THERE’S NOTHING OUT THERE (1990)
Label: Ronin Flix
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 90 Minutes 40 Seconds
Audio: English Lossless 2.0 Stereo DTS-HD Master Audio with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1)
The 2-disc Blu-ray arrives in a dual-hubbed clear keepcase inside of a Limited Edition Slipcover and a Reversible Sleeve of Artwork. Tucked away inside is 16” x 20” Retro Mini-Poster featuring the original poster artwork, both the slip and poster are limited to the first-pressing only.
Special Features:
Director: Rolfe Kanefsky
Cast: Craig Peck, Wendy Bednarz, Mark Collver, Bonnie Bowers, John Carhart III, Jeff Dachis, Claudia Flores
Rolfe Kanefsky's There's Nothing Out There (1990) opens in a VHS rental shop. We get some great shots of classic VHS cover art for Grizzly, Rats and Evil Dead as the young woman is attacked by an assailant. She ends up wrapped in a mess of 3/4" VHS tape only to awaken - it's only been a nightmare. The problem is she awakens to find she's fallen asleep behind the wheel of her car and careens off the roadway into a wooded area just as a green glowing orb descends from the sky and lands in a puddle of water right next to her car. Is it the Loc-Nar from Heavy Metal (1981)? No, it's an amphibious alien creature that looks like a vicious green-skinned Angler fish with two limp tentacles. It's definitely a Troma-riffic creature, that's for sure. The chic sees that something has landed aside her car and exclaims "Oh my God, a falling cloud!". Oh yeah. she's gonna die. Cue the opening credits and a score that sounds like John Carpenter performing the Dr. Who theme.
We have a group teens on their way to a cabin in the woods by the lake for spring break. The cabin belongs to the parents of the preppy Nick (John Carhart III) who's brought along his girlfriend Stacy (Bonnie Bowers). They are joined by his nerdy companion David (Jeff Dachis) and his Russian exchange student girlfriend Janet (Claudia Flores, Climb it, Tarzan!), jocko-erectus Jim (Mark Collver, Barb Wire) and his blonde girlfriend Doreen (Wendy Bednar, Vampires and Other Stereotypes), and our main guy, the ultimate horror-geek Mike (Craig Peck, The Erotic Misadventures of the Invisible Man). On the way they pass the scene of the accident from the prologue as police and paramedics search for the body of the young woman. Right away Mike recognizes that this is what is known as the warning stage in every horror film. Upon arriving at the cabin the group are settling in when a group of heavy metal stoners show up in a minivan and take to the lake for some skinny dipping. They pull up and immediately take of their clothes and splash around the water, gratuitous nudity right from the start. The film doesn't skimp on the nudity either and there are some nice 80's ladies here. Nick confronts the group who explain that they thought this was the lake by the camp, perhaps a reference to Friday the 13th, hmmmmm. Once again Mike sees this as foreshadowing as the stoners are prime candidates for death if this were a slasher film. The teens proceed to do pretty much everything you're not supposed to do in a horror film; skinny dipping and going for walks in the woods and they of course end up being picked-off one by one by the alien creature as Mike dispenses useful but largely ignored warnings. As people start to disappear it becomes quite clear that there actually is something out there !Mike arms himself with ...shaving cream , cuz after all not even an alien wants a mouthful of shaving cream, right? The character of Mike as played by actor Craig Peck really made the film for me, I truly enjoyed his witty dialogue, comedic delivery; and riffs on the horror genre, it's good stuff even if his character can be a bit grating. The goofiness works against the horror elements at certain points but overall a fun watch.
The film is definitely of modest means. It's from a then first time director (he was only nineteen at the time of filming!) and it suffers a bit for it but it. The creature design and effects are pretty shit throughout, including a green hypno-beam that emanates from the alien's eye which keeps victims under it's control. Thankfully, the film is less about the creature than about the character of Mike, the ultimate horror fan/nerd who comes to realize he's aught up in a horror film. The flick is so self-aware that at one point a character uses a visible boom mic to swing to safety. Obviously more a comedic send-up of the horror genre than an actual horror film this was a lot of fun. It's deliciously cheesy, campy, with it's tongue firmly planted in it's cheeky cheeks. It's been said that this film may have been the inspiration for Kevin Williamson's Scream screenplay. I can definitely see the similarity in a character who is so well-versed in horror cinema that he can see the real-life horror playing out, what Williamson improved upon was to provide a much more refined story and a superior villain - this may have got there first but it's not the better film, just saying. Here Kanefsky crams in a ton of slasher cliches together but tosses in an alien instead of a masked killer and story wise and given the budget I think it could've been better, but it is quite a fun watch just as it is.
Audio/Video: There's Nothing Out There (1990) arrives on Blu-ray from Ronin Flix in 1080p HD widescreen (1.85:1) sourced from a brand new 2K restoration of the film done by Ronin Flix in 2023. The film was previously re-issues by Vinegar Syndrome a few tears back, and I never upgraded, so this new release from Ronin Flix is much appreciated. The source is in terrific shape with only minor, non-distracting blemishes appearing. Grain structures look solid and depth and clarity are quite pleasing. There's a bit of inherent softness that looks to be baked into the original cinematography, bit for the most parts colors and skin tones (plenty of nudity) look natural with good texturing. Audio comes by way of English DTS-HD MA 2.0 stereo with optional English subtitles. The track does exhibit signs of it's low-budget limitations but is otherwise clean and well-balanced, the Christopher Thomas synth score is a highlight of the mix. Seeing this is HD for the first time with uncompressed audio really kicked-up my enjoyment and appreciation for this gem quite a bit.
Onto the extras, this disc is absolutely stacked! I own the previous Troma DVD edition, but never did upgrade to the VS Blu-ray, but I had a glance at the specs for it and this 2-disc set from Ronin Flix looks to carry over all the extras from those previous editions with the exception of a 5-min There's Nothing Out There Music Video with Intro.
New stuff exclusive to this Ronin Flix edition include a pair of new commentaries, first up is the Audio Commentary with Director Rolfe Kanefsky and Cast Members Jeff Dachis and John Carhart, then a second Audio Commentary with Film Journalists Heidi Honeycutt and Amanda Reyes. Also new is
the 5-min Never-Before-Seen Opening Sequence Storyboards. Onto disc two which is dedicated to over 6 hours of Rolfe’s ‘home movies’ from the 80's we get 10 flicks, seven of which were not present on any of the previous releases, so that's cool, plus we get director Intro and optional Audio commentaries, as well as a couple of Making Of featurettes and Bloopers. To set-up the expectations for these Konefsky, in a press release he stated the following:
“I am delighted to share my childhood with you in these rare early shorts and features I made from the age of 13 (when I got my first video camera) up through college and beyond. Convincing some of my crazy friends to join me, I was able to learn my craft in a series of adventures and misadventures throughout these home movies that eventually resulted in a strange career as an independent filmmaker. Don't judge me too harshly. I was just trying to have some fun and when watching, I hope you do too." - Rolfe Kanefsky
Special Features:
Disc 1: There’s Nothing Out There Feature Presentation + Bonus (BD-50)
- NEW! 2K restoration of the film completed by Ronin Flix is 2023 (1.85:1)
- English Lossless 2.0 Stereo DTS-HD Master Audio
- English subtitles for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
- NEW! 2K restoration of the film completed by Ronin Flix is 2023 (1.85:1)
- English Lossless 2.0 Stereo DTS-HD Master Audio
- English subtitles for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
- NEW! Audio Commentary with Director Rolfe Kanefsky and Cast Members Jeff Dachis and John Carhart
- NEW! Audio Commentary with Film Journalists Heidi Honeycutt and Amanda Reyes
- NEW! Never-Before-Seen Opening Sequence Storyboards (4:59)
- Archival Features: There’s A Movie Out There - Interview with writer/director Rolfe Kanefsky and Editor Victor Kanefsky (52:27)
- 40 Years Of Cutting - Interview with Victor Kanefsky (30:59)
- NEW! Audio Commentary with Film Journalists Heidi Honeycutt and Amanda Reyes
- NEW! Never-Before-Seen Opening Sequence Storyboards (4:59)
- Archival Features: There’s A Movie Out There - Interview with writer/director Rolfe Kanefsky and Editor Victor Kanefsky (52:27)
- 40 Years Of Cutting - Interview with Victor Kanefsky (30:59)
- Interview with Actor Craig Peck (19:24)
- Interview with Rolfe Kanefsky, Copycat - Short Film about the Film’s Influence (10:30)
- 20th Anniversary Commentary with Director Rolfe Kanefsky (35:58)
- Audio Commentary with Director Rolfe Kanefsky and Filmmakers Joe Lynch and Jeffrey Reddick
- Audio Commentary with Rolfe Kanefsky, Victor Kanefsky, Craig Peck, Mark Collver, John Kim, Gene Masse, and Alice Glenn
- Pre-production Footage and Video Storyboards (7:11)
- Behind-the-Scenes Rehearsal Footage (10:36)
- Original Cast Auditions (11:56)
- Production Stills Gallery (4:17)
- Animation Test Footage and Deleted Shots (3:26)
- Interview with Rolfe Kanefsky, Copycat - Short Film about the Film’s Influence (10:30)
- 20th Anniversary Commentary with Director Rolfe Kanefsky (35:58)
- Audio Commentary with Director Rolfe Kanefsky and Filmmakers Joe Lynch and Jeffrey Reddick
- Audio Commentary with Rolfe Kanefsky, Victor Kanefsky, Craig Peck, Mark Collver, John Kim, Gene Masse, and Alice Glenn
- Pre-production Footage and Video Storyboards (7:11)
- Behind-the-Scenes Rehearsal Footage (10:36)
- Original Cast Auditions (11:56)
- Production Stills Gallery (4:17)
- Animation Test Footage and Deleted Shots (3:26)
- Theatrical Trailer (2:17)
Disc 2: Early Films & Shorts from Director Rolfe Kanefky (BD-50) - A collection of 10 early shorts and films made by writer / director / producer Rolfe Kanefsky back in the 1980s complete with newly recorded Director’s Introductions, many of them never-before-released:
- The Hunt (Short) (3:45) with Introduction by Rolfe Kanefsky (1:02)
- Crazed (Short) (2:22) with Introduction by Rolfe Kanefsky (1:36)
- Breaking and Entering (Short) (16:52) with Introduction by Rolfe Kanefsky (1:13) and Optional Audio Commentary featuring Rolfe Kanefsky and Ed Erenberg
- Murderously Fun House (Short) (17:49) with Introduction by Rolfe Kanefsky (2:08)
- Undead (Film) (47:35) with Introduction by Rolfe Kanefsky (2:02) and Optional Audio Commentary featuring Rolfe Kanefsky and Ed Erenberg
- Strength in Numbers (Feature Film) (1:09:41) with Introduction by Rolfe Kanefsky (3:01) and Optional Audio Commentary featuring Rolfe Kanefsky and Ed Erenberg, and Blooper Reel (14:22)
- Murder in Winter (1989) Feature Film (1:10:27)
- Peek-a-Boo (Short) (6:09) with Introduction by Rolfe Kanefsky (3:03)
- Just Listen (Short) (14:38) with Introduction by Rolfe Kanefsky (3:02)
- Mood Boobs (Short) (19:39) with Introduction by Rolfe Kanefsky (2:28) and Behind-the-Scenes of Mood Boobs (16:09)
