10 TO MIDNIGHT (1983) (Scream Factory Collector's Edition Blu-ray Review)

10 TO MIDNIGHT (1983) 

Label: Scream Factory
Region Code: A
Rating: R
Duration: 102 Minutes
Audio: English DTS-HD MA with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1) 
Director: J. Lee Thompson 
Cast: Charles Bronson, Lisa Eilbacher, Andrew Stevens, Gene Davis, Geoffrey Lewis, Wilford Brimley

When I was just barely in the double-digits I caught 10 To Midnight on late-night cable TV, I am pretty sure this sleazy L.A. based thriller was my introduction to the Charles Bronson, and truth be told it's still one of my favorites in his filmography. We have L.A. Detective Leo Kessler (Bronson, Death Wish 2) on the trail of a homicidal killer whose been murdering young women around L.A., the identity of whom is revealed right from the start. The killer is a misogynist office equipment repairmen named Warren Stacy (Gene Davis, Cruising) who stalks young women and stabs them to death with a knife. In a nice bit of exploitation that pushes this Bronson thriller to another level the killer chooses to do so while he's completely nude! As a kid I found that highly disturbing, and it's still an odd bit of business watching it today, but Davis is pretty good here as the misogynist psycho, he's an attractive guy, but is all too ugly on the inside, a real sicko, and a fun villain for Bronson to square off against. 

The violence in the film is not as graphic but as the rampant nudity but it is perverse and dark with enough blood to drive home the blade, but watching it now I was surprised how much of the film is actually a crime procedural with some decent drama, more so than I remembered, but at age eleven I think it's always the nudity and blood you remember from these things. The detective's young and attractive daughter Laurie (Lisa Eilbacher, Beverly Hills Cop) catches the eye of the killer which draws Kessler even deeper into it, and when the psycho proves a bit too clever to catch legally the detective  resorts to planting evidence, which upsets his green but idealistic partner Paul McAnn (Andrew Stevens, The Fury). 

The film has some nice slasher sequences that are well done, given an even more lurid leaning by way of a nude killer, which s not something you see everyday. The film is also memorable for a few choices lines of dialogue, like when  Bronson's character says during an examination of the the first victim's body that "anybody who does something like this, his knife has to be his penis!", and when he later whips out a jack-off machine found in the home of a suspect during an interrogation, I challenge you not to laugh at the sight of crusty old Bronson whipping out an 80's vintage jack-off machine, you cannot do it! The highlights here are the murders scenes, including an amped-up finale that mirrors the infamous Richard Speck killings with the nude killer attacking a dorm full of nurses, it does not disappoint, very harrowing stuff, plus a fun vigilante shocker of an end that for my money is right up there with the best of Bronson's vigilante films. 

That being said I think the film is actually a pretty solid thriller with some fun slasher tendencies, there's not a ton of gore, but we do get of nudity and a good bit of bloodshed, making this is thriller that I think slasher fans will enjoy quite a bit. Bronson is also looking pretty committed here, he like working with J. Lee Thompson and it a shows, he's not just collecting a paycheck here they way he did with a few of the later Cannon films. Also be on the lookout for appearances from Wilford Brimley (The Thing) as a cop and Geffrey Lewis (Salem's Lot) as the killer's sleazy lawyer!  

Audio/Video: 10 To Midnight (1983) arrives on Blu-ray from Scream Factory with new 4K scan from the OCN. I never did snag the previous OOP Twilight Time Blu-ray release, but Scream do excellent work here presenting the film in 1080p HD framed in 1.85:1 widescreen. The source is clean and free of blemishes, grain is velvety rich, colors are well saturated and blacks are pleasantly deep with good shadow detail, fine detail is abundant and skin tones look natural throughout. Audio comes by way of an English DTS-HD MA Mono with optional English subtitles. The audio is not the most dynamic but it is clean and well-balanced, dialogue is never hard to discern and the score from Robert O. Ragland (Grizzly) sounds terrific. 

Onto the extras Scream Factory carry-over the excellent audio commentary with Producer Pancho Kohner, Casting Director John Crowther, and Film Historian David Del Valle from the TT release, a great track from guys who knew Bronson and who know a thing or two about movies as well, it's a great listen. 

New stuff comes by way of a brand new audio commentary with Writer/Historian Paul Talbot (Author Of Bronson’s Loose! And Bronson’s Loose Again!) who for my money is the authority on all things Bronson-related, his inclusion here makes this the more definitive version of the film right away, his no nonsense style of commentary are essential listening for any Bronson fan. 

Scream Factory also offer-up three brand new interviews, an 11-min interview with Actor Andrew Stevens, 13-min with Producer Lance Hool, 6-min Actor Robert F. Lyons and 7-min Actress Jeana Tomasina Keough, these are all newly recorded and exclusive to this release. Lyons speaks about working with Bronson, he describes him as having a "quiet knowing", not being very buddy buddy but respectful and professional. Noting how he would change in the presence of his wife Jill Ireland, and describing J. Lee Thompson's habit of tearing paper during filming. Actress Jeana Tomasina Keough speaks about her early modeling career, how connections through Playboy lead to her being cast in a ZZ Top music video and other films like Looker and Six Pack, and how a lie about her height on her resume cost her the lead in the film. She also notes how nice Bronson was and how intense Gene Davis was while playing the psycho, and how the director laughed when he realized she didn't know how to break an egg for her kitchen scene. Andrew Stevens recalls working with Bronson first on Death Hunt, where he recalls the actor being a reclusive health nut. He describes director J. Lee Thompson as a "mischievous imp" and also pointing out how he would roll and chew on bits of paper, plus describing Lisa Eilbacher as the best kisser in the world, and commenting on working with his other co-stars, mentioning that Gene Davis was "fearless" in the role of the nude psycho. I enjoyed how he described how he would covertly get Bronson to open-up about his past film roles, very cool. Producer Lance Hool shows up for 13-min speaking about producing the film with J. Lee Thompson, the screenwriting process, and the pros and cons of working with the infamous Cannon Films. He makes sure to praise J. Lee Thompson and his body of work, mentioning that his later-era work with Cannon Films sort of obscured his legacy. 

  

The disc is buttoned-up with a selection of trailers, radio spots and an image gallery of stills, lobby cards, and movie posters. The single-disc release comes housed in a standard Blu-ray keepcase with a reversible sleeve of artwork featuring the original illustrated movie poster which was also used by TT, plus a new illustration from Joel Robinson, which is also featured on the disc and slipcase (o-card). 

Special Features: 
- NEW 4K Scan Of The Original Camera Negative
- NEW Charlie’s Partner – An Interview With Actor Andrew Stevens (11 min) HD 
- NEW Producing Bronson – An Interview With Producer Lance Hool (13 min) HD 
- NEW Remembering Bronson – An Interview With Actor Robert F. Lyons (6 min) HD 
- NEW Undressed To Kill – An Interview With Actress Jeana Tomasina Keough (7 min) HD
- NEW Audio Commentary With Writer/Historian Paul Talbot (Author Of Bronson’s Loose! And Bronson’s Loose Again!)
- Audio Commentary With Producer Pancho Kohner, Casting Director John Crowther, And Film Historian David Del Valle
- Theatrical Trailer (2 min) 
- Radio Spots (2 min) HD 
- Still Gallery (7 min) 

10 To Midnight (1983) is a good sleazy 80's Bronson thriller with a memorable psycho and loads of nudity, what's not to love? The new Scream Factory release looks and sounds very good, plus the extras are killer, making this one worth a double-dip. 
  

MACON COUNTY LINE (1974) (Blu-ray Review)

MACON COUNTY LINE (1974) 

Label: Shout! Factory/Shout Select

Region Code: A

Rating: R

Duration: 88 Minutes

Audio: English DTS-HD MA Mono with Optional English Subtitles 

Video: 1080p HD Widecreen (1.85:1) 

Director: Richard Compton

Cast: Alan Vint, Cheryl Waters, Geoffrey Lewis, Joan Blackman, Jesse Vint, Max Baer Jr

Minor 70's drive-in cult classic Macon County Line (1974), a dusty slice of hillbilly thrills set in 1954, where rowdy brothers Chris (Alan Vint, Badlands) and Wayne Dixon (Jesse Vint, Forbidden World) are driving through Louisiana on a two-week bender of booze and low-rent broads prior to both of them enlisting into the military, one brother is forced to join following some criminal activity while the other joined willingly shortly after as a show of solidarity with his brother. The film opens with a raunchy sex-comedy scene complete with a bare-assed freeze frame title card, the brothers escaping out the window of a woman's window avoiding her husband's wrath, also making off with her purse in the process. Hitting the road they continue to travel the South waxing philosophical about their lot in life and causing some minor mayhem, before picking up a cute hitchhiker  named Jenny Scott (Cheryl Waters, Act of Vengeance), who doesn't appear to be the most angelic person either, but the three get one well and seem kindred spirits, with Jenny taking a liking to one of the brothers more than the other, leading to some minor feelings of third-wheeling among the boys. 

When their car breaks down the brothers seek some vehicular first aid from the local grease monkey, Hamp (Geoffrey Lewis, Salem's Lot), while waiting for repairs to be made they are given the third degree from the local sheriff Reed Morgan (Max Baer Jr., TV's The Beverly Hillbillies) who doesn't much like these young rowdy kids in his jurisdiction, threatening to round them up for vagrancy if they choose to stick around for too long. 

The sheriff is fleshed out a but more in a parallel storyline, a loving husband who leaves town to pick his adolescent son Luke (Leif Garrett, Cheerleader Camp) up from military academy and take him on a hunting trip. He's a good father and loving husband, though it gave me pause when he lectures his son about how white and black folks shouldn't mingle, on one hand he's not overly forceful about it, he's calm and fatherly, but he's definitely reinforcing racial prejudice in his son, showing the insidious way that casual racism/prejudice is handed down from one generation to the next. 

Once the brother's car is repaired they along with Jenny are back on the road, heeding the Sheriff's warning they make for the county line but are waylaid when the car conks out again! Unbeknownst to them they are right near the Sheriff's home, he's out of town with his son, but his wife is home alone. They camp out for the night in a nearby barn, but that very same night sheriff's wife is brutally raped and murdered  by a pair of low-life drifters who have a real hatred of cops, once they discover she is a cop's wife they really lay into her, mostly happening off screen but it's still a harrowing scenario. 

The sheriff and his son arrive home and discover the horrific site of their violated/murdered loved one, seeing the familiar car nearby the lawman wrongly assumes the worst of the travelling trio and he goes after them with his son and shotgun in tow. The ending scenes are tense and nail-biting, taking place in and around a houseboat on the river, which I found evocative of both Cape Fear and A Bay of Blood, with little Leif Garret delivering a shocker of ending that comes to rest with a scene showcasing the futility of it all, in a way I felt the film was channeling Easy Rider to a degree, with the youth counter-culture running against the grain of the local hillbillies.

Audio/Video: Macon County Line (1974) arrives on Blu-ray from Shout! Factory imprint Shout Select looking wonderful in HD, the 1080p HD 1.85:1 widescreen image has a healthy looking grain field and visually looking quite stunning when compared to my Warner Bros. DVD from 2008. The image is crisper and cleaner, the low-budget film looks quite nice in HD with decent depth and clarity as to where the DVD was very flat and soft throughout, I wouldn't call it revelatory but is superior in all areas.

Onto the extras Shout Factory carryover the audio commentary  with late director Richard Compton )moderated by William Lustig) and the "Macon County Line: 25 Years Down The Road" featurette from the now OOP Anchor Bay DVD, items that were not featured on the Warner reissue in 2008, so it's great to have them ported over for the Blu-ray debut. Shout! in association with Cavetown Pictures  also offer up a new interview with editor Tina Hirsch who recalls flying to L.A. from New York and falling into working on some sleazy black and white Roger Corman picture, and that leading to more work and getting first on-screen credit. Meeting Richard Compton which lead to getting the editor gig on Macon County Line, and offering her own philosophies on editing, which are contrary tot he traditional rules of editing. There's also a brief image gallery of black and white promotional still and poster artwork. 

This single-disc Blu-ray comes housed in a standard Blu-ray keepcase with a 2-sided (not reversible) sleeve of artwork, a-side featuring what looks to be one of the original posters and the b-side is a scene from the film of the two brothers in the car, the disc is adorned with a scene of Cheryl Waters character waiting for a ride at the gas station.

Special Features:
- NEW Interview With Editor Tina Hirsch (22 min) HD
- Audio Commentary With Director Richard Compton moderated by Bill Lustig of Blue Underground
- Vintage Featurette – "Macon County Line: 25 Years Down The Road" (8 min) - Theatrical Trailer (2 min) HD
- Radio Spot (1 min) HD
- Image Gallery  (1 min) HD 

Macon County Line (1974) has a serious gut-punch of an ending for a movie that starts off as a free-spirited romp, it sort of comes out of nowhere and it cuts deep on all sides of the equation, tragedy spurred by ignorance and prejudices, this is one drive-in shocker that delivers the good every time, a seriously underrated drive-in flick from the 70's. 

SALEM'S LOT (1979) (Blu-ray Review)

SALEM'S LOT (1979) 

Label: Warner Bros.
Region Code: Region-FREE
Rating: PG
Duration 183 Minutes
Audio: English DTS-HD MA Mono 2.0 with Optional English Subtitles 
Video: 1080p HD Fulscreen (1.33:1) 
Director: Tobe Hooper
Cast: David Soul, James Mason, Lance Kerwin, Bonnie Bedelia, Lew Ayres, Julie Cobb, Elisha Cook Jr., George Dzundza, Ed Flanders, Clarissa Kaye-Mason, Geoffrey Lewis, Barney McFadden, Kenneth McMillan, Fred Willard, Marie Windsor 

Writer Ben Mears (David Soul) returns to his hometown of Salem's Lot, Maine to begin writing a new book, a book based on a creepy old house located on a hill overlooking the town The place is the Marsten House, a dwelling that Mears believes to be a center of evil, a place where bad things have happened and where bad things will again occur. He arrives hoping to rent the place but finds out from local realtor Larry Crockett (Fred Willard) that the old dark house has already been rented by the mysterious Richard Straker (James Mason), an British antiques dealer who is about to open a new curio shop in town, along with his elusive partner Kurt Barlow. 

With the Marsten House not available Mears sets up a room at the local boarding house run by Eva Miller (Marie Windsor). Soon after arriving Ben makes the acquaintance of an attractive young woman named Susan Norton (Bonnie Bedelia, Die Hard), the daughter of the town doc, Dr. Bill Norton (Ed Flanders), and two begin to fall in love with each other in short order. 

However, things begin to take a turn for the worse when Straker hires a pair of men to deliver a crate to the house, one of them played by 70s TV character actor Geoffrey Lewis, playing grave digger Mike Ryerson. Soon after the creepily cold crate is unloaded into the basement of the house a local kid named Ralphie Glick (Ronnie Scribner) is abducted by Straker and brought to the house as an offering to what turns out to be his vampire master, the elusive Kurt Barlow Has arrived. Now a turned into a vampire Ralphie visits his older brother Danny (Brad Savage) in the middle of the night in a scene directly lifted for by Joel Schumacher for his movie The Lost Boys. Danny succumbs to his bloodsucking brother and now both the Glick boys are vamps, with Danny infecting the gravedigger Mike Ryerson, who also begins to transform into a bloodsucker after a brief flu-like illness. 

And so the story continues the idyllic small town is overcome by vampirism as it spreads like a vampire-virus from one person to the next with only a small group of folks realizing what exactly is happening. Our main protagonists are Mears, Dr. Norton and a schoolteacher named Jason Burke (Lew Ayres), along with Mears' love interest Susan who finds herself in peril. Also brought into the melee is a young boy obsessed with horror movies and monsters, named Mark Petrie (Lance Kerwin), whose parents are killed by Barlow in a great scene that reveals the vamp in all his blue-skinned Nosferatu glory, a scene that had be covering my face in terror when I first watched it at six years old on TV with my mom. 

As a Stephen King adaptation the movie stays very true to the source material, the sprawling cast of characters is left intact, however Barlow is not the cloaked count that King had originally envisioned, more of a rat-like Nosferatu we've come to known from the F. W. Murnau classic, but it works, in fact this is one of my favorite on-screen vampires of all time, some of the make-up effects look a bit dated but I love this design. I also love the make-up work on Geoffrey Lewis when he is transitioning into a vamp, the scene of him sitting on a rocker in a darkened room with glowing eyes is still a chilling watch.

Actor David Soul certainly look more like a gym teacher than a writer, but he does good work here, though a bit on the stuff side he does the job, The standout is the creepy and gentlemanly performance of James Mason (Murder by Decree) who balances menace with British charm effortlessly, always slyly hinting at the whereabouts of his silent partner Barlow, his toying with the local Constable (Kenneth McMillan, Dune), and he is straight up terrifying when he reveals himself as an inhuman ghoul during a confrontation with Dr. Norton inside the Marsten House. In that scene Straker impales the doc on a set of antlers mounted to the wall, yet another scene lifted by 80s vamp favorite The Lost Boys. 

As a kid who loved horror it was a bit of nerd fantasy to imagine myself as the character of Mark Petrie, the boy who loved horror and whose knowledge of horror saved his life, warding off a vamp attack from the menacing Danny Glick, repelling him with a crucifix he breaks off from one of his own Aurora Horror Kits, so cool, this also brought to mind the kid from Tobe Hooper's The Funhouse (1981), who also loved horror and who survives. Tobe Hooper did good work bringing this one to the small screen, a slice of smalltown Gothic horror  laced with dread and one of the best looking bloodsuckers ever to grace the screen, big or small. Also, this is not a movie that gets mentioned nearly enough when discussing the better Stephen King adaptations or highlights from Hooper's body of directorial work, I hope this new HD release remedies that, 

Audio/Video: Salem's Lot arrives on Blu-ray for the first-time ever courtesy of Warner Bros. who present the movie in HD from the original 35mm elements and it looks great, they've gone back and presented the TV movie in the original full frame aspect ratio. Grain is nicely layered and with it you get some damn fine detail and depth to the image. I've watched this movie on a semi-regular basis for years and it has never looked that great on home video, that is until now. Audio chores on the disc are capably handled by a lossless DTS-HD MA 2.0 Mono track that is clean and nicely balanced, dialogue is crisp and the score and effects come through sharp. The score comes by way of TV composer Harry Sukman (Someone's Watching Me!) and it is damn creepy when it needs to be, way above average for a made-for-TV movie, I love the use of the oboe throughout, a nice deep and foreboding sound.

Extras on the disc are slim but appreciated, the International Theatrical Trailer and a brand new commentary from director Tobe Hooper. Those familiar with Hooper's other commentary tracks are aware that the gravel-voiced director can me a bit verbally lethargic at times with large gaps of no commentary, but he's had some thirty years to look back at his movie and does offer up some nice anecdotes about making the movie, working with Hollywood legends like Elisha Cook Jr. and James Mason in particular. 

I gladly would have plopped down a few more bucks on this one to have new interviews with the surviving cast and crew from Red Shirt Pictures of Freak-O-Rama who have been doing some great work creating extras for vintage horror movies for a wide range of niche cult and horror labels, I would have loved some more extras here. Another extra that would have been a big bonus for me would have been the inclusion of the International 2-hour cut of the movie that was shown theatrically in other territories with a few scenes not included on the TV mini series, even having those clips included as deleted scenes would have been something wonderful, as would have the option to watch it in the original two-part mini series format with opening and closing credits. Still, I am very pleased with the new A/V presentation and the new commentary, well worth the upgrade. 

Special Features:
- Feature-Length Audio Commentary by Director Tobe Hooper
- International Theatrical Trailer

Tobe Hooper's TV adaptation of Stephen King's Salem's Lot holds up very well after all these years, a top-notch Gothic horror entry that while a bit on the dated side from time to time is suspenseful and full of creeping dread. The TV movie is certainly tame by modern horror standards of gore and bloodshed but still offers up a bunch of Gothic chills for horror fans who love a nice slow build up, this is effective stuff. The new transfer looks and sounds fantastic on Blu-ray, a high recommend that you make this part of your October viewing in the lead-up to Halloween. 

Blu-ray Review: NIGHT OF THE COMET (1984)

NIGHT OF THE COMET (1984) 
Collector's Edition Blu-ray+DVD Combo

Label: Scream Factory / Shout! Factory
Region Code: A
Rating: PG-13
Duration: 95 Minutes
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono with Optional English SDH Subtitles
Video: 1080p Widescreen (1.78;1)
Director: Thom Eberhardt
Cast: Robert Beltran, Catherine Mary Stewart, Kelli Maroney, Sharon Farreel, Mary Wornov, Geoffrey Lewis
Tagline: It Was the Last Thing on Earth They Ever Expected.

Night of the Comet (1984) at it's core pretty much boils down to The Last Man of Earth (1963) by way of Valley Girl (1983) starring the super-cute duo of Catherine Mary Stewart (The Last Starfighter)  and Kelli Maroney (Chopping Mall) as teenage sisters who wake up the morning after the Earthis buzzed by a strange comet to discover that pretty much everyone else have been reduced to a pile of red dust. Oh boy, and the few remaining survivors have been infected by the effects of the comet and are becoming violent zombified maniacs that our totally awesome valley girls must face-off against to survive. If that brief synopsis sounds a bit goofy let me assure you that it really is but it's a lot of cheesy 80's fun. 

Maroney and Stewart do a great job as the sisters, they come across as believable with the expected quarreling and worrying for each other, plus they're super cute, the relationship is the centerpiece of the movie and what drives it. As a kid watching it on TV I was totally in love with these girls, they kicked my burgeoning hormones into top gear of you know what I mean, boner city. The older sister Reggie works at the local cinema (the famous El Ray) and her film projectionist boyfriend Larry (Michael Bowen) deals prints of obscure sci-fi films out the back door of the theater. I loved how Reggie is obsessed with keeping the high scores on the Tempest video game in the theater lobby, it's such an 80's thing, I myself had a similar addiction to the Galaga arcade game at the local five and dime. Younger sister Sam is a bratty blond cutey, decked out in a cheerleader outfit, there's just nothing I didn't like about that. 

During their end-of-the-world travels the sisters encounter another survivor at the local radio station, a young truck driver named Hector (Robert Bertrand, Eating Raoul). After a rough start the trio team-up and the sisters argue over who has dibs on the seemingly last man on Earth. Not too long after they encounter a group of scientist from a secret underground base and it seems they've been rescued, but of course the scientist have ulterior motives and want the teens blood to save their own skins, no surprise there, once I spotted sinister character actor Geoffrey Lewis (Salem's Lot) I knew something was wrong. One of the scientist named Audrey (Mary Warnov, The House of the Devil) is more sympathetic to the teens survival, while she doesn't get a lot of screen time she makes the most it, her scene with Hector at the radio station is memorably dark and poignant. 

The writing from director/writer Thom Eberhardt (Captain Ron) is very good, this is a funny script that doesn't stoop to ridiculous levels of camp, it's littered with fun Easter eggs for genre fans. The setting is great, the eerily empty L.A. streets with a red-tinted sky definitely sets a tone, the effects are very lo-fi but they work. Other than some cool zombie make-up effects from David B. Miller there's not a lot of special effects work here which helps not date the film, but there are some truly awful 8-bit light show in the sky effects as the comet passes which is vintage 80's cheese, just awful, also be on the lookout for some LA window washers in one shot who shouldn't be there.

Maybe the effects aren't dated but pretty much everything else about the film screams early 80's with no shortage of period fashions, neon lighting, the Tempest video game, those old Diet Pepsi cans and of course Kelli Maroney's wonderful valley girl affectations, it was a real blast from the past, if you're nostalgic for the 80's this should satisfy all your cravings and then some. 

The score from composer David Richard Campbell (All The Right Moves) is weirdly awkward, and while it's certainly 80's is pretty cheesy. Worse yet are the synth-pop tunes that pop up from time to time, the only respite comes in the form of Tami Holbrook's very decent cover of Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" which blasts during an apocalyptic shopping spree at, where else, the mall. 

It's a goofy sci-fi film that comes with a lot of nostalgia for this reviewer, it was plastered on the cable networks throughout the 80's and I have fond memories of it, and while I can appreciate how this might fall a bit flat for a younger, modern audience I think this one still offers a lot of bang for the buck and Scream Factory's Blu-ray+DVD combo has some great features. 

Blu-ray:  Night of the Comet (1984) comes to Blu-ray from Shout! Factory imprint Scream Factory with a 1080p hi-def transfer in (1.78:1) widescreen and like a lot of cheapies shot on shitty 1980's film stock it's not exactly overwhelming, colors are nicely saturated and look accurate but can be soft from time to time and lacking the clarity and richness of a modern presentation, but that's to be expected and Scream Factory have done a fine job with what they had to work with, there's a nice layer of film grain intact and while the source material does show some minor dirt, speckling and grit throughout it's very watchable and a step-up from the previous DVD. 

Audio options include DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 with optional English SDH subtitles. The 5.1 offers some very cosmetic immersion from time to time, it's front heavy and did not blow me away, I actually preferred the 2.0. Whichever option you choose the dialogue comes through strong alongside the effects and (awful) score, no distortions, a very clean presentation. 

Scream Factory have done a great job with the extras on this edition with three audio commentaries! We have brand-new commentaries Writer/Director Thom Eberhardt, Stars Kelli Maroney and Catherine Mary Stewart and Production Designer John Muto all moderated by Michael Felsher of Red Shirt Pictures. The commentaries with Eberhardt and stars Maroney and Stewart are fantastic and full of anecdotal behind-the-scenes info, fun stuff.  The commentary with Muto is a bit more on the technical side and pretty interesting and recommended to anyone with an more than a passing interest in what happens behind the scenes on a low budget film set. 

There's a handful of newly produced featurettes with video interviews with stars  Kelli Maroney and Catherine Mary Stewart, Robert Beltran and Special Make-Up Effects Creator David B. Miller adding up to just over 32 minutes, it's fun stuff. 

Bertrand speaks about taking the role following Eating Raoul (1986) and recommending Warnov to the producers. He didn't much care for initially but loved the idea that the last guy on Earth was Chicano, he speaks about making changes to the character and fighting to maintain the integrity of the role.

Maroney and Stewart are still cuties today and offer up some fun memories of the shoot and working together to form a real camaraderie on set, what it was like to be a working actor in LA in the 80's, early morning and xmas shoots, the reception of the film and it's cult status in the age of the internet. 

Special Make-Up Effects Creator David B. Miller recalls what a great year he was having at the time following his work on Michael Jackson's "Thriller" video with make-up master Rick Baker and working on this b-movie out of his one car garage, this was his first solo outing as a special effects make-up artist. 

Finishing up the extras we have a theatrical trailer and photo galleries with over 100 images from the film, a slipcover with new artwork from David Levine, who's done some great artwork for Scream Factory including Funhouse (1981) and The Burning (1981), a reversible sleeve of artwork with Levine's and the original theatrical artwork plus a standard-def DVD disc featuring the same set of extras. 

Special Features:
- Audio Commentary with Writer/Director Thom Eberhardt
- Audio Commentary with Stars Kelli Maroney and Catherine Mary Stewart
- Audio Commentary with Production Designer John Muto
- Valley Girls At The End Of The World – Interviews with Stars Kelli Maroney and Catherine Mary Stewart (14:59)
- The Last Man On Earth? – An Interview with Actor Robert Beltran (12:32)
- Curse of the Comet – An Interview with Special Make-Up Effects Creator David B. Miller (6:32)
- Film Photo Gallery (3:27)  

- Behind the Scenes Gallery (5:02) 

- Theatrical Trailer (1:14)

Verdict: Night of the Comet (1984) is a fun sci-fi mash-up thrown into the neon-blender of the early 80's which riffs on quite a few films including Romero's Dawn of the Dead (1978). It's not a horror film but it has elements that will appeal to fans of horror, I would place this firmly in-between Chopping Mall (1986) and Terrorvision (1986) as a goofy 80's science fiction entry, a nice slice of 80's cheese and Scream Factory's new Blu-ray is stuffed with some great extras, a recommend. 3 Outta 5