Lionsgate's Essential(ish) 8-Pack

When these first came out, they set internet forums on fire. This is one of a series of Horror Collection DVD sets from Lionsgate, which were essentially cheapie budget DVD packs available exclusively at Walmart. But, Lionsgate being Lionsgate, they wound up including a few movies that they'd never released on DVD before, or with superior transfers - and for only $5 - so collectors around the world went digging in those awful Walmart bins in search of a copy and reporting to each on all the major DVD forums. Fortunately, Lionsgate caught on to the demand for these babies and gave them a broader distribution, and now they're pretty easy to find online at all major DVD shops and even Lionsgate's own website.

This set is absolutely a mixed bag, and certainly not a five-star, top of the line release. For one thing, they're eight movies on only two, single-sided discs (at least they're dual layer!), so compression isn't fantastic. Also, the quality is all over the shop and presumably assembled at random by Lionsgate employees without a clue. DVDs that were already released with nice, restored transfers here have cruddy VHS-level presentations. But, as I said, it also has some good, exclusive material that makes it worthwhile, if not essential, for some fans. So let's get our hands dirty and look at this film by film, starting with disc 1.

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There's your menu. No options, no special features, all bare-bones, just "PLAY" for each film. Also notice that they use the Region 2 DVD cover for CHUD 2.

976-EVIL 2) A pretty inferior sequel to a movie that wasn't very good to begin with, 976-EVIL 2 is basically one really fun, memorable scene with a mediocre movie around it to house it. EVIL 2 is basically a direct sequel, but without the star, Stephen Geoffreys and the rest of the cast and crew MIA. Only Patrick O'Bryan returns to be followed by the curse of the first film, with Jim Wynorski replacing Robert Englund in the director's chair. René Assa is the new villain, a school principal who calls the 976 number to get evil supernatural powers and go on a killing spree; and of course no one believes O'Bryan who knows what's going on by virtue of having survived the first film. It primarily comes up short to the first one in the story department... Geoffreys was a relatable killer, who was picked on and had a miserable life before coming under an evil influence that gave him too much power. Assa's character just seems to be a killer because he's a huge asshole. All in all, it's dopey, but energetic enough to make for an enjoyable casual viewing so long as you're not expecting high art.

It's not a very pretty transfer. It's grubby, which could be partially blamed on the compression, but probably mostly just because it's from a tape. It's also full-screen, though looking at the head room, it at least it appears to be open-matte. This film was surely made with home video (back when TVs were all 4:3, of course) in mind from the start. An HD widescreen restoration would obviously be preferable, but it's only ever been released as a non-anamorphic 4:3 transfer, so, you know... low expectations met, I guess.

Ghoulies 3: Ghoulies Go To College) Even the original Ghoulies was a pretty weak film, but by part 3 the series was really crap. But hey, it's making its DVD debut, at least here in the US (there is a UK DVD). The subtitle explains the movie pretty well, but if you'd seen the first two movies, you'd still be surprised how much further they'd veered from horror to comedy this time around, with the ghoulies now being talking, wise-cracking hand puppets who commit more pranks than grisly murders. This movie is incredibly juvenile, even compared to what you'd expect from a movie called Ghoulies Go To College, and I'd say Kevin McCarthy is only reason to sit through this at all.

Ghoulies 3 was shot on film, so it could look pretty good, but this is just a crappy video transfer.  Full screen and low quality; even Ghoulies 3 fans will be disappointed, as it won't even be a real upgrade from their old VHS tapes ...or Region 2 DVDs, which looked the same.

CHUD 2) This film really has nothing to do with the surprisingly smart little horror flick CHUD, except that they call their monsters "chuds" in this movie, too. The creatures in CHUD looked and behaved nothing like the zombies here, to the point where it feels more like this film started out as a script with no connection to CHUD at all. It also has a completely different tone, set of characters, locale and story; and consequently, it alienated fans... sorta like Halloween 3. And while I don't think this film is as underrated as that one, I do think that, if you can let go of any expectations of quality or sincerity from the first film, CHUD 2 can be a fun, little watch.

Head of the Class's Brian Robbins (this was actually released while the show was still running) and his buddy steal a corpse from a military installation. Just like Night Of the Creeps, basically. And of course that corpse is really a "chud" (read: zombie) who comes back to life and starts a zombie plague in their small suburban town. Robbins and his buddy try to keep everything under wraps as they try to recover Bud, which is made a little easier by the fact that its fallen in love with their girlfriend Katie. Everything gets sillier and sillier as more broadly comic characters are introduced, and as derivative as this flick is, a lot more zombie comedies/ parodies seemed to follow in this flick's footsteps.  There's enough recognizable character actors and amusing gags to make this film worthwhile so long as you know what you're in for and don't mind everything being a goof.

Well, the menu showed us the UK DVD cover, but thankfully this disc doesn't use that disc's VHS-ripped transfer. This is actually a pretty nice looking print in its original widescreen AR. The compression doesn't help, and it's a bit fuzzy at times; but it's a very pleasant surprise. It helps that the film had yet to be released in the USA at all before this; but even for the region free this is a nice upgrade. It's the best edition available anywhere, by far; and one of the reasons this set was so sought after.

Update 10/26/19: Well, it was the best edition, anyway, until they included it in their Vestron line of special edition blu-rays in 2017.  Click here to read a full comparison of both editions.

Waxwork) I really enjoy Waxwork, as well as its sequel. Anthony Hickox was really in his element with these films. They're not quite horror comedies, but they're pure fun. Gremlins star Zach Galligan and a bunch of his buddies break into a wax museum run by one of Hollywood's best bad guys David Warner. The museum is themed after great horror stories, but what the kids soon discover is that when they step across the velvet ropes, the each display turns into a real world. So, step into the mummy's tomb exhibit and whoops, you're really trapped underneath a pyramid with a killer mummy. As you can imagine, this is the perfect set up for all kinds of styles. The movie is constantly shifting between being a sexy vampire story or a throwback zombie movie, but unlike an anthology, remains cohesive with a single, narrative thrust. A great cast, lots of cool effects... a real winner.

Unfortunately, the transfer isn't such a winner. It's a fullscreen transfer of a widescreen film. Then again, this film has yet to be released in its OAR anywhere in the world. So at least it isn't any worse than other discs in that regard (Scream Factory or somebody really needs to get on the Waxwork films!). But to make matters even worse, Lions Gate's disc is cut. Yeah, remember back in the days when horror films used to come out on two VHS tapes, the R-rated and unrated versions? And nobody wanted the R-rated versions, because why would you? Well, the R-rated version is what's on this set. And while it doesn't add up to a lot of screen time, the extra footage really makes a difference in the pay-off of the vampire segment.

Thankfully there are unrated versions available. So for more on Waxwork and its multiple releases, check out its new page here. I've given the film its own separate section, to keep this one from getting bloated. I also delve into Waxwork 2: Lost In Time, which I recommend just as strongly as the original.

Slaughter High) Disc 2 takes us to a pretty traditional 80s slasher, Slaughter High. A bunch of kids picked on a nerd, and accidentally disfigured him in a prank (whoops!). In a plot very reminiscent of Class Reunion Massacre, the caretaker lets them inside for a reunion in their now abandoned school. And instead of understanding that hey, mistakes happen, the nerd is back and secretly killing them off one by one. It's a totally predictable, blasé slasher on the one hand; but it's got a bunch of fun, creative kills and is generally just paced and produced well enough to be a pretty entertaining time. It's got a healthy following, as anyone predisposed to 80s slashers will eat this one right up.

Sure, this scene's supposed to be dark, but come on!

Unfortunately, it's another video-sourced fullscreen transfer. Watchable, but pretty junky, really. At least it looks open matte; but Arrow released a special edition in the UK which blows this one to pieces (and it has reversible artwork, which is why my scan has the alternate, foreign title Jolly Killer). There's a really interesting "everything you wanted to know" audio commentary by the director, as well as less compelling one with Caroline Munro - not her fault, the stupid moderators quickly forget about the film on screen and just gab amongst themselves. There's also a couple interviews and an amusing easter egg, and most importantly, we get a quality, anamorphic widescreen presentation of the film.

Here's how it looks on Arrow's DVD.

So yeah, we lose all the extra headroom; but Arrow's 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen is the far superior composition. And that's not to mention the loads of compelling extras, including two audio commentaries and a bunch of interviews. It's very disappointing how this film was handled by Lions Gate, and fans of Slaughter High who get this set will still need to pick up the Arrow disc to enjoy the film properly.

Class of 1999) Not really a sequel to Class of 1984, but it's definitely some sort of follow-up. Writer/ producer/ director Mark L Lester returns with a similar premise, punk kids running wild. But this time it's set in a dystopian future, and they're pitted against robot teachers created by the military to deal with the worst of the behaved teens. But unfortunately there was a glitch and they revert to their earlier, combat programming and go on a unstoppable killing spree. And only the most misunderstood, biker kid with a heart of gold can stop them. Obviously, this ain't Shakespeare, but the production values are high and some of the performances (mostly by the killer robots) are quite memorable and fun. If you want to see punks riding around a high school in the middle of the night on motorcycles, getting chased by robot adults shooting missiles at them, this is the movie for you.

At least Lionsgate's solo release of Slaughter High looks just as crappy as the one in this set. Arrow restored the film for their special edition, but Lionsgate just released the crap that they had. Here, Class of 1999 again looks like a cheap-o fullscreen flop; but this set comes well after Lionsgate had already issued Class on a nice, anamorphic widescreen disc - why would they go backwards here? I know, I know... Because nobody at Lionsgate realizes or cares... sigh

Look at their name-tags. "Bland." They absolutely are reprising their characters from Eating Raoul.

Chopping Mall) This one's a real crowd pleaser. We're back with Jim Wynorski, this time telling the tale of a group of teenagers who stay overnight inside a shopping mall. Unfortunately, they chose the night the mall just installed their new collection of robot security guards. When lightning strikes the building, the robots turn into berserk killing machines, and it becomes a small war. Cameos by Paul Bartel, Mary Woronov, Angus Scrimm, and especially Dick Miller add a lot of flavor to the proceedings, but this film is enough of a blast on its own.

Another full screen transfer, again looking open matte. It's essentially the same transfer as the special edition they'd previously released, but of course lacking all of its awesome extras. Those included an entertaining commentary, a really neat featurette on the killbots and of course the trailer. Wynorski attempted to release a nice blu-ray edition not too long ago, but Lionsgate being Lionsgate, they quashed that while opting to not do anything with it themselves. Well, hallelujah!  It seems they've seen the light, and finally released this on blu-ray with a fresh 4k scan and a ton of extras!  Full comparison between this, the DVD special edition and the new blu has been carried over to its own page, here.

The Unholy) Our final film, again making its US debut, although it has been released overseas. The Unholy is more of a serious film, starring Ben Cross as a priest who begins to unravel a mystery involving the death of a priest who'd been in the same church before him. Things get dark and supernatural and lead up to a wild conclusion. It can be a bit slow moving along the way, but it's all pretty well done and the ending will make you glad you stuck it through.

Thankfully, like its overseas counterpart. this film is presented in its original, widescreen aspect ratio. It looks pretty great, in fact the best of all of them, and is another strong reason to pick up this set. Not a great film, but a good one, and looking good, which I'm sure adds to this one feeling like a higher quality production.

I guess this set is really only "essential" for it's exclusive, proper presentation of CHUD 2. But it also saves you the cost of picking up a couple foreign imports (Unholy, Ghoulies 3), and gives you a bunch of bonus fullscreen flicks to boot. All for $5-$8 is a pretty great deal. Some more widescreen prints and an uncut Waxwork would have made this a really sweet set; but it's still got some goodies you can't get anywhere else. So I'm spreading the word.

Code Red's Old Man's Place

Man, My Old Man's Place is one dark film. It's a drama that almost dips into horror, not unlike how other recent Code Red titles, i.e. Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker and Lady Stay Dead, are horror flicks with a low enough body count and enough character study that they're almost dramas centered around a murder or two. Watching them close together, which I have been thanks to Code Red's concurrent releases, the line between them is tantalizingly thin. But being foremost a genuine drama, this film is definitely stronger in that department than those titles, while pretty much getting to the same dark places eventually.

1971's My Old Man's Place is a Vietnam movie that takes place 100% in America. All the horrors of that war are shown through the characters after they've gotten back home. It's also said in the extras that this is literally the first Vietnam anti-war film? If that's correct, that does make it all the more impressive; but either way it's a powerful and effective film that's finally debuting on DVD.

 

Based on a 1935 novel by John B. Sanford, the story is naturally updated from soldiers returning home from World War I. This film starts with Michael Moriarty landing on the runway back in the USA. He and his buddy come across their third friend beating up a transvestite in an alleyway, and that's when Moriarty has the idea to invite them both back to his old man's titular homestead for a little R&R. At first that seems like a ridiculously stupid idea, given the circumstances of their meeting, but soon you begin to realize Moriarty might've been aware of that all along and invited trouble deliberately...

 

This film has some terrific performances. Moriarity is a big part of the reason I took a chance on blind-buying this title, and he does not disappoint. This is some of his finest work, and Arthur Kennedy is equally impressively naturalistic and empathetic as his father. Meanwhile, Mitchell Ryan brings the perfect degree of 'classic Hollywood hard ass' to his role as Sgt. Flood. The soundtrack is sometimes disappointing, but the writing never betrays you. A few points early on may seem cheesy and at one point later on, you really think the film is veering off into some cheesy hippy-dippy conclusion, but faith in this film is rewarded. It actually has me curious now about the story the original novel was based on.

Like many of Code Red's recent releases, this is a "grindhouse" print. The downside is that means there's dirt, scratches and the increasingly familiar green lines running through most of the picture. It's worst, naturally, around the reel changes, where the scratches greatly increase and there's even a jump or two in the dialogue. But the benefit of seeing this widescreen from a real film print compared to the old VHS tapes which is what's only been available before is huge. This is a movie and it feels like one. Plus, the dirt and  scratches on the film match pretty well with the dirt and scratches of the film's location, so it all adds up to a quite satisfying watch.

It helps a lot that Code Red comes through with a few strong extras, primarily an roughly 20 minute interview with Mitchell Ryan. He talks about the film's production and the rest of the cast, then goes into a career retrospective, talking briefly about many of the other interesting films and television projects of his past. And he ultimately comes back around to some more thoughts on My Old Man's Place.

But you also shouldn't skip the 3 different trailers for the film. Shown in sequence, you see the film marketed under three different titles and styles. An earnest and effective original trailer using the film's original title and referencing the novel is followed by a slightly more boisterous one which re-titles the film to Glory Boy (named after the theme song played during the opening credits). And finally the third one winds up taking so many liberties, I was laughing out loud.

Like Code Red's other DVDs released at the same time, it opens with a trailer for Brotherhood of Death. Also included are bonus trailers for Zebra Force, Changes, Top Of the Heap - which I now want to see - and This Is a Hijack.

This is one I don't think anyone saw coming. And I'm just happy we've got Code Red around preserving films like this. It's just an old school good movie.

To Gillian On Her 37th Birthday... An OAR Import!

To Gillian On Her 37th Birthday might feel a bit like a TV movie. It's not, it was shot for and played in theaters. But it was directed by Michael Pressman, a director who mostly does TV. Although he also did Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze. And it's written by David E. Kelley, who also works almost exclusively in television. Although he also wrote Lake Placid, and the unexpected intelligence and wit in that flick is just as present and crucial here. But my point is, it's not a TV movie; it's a widescreen theatrical film, and so its domestic fullscreen DVD isn't doing it any justice.

It's said that Kelley wrote this film for his wife, Michelle Pfeiffer. I'm not sure how true that is, since it's based on a pre-existing play; but she certainly stars in the titular role as Gillian, a character who actually doesn't have as much screen time as you might think, because she's dead before the film begins. She mostly appears as a ghost of sorts, but it's never really suggested anything supernatural or magical is going on. It's all in the head of her widowed husband, Peter Gallagher, who's been having a tough time letting go. Gallagher doesn't seem like the kind of actor you'd want to trust with aw eighty role like this, but he pulls it off surprisingly well. Anyway, his sister and brother in law (Kathy Baker and Bruce Altman) are concerned and show up to Gillian's birthday party (which Gallagher still celebrates) not only with a blind date in the hopes of setting him up and restoring him to some degree of normalcy, but also a plot to take his daughter, played by Claire Danes, back home with them.

It's often dismissed as a sentimental film, which it certainly is. But it's not your average romance that gets caught up and ultimately stumbles in the trap of being sappy and trite. This is a film that's deliberately exploring sentimentality and playing with it; it's what the characters are struggling with. And the combination of the snappy writing and excellent ensemble cast (Seth Green and Freddie Prinze Jr. show up in minor roles just to flesh out Danes' character's life) manage to elevate the film above its peers.

 

So when Sony originally released this movie on home video, it received a fullscreen VHS and a widescreen laserdisc: pretty much what you'd expect. Unfortunately, when the DVD was released in 2002, that was fullscreen, too. Boo! But what could you do? For the long time, the only option for real fans was to hang onto the laserdisc. I was pretty bummed about that and kept searching around and finally found a 2007 DVD release in the UK, which issued Gillian in its OAR!

(UK widescreen on top, US fullscreen bottom)

To be fair, the US disc is clearly open matte, not pan and scan; so the transfer doesn't look that terrible. But the film was clearly meant to be matted down and looks so much better (and more cinematic) on this anamorphic 1.85:1 disc. The extra vertical information might tempt you in these screenshots, but honestly, the whole movie plays better wide. The framing is just more artistically attractive, the work of a talented cinematographer rather then just the functional telling of a story. The UK disc also has a sliver more information on the left, but it's pretty thin. And otherwise the transfer (image quality wise, colors, detail...) look almost identical between the two releases, with only slight differences in the brightness and contrast. They basically just took the same transfer and framed it correctly... which is all I, as a fan, ever wanted in the first place.

Otherwise, both discs are pretty no-frills, with zero special features. The UK disc even has a completely generic menu; it doesn't even tell you the title of the film. It does, however, come loaded with language options, including five audio tracks and 12 subtitle options. The US disc at least has the trailer, though, as well as bonus trailers for The Age of Innocence and My Life. But really, while thar disc isn't as bad as its rep (I've read reviews repeatedly refer to it as pan & scan, which it's not), and To Gillian isn't exactly a high interest title in 2015, it does have a deserved following, and fans ought to know there's a proper and inexpensive version out there.

Frederick Wiseman's At Berkley... On DVD

I don't know why, considering he's one of the world's most important documentary filmmakers of all time, but nobody but nobody reviews Frederick Wiseman's DVDs. Sure, you'll see film reviews pop up in the New York Times or Variety when they get released theatrically. But when it comes to the DVDs, no one touches them. I mean, it probably has something to do with the fact that they're only available directly from Wiseman's company Zipporah films on excessively priced, feature-less DV-Rs. But still, you'd think at least one site dedicated to DVD reviews would tackle 'em. Well, guess what ladies and gentlemen, that trend stops here at DVDExotica! Now, am I trying to imply that I'm some kind of hero for reviewing one of Wiseman's discs? No, I'm stating it directly - I've got the Rocky theme song playing as I type!

Okay, At Berkley is Wiseman's latest to hit the home video market. His very latest film, National Gallery, is in theaters as we speak. Now, early Wiseman films are riveting, gripping films that anyone should find compelling. Later Wiseman films tend to be a lot longer, slower, and less dramatic. I haven't seen a Wiseman film yet - and I've seen them all - without great moments that absolutely make the experience worthwhile. But some of his films, like Near Death, High School or Domestic Violence, I'd recommend to just about any adult. If you have any stake in the human condition, those movies should touch you. Something like Boxing Gym or Crazy Horse I'd recommend to lovers of documentary films, people who are specifically Wiseman fans, and, umm... people with a particular interest in physical training and high-priced burlesque theaters. What I'm saying: is they can feel a bit bit dry and academic, especially to someone who doesn't know what they're getting into.

At Berkley is a long look the University of California at Berkeley. This year (of the film), they're receiving less state funding, and we see how the school faces that challenge. Wiseman again manages to get his camera into a lot of places you'd think documentations would be barred from, allowing us to look at everything, from the classrooms to behind the scenes budget meetings. The school closes certain programs due to the financial shortages, which causes student protesting, which becomes a big set piece of the film. It would be wrong to say that's what the film's about, though... akin to saying 2001 is about a spaceship computer named HAL that decides to kill its astronauts. It's more just the biggest and most attention grabbing section of a bigger picture. The connections and divisions between students, employees and their local neighbors; and moreso how a capitalist society as a whole deals with college education.

If you haven't seen a Wiseman film before, here's what to expect. No narration, no music or CGI graphics. And there's never any individual person focused on for us to root for or demonize like a sports program, just long sequences of unedited life. I mean, certainly the films as a whole are edited and deliberately, artistically crafted. You couldn't honestly call them totally objective. But they're certainly free of a lot of the tasteless and cloying distractions that lesser documentaries and reality shows tend to get bogged down in.

While At Berkley certainly feels more at home amidst his later films than his earlier ones, those who do tend to find his recent work dull will probably find this one more appealing than most. The intercutting between the protestors and the faculty trying to reign them in is fairly dynamic, and questions it raises about how education should be handled in society affects us all. It's like the next level above High School II. ...I mean, besides just how college follows you know... yeah, okay.

Did I mention that Wiseman's films tend to be long? This one is four hours and four minutes. Usually his longer films are broken up, then, into two or three discs; so I was surprised to open this up and see just one DVD. The good news is that it's because Zipporah Films has finally upgraded to dual-layer discs! (To be fair... At Berkley wasn't the first time. Crazy Horse was dual-layered, too.)  And hey, I don't think anyone's ever asked a studio to take us back to the days of getting up to flip our laserdiscs over, so having the full movie on one disc is a nice change. Still, 4+ hours is a lot even for a double-sided disc. But I'm not noticing a lot of pixelation or compression dramas - these screenshots look pretty nice; and it looks just as fine in motion. I guess that's the silver-lining to Wiseman's films being coming completely sans special features: 100% of the disc can be filled with the movie. So now we finally have the power to decide when the bathroom break comes during our epic documentary marathon - cue that Rocky theme again!

The Return Of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Documentary

One of the drawbacks of Columbia dropping The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation (part 4) from theaters in order to hide it from mainstream Matthew McConaughey fans, is that the film's never gotten the special edition every other film in the series got, even the remakes. They even had a quality behind-the-scenes documentary ready to go, shot during the filming of the movie. But no, we're left with nothing but barebones cheapies, and that doc has gone completely unseen to this very day.

Unseen that is, unless you've stopped by the filmmaker's website, brianhuberman.com, where director Brian Huberman sells the film directly on DV-R for $30 (though that at least includes shipping). Considering the flack Twilight Time is getting for charging $35 for a special edition blu-ray (also including shipping, just for the record), I'm sure a lot of fans will balk at paying that much for a DV-R. But I threw down for it, so enjoy this review!

The Return Of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Documentary is a nicely edited collection of on-set action, an extensive interview with writer/ director Kim Henkel, and a very silly instrumental introduction. It runs 55 minutes, and gets pretty in-depth, though of course it doesn't include any of the controversy of the film's release, since this was completed before Next Generation hit theaters. But there's plenty to see here, from interviews with the cast and watching them shoot dangerous stunts, down to arguing about adding one more day to the shooting schedule. Often Henkel's interview is used as narration for what's going on. And if you haven't managed to locate an uncut version of Generation, this doc shows a bit of the deleted subplot involving Renee Zellweger's abusive stepfather.

 

Unlike some entries in the series, TCM4 is a real Texas movie, shot in Texas by Texans. We see one dialogue is ruined because somebody fired a shotgun off in the woods behind them. At another point, Henkel receives a mysterious package from an unknown fan wearing an "Ed Gein Fan Club" t-shirt. And yes, we get camera time with both McConaughey and Zellweger, and even Zellweger's stunt woman. There's even a fun interview with the couple who owns the house they used as "the family"'s home.

 

The film appears to have been sourced from tape. I'm guessing it was shot on video? But it's a clean, steady image; nothing second generation or anything. It doesn't have that tell-tale video roll at the bottom of the screen. This is probably the best the doc will ever look. I saw clips of it used in a special on E! about the entire Texas Chainsaw series, and the footage looked the same there.

 

I don't know how well this would stand up as a straight-forward documentary on its own right. But as a companion piece to the film itself, for fans, it's pretty excellent. It's what we should have gotten on on the original studio DVD release. Recommended for fans who've been waiting to even the score with how TCM4's been treated on DVD.