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It is now September, and I don't know about you, but to me September 1st is Day 1 of Halloween Season. That makes for 61 Days of pumpkins, horror, and Monster Cereal bingeing. Though we get loads of great horror releases throughout the year, those numbers seem to multiply in the run up to this greatest of all holidays, and so now we have an immense number of horror Blu-ray releases to cover for this shocking September including a massive Universal monster collection, 2 from Joe D'Amato, the killer Stepfather film Scream for Help, and so many more! Check it all out below.
Universal Classic Monsters
Director - Various
Cast-Various
Country of Origin-U.S.
Discs- 24
Reviewer-Scott MacDonald
Horror has been around as long as cinema. Georges Melies was blending his already fantastic visions with devilish imageries to give us a glimpse into what the darkest aspects of cinema would one day bring us. In the decades to come we would have Edison Studios version of Frankenstein, followed by the original horror classics to come out of Germany in the aughts of the 20th century and then 1920's. However, when Universal stepped into the horror game with Lon Chaney in Phantom of the Opera things began to change for the genre, the moment his mask came off a whole new world was created. However, the true Universal House of Horror was to begin with a director named Tod Browning would direct an actor named Bela Lugosi in 1931 in an adaptation of Bram Stoker's legendary horror novel Dracula.
Throughout the 1930's 40's and into the 1950's Universal's horror pictures became legendary. They adapted stories from various literary sources while occasionally creating their own myths (The Gill Man, I do not believe was adapted from a previous source). They started crossing over their creatures into other characters movies creating what could be truly considered the first shared universe. When the characters began to dwindle in popularity they started to expose them into the realm of comedy with Abbott and Costello crossover films, that were classics in their own right.
Universal has always done right by their classic monsters, and over the last half decade, began to slowly trickle them out to Blu-ray. They began by putting about 9 films on a compilation Blu-ray set. I was a a bit saddened by this, as it left the sequels in the dust, but then they began to reissue the legacy collections from the early 2000's on the Blu-ray format with added extras and the Abbott and Costello films.
The Blu-ray's are presented in the various OAR's and look and sounds quite amazing and filmlike with excellent contrast and detail. There are issues with the Creature sequels disc, but those are being rectified at the moment. They are loaded with all sorts of extras, which of course, overlap since some of the disc have similar content.
The Films (5/5)
Audio/Video (5/5
Extras (5/5)
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House on Tombstone Hill
Director - James Riffel
Cast- Mark Zobian, Victor Verhaeghe,
Country of Origin-U.S.
Discs- 2
Reviewer-Scott MacDonald
The House on Tombstone Hill is also known by its Troma-tized title Dead Dudes in the House or the Dead Come Home, regardless of what you call it, this film is one that snuck by me though all my phases of horror fandom, from slasher fan to Troma fan boy, and as I watched it on the Blu-ray by Vinegar Syndrome last night I found myself disappointed that I had not seen this film so much sooner.
The film opens with an elderly woman pacing the floor in her living room while her granddaughter nonchalantly sips a glass of lemonade with a straw. It turns out there is a murdered dead body in the room with them. This scene sets up the film quite well, as it oddly blends humor with horror, as the film so aptly does. We then pick up the narrative 40 years later with a group of friends at the house to restore it after one of their friends buy it. Unfortunately, one of them breaks a tombstone outside, and resurrects the old lady, and sends her on a murderous rampage, causing her to kill and resurrect them as undead slaves.
DEAD DUDES IN THE HOUSE IS AMAZING. The old lady who is behind the massacre is creepy as Hell from the character design down to her movements. The characters in the film though they occasionally come across as cliché oddly come across as relatable, enough that to a point you feel bad when at least a handful of them meet their end. The violence in the film is quite solid, and the film has a sense of humor that just works. There is a scene in the run up the conclusion that I felt was scary one moment, violent another, and just ended up being absurd and hysterical.
Vinegar Syndrome presents the film in a splendid 1:85:1 1080p AVC encoded transfer with excellent detail, stable colors, and an organic grain structure. Audio is handled by a DTS-HD mono track in English. Extras include an audio interview with the director, a behind the scene still gallery, and an interview with 3 of the "dudes".
The Film (4/5)
Audio/Video (4/5)
Extras (2.5/5)
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Body Melt
Director - Philip Brophy
Cast- Gerard Kennedy, Andrew Daddo
Country of Origin- Australia
Discs- 2
Reviewer-Scott MacDonald
I don't know what's in the water down in Australia, I don't suspect it makes one's body melt, but I do think it might contribute the abundance of amazing, weird, and over-the-top, cool cinema that comes of the country. I'm not sure if Philip Brophy's 1993 Body Melt qualifies as an Ozploitation film as I'm suspecting it might have come too late to be a part of that cycle, but it has that same excitement and energy that marked those films, and it also has people suffering from chemically induced meltdowns, so it is a total win/win.
The film is basically about a corporation issuing free samples of its latest vitamins. These samples have the adverse side effect of causing the people who take them to lose their minds, and melt their bodies. This is, of course, tragic for the people ingesting these pills, but hysterical and awesome for viewers at home. The film plays out like a series of vignettes of people who took the pills in the neighborhood where they were distributed, and the detective trying to get to the bottom of all the deaths.
This one is sheer fun, front to back. As a narrative it's not exactly one that will connect, but visually it is outstanding, and the effects work here is similarly great. The characters that Brophy sets up along the way are bizarre and fun to watch including an interlude that is right of the Hills Have Eyes.
Vinegar Syndrome presents Body Melt in a 1:78:1 1080p AVC encoded transfer. Everything here looks amazing, colors, details, blacks this is spot-on excellent. Audio is provided with a DTS-HD 5.1 track in English and sounds similarly well restored. Extras include multiple commentary tracks, featurettes, and much more.
The Film (4/5)
Audio/Video (5/5)
Extras (5/5)
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Deep Red
Director - Dario Argento
Cast- David Hemmings, Daria Nicolodi
Country of Origin- Italy
Discs- 1
Reviewer-Scott MacDonald
If the Bird with the Crystal Plumage made Dario Argento's career, then Deep Red is the film that cemented him as a legend. Right before Deep Red Dario had made his first and only film outside of horror the Five Days of Milan, this film was reviewed so badly, that he would never make another attempt outside the genre, and it would send him right back to the giallo the genre that had made his name with his first 3 films. It is a genre he would continue to go back to throughout his career. However, with Deep Red he would bring together elements that would define him as a director throughout the rest of his "Golden Period" including his first ever collaboration with Goblin.
The film stars David Hemmings (Blow-Up) as Marc, a Jazz Pianist at the conservatory in Rome who one night while coming home views the murder of a mind-reader from the street below her apartment. He runs up just as the killer has departed, and finds himself becoming involved in the case, independently investigating the murder with the assistance of Gianna (Daria Nicolodi).
Deep Red is truly one of Argento's great cinematic achievements. It is a visually stunning film, that has some truly iconic shots. Hemming and Nicolodi perform very well together, and offer a solid chemistry. Even the more secondary cast bring a lot to their characters. Of course, the score by Goblin is legendary, and fits the overall mood of the piece.
Arrow Video presents Deep Red in a 2:35:1 1080p AVC encoded transfer. The Blu-ray looks STUNNING. Everything here looks superb, detail is excellent, colors pop, no issues. Audio is handled by a DTS-HD MA 5.1 track mixing English and Italian Audio. Extras include an introduction by Simonetti, and multiple interviews and featurettes, plus a commentary by Thomas Rostock.
The Film (5/5)
Audio/Video (5/5)
Extras (4/5)
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Deep Rising
Director - Stephen Sommers
Cast- Treat Williams, Famke Jenssen
Country of Origin- U.S.
Discs- 1
Reviewer-Scott MacDonald
Deep Rising is a film whose trailer I have memorized, but that I had never actually seen before this Kino Lorber Blu-ray release. It's a Stephen Sommers' film, and honestly though I've never been taken with his work, I would not have paid attention to that sort of thing around the time this came out. I do recall seeing ads for this film all over the TV in the summer of '98, which I do believe would have made me want to see it less. Which I guess was my loss, because for a 90's film with mostly CGI-work, Deep Rising is actually a quite solid creature feature with just enough skin on the bones to recommend it.
Deep Rising takes place on a large mega-luxury liner the Argonautica, which is having its maiden voyage somewhere in the South China sea. A group of mercenaries are also out there planning to invade, and rob the ship, and its passengers. Unfortunately, for both the mercenaries and the passengers a sea creature with a very large appetite has boarded the ship and begins to devour the occupants. Now, the mercenaries alongside thief Trillian (Famke Janssen) most do whatever they can to escape.
Deep Rising is a pretty fun, CGI-Creature-Feature-Time-Waster. It's not a brilliant film by any means, but it has creature designs by Rob Bottin, and quite a decent amount of action and violence that is sure to keep fans in their seat. It's not original, not in the slightest, but it's fun, and sometimes that is all one can ask for.
Kino Lorber presents Deep Rising in a solid 2:35:1 1080p AVC encoded transfer preserving the OAR of the film. Everything for the most part looks solid, detail is strong, blacks are inky and deep. There is some softness that creeps in from time to time, but overall things look great. Audio is handled by a DTS-HD MA 5.1 track that is well balanced and sounds fine. Extras include a commentary by Sommers, multiple interviews with members of the crew, featurettes, galleries, and more.
The Film (3.5/5)
Audio/Video (4/5)
Extras (4/5)
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Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
Director - J.A. Bayona
Cast - Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard
Country of Origin- U.S.
Discs- 1
Reviewer-Scott MacDonald
I'm going to be forthright and admit that I am not a huge fan of the "Jurassic" franchise. I do love the idea of killer dinosaur movies, and I have been waiting for too long for those Roger Corman Carnosaur movies to hit Blu-ray (looking at you Shout! Factory). But besides the first film, the others in the series have all been an extreme let down. As such I was surprised to find myself loving the Hell out of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, especially since I could never finish the original Jurassic World.
The film takes place sometime after Jurassic World. Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) is campaigning for the dinosaurs left on the island, as a volcano there is about to erupt and cause their extinction. Into this comes a billionaire investor willing to extract the dinosaurs from the island with Claire’s assistance. She recruits 2 of her co-workers alongside Owen (Chris Pratt) to return to the island to retrieve Blue and the other dinosaurs with the assistance of a well staffed (But highly militaristic)team. Of course, things immediately begin to show that they are not what they seem, and go South. This becomes more apparent after they return to the mainland.
Jurassic Park: Fallen World starts with a creepy, and suspenseful opening scene, and stays strong pretty much throughout. There are some amazing looking dinosaurs in the films, but at the same time we get some great evil human villains in the film too, that really play up their sinister vibes to create something that while not unique is truly fun to watch. The cast themselves have solid chemistry, and overall I'd rate this one just behind the original in the series.
Jurassic Park: Fallen Kingdom is presented with an impeccable 2:39:1 1080p AVC encoded transfer. Everything here looks excellent, color, details, and black levels. Audio is well balanced and clear in a DTS:X soundtrack. Extras are limted, however to a handful of BTS featurettes.
The Film (4/5)
Audio/Video (5/5)
Extras (3/5)
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ANTHROPOPHAGUS
Director - Joe D'Amato
Cast- George Eastman, Tisa Farrow
Country of Origin - Italy
Discs- 1
Reviewer-Scott MacDonald
Joe D'Amato spent most of his career working within the realm of pornography both hardcore and softcore. However, in his odd dips into the horror genre he made a severe impact. A few months ago Arrow Video put his first film Death Smiles on a Murderer to Blu-ray and it blew my mind. Severin Films have previously released the directors necrophile romance Beyond the Darkness aka Buio Omega to Blu-ray in a splendid Blu-ray edition, and now in September we get 2 excellent D'Amato releases from the House of Severin, Absurd (more on that later), and the notorious Anthropophagus.
Anthropophagus follows a group of travelers on a boat to a small island, that is mostly abandoned. They end up wandering the desolate landscape for sometime, only to find out that they are not as alone as they once thought, and the island is populated by a man, who is barely hanging on to his humanity (George Eastman), and is picking them off one by one, in shocking gruesome ways.
I have made this comparison before, and mostly people think I'm crazy for it, but Anthropophagus has eternally reminded me of a horror spin on Antonioni's L'Avventura. With the travelers wandering around a desolate island landscape, and for the most part we are allowed to dwell in sheer atmospherics and mystery of the situation. When I was younger this didn't work for me, and I found it boring. When I revisited the film for the second time about 3 years ago, it hit me like a ton of bricks how great it actually was. The film takes its time to get going, but it has the most amazing atmosphere coupled with a tonally fitting soundtrack by Marcello Gambioni. The violence in the film is extremely over the top, especially toward the end, and will certainly leave a memorable impact on viewers once it is seen.
Severin Films have done wonders with their 1080p transfer of Anthropophagus. Everything is well detailed and colors stabalized. Out of the 3 Blu-ray's (2 from 88 films) issued thus far this one looks the best and most natural. Audio sounds clear and consise with no apparent issues. Extra include inters with cast and crew including one with Eastman and trailers.
The Film (5/5)
Audio/Video (4/5)
Extras (3.5/5)
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Absurd
Director - Joe D'Amato
Cast- George Eastman, Annie Belle
Country of Origin - Italy
Discs 2
Reviewer-Scott MacDonald
Absurd is the spiritual sequel to Anthropophagus. I never noted that George Eastman's character had a name in Anthropophagus, but apparently his name was Nikos, and he's playing that character here. Whether there is continuity between the two I'm not sure. However, the film opens with "Nikos" running away from a biochemistry obsessed priest played by Pieces' (the greatest film ever) Edward Purdom. Nikos in trying to make his escape ends up impaled on a fense and his guts leak out. He makes his way to a house, and gets sent a hospital, where the Doctors marvel at his regenerative qualities. After this he ends up stalking and slashing his way back to the house for a violent finale.
There isn't a lot of connective tissue to Absurd. It's more like "Where Nikos ends up, and who he kills." However, it is sheer violent bliss. For this film it appears D'Amato and Eastman are pulling a "Bloody Moon" and taking influence from the slasher films from the 80's and just making Nikos an over the top slasher killer. However, they are doing this the only way Italy in the early 80's knew how, with gory results. The film is so trashy, and so fun, that on the first viewing I couldn't help but want to start it again right away.
The new Severin Blu-ray of Absurd looks amazing. It is a 1080p AVC encoded transfer that looks insanely well detailed, organic in structure and probably better than it has ever looked. The audio is presented in Italian and comes through crisp and clear. Extras include the CD OST, interviews with the cast and crew, and trailers.
The Film (4/5)
Audio/Video (4/5)
Extras (3/5)
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Scream for Help
Director - Michael Winner
Cast- Rachael Kelly, David Brooks
Country of Origin - U.S.
Discs- 1
Reviewer-Scott MacDonald
I don't even know where to start. Scream for Help is directed by Michael Winner who is most known for the Death Wish films and his many collaborations with Charles Bronson, he did dip the odd toe into the horror genre, and directed such films as the Sentinel and the Nightcomers, but I guess with the 80's brought absurdity hence Death Wish III, and this film Scream for Help. If you've seen the Stepfather you know the story, but basically Rachael Kelly plays Christie Cromwell a teenage girl who is obsessed with the thought that her new Stepfather is trying to kill her Mother, for her money (her Mom owns a car dealership). She's right, and the deeper she gets the more danger she finds herself in.
OK, so if you remember the Stepfather that film was extremely serious. Scream for Help is absurd as hell and it's like someone picked up the script for the Stepfather and decided it would be much better if shot through the lens of Tex Avery (Looney Tunes). This film is over the top at every corner. The performances are the opposite of subtle, and by the time you finish watching this you will be running into the street trying to find someone to show this absurd, violent, and crazy 80's masterpiece of crazed horror cinema to.
Scream Factory presents Scream for Help in a solid 1:85:1 1080p AVC encoded transfer. Everything here comes across as solid. Detail is strong throughout, there is a solid grain structure in place. Audio is handled via a 2.0 DTS-HD mono track in English that does the job quite clearly. Extras include a commentary with the author of the Slasher Movie book, 2 on-camera interviews one with David Brooks, and the other with Tom Holland, and a trailer.
The Film (4/5)
Audio/Video (3.5/5)
Extras (3/5)
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Horrors of Malformed Men
Director - Teruo Ishii
Cast- Teruo Yoshida, Yukie Kagawa
Country of Origin - Japan
Discs- 1
Reviewer-Scott MacDonald
If I haven't seen a film I try not to do too much research into a film before I watch it, to let its surprises wash over me during a first viewing. So with that in mind, when Arrow announced Horrors of Malformed Men, I assumed it was a weird 80's Japanese horror like Entrails of a Virgin, and only when it arrived did it click that it was in fact a WEIRD 1960's Japanese horror film. OK, still a totally bizarre Japanese horror film, just a few decades off.
Hirosuki Hitomi (Teruo Yoshida) is a young man who finds himself without memory, but also in trouble with the law. He eventually escapes, and finds his way to an island presided over by a "mad scientist" Jogoro Komodo (Tatsumi Hijikata) who has webbed hands, and is turning the islands populous into hybrid creatures. Hirosuki begins to investigate the goings on around the island, and begins to find out some truly dark and bizarre things (besides the malforming of human beings) going on there.
Horrors of Malformed Men is AMAZING. This film is like Tod Browning's Freaks and Island of Lost Souls were chucked into a blender together and pureed with a whole lot of Japanese surrealism and sensibilities. The story really isn't there, but the film lives and dies by its visuals and the visuals are OUTSTANDING. This includes brilliant cinematography by Shigeru Akatsuka.
Arrow Video presents Horrors of Malformed Men in a splendid 2:35:1 1080p transfer that looks quite solid, with nicely reproduced colors and detail, with the odd bit of speckling throughout. Audio is handled by LPCM mono track in Japanese that sounds quite solid and handles the score and dialogue nicely. Extras include 2 commentaries, interviews, featurettes, and liner notes.
The Film (4/5)
Audio/Video (3.5/5)
Extras (3.5/5)
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The Pyjama Girl Case
Director - Flavio Mogherini
Cast- Dalila Di Lazzaro, Michele Placido
Country of Origin - Italy
Discs- 1
Reviewer-Scott MacDonald
Seriously just get all the giallo on Blu-ray, and then give me all the giallo Blu-ray's! But I digress, I love this crazy, weird, subgenre of Italian cinema, and find myself watching these films almost immediately upon getting a new one in the mail. I've been obsessed with gialli, almost since the moment I discovered Eurohorror as a teenager, and I feel like I haven't even scratched the surface. As such I had never viewed the wild Pyjama Girl Case until this Arrow Video Blu-ray encountered my Blu-ray player.
The Pyjama Girl Case opens with a young girl discovering the corpse of a young woman in a car. A retired police inspector (The Uninvited's Ray Milland) is called back into active duty to investigate. There are no clues, and on identification for the body itself, as such the body is actually put out on public display to see if anyone can identify it. At the same time a parallel narrative takes up with Linda juggling multiple jobs and lovers. At first it's not immediately apparent how these relate, until it does.
Pyjama Girl Case is based off a true crime that happened in Australia in the 1930's. When I say based off, I mean quite loosely, but the connection is there. The pacing is a bit odd on this one, but overall it ends up being a delight with some quite odd twist and turns to keep people guessing. The tone varies a bit from moment to moment, but overall this one works. It is also grounded by an excellent and eclectic score by the iconic Riz Ortolani.
Arrow Video presents the Pyjama Girl Case in an excellent 1:85:1 1080p transfer with solid fine detail, and stable colors. Audio is presented in both Italian and English, with no apparent issues in DTS-HD Mono. Extras include a commentary by Troy Howarth, and multiple interviews, liner notes, and trailer.
The Film (3.5/5)
Audio/Video (3.5/5)
Extras (3/5)
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Halloween
Director - John Carpenter
Cast- Jamie Lee Curtis, P.J. Soles
Country of Origin - U.S.
Discs - 2
Reviewer-Scott MacDonald
I'm not going to push this one too much. If you're reading this, and you're around my age (mid-30's and above), you have probably owned Halloween on VHS, DVD, Blu-ray, possibly even Laserdisc and Beta. Halloween is THEE landmark slasher classic. It's John Carpenter, it's amazing, and basically if you're a fan, you know it. It is now seeing its first of 20,000 releases of the bourgeoning UHD format, and if you have a 4K TV, and a UHD player, then this a must get.
The story, you know it, Michael Myers one Halloween night kills his sister Judith and gets locked up in a mental hospital under the care of Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasance). 15 Years later he escapes, and goes back to his hometown of Haddonfield, and begins to stalk a trio of babysitters including Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis).
Halloween is one of those horror film that is sheer perfection. It is suspenseful, and creepy. It has just enough violence to please certain aspects of horror fandom. Also, the cast is impeccable, fit their roles perfect and have immense chemistry. The score a minimalist synth piece by Carpenter is legend in horror, and gives the film a mood and tone that cannot be beat.
The UHD is presented 2:35:1 and looks very similar in tone to the 35th anniversary edition. Colors and blacks are in the same scope, just deeper and with more detail. The Blu-ray, and this is starting to get on my nerves, is not even the most recent Blu-ray but the ORIGINAL 2007 Blu-ray. Which was not very good. Audio is handled by a 7.1 True HD mix, no original mono included wait until the 20,001 release for that. All extras from the 35th anniversary edition are ported over here, so lots of commentaries, featurettes, interviews and more.
The Film (5/5)
Audio/Video (4/5)
Extras (4/5)
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Tokyo Ghoul - Season 1
Director - Kentarô Hagiwara
Cast- Various
Country of Origin - Japan
Discs - 2
Reviewer-Scott MacDonald
OK, so I'm moving over to some horror-skewing anime for the next 2 starting with the Funimation Classics release of Tokyo Ghoul Season 1. Tokyo Ghoul follows Kaneki a young man who falls in love with a young woman that could be considered the most ill-advised relationship he'll ever embark on. One night she attacks him, and though he survives his life is irreversibly changed. She was a ghoul, and know Kaneki is a half-ghoul, and learning to adapt to the eating of human flesh, and life away from humanity.
Tokyo Ghoul is an interesting anime. It's a violent and disturbing anime, but unlike some other anime series that use violence upfront this one brings forth a moral quandary. It also offers, not so much a strong narrative, though there is a solid narrative running through the series, but instead we get a character who develops throughout the series from a naive young man afraid of ghouls, to trying to bridge the gap between the human and ghoul worlds. It's an interesting premise and works quite solidly, it is a bit derivative of other things at times, but overall it's quite good, and quite compeling. The animation on the Blu-ray is quite striking, and brings the world solidly to life.
Funimation presents Tokyo Ghoul in a solid 1:78:1 1080p transfer that looks and sounds marvelous. Audio is handled with a DTS-HD MA 2.0 track in Japanese and a 5.1 in English. Extras include commentaries, featurettes, clean openings, trailers and more.
The Series (4/5)
Audio/Video (4.5/5)
Extras (2.5/5)
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Overlord - Season 1
Director - Naoyuki Ito
Cast- Various
Country of Origin - Japan
Discs - 2
Reviewer-Scott MacDonald
OK, so Overlord Season 1 veers more to fantasy than horror. I'll preface with that. But the main character is a LICH. Basically a skeletal creature, which looks like something out of a horror film, so I'm adding it, and it's my column, and you can't stop me! Overlord takes place in a world where a popular game called Yggdrasil is having the plug pulled after a popular 12 year run. The last player left in Momonga decided to stay until the lights were out. When the game was shut off, he was left inside, and the game continued on. Rather, then panic he began to explore this extended game universe. Trying to figure out his personal place in, work with his NPC's to see how far things extended and what he could do now.
Overlord is interesting. It takes a premise sort of similar to the original Dungeons and Dragons cartoon of the 80's and sharpens it, gives it more a philosophical vibe to it, and makes it more action packed and exiting at times. The animation presented here is gorgeous, and helps realize the world and its characters quite well. There isn't a lot in the way of story, but it's a fun adventure to be on. The characters are pretty solid and unique and are fun to take a bit of a ride with.
The 1:78:1 1080p transfer presented by Funimation looks quite solid with colors and details coming through nicely and with no apparent issue. Audio is clear and crisp in both the English 5.1 and Japanese 2.0 tracks. Extras include commentaries, trailers, TV spots, clean opening and closing and more.
The Series (4/5)
Audio/Video (4/5)
Extras (2.5/5)
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The Day After
Director - Nicholas Meyer
Cast- Jason Robards, JoBeth Williams
Country of Origin - U.S.
Discs - 1
Reviewer-Scott MacDonald
Yeah, I know you're not liable to find the Day After in the horror section at the video store, but it's pretty terrifying. So I'll include it at the end of this extended column here. The Day After is a film directed by Star Trek II's Nicholas Meyers. The film details a conflict between Russia and Germany for ownership of the European continent. This is the background fodder to the lives of "average Americans" in Missouri and Kansas, who are adjusting to new challenges and changes in their lives. This includes a Doctor played by Jason Robards who finds himself childless as his children have just moved away, a family who lives near a missile silo dealing with a daughter's wedding and so on.
The first part of the film deals with the domesticity of these characters with the potential for violence looming in the background. Of course, we all know it's bound to happen, and that creates a slight atmosphere of suspense. The film does utilize stock footage to demonstrate the disaster in progress and is a bit ham-fisted in its approach, but mostly works in what its trying to acheive. The negative here is that Meyers chose to use a cast of actors that while not entirely A-List Hollywood stars were entirely recognizable and gave the whole thing an overtly fictional vibe to it, this of course, contrast with the British film Threads (released by Severin films earlier this year) which used primarily unknowns and plays much stronger this far out from the Nuclear panic of the 1970's and 80's.
Kino Lorber presents the film in a 1:56:1 1080p transfer that looks quite solid, but one must note that is a 30 year old TV film, and looks it even at its best. Things are natural, and detailed, but also quite soft in spots. Audio is handled by a DTS-HD MA 2.0 track which has some minor hiss in spots, but overall sounds quite solid. Extras include a commentary with Lee Gambin, both TV and Theatrical cuts an interview with JoBeth Williams, and an interview with director Meyers.
The Film (3/5)
Audio/Video (3.5/5)
Extras (3/5)
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