
But forget about who it inspired or whose careers it launched; this film stands on its own. Well, sort of anyway. It's a lot of fun, but also super low budget and indie. Think Return Of the Alien's Deadly Spawn, not Ridley Scott's Alien. If you're not prepared for amateur acting, clunky photography, dated fashion and focus issues, then you're not in the right place to come to this picture. But on the other hand, if you're in the mood to see ambitious plot, a great collection of monsters, innovative special effects, and to quote the film's trailer, "the supernatural before your very eyes," then Equinox is the movie for you!
Yeah, I should explain that this release contains two versions of the film. There's the original, 1967 version, which runs just over 70 minutes long and is very obscure/ rarely seen. That's the one called The Equinox... A Journey Into the Supernatural. Then there's the 1970 re-edit, where producer Jack H. Harris (The Blob) rehired some of the actors and filmed new scenes, bringing the running time up to about 82 minutes. He's also the producer who bought and funded the expansion of Dark Star. Anyway, that version was just titled Equinox. It played in drive-ins and is the version most fans would've been familiar with. Frankly, I prefer the expanded version. It's still pretty short, adds some more craziness, and adds some more drama to the story, giving it a little more weight (despite how cheesy it is) than the shorter version, which feels more like just some events that happened, strung together chronologically. But thanks to Criterion, you don't have to choose.
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1970 cut on top; 1967 cut below. |
Both versions are in their original aspect ratio of 1.33:1, though the shorter cut fluctuates slightly to 1.32:1, and you can see the framing differs a bit around the edges. They feature fairly clean mono tracks with optional English subtitles.
And wait 'till you see their incredible collection of supplements! This is a 2-disc set, and it's not because of the two (short) versions of the film. First off, both versions feature audio commentaries. Jack Harris and the writer/ director of the expanded version, Jack Woods, who also played Asmodeus, handle the 1970 version, while the original writer/ director and producers Mark McGee and Dennis Muren narrate their original cut, along with effects technician Jim Danforth. Having both cuts of the film restored with these two commentaries is already more than anyone could ask for, but it's just the beginning.
The great Forrest J. Ackerman, who has a subtle cameo in this film, provides a nice, video introduction. There are on-camera interviews with the stars Frank Bonner (yes, the same one from WKRP in Cincinatti and Just the Ten Of Us), Barbara Hewitt, James Duron, as well as Muren. There are additional outtakes, deleted scenes and an early film by the Equinox crew called Zorgon: The H-Bomb Beast from Hell. We also get early stop-motion projects by Allen, including a Volkswagon commercial with King Kong and a 20-minute children's story called The Magic Treasure. And that's rounded out with a photo gallery, two radio spots and the theatrical trailer, plus the 30-page booklet I mentioned at the start, which includes a link to a bonus essay written by Allen himself.
Criterion really went all-out on this one. It's from 2006, so yes, this is DVD-only, but that's alright considering this movie is already in 16mm with a lot of degrading optical effects, shaky handheld camera-work and even focus issues. Sure, a new 4k scan in HD would still resolve the grain better, and look a little nicer on your big, 65" TVs; but I'd prioritize upgrading just about every other film in existence before this one. This film definitely isn't for everyone, but if it's for you, I sure wouldn't let holding out for a blu allow me to miss out on this wild set.
I LOVE this film. I bought this edition when it first came out and devoured it in a few days. I have since watched the film every few years and still love it.
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