a good clip, with no pretense whatsoever of being anything more than a gory (if certainly quite novel) zombie flick.  Also, in this unrated version at least, special makeup effects guru Steve Johnson and his significant crew of makeup artists (which also includes Thomas C. Rainone), supply several gory set-pieces of practical effects work, which should please most old school horror fans.

As with the other Vestron titles, ROTLD 3 is loaded with vast amounts of special features, beginning with two commentary tracks – taken from Trimark’s original R-rated DVD version and perfectly synched to the longer, unrated version – that features director Yuzna on track one speaking enthusiastically about the entire project and how much of the film’s strengths are due to John Penney’s original take on the material.  On the second track, actor Clarke and effects whiz Rainone talk specifically about most of the rather elaborate effects work, as well as some of the challenges Clarke had to endure to fully realize her character. 

Of course, in conjunction with Michael Felsher’s Red Shirt Pictures, Lionsgate have also included a number of featurettes, beginning with “Ashes to Ashes”, which is another talk with Yuzna and Penney wherein they discuss the origins of the project and the different direction they ultimately decided to take it in.  In the aptly-titled “Living Dead Girl”, Clarke once again discusses some of the elaborate makeup effects she had to go through, as well as how she originally landed the role, plus the long working hours and working alongside J. Trevor Edmond, who also gets his own featurette, “Romeo Is Bleeding.”  In it, he discusses his involvement in the shoot, the swift shooting schedule and how Clarke helped him land the part.  In “Trimark and Trioxin”, former Trimark executive David Tripet and editor Chris Roth reminiscence about the market at the time, which was hungry for horror product. They also discuss the L.A. locations, their disappointment at the film’s lackluster theatrical release and once again touch on the love story angle.  In the final featurette, “The Resurrected Dead”, special effects gurus Steve Johnson and Chris Nelson talk about the various enthusiastic effects work – including some excellent behind-the-scenes footage – and their humble beginnings in the industry, plus all the various special makeup effects houses which were involved in the production.  Detailed still/storyboard galleries and a couple of theatrical trailers finish off the extras. 

In terms of picture quality, this edition of ROTLD 3 is a handsome 1080p HD transfer retaining the film’s original 1.85:1 aspect ratio, which puts all other previous editions to shame; something that can also be said for the film’s soundtrack.  Presented in DTS-HD 2.0 Stereo, the sound is clean and crisp and has been greatly improved compared to the older DVDs.  Finally, the Blu-ray also comes with a nice embossed O-card.

After a long absence on home video, it’s nice to finally have the full, unrated version back in circulation, and Lionsgate’s Blu-ray will definitely satisfy fans of the film.  It’s another highly recommended release in Lionsgate’s ongoing Vestron Video Collector’s Series.  Order it from DiabolikDVD.

CREEPSHOW 2 - BLU-RAY REVIEW

U.S. tagline: “When the curtain goes up, the terror begins.”

While nowhere near as memorable as George A. Romero’s CREEPSHOW (1982), Michael Gornick’s economical sequel serves up three more Stephen King short stories, which, despite its numerous flaws, does have its moments and is certainly worth a revisit, especially via Arrow Video’s newest, and extras-packed, Blu-ray.

“Welcome kiddies, to another edition of Creepshow!” intones our host The Creep (Tom Savini), who is first seen delivering the newest issue of Creepshow to a small, rain-soaked town as Billy (Domenick John) watches in awe.  Like CREEPSHOW, the image switches to animation, but unlike that film’s classy comic-book panels and transitions, CREEPSHOW 2’s rather ragged, substandard animation (courtesy of Rick Catizone) acts as a sort of wraparound, which centers on Billy and a bunch of bullies and is at first a little off-putting, but The Creep’s intros from within his castle are good, classic EC Comics fun. 

As voiced by Joe Silver – Canadian character actor best-known from two of David Cronenberg’s early efforts, SHIVERS (1975) and RABID (1977) – The Creep gets us ready for our first story, “a nasty lil’ bone-cracker” he calls “Old Chief Wood’nHead.” Ray and Martha Spruce (George Kennedy and Dorothy Lamour) run a small convenience store in Dead River, a decaying, southwestern town that is (quote) “finally living up to its name.”  With no business, Ray has plenty of time to touch-up the war paint on Old Chief Wood’nHead, an imposing carven statue of an Indian warrior that stands guard out in front of their humble store.  When, in payment for their many debts, Ray and Martha are given some precious – and highly valuable – tribal jewels courtesy of Benjamin Whitemoon (Frank S. Salsedo), Ben’s nephew Sam (Holt McCallany), a wannabe Hollywood actor, and his two cohorts Fatso (David Holbrook) and Cavanagh (Don Harvey) rob their store and attempt to steal the jewels, only to have Old Chief Wood’nHead come to life and meticulously exact his revenge.  Typical of many EC Comics, it’s a simplistic story as our three antagonists get their much-deserved comeuppances, but it’s simply too drawn-out and slow-moving; which certainly captures the languid pace of Dead River, but when compared to CREEPSHOW’s memorable first episode “Father’s Day”, it’s a rather tepid opener, even when compared to an episode of Laurel’s TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE (1984-1988) TV show.

For our next (quote) “bubbly bon-bon”, four kids, Randy (Daniel Beer), Rachel (Page Hannah), Deke (Paul Satterfield) and Laverne (Jeremy Green), in search of a good time, drive out to a desolate lake in “The Raft”, but are soon menaced by some sort of unexplained “oil slick” in the water which is ready to devour anything in its path.  Originally appearing in the November 1982 issue of Gallery, one of the many skin mags which proliferated during the ’70s and ’80s, “The Raft” eventually made its way into King’s Skeleton Crew, his second collection of short stories published in 1985, but unlike the more fleshed-out short story, the filmed version is even more one-dimensional in its execution, without any backstory whatsoever and merely – if quite effectively – outlines their struggle against the mysterious, flesh-absorbing oil slick as it circles their pontoon.  Some unexpected and memorable death scenes soon follow and keep things moving through its 20+ minutes, including the best ‘surprise’ ending of all three stories. 

For the film’s third and last (quote) “morbid masterpiece”, Anne Lansing (Lois Chiles) is driving home after a late-night visit with her regular stud (David Beecroft), who is thinking of charging his clients “per orgasm”.  On her way home, she tries to conceive of possible excuses for her rich husband, but when she drops her cigarette while behind the wheel and becomes distracted from the road ahead, she accidentally runs over a hitchhiker and then leaves the scene, only to thereafter be repeatedly beset by the vengeful – and increasingly mangled – hitchhiker, who keeps coming back for more no matter how many times she re-runs him over.  Now famous for the recurring line, “Thanks for the ride, lady!”, “The Hitchhiker” could be considered a variation of the original, same-titled, TWILIGHT ZONE episode from 1960 with more gore, but minus the far-more-effective ending.  Chiles, a veteran actress best remembered for her role in Lewis Gilbert’s MOONRAKER (1979), carries the entire film as she screams, yells and then then slowly loses her mind while she tries to put an end to the tough-to-kill hitchhiker.  Then, in a jarring shift, the film returns to its animated wraparound story, wherein Billy, who has sent away for some mail-order “giant Venus Fly Trap bulbs”, eventually gets his revenge on the bullies as The Creep wholeheartedly approves, only to then drive off in search of another small town.

Following their other New World Pictures acquisitions, it was only a matter of time before Arrow Video would tackle CREEPSHOW 2, and even though it has been readily available on both DVD and Blu-ray, Arrow Video’s edition is the best it’s ever looked on home video.  Picture quality is a major upgrade compared to previous DVDs from Anchor Bay, Image Entertainment’s lackluster U.S. Blu-ray or even 88 Films’ recent U.K. Blu-ray.  Touted as a “brand new 2K restoration from original film elements”, Arrow’s disc reveals considerably more picture information on the left-hand side of the frame, which compositionally, works better; also, colours are much more pronounced and really pop off the screen, giving some of the images that much-needed comic-book appeal, which was quite lacking in previous transfers, including both Blu-rays.  As usual, the LPCM English mono, stereo and DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio all sound fantastic, with nothing to quibble about.

In a very cool gesture, Arrow Video has gathered together all the significant extras from the various DVD and Blu-ray releases over the years, and have also included a bunch of new material as well.  First up, the audio commentary with Michael Gornick (moderated by Perry Martin) from Anchor Bay’s 2004 rerelease is included where he discusses the budgetary constraints of the production; including revealing his eagerness to direct after helming a few TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE episodes, and how Tom Savini was originally planned to direct this sequel, plus plenty of other interesting anecdotes.  In another extra originally included on Anchor Bay’s disc, “Nightmares in Foam Rubber”, is a nice half-hour piece dedicated to FX wizzes Berger and Nicotero about their initial meeting on Romero’s DAY OF THE DEAD (1985), their arrival on the C2 set, and tensions which arose between them and special make-up effects man Ed French, whom they eventually replaced on the production.  Initially included on 88 Films’ Blu-ray, “Screenplay for a Sequel” has Romero discussing his work adapting King’s work into a workable script.  The original script had five stories, including “Cat from Hell” (which was eventually used in John Harrison’s TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE: THE MOVIE [1990]) and “Pinfall”, which were both dropped due to a smaller-than-intended budget being imposed on the production.  In “Tale from the Creep”, Savini discusses his apprehension about wearing prosthetic makeup and reveals some interesting trivia surrounding “The Raft”, including Patricia Tallman, who later starred in Savini’s official remake of NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1990) doubling as a stuntwoman for Page Hannah.  In “My Friend Rick”, Berger briefly talks about Rick Baker and how he eventually worked with him on William Dear’s HARRY AND THE HENDERSONS (1987).  New extras to this already well-stacked Blu-ray include “Poncho’s Last Ride”, which is an interview with actor Daniel Beer, who discusses both the bout of severe hypothermia he suffered while filming “The Raft” as well as his still rather uncomfortable love scene.  In “The Road to Dover”, actor Tom Wright discusses his stuntwork on “The Hitchhiker” and how it earned him further roles in stuff like Rusty Cundieff’s TALES FROM THE HOOD (1995).  Other extras include some behind-the-scenes footage, a generous still gallery, two theatrical trailers and a TV spot.  The Limited Edition comes in a real spiffy slipcover, which includes the standard edition Blu-ray, some excellent liner notes from Michael Blyth and a cool comic-book adaptation of the unfilmed “Pinfall” segment by Jason Mayoh.

All-in-all, CREEPSHOW 2 may not have been the amazing sequel people were hoping for, but Arrow Video’s outstanding new Blu-ray may earn it some new fans.  Order it from DiabolikDVD or from Amazon.

MOONSHINE COUNTY EXPRESS - BLU-RAY REVIEW

Made at a time when feuding kinfolk, car chases and scantily clad “100 Proof Women” dominated the box office, Gus Trikonis’ MOONSHINE COUNTY EXPRESS (1977) is yet another film adhering to the specific template set out by many of its contemporaries, and as such is a well-made, well-acted “hicksploitation” film – as they are now more commonly referred to.  While it hasn’t been seen on video since the early days of VHS, Code Red has finally made this “drive-in classic” available once again via a limited edition Blu-ray.

When ambitious moonshiner Pap Hammer (Fred Foresman) is ruthlessly killed by a rival, local outfit led by Jack Starkey (William Conrad), who is eager to monopolize Pap’s highly illegal but financially prosperous “shine” business, he didn’t expect Pap’s three daughter’s Dot (Susan Howard), Betty (Claudia Jennings) and Sissy (Maureen McCormick) to continue in their father’s footsteps.  Of course, this leads to the inevitable conflict, so they enlist the help of J.B. Johnson (John Saxon), an aspiring stock car driver and former moonshine runner.

Although Arthur Ripley’s THUNDER ROAD (1958), with Robert Mitchum, seemed to set the template for this particular genre of filmmaking, it was during the ’70s that it gained more momentum, with such early forerunners as Richard Quine’s The MOONSHINE WAR (1970), co-starring Patrick McGoohan and Alan Alda; Lamont Johnson’s highly-underrated The LAST AMERICAN HERO (1973); Joseph Sargent’s WHITE LIGHTNING (1973) and Gy Waldron’s MOONRUNNERS (1975) – latter of which served as the basis for The DUKES OF HAZZARD (1979 – 1985) TV show.  Financed by Roger Corman’s New World Pictures, MOONSHINE COUNTY EXPRESS was filmed concurrently with Hal Needham’s SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT (1977) and, given Corman’s penchant for taking advantage of any particular trend, MOONSHINE premiered a week after BANDIT’s enormous box office success; it too reaped sizable box office returns.  In a rather brazen bit of marketing, Corman’s poster art also features the very same – and now-iconic – 1977 black Pontiac Firebird Trans-Am from SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT, even though it never actually appears in the present film!

Taking a cue from Lamont Johnson’s aforementioned film with Jeff Bridges, writers Hubert Smith (who also wrote Bob Kelljan’s BLACK OAK CONSPIRACY the same year) and David Ansley, “borrow” quite a bit from Lamont’s film, and much like Elroy Jackson as played by Bridges, John Saxon for all intents and purposes plays the same character right down to driving a Ford Mustang.  Although he doesn’t have a personal vendetta to pursue, Saxon rather begrudgingly agrees to help out Dot and her sisters (“I knew the minute Dotty brought me out here, I’d end up in a blaze o’ shit!).  The Brooklyn-born Saxon would seem to be rather cast against type as a “good ol’ boy”, but as the overconfident ex-bootlegger with bigger aspirations, he pulls off the role quite well while veering between alliances with Starkey and Dot, who refers to him as a (quote) “smilin’ skunk”.  Future DALLAS (1979-1987) star Susan Howard is also excellent as the tough and equally-resilient Dot (or Dotty), who simply won’t give-in to the demands of Starkey and his ruthless henchmen, led by the sadistic Sweetwater (Morgan Woodward).  She rallies her kid sisses Betty and Sissy, who are pretty handy with a shotgun themselves. While Jennings was already a veteran of such drive-in fare as Ferd and Beverly Sebastian’s ’GATOR BAIT (1974) and Mark L. Lester’s TRUCK STOP WOMEN (1974), she really gets an opportunity to show off her acting chops here without having to resort to any of her customary nudity; she went on to star in David Cronenberg’s race car drama FAST COMPANY (1978) – again with Saxon – before her untimely death in 1979.  Ex-BRADY BUNCH (1969-1974) star McCormick is also cast against type, but unlike her more revealing role in Gary Graver’s TEXAS LIGHTNING (1981), she does keeps her clothes on for the duration, but it’s still certainly a long way from The BRADY BUNCH! 

William Conrad, who had recently wrapped-up a five-year stretch on the popular TV series CANNON (1971-1976), virtually oozes slime as Starkey, the hateful and all-controlling boss, who has everyone in his pocket, including the local deceitful preacher, Hagen (Jeff Corey) and just about anyone else who crosses his path.  When Scoggins (Len Lesser), a local business owner, endorses Dotty’s new shine, he’s promptly delivered a message via a well-concealed bomb, which seems rather extreme, but Starkey rules with an iron hand, which even leaves Sheriff Larkin (Albert Salmi) at a loss; that is, until he connives a deal with J.B. and the girls.

Gus Trikonis began his long and varied career as an actor, and is probably best-known for his role as Indio in Robert Wise’s WEST SIDE STORY (1961).  He would later appear in Wise’s The SAND PEBBLES (1966) before moving onto lower-budgeted fare, such as Robert F. Slatzer’s The HELLCATS (1968).  He would eventually move into directing, and would helm a number of memorable films during the ’70s and ’80s, including The SWINGING BARMAIDS (1975), NASHVILLE GIRL (1976), The EVIL (1978), and TAKE THIS JOB AND SHOVE IT (1981), one of his most-popular titles, whose smash success propelled him into the mainstream.  Like most directors of the period, he eventually settled into television work, directing numerous shows, including episodes of BAYWATCH (1989-2000).

Taken from the “only surviving vault elements”, Code Red’s All Region Blu-ray sports a “brand new HD master” in its original 1.78:1 aspect ratio, and, while this is never going to be demo material, it’s a nice sharp transfer nonetheless, and miles better than that seen on Warner’s muddy old VHS tape.  While some of the colours are a tad muted, it’s all very naturalistic.  The English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 sound comes through loud and clear, accentuating Jeff Werner’s exciting score (full of typical C&W instruments like banjo, fiddle, dobro and pedal steel guitar).  There are no real extras to speak of included with the MCE package other than a few trailers for some of Code Red’s other current and upcoming titles, including David Winters’ MISSION KILL (1986), Burt Brinckerhoff’s ACAPULCO GOLD (1976), Richard Compton’s MANIAC (a.k.a. ASSAULT ON PARADISE, 1977), Sergio Martino’s HANDS OF STEEL (1986) and Paul Glickler’s RUNNING SCARED (1980).  Check DiabolikDVD for their current stock of Code Red titles or for you lucky U.S. based readers, order directly from Code Red’s Big Cartel site.