Blood Theatre/The Visitants — Blood Theatre/The Visitants(Blu Ray/DVD)
The two discs come in a clear Blu Ray case- which on either side features a cover/write-up for each film. As we’d expect from Vinegar Syndrome- you get a very classy 2k remastering of both films from their original 35mm prints- really these guys transfers are some of the best in the game, and both these 1980’s films look like they could have been filmed yesterday. Onto top of this, we get a good selection of extras with both films- taking in new commentaries, interviews, Q&A’s etc.
Neither of the two films presented here are by any means good films in a conventional sense- as they feature bland-to-hammy performances, the plots are trashy & unbelievable, the scores are wonky & often ham-fisted, and all round they are knee-deep in 80’s campiness. But what they do have in spades is a feeling of trashy fun, lo-if invention, and a true love of both the horror & Sci-fi genres.
First up on the disc(s )we have Blood Theatre- this was the first full-length feature from Slone - who directed, wrote, produced & scored the film. It appeared in 1984, and its plot sees an old movie house/ theatre been reopened after many years, fairly soon there are murders & supernatural encounters. Reopening the theatre is a decidedly unsavory corporate cinema chain led up by a bumbling & comic manger, who comes off like a gone-to-seed game show host. And his female assistant- played in wonderful bitchy & eye-rolling manner by Mary Woronov.
The film is largely bloodless, you get a brief flash of flesh but that’s it- but what you do get is some wonderful campy performances, crappy ghost effects, and a general feeling of B-movie fun. Added to this we get a great synth soundtrack- that moves from buoyant & cheesy, through to ham-fisted & off-kilter, onto campily brooding. The audio track for this film was re-dubbed afterwards- so this adds another quirky edgy to the picture- as you get repetitive & plan bizarre overuse of a spaceship door opening sound, distant traffic noise & wind, and of course the more stilted acting is even more so with the redub. If you're looking for a lost & classic slasher film from the golden age of the genre, then you’ll come away very disappointed from Blood Theatre. Though if you’re up for a trashy, campy & fun tribute to the genre & the cinema, in general, you’ll have a good time with this.
Second up we, of course, have The Visitants- this rather awkwardly named film is from 1986, with Slone directing, writing & producing the film. Here we have a campy sci-fi comedy set in 1950’s small-town America. The plot sees an alien couple in human form beamed down to earth, hiding out for a few years in suburban ( for some reason!)…then prepare for their brethren to make an attack on Halloween night. The Aliens are Exeter- a beehive & leggy brunette, and Lubbock- a sleek-haired low rent Joaquin Phoenix look-alike. The pair move in next door to a typical family, and after finding out their alien origin there son Eric (whose meant to be 18, but looks nearly 40) steals the pairs lasergun. And so unfolds a trashy & vaguely funny film, that blends together corny sight gags, dumb characters, ultra lo-fi spaceship set, and a rather uneventful plot.
This certainly is the lesser of the two films here, as it does drag-at-points, the humor is somewhat groan-inducing, and the faux 50's look is rather haphazard. But on the plus side, we once again get a good injection of campy charm, the alien couple are effective with some amusing one-liners, and once again there’s a clear love for the genre it’s tribute/ lightly sending up- pulpy 50’s Sci-Fi.
Extras wise we get three commentary tracks- two for Blood Theatre, and one for The Visitants. We get two for Blood Theatre- one with the director, and one with four piece slasher fan commentators The Hysteria Continues. The directors commentary is interesting as it’s Slone’s first film- so he goes into the issues connecting with the shooting locations, the small budget, and the actors- the film was shot over a three year period, so as you can imagine there are a lot of stories. The Hysteria Continues track is great, as always- I really love the chemistry & humor between this collective, and they always manage to get the perfect balance between worthy personal comments on the film, and facts.
Moving onto The Visitants, and we get a commentary from the director- and once again it’s an informative track- with Slone going into lots of interesting detail on filming locations, actors, props & issues.
Lastly, we get an introduction & after films Q&A shot at a recent showing of both films- these together last around twenty minutes, and features input from the director & Mary Woronov, as well as two actors from The Visitants. So in all, a nice selection of extras.
So in conclusion- if you enjoy trashy, campy, and fairly tame 80’s genre parodies like Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama Or Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers- I’ll think you’ll get something from both films here, and there’s no doubt that Slone does add his own distinctive touches into the 80’s trash brew….just don’t go expecting either a straight slasher or Sci-Fi film, and you’ll be just fine.