SUPERSTITION (1982) (Scream Factory Blu-ray Review)

SUPERSTITION (1982) 

Label: Scream Factory
Region Code: A
Rating: PG
Duration: 85 Minutes 
Audio: English DTS-HD MA Mono with Optional English Subtitles 
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1) 
Director: James W. Roberson
Cast: James Houghton, Albert Salmi, Lynn Carlin, Larry Pennell, Billy Jacoby

Supernatural-slasher film Superstition begins in a way that rings of a thousand other cheap 80's slasher, with a teen couple is making out in a parked car near an infamous abandoned property. The horny guy is trying his darnedest to get in a young ladies panties when they are interrupted by a cheap fright gag set upon them by a pair of goofy teen pranksters, which sends them fleeing the scene at high speed. We catch up with one of the pranksters who is beyond pleased with how well his fright gag went, going back inside the abandoned house on the property to find his partner in crime. After searching around the spooky house for a bit he finds his friend's decapitated head in an apparently haunted microwave, with it turning on before the head blows-up with a nice cheap gore-gag. Scared witless he attempts to escape through an open window but manages to get stuck in it, then he is gutted by someone unseen and sliced in half, his torso falling out the window to the ground below, his twitching legs falling to the floor of the house. 

We come to find out that the house is owned by the local church, but the county hates the place, it being a popular make-out spot for teens, and the pond on the property has claimed the lives of a few skinny-dippers through the years... oh, and it's also the spot where a witch was executed in the 1690s, and there's been a curse on the pace ever since, with all the families who have lived there coming to a grisly end. The cops via Inspector Sturgess (Albert Salmi, Dragonslayer) and his short-lived partner, investigate the murders and suspect the properties simple-minded caretaker Arlen (Josh Cadman, The Sure Thing) who lives on the property in a guest house with his witchy mother Elvira (Jacqueline Hyde, The Dark).

After the most recent murders the county wants to tear the place down, but the ever-optimistic new priest Reverend David Thompson (James Houghton, More American Graffiti) thinks the place just needs a new coat of paint and the place will be as right as rain. The home's new occupants are an alcoholic priest George Leahy (Larry Pennell, Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared-Syn) and his family; wife Melinda (Lynn Carlin, Deathdream), nice daughter Anne, bitchy daughter Sheryl, and son Justine, played by Billy Jacoby, the evil kid with the hand-cannon in Bloody Birthday (1981)! 

It doesn't take long for weird stuff to start happening, or continue happening, beginning with one of the daughters taking a swim in the pond on the property and emerging from the water with a severed arm grasping her ankle. Perhaps the standout bit of business after the cool opening of the film is when during repairs to the home a circular-saw blade is separated from it's mount and skips across the room tearing it's way through the chest of the visiting Reverend Maier (Stacy Keach Sr., Saturday the 14th), it's a grisly death that is both awesome and completely overwrought and silly, which is sort of a thing you can say about this whole film.  

The film has some lo-fi spunk about it, a supernatural slasher film with some good gore-gags, from the likes William Munns, David B. Miller among others. It can be a bit cheap-looking at times but it's all in good fun. Evidence of this low-rent approach comes when the demonic-looking witch haunting the house is represented by a shadowy figure, with a voice that sounds uncannily like a deadite from Evil Dead, that is largely unseen except for a pair of black arms with claws. These blackened appendages do most of the killing in the film, most of which largely happens off screen, though we do get a cool-looking stake being driven through the bitchy daughters forehead, and what the film lacks in visceral gore I think is made up for with some good atmosphere throughout the film. Some of thew silliness of the film come when the deaths start happening, you have to wonder why he fudge this family isn't fleeing the house in fright, but this sort of logic-bending weirdness is part and parcel of these sort of films. Lack of logic and gore aside there are some other cool touches that I though were interesting as well, including a creepy blonde girl that sort of shows up randomly throughout the film in a Fulci's The House by The Cemetery sort of way, and some fun colored-lighting choices that give the film a Mario Bava aesthetic, plus seeing Billy Jacoby from Bloody Birthday was pretty cool, even if his death happens in the dark of the basement and you can't really see what happened to him. 

The film has a regional horror feel about, bringing to mind The Evil (1978) and The Unnameable (1988) in addition channeling The Amityville Horror (1979), among a few other classics of the genre. It's not original by any means but it has enough cool stuff happening throughout for me to say this is a bit of a minor 80's gem, glad to see it getting a spiffy new release from Scream Factory.  

Audio/Video: Superstition (1982) debuts on Blu-ray from Scream Factory benefiting from a 2K scan from original film elements. The source - or sources - used to create the HD master looks solid, with only some minor speckling and scratches throughout. The grain is well-managed, looking natural, with good clarity and colors throughout, with the black levels coming in strong. 

Audio comes by way of an English DTS-HD MA 2.0 mix which is clean and strong sounding. The somewhat annoying score from Dave Gibney which seems to cop from The Omen also has some nice life in the mix. 

While this is not a branded Scream Factory Collector's Edition we do get two brand new interviews adding up to nearly an hour's wotth of stuff, beginning with actor James Houghton who shows up for a 30-min interview that covers a lot of ground, including his Hollywood family, his father being big-time producer Buck Houghton, growing up in the industry surrounded by big name actors on large Hollywood sets. He comes around to this film speaking highly of the director, saying he thinks it was a wise decision to keep things a bit vague, and his own feelings about the finished film. He also goes into what it was like working with a veteran Hollywood pro like Stacy Keach Sr., and touching on some details about the bloody, buzz-saw death scene. 

Director James Roberson appears for a 24-min interview beginning by reflecting on his early career in film, eventually coming around to writing the screenplay for Superstition, going into the special effects from William Munn and his team, and going into the changes made from the original version of the film during the editing process, as well as touching on the film's theatrical release and the cult-status it attained on home video through the years, much to his surprise. 

The disc is buttoned-up with a TV and a theatrical trailer for the film. The single-disc release comes housed in a standard Blu-ray keepcase with reversible sleeve of artwork featuring what I believe are video release artwork options. 

  Special Features: 
- NEW 2K scan from the original film elements
- NEW That Crazy Witchcraft -an interview with director James Roberson (24 min) HD 
- NEW Lake of Fire – an interview with actor James Houghton (30 min) HD 
- Theatrical Trailer (2 min) 
- TV Spot (1 min) 

Superstition (1982) is a gem of an 80's supernatural-slasher film despite it being uneven and far from perfect, it's a title that's been a bit hard to come by on home video for awhile so it's good to see it spiffied up with a great looking Blu-ray with some cool extras that go behind-the-scenes and give some cool insights into the making of it. 

DEATHDREAM (1974) (Blue Underground Blu-ray Review)

DEATHDREAM (1974)
2-Disc Limited Collector's Edition Blu-ray/DVD

Label: Blue Underground 
Duration: 88 Minutes 
Rating: R
Region Code: Region-FREE
Video: 1080P HD Widescreen (1.85:1)
Audio: English DTS-HD MA Mono with Optional English SDH, French, Spanish Subtitles
Director: Bob Clark 
Cast: John Marley, Lynn Carlin, Richard Backus, Anya Ormsby,  Henderson Forsythe 

Deathdream (1974) (aka Dead of Night) is directed by the late Bob Clark (Porky's, A Christmas Story), written Alan Ormsby (Deranged), and was part of a trio of horror films Clark directed, this coming right in between Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things (1972) and the seminal-slasher Black Christmas (1974). In this chilly anti-war horror film we have the Brooks family gathered around the dinner table, we have father Charles (John Marley, The Godfather), mother Christine (Lynn Carlin, Faces), and teen daughter Cathy (Anya Ormsby, Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things), when there's an ominous knock at the door, which turns out to be an Army recruiter delivering the worse news imaginable, that their son Andy (Richard Backus) has died serving his country in Vietnam. 

Everyone is devastated but the mother Lynn refuses to accept this horrible truth, sitting alone in a room with a candle in the dark whispering that her son cannot be dead. Later that night a noise in the house awakens the family, and they are surprised to find Andy has come home, his mother's wishes seem to have come true. It seems that the military had been mistaken, but the Andy before them turns out not to be the same young man they remember, in what turns out to be a waking nightmare. 

The film is an obvious allegory for PTSD and the war being fought at home during the Vietnam era, Clark and Ormsby crafted a haunting examination of how war changes a person and how sometimes families struggle with the return of loved one, who are changed in sometimes dramatic ways. Andy is very subdued and spends hours alone in his room in a rocking chair, his emotions are erratic, scaring the neighborhood kids when he strangles the family dog, and the family physician Doctor Allman (Henderson Forsythe) begins to suspect Andy in the murder of a truck driver who was found dead, his throat ripped open and his body drained of blood. There's a scene of Andy visiting the doctor, allowing him to examine him before he kills him, using a syringe to drain the doc's blood, afterward he ties off his arm and injects the blood into his veins like an addict shooting heroin, which was another affliction facing returning vet's in the 70's looking to numb themselves to the horrors they had experienced. 

The returning vet experience is exaggerated here to a degree as Andy turns out to be a ghoul of sorts, requiring human blood to live and apparently stave off the rot of being dead, he seems sort of like a zombie with a blood lust, and when he doesn't get his transfusion blood terrible things happen, like when he goes on a double-date to the local drive-in, a strange brown liquid begins to leak from his head, his eyes and skin begin to change, his appetite for blood no longer deniable he kills his ex-girlfriend in the backseat of the car and then goes after his own sister, killing her boyfriend before driving off, running down another victim with the car in the process. As his father and sister fully come to realize Andy is a killer Mom clings to her son with desperation, leading up to a chilly and poignant final scene

Deathdream has a creepy vibe that permeates from the opening scene to the final, it's not the most lively horror film but it's one that gets under the skin, and was one of the first to address the issue of Vietnam, though it's doesn't ever mention the war by name, it is steeped in it nonetheless. The special effects in the film were done by script-writer by Alan Ormsby who was assisted by a young Tom Savini (The Burning), this being Savini's first job on a film. As the film wears on Andy becomes a bit more zombie-looking, his skin becoming flaky and mottled, his eyes strangely discolored, and towards the end you can see bit of his skull exposed through his thinning skin, it's low-budget but very well-done, it definitely look more like Ormsby's work on Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things (1972) than it does any of Savini's later work.

The movie has an eerie score from Carl Zittrer (Black Christmas)that enhances the atmosphere, a piano/string score used sparsely and effectively, some of the odd strained-piano strings sounds got under my skin, deepening the dread, a ploy he uses on Black Christmas as well.   

Audio/Video: Deathdream (1974) arrives on Blu-ray/DVD Combo from Blue Underground, upgrading their previous DVD release with a brand new 2K restoration sourced from the original 35mm negative, presented in 1.85:1 widescreen, and baring the Dead of Night alternate title. I believe the film was shot on 16mm and blown-up to 35mm for theatrical, so the source-inherent grain is still an issue here, particularly during the darker/night scenes, but it is better resolved. Colors are improved, the green-hue from the DVD is gone, flesh tones look more natural, and the black levels are deeper and more consistent. Audio on the main feature comes by way of an English DTS-HD MA 2.0 Mono track which sounds good within the limitations of the modest production, but dialogue and effects are well-balanced, the atmospheric and minimal score from  Carl Zittrer (Black Christmas) comes through strong, optional English subtitles are provided. 

Onto the extras Blue Underground carry-over nearly all the extras from their 2004 DVD, this includes the two audio commentaries, one with Co-Producer/Director Bob Clark and  a second with Writer/Make-Up Artist Alan Ormsby, both moderated by David Gregory. We also get the vintage interviews with Tom Savini and actor Richard Backus, the alternate opening title sequence with the "Deathdream" title, a theatrical trailer. Not included is the 3-minute extended ending sequence, and with good reason, the main feature is the even longer  version with the omitted dialogue from Andy's mom saying, "Andy's home, sometimes they never come home", which was not included on the extended ending extra on the DVD. 

Onto the new extras we get an a half hour interview with star Anya Liffey and Writer/Make-Up Artist Alan Ormsby, who speak about Ormsby's early student films, meeting Bob Clark and teaming-up with him on Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things, including shooting it in sweltering Miami, and recruiting drunk/stoner-hippies from the park to be zombies. Ormsby also goes into writing Deathdream, wanting to make a anti-war horror film, his various inspirations, and casting the film - with the nugget that Christopher Walken auditioned for the role of Andy - but he was too weird! They also discuss working with the cast of the film, remembering John Marley as a consummate professional, a few quirks actress about Lynn Carlin, and working with Tom Savini. There's also discussion of how the movie was received, and next going on to co-direct Deranged (1974). It ends with Ormsby going into creating the Hugo - The Man with the Thousand Faces doll which he pitched to Kenner toys and was produced for a short time, and his Movie Monsters book published by Scholastic.   

There's also a new interview with composer Carl Zittrer who interestingly discusses how the film failed to find an audience because of the various title changes, he of course also discusses his score, the placement of music in the film and even playing some selections from the score on piano during the interview. Production Manager John ‘Bud’ Cardos, a director in his own right, having directed Kingdom of the Spiders (1977) and The Dark (1979), also shows up for a brief interview discussing his time on the film, interacting with Bob Clark and John Marley, and creating some of the special effects work during the early 'Nam scene and the car chase at the end. We also get 12-minutes of screen test footage showing actor Gary Swanson (Vice Squad) in the role of Andy, which would have been a very different film, and a ten-min black and white student film of Ormsby, the tale of a black man accused of rape, which was very affecting. We also get an expanded image gallery with posters from various territories under numerous titles and the US press book. There's also a trio of ester eggs to be found, we get Alan Ormsby showing some prosthetic appliances used in the films, an Orgy of the Living Dead TV Spot, and a TV spot for the Hugo: Man of a Thousand Faces doll. 

This 2-disc Blu-ray/DVD release comes housed in a clear Criterion-style Scanavo case, with a sleeve of reversible artwork featuring the Deathdream poster on the a-side and the alternate Dead of Night poster on the b-side. The disc themselves feature the same two artwork options, but both have the Deathdream logo. Of note the Deathream poster art make the film look like a 70's Italian cop-thriller mashed-up with a black-glove giallo, which speaks to the strange marketing campaign for the film under various titles, none of which seemed to land with theater goers at the time. We also get a 20-page booklet with an insightful new essay by critic Travis Crawford, also containing cast ad crew information, and chapter selection. 

Special Features:  
- Audio Commentary with Co-Producer/Director Bob Clark
- Audio Commentary with Writer/Make-Up Artist (Uncredited) Alan Ormsby
- NEW! A Recollection With Star Anya Liffey and Writer/Make-Up Artist Alan Ormsby (29 min) HD 
- NEW! Notes For A Homecoming – Interview with Composer Carl Zittrer (19 min) HD 
- NEW! Flying Down To Brooksville – Interview with Production Manager John ‘Bud’ Cardos (5 min) 
- Tom Savini: The Early Years (10 min) 
- Deathdreaming – Interview with Star Richard Backus (12 min) 
- Alternate Opening Titles (3 min) 
- Theatrical Trailer (4 min) 
- NEW! Screen Test with original Andy, Gary Swanson (13 min) 
- NEW! Expanded Still Galleries
- NEW! Alan Ormsby Student Film (10 min) 
- EASTER EGG: Orgy of the Living Dead TV Spot (1 min) HD
- EASTER EGG: Alan Ormsby Make-Up Outtake (1 min) 
- EASTER EGG: Hugo TV Spot (2 min) HD  
- Collectible Booklet with new essay by critic Travis Crawford (First Pressing Only!)
- WORLD PREMIERE of brand new 2K restoration from the 35mm negative in its most complete version ever!

This was one of my most anticipated releases of the year and it did not disappoint, the movie gets better with each watch, a haunting anti-war film that leaves quite an impression, and one that could have been very exploitative, but it's handled with a deft touch, all things considered. This 2-disc collector's edition from Blue Underground offers the most complete/longest version on home video, and the the new 2K restoration looks fantastic, plus we get some great extras, highly recommended, this surpassed by expectations!

Blue Underground detail their 2K restoration of Bob Clark's DEATHDREAM (1974)

Blue Underground have announced the final details for their 2K restoration of Bob Clark's DEATHDREAM (aka DEAD OF NIGHT). The Deluxe Limited Edition of Bob Clark's critically-acclaimed zombie shocker will be unleashed on Blu-ray November 28th! This version is the longest version available, including a longer ending not included on the original Blue Underground DVD release, plus loads of new extras!  

DEATHDREAM (1974) 
2-Disc Limited Collector's Edition Blu-ray/DVD

Label: Blue Underground 
Duration: 88 Minutes 
Rating: R
Region Code: Region-FREE
Video: 1080P HD Widescreen (1.85:1)
Audio: English DTS-HD MA Mono with Optional English SDH, French, Spanish Subtitles
Director: Bob Clark 
Cast: John Marley, Lynn Carlin, Richard Backus 

SOMETHING UNSPEAKABLE HAS COME HOME

In this shattering variation on “The Monkey’s Paw,” grief-stricken suburban parents (Academy Award® nominees John Marley of THE GODFATHER and Lynn Carlin of FACES) refuse to accept the news that their son Andy (Richard Backus) has been killed in Vietnam. But when Andy returns home soon after, something may be horribly wrong: Andy is alive and well… or is he? Produced and directed by Bob Clark (BLACK CHRISTMAS) and written by Alan Ormsby (DERANGED), DEATHDREAM was one of the very first films to confront the domestic ravages of the Vietnam War. More than forty years later, it remains one of the most chilling horror films of all time.

DEATHDREAM was released under several different titles, including DEAD OF NIGHT, THE NIGHT WALK and THE NIGHT ANDY CAME HOME, and marked the grisly debut of gore effects legend Tom Savini (DAWN OF THE DEAD). Blue Underground is proud to present this acclaimed zombie shocker in a new 2K restoration from the 35mm negative in its most complete version ever, along with original and brand-new Extras exclusive to this release!

Special Features:  
- Audio Commentary #1 with Co-Producer/Director Bob Clark
- Audio Commentary #2 with Writer/Make-Up Artist (Uncredited) Alan Ormsby
- NEW! A Recollection With Star Anya Liffey and Writer/Make-Up Artist Alan Ormsby
- NEW! Notes For A Homecoming – Interview with Composer Carl Zittrer
- NEW! Flying Down To Brooksville – Interview with Production Manager John ‘Bud’ Cardos
- Tom Savini: The Early Years
- Deathdreaming – Interview with Star Richard Backus
- Alternate Opening Titles
- Theatrical Trailer
- NEW! Expanded Still Galleries
- NEW! Alan Ormsby Student Film
- BONUS Collectable Booklet with new essay by critic Travis Crawford (First Pressing Only!)
- WORLD PREMIERE of brand new 2K restoration from the 35mm negative in its most complete version ever!
- EXCLUSIVE LIMITED COLLECTOR'S EDITION includes Blu-ray, DVD, bonus collectable booklet, reversible "Dead of Night" artwork, and special packaging