Dead Kids — Dead Kids( UHD/ Blu Ray)
Dead Kids (Strange Behaviour) is an early-80s slasher/mad-doctor horror hybrid. The small-town-set film blends subtly quirky characters, some tense stalking, and deranged ‘n’ gory kills. Here from Powerhouse- as either a UHD or Blu Ray release- is a new release of the film, taking in a new 4k scan, two versions of the film, and a good selection of new and old extras.
From the year 1981, Dead Kids was a joint New Zealand, United Kingdom, and Australia production. It was filmed largely in several rural locations in Akland New Zealand. It was directed/ co-written by American-born filmmaker Michael Laughlin. He has just three feature credits to his name- the other two are 1950s-set when aliens attack sci-fi/ horror Strange Invaders (1983), and New Zealand-set period drama with Jodie Foster in Mesmerized ( 1985).
The focus is on a small rural American town, where normally nothing eventful happens. Suddenly, a spate of weird and brutal murders occurs- it’s up to rather quirky police chef John Brady(Michael Murphy), and his elderly comb-over assistant to try and figure out what's going on.
Brought into the mix, we have John’s shoulder-length, blond, curly-haired late teen/ early twenties son, Pete (Dan Shor). And his happy-go-lucky buddy Oliver(Marc McClure). Pete want’s to go on to further education, but his dad says no….so Oliver suggests doing a few days' work at the nearby medical college, where he’s been paid well for his time. The lead scientist at the college is the rather 50’s brunette femme fatale looking Gwen(Fiona Lewis), who is up to some rather dodgy experiments.
The murders and their buildups are fairly varied- they moved between an eerier Tor Johnson masked woodland kill, where a large man is brutally/ multiple stabbed. A teen has his eyes removed and is put up as a scarecrow in a field. A child has his arms hacked-off, and an old lady is stabbed, with her throat slashed.
The cast is largely passable, if maybe a little wooden in places. Michael Murphy as Police Chief Brady is fairly low-key quirky- we see him cutting his toenails in the kitchen, and he is constantly downing beer cans from his office chiller. Dan Shor as our younger lead- switches well between laid back, panicked, and sinisterly entranced. McClure as his buddy, is ok, though he feels a little as if he could come off the set of Porky's.
The film features a score from Tangerine Dream, which effectively moves between reverbed & eerily churned, laidback clean guitar blues meets low-key golden ambience, and more sinister & searing.
Dead Kids is a very well-balanced crossbreed between 80’s slasher and mad doctor horror, which manages to add something original to both sides of its genre mixing.
The release features a new 4k HDR print- this looks great, full of clarity, depth, and colour range. We get two different versions of the film- the original Australian theatrical version, Dead Kids (102 mins); and the US theatrical version, Strange Behavior (100 mins). I watched the longer of the two.
Moving onto the extras side, we certainly get a lot of stuff. On the purely new side, we have Perfect Strangers (17.59), in which academic and Australian cinema specialist Stephen Morgan discusses the film. He begins by declaring there‘s not much Australian about the film, as it’s shot in New Zealand, which is pretending to be midwestern small-town America. It had an American director, as well as a mainly American cast- though it was produced by Australian Antony I Ginnane. There’s an in-depth bio of the director. We find out it was filmed in the first few months of 1981, and touches on the genre fluidity of the picture. We find out the film had a brief release in the USA, and that many reviews focused on the picture’s 1950s feel. This is well worth a play. Otherwise, on the new side, we have an interview with actor Michael Murphy(20.40)- the actor is just off his eighty-seventh birthday, and looks not much over seventy. He has a good memory, and moves from discussing his early career, to the film to hand. Lasting Bonds (10.18) actor Fiona Lewis fondly looks back on the film’s production. An Actor’s Dream (15.12) interview with actor Dey Young.
Moving onto the archive/ updated material- there are two commentary tracks- one with director and co-writer Michael Laughlin and filmmaker David Gregory. And one with co-writer Bill Condon and actors Dan Shor and Dey Young. A Very Delicious Conversation with Dan Shor (44.21) extensive interview with the actor, filmed in Central Park, New York. Podcasting After Dark: Dan Shor (13.07): excerpts from a career-spanning audio interview. The Effects of ‘Strange Behavior’ (20.45): interview with special make-up effects artist Craig Reardon. ‘Not Quite Hollywood’: Antony I Ginnane (10.52): interview with the legendary producer, filmed for Mark Hartley’s acclaimed documentary on Australian cinema. Lightning Strikes (4.49)interview with Ginnane about the film. Isolated score. Original theatrical trailers. Patton Oswalt trailer commentary (2023, 4 mins): short critical appreciation, and Image galleries: promotional and publicity material, and behind the scenes.
The finished release comes with a eighty page book featuring a new essay by Paul Duane, an exclusive extract from producer Antony I Ginnane’s unpublished memoirs, archival interviews with director Michael Laughlin, actor Michael Murphy, and composers Tangerine Dream, and full film credits.
Dead Kids is a very effective and entertaining crossbreed between the slasher and mad doctor genres. This new Powerhouse serves up a classy 4k scan, and an excellent selection of extras.