Bazaar Bizarre/Eyes Of The Chameleon/Grim/Killer
Yacht Party (2004-2010/Troma DVDs)
Picture:
C Sound: C- Extras: C+
Films: C+/C-/D/C
A trip into Tromaville is always going to be an interesting journey. The independent studio has recently been
branching out with an ever expanding variety of content, but seems to be paying
less mind to their signature blend of horror and comedy that fans adore them
for.
While the four films covered here admittedly have more naked breasts and curse
words than the alternatives put out by other studios, none have much of the
"spark" that was so prevalent in the older fare put out by Lloyd
Kaufman & co.
Strangely, the film that bears the most hallmarks of the classic Troma film is
a documentary concerning the serial killer Bob Berdella - Bazaar Bizarre.
The interviews and filming style aren't
always convincing; the case is factual, but some of the more awkward moments
serve to take you out of the film, real or not.
The remainder of the films are far less engaging, with Grim and Eyes
of the Chameleon attempting to take a grittier approach but falling flat -
coming off as amateurish and much like the other backyard movies that so many
others seem to be churning out. The
horror found in Killer Yacht Party
is much more mainstream, and plays out very much like a less polished entry in
the After Dark Horror Festival,
albeit with a little extra nudity.
All of the discs except Bazaar Bizarre include a director's commentary
track along with an "introduction from Lloyd Kaufman". Disappointingly, these are all merely one
intro with a dubbed in voice, and the joke is stale before the first one you
see is even through. There are some
trailers here and there, as well as behind the scenes slideshows, but the rest
of the extras are all stock Troma content that they use to pad out almost all
of their releases.
Picture and sound quality for these titles is universally average, but
certainly better than some of the company's older releases. All films here are presented in 1.78:1
anamorphic widescreen and with Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo.
If low budget horror is your thing, there's far worse out there to be seen,
though some of these are still a pretty big gamble. My personal pick lies with Bazaar Bizarre,
and I think most genre fans would be in agreeance with me there. If it sounds
like your kind of thing, go ahead and give it a shot.
- David Milchick
