4K Ultra HD Review: TRICK OR TREAT (1986)

TRICK OR TREAT

Directed by:  Charles Martin Smith

Distributed by:  Synapse Films /  MVD Entertainment

  1986's TRICK OR TREAT is another film to add to my list of films I have always heard and known about, and even owned on DVD for years, but had just never got around to checking out for some reason.  I was excited when Synapse Film's new 4K UHD release arrived for review, as it would finally make me sit down and watch it!    I'm very thankful I got the chance to review this one, because it was a lot of fun!  

 1980's horror films have such a unique feel to them.  That is probably my favorite decade of horror films.  I'm happy to report that TRICK OR TREAT fits right in and is now among one of my favorite 80's horror classics!

 Here is a brief synopsis of the film from the Synapse Films website:

Rock 'n' roll will never die, in this 1980s cult favorite that stars Marc Price (Family Ties) as Eddie Weinbauer, a teenage outcast who idolizes Sammi Curr (Tony Fields), a heavy metal superstar. After Sammi dies a violent death, his spirit returns to help Eddie get even with his high school tormentors. In doing so, Sammi begins to gain control over Eddie's life and brings him deeper into the world of the occult. When Eddie realizes that he has become the tool of Sammi's vengeance, he attempts to stop him, and the horrifying events that follow leave no one unscathed.

Featuring special appearances by Gene Simmons and Ozzy Osbourne, Trick or Treat marked the directorial debut of veteran actor Charles Martin Smith (Never Cry Wolf, Starman) and features a legendary soundtrack by Fastway. Red Shirt Home Video and Synapse Films are proud to present this heavy metal horror classic in an all-new 4K restoration presented in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) with a head-banging 5.1 surround sound mix and loaded with hours of supplemental material including multiple commentary tracks and a feature-length video retrospective! No false metal!

 I always knew that Gene Simmons and Ozzy Osbourne were in this film, but be advised they were both on screen for a matter of seconds.   Looking back at my old DVD makes me laugh as they both got top billing, purely using their names for DVD sales.   Synapse Films' choice in cover art for this  new release is much better and a much more fitting representation of the film. 

 As soon as the movie started and I saw the main character, Eddie, I immediately recognized him.   It was Skippy from Family Ties!    Marc Price did an excellent job in this film and it was fun to see him in something other than that aforementioned sitcom. The story is pretty cool, especially seeing what is basically a demon conjured by playing a heavy metal album backwards.  That is something all our parents warned us about as kids, at least if you are around my age and grew up in the 70's and 80's.   The special effects are fun and actually still hold up pretty well considering the age of the film. 

 The presentation of this film is outstanding.  The 4K restoration creates vivid colors and contrasts and is super clean.   Also of note is the soundtrack, most of which was done by English Heavy Metal Band, FASTWAY.   There is some great music in this film, and I will be putting the soundtrack on my Amazon Music playlist! 

TRICK OR TREAT is available now on 4K UHD from Synapse Films and like most all of Synapse's releases, they have spared no expense when it comes to Special Features!   Special Features include the following:

• Limited edition o-card available on the FIRST PRESSING ONLY!
• 4K restoration from the original 35mm camera negative mastered in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) and approved by Director of Photography Robert Elswit
• Lossless English DTS-HD Master Audio of the original 2.0 theatrical mix and an all-new 5.1 surround sound mix
• Audio commentary with director Charles Martin Smith, moderated by filmmaker Mark Savage
• Audio interviews with writer/producer Michael S. Murphey and writer Rhet Topham, moderated by film historian Michael Felsher
• Audio conversation with Paul Corupe and Allison Lang, authors of Satanic Panic: Pop-Cultural Paranoia in the 1980s
• Rock  & Shock: The Making of “Trick or Treat” - An all-new retrospective featuring director Charles Martin Smith, actors Marc Price, Glen Morgan, Elise Richards, and Larry Sprinkle, writer/producer Joel Soisson, costume designer Jill Ohanneson, assistant set costumer Francine Decoursey, construction foreman Tom Jones, Jr., special make-up effects artist Everett Burrell, music executive producer Stephen E. Smith, composer Christopher Young, and a special appearance by Gene Simmons
• In The Spotlight: A Tribute to Tony Fields featuring interviews with the late actor’s family and friends
• Horror’s Hallowed Grounds: The Filming Locations of “Trick or Treat” with Sean Clark
  
• “After Midnight” music video
  Theatrical Trailers, TV Spots and Radio Spots
• Still Gallery featuring optional audio interview with still photographer Phillip V. Caruso
• Vintage electronic press kit
• Reversible cover artwork
• Region free for worldwide playback

CLICK HERE to purchase the 4K UHD edition

Blu-Ray Review: EATING MISS CAMPBELL (2022)

 

EATING MISS CAMPBELL

Written & Directed by:  Liam Regan

Distributed by:   Troma Films / MVD Entertainment

 Rarely do I get a film sent to me that I have never heard of.   I get a lot I have never seen before, but I have at least heard a mention of them.     Somehow EATING MISS CAMPBELL was one of those films I had never heard of.   I have never even seen a trailer of it, or come across it online in some form or another.   Usually films like that I find that there was a reason I had never heard of it.  Usually, the film is so bad, there was no need for anyone to mention it!   This was definitely not the case with EATING MISS CAMPBELL.   This was a highly entertaining and refreshingly original horror/comedy that should get more mentions than it does!

  Here is a bit about the film from the Refuse Films website:

Eating Miss Campbell follows a vegan-goth high school student who falls into a taboo relationship with her new English teacher and soon develops a problematic taste for human flesh. 

Featuring a cast of genre favorites including LAURENCE R. HARVEY (The Human Centipede 3: Final Sequence), LYNDSEY CRAINE (Book of Monsters), VITO TRIGO (My Bloody Banjo), JUSTIN A. MARTELL (Shudder’s The Last Drive-In) and LLOYD KAUFMAN (The Toxic Avenger) with an original score composed by Academy Award®-winner JOE RENZETTI (Child’s Play, Poltergeist III and Frankenhooker).

Heavily Influenced by the work of producer Lloyd Kaufman, filmmaker Liam Regan has lovingly crafted a Troma film for the 21st century, where teenage crushes and cannibalism collide in a gut-busting and gore-soaked, comedy horror film that pushes just about every boundary socially constructed.

  

 

 Overall, I am not usually a big fan of horror comedies.  I feel like they are usually not really funny, nor do they contain much horror.   This film, I am happy to say, hits the mark on both concepts.   The story is very original and features our main character Beth Conner who lives inside a horror movie.  While she keeps trying to off herself to escape the horror, she always wakes back up inside the movie.   Lyndsey Craine, the actress that plays the main character of Beth Conner, does an excellent job and is quite funny in her delivery.    

  Laurence R. Harvey has a small role in the film that he played very well, with a certain sense of creepiness that only Harvey can provide.  You might know Harvey from his ultra creepy leading role in HUMAN CENTIPEDE II.  Actor Vito Trigo also stood out to me, and seemed to be a much greater actor than you would normally find in a campy film like this.   All the acting is pretty good, although some of it is a bit over the top.    The film contains quite a bit of gore, most of which is done with practical effects which is always good! 

  This looks to be only director Liam Regan's 3rd feature length film.   I have a feeling this is one director to really keep an eye on!  

 EATING MISS CAMPBELL is available now on Blu-ray, and like most Troma releases, it is packed full with the following Special Features:

• 7 Days of Hell: Making of Documentary
• Audio Commentary
• Deleted Scenes
• Outtakes
• Gore Reel
• Raw B-Roll
• Cast Interviews
• FrightFest Premiere
• 1 Hour of Raw BTS Footage
• VFX Reel
• Introduction from Lloyd Kaufman
• Troma Trailers
• Radiation March
• Easter Eggs

CLICK HERE to purchase the Blu-ray

  

BLU-RAY REVIEW: SUPERVIXENS (1975)

 

SUPERVIXENS

Directed by:  Russ Meyer

Distributed by:  Severin Films / MVD Entertainment

  Recently, Severin Films reached an agreement with Meyer's estate to distribute three of his most iconic films,  VIXEN!, SUPERVIXENS, and BENEATH THE VALLEY OF THE ULTRAVIXENS in new 4K, BD, and DVD versions scanned in 4K from the original negative and restored by The Museum of Modern Art.  

  While I mainly focus on Horror films for this blog, I do like to branch out from time to time and have covered Exploitation, Sexploitation, and even Nunsploitation films in the past.   These films would definitely fall under the Sexploitation sub-genre and were an interesting batch of films to say the least.   I'll be watching them in order and then doing a review of each one, continuing with the next feature, SUPERVIXENS!

  While VIXENS was fun,  SUPERVIXENS was a vast improvement on that first film.   This is not a sequel by any means, but a continuation of Meyer's "Bosomania" film line.    This film contains a much better plot  and story line in my opinion.   Here is a bit about this film from the Severin Films website:

Following the ‘serious’ features THE SEVEN MINUTES and BLACK SNAKE, this 1975 return to form written, photographed, edited, produced and directed by Russ Meyer remains perhaps his most over-the-top and savagely entertaining epic of all: When a hot-blooded wife (Shari Eubank) and a psychotic cop (a startling performance by Charles Napier of THE BLUES BROTHERS fame) come together, it will ignite a cross-country odyssey of violence, vengeance and relentless coitus. John Lazar (BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS), Uschi Digard (BENEATH THE VALLEY OF THE ULTRAVIXENS) and Haji (FASTER, PUSSYCAT! KILL! KILL!) co-star in Russ’ “super-sexy live-action Road Runner cartoon” (Empire), now restored by Severin Films in conjunction with The Russ Meyer Trust and scanned in 4K from the original negative stored at The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences.

  While again, not horror in any way, this film does have some horror elements in it.  One scene that really stuck out to me was when the psychotic cop was trying to break into the bathroom which contained the wife trying to hid out.   He gets a huge knife and keeps stabbing the door trying to break in, eventually making a hole big enough to get this face through.   I have to wonder  if Stanley Kubrick saw this film and used this scene as inspiration for his iconic "Here's Johnny" scene in his film, THE SHINING.   Eventually the cop breaks in and performs a horrifying bathtub killing, complete with radio thrown in the tub electrocution!  

  The film is fun in that it is just a series of adventures  (or misadventures I should say) involving the main character, Clint, in the film running from the cops after being falsely accused in the killing of his wife.   He hitchhikes to get out of town and avoid any trouble, but finds all sort of trouble along his journey.    Clint is picked up by a farmer who gives him a place to stay in exchange for doing work around the farm.  Clint is constantly seduced by the farmer's wife and is eventually caught by the farmer who runs him out of town.  

 

  Clint finds his way to a motel that is run by a man with a deaf daughter.   As you might imagine with this being a Russ Meyer film, he is again seduced by the daughter and caught by her father.   This leads Clint to embark out again on a journey that leads him to a gas station out in the middle of nowhere.  The gas station is run by a beautiful woman and she gives him a job there.    They eventually hook, up of course, and then the psycho cop that killed Clint's wife somehow shows up!   The cop eventually realizes where he knows Clint from and kidnaps Clint's new gas station owner girlfriend and takes her out into the desert.  He ties her up, and of course, Clint goes looking for her and finds her being held captive by the psycho cop.   A cat and mouse game ensues, which includes the cop throwing sticks of dynamite at Clint to keep him away.   Ultimately, this dynamite will be the downfall of the cop as our film concludes with a bang!

 

   SUPERVIXENS is available now on Blu-ray and 4K UHD and contains the following Special Features:

• Archival Audio Commentary With Writer/Cinematographer/Editor/Producer/Director Russ Meyer
• Russ Meyer Versus The Porn-Busters – Mike Carroll Interview With Russ Meyer
• The Return Of Harry Sledge – Interview With Actor Charles Napier
• The Incredibly Strange Film Show Season 1, Episode 5: Russ Meyer
• Trailer
• TV Spot

CLICK HERE to purchase the Blu-ray 

CLICK HERE to purchase the 4K UHD

BLU RAY REVIEW: VIXEN! (1968)

VIXEN!

Directed by:  Russ Meyer

Distributed by:  Severin Films / MVD Entertainment

 I have heard of Russ Meyer for as long as I can remember, but I have never seen one of his films until now.   I really had no clue what to expect, other than what I knew of his love for the female anatomy, especially the very well endowed ones!  

  Recently, Severin Films reached an agreement with Meyer's estate to distribute three of his most iconic films,  VIXEN!, SUPERVIXENS, and BENEATH THE VALLEY OF THE ULTRAVIXENS in new 4K, BD, and DVD versions scanned in 4K from the original negative and restored by The Museum of Modern Art.  

  While I mainly focus on Horror films for this blog, I do like to branch out from time to time and have covered Exploitation, Sexploitation, and even Nunsploitation films in the past.   These films would definitely fall under the Sexploitation sub-genre and were an interesting batch of films to say the least.   I'll be watching them in order and then doing a review of each one, starting with this first feature, VIXEN!

Here is a little bit about the film from the Severin Films website:

Amid the cultural chaos of 1968 and armed with a budget of only $70,000, producer/director/cinematographer Russ Meyer transcended sexploitation by crafting this “bosomacious melodrama” (Time Magazine) about racism, communism, bush pilots, draft dodgers and a ferociously free-spirited wife named Vixen (the incredible Erica Gavin of BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS and CAGED HEAT). Despite attempts at censorship that included one of the first-ever X ratings and 23 separate U.S. prosecutions for obscenity, it became one of the year’s top-grossing movies, forever transformed independent film and remains the creative template for Meyer’s unapologetic vision of American cinema.

Here is the brief  "plot synopsis" from IMDb:

The free-spirited wife of a Canadian bush pilot seduces a Mountie, a married couple and her biker brother, all while trading blows of racial prejudice with her brother's black friend.

 I put "plot synopsis" in quotes above, because there really wasn't much plot to this film.   It's really just about the pilot's wife seducing anyone she comes into contact with.   That's really about it!  They did try to throw in some subplot at the end about communism, but it felt very out of place with the rest of the film.  

  This film was very uncomfortable to watch at some points, mainly with the scenes of the interactions between Vixen and her brother's African American friend, Niles.   She does not like him and calls him a slew of names, most of  which were crude racial slurs. 

As I stated before, most scenes were just Vixen seducing anyone she comes in contact with.  At one point, Vixen seduces a man at a fish fry by dancing with an uncooked fish and performing simulated oral sex on the fish!   It's a weird one, for sure!

 This film is actually very tame by today's standards.  The sex scenes are simulated and don't show anything too extreme, mainly just breasts.  The fact that this got an "X" rating is laughable by today's standards, but when this came out in 1968, I'm sure it was a bit more shocking.   I'm sure the brother/sister incest scene was a big play in that X rating!   Oh yeah, I guess I failed to mention that earlier!    

 Overall, VIXEN was a film that seems like it doesn't have much of a point, other than just showing off the beautiful actress's bodies and generally trying to shock the audience. 

 One thing to note is the picture quality on these new releases.   I saw grainy screenshots online, and being from 1968 I was expecting not so great picture quality, but boy was I mistaken.  As soon as the film started I was blown away by this new restoration.  The picture was super sharp and the colors were very vibrant!

 VIXEN! is available now from Severin Films and if you know anything about Severin Films, you know they always put some amazing special features on their releases.  This one is no exception, and contains the following Special Features:

1981 Censor Prologue (Theatrical Re-Release)

Archival Audio Commentary With Co-Writer/Producer/Cinematographer/Co-Editor/Director Russ Meyer

Audio Commentary With Actress Erica Gavin

Woman... Or Animal? - Interviews With Actors Erica Gavin And Harrison Page

David Del Valle's The Sinister Image With Guests Russ Meyer And Yvette Vickers

Entertainment... Or Obscenity? - Marc Edward Heuck On The Film's Historic Cincinnati Censorship Battles

Trailer

CLICK HERE to purchase the 2-Disc 4K UHD edition

CLICK HERE to purchase the Blu-ray

CLICK HERE to purchase the DVD