DRIVE-IN DELIRIUM: DEAD BY DAWN + WITH A VENGEANCE / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
Trailer compilations are a strange beast. These two releases are the latest from Australian label Umbrella and represent a fine collection of both rare and common titles but offer nothing less than unwholesome entertainment.
Dead by Dawn, as you may expect from the title is focused on horror, fantasy, and what is subtly dubbed ‘T&A’ titles. Split into two sections, The Final Chapter and A New Beginning, the first is very much weighted to more ‘old school’ titles. It begins, for example, with 1955’s It Came from Beneath the Sea and includes several Hammer movies and giallo entries. It’s definitely fun seeing the different approach to selling films through the ages, and it’s always remarkable how many spoilers there are in there!
The second section has a more modern slant, with psycho thrillers and saucy titillation being the order of the day. It’s odd to have the likes of The Princess Bride and Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure included, particularly after movies like Candy (1968), and Immoral Tales (1983). Diversity aside, it’s a brilliant collection of trailers – and they’re all in HD, too.
Similarly, …With a Vengeance follows the same two-part format and also has a wildly varied selection. Edged more towards action and cop films, it manages to include some great forgotten fantasy films that were perhaps a little too tame for the other collection. Titles like The People that Time Forgot and Terminal Island rub shoulders with The Good, the Bad, and The Ugly and Shaft.
Each disc comes with a bonus selection of standard definition ‘VHS’ quality trailers too, and even despite the reduced quality, these are a fun watch. At over six hours per disc, you’re certainly not short of things to see. This is the sort of thing you can pop on in the background at a geeky party and your guests will end up being mesmerised. Be warned, though, you may end up with a shopping list of ‘must-see’ titles once you’ve gone through the compilations.
