ED UP (1984)
Label: Umbrella Entertainment
Region Code: Region-FREE
Duration: 80 Minutes
Rating: R 18+
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1)
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 2.0 & 5.1 with Optional English Subtitles
Director: David Blyth
Cast: Michael Hurst, Margaret
Umbers, William Upjohn
In the 80's Kiwi splatter-film Death Warmed Up (1984) mad scientist Dr. Howell (Gary Day) operates the Trans Cranial Applications clinic, where for reasons never really well-defined by the film, he is performing bizarre experiments involving cryogenics, strange serums and brain-surgery, creating an army of the living dead, sort of... at least that what I think is happening here, though even after this latest viewing the whole thing is still a bit confusing for me. While plot and narrative are not the film's greatest strengths on the upside the scrappy lo-fi film is at least fun with some decently cheap 80's gore.
When Dr. Howell's partner Dr. Ray Tucker (David Weatherley) becomes increasingly alarmed by Howell's unorthodox experimentation he brainwashes Tucker's
teenage son Michael (Michael Hurst), programming him to murder both of his parents, returning home and
bloodily shotgun blasting his parents. Afterward he is sent to an asylum for the criminally insane, and the film moves forward in time seven years, which is when he is released from the asylum, which seems like a really short time to serve for blowing away your parents, even for reasons of insanity.
I am not sure if revenge was always part of the plan but what happens next is that Michael, along with three friends, arrive on an island for a bit of a vacation, with plans to explore some WWII-era underground tunnels. It also happens to be where Dr. Howell has continued his diabolical experiments, using the psychiatric patients at the clinic as guinea pigs for his brain-surgery zombies, but even then it's never quite clear what his end game is here. It's also unclear to me if this vacation Michael has planned always involved a bit of vengeance against the doctor, if not it seems a strange choice of a place to go on vacation.
While on the ferry to the island Michael and his friends run afoul of a pair of local weirdos after they take umbrage to Michael's pal pissing on the tire of their van. It turns out that both of these guys are henchmen working for the doctor, although the initial interaction between the groups seems totally random. The leader of the weirdos is an unhinged fella named Spike (David Letch), who follows them down into the WWII tunnels where all hell breaks loose, David Letch plays the unhinged psychopath to the hilt in an enjoyably strange performance, who at one point unleashes all the zombie-esque patients of the clinic..
This low-budget export from New Zealand has the distinction of being the first kiwi-horror film, coming several years before Peter Jackson's Bad Taste(1987), and I have to imagine this would have been an influence on the young Jackson. Director David Blyth makes good use of existing locations, offering interesting set pieces and multi-colored lighting that offers a fun, bloody and strange viewing, if not an altogether coherent film. The finale is a real dead-ender that sort of screams 'we just ran out of ideas' and perhaps money as well, but even with all these marks against it I've always found this kiwi horror gem to be pretty darn entertaining.
versions I've seen, but that didn't take a lot, as I've only watched it on those VHS-sourced DVD budget collections that have been around for years. Course grain is rampant throughout but occasionally we do get some decent clarity, with some decent color saturation throughout, but the film is still a bit of a murky mess in the darker scenes down in the tunnels and in the clinic, it's not an ideal Blu-ray presentation but it is the best we could hope for all things considered.
Audio on the disc comes by way of an English DTS-HD MA 2.0 and 5.1 mixes with optional English subtitles. It's a good clean sounding mix, the surround doesn't do a whole lot but for me as far as creating an immersive experience it does spread around the score, which sounds good.
Extras are plentiful, beginning with an audio commentary with Director David Blyth and Writer Michael Heath. The track is a good listen when they get to discussing certain storytelling shortcoming, even expanding on some character's motivations, and discussing the numerous scenes missing from the film.
There's also a 40-min interview recorded back in 2009 with David Blyth and Michael Heath, a new 27-min interview with David Letch who played the baddie Spider, who discusses landing the role on the film, finding his character, and getting into the film's rabid fan base. There's also an Easter Egg to be found with a separate interview with the Letch, from the same session, speaking for a further 6-min about things not necessarily
having to do with Death Warmed Up, but still quite interesting.
A very cool feature on the disc is a 4:3 New Zealand VHS-cut of the film, this is an 80-min version that contains all of the uncut and missing footage from the feature film version, it's pretty cruddy looking, and seems to be sped-up a bit, not sure if that as PAl format issue or an improper frame rate, but it's the only way to see the truly uncut version of the film as the original film elements are no longer available.
Extras on the disc are sutured up with a theatrical trailer, a pair of VHS trailers, plus an image gallery with 108 images of movie posters, home video releases, stills, interviews and articles about the film.
The single-disc release comes housed in an oversized Blu-ray keepcase with a reversible sleeve of artwork featuring the Japanese artwork for the film on both sides, the reverse featuring the same artwork without the unsightly ratings logo.
Special Features:
- Audio Commentary with Director David Blyth and Writer Michael Heath
- I'll Get You All - Interview with Actor David Letch (27 min)
- Deleted/Missing Scenes with Optional Audio Commentary by Director David Blyth and Writer Michael Heath
- Original New Zealand 4:3 VHS cut
- Interview Featurette with David Blyth and Michael Heath (40 min)
- Theatrical trailer (2 min)
- VHS Trailers (4 min)
- TV Spot (21 sec)
- Image Gallery (18 min)
A fun 80's splatter film in the vein of Peter Jackson's early stuff, if that sort of things is your jam I think you'll find plenty to love about it. I would recommend that you don't come into expecting an overly coherent plot, it sort of feels like a half-remembered nightmare in that respect, but it more than makes up for those shortcomings with it's lo-fi punk rock energy.
