Sunday, January 21, 2024

WOLFMAN'S GOT NARDS (2018) (Gravitas Ventures Blu-ray Review)

WOLFMAN'S GOT NARDS (2018) 

Label: Gravitas Ventures, LLC.
Region Code: A
Rating: Unrated 
Duration: 88 Minutes 
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1 Surround with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.78:1)
Director: Andre Gower
Cast: Shane Black, Fred Dekker, Seth Green, Ryan Lambert, Ashley Bank, Tom Woodruff, Seth Green, Adam F. Goldberg, Adam Green, Joe Lynch, Jackson Stewart, John Rosengrant, Shane Mahan, Steve Wang, Stephen Macht

The Wolfman's Got Nards (2018) documentary explores the the cult-fandom of The Monster Squad (1987), the doc is directed by Andre Gower who played lead protagonist, Sean in The Monster Squad. It features candid input from the film's director Fred Dekker (Night of the Creeps, Robocop III) and screenwriter Shane Black, as well as Gower's co-stars Ryan Lambert (who played bad-ass Rudy) and Ashley Bank (the film's heart Phoebe), plus Duncan Regehr (who played Dracula), Stephen Macht who played Sean's dad, and Tom Woodruff (who played the Gill Man), plus numerous fans, including super-fans like Seth Green (Ticks), Adam F. Goldberg (The Goldbergs)  directors Adam Green (Frozen) and Joe Lynch (Knights of Badassdom), Jackson Stewart (Beyond the Gates), plus special effects and make-up guys John Rosengrant, Shane Mahan, and Steve Wang, who talk about the amazing opportunity to re-imagine the Universal Monsters early on in the careers. 

The doc does great work not so much getting tot he nitty-gritty about the making-of the film so much as it explores the film's cult status, how it tanked at the box office, which stunted director Fred Dekker's career before Robocop III tanked it but good - which he is quite candid about in his interviews here which also addresses the film's mishandled ad campaign, but how it went on to become a belove cult-classics thanks to VHS and cable, and how a screening at the Alamo Drafthouse lead to it's pop-culture resurgence, DVD, Blu-ray and now 4K release. Love is also given to the late Brent Chalem who played "fat kid" Horace in the film, and sadly passed away in '97 before the film's pop-culture resurgence, but who has several of the best lines in the films. 

Not all the core cast are present, I do wish we would have had some input from actor Michael Faustino who played Eugene, Jason Hervey who played bully CJ, and Tom Noonan who was of course Frankenstein's Monster, but shit happens and they're not here, but I hope they are doing well. There are also loads of fan interviews who show off not just their deep love for this 80's touchstone, but their excellent collections of memorabilia, artwork, tattoos and ephemera, it's quite a warm celebration of the film, but it also does not gloss over the fact that Dekker is still pretty irate and affected by just how big of a bomb it initially was.  

Audio/Video: Wolfman's Got Nards (2018) arrives on MOD Blu-ray from Gravitas Pictures in 1.78:1 widescreen with both 2.0 and 5.1 audio optional English subtitles. The only extras is a Trailer for the doc. The single-disc release arrives in a standard keepcase with a single-sided sleeve of artwork featuring the original movie poster artwork.

Special Features:
Buy it from Amazon.com here: https://amzn.to/3vufjt7


Posted by at