Not to be too snarky, but for me, the "IFC Midnight" series is usually the zero interest arm of Scream Factory; but when there's a new
Larry Fessenden film, I pay attention.
Depraved is Fessenden's latest film, having run through 2019 in festivals and limited screenings, and finally becoming accessible on home video now with this BD/ DVD combo pack. But if that felt like an interminable wait, you can imagine what it's been like for Fessenden himself who's been struggling to get his modern Frankenstein story funded and on screen for the last full decade. If he can persevere through all of that, then the time I spent refreshing Glass Eye Pix's Twitter feed pining for a physical media release date doesn't seem so toughly endured.
Update 1/17/20 - 8/7/26: In 2025, Vinegar Syndrome upgraded
Depraved to 4k with an expanded BD/ UHD special edition combopack.
I was a little surprised when I first heard of this project - hadn't we already gotten Fessenden's modern Frankenstein story in 1991 with
No Telling (The Frankenstein Complex)? That was already quite excellent itself. But I guess it didn't quite scratch that itch. And certainly, as much as they both adhere to the same, rough skeletal structure as
Mary Shelley's novel (an obsessive medical scientist manages to bring back the dead through secret, hand-wrought experiments that wind up causing unexpected, tragic and ultimately deadly consequences), they've risen from the slab as distinctly different creatures. For one thing,
No Telling dictates the events from the scientist's perspective, while
Depraved (mostly) shows us the world from the monster's point of view.
The result is a more sensitive film. The creature's story has famously been as heartbreaking as it is scary. That's pretty much what Frankenstein's best known for. But this one really leans into the bonds developed between Adam and his maker... heck the centerpiece of
Depraved is a five minute tour of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (which let an indie horror crew shoot all over the place?!) where he's taught the history and nature of humanity. Relative newcomer
Alex Breaux in particular gives an award-worthy performance that perfectly suits the mood piece Fessenden is building around him. Everything you expect from Fessenden is here, from his masterful use of original music to his eccentric animations. He possibly gets a little too distracted filling the frame with homages to everything from
James Whale's classic to
Cronenberg's
The Fly, but it's never so much that it detracts from what might sincerely be Fessenden's best film yet.
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1) 2020 Scream Factory DVD; 2) 2020 Scream Factory BD;
3) 2025 Vinegar Syndrome BD; 4) 2025 Vinegar Syndrome UHD. |
Depraved is presented in 2.35:1 on all four discs. This film was shot digitally, so that film grain you see is "fake," an effect added in post. But we can still use it to observe the difference in resolution between the editions. And you can see how it's crisp and clear on the SF blu, but smudgy and sporadic on their DVD. More practically, the biggest difference you'll notice with the DVD is just that the fine details and edges have a softer look. But VS has a decidedly better encode. Even just comparing the two BDs, VS is immediately clearly superior. And then of the course the UHD is even stronger. Now the colors, brightness levels and everything else are the same, since it's the same master just put on different resolution discs. VS doesn't seem to have done a new scan or restoration this time around; I'm guessing they just got the 4k master from Glass Eye and handled it better.
Curiously, Scream's included two audio mixes for the film: a 5.1 surround and a 2.0 stereo track (both are DTS-HD on the blu). I'm not sure what the purpose of the stereo track is since it's not a previous mix, and 5.1s naturally down-mix on stereo TVs, but okay, I'll take it (Scream seems to have been doing that for all of their Fessenden discs). Optional English and Spanish subtitles are also included. VS has streamlined that to just the 5.1 (also in DTS-HD, of course) and English subtitles, which is just fine.
One thing you can count on from Fessenden is a stellar collection of special features, and this is no exception. Scream Factory starts us out with a director's commentary. He flies on solo on this one, but he doesn't need any help to fill the entire running time with thoughtful insight and fascinating backstory. There are a few pauses, but they feel like technical edits rather than lapses, and they never last too long. Then there's a feature length documentary, which if you've seen past Fessenden special editions, you know take you quite thoroughly through every step of production, from conception to premiere. These aren't just EPK talking heads and a little B-roll; they're fascinatingly candid watches even if you had no interest in the actual feature film. In fact, this doc has had some theatrical screenings of its own. After that, there are featurettes that interview Fessenden (good, but a lot of it's redundant after the doc and commentary), the special effects team, Breaux and other crew members. They basically just serve as extra little addendums to the main doc, which is all good. There's also the trailer, and a full-color 8-page booklet of photos.
Happily, Vinegar Syndrome keeps all of that. They also add two new audio commentaries. The first is another one with Fessenden, this time joined by a moderator. It's worth noting that this one does not seem to have the audio problems that plague the new Fessenden commentaries with the same moderator in VS's two boxed sets, which I covered
here. Still, this and the other track, by film critic
Simon Abrams, don't add a whole lot of new insight or information to the pre-existing set of special features. VS also adds a 28-page full color booklet with notes by additional critics
Brandon Streussnig &
Craig Ian Mann, reversible artwork and, if you sprung for their limited edition (2000 copies), an exclusive slipcover.
So a purchase here is an easy recommendation. It's a great film. If
Beneath had you wary of blind-buying a Fessenden film, don't worry, he's returned to his top shelf material. And as for which one to get, VS is unquestionably now the superior edition. But as to whether it's worth a double-dip? This is a stylish film that benefits from being in 4k, but it's not like they've transformed the look with an extensive restoration, and all the best and interesting special features are already on the earlier release. So it's a first class UHD, but still maybe be a low priority replacement.
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