Blu-ray Review: RED FLAG DOWN (1992)

RED FLAG DOWN

Directed by:  Christopher P. Smith

Distributed by:  Bloodsick Productions / MVD Entertainment

 Up for review today is another film I have never seen, nor even heard of before.   I assume this will be the case with most people as it seems to be a very obscure film.  It's so obscure that I can't even find a listing for it on IMDb.com!   The film is called RED FLAG DOWN.  It's a SOV film from 1992, and looks like a film that my friends and I made on our camcorder back in the 7th grade.  Although I will say this film has a much better story than our Jr. High action films!

Here is the basic plot of the film from the MVD website:

 

  From the makers of such cult classics as THE GIRL FROM S.I.N. and A NIGHT TO DISMEMBER comes an action-packed, bullet-ridden hell ride that rips down the walls between fantasy and reality! When the eccentric owners of a state-of-the-art paintball park invite a young city reporter to preview their genius, things get out of hand when one team realizes they've been tricked into using real bullets, and killing their opponents. Those who were forced to kill their own friends confront the crazed owners only to find they're trapped in the game - and the only way out is through the barrel of a gun! Revenge runs wild in a bloody kill-or-be-killed exchange of death where the final twist is the most shocking plot yet! A shot-on-video super rarity from 1992, RED FLAG DOWN is a wacky, violent, and raw regional action comedy bursting with blood-dripping squibs, quirky characters, and an army of bullet-ridden dead bodies. This hard-to-find SOV shoot-em-up is on target to delight every fan of backyard no-budget movie magic. Blood Sick Productions is proud to present this film in collaboration with Lunchmeat for the first ever disc release of this 1992 SOV classic!

  First off, let me start by saying this is a pretty quick watch.  The Blu-ray cover lists it at 1hr and 2 minutes, but my BD player marked it at 52 minutes.   I mention that because there are some really slow scenes here....which is funny to me considering how short the run time is.   There is a lot of "filler" of the actors just running through the woods looking for their targets.   I felt like the filmmakers had a good idea, but not good enough for a feature length film.  I think this would have worked much better as a 20-30 minute short film. 

  The movie is basically just scenes of people getting shot in slow motion with blood squibs going off.  I think the entire budget was spent on blood squibs, so they really wanted to use them all and show them off!   Unfortunately, this got really repetitive after a while. 

  One positive thing I have to point out was the nice plot twist at the end.  I thought the fact they were tricked into using real guns/bullets was the twist, but the filmmakers had one more twist for the audience that I did not see coming.

 Overall, this is a very underwhelming film.  I have to wonder how some of these films get such nice Blu-ray releases.   If you are a fan of the 90's SOV movies, you'll probably want to check this out, but for most people this one would be a bit of a let down, unfortunately. 

 RED FLAG DOWN is available now on Blu-ray and contains the following Special Features:

• *  Welcome To Florida Asshole!!! - A short film by James Hollenbaugh featuring Christopher Smith
• *  Liner Notes by James Hollenbaugh
• *  Commentary Track by Josh Schafer from Lunchmeat and Brewce Longo & Kasper Meltedhair from Blood Sick Productions

CLICK HERE to purchase the Blu-ray

Blu-ray Review: SCREAM DREAM (1989)

SCREAM DREAM

Directed by:  Donald Farmer

Distributed by:  Visual Vengeance / MVD Entertainment

  Visual Vengeance is back, with another horror film from the 1980's you have probably never heard of!  This was the case for me, at least.   The film  is 1989's SCREAM DREAM from Director Donald Farmer.  Here is the basic plot synopsis of the film from the MVD Entertainment website:

When heavy metal front woman Michelle Shocked is fired from her band for bad press related to Satanic rumors, she proves everyone right by transforming into a bloodthirsty demon who embarks on a spree of killing and possession.

Donald Farmer's Scream Dream is both the perfect example of a regional Shot-On-Video film, and one of the most insane heavy metal horror movies of all time. Made during the height of 1980s 'Satanic Panic' in the USA, Scream Dream is overflowing with rubber monster action, gore-drenched murders, unisex teased hair and more bar band metal music than you can shake a studded wristband at.

  If you are a fan of SOV films, you will want to get your hands on a copy of this one.  If you like the nostalgic feeling of watching movies on VHS, this is the film for you!  

  SCREAM DREAM is not great by any means, and the story is a little lacking, but I still enjoyed it.  It is VERY low budget, so know that going into it.  I was really hoping being newly released on Blu-ray that the picture quality would be vastly improved.  It if is improved any, I sure couldn't tell, and I would have hated to see it before!   I will say though, the rough VHS look of the film gave it some of it's charm, and actually might have helped with the enjoyment of this film. 

  The acting is sub-par, although Gene Amonette who plays the band's manager, Lou, was quite hilarious.  It was probably more so due to the dialog and some of the lines he has in this film than his acting, but either way he was hilarious. 

  The true star of the show here is the gore and the special effects.   While a lot of the kills are offscreen, unfortunately,  the few we do see are very good.   This includes one of the best throat slashing scenes I have seen in quite some time. It was actually very impressive.  The makeup of the demon itself was very good as well, even by today's standards.   I guess I should mention that not ALL of the effects are good.  There is a hand puppet used as a demon that chews on people's necks and ankles and it is quite silly looking. 

 Oh, let me also mention that the heavy metal band in this films is pretty laughable by today's standards.  I guess that's what we considered as heavy metal back then! 

  I will say this for Visual Vengeance,  they do a remarkable job with their marketing of these films and the production value on their physical releases. The cover art, slip covers, and bonuses inside the Blu-ray cases are top notch.  These films they are releasing are getting a lot better of a physical release than they should, most likely!  SCREAM DREAM is no exception to that, as it has some cool treats packed inside!  I do like the fact Visual Vengeance is bringing these lesser known films to the mainstream, though.  I know a lot of people like these old SOV films, so they are definitely catering to that specific audience. 

 SCREAM DREAM releases on July 28 from Visual Vengeance and contains the following Special Features:

• *  SD master version from original tape elements
• *  Commentary with Producer/ Director Donald Farmer
• *  Heavy Metal Horror Primer - Video Essay with Justin Decloux and Adam 'Riot' Thorn
• *  Actor Nick Riggins Interview
• *  Actress Jesse Raye Interview
• *  The Art of the Scream: Special Effects Artist Rick Gonzales Interview
• *  Behind the Scenes Image Gallery
• *  Donald Farmer Theatrical Q&A Excerpts
• *  Trailers
• *  Visual Vengeance trailers
• *  Reversible sleeve featuring original VHS art
• *  Folded mini-poster
• *  ‘Stick Your Own’ VHS sticker set - FIRST PRESSING ONLY
• *  Limited Edition O-Card - FIRST PRESSING ONLY
• *  Limited Edition Scream Dream Guitar Pick - FIRST PRESSING ONLY
• *  Optional English subtitles

CLICK HERE to pre-order the Blu-ray from MVD Entertainment