Shadowzone — Shadowzone( Blu Ray)
Shadowzone is a sci-fi horror film set in an underground lab, where a shape-shifting monster is stalking the corridors. The early 1990s Full Moon Production blends stumbling in the misty darkness unease, effective if briefly appearing particular effects, and one or two decent jump scares/reveals. It feels like an attempt to blend of The Thing, From Beyond, and an X-Files episode. Here from 88 Films is a new Blu-ray release of the film, taking in a new HD scan of the film, and a commentary track.
Shadowzone ( working titles Dream Invaders & 31F ) is from the year 1991. It was written and directed by Pasadena-born J.S. Cardone. Between the early 80’s and early 2000s, he had twelve directorial credits to his name- these include the eerie island set slasher The Slayer (1982), road trip set neo noir Black Day Blue Night (1995), supernatural horror The Scare Hole (2004), and low-key children zombie horror Wicked Little Things (2006).
The film opens with a panning shot of desert wind-battered fencing, as a helicopter comes into view. It lands, and on board is the square jaw and crew cut Capt. Hickock( David Beecroft)- he’s come to visit an underground bunker/ lab where they are experimenting (I think) with dream states. He’s picked up by taped-up glasses, a greasy baseball hat, and raggedly bearded Tommy Shivers(Frederick Flynn) who's a handyman on the site.
They get a lift down to the banker to meet Dr. Erhardt- played by Louise Fletcher, who is most known for playing the bitchy nurse in One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. African American Computer tech Wiley(Miguel A. Núñez Jr.), and blond medic Dr. Kidwell( Shawn Weatherly). And in time we meet the doctor in charge Dr Van Fleet- played by prolific American Asian actor James Hong, and grumpy/abrupt cook Mrs Cutter(Lu Leonard)
The facility's main lab has two pods- in one is a naked woman, and in the other is a naked man- each is in some form of weird dream state/ coma, which is being monitored by the control room.
The cast here, for a B-movie, is largely fine, with Fletcher and Hong being the highlights. She as the slightly spiky doctor, and he as the on-edge mad doctor. Early on, we get a few shots of cut-open bodies, but the real horror doesn’t fully kick in until around the thirty-minute mark.
The special effects are good, though often way too brief- they move from a head explosion, a deformed face figure, a demented/ gory edged primate, a giant rat, and a teethy face creature that looks like it’s made of thrown-up pizza. The stalking around the bunker moments are done well enough- with one or two decent surprises & jumps along the way.
On the less positive side, it does take maybe a little too long to get to the horror meat of the film. Some of the film's pacing is somewhat lacklustre. And lastly/ most disappointing is how fast most of the practical effects/ creatures flash by. Yes, I agree showing of monsters should be brief in B movies, but this takes it to the extreme- with more than a few blink & you’ll miss it moments.
This region B Blu-ray release features an HD scan- this looks good, with depth/ clarity throughout- even in the murkier/ in half-lite scenes. With good, clear audio in both its dialogue and soundtrack.
On the new extras side, we get a commentary track from Dave Wain and Matty Budrewicz of The Schlock Pit website. The track opens up with a few minutes of larking around/ banter, which I’m afraid rather wrong-footed/ annoyed me- but in time things settle down, and we get a fairly well-researched & well-observed track. They move between giving an in-depth bio of director/ J.S. Cardone, and discussing where this film sits in the Full Moon filmography. Onto discussing how the film is quite an edgy Charles Band-produced film, with nudity and gore. They talk about the Lovecraftian horror touches in the film, the use of claustrophobic shooting, and the shift from cool to hazy colour scheme. And we get an original trailer.
It's always nice to see older Full Moon titles get reissued. This new Blu-ray serves up a well-defined HD scan and an interesting/well-observed commentary track. If you enjoy subterranean horror sci-fi, with mad doctor tropes, a shapeshift monster, and some decent atmosphere/ practical effects- give Shadowzone a go.