Vampires, Mummies & Monsters: Grotesque DVD Review
Written by Robert Gold
DVD released by Shout! Factory
Directed by Joe Tornatore
Written by George Theakos
1988, 89 minutes, Rated R
DVD released on September 27th, 2011
Starring:
Linda Blair as Lisa
Tab Hunter as Rod
Donna Wilkes as Kathy
Brad Wilson as Scratch
Nels Van Patten as Gibbs
Guy Stockwell as Orville Kruger
Review:
Grotesque is kind of an odd step-child tossed into this collection as an afterthought. Unlike the other titles in this set, it has no connection to Roger Corman, and if Shout Factory was looking for a pair of double features marking the early '70s and early '80s…well this film wasn’t released 'till 1988! Luckily there has been zero effort to make this title feel welcome as it is the only film without a single special feature and it is full frame too. Yay!
It’s really too bad, as the film offers a fun twist on the home invasion theme when cartoon punks invade a family that has a monster in the house. Linda Blair is reliable as our hero Lisa, and Tab Hunter offers his best performance since John Waters’ Polyester. Genre fans should also keep an eye out for the man with the jaw, character actor Robert Z’Dar (Maniac Cop was released only a few months earlier the same year!) as one of the crazy punk rock gang members. The film falls apart at the end with an unnecessary comedy twist that only results in confusion, but the rest of it is okay.
Video and Audio:
Grotesque, you poor unloved bastard, go suck on a standard 4x3 full frame transfer that reeks of “who cares.” You’re the afterbirth here, kiddo.
Audiowise, all four titles are offered a no-frills 2-channel stereo mix that neither impresses nor detracts from the presentation.
Special Features:
Zero…just a static menu. What the hell, Shout! Factory?
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Conclusion:
Vampires, Mummies & Monsters is an odd assortment of seemingly random titles that would likely never receive individual releases, so for that I am thankful to Shout! Factory. Some effort has been made to make these editions special and are more successful than not. There are far worse ways to spend an evening than with what proves a nice addition to a growing library of Roger Corman cult classics.
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