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Category:    Home > Reviews > Horror > Scared To Death (1980)

Scared To Death (1980)

 

Picture: C     Sound: C     Extras: C     Film: C-

 

 

The William Malone Alien knock-off Scared To Death (1980) has been issued on DVD to capitalize on the latest spat of DVDs form the original series, and that Malone recently remade (and trashed in the process) House On Haunted Hill.  John Stinton, Diana Davison and Pamela Bowman are among the leads that have barely two-dimensional characters to play.  Additionally, one would usually root for the killer in these films, but the rubber suit the actor wears when he is the monster is too laughable to be believed.

 

It gives you new respect for the designers of H.R. Giger’s creation come to life in Ridley Scott’s classic, then a piece of Brian De Palma’s Carrie (1976) and lame police drama and genetic engineering subplots are added.  The result is a laughable mess, which makes one realize why this film was forgotten to begin with.  It is only valuable to see how ahead of everything Alien was, especially after so many rip-offs and even sequels.

 

The full frame 1.33 X 1 image is from an old analog master of the film and has serious detail and color trouble, including Video Black limits.  Lack of monochrome range turns “suspense” scenes muddy, though that would not save the film.  The Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono is a few generations down and noisy.  There is a healthy choice of trailers for other product from the Substance Video label, but many of them look less ambitious than this.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo


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