Blu-ray Review: THE ZERO BOYS (1986)

THE ZERO BOYS
Directed by  Nico Mastorakis
Distributed by Arrow Films / MVD Entertainment Group

  If you recognize the name of Director Nico Mastorakis, it's probably from his infamous 1976 film, ISLAND OF DEATH.     That was the only film I had ever seen of his until watching this new release from Arrow Films titled, THE ZERO BOYS.   While not as wild and depraved as ISLAND OF DEATH, it is a great film by this legendary director.  Here is the basic plot from the MVD website:

   From cult director Nico Mastorakis, the man behind such eclectic offerings as the controversial Island of Death and the Oliver Reed-starring actioner Hired to Kill, comes The Zero Boys - the genre-bending '80s classic with gruesome sequences that anticipate the torture porn horrors of Hostel and Saw. For a group of young friends, a weekend of survival games in the wilderness turns into a genuine battle of life and death when one of their number turns up dead. Finding themselves hunted by a bloodthirsty band of maniacs intent on slaughtering them one-by-one, the self-styled "Zero Boys" must now play their war games for real. Starring Kelli Maroney (Night of the Comet, Chopping Mall) and featuring an early score from the legendary Hans Zimmer (Inception, The Dark Knight Trilogy), The Zero Boys mixes action, survival and all-out slasher movie elements in a thrilling horror yarn that falls somewhere between Friday the 13th and Deliverance.

  I had never even heard of this movie before I got it for review.   This really surprises me, as I was huge into horror movies as a kid, and this came out when I was 10 years old...I should have seen this one.  Somehow, this one slipped past me.  Luckily, this film holds up 30 years later!   This was an extremely fun film which started out pretty silly with all the paintball stuff, but transformed into an action packed slasher film.

  One thing I noticed multiple times throughout the film was the amazing camera shot and cinematography.   One scene in particular made me say "Wow!" out loud and demanded a rewind to see it again.  This is a scene when one of the girls is in the car and looks out and sees the killer for the first time.  He is standing there holding a knife  and all you can see is his silhouette in front of the dark blue of the night sky.   This scene can be seen briefly in the trailer below, but looks so much better on the Blu-ray of the film.

  Another thing I noticed about this film was how much ahead of it's time it was.  There is part of the film where the guys find a video camera set up in the barn pointed at an empty chair.  Later they find a TV which is broadcasting what is happening in the barn through the video camera setup.   This was a very unique twist to the film and reminded me of something you'd see in more modern horror films.

  As always, Arrow Video has done an amazing job with this release.  Their releases are always packed full of great special features and this one is no different.   THE ZERO BOYS is available now on Arrow Blu-ray/DVD combo from MVD Entertainment and contains the following special features:

*  Brand new 2K restoration of the film, approved by writer-director Nico Mastorakis
*  High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations
*  Original Stereo audio (uncompressed PCM on the Blu-ray)
*  Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
*  Audio Commentary with star Kelli Maroney, moderated by Shock Till You Drop’s Chris Alexander
*  Nico Mastorakis on… Nico Mastorakis – brand new interview with Mastorakis on the making of The Zero Boys
*  Brand new interview with star Kelli Maroney
*  Brand new interview with star Nicole Rio
*  Original Theatrical Trailer
*  Stills Gallery
*  Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Graham Humphreys
*  Fully-illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing by critic James Oliver


CLICK HERE to watch the trailer
CLICK HERE to purchase the Arrow Blu-ray/DVD combo pack

 

 

Blu-ray Review: ISLAND OF DEATH (1976)

ISLAND OF DEATH
Directed by  Nico Mastorakis
Distributed by Arrow Films / MVD Entertainment

   This might be one of the sleaziest, nastiest, filthiest movies I have ever seen, and I loved every minute of it!  Let's not take too much time thinking about what that says about me, instead lets talk about one of the craziest films to come out of the 1970's, ISLAND OF DEATH.   Here is some plot info from the MVD website:

THE LUCKY ONES GOT THEIR BRAINS BLOWN OUT!! Welcome to Mykonos, the holiday destination of choice for sun, sea and slaughter! From cult director Nico Mastorakis, Island of Death is a travelogue of atrocities with scenes so strong that the British Government was once compelled to ban it as a "video nasty". Arriving on the idyllic Greek island, Christopher and Celia appear to be every inch the perfect, handsome young couple. Little do the welcoming locals realise that they are in fact a pair of murderous degenerates, determined to spread their own particular brand of perversion across the island. DIY crucifixions, opportunistic bestiality, sexual peeing and murder by all conceivable forms ensue - including death by makeshift blowtorch, samurai sword, dump truck and more! Shocking, brutal and totally politically incorrect in its outlook, Island of Death is a gruelling cinematic experience devised by director Mastorakis to out-do the excesses of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, which he was hugely inspired by. Now fully uncut and newly-restored from the original negative, fans can enjoy Island of Death in all its sleazy, lurid glory.

  This film has been hard to find on DVD lately, only being available in an out of print DVD from Image Entertainment. Luckily, the wonderful folks at Arrow Films have got their hands on this film and have released it as a beautiful Blu-ray/DVD combo pack which is being distributed through MVD Entertainment.  This new 2K restoration of the film is pretty amazing.  From the film quality there is now way you could guess that the film was over 38 years old!  Arrow always does a remarkable job with their releases and this one is no different. 
 
  The film itself is one that is really hard to explain.  The only real story is that a couple go on vacation to a Greek island and then just kill people at random. That's about it!   But, the way they go about it is what makes this movie.  They take pride on killing people in pretty unique ways, many times after just seducing them and/or having sex with them.  To say this is a strange movie would be a remarkable understatement.  

  The movie is very hard to categorize as well.  While it's horror for sure, it has elements of a giallo, exploitation, and sexsploitation film as well.    If you have never had a chance to see this wonderfully messed up film, now is the time to do so with this wonderful Arrow release.

  ISLAND OF DEATH will be released this coming Tuesday, May 26th.   The Blu-ray will be loaded with tons of special features, which include the following:

*  Brand new 2K restoration of the film from the original camera negative, approved by writer-director-producer Nico Mastorakis
*  High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations
*  Original Mono audio (uncompressed PCM on the Blu-ray)
*  Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
*  Exploring Island of Death – film historian Stephen Thrower on the making of a cult classic
*  Return to Island of Death – Mastorakis returns to the original Mykonos locations
*  Archive interview with Mastorakis
*  Alternative opening titles
*  Island Sounds – five original tracks from the Island of Death soundtrack
*  Original Theatrical Trailer
*  The Films of Nico Mastorakis – four-part documentary charting the director’s filmmaking career [Blu-ray only]
*  Nico Mastorakis Trailer Reel [Blu-ray only]
*  Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Graham Humphreys
*  Fully-illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing by academic and film historian Johnny Walker


CLICK HERE to watch the trailer  (WARNING - Red Band Trailer - Contains Nudity - NSFW)
CLICK HERE to purchase the Blu-ray