Blu-ray Review: ZAAT (1971)

ZAAT (1971)

Blu-ray +DVD Combo

Label: Film Chest
Region Code: [Blu-ray] A [DVD] 0 NTSC
Rating:  Not Rated
Duration: 100 Minutes
Video: 16:9 Widescreen (1.78:1)
Audio: English Dolby Digital 2.0 with Spanish Subtitles
Director: Don Barton
Cast: Marshall Grauer, Sanna Ringhaver, Dave Dickerson, Gerald Cruse, Archie Valliere, Nancy Lien.
Tagline: Taking Cult to a Whole New Level … You Can’t Keep a Bad Monster Down!

HD Cinema Classics in conjunction with Film Chest and Cultra continue to bring fans of cult and schlock cinema "the best (and worst) of cult cinema, a cinematic cesspool of films that are surreal, eccentric, controversial, comical and scary but ultimately engaging and entertaining". They've proven true to their words with digital remastered Blu-ray/DVD combos of cult films like the Roger Corman b-movie classic THE TERROR (1963), the bizarre talking-chimp oddity CARNIVAL MAGIC (1981) and the demented sleazefest POOR PRETTY EDDIE (1975). These guys obviously love their cult cinema and they continue their streak by unearthing yet another drive-in cult classic from the dustbins of obscurity. This time it's the apparently much sought-after ’70s schlock-fest ZAAT (1971) which is also known by the alternate title of THE BLOOD WATERS OF DR. Z. Like POOR PRETTY EDDIE before it I cannot say I've ever heard whispers of this 70's drive-in relic before watching this Blu-ray but I can tell you now that I've seen it I will never forget it, some things just cannot be unwatched.

In this zany 70's b-movie creature feature an obsessed former Nazi scientist (naturally), Dr. Kurt Leopold (Marshall Grauer) is a man scorned by his scientific peers when he becomes obsessed with transforming humans into fish using a toxic compound he calls Zaat. Disavowed by the scientific community the Dr. isolates himself in a marine lab outside of Cypress Groves, Florida he proves the naysayers wrong by actually transforming himself into an amphibious creature (played by Wade Popwell) that is part man, part walking catfish. That's right, 1/2 man 1/2 catfish and 100% ridiculous right down to the green feather boa trim of the costume, the creature from the black lagoon this most certainly is not. Bent on revenge the creature concocts a corny scheme to turn the tables on humanity by polluting the rivers with the Zaat compound in an effort to mutate the aquatic wildlife into over sized human-flesh crazed fish - now that's a plan and a half right there and it makes for one Hell of a silly 70's drive-in schlockfest.

All that stands in the way between the diabolical doctor and the total destruction of Cypress Groves and possibly the world is a small town sheriff (Paul Galloway) and a young African-American biologist (Gerald Cruse) who the Sheriff refers to as "boy" more than one would like to hear but hey it's 70's exploitation cinema, whattya gonna do. They have a good rapport but the nickname definitely makes your skin crawl especially when coming from a Southern-fried good-old-boy like the rotund sheriff. The duo also receive assistance pursuing the catfish creature with help from a couple of pre-X-FILES styled agents of the paranormal (Sanna Ringhaver, Dave Dickerson) from the Inter-Nations Phenomenon Investigations Team (INPIT) who show up in a snazzy RV towing a trailer with a neat-o amphibious vehicle.

ZAAT is a schlocky sight to behold, inept as it is it's quite watchable and I have to give it a recommend to others who crave a few reels of bad 70's cinema, this is fun stuff. Corny revenge, some cool underwater shots, the largest hypedermic needle I've ever seen, the creature's attempt to transform a few beauties into mate, it's weird and wacky stuff, the type of shenanigans that goes great with a couch full of drunk friends and some frosty beers, watching it alone just seems like a bad idea you're gonna need back-up on this one.


Blu-ray: ZAAT is digitally remastered in 1080p HD and transferred from original 35mm elements. The 16:9 Widescreen presentation is actually quite attractive with some decent depth and clarity for a obscure 70's drive-in film previously thought lost. There's some nice detail throughout and some film grain left intact despite some Digital Noise Reduction. Colors look great, the restoration included a nice color correction and the green and reds particularly pop onscreen. Overall the film really exceeds my expectations visually, a nice restoration for this schlocky creature feature rarity.


On the audio front HD Cinema Classics again have chose not to go the losses audio route and have included only an English language Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack which is quite the stellar example of fidelity but it relatively clean if unimpressive.

Special features include a fun commentary from director Don Barton, co-writer Ron Kivett, actor Paul Galloway which is moderated by film historian ED Tucker, it's a great chatty interview that's not so much scene specific as just a lively discussion about the film and it's participants, a thoroughly enjoyable commentary. We also get a theatrical trailer and TV spots, outtakes, a gallery, movie art postcard, restoration demo and a 2001 audio-only radio interview with Wade Popwell and Ed Tucker recorded during the film’s 30th anniversary.

Special Features:
- Audio Commentary with Don Barton, co-writer Ron Kivett, actor Paul Galloway and film historian Ed Tucker
- 35mm Theatrical Trailer (2:34) 16:9
- Television Spots (1:15) 4:3
- Outtakes (3:53) 4:3
- Radio Interview with Wade Popwell and Ed Tucker
- Before-and-After Restoration Demo (1:06) 16:9
- Original movie art postcard
- Photo Gallery (8:10)
- DVD of the film with Special Features

Verdict: Lovers of 70's drive-in schlock rejoice, as cheese-tastic man-in-suits creature features go this is pretty great, a real treat for the bad cinema enthusiasts and it would make a fantastic double feature with THE CRATER LAKE MONSTER (1977). Definitely a film that's just so bad it's good and in the best possible way, fun stuff. 2.5 outta 5

http://www.filmchest.com/

DVD Review: FRAT HOUSE MASSACRE (2008)

FRAT HOUSE MASSACRE (2008)

LABEL: Synapse Films
REGION CODE: Region FREE NTSC
RATING: Unrated
DURATION: 116 mins
VIDEO: Anamorphic Widescreen (1.78:1)
AUDIO: English Dolby Digital 5.1
DIRECTOR: Alex Pucci
CAST: Rane Jameson, Chris Prangley, Jon Fleming, Niki Rubin

FRAT HOUSE MASSACRE is a retro-revenge-exploitation film with slasher elements set in the year 1978, a very fine year indeed for slasher films. Sean (Chris Prangley) is a proud member of the Delta Iota Epsilon (ΔIE) fraternity at Newcombe University. He's super-excited (maybe too much so) that his younger brother Bobby (Rane Jameson, SKULL HEADS) has just graduated high school and plans to attend Newcombe and pledge Delta Iota Epsilon but when Bobby falls into a coma following a car accident Sean returns to school and ΔIE without the camaraderie of his brother.

Back at the ΔIE fraternity house we meet the coked-out frat president Mark (Jon Fleming of TVs WILL AND GRACE) who presides over a series of brutal cocaine and alcohol fueled hazing rituals which usually end in the death of freshman pledges who are then fed to ravenous pigs at an out of the way farm. It really made me wonder why Sean was so juiced about his bro joining the frat in the first place. Well, it seems not everyone in the frat is aware of the murderous hazing rituals and when Sean voices concern over the "missing" pledges the frat officers stage his demise, drowning him in a waterfall of alcohol and feeding his corpse to the sows.

At the very moment Sean exhales his final breath younger brother Bobby suddenly awakens from his months long coma and has the urge to attend his now missing brother's fraternity in an attempt to get to the bottom of the mystery. Bobby quickly works his way up the ranks of ΔIE demonstrating his propensity for violence which pleases frat president Mark and his sadistic entourage. It's not long before frat house officers are being dispatched in grisly fashion nearly as quickly as freshman pledges are reported "missing" leading to a blood-soaked disco-themed frat party that truly earns the film it's title. The disco scenes are PROM NIGHT worthy, garishly fun stuff. The film's not hard to predict, but there's a nice twist at the end of the film.

There's some great dark humor throughout the film of the blackest variety, definitely a biting send-up of Greek culture and the stereotypical frat boy mentality. We get some awesomely bad frat-guy sex talk ("it hurts!", "Cuz I'm so fucking big, right?", "No, it's your pelvic bone") from a guy named "Moose" who hold his hands to his head to emulate his namesake at the moment of his creamy climax and there's a pervy frat guy who peeps his Greek brothers sexual conquests while he beats off, the sexuality in the film is quite perverse.

The film has a supernatural element and definite slasher tendencies but what the film really excels at is the exploration of frat culture, exaggerated though it may be, the twisted depravity of fraternity hazing at it's most extreme is being exploited to it's fullest with brutal hazings, savage beatings, a FIGHT CLUB styled tournament and two pledges whom are gassed with a caustic chemical in the shower while the frat howls with glee from outside the stall as they they die in agony, very harsh. The DVD case claims the film is purportedly based on actual events and while I cannot confirm this it's not outside the realm of reality.

The film is front loaded with some fun  gore and tons of nubile co-eds leaving nothing to our imagination. On the other side there's no shortage of strapping young men, the film definitely has some none too subtle homoerotic leanings. I guess it would be hard-pressed not to with so many scenes of beefcake frat boys gathered in the basement hazing nearly naked and vulnerable pledges, it's almost a forgone conclusion and that's before we see one of 'em beating off to the other's sexual conquests. 

Set in the late-70's the film has a very cool retro-slasher aesthetic that should please most fans of the genre, a very authentic vibe with great attention to detail. There's none of that faux grindhouse digital print damage we've seen so much of over the past few years, just naturally grainy 16mm film. I was reminded of Ti West's THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL in the best possible way. I didn't notice any glaring anachronistic foibles so good on Pucci and his crew for pulling that off, I wasn't taken out of the film once.

The acting is pretty decent with standout performances from Niki Rubin (ZOMBIES ANONYMOUS) as the promiscuous girlfriend of the lunkheaded Moose who in one of my favorite scenes pleads with the frat guys not to stop a sexed-up prank against a doomed pledge until she comes, very funny. Rane Jameson as the vengeful brother Bobby also turns in a very solid performance. I would point out that there aren't a ton of sympathetic characters here to root for, everyone is pretty much a bastard to some degree, so much the better to cheer their demise.

I have to say that the few qualms I have with the film are few but not insubstantial. The first is the length of the film. At nearly two hours the film has some real pacing issues and needed some tightening-up, in my opinion the perfect slasher film falls within the 88-93 minute mark, that goes for horror in general. That said this is the director's cut of the film containing over twenty minutes of additional footage, it's quite likely the theatrical cut may have run a bit smoother. Secondly, the kills are a bit redundant, while we get a mix of some cool practical prosthetic work it does get a bit repetitive after a while, particularly at nearly two hours. That said, there's some great stabbings, slashings, axings, a pitchfork through the face, a de-braining, some Fulci-esque eye gouging and a gore-riffic bifurcation, not too shabby.

DVD: Presented in anamorphic widecreen (1.78:1) the transfer of the film looks very good, if not overly sharp. The film having been shot on 16mm has a grainy appearance that is both appropriate and aesthetically pleasing. Colors look good, black levels are decent, skin tones look natural and there's not much in the way of print damage to discuss other than the occasional speck. The film grain is present but never a nuisance, very natural and film like in it's presentation. The lone audio option is an English Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound track and it's a pretty good one, too. For better or worse there's a pumping disco beat throughout the film courtesy of Claudio Simonetti of GOBLIN  notoriety who scored some of Dario Argento's most iconic films with similarly iconic electro-rock scores. While not saying this is up there with TENEBRE or SUSPIRIA it's an effervescent score.

Bonus content consists of two audio commentaries, one with director Alex Pucci and writer Draven Gonzales while the other features various cast members. Both tracks are fun listens and speak to the trials, tribulations and love of a low-budget horror production. There's also Deleted Scenes (20:52) which add something to the overall picture but were wisely excised from a film that still nears the two hour mark as it were. Making of Frat House Massacre (14:13) features interviews with cast and crew plus some behind the scenes footage. Overall, a nice array of bonus content for this indie slasher.

SPECIAL FEATURES:
- Audio Commentary with director Alex Pucci and writer Draven Gonzales
- Cast Audio Commentary
- Deleted Scenes (20:52) 4:3 Letterboxed
- Making Of FRAT HOUSE MASSACRE Featurette (14:33) 4:3

VERDICT: I have a few qualms with duration of the film and the variety of kills but otherwise this is a fun retro 70's revenge exploitation film with some nice slasher elements, just the right amount of perverse sexuality, a decent set-up and a truly killer finale rife with blood, guts and a nice twist. A definite recommend for those looking for a retro-revenge flick with sick charm to spare.