Blood
Rage
(1987/Arrow 2-Blu-ray/DVD Set)
Picture:
B Sound: B+ Extras: B+ Film: B-
Blood
Rage
(1987) is a true '80s slasher film with all the right ingredients
that really delivers the way a classic Friday
the 13th
film would. Featuring buckets of gore, some pretty inventive kills,
a retro-synth soundtrack, bad acting, gracious nudity, and a few jump
scares that turn out to be false alarms. Arrow brings us this
incredible 3-disc edition with three versions of the film, exclusive
extras, and collectible packaging that is a great way to dive in and
enjoy this once lost cult film.
Blood
Rage
stars Louise Lasser, Mark Soper (in a double role) and Marianne
Kanter.
Twins
Todd and Terry seem like sweet boys that is, until one of them takes
an axe to face of a fellow patron at the local drive-in. Innocent
twin Todd is blamed for the bloody crime and institutionalized,
whilst twin brother Terry goes free. Ten years later and, as the
family (Terry's Mother and her fiance, Terry's old girlfriend, and an
attractive new neighbor and her mother) gather around the table for a
Thanksgiving meal, the news comes in that Todd has escaped. But has
the real killer in fact been in their midst all along?
The
inventive film reminds me a lot of American Psycho with in
small doses of John Carpenter's Halloween in that this out of
control killer goes from person to person and hacks them to pieces.
The opening sequence in the drive-in is fantastic as is the final
showdown. What works well in the film too is that the Mother ends up
having a mental breakdown as well, which mirrors the carelessly
insane state of mind that Terry slips into when he gets back to
killing. The film fabulously misdirects your perception of both
twins and makes you think at first that the sane one is actually
insane.
As
mentioned,
there are three versions of the film on this release: Blood
Rage,
the original home video version, Nightmare
at Shadow Woods,
the theatrical re-cut, and an alternate ''composite'' cut combining
footage from both versions.
Presented
in stunning 1080p high definition and a widescreen aspect ratio of
1.85:1 and an original Stereo 2.0 sound (Uncompressed PCM on the
Blu-ray). The DVD version of the film is in standard definition with
an anamorphic aspect ratio of 1.85:1 and the original lossy Dolby
Stereo 2.0 sound mix, which looks and sounds fine but not as crisp as
the Blu-ray. Some scenes are in soft focus and a few shots have
weird color timing, which is why I deducted a couple points.
The
disc features expansive extras and are broken down like this:
-
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned
artwork by Marc Schoenbach
-
Fully-illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing on
the film by Joseph A. Ziemba, author of BLEEDING
SKULL! - A 1980s Trash-Horror Odyssey
BLU-RAY
DISC 1 & DVD - BLOOD RAGE
-
Brand new 2K restoration of the ''hard'' home video version,
transferred from the camera negative and featuring the original title
card Slasher
-
Audio commentary with director John Grissmer
-
Both Sides of the Camera - an interview with producer/actress
Marianne Kanter
-
Double Jeopardy - an interview with actor Mark Soper
-
Jeez, Louise! - an interview with actress Louise Lasser
-
Man Behind the Mayhem - an interview with special make-up effects
creator Ed French
-
Three Minutes with Ted Raimi - an interview with actor Ted Raimi
-
Return to Shadow Woods - featurette revisiting the original
locations in Jacksonville, Florida
-
Alternate opening titles
-
Motion still gallery featuring rare behind-the-scenes make-up
photos
BLU-RAY
DISC 2 - NIGHTMARE AT SHADOW WOODS [LIMITED EDITION EXCLUSIVE]
-
Nightmare
at Shadow Woods
- the re-edited 1987 theatrical cut featuring footage not seen in the
Blood
Rage
home video version
-
Alternate composite cut of the feature combining footage from the
home video and theatrical versions
-
Never-before-seen outtakes
If
you like '80s slasher films then I highly suggest picking this up.
It's a lot of fun and has repeat value. Arrow has done it again!
-
James Lockhart
https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/
