Tuesday, November 27, 2018

THE UNNAMABLE (1988) (Unearthed Films Blu-ray Review)

THE UNNAMABLE (1988) 

Label: Unearthed Films
Region Code: A
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 88 Minutes 
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1, PCM 2.0 with 
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1) 
Director: Jean-Paul Quellette
Cast: Mark Kinsey Stephenson, Charles Klausmeyer, Alexandra Durrell, Laura Albert, Katrin Alexandre



Synopsis: College students from Miskatonic University who retreat to an early 18th-century mansion for a weekend of lust are stalked by a fatalistic female in this horror film taken from a story by H.P. Lovecraft. The demon delights in tearing the limbs off her human victims to carry out a centuries-old family curse.



In the 80's Stuart Gordon's Re-Animator (1985) blew open the doors for low-budget and bloody adaptations of Lovecraft, most of them rather loosely based on the author's work, and this low-budget entry is one of them. The film opens with a prologue set in the 18th century, we find an old man named Joshua Winthrop (Delbert Spain) who lives in a house by the cemetery, where he keeps something locked away in the attic, something so hideous that it's unnamable. He seems to be protecting it for some reason, but on a dark and stormy night that certain something rips his heart right out of his chest. In the aftermath the local clergy bury Winthrop's body in the neighboring cemetery and order that the unholy house be sealed off and boarded up. 



Two hundred years later a trio of Miskatonic University students gather near the home in the cemetery, where oddly eccentric folklore studies major Randolph Carter (Mark Kinsey Stephenson, Servants of Twilight) regales his classmates with a spooky story of how one man is said to have been scared to the brink of insanity by the mere image of the demon daughter of old man Winthrop, but his doubtful classmate Joel Manton (Mark Parra) calls bullshit on the tale, daring Carter and their classmate Howard Damon (Charles Klausmeyer) to spend the night in the fabled house. The pair decline but the skeptic stays behind inside the house, dooming himself when he discovers the unnamable demon still resides in the house.



When Joel does not return to school the next day Carter and Howard return to look for him, where they also encountering college frat guys John (Blane Wheatley) and Bruce (Eben Ham, TV's Scandal) who've brought 80's lookers Wendy (Laura Albert, Bloodstone) and her foreign friend Tanya (Alexandra Durrell) along, hoping that the scary place and some well told fright tales will get them laid. 



Needless to say the demon beast in the house begins bloodily killing college kids one by one, but is kept off screen for the most part until late in the film, finally revealing her full demonic presence, a gorgeous make-up application that holds-up even in HD! The Lovecraft elements here are paper thin, but it's enough to get the film started so the slasher-esque body count can properly begin, with some well done 80s gore-gags. 



As gore goes we have multiple heart-ripping, skin shredding, decapitation, a compound fracture, throats ripped out, and a decent amount of blood. The design of the demon creature is the absolute highlight of the film, she snarls, hisses and howls like a wounded animal, it's a bit unnerving, and the sculpted latex FX used to bring her to life are quite good, complete with cloven feet, and hairy calves that look a bit like she's wearing fuzzy leg warmers. 



The film manages some decent atmosphere and set pieces on it's low-budget, but limitations do reveal the,selves. However,I have always liked this film, it has a lot of heart, and it rips out a few, too.   

Audio/Video: The Unnamable (1988) arrives on Blu-ray from Unearthed Films, the inaugural release of their Unearthed Classics imprint. Sourced from a 4K scan of the original camera negative, presented in 1080p HD and framed in 1.85:1 widescreen. Never-before-available here in the U.S. on any format except VHS this low-budget body count film looks impressive on Blu-ray. The VHS murkiness of yore is gone revealing a layer of film grain and details not seen before, sometimes to the detriment of the production, revealing the previously unseen seams in the low cost miniatures, cheap special effects and  budgetary limitations. Shot on the cheap the film looks - no surprisingly - a bit cheap, there's a softness to the image, blacks aren't inky, but these are source limitations and no fault of the 4K scan, it certainly blows away my VHS copy.  



Audio on the disc includes both English 5.1 DTS-HD MA Surround and a pair of PCM 2.0 Mono options, including a restored track that's crisp and clean, and a "grindhouse" option that has not been restored, it's got some vintage analog hiss and crackle happening, and I sort of dig the dirtier version, it gives you that retro-feel. The 5.1 DTS-HD MA surround option is a clunker though, reportedly an up-mixed stereo track that was somehow flubbed, with one of the tracks is not synced properly causing an hideous echo, during several scenes footsteps comically sound like a trotting horse, so skip the surround track all together and go with the stereo options. 



Unearthed give this a lot of extras, beginning with an group audio commentary with actors Charles Klausmeyer, Mark Stephenson, Laura Albert, Eben Ham, plus make-up and special FX crew Camille Calvet and R. Christopher Biggs. The track is bustling with group energy, perhaps too much, there's a lot of talking over each other, but they do cover quite a bit of ground about the production. There's also a handful of video Skype interviews conducted by Jay Kay of Horror Happens Radio, adding up to over four hours of content. The interviews are all lengthy with Kay asking some good questions, but they are kind of an eyesore with a dual window-boxed format, but they're still quite good, just not super slick, and in need of a bit of editing. 



The disc is buttoned-up with a series of Unearthed trailers, including Nightwish (1989) which has yet to be released. The single-disc release comes housed in a standard Blu-ray keepcase with a one-sided sleeve of artwork, it being the familiar looking VHS artwork, plus there's a limited edition slipcover featuring a sweet Thai movie poster illustration, which is one of the best-looking slips of the year in my opinion, only 2000 of these were produced. The slip and wrap spines are both numbered, this being Unearthed Classics number 1.

Special Features: 
- Video interview with actors, Charles Klausmeyer and Mark Kinsey Stephenson (79 min) 
- Video interview with actor, Eben Ham (31 min) 
- Video interview with actor, Laura Albert (46 min) 
- Video interview with actor, Mark Parra (34 min) 
- Video interviews with R. Christopher Biggs, special makeup effects artist and makeup artist, Camille Calvet (60 min) 
- Audio commentary with Charles Klausmeyer, Mark Stephenson, Laura Albert, Eben Ham, Camille Calvet and R. Christopher Biggs 
- Vintage Audio Track (PCM 2.0) 
- Galley (30 Images) HD 
- Unearthed Trailers: Francesca (2 min), Flowers, Mecanix (2 min), Nightwish (2 min), When Black Birds Fly (4 min), Song of Solomon (2 min)



The Unnamable (1988) probably won't ever be remembered as an 80's horror classic, but I think it's perfectly alright to be remembered as that fun, direct-to-video flick with the cool-ass looking demon chic. Films of the ilk have a special place in our horror hearts, if not necessarily on the top-end of a best-of the 80's horror list. The new Blu-ray from Unearthed Classics looks great, and the stereo audio sounds fine - just skip that flubbed surround track. If you're a fan of the film this sucker is jam-packed with hours of goodies, and one of the best-looking slips of the year.