Blu-Ray Review: GRADUATION DAY (1981)

GRADUATION DAY

Directed by:  Herb Freed

Distributed by:  Troma Entertainment / MVD Entertainment 

  As many horror films as I have seen, I find it amazing the amount of older horror films I have never watched.  I have had GRADUATION DAY on DVD in my movie collection for years, but have never got around to watching it for some reason.   Turns out, I have been missing out on a really fun slasher all these years!

 Here is the basic plot synopsis from the MVD website:

  It's just weeks before high school graduation and members of the track team are being mysteriously and gruesomely murdered, one at a time. When the team's star runner drops dead at the end of a championship meet, her sister Anne (Patch MacKenzie) comes to town and a series of grisly murders begin. Is Anne responsible? Or is it coach Michaels (Christopher George) who has been fired because of Laura's death? Perhaps it's the campus policeman who is disliked because of his over-zealous drug investigations? Or is it Laura's boyfriend, Kevin (E. Danny Murphy), who can't reconcile himself to Laura's death? You won't want to see Graduation Day alone!

  Slashers are one of my all time favorite sub-genres of horror films, right behind zombie films.   I should really try to watch more of them, as I'm sure I am missing out on seeing some great ones!   GRADUATION DAY isn't great, by any means, but it is a lot of fun!  It's a little dated for sure, but you  have to love the practical effects with all the kills, no matter how cheesy they may seem by today's standards. 

  The kills in GRADUATION DAY are a lot of fun, and some are very creative.  There is quite a bit of blood and gore, including a wonderful decapitation.   Also of note, is a pole vaulter that instead of landing on the soft landing pad, ends up on a pad  filled with sharp metal spikes!  Let's just say that pole vault attempt will be his last.  I hope it was a good one!

  Another fun thing about this film was seeing one of my all time favorite horror actresses, Linnea Quigley.   This was one of hear earliest roles and it is always a treat to see her in something I hadn't seen before!   Also of note, the character of Doris is played a very young Vanna White!  Who new she was ever in a horror film?    This was one of her only roles in a movie, as she would of course go on to host the game show WHEEL OF FORTUNE starting the very next year in 1982.  Vanna continues to co-host that show to this very day!   Will we ever see her return to the horror genre? 

                                         A young Linnea Quigley as Dolores

  Ok, so I while I mentioned that I liked the film, I do have to be honest and say I was a little disappointed with this new Blu-ray release.  The very first thing I noticed was the introduction from Troma founder Lloyd Kaufman that we all expect when starting a Troma release.  The problem is they just recycled the intro used on the DVD version that they released back in 2002.  For this new Blu-ray release, I would have thought Mr. Kaufman could have bothered to make a new intro.   Another issue with this new Blu-ray release is with the sound.  There is a constant buzz/hum throughout the film in the background.  It's louder at some points than others, but it was pretty distracting the entire time. I would have thought that could have been cleaned up for this new release.   As for the picture quality, I never watched it on DVD to have a comparison, but it didn't seem to look much different from most DVDs I watch, so not sure this was really upgraded for the new Blu-ray release. 

  The bottom line is, if you haven't seen this one you need to.  This new Blu-ray release is a great way to do that!   If you have already seen this and own it on DVD, I'm not sure this new Blu-ray release is worth the upgrade to be honest.   So, the film itself is a lot of fun, but the actual release could have been better for sure.   

  GRADUATION DAY is available now on a Tromatic Special Edition Blu-ray and contains the following Special Features:

• *  Classic introduction featuring Lloyd Kaufman
• *  Interviews with Patch Mackenzie, Herb Freed, David Baughn, Martin Jay Sadoff, and Linnea Quigley
• *  Commentaries featuring producer David Baughn and the hosts of 'The Hysteria Continues' podcast
• *  Coming distractions

 

CLICK HERE to purchase the Blu-ray from Troma Entertainment

CLICK HERE to purchase the Blu-ray from MVD Entertainment 

Blu-ray Review: SORORITY BABES IN THE SLIMEBALL BOWL-O-RAMA (1988)

SORORITY BABES IN THE SLIMEBALL BOWL-O-RAMA
Directed by:  David DeCoteau
Distributed by:  Full Moon Features

  I am a huge fan of Full Moon Films....they have some great, cheesy films that have brought horror fans years of entertainment and continue to do so to this day.  While I have seen a lot of Full Moon films,  there are plenty of classic ones I have just never got around to seeing for one reason or another.   SORORITY BABES IN THE SLIMEBALL BOWL-O-RAMA is one of those films.  I have always heard of this title, but have never seen it until now.   Here is the plot synopsis from the Full Moon Direct website:

  In a bowling alley from hell...there's only one way to score!

  There are no freshmen in the college of love, and they're about to graduate to madcap mayhem when a sorority prank goes crazy. Out to steal a trophy from a local bowling alley, the kids accidentally unleash the imp -- a sadistic little spirit with a diabolical sense of humor. He creates demons and loves sexy women. He's the original party animal, inviting you to come along and die laughing -- just like everybody else.

  The Sorority Babes won't live through initiation, but don't blame that cute little killer. He's evil by nature and funny as hell. And even if you can take a joke, it kills you.

  Linnea Quigley, Andras Jones, Robin Rochelle, Hal Havins and Brinke Stevens star in the much anticipated Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama. Restored from the original 35mm camera negative and with some exclusive extra features, including the oldest Behind-The-Scenes feature Full Moon has ever presented, Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama is so funny it just might kill you!

  The first thing I noticed with this film is that is stars 3 of the greatest scream queens around...Linnea Quigley, Brinke Stevens, and Michelle Bauer.  They are staples of a lot of Full Moon films, so seeming them together in the same film was a lot of fun.   In fact, everything about this film is a lot of fun!   It was originally titled THE IMP as the film focuses on an imp that is released from a bowling trophy.  I don't think the film ever explains why the imp is trapped in a bowling trophy, but being a Full Moon film, I didn't really expect it to!  Ha!   The imp is pretty evil, and turns some of the girls into demons, but he is pretty funny while doing it!  He throws out the one liners and reminds me a lot of  the Black Devil Doll.  

  The acting in the film leaves a lot to be desired, but that is expected with a cheesy 80's horror flick like this.   It doesn't take away from the movie at all.  The one thing that did bug me was the character of Jimmie played by Hal Havins.  This is one of the most irritating characters I have seen in a while.  Hal is the same person that plays Stooge in NIGHT OF THE DEMONS that also came out in 1988.  He is the big, jock character. He is annoying in that film too, and he basically plays the same character in this film.  Luckily, Jimmie is one of the first ones to fall victim to the imp, getting his head torn off by the demons and then having it used as a bowling ball! 

  While Jimmie's head might have been a gutter ball, SORORITY BABES IN THE SLIMEBALL BOWL-O-RAMA is a perfect strike in my opinion!   It's a quick 80 minutes that is fun the entire running time.   The film was recently released on a brand new Blu-ray and it is quite an improvement compared to the older DVD release.  The Blu-ray contains the following special features:

*  Tales from the Bowling Alley! Never-before-seen behind the scenes featurette!
*  NEW audio commentary with director David DeCoteau, writer Sergei Hasenecz and Scream Queen Brinke Stevens.
*  Full Moon Trailers

 I need to point out that the behind the scenes featurette is an amazing addition to this Blu-ray.  I am really surprised the filmmakers thought to film a behind the scenes feature way back in 1988.   It is as much fun as the film is, especially the exclusive interview with the imp itself!   This is a must have Blu-ray in my opinion!


CLICK HERE to watch the trailer
CLICK HERE to purchase the Blu-ray