Child
Eater (2006)/Conspiracy Theory (2006/both MVD Visual
DVDs)/Hell Hunters (1986/Film Chest Media DVD)
Picture:
B/B/C Sound: B/B/C Extras: B/D/D Film: C+/C/C
Child
Eater
A
unique little horror movie that slipped past the radar, Child
Eater (2016) is far better than the recent Bye Bye Man,
and would definitely be qualified as a member of that kind of horror
sub genre. When a young, pregnant girl babysits a little boy who
lives in a house where ghastly events once took place involving the
Child Eater, a creepy old blind man who has a thing for bear
traps, creeping in dark closets, and plucking the eyeballs out of
everyone he meets.
While
Director Erlingur Thoroddsen was obviously going for an iconic Freddy
Krueger-like character, the film succeeds in a way that many low
budget indy horrors get wrong in that it looks and sounds good
throughout, with some solid gore effects to boot. The buildups and
tensions aren't half bad, with one of the flaws being the no-name
acting cast that hits and misses some marks. What this film also
gets right is its atmospheric qualities, which reminded me a little
bit of the Jeepers Creepers films.
Child
Eater stars Cait Bliss, Colin Critchley, Jason Martin, Dave
Klasko, and Brandon Smalls.
Presented
in standard definition with an anamorphically enhanced 2.35:1
widescreen aspect ratio and a lossy 5.1 Dolby Digital track, the film
looks and sounds not half bad on DVD but of course would be improved
by a high def release.
Special
Features...
Deleted
Scenes
Audio
Commentary with Director Erlingur Thoroddsen and Stars Cait Bliss and
Jason Martin.
There's
a Trailer listed on the back of the DVD cover, but it is mysteriously
missing from the menu options.
While
I wouldn't say its a classic or that it will earn any sort of cult
status, Child Eater isn't a bad attempt at the supernatural
slasher genre and is definitely worth a watch.
Conspiracy
Theory
Also
known as Lake On Fire and not to be confused with the hit Mel
Gibson/Julia Roberts film, Conspiracy Theory (2016), is (yet
another) found footage film that is a spin on the alien genre and
explores a sighting in Lake Meade and some beautiful looking shots of
Nevada. However, like most found footage films, it has some weak
acting points and some segments that are obviously edited, making it
a lose a bit of credibility. Still, there are some interesting
moments that make some of its less finer points fun.
The
truth behind alien life is something that the Government has been
covering up for years. When a group of TV show crew members go to
Lake Meade to investigate mysterious lights and sightings, they are
met with hostility from Government officials and are soon on a run
for their lives. Will they uncover the truth on videotape and expose
the truth?
The
film stars Ben Kobold, Jennifer Mills, and Jamie Bragg.
Presented
on DVD in standard definition with an anamorphically enhanced
widescreen aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and a lossy Dolby Digital 2.0
Stereo track, the presentation is up to standards in its compressed
form and reads fine on disc. For the nature and genre of the film,
however, this format looks fine.
No
Extras.
Hell
Hunters
Hell
Hunters (1986) premieres on DVD thanks to Film Chest Media. In
many ways, this is the kind of movie that you would find in a video
store in the 1980s, all it's missing is Chuck Norris. Explosions,
gunfire, and death galore, this silly B-rated indie is respectable
for pulling off some practical (and wild) explosions and
disintegrating set pieces, but isn't much in the way of story or
performances.
A
Nazi scientist, wanted as a vicious war criminal, develops a spider
serum that turns people into fascist Nazi zombies that are prone to
violence. A pair of investigators, by which have luckily have
devoted their lives to hunting down Nazi war criminals, set out to
stop him.
Hell
Hunters stars Stewart Grainger, Maud Adams, George Lazenby,
Romulo Arantes, and Candice Daly.
Restored
from the original 35mm print, this standard definition,
anamorphically enhanced DVD presentation preserves the original
widescreen aspect ratio of 1.85:1 and a standard, lossy Dolby Digital
2.0 Stereo presentation that has lots of noise and feels like you're
watching the film through a can. The film was issued in old Dolby
analog A-type Dolby System sound and coding might be an issue here.
The
image transfer itself is a bit jumpy at times, like the film is
running too loose in the projector. This aids a certain '80s drive-in
movie feel to the other all movie but is a noticeable flaw. There's
a lot of film noise and emulsions on the print as well, however the
colors and tones aren't completely terrible... if it wasn't for the
shaking in the transfer and disappointing audio this release would
look a lot better.
No
extras.
A
campy Cannon-like film that is mindless and silly, but nothing
special except for its nostalgic action qualities.
-
James Lockhart
https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/