THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA: THE MOTION PICTURE (1989) (Scream Factory Blu-ray Review)

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA: THE MOTION PICTURE (1989)

Label: Scream Factory

Region Code: A

Rating: R

Duration: 93 Minutes

Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0

Video: 1080p Widescreen (1.85:1)

Director: Dwight H. Little

Cast: Alex Hyde-White, Bill Nighy, Jill Schoelen, Robert Englund, Molly Shannon, Stephanie Lawrence 

This is one a film I remember pulling off the shelf at the local VHS shop back in the day, I am sure inspired by the fact that it featured Mr. Robert "Freddy" Englund in the titular role of the Phantom. I remember enjoying it quite a bit despite not loving the Victorian setting, I was still young and had not yet discovered the Gothic joy of Hammer films so I found the period setting a bit of a bore, but I did enjoy the 80's style slasher moments. 

Now a bit older I can certainly enjoy the Victorian era setting quite a bit more having digested quite a few Hammer films through the years, it's easy to see now that the film is director Dwight H. Little's homage to those Hammer chillers of yesteryear. The operatic terror has been moved from Paris to Victorian London and it makes for an opulent setting with a wink at the Ripper murders thrown in for good measure. I was surprised just how much of the original story is present in this version, it turns out to be a very true to the original. Composer Erik Destler (Englund) makes a pact with Satan in exchange for the ability to write songs that will live on forever however, as with every Faustian bargain there's an unforeseen consequence, Destler's face is horrendously scarred.  In this version Destler wears not the standard Phantom mask but the skins of his many victims, which he sutures onto his own face to hide his hideous visage.

In the role of Christine Day we have a minor horror starlet from the '80s, Jill Schoelen, a pretty young lady who previously starred in The Stepfather and Cutting Class prior to this film. While her time in the limelight was brief she turns in a sympathetic performance as the talented opera star who Erik Destler secretly watches over and propels to stardom through fear and murder. 

A surprisingly young Bill Nighy from Shaun of the Dead makes an appearance as the owner of the opera house who dies at the hands of the Phantom when he attempts to sabotage Christine's ascent to stardom. we do get a nice array of deaths throughout, we have throat slashes, impalement, decapitation, the skinning of a victim and more, there's some decent gore but legend tells of even more grue being left on the cutting room floor to secure the R-rating but there's still plenty of bloodletting to enjoy.  

It's a fun film that feels very much like a Hammer Jack the Ripper movie filtered through the eyes of an '80s slasher and the end result is a mixed bag of of good and not so good. I enjoyed the Victorian sets and locations, the opera house, the foggy streets, the Phantom's sewer tunnel lair, all very cinematic stuff with great moody lighting.  It set a great tone and had loads of atmosphere, plus the murders are fun even if they are trimmed, they are still bloody. 

What I did not love so much was Englund in the role of the Phantom, not awful by any means but he does give a slightly overwrought performance that smacked of Freddy Krueger through and through, complete with a few unnecessary Kruger type quips. It didn't ruin the film by any means but it does lower it just a little. 

There's also the question of the romance between the character played by Schoelen and Englund, Phantom has always been a love story and you never feel like these two are falling for each other, this time around it feels like more of an obsession on the part of the Phantom and the young woman is never really swayed by his him, but I think it works for what the director wanted, but it loses that tragic love story elements along the way, which might be owed to the more slasher type tendencies of the film, no one ever fell in love with Michael Myers or Leatherface either. 

The film is also book ended by a strange contemporary wrap-a-round set in the '80s that felt unnecessary, though I did enjoy the first part quite a bit with an up and coming opera singer discovering a signature piece of music to perform at an upcoming audition, this portion features the film debut of Saturday Night Live performer Molly Shannon. There's also a nice set-up of an accident at the audition with a slow-motion shattering of a mirror that's cross cut with the spooky images of a horse drawn carriage that is well executed and leads us straight into the period setting of the 1800s,and the film ends by bringing us back to the modern day for a less than satisfying conclusion. Not an awful film, in fact it's quite an entertaining watch, and a masterpiece when compared to the Dario Argento travesty that came about a decade afterward.

Blu-ray: The Phantom of the Opera (1989) arrives on Blu-ray for the first time in the US from Scream Factory presented in the original widescreen aspect ratio (1.85:1) with a pleasing amount of film grain, there doesn't appear to have been an egregious digital noise reduction applied. The color saturation is strong and the image is crisp and nicely detailed, showcasing the period setting and garments of the era this does have the feel of a more opulent Hammer film. 

The DTS-HD Master Audio Stereo track is crisp and balanced, dialogue and score are mixed nicely with the sweeping score from composer Misha Segal never overpowering the dialogue. Optional English subtitles are included. 

Extras are slim with the main feature being a new making of documentary produced by regular Scream Factory collaborator Red Shirt Pictures, the thirty-eight minute doc features the participation of Director Dwight H. Little, Actors Robert Englund, Jill Schoelen, And Alex Hyde-White, Screenwriter Duke Sandefur, and Special Make-Up Designers John Carlr Buechler  Kevin Yagher among others. Englund is always an interesting listen and you can see he loved the role and the opportunity to break away from the role of Freddy, which at the time of this film was part of pop culture.

There's also a commentary track with Dwight H. Little And Actor Robert Englund that begins with pointing out a shortcoming of the film which resulted in the text prologue to fill in a few plot holes+ a great commentary as the two reminisce . The extras are rounded out with three-minutes of trailers, TV and radio spots plus a selection of Scream Factory trailers. 

it's pretty well known that the MPAA neutered the film and a lot of the gore was trimmed out of the final film, this was at a time when slashers were being beat-up quite badly by the rating board, unfortunately Scream Factory seem to have been unable to find the original uncut print and what we have here is the theatrical R-rated cut of the film and there are no deleted scenes on the disc. 

The disc is short on the extras but he making of doc and commentary are nice inclusions and provide a lot of info about the making of the film. My biggest beef with the release has nothing to do with picture, audio or extras on the disc but the truly awful artwork. I much preferred the previous DVD artwork and I wasn't even a huge fan of that one, this might just be the worst artwork and spine from Scream Factory to date, I am usually a fan of the packaging but not this time. . 

Special Features:
- Audio Commentary With Director Dwight H. Little And Actor Robert Englund
- Behind The Mask: The Making Of "The Phantom Of The Opera," Featuring New Interviews With Director Dwight H. Little, Actors Robert Englund, Jill Schoelen, And Alex Hyde-White, Screenwriter Duke Sandefur, Special Make-Up Designer Kevin Yagher (38 Mins)
- Theatrical Trailer (2 Mins)
- TV Spot (1 Min)
- Radio Spots (2 Mins)
- Still Gallery (5 Mins) (65 Images) 
- Scream Factory Trailers: Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh (2 Mins) , Phantom of the Paradise (2 Mins), From a whisper to a Scream (2 Mins) 

Verdict: An enjoyable version of The Phantom of the Opera with some nice Hammer-esque flourishes and '80s slasher tendencies, not a cinematic masterpiece but a fun time even if it sort of feels like Krueger of the Opera at times. The disc from Scream Factory looks and sounds great, the extras are slim but are dense and informative. If they had been able to present the film uncut that would have been quite a incentive to upgrade for those not convinced by the HD upgrade and new extras. 

Blu-ray Review: HALLOWEEN 4 - The Return of Michael Myers (1988)

HALLOWEEN 4 - THE RETURN OF MICHAEL MYERS (1988) 

Label: Anchor Bay Entertainment

Region: A

Rating: R

Duration: 88 Mins

Video: Anamorphic Widescreen (1.85:1)

Audio: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 with English, Spanish Subtitles 

Director: Dwight H. Little 

Cast: Ellie Cornell, Danielle Harris, Michael Pataki, Donald Pleasance
Tagline: He Changed the Face of Halloween. Tonight, He's Back

Following the commercial failure of HALLOWEEN III: SEASON OF THE WITCH (1982)  producer Moutaspha Akkad set out to side-step the third installment of the seminal slasher franchise and set in motion a direct sequel to HALLOWEEN II (1981) with John Carpenter in the directing chair once again, however, things fizzled when producer and director couldn't see eye to eye and the film landed in the lap of upcoming director Dwight D. Little whom had previously directed the action adventure feature BLOODSTONE (1988).

Set ten years after the fiery ending of HALLOWEEN II the film starts of strong with an evocative intro that sets a strong Halloween atmosphere right from the first frame. Michael Myers has lain comatose at the Smith's Grove Sanitarium since the events a decade earlier and is being transferred to another sanitarium without the consult of Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasance). It's a stormy night and en route the attendees in the back of the ambulance strike up a conversation about the events a decade prior and reveal that the only surviving member of the family is a young nice Jamie Strode, daughter Michael's sister Laurie who it is revealed died in a car accident. This revelation of course spurs Myers to awaken from his coma and escape after inexplicably pushing his thumb through the forehead of one of the orderlies. We can thank special effects artist Carl Buechler (BRIDE OF RE-ANIMATOR) who was brought in post production to gore-up the film a bit, which he does quite nicely. The blood-soaked ambulance is discovered the next day turned upside down in a shallow creek, which the authorities believe to be an unfortunate accident spurred by the poor road conditions the night before. 

Enter Donald Pleasance (RAW MEAT) as Dr. Loomis whom is furious when he finds out about the transfer and subsequent escape of Myers, everyone else seems to believe Michael has died in the accident but when no body is recovered Loomis knows he's returning to Haddonfield to finish his work and that young Jamie is in danger. Loomis here is a but unhinged but it's a great performance, Loomis is the heart and soul of the film, this is a bit before Pleasance took it maybe a bit too far in latter sequels but here it's just right. 

Jamie Strode is played by a young  Danielle Harris (HATCHET) who is pretty great considering just how awful the reality of a child character in a slasher film should be, a very sympathetic kid with a good range of emotions. Jamie begins to have frightening visions of Myers, there's some kind of psychic connection between the two, an element that is exploited during the film's final moments. Jamie lives with her adopted family the Caruthers and their daughter Rachel who is left alone with her on Halloween night which does not bode well in this series.

There's a lot to like here, while not on par with Carpenter's original or even the first sequel there's some nice touches, for starters it's got a great Halloween vibe, you totally believe the Fall setting, the atmosphere is spot on and really ads to the proceedings. One of my favorite scenes has Loomis stopping off at a gas station en route to Haddonfield where he encounters Michael's handiwork, a dead mechanic tangled in chain hanging from the ceiling. Loomis nearly shoots Meyers  but he escapes in a tow truck sending the station up in a fiery explosion destroying Loomis's car and leaving him to travel on foot before he's picked-up by a travelling preacher, the doomsayer of sorts, in the film.

After Michael starts his rampage in town a group of locals at the bar form a posse and get a bit trigger happy blasting the wrong guy, a bit later the same posse while transporting Jamie and Rachel to the safety of the next town are taken out one by one by Myeres who's hitched a ride underneath their pick-up CAPE FEAR style, there's a nice gore scene as Meyers rips out the driver's throat. 

Something that just wasn't working for me this time out was the Meyer's mask which changes a bit throughout the film, none of them as effective as the original but nonetheless this is a strong late-80's slasher that at least attempts to maintain the atmosphere and feel of the original film, the introduction of Jamie Strode is a good story arc and we get some cool moments of gore with a shocker ending that is a sweet nod to the original as well. 

Blu-ray: Anchor Bay presents  Halloween 4 in it's original widescreen aspect ratio (1.85:1) with a transfer sourced from a nice print. Colors are nicely saturated and black levels and shadow detail are quite nice. Instances of print damage are minor but you do occasionally get some white specks. Overall we get a robust image that's lacking a bit in areas of sharpness but very nice and the film grain is left intact. 

The Blu-ray comes equipped with an English language Dolby TrueHD 5.1 audio track with optional English and Spanish subtitles, dialogue, effects and Allan Howarth's score are well-balanced, clean and free of any distortion, not the most robust audio you'll ever hear but adequate. 

Some of the disc's special features have been carried over from the previous Anchor Bay Special Divimax Edition  including the audio commentary with actress Ellen Cornell and Danielle Harris, the two actresses have some chemistry and it makes for an interesting listen filled with anecdotes, recollections and trivia about working on the set and what went on behind-the-scenes. Also ported over from the DVD is the Halloween 4/5 Discussion Panel (18:28) with Jeffrey Landon, Sasha Jenson, Kathleen Kinmont and Danielle Harris whom field questions from convention goers, it's fun stuff even if Harris seems annoyed from time to time as she speaks to her dislike of how HALLOWEEN 7-8 ignores her character altogether, her preference for 4 over 5. Sasha Jenson who's probably best know for his character from Richard Linklatter's 70s stoner comedy DAZED AND CONFUSED (1993) even sportingly fields the question if he actually got high on the set of that film. 

In addition to a Trailer (1:36) we get a brand new audio commentary from director Dwight H. Little and author Justin Beahm from the www.halloweenmovies.com website. It's an entertaining commentary as the director talks about all facets of the production and personal anecdotes, from his own Midwestern roots informing the agrarian introduction of the film which established an aesthetic and mood, the sets and locations, meeting with producer Moustapha Akkad, bringing Donald Pleasance back to the series and working with then child actor Danielle Harris  It's  all around informative track and a great new feature.

Something missing from the disc that was advertised in the early press release are 30 minutes of Deleted and Alternate Scenes which was a whopper of a disappointment - not sure what the story there but it's a major fuck-up - I know a lot of fans including myself were miffed that this was absent. It's also disappointing that the audio commentary with writer Alan B. McElroy from the Divimax edition has been excised, too. While the Blu-ray is definitely worth a purchase for the 1080p upgrade in my opinion including all of the previous features with the new commentary and deleted scenes would have made this a no-brainer. It's a good set, but it could have been great, and with these items lacking there's a certain number of folks who just won't bite the apple a second time until they get what they feel is the definitive edition.

Special Features: 

-  Audio Commentary with Director Dwight H. Little and Author Justin Beahm

-  Audio Commentary with Actors Ellie Cornell and Danielle Harris

-  Halloween 4/5 Discussion Panel (18:28) 

-  Theatrical Trailer (1:36)

Verdict: HALLOWEEN 4 is a strong late-80's slasher entry that attempts to maintain some of the atmosphere and feel of the original film with some degree of success. The 1080p upgrade is a strong argument for an upgrade as is the director commentary but I am bummed we do not get the half hour of deleted/alternate scenes - that's a damn shame but this is still a decent slasher with some nice gore, suspense and it's a recommend, 3.5 Outta 5