Review: Ray Harryhausen – Special Effects Titan

Text © Robert Barry Francos / FFanzeen, 2016

Images from the Internet (to enlarge, click on image)

Ray Harryhausen: Special Effects Titan

Directed by Gilles Penso

Frenetic Films / Ray and Diana Harryhausen Foundation /

Arrow Video / MVD Visual

92 minutes, 2011 / Blu-ray 2016

www.rayharryhausen.com

www.mvdvisual.com

I grew up with Ray Harryhausen (d. 2013 at age 92); well, not personally, but on his work. After Willis O’Brien (d. 1962), who created stop-motion pixilated films like the The Lost World in 1925 and the original 1933 King Kong, Ray Harryhausen (RH) would pick up O’Brien’s mantle and become the leading and deservedly most renowned stop-motion photographer in the world with his own spin, called Dynamation. In fact, he would take mixing this type of animation mixed with live action to levels that could only be bested by digital effects.

Ray Harryhausen and friends

There is nothing but an abashed “we’re not worthy” to the man and his family… and rightfully so. There is rightfully a reason why he has the Ray and Diana Harryhausen Foundation named after him to preserve his legacy and to teach others how to do the craft, his materials are preserved in a museum (sponsored by director Peter Jackson), he has won both an Oscar and an honorary BAFTA (he moved to England at some point), and even a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (certainly more deserving than so many over the past few years, such as the Olson Twins, but I digress…)

This documentary is broken up into chapters by each of the dozen films he has made (I have come to realize I have seen all but two: The Animal Word from 1956, and Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger, from 1977), and while this goes into detail about how they came about around his contribution, it also takes the entire time to talk about how his craft was honed, accomplished, and of course there are tons of testimonials to praise the Maestro, such as directors Steven Spielberg, Tim Burton, James Cameron, Guillermo del Toro, John Landis (and his crooked glasses), Peter Jackson (of course), Joe Dante, special effects wizards (especially those who have done stop animation, such as Henry Selick, who directed the likes of Coraline in 2009), and those who have appeared in his films, including the lovely Martine Beswick and Caroline Munro. There is also some footage of reminiscences by one of RH’s nearly lifelong friend, Ray Bradbury (d. 2012). Some of the clips are directly for this; others are culled from convention presentations or press conferences. But all of these were donated, including the film clips, donated for free by the companies and people in honor of RH. That is a lot of respect.

There are plenty of shots from all RH’s films, but what is also entrancing is the clips from those that followed which built upon his work, such as Peter Jackson’s King Kong (2005), Splice (2009), and Jurassic Park (1993). Also shown are many of the original models in their modern state, some in sore disrepair thanks them being built in latex rubber, which is infamous for breaking down over time.

One of the more interesting discussions that crops up once in a while through this release is the difference between stop motion and CGI. It is correctly pointed out that both are “tools,” but stop-motion usually takes one to three people (in the case of Harryhausen, with one exception, all his work was solo), but computer generation takes dozens, often with one person working on a single aspect of an image, such as an eye or tail). But what struck me the most as accurate is while people tend to marvel at pixilation, computer generation tends to be dismissively viewed as “Oh, it’s just CGI.”

The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms

While one of his first jobs after World War II (where he worked with the likes of Frank Capra) was doing most of the animation of Mighty Joe Young (1949; though Willis O’Brien received nearly all the film credit, RH was O’Brien’s “assistant”), RH’s first real solo feature credit begins with a film oft seen on TV in my youth, The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953). The filmmakers in the documentary make the same connection I made, in that it led to the direction in the formation of Godzilla (1954) in Japan. RH’s opinion of that film was smile-inducing.

One of my favorite and completely accurate comments in this is that whomever directs the picture, it’s still described as a ”Ray Harryhausen” film. It’s similar to how many early ‘60s songs were considered “Phil Sector” records.

Included here are clips of some of RH’s hearly test works that he did for himself to learn his craft just after the Second World War, and his first professional releases, which were based on Grimm’s Fairy Tales that were still playing on television in my youth in the early ‘60s. They also show many of RH’s original storyboard sketches. He was quite the artist with a pencil and paper, as well as on the screen where he also built his own creatures, usually in his home in a room that was his workshop, fired in the kitchen oven.

Jason and the Argonauts

One of the discussions I enjoyed were when some of the SFX professionals and directors discussed their favorite scenes from RH films. For me? The skeleton fight scene in Jason and the Argonauts (1963). Actually, I love that whole film, which I saw in the theater in my youth, and many times after on TV. Most of his films I saw on television, and I’m grateful to have been able to do that; as far as I know, they don’t play older films like this anymore.

As with all of Arrow’s rereleases, there is a teeming amount of extras. First up is the mandatory commentary. While there are many good tidbits of info given, the problem is there are too many people on it, and I have no clue who is talking, and they often talk over each other. Honestly, this is a commentary pet peeve of mine. But yes, I watched the whole thing.

Earth vs. the Flying Saucers

Next up is the 14-minute “A Treasure Trove” that follows the director and producers opening up some of the boxes in storage for an exhibition that include original models such as the UFO from Earth Vs. The Flying Saucers (1956; a film I’ve always liked) and Pegasus from HR’s last film, Clash of the Titans (1981). It’s interesting but more for the close-ups of the models than the ooo-aaah commentary. Then there is “Interviews” at 16-minutes, with director Edgar Wright (e.g., Shaun of the Dead [2004]), Terry Gilliam, Peter Lord (one of the directors of stop-motion Wallace and Gromit), make-up maven Rick Baker (including American Werewolf in London [1981], Videodrome [1983]), and actor Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead), all discussing their fanhood, and how it affected and effected their own careers.

“Interview Outtakes” are 13 interviews over 55 minutes that are either extended pieces from the film, or outtakes by filmmakers who worked with him, were inspired by him, or were just fans of his canon. Also included is his daughter, Vanessa, who is the Trustee of the Foundation. “Message to Ray” is a two-minute collection of six people, including Ray Bradbury, Guillermo Del Toro, James Cameron, and Vanessa, to send a message of thanks and love, probably played to him at a celebratory ceremony, talking directly to the camera. My fave part was Cameron asking, “What ever happened to the first six voyages of Sinbad?”

“Deleted Scenes” is a collection of nine sections totaling 8 minutes that feature different excised clips for reasons of timing or redundancy. The original cut was 15 minutes longer than the final. Thankfully, they put text at the beginning of each clip to explain why that particular one was snipped. All seem right to be removed, but still glad they kept it, even in its rough-cut version. While some of the next one was used in the main feature, “On the Set of Sinbad” is a 2-minute sort-of-behind the scene of The 7th Voyage of Sinbad footage shot in silent 8mm. Damn, the late 50s camera looks better than my Super8 from the early ‘70s.

The original Kraken from Clash of the Titans

The 18-minute “Paris Cinemtheque Q&A” is from December 2012, in which the filmmakers answer questions from the audience about the film, and about Ray. Half of it is in English, half in French (with subtitles), and mostly interesting. The month before, the 9-minute “London Gate Cinema Q&A” was filmed after a showing, but in this case it included RH himself, Caroline Munro, and John Landis, among others. Landis asks a question I actually thought throughout the film, which is, “Where is Sam Raimi?” (a clip from 1993’s Army of Darkness is shown in the documentary, however). I also wonder, is this the last public appearance of RH?

The last two items are the “Original Trailer” for this film, and the “Ray Harryhausen Trailer Reel,” which includes the coming attractions of nine his films in 22 minutes, short clips of which are included in the documentary, but it’s good to see them in their totality.

This documentary – and the extras – excellently shows on so many levels why the history and legacy of Ray Harryhausen is important to keep fresh, because his influence keeps growing. In 2016, a new stop-motion animation picture has hit theaters to success, Kubo and the Two Strings. This Blu-ray explains the reasons for the adoration all quite nicely.

DVD Reviews: Renfield: The Un-dead and My Stepdad’s a Freakin’ Vampire!

Text © Richard Gary / FFanzeen, 2011

Images from the Internet

                            

I put these two reviews together because, well, they’re both independent films about vampires! Duh!

Renfield: The Un-dead

Directed by  Bob Willems       

Distributed R-Squared Films, 2010

120 minutes, USD $19.95

Rsquaredfilms.com

renfieldthemovie.com/

MVDvisual.com

There have been two really great Renfields in cinema history that led up to this film: Dwight Frye in the original Tod Browning’s Dracula (1930; starring Lugosi), and musician Tom Waits in Francis Coppola’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992). In both (and the original novel), he was, indeed, quite mad. Over the years, it seems, the cinematic character has been interchanged with Jonathan Harker, who originally went overseas to see the infamous count in Transylvania about a land sale in England.

This new telling and updating takes place in the mythical American city of Bayou City (though many shots are of the Ginni and Richard Mithoff Trauma Center, which is in Houston), as we find the police looking for a supposed serial killer by the name of “the Butcher,” who apparently likes to remove heads. Of course, I don’t think I’m giving anything away when I say that it’s our pal Renfield, who is chopping the heads off the victims of fellow vampires Mina Harker (Roxy Cook Hixon), and her long hair and mustachioed hipster son Quincy (Tyler Tackett, who also was the film’s creature effects assistant), to keep the prey from becoming vamps themselves. To give you an idea of the Quincy character, when a soon-to-be target asks him how he moved so fast, his response is the humorous, “I’m a vampire, dumbass!”

The titular character here is played with constant energy by the short-but-muscular Phil Nichols, who also wrote the story, the screenplay (with adaptions from the original novel, the ’29 film, and F.W. Murnau's (1922), though there is a shadow nod to Coppola’s, as well), co-produced, and co-designed the special effects and make-up (he is apparently a maven in this field, and was trained by the Dick Smith). He plays Renfield as a loon, with a constant laugh that sounds a bit like Cesar Romero’s Joker from the television Batman (1966), looking like a biker with his bald head and goatee beard. His veneer shifts often from just a bit of a pancake look, to complete white face, to having full vampire-on (again, with nods to Murnau and Coppola). The make-up design for him and Dracula (also well played by John Stevens, with a Malcovitch vibe; this is his only listing in IMDB!) are fun, with big pointy front teeth (again, Murnau). For Mina and Quincy, though, the only make-up seems to be huge, oversized teeth that don’t work as well. Most of the other appliance effects, especially, are fun, though occasionally overdone (i.e., the bug headed ex-cop, the final battle between Renfield and Drac). The visual special effects are WTF, though, and I say this amusedly. Obviously occasionally filmed in front of a blue screen, there is heavy use of computer graphics (rather than CGI), like a cartoon or video game from 10 years ago. Once in a while, it may blank out behind someone, and you can definitely see the wires in one shot as a vampire hovers. While this cartoony effect may be seen as a detriment, I actually enjoyed that part of it! Like the rest of the film, it was a hoot (or as Renfield may say, “hoo-haa-hee-haa-hoo”).Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens

Getting back to the story, Renfield is in possession of Dracula’s skull, which Mina and Quincy want to find to resurrect the villain through a blood ritual. Along with a well-done origin story for Renfield, we get to see some fierce battles between the forces of, well, evil and more evil. Drawn into this action are forensic doctor Bonnie Johnson (Keli Wolfe), and her ex-husband, Cranston (British actor Paul Damon), who is the head detective on the “Butcher” case. Wolfe delivers one of my fave lines in the piece: as Renfield is about to walk out of the autopsy room, after creating havoc, he says to Bonnie, “I’ll see you soon,” to which she whines, “Oh, God, I hope not!” (See the trailer, below.)

As a life-long fan of the horror genre, I noted many tips of the hat to previous Dracula incarnations, especially Browning and Murnau, both of whom are thanked during the end credits. Here are some examples:

• The sea captain (I am assuming of the Hesperus) who is killed during the crossing that brings Mina and Quincy to the States is named Max Schreck, after the actor who played the Nosferatu character in Murnau
• Of course, at some point, Renfield rises up straight as a plank, as Drac did in Murnau, and then was repeated in a similar honor in Coppola’s retelling.
• When Bonnie is taken to Renfield’s lair, which is a cemetery tomb, he repeats the famous Lugosi line, “I bid you welcome. Enter at your own free will.”
• In a flashback scene, Dracula comments to Renfield about howling wolves being “the children of the night,” and of their music.
• In one of my favorite and possibly most subtle homages, when we first meet Dracula in the flashback, he enters the room exactly like Schreck did in Murnau.
• There is also the shadow of Nosferatu clutching Mina’s heart, as well as his grabbing her breast as he sucks her blood (yes, the 1922 version has that).

There are a few other clichés here and there, like Renfield telling Bonnie, “Come with me if you want to live!” though its delivery is projected so that the viewer is not to take it as anything but recognition.

At a cost of an estimated $170 grand, I’m sure most of it went to effects and perhaps a bit to pay for some of the large ensemble. This is cheesy entertainment, but it is so obviously not expected to be anything but. One aspect I like about independent films, especially in the horror genre, is that it is so obvious that they are out to have some fun, as well as having a final project. Well, Willems and Nichols succeeded here. Despite the blood, gore, and gratuitous female nudity, this is certainly above, say, the Troma level, but not rocket science either. Just a fun blast. In fact, this film was the Remi winner at the 2001 World-Fest Houston International Film Festival, and an official section at the 2010 Bram Stoker International Film Festival.

The extras as a bit skimpy, being the films trailer and a few from R-Squared. But, there is a title card at the end of the film proper indicating that there will be a sequel (which would probably explain the flashed scene of Mina Harker full-on kissing Lucy Westerna). Something to definitely look forward to in the future.

See trailer below

My Stepdad’s a Freakin’ Vampire

Produced and directed by David Matheny           

Level 33 Entertainment, 2009 / 2011

85 minutes, USD $16.95

Level33Entertainment.com

mystepdadvampire.com/

MVDvisual.com

I don’t believe it would be any stretch of the imagination to state that this has a really bad film title, right up there with So I Married An Ax Murder and Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed Up Zombies.

Part of the reason for it being so is that it sounds more like a 'tween Afternoon Television Special than the slacker high school black comedy that it is (such as The Faculty). Borrowing heavily from the likes of Fright Night, My Stepmother is an Alien (hey, another great disaster of a film name), and the “Head of the Class” episode of long-gone television anthology series Amazing Stories, the premise is that small-town anti-hero and rebel high school student Rusty resents his new step-dad, Richard, for recently marrying his mom. While she’s away on a business trip, a surfer-type mailman friend of Rusty’s disappears and then reappears later fanged and in thrall to Richard (after the title, I don’t think I’m giving away much on who is the vampire here), and yet retaining his duuude-ness (aka, the comic relief, well played by Casey Myers). Rusty and friends set out to stop Richard from finding a key that will open the door to an army of hungry (and drippy/slimy) vampires. And, of course, it’s Halloween.

Rusty (played by the diminutive Lachen Anajjar, who looks like a cross between a much-younger David Schwimmer and Jason Schwartzman), does well as the go-to-guy who the school’s administration hates (except for one of the school counselors, who happens to be duuude’s bro, bro). He’s kind of too cool (you can tell because he often wears his hoodie up) for his own good or even credibility to the story, but that’s just one of many “suspensions of disbelief” that run through this film. I’ll get to a couple of them here and there, but will try not to give away too much. Being more of a buddy film than anything else, we meet Rusty’s best pal (Brandon Martin), and a kind-of doofusy guy (M.A. Alford) who wants to hang out with the cool kids, and the girl the latter likes (Anita Cordell). Oh, other than the mom (Kate Forristall), she’s just about the only female in the film with any screen time, and she’s in it for like five minutes at the beginning and end. Naw, it’s just the three school buds, the “mentor” janitor, the duuude and his bro (called “Mr. B” by the “cool” guys), and of course the titular vamp.

For an indie film, there are actually some high quality effects throughout, including some CGI zombies, exploding heads, and impalings. Lots of appliance and make-up effects as well, especially with the risen vampires, and oh, those fangs. Most of the teeth look pretty good (especially the duuude’s), but Richard’s are way too big for his face to the point (pun intended) that the Robert Kennedy-look-alike Larry Peterson – who is also the best actor of the bunch – can’t even close his mouth. It’s kind of obvious they had to overdub his voice during these scenes because there is no way he could have said his lines with that monstrosity in his maw. But since he’s the big cheese, the head honcho, the grand high exalted mystic leader, his teeth obviously had to be the biggest.

Director David Matheny seems to be confused a bit when it comes to whether or not this is a horror (albeit comedic) flick or one geared towards 14 year olds. The risen vampires apparently are way too easily dealt with (despite the occasional flight, they move more like the vampire examples of the Romero zombies, or Chaney Jr.’s mummy), and the only ones who really seem hard to get rid of are Richard and the duuude. And while there is the spurt of blood here and there, present is also a Nickelodeon green goo level that is overused. Also, not only are the kids the heroes (okay, they look more like college age), but there is no cursing or even the hint of sex anywhere to be seen.

Extras include the film’s trailer (and others by the film company), a gag reel that is “meh,” and a full-length commentary by the composer of the music for the film, which is totally skipable (other than the first five minutes when even he mocks the title: “With that name, It’s either going to be really good, or really bad, but either way I wanted to be involved”.

And yet…

For what this movie is (and titled), it was definitely a fun ride; it has even won some awards, such as Best Feature at the Black Swamp International Film Festival, the Killington Film Festival, and the Little Apple Film Festival. I whole-heartedly suggest that if you do see it, watch it as a group. This is just the kind of film that it’s fun to talk to the screen, so have some fun with the buds. Or the duuudes.

DVD Review: Stripperland

Text © Richard Gary/FFanzeen, 2011
Images from the Internet


Stripperland
Directed by Sean Skelding
Independent Media Distribution, 2011
103 minutes, USD $19.95
Imdplc.com
MVDvisual.com
When there’s no more room on the pole, strippers will walk the earth!”

“First they dance, then they kill!”

The basic premise to this comedy is that a virus turns young-to-middle aged women into zombies who like to dance on poles, dress in heels, spandex and lingerie, and dine on men’s body parts. Four people join forces on their way across the country to Portland, Oregon, where two of the passengers’ Grambo lives. It’s a mixture of a road movie, a buddy film, a love story, and, of course, the walking half-naked dancing dead.

Despite the title, an obvious play on 2009’s Zombieland (more on that later), this film is a lot less salacious than one may imagine. If that is a good thing or a bad one, guess that’s up to the viewer. While there is very little nudity, there are plenty of body parts, both attached and detached, mostly in something tight fitting.

Unlike some broad stroked comedies, such as Vampire’s Suck was to Twilight, or even the milder Scary Movie was to Scream, this is more of a comedic homage to a large number of zombie flicks, including all of the …of the Dead series (including the remakes), Return of the Living Dead, 28 Days/Weeks Later, Peter Jackson’s Dead Alive, anything from Tromaville, Shaun of the Dead, Evil Dead,, even Star Wars (yes, I know there are no zombies in SW), and so many others. [Okay, another quick digression: do you realize that flesh eating zombies did not exist prior to 1968? Before that, zombies were mostly related to voodoo culture.]

But it’s definitely Zombieland that is the basic paradigm, sometimes accurately, such as relying on lists (in this case, typically “strippers are all about the money”; “never eat in a strip club”) and characters being named for states, for example, but usually twisting it a bit, having one look for baked goods rather than Twinkies (do I need a trademark stamp after that?), and Portland as the goal rather than an amusement park. But the two sisters are there (though a bit older than the ZL version for obvious reasons), the tough as nails Hummer driver with the shotgun and straw cowboy hat, and the nerdy (read: annoying) guy.

The director here, Sean Skelding, only has a couple of films under his belt (such as the same level of spoof, I Am Virgin), but he has been a set designer for some very A-level films and TV programs, such as Maverick, Party of Five, and yes, Twilight. This has led him to know quite a few recognizable B-level actors that are willing to appear in his films for the fun of it, usually outshining the four main characters, who I will get to after this…. [Well, after this brief side-step, once again. The AD, Tyler Benjamin, directed the zombie documentary Walking Dead Girls, reviewed in this column earlier. He created the word “zimbie,” or bimbo zombie, which the rapper character Double D uses at some point as a throwaway line here. Okay, now back to our show…]

The main character, Idaho (Ben Sheppard) – who does not come from that state – is based on Jesse Eisenberg’s Columbus. Ben plays Idaho like a manic depressive stuck on “up” mode. He chatters and smiles and is goofy, reminding me of a chipmunk, and is obsessed with strippers from before the infection. He’s so into looking at them on the Internet, he has no idea of what is actually going on in the world, even to his step-mom, until she bursts into the room with black electric tape over her nipples a la Wendy O. Williams.

At this point, the first guest star of the film shows up, none other than Troma chief and Toxic Avenger creator himself, Lloyd Kaufman. Ever notice how Kaufman’s personality is similar to Mel Brooks, with a quick mind for ad libs? Come to think of it, they even look a bit alike. Anyway, Kaufman hams his way joyously through his lines before his demise, the way in which reminds me of the fate of the Joe Silver character in Cronenberg’s Rabid. Not sure if that was intentional or not.

Idaho is joined, after a rescue in a supermarket, by Frisco (Jamison Challeen), the only character named after a city rather than state here, who is based on Woody Harrelson’s Tallahassee. He’s rough, he’s quiet, he’s good with a shotgun (and chain saw, apparently), and just pinning for his lost love, who was a great baker, it seems. Challeen plays it a bit over the top at times, but definitely has the character down pat, being fun to watch as his slow-burn bursts of anger surface.

One of the two sisters (I’m not sure which is supposed to be ZL’s “Wichita” or “Little Rock” because they had to up the ages due to the content, as I stated above, and rightfully so) is “Virginia” (Maren McGuire, who has a Karen Allen/Genevieve Bujold appeal). She is mostly quiet until she has a reason to put herself on the line. Her character has the most range of the four leads, going from quiet and shy to, well, lets just say bombastic. While the others stay in their niche, McGuire gets the opportunity to stretch, and handles it well.

Her sister is “West” (short for “West Virginia,” embodied by Ileana Herrin), who is a match for Frisco’s fire. Rather than a shotgun, her specialty is two machetes and a very short haircut. While Herrin’s acting is the stiffest of the four, the viewer is having fun, so it is just part of the show. [Note that three of the four main actors have mostly no other IMDB credits listed; only McGuire has had a career, with around 15 credits, including some still in production].

As fun as the set-up is, the heart of the film is the set pieces with the guest stars. The next one we meet is Daniel Baldwin, who plays the rapper (you heard me) Double D, which stands for the double-decker bus he rides around in while on tour, rather than what may be obvious for this film. His song “Club Life” is, well, horrendous (unintentionally so, I assume, from the way it’s used as the chapter head music on the DVD). Our stalwart foursome run across him rapping in the middle of the road beside his bus, with huge bodyguards by his side, arms folded of course. There are a bunch of zombies dancing in front of him; apparently, as long as he’s rapping, they’re dancing rather than attacking. He speaks the “yo yo yo” kind of talk that always sounds either stupid or exploitive when middle-aged whites do it (seems a common enough device on sit-coms, yaknowwhatahmsayin’?). Baldwin looks like he’s having fun, though, and that’s conveyed onto the audience, despite the – err – music.

When they get to a mall (Jantzen Beach, in Portland), as you know they must if you follow the …of the Dead films, they run into a gay pimp with fur and reflections of Alex DeLarge of A Clockwork Orange via Bowler and eyeliner on one eye. He is played by Moose Jaw (Saskatchewan) native Boyd Banks, who has made a reputation by being in a number of George Romero’s later zombie films (not to mention Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle and Kids in the Hall). The commentary track has some fine info about the development of his character.

Thom Bray plays an insane doctor living in a casino that’s trying to train the zombies into doing housework, or what he called “retro wifery.” Yep, not only is he based on the insane, always blood-soaked doctor from Day of the Dead, but he’s even named Dr. Logan. Bray is another one who is obviously having fun at this day’s work, even (re)writing his own shtick (such as a mother fixation, among other things). He’s a blast to watch at work.

The guest-star-that-wasn’t is Gilbert Gottfried, who was supposed to mirror the Bill Murray character from ZL, but as he couldn’t make it due to a another (I’m reading that as “paying”; I say that respectfully, not as a dig) commitment, the much lesser known Hank Cartwright fills in as Guy Gibson (they had already shot the scene with the “GG” on the gate), and he actually steals the scene, all the while being macho aging action star and dressed in drag.

Present scream queen Luna Moon has a bit part as a chained zombie in Dr. Logan’s laboratory. She’s into the role; you can tell by the gusto she presents. She’s occasionally seen in the background of the shots, and she is always pacing and strongly into character. She’s obviously not just a horror hostess.

And playing her first granny role (Jeez!) is ‘80s supreme scream queen Linnea Quigley (wasn’t she just a teen in Savage Streets and Return of the Living Dead?), dressed in a girl scout uniform. She gets a fine chance to chew a cigar (and some scenery), which she does in all her glory. I met her once in the early ‘90s, and she was as nice as can be.

There are two full-length commentaries, something more extensive than a viewer may associate with an indie horror film, but unlike most independents, they are worth watching, especially the one with the director, writer and producer. Their narrative is full of inside stories of particular days, how things got done, actors’ personalities, and everything that is interesting about a commentary (as opposed to the Farrelly Brothers’ lazy style of “Oh, there’s our neighbor; oh, there’s our mailman” or Kevin Smith’s insulting-each-other drunken/drugged out mess). This is really what a commentary should be. You’ll have to watch it if you want to find out the meaning of the “G.A.S.” signs that are placed all over Portland. There is a second track that I’ve listen to most of, and which I will finish, by the person in charge of the physical (make-up and applications) FX, and the one who did the digital ones. It’s also interesting to hear how they finagled things the last minute, though they occasionally focus on their own particular work, stepping on each other (not often though), and being cordial about it. Speaking of effects, there are literally hundreds of digital SFX through green screen, erasing, placing, blood, and the like, some of it a bit fakey (such as the Kaufman demise), but impressive nonetheless. As I’ve always enjoyed the prosthetics effects, make-up, and like (John Carpenter’s The Thing is still the one to beat), I was impressed by how much they were able to do with such a small budget. Overall both kinds of effects were remarkable for a film this size.

Other extras include three documentaries (averaging about 8 minutes each) on SFX, the guest stars, and interviews with some of the women who play the stripper zombies; some of them are dancers (one sounds so mercenary, I found her scarier than her character), or adult actors. There are also two music videos (including the dreadful Double D’s “City Life”), some company trailers (such as for Skelding’s I Am Virgin), and a few older refreshment theater ads that are on many of the Cheezy Flicks releases.

Sometimes the comedy falls flat in the film, and it certainly helps to be conscious of the zombie culture that has existed since someone stated, “They’re coming to get you, Bar-ba-ra” (yes, there is a character here with that name in honor, but no one says the line, and I don’t remember if anyone wore racing gloves). In the commentary, they make the suggestion that you use the recognition as a drinking game (know the source, take a drink). It’s the association of references that especially makes the film a fun voyage, more than the jokes, more than the dress code, and more than the gore. You really need to be a zombie fan (which I am) to derive the true flavor of the film, and if you are, it’s especially worth it.