STREET TRASH (1987) - THE ULTIMATE MELT MOVIE IN SHOCKINGLY VIVID HD FROM 88 FILMS!

STREET TRASH (1987) 

Label: 88 Films 

Region Code: B

Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.78:1)

Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HD MA, LPCM 2.0 Dual Mono with Optional English Subtitles 

Certification: 15

Duration: 102 Mins Approx

Director: James Muro

Cast: James Lorinz, Mike Lackey, Mark Sferrazza, Bill Chepil

88 Films has opened the Vaults and our latest release is a frequently far-too-forgotten gem from the VHS shelves – STREET TRASH!

Never gaining quite the love-fest that its most comparable colleagues such as Peter Jackson’s Bad Taste (1987) and Sam Raimi’s The Evil Dead II (1987) achieved; fright-fans of the FANGORIA generation have nevertheless continued to argue that Street Trash more than deserves its place at the top of the pantheon of late eighties horror greats. Directed by Hollywood hot-shot Jim Muro, who went on to be one of Tinseltown’s most in-demand Steadicam operators (with credits that include Terminator 2: Judgement Day [1991], Titanic [1997], Red Dragon [2002] and X-Men: The Last Stand [2006]) Street Trash focuses on a clan of homeless down-and-outs in New York who discover a crate of mysterious alcohol dubbed ‘Viper’. Unfortunately for our loveable inner-city denizens this particular tipple carries more than just a horrendous hangover! Indeed, taking a mouthful of Viper results in the human form being trans-mutated into a gruesome pile of goo… and Street Trash is only too happy to show us such horrors in all their colourful prosthetic-perfection!
Written and produced by Roy Frumkes, who had gained his genre stripes as an assistant to Wes Craven and George Romero, there is no denying that Street Trash is full of good-humoured gore, sanguine-splashed special effects and politically incorrect gags galore! Yet, it is for these reasons that the provocative pot-boiler became a midnight movie favourite, often mentioned alongside the likes of Stuart Gordon’s classic Re-Animator (1985), before hitting the video cassette shelves and captivating a fresh generation of splatter movie devotees. Hailed as a modern day masterpiece by the late great genre critic Chas Balun (of Deep Red magazine) and long-rumoured to be a favourite of pop singer Elton John (hey, Elton – if you are out there please confirm!), Street Trash has been crying out for a British BluRay bow and the retro-maniacs at 88 Films are pleased to come to its belated HD rescue!

Unleashed as part of our acclaimed 88 Vault Collection, which has already shocked and surprised viewers with such grindhouse grime and VHS-era slime as I Drink Your Blood (1970), the South African apartheid blaxploitation flick Joe Bullet (1973), Pigs (1973), Creepozoids (1987) and One Dark Night (1982), Street Trash arrives on BluRay absolutely packed with gut-bursting special features. Pre-orders from the 88 Films web site will gain a special limited slipcover and collector’s booklet from Calum Waddell but be careful – we expect these to go quickly! Now available for direct order, you would need to be on a Viper-level comedown not to want to add Street Trash to your 88 Films collection!

Special Features: 
- Restored Uncut and Uncensored HD master from the Original Negative
- 5.1 Surround Remix
- Original Uncompressed Mono Soundtrack
- Optional English Subtitles
- Audio Commentary with Director James Muro
- Audio Commentary with Writer / Producer Roy Frumkes
- Introduction by Producer Roy Frumkes
- Original 16mm Student Film - Street Trash
- A Conversation between Roy Frumkes and Tony Timpone
- Meltdown Memoirs - Feature Length 'Making-Of' Documentary
- Jane Arakawa Interview
- Deleted Scenes and Out-takes
- Theatrical Trailer
- Teaser Trailer

ABOUT 88 Vault:
The home of grindhouse grime and VHS-era slime, the aim of 88 Vault is to offer fans a veritable collection of obscure and/ or largely less-remembered genre gems from the 1970s  through to the butt-end of the rental period. These are the classics you forgot about – from I Drink Your Blood through to Street Trash and Creepozoids – finally brought back to British shelves – or even the obscurities you might be discovering for the very first time, such as South Africa’s Joe Bullet (1973) and 42nd Street-evoking murder-mystery Pigs (1973). Also including the shock-horror of One Dark Night (1982) and the nature-run-amok madness of Dogs (1976), 88 Vault will continue to surprise followers in 2018 with the release of forgotten sequels, anthology insanity and madcap animal-massacres! We have a lot more planned for this amazing line!

Blu-ray Review: STREET TRASH (1987) - Special Meltdown Edition (Synapse Films)

STREET TRASH (1987)

Special Meltdown Edition Blu-ray 

Label: Synapse Films

Region:  All Region ABC
Rating: Unrated
Duration:  102 minutes
Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Original Mono with Optional Englisg Subtitles 
Video:  1080p Widescreen (1.85:1)
Director:  James Muro
Cast:  James Lorinz, Mike Lackey, Mark Sferrazza, Bill Chepil


Now here's a VHS rental from my youth that just never wears out it's welcome, a true cult classic of 80's horror. The winos and derelicts of Manhattan's Lower East Side start melting into puddles of neon-goo when the owner of Ed's Liquors finds a dusty case of sixty year old  Tenefly Viper Wine in the basement and puts it for sale at just $1 a bottle. What ensues is one of the greatest gross-out black comedies of the 80's as demented winos disintegrate in mere seconds leaving behind a fluorescent puddle of glop. Quickly the strange putrid deaths catch the attention of a stern cop named Bill (Bill Chepil) who investigates the series of melty-murders leading him to a local salvage yard inhabited by a colorful cast of homeless character beginning with a menacing  'Nam vet named Bronson (Vic Noto) who rules over the scrap yard from his mountain of trash complete with scuzzy henchmen and a sex-slave girlfriend. Bronsons's wound a bit tight in the cranium and suffers from post traumatic stress and is prone to 'Nam flashbacks and violent outburst, he's quite a nasty bit of business, and the bums fear him for good reason. 

While the film doesn't paint a very compassionate picture of the homeless community not all the characters are awful pieces of shit, there are two runaway brothers at the scarp yard just trying to survive day to day in a shitty situation. We have the older bearded brother Fred (Mike Lockey) who is a fucking gas to watch, the opening scenes of him thieving a bottle of Teneafly Viper from Ed's Liquor's and the ensuing chase are pretty great, he's the one who introduces the poison hooch to the other bums, quite by accident. The younger Kevin (Mark Sferrazza) brother is a bit sweeter and naive he's sorta dating an Asian girl named Wendy (Jane Arawaka) who works at the scrap yard. The film paints a drab picture of living on the streets and the shit that they have to endure from day to day, if it's not falling victim to the brute Bronson or just scraping by looking for a meal it's something worse... melting into a technicolor pool of goo. 

The main draw of the film is the gore and crude humor, there's no shortage of bad taste on display with rape, necrophilia, murder and some great low-budget gore effects, it's a hot sloppy mess. The effects are low-budget but pretty awesome, sorta like the best Troma film you've ever seen, it's definitely along the lines of Nuke 'Em High only way better and with a splash of early Peter Jackson thrown in! Street Trash (1987) is without a doubt one of the best 80's splatter comedies, seeping with nasty violence, sick humor, rape jokes and more technicolor puke and goo than you might be able to stomach, it's just wonderful. 

The acting is not exactly stellar, which is not to say the character weren't fun, they were a blast. There's a great cast of cracked and degenerate characters, some of my favorites were the older bums, some fun performances from old dudes, who mostly all end up melted into toilets or exploding in a technicolor geyser of gore. A character Burt enters a grocer store and stuffs chicken and Kool-Aid down his pants until he's accosted by an old lady and he creates quite a scene, fun stuff. Some amateur acting doesn't derail the film, throw in enough outrageous gore and weirdness and I can forgive just about anything and this film more than makes up for it's shortcomings with it's over-the-top awesomeness, but your mileage may vary depending on your tolerance for gang-rape and necrophilia jokes, plus there's an awesome severed-cock scene featuring an unfortunate bum caught in a sadistic game of of monkey-in-the-middle with his own junk!

Street Trash (1987) is a fairly attractive film which might be a bit of a shock considering it's a low-budget 80's production, definitely a step-up from the usual Troma trash we were getting at the time. Some of this might be due to director Jim Muro who just a few years later would go onto to a successful career as a steadi-cam operator on Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991) among others, you can definitely see his talents at work even on this splatter cheapie. Plus, there's some great art direction and set designs using natural locations, it's a dingy and scummy looking film by design, there's not a clean surface in the entire film, I needed a shower after watching it in 1080p. On top of that, it's a pretty tight little film that manages to chug along at a good clip and keeps you plugged in for the duration, it's a nasty bit of fun from start to finish. 

Blu-ray: Synapse Films have upgraded their previous DVD edition of this 80's splatter classic with a new 1080p Special Meltdown Edition presented with an MPEG-4 AVC encode, it's a fantastic hi-def transfer, you've never seen Street Trash's grotesque meltdowns like this before, it's quite pleasing. A sharp image with nice clarity and a healthy amount of grain and fine detail - the neon colors are eye-popping! Sourced from the original camera negative this transfer is very clean with only minor specs, no complaints here about the image, yet another superb Synapse transfer. 

We have two audio options, the original mono mix and a newly created DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 with optional English subtitles. The mono is quite good and will please the purists but the 5.1 really opens it up, dialogue, score and effects are balanced and strong, it's a very crisp audio presentation. 

Looking at the extras let's begin with the carryovers from the standard-def DVD. We have two audio commentaries beginning with writer/producer Roy Frumkes, a name you might recall from his film Document of the Dead, a documentary about the making of George A. Romero's Dawn of the Dead (1978), it's a great listen and well thought out as Frumkes details his involvement on the project, covering it's genesis  the locations, special effects, cast and the dialogue, even pointing out some of the ad-libbed dialogue he didn't write, it's a great commentary. 

Director Jim Muro's commentary is a bit more technical in regard to composing shots and some of the great effects work, he definitely enjoy watching the film and laughs quite often, it's not quite as anecdotal as Frumkes but it's a good listen.. 

There's an over two hour documentary titled The Meltdown Memories from writer/producer Frumkes and it's pretty damn entertaining with interviews from Frumkes, special effects man Mike Lackey, director James Muro, producer Jim Marucci, art director Denise Labelle, actors Glenn Andreiev, Nicole Porter, Vic Noto who played Bronson and Frankenhooker's James Lorinz who has a small but memorable part in the film, love the end-credits sequence. The piece is narrated by Frumkes and features some vintage interviews from Muro and Porter. At over two hours it's 23 minutes longer than the damn film and covers all the bases, if it's about Street Trash it's covered here to some degree.

We have the original 16mm Street Trash short film that runs just over 15 minutes, it's a cool extra and it's interesting to note the small differences between it and the feature film, the main idea is intact but it's a bit different.  

Along those same lines is the original Street Trash promotional teaser created to assist in raising funds for the feature length film, there's also a theatrical trailer. 

New to this Blu-ray edition are an Jane Arawaka video interview, the actress recalls her time on the film, it's film's cult status and her remembers her co-actors on the project. Interestingly she went on to live quite the rock n' roll lifestyle post-Street Trash having married the bass player for The Rolling Stones! There are also a selection of deleted scenes totaling just over seven minutes, there's nothing to earth shattering but it's pretty cool to have 'em on the set, plus we get a very neat Tenefly Viper Wine sticker inside the Blu-ray case. A few items not ported over from the previous DVD are a pic gallery and a booklet but the new exclusives are quite cool.

 Special Features:

- High-Definition Transfer from the Original Camera Negative
- 5.1 Surround Remix Created Specifically for Home Theater Environments
- Two Audio Commentaries Featuring Producer Roy Frumkes and Director James Muro
- THE MELTDOWN MEMOIRS – Feature Length Documentary on the History and Making of STREET TRASH (2:03:59) 
- The Original STREET TRASH 16mm Short Film That Inspired the Movie (15:05)
- The Original STREET TRASH Promotional Teaser (3:07)
- Original Theatrical Trailer (2:10)


ALL-NEW BLU-RAY EXCLUSIVES: 
- Jane Arakawa Video Interview (9:15) 
- Deleted Scenes (7:12)
- Create Your Own Bottle of “Tenafly Viper” Wine with the Enclosed Label Sticker!

Verdict: Street Trash (1987) is a true cult classic, a nasty 80's splatter-comedy that should be on every horror enthusiasts shelf and Synapse's superb Blu-ray is worth a double-dip with a sweet 1080p upgrade and some great extras. Synapse have yet to disappoint with any of their Blu-rays, this is a great package! 
4 Outta 5  

Blu-ray Review: FRANKENHOOKER (1990)

FRANKENHOOKER (1990)

Label: Arrow Video
Region Code: Region FREE
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 84 mins
Video: 16:9 Widescreen (1.78:1) 1080p
Audio: DTS-HD MA Mono with Optional English Subtitles
Director: Frank Henenlotter
Cast: James Lorinz, Patty Mullen, Louise Lasser, Joseph Gonzalez, Joanne Ritchie, J.J. Clark
Tagline: Some Assembly Required

Jeffrey Franken (James Lorinz, THE SWEET LIFE) is a medical school drop-out and aspiring mad scientist who at the start of the film gives life to an aquatic brain with a cyclopian eyeball that he keeps in a fish tank. When his fiance Elizabeth (Penthouse Pet Patty Mullen) is massacred by a remote-controlled lawnmower of his own design he sets out resurrect her using only the most quality body parts sourced from NYC's finest prostitutes. He comes to the conclusion that the cities crack epidemic is already killing the prostitutes so he creates an even deadlier form of "super-crack" that will get the job done just a little bit quicker.

When he encounters the musclebound pimp Zorro (Joseph Gonzalez) Jeffrey reserves his finest selection of whores and sets about choosing the perfect woman with the perfect parts in a fun montage of measuring breasts, arms and legs to decide which street walker has the finest ass-sets. However, when the whores prematurely discover his stash of super-crack it has the unfortunate side effect of causing the ecstatic ladies to literally explode, not in a guts flying everywhere sorta way but in a hilarious mannequins filled with firecrackers kinda way, awesome. Making the most of the unfortunate event Jeffery picks the best parts off the floor (each conveniently marked with an "X") and takes them back to his converted car garage slash laboratory where he puts his dubious medical knowledge to the test, resurrecting his beloved Elizabeth in true Mary Shelly's Frankenstein style during an especially intense lightning storm, more awesomeness.


Once resurrected however things don't quite go as planned and it becomes clear that Elizabeth has picked-up many of the lusty personality traits of the whores that comprise her voluptuous franken-body, including the stock phrases "wanna date.. got any money?". When Jeffrey tells her he has no money she knocks him out cold and makes her way to, where else, 42nd Street to turn tricks. Her first john is a horny pear-shaped sleaze (David Lipman, THE EXTERMINATOR) who gets a deadly dose of the Frankenhooker's high-voltage discharge.

What's so great about Henenlotter's campy retelling of Frankenstein is how wonderfully absurd it is, never taking itself seriously it revels in the ridiculous but Henenlotter somehow stops the film fropm careening outta control. James Lorinz is fantastic as the amateur mad scientist who occasionally performs trephination upon himself with a power drill. He looks quite a bit like Andrew McCarthy (PRETTY IN PINK) and his line deliveries are spot-on with witty dialogue and a great monologue acting opposite the always great Louise Lasser (HAPPINESS) as his well-meaning but clueless mother. Next to him it's Patty Mullen's (DOOM ASYLUM) adorable performance as the tit-ular character that drives this one home for me, so cute, even when decked out as the purple nippled trick turner.


The film's special effects are pretty great but may not be what you're expecting from the man behind BASKET CASE and BRAIN DEAD, they're totally campy, nearly bloodless and not played for realism. In the aforementioned exploding whores on super crack scene the bodies are obviously dressed-up mannequins as per Henenlotter's vision and it totally works. Patty Mullens's make-up effects are fantastic, she absolutely looks like the hottest whore comprised of body parts you'll ever see, great work from effects man Bartalos. The film's finale features the unused remnants of Zorro's whores recombining in odd configurations with effects that would not look out of place in Henenlotter's BASKET CASE sequels fun stuff.

Blu-ray: For the second time this year Frank Henenlotter's cult classic gets a sweet region-FREE Blu-ray release, the first came from US distributor Synapse Films and now a new edition from the UK's Arrow Video. The film is presented in 16:9 widescreen (1.78:1) in 1080p HD. The transfer looks mighty sharp, too and on par with Synapse's presentation. There's a fair amount of fine detail, the natural grain is intact, the black levels are decent and the neon colors are vivid, the neon nearly pops of the screen at times. There are the occasional small scratches and specks here and there but nothing to freak out about, it's sourced from a very fine print. The lone audio option is English language DTS-HD MA mono which sounds pretty good with crisp dialogue, score and effects. The Synapse disc offered up a DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround mix which was nice but honestly FREANKENHOOKERS not a film that necessarily cries out for 5.1 honestly.

The Synapse BD offered an pretty great audio commentary with director Frank Henelotter and make-up effects creator Gabe Bartalos and Arrow Video have matched that and some with a commentary from Henenlotter and star James Lorinz, it's a great listen from two guys with a great chemistry, it's good stuff. If you already own the Synapse BD you should know that Arrow, with the exception of the Henelotter/Bartalos commentary, have ported over all the special features from that release plus thrown in a few exclusives of their own courtesy of High Rising Productions. We'll begin with the carry overs which includes three very cool interview featurettes; A Salad That Was Once Named Elizabeth (8:43) with actress and former Penthouse Pet Patty Mullen who's still a knockout, what a sweetheart too, reflecting on her favorite and least favorite scenes, driving home in the full Frankenhooker make-up, working with Lorinz and her crush on special effects advisor Gabe Bartalos. A Stitch in Time: The Make-Up Effects Of Frankenhooker (21:00) has SF/X man Gabe Bartalos introducing some cool behind-the-scenes footage of not just FRANKENHOOKER but also BRAIN DAMAGE and he really heaps the praise on Patty Mullen. Turning Tricks: Jennifer Delora Remembers Frankenhooker (19:32) features the ginger-haired wild woman Delora, she oozes insanity and it makes for a fun interview as she speaks of going from an '87 beauty queen to working on BAD GIRLS DORMITORY and then dishing some dirt from the set of FRANKENHOOKER, disparaging James Lorinz and telling of strong arming difficult strippers on the set of the film. Definitely a fun woman but not one you wanna piss off, know what I mean? Delora's Frankenhooker Scrapbook featuring behind-the-scenes pics round out the carry-over features found on the Synapse disc.

Now onto the UK-exclusive features from Arrow co-conspirators High Rising Productions who've created several tasty treats for this release, we start of with an introduction by star James Lorinz and director Frank Henenlotter, it's typically short and sweet. Next up is a Tour of the Gabe Bartalos effects lab in Los Angeles, California (19:26) hosted by Bartalos who takes on a fun trip through his effects lab, it's wall to wall movie history as he takes us through several projects he's worked on including the "Surgeon General" from his own film SKINNED DEEP, the zombie horse from CREMASTER 3, "Belial" from BASKET CASE 2, the mask he created for FRIDAY THE 13th PT. 6, some effects work from Kevin Tenney's BRAIN DEAD and an actual mummified cat which was just creepy, and I almost forgot the best part, a decapitated mold of Robert Loggia's head! Your Date’s on a Plate: The Making of Frankenhooker (39:22) is an exclusive 'making of' documentary featuring director Frank Henenlotter, star James Lorinz and special effects artist Gabe Bartalos whom talk about pretty much everything you will ever wanna know about this film. Henelotter talks about his terrible experience making the film which was not helped by hostility with the director of photography, pitching the film to producer James Glickenhaus while Lorinz spins a tale of porn stars vs. centerfolds on set and Bartalos talks creating the Patty Mullen effects and the exploding hookers, it's a great watch with video clips, behind-the-scenes pics and interviews.

Unfortunately my screener didn't come with a sleeve or booklet so I cant comment but the menus did feature Graham Humphries awesome artwork, very sweet and appropriately neon. It's a fantastic set of features that compliment an already stellar audio-video presentation that surpasses even the very fine Synapse Blu-ray, not just mirroring the features but bringing with it an hour more of newly created content.

Special Features:
- Reversible sleeve with original and newly commissioned artwork by Graham Humphries
- Double-sided fold-out artwork poster
- Exclusive collector’s booklet featuring brand new writing on the film by Calum Waddell
- UK exclusive audio commentary with director Frank Henenlotter and star James Lorinz
- UK exclusive introduction to the film by actor James Lorinz and Frank Henloter (1080p)
- Your Date’s on a Plate: The Making of Frankenhooker: UK exclusive 'making of' documentary featuring director Frank Henenlotter, star James Lorinz and special effects artist Gabe Bartalos (39:22) 16:9 (1080p)
- A personal UK exclusive tour of the Gabe Bartalos effects lab in Los Angeles, California (19:12) 16:9
- A Salad That Was Once Named Elizabeth: Patty Mullen Remembers
Frankenhooker  (8:43) 4:3
- A Stitch In Time: The Make-Up Effects Of Frankenhooker (21:00) 4:3
- Turning Tricks: Jennifer Delora Remembers Frankenhooker (19:32) 4:3
- Original theatrical trailer (1:26) 4:3

Verdict: FRANKENHOOKER is a wonderfully absurd cult-comedy and one of the funniest takes on Mary Shelly's Frankenstein since Mel Brooks YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, it reeks of the 80's with an irreverent sense of humor and neon-glow. It's just a blast, if you love camp, sleaze and naked ladies you must own FRANKENHOOKER! 4 outta 5

Blu-ray Review: FRANKENHOOKER (1990)

FRANKENHOOKER (1990)

Release Date: November 8th 2011
Region Code: Region FREE
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 85 mins
Video: 16:9 Widescreen (1.78:1) 1080p
Audio: DTS-HD MA 5.1 Surround, DTS-HD MA 2.0 Stereo
Director: Frank Henenlotter
Cast: James Lorinz, Patty Mullen, Louise Lasser, Joseph Gonzalez, Joanne Ritchie, J.J. Clark
Tagline: Some Assembly Required

Jeffrey Franken (James Lorinz, THE SWEET LIFE) is a medical school drop-out and aspiring mad scientist who at the start of the film gives life to an aquatic brain with a cyclopian eyeball that he keeps in a fish tank. When his fiance Elizabeth (Penthouse Pet Patty Mullen) is massacred by a remote-controlled lawnmower of his own design he sets out resurrect her using only the best body parts from NYC's finest prostitutes. He comes to decide that the cities crack epidemic is already killing the prostitutes so he creates an even deadlier form of super-crack to get the job done just a little quicker.

When he encounters the musclebound pimp Zorro (Joseph Gonzalez) Jeffrey books his finest selection of whore and sets about choosing the perfect woman with the perfect parts in a fun montage of measuring breasts, arms and legs to decide which street walker has the finest assets. However, when the whores prematurely discover his stash of super-crack it has the unfortunate side effect of causing the ecstatic ladies to explode. Making the most of the unfortunate event Jeffery is able to pick the best parts off the floor (each marked with an "X") and takes them back to his converted car garage slash laboratory where he puts his dubious medical knowledge to the test, resurrecting his beloved Elizabeth in true Mary Shelly's Frankenstein style during an especially intense lightning storm.

Once resurrected however things don't quite go as planned and it becomes clear that Elizabeth has picked-up many of the personality traits of the whores that comprise her voluptuous body, including the stock phrases "wanna date.. got any money?".  When Jeffrey tells her he has no money she knocks him out cold and makes her way to, where else, 42nd Street to turn tricks.  Her first john is a horny pear-shaped sleaze (David Lipman, THE EXTERMINATOR) who gets a deadly dose of the Frankenhooker's high-voltage discharge.

What's so great about Henenlotter's campy retelling of Frankenstein is how wonderfully absurd it is, never taking itself seriously, it revels in the ridiculous. James Lorinz is fantastic as the amateur mad scientist who occasionally performs trephination upon himself. He looks quite a bit like Andrew McCarthy (PRETTY IN PINK) and his line deliveries are spot-on with witty dialogue and a great monologue acting opposite the always great Louise Lasser (HAPPINESS) as his clueless mother. Next to him it's Patty Mullen's (DOOM ASYLUM) adorable performance as the tit-ular character that drove this one home for me, so cute, even when decked out as the purple nippled trick turner.

The film's special effects are pretty great but may not be what you're expecting from the man behind BASKET CASE and BRAIN DEAD, they're totally campy, nearly bloodless and not played for realism. In the aforementioned exploding whores on super crack scene the bodies are obviously dressed-up mannequins as per Hennenlotter's vision and it totally works. Patty Mullens's make-up effects are fantastic, she absolutely looks like the hottest whore comprised of body parts you'll ever see. The film's finale features the remnants of Zorro's whore recombining in odd configurations and the effects would not look out of place in Henenlotter's BASKET CASE sequels fun stuff.

Blu-ray: The film is presented in 16:9 widescreen (1.78:1) in 1080p HD. The brand new 2K transfer derived from original vault elements looks pretty great, sharp detail, a fine bed of natural grain, decent black levels and vibrant colors, the neon almost pops of the screen. A few occasional small scratches and specks here and there but hardly anything noticeable. It's a pretty typical Synapse transfer in that there are very few complaints to lodge and no evidence of DNR scrubbing. Audio option include both DTS-HD MA 5.1 and a DTS-HD MA stereo mixes which both sound great. Dialogue is always crisp, clear and the score and effects are well balanced. The 5.1 is appreciated and while not overly active in the directionals really does provide some ambient depth and fleshes out Joe Renzetti's (DEAD AND BURIED, THE EXTERMINATOR) fun score.

We get an audio commentary with director Frank Henelotter and make-up effects creator Gabe Bartalos, it's a good technical track with some fun insights. Not the most riveting track but if you're a fan of the film it's a keeper. There are also three very cool interview featurettes; A Salad That Was Once Named Elizabeth  (8:43) with actress and former Penthouse Pet Patty Mullen who's still looking great, what a sweetheart. She reflects on her favorite and least favorite scenes, driving home in the full Frankenhooker make-up, working with Lorinz and her crush on special effects advisor Gabe Bartalos. A Stitch in Time: The Make-Up Effects Of Frankenhooker (21:00) has SF/X man Gabe Bartalos introducing some cool behind-the-scenes footage of not just FRANKENHOOKER but also BRAIN DAMAGE and heaps the praise on Patty Mullen. Turning Tricks: Jennifer Delora Remembers Frankenhooker (19:32) features red-headed wild woman Delora, the type of dame that just has crazy in her eyes and it makes for a fun interview as she speaks to going from an '87 beauty queen to working on BAD GIRLS DORMITORY and then dishing some dirt from the set of FRANKENHOOKER, disparaging James Lorinz and strong arming difficult strippers on set. Definitely a fun woman but not one you wanna piss of, know what I mean? Rounding out the disc's features are Jennifer Delora's Frankenhooker Scrapbook featuring behind-the-scenes pics and the Theatrical Trailer (1:32) plus reversible artwork. All in all a great set of features that compliment a crazy fun campfest.

Special Features:- Audio Commentary with Director Frank Henenlotter and Make-Up Effects Designer Gabe Bartalos
- A Stitch in Time: The Make-Up Effects Of Frankenhooker (21:00) 4:3
- Turning Tricks: Jennifer Delora Remembers Frankenhooker
- Original Theatrical Trailer (1:32) 16:9
- Jennifer Delora's Frankenhooker Scrapbook
- Reversible/Alternate Cover Artwork

Verdict: FRANKENHOOKER is a wonderfully absurd cult-comedy and a funny take on Mary Shelly's Frankenstein that reeks of the 80's with it's irreverent humor and neon-glow. Watching this I was transported back to late-night viewings of films like THE MAN WITH TWO BRAINS, DOCTOR DETROIT and WEIRD SCIENCE. Just a fun time all around and the best cinematic cure for a shitty day I've seen in quite sometime. If you love camp, sleaze and naked ladies have I got the film for you...

 

BLU-RAY BATTLE! Frankenhooker vs. Frankenhooker

The second installment of our BLU-RAY BATTLE series once again pits US genre film distributor SYNAPSE FILMS against their venerable UK counterpart ARROW VIDEO. In question are their region FREE Blu-ray editions of Frank Henenlotter's trash cinema classic FRANKENHOOKER. Let's break 'em down...

VS.

FRANKENOOKER (1990)

DIRECTOR: Frank Henenlotter

CAST: James Lorinz, Joanne Ritchie, Patty Mullen

TAGLINE: Some Assembly Required

SYNOPSIS: Meet Jeffrey Franken. He’s just killed the love of his life and now he’s going to rebuild her... From the body parts of the dead streetwalkers who exploded when he introduced them to a lethal new drug – Supercrack! Little does he know that a good recipe requires the correct ingredients. Jeffrey isn’t putting his life back together; he’s building... a FRANKENHOOKER!

IN THIS CORNER....

FRANKENHOOKER [Arrow Video]

RELEASE DATE: December 5th 2011
REGION CODE: Region FREE
RATING: 18 Certificate
DURATION: 85 mins
AUDIO: TBA
VIDEO: MPEG4 1080p 16:9 Widescreen (1.78:1)

SPECIAL FEATURES:
- Reversible sleeve with original and newly commissioned artwork by Graham Humphries
- Double-sided fold-out artwork poster
- Exclusive collector’s booklet featuring brand new writing on the film by Calum Waddell
- Brand New High Definition Transfer of the film (1080p)
- UK exclusive audio commentary with director Frank Henenlotter and star James Lorinz
- UK exclusive introduction to the film by actor James Lorinz (1080p)
- Your Date’s on a Plate: The Making of Frankenhooker: UK exclusive 'making of' documentary featuring director Frank Henenlotter, star James Lorinz and special effects artist Gabe Bartalos (1080p)
- A personal UK exclusive tour of the Gabe Bartalos effects lab in Los Angeles, California (1080p)
- A Salad That Was Once Named Elizabeth: Patty Mullen Remembers Frankenhooker (1080p)
- A Stitch In Time: The Make-Up Effects Of Frankenhooker (1080p)
- Turning Tricks: Jennifer Delora Remembers Frankenhooker (1080p)
- Original theatrical trailer (1080p)
- English subtitles for the hard of hearing

AND IN THIS CORNER...

FRANKENHOOKER [Synapse Films]

RELEASE DATE: November 8th 2011
REGION CODE: Region FREE
RATING: Unrated
DURATION: 85 mins
VIDEO: MPEG4 AVC 1080p 16:9 Widescreen (1.78:1)
AUDIO: DTS-HD MA 5.1 Surround, DTS-HD MA 2.0 Stereo

SPECIAL FEATURES:
- Audio Commentary with Director Frank Henenlotter and Make-Up Effects Designer Gabe Bartalos
- A Salad That Was Once Named Elizabeth - Patty Mullen
- A Stitch in Time: The Make-Up Effects Of Frankenhooker
- Turning Tricks: Jennifer Delora Remembers Frankenhooker
- Original Theatrical Trailer
- Reversible/Alternate Cover Artwork

SYNAPSE FILMS: Presented in 16:9 widescreen (1.78:1) with DTS-HD MA 5.1, 2.0. Having viewed the screener I can tell you that the transfer s quite good. Special features include a commentary with director Frank Henelotter and make-up effects creator Gabe Bartalos, three very cool featurettes, a trailer and reversible artwork.

ARROW VIDEO: Likewise Arrow's Blu-ray presents the film in 16:9 widescreen (1.78:1) but I've been unable to confirm that the audio option replicates Synapse's DTS-HD options. Arrow offers the very same featurettes plus new UK exclusive features including a 'making of' documentary featuring director Frank Henenlotter, star James Lorinz and special effects artist Gabe Bartalos, an exclusive intro from Lorinz, and a tour of the Gabe Bartalos effects lab in Los Angeles, California plus an audio commentary with director Frank Henenlotter and star James Lorinz. Packaging extras include a reversible sleeve with newly commissioned artwork by Graham Humphries, a double-sided fold-out poster and a collector’s booklet featuring writing on the film by Calum Waddell.

VERDICT: It would appear that Arrow Video have won this round 2 of BLU-RAY BATTLE pretty handily. The fact they replicate all the bonus content of the Synapse Blu-ray plus throw in several newly created features a deal breaker. Be aware that both feature exclusive commentaries with director Frank Henelotter who on the Synapse title is joined by star James Lorinz while make-up effects creator Gabe Bartalos appears on the Arrow track. Also note that the Arrow edition has passed the BBFC uncut and the film on either disc are of the same cut. My decision is based on presentation + bonus content and I'll throw out the caveat that the Arrow transfer of the film would really have to right rotten to force a reversal of decision. 
 
Keep in mind that I haven't reviewed either release but will hopefully do so in short order. If having the film in your hand ASAP is important to you know that the Synapse edition streets on Nov. 8th with Arrow's following on Dec. 5.
 
In an alternate reality where film nerds scribble Blu-ray want lists on the back of crisp $100 dollar bills we would want both editions on our shelves, but in the cash-strapped reality of the world market this is my small attempt to help guide fellow genre film fans towards the most complete and proper presentations of our favorite films. So what's it gonna be for you dear reader? Let me know...