LUTHER THE GEEK (1990)
Tromatic Special Edition
Label: Troma
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 80 Minutes 19 Seconds
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 2.0 with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.78:1)
Director: Carlton J. Albright
Cast: Edward Terry, Stacy Haidu, Joan Roth, Thomas Mills, Joseph Clark, Tom Brittingham, Carlton Williams
Luther the Geek (1988), directed by Carlton J. Albright (The Children), opens in 1938 where a young boy named Luther (the director's son Will Albright) witnesses a carnival "geek" (Tom Brittingham) bite he head off a chicken at a freakshow, During the performance the boy is knocked to the ground during the crowd commotion and his teeth are knocked out, seemingly traumatized he licks then blood of the decapitated chicken. Thirty years later Luther (now played by Edward Terry, The Children) is all grown up and incarcerated, but up for parole for good behavior despite having committed a series of grisly murders, as the liberal parole bard discusses his case we see scenes of the toothless Luther sharpening a pair of gnarly metal dentures with file. Despite his good behavior while incarcerated no sooner has he been released, Luther, who is non-verbal and only communicates with a series of creepy clucks like a chicken, begins a rampage of terror almost immediately. He steals clothes from a butcher, entering a grocery store and stealing sunglasses, and proceeding to raid the fresh eggs isle where he starts cracking open eggs and chugging the runny yolks, before being escorted out of the store by the manager. He then leaves the store and ends up at a bus stop where he attempts to engage with an elderly woman (Gail Buxton) who is waiting for her bus, offering her a raw egg, but when she refuses he attacks her and sinks his razor-sharp teeth into her, tearing out her throat! He then hides in the backseat of a car belonging to Hilary (Joan Roth, Steel and Lace) and secretly hitches a ride in her backseat to her isolated farmhouse where he terrorizes her, tying her up to a bed before setting his gnarly metal chompers on her teenage daughter Beth (Stacy Haiduk) and her boyfriend, Rob (Thomas Mills), plus we have encounters with a State Trooper (Joseph Clarke) patrolling the area looking for the homicidal Luther, and a hapless hunter in the woods (Martin Widener) who is unfortunate enough to cross his path.
Luthor the Geek is a low-budget flick but it's quite entertaining, the story itself is not shall we say, very plausible, I mean there's no way this metal-mouthed psycho gets paroled, let alone allowed to maintain a razor-sharp set of chompers while imprisoned. Believability aside the film is quite a romp, the performance of Edward Terry as the deranged geek is fantastic, he's quirky, his mannerisms and constant clucking and crowing is somewhat unnerving. The film also has some tasty gore and gore effects, throat ripping with those gnarly chompers sinking into flesh. There one scene where Luther attacks a hunter he comes upon in the woods, the attack is so vicious that his upper dentures become embedded in the flesh and he has to pull them out to reinsert them, that was a nice touch. It's just an interesting flick, the circus geek slasher twist is fun and the execution is surprisingly effective.
Audio/Video: Luther the Geek (1988) gets a region-free Blu-ray from Troma in 1080p HD framed in 1.78:1 widescreen. There is no information about the source of the transfer, but I will assume that this is the same transfer prepared by Vinegar Syndrome for their OOP release, as was Troma's releases of Maniac and Frightmare. I am assuming that these titles licensed by VS from Troma did the scans and once the license expires Troma releases their own release using the same transfers. I do not have the VS or 88 Films Blu-ray for comparison but the source looks terrific, I can see the framing has been opened up to a screen-filling 1.78:1 versus the VS 1.85:1, grain levels look solid, and colors, depth and clarity impress. I am pretty sure the last time I saw this was on a dupey looking VHS, so the level of depth, clarity and detail here was rather stunning. Audio comes by way of English Dolby Digital 2.0 with optional English subtitles. The track is clean snd and well balanced, but the fact that Troma are still using Dolby Digital is a headscratcher.
Archival extras from the original Troma DVD carried over include the 5-min Original Lloyd Kaufman DVD Intro, a 5-min Classic Interview With Director Carlton J. Albright, and 3-min Classic Interview with William Albright, the director son who played young Luther, and the 20-min Fowl Takes which are four video featurettes the director giving scene specific commentary on the making of a few particular scenes.
Extras carried over from the 2015 Vinegar Syndrome release start off with a 38-sec Carlton J. Albright’s Blu-ray Intro, which is just long enough for him to curse the film's original distributor for their botched release. Next, the VS produced Director’s Audio Commentary with Carlton J. Albright moderated by Vinegar Syndrome's Joel Rubin, it's a solid listen all aspects of the making of the film are covered, location, cast and crew info, the gore effects, and the film reception and botched distribution and home video history.
We also get the 7-min A Conversation With Carlton: An Interview With Carlton Albright from 2015 produced by VS for their release, as was the 10-min Fowl Play: An Interview With Jerry Clarke, and a 2-min Original Theatrical Trailer.
Of course this is a Tromatic Special Edition so there's plenty on schlocky Troma crap thrown in as well like the Troma’s Freak Show, the 2-min Innards! Music Video, 1-min Radiation March, 1 -min TA in 4K promo, the 1-min Troma in Times Square, and selection of Troma Trailers for #Shakespear's Shitstorm, Eating Miss Campbell, Curse of the Weredeer, Sweet Meats, Kill Dolly Kill, The Toxic Avenger, Class of Nuke 'Em Hight, Tromeo and Juliette, Sgt. Kabukinan N.Y.P.D., The Children. The single-disc release arrived in a standard keepcase with a single-sided sleeve of artwork.
Special Features:
- Original Lloyd Kaufman DVD Intro (5:07)
- Carlton J. Albright’s Blu-Ray Intro (0:38)
- Director’s Audio Commentary with Carlton J. Albright
- Classic Interview With Director Carlton J. Albright (5:12)
- Classic Interview with William Albright (2:40)
- A Conversation With Carlton: An Interview With Carlton Albright (6:35)
- Fowl Play: An Interview With Jerry Clarke (10:17)
- Original Theatrical Trailer (2:26)
- Fowl Takes: Fight Between Luther and the Police Officer (8:50), The Old Woman Getting Attacked by Luther (2:38), Luther Gerting Shot (1:12), The Shower Scene (7:30)
- Troma’s Freak Show: The Archery Freak (1:49), The Man Who Walks on Blades (1:11), The Sword Swallower (0:52), Tim the Torture King (1:41)
- INNARDS! Music Video (1:50)
- Radiation March (0:54)
- TA in 4K (1:10)
- Troma in Times Square (1:01)
- Coming Distractions: #Shakespear's Shitstorm (2:24) , Eating Miss Campbell (1:48), Curse of the Weredeer (1:50), Sweet Meats (2:06), Kill Dolly Kill (1:47), The Toxic Avenger (3:11), Class of Nuke 'Em High (2:56), Tromeo and Juliette (2:12), Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D. (3:42), The Children (0:56)
Screenshots from the Troma Blu-ray:
Extras:
Buy it!
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