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Category:    Home > Reviews > Horror > Psychopath > Medical > Dead Pit (1989/Code Red/BCI DVD)

Dead Pit (1989/Code Red/BCI DVD)

 

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

 

 

As the Movie Maniac cycle was declining, the lure of fast money remained irresistible and for Bret Leonard, it put him on the map for a short period of time.  Before directing the overhyped Lawnmower Man and pricey dud Virtuosity, he made Dead Pit, in which a doctor gone real, real bad (switching from being good at life to death, as he says) haunts a mental ward and is on the kill years after being supposedly shot to death.

 

Unfortunately, the hospital’s portrayal of mental illness is so over-the-top, stereotypical and goofy that besides being politically correct ands even offensive, it is a run-on dud that undermines the very humor and suspense the Gimet Everett script tries to pull off.  At least it is not torture porn and a few moments are interesting, but the film is a mess and you can see Leonard was never that good a director in any case.  It is a film genre fans will want to see once, but that’s about it.

 

The anamorphically enhanced 1.85 X 1 image is softer than I expected considering the claim that this came from the film’s original Inter Positive (IP) and needs some work before a Blu-ray release.  The Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono has dated-sounding dialogue and a score that sometimes sounds warped.  Extras include on camera interviews, original theatrical trailer and audio commentary by Leonard, Everett and actor Jeremy Slate that is more interesting than the film.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo


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