Review Category: DVD/Blu Ray

Overshadowed by The Sixth Sense at the time of release, this Richard Matheson adaptation has found its appeal ascend further than M. Night’s ghostly twist.

Sceptical Tom (Kevin Bacon) is pressured into being hypnotised by his sister-in-law, Lisa (Illeana Douglas), at a party. To Lisa’s surprise, Tom is very susceptible and gives the rest of the party attendees a good laugh at what he revealed. In the following days, however, he develops headaches and begins to see a young girl, Samantha (Jennifer Morrison), in their house. Samantha had gone missing months earlier, but Tom and Maggie’s (Kathryn Erbe) young son Jake (Zachary David Cope) also talks to her as his imaginary friend. As the visions increase, Tom is determined to find out why Samantha is haunting him.

Adapting Matheson’s novel, director David Koepp has crafted a fabulous movie. With well-handled jump scares and an emotional core, Stir of Echoes gives Kevin Bacon a role in which he can really immerse himself. Also surprisingly good is youngster Zachary David Cope. Child actors are usually an issue, but not here. It’s a shame he didn’t go on to make anything else. He’s not the focus of the story, however, and his ‘gift’ of seeing spirits isn’t explored enough, but Bacon’s descent into obsession is the rightful emphasis. The mystery of the missing girl is signposted well enough to not be a surprise, but the emotive beats are what drive the tale more than twists or shocks.

Imprint’s Blu-ray gives us the ideal chance to rediscover this minor classic and is supported by a large array of extras. As well as the inevitable contemporary behind the scenes featurettes, there are a number of new interviews that give plenty of insight into the production and what it was like working on what was a low budget film by Hollywood standards.

During an experimental space flight, astronaut John Crichton (Ben Browder) is lost when he flies through a wormhole. He’s picked up by a living ship called Moya, which contains a group of varied alien beings who are trying to escape the Peacekeepers, a military-like intergalactic police force. Another refugee comes on board at the time, too, a renegade Peacekeeper, Aeryn (Claudia Black). The only thing that the occupants of Moya have in common is their desire to go home, but they find more common ground when they have to team up to fight their mutual threats.

A co-production between Australia’s Nine Network and The Jim Henson Company, Farscape’s initial four seasons were essential cult viewing in the early 2000s when it screened on BBC 2. The three-hour miniseries The Peacekeeper Wars (also included in Via Vision’s Blu-ray box set) was produced after Brian Henson bought the rights when the series was cancelled so the show wouldn’t end on a cliffhanger. The show is an adventure-filled, thrilling ride that has genuinely endearing characters, particularly the puppet-based creations Pilot, the creature who flies Moya (voiced by Lani Tupu, who also plays the main antagonist of the first season) and Rygel, a deposed, flatulent emperor with a superiority complex. The humanoids are just as memorable, Zhaan (Virginia Hey), the empathic priestess, D’Argo (Anthony Simcoe), a brutish but compassionate warrior, and Chiana (Gigi Edgley), a skittish and rebellious Nebari.

Skilfully filmed in a unique style, often using continually moving angles that make for an engrossing watch. The varied, well-developed characters and dynamics are equally captivating. For this writer, it’s as entertaining as Star Trek ever was, if not more.

Despite being popular at the time, Farscape seems to have become a forgotten series, but it’s one that’s well worth revisiting. The box set collection adds numerous bonus features in the form of commentaries and featurettes. There’s an abundance of humour in the show and despite the high concept, it never takes itself too seriously. There’s even an episode in which Crichton is in a coma and imagines everything animated. It’s not a musical, but it’s just as memorable.

A late and offbeat entry into the giallo/slasher field, Michele Soavi’s eighties shocker is as visually stylish as you’d expect and more entertaining than you remember.

Rehearsals are underway for a new musical that features an all-dancing cast and a prancing Owl-headed character. Unfortunately, the artistic side of things is cut up by an escaped murderer who adopts the Owl costume and starts slaying the troupe. With all the doors locked, who will survive the night?

Soavi’s feature directorial debut proves he learned a lot while working with Dario Argento and Aristide Massaccesi (aka Joe D’Amato, who produces here). The movie’s pedigree is heightened as the script was written by Luigi Montefiori (Anthropophagus himself, George Eastman) and the appearance of Giovanni Lombardo Radice (Cannibal Ferox) as a wonderfully camp dancer. David Brandon (Delirium) is the show’s director, who gets increasingly frustrated by all the murder but is determined to get the production finished, and is fantastically acerbic. The Owl costume is suitable effective, adding an extra eeriness to the murders, but the real star is the cinematography of Renato Tafuri (Opera), although some of the more inventive, flowing motion moves are the work of Soavi, who improvised since they had no steady cam. There’s a fun story behind that, which is relayed in one of the three bonus features on Shameless’ Blu-ray. Soavi’s section is a lengthy and fascinating insight into the making of the film and his place in the Italian film industry.

The Blu-ray also features an interview with Radice, which is subtitled and very interesting, and the final chat is with lead actor David Brandon, who is very open about his experience in the movie – particularly when it comes to the scene with the chainsaw! While that’s all the extras, they are worth watching and provide enough information for fans of the film. Shameless’ release presents the film well, with strong definition since this is a new 4K restoration. It’s nice to have the movie with the option of an Italian language track, too.

If you’ve never come across Stagefright before, now’s the perfect chance to wallow in the deranged Owl goodness.

Stagefright is available on Blu-ray from Shameless on December 27th.

This cult classic is well-remembered by people of a certain age who were captivated by its first TV screening all those years ago, but criminally overlooked by the majority of film lovers. Starring Richard Burton and Lee Remick, this is a tightly-wound thriller that is utterly mesmerising.

Burton plays troubled writer John Morlar, and as the film starts we witness an attack by an assailant that leaves him in a seemingly braindead condition in hospital. French exchange officer Detective Brunel (Lino Ventura) attempts to find out what happened and why someone would want Morlar dead. It seems, however, that Morlar was convinced he was able to cause death and disaster just by thinking of it. Brunel tracks down his psychiatrist, Zonfeld (Remick), who wasn’t initially persuaded but started to believe when she witnessed a plane crashing into a building with Morlar apparently willing it to happen. Could Morlar do the things he believed and why does he still show strong vital signs when he should be in a vegetative state?

Despite being dated to the time by the fashions, The Medusa Touch is still as exhilarating as it was when we first saw it. Burton always gave magnetic performances and this is no exception. If anything, he excels as the antagonist who is struggling with the guilt of his power while also keen to wreak his most damning vengeance on a society that will – in his view – squander money on technical advances such as putting men in space while letting people starve. It’s hard not to agree with his argument really. Even with Burton dominating things, Lee Remick and Lino Ventura both make an impact in a cast list that features some very impressive names; Harry Andrews, Michael Horden, and Gordon Jackson all making an appearance.

Australian label Imprint has released the film with a decent amount of bonus features. Two informative commentaries (one exclusive to this release) complement the film brilliantly and the inclusion of some recollections from art director Peter Mullins are welcome, too. Some behind-the-scenes b-roll footage of the climactic destruction of the Abbey is interesting and gives the viewer more insight into the still-impressive set piece.

The Medusa Touch grips from the outset and is massively re-watchable even when you know all its secrets. An essential purchase.

The Medusa Touch is available on Blu-ray in Australia from Imprint. 

Before they hit Hollywood with the likes of Daybreakers (2009), Predestination (2014), and Jigsaw (2017), the Spierig Brothers, Michael and Peter made their cinematic start with this low budget, fun horror/sci-fi mashup.

René (Felicity Mason) is wanting to leave the outback fishing village of Berkeley, but just as she’s making her getaway meteorites start falling from the sky. A side effect of this is people are turning into flesh-eating zombies. Not an ideal situation, then. Inadvertently teaming up with a survival nut (Mungo McKay) who runs the local bait store, a couple imminently expecting a baby, and a pair of enthusiastic but lacklustre police officers, she attempts to survive the onslaught of the undead. As they make their way out of town, however, they find the town they discover the dead are the least of their issues as a metal wall has been erected and the meteors have extraterrestrial origins.

Like Peter Jackson before them, the Spierig Brothers display their inventiveness and passion for storytelling with buckets of blood with their feature debut. Without the budget for slick special effects and intricate makeup, the results are crude but effective. A number of the gore gags are repeated, which shows that the pair were a little too over keen to showcase the parts that work, but also how excited they were putting their vision on screen. Beginning life as a trilogy of short films (the first is included in the extra features of Umbrella’s Blu-ray), Undead takes elements from the zombie films that came before and squishes them into a Close Encounters-type tale. Spielberg’s film is clearly a direct influence on a number of sequences later on. Sadly, it’s when the aliens arrive that things start to fall apart. The idea is over-ambitious and the shift in tone is far too noticeable.

However, for every part of the story and execution that doesn’t work, there’s a joyous, splatter-filled element that’s worth celebrating. It’s these moments that linger in the memory longer than anything that follows.

Australia’s Umbrella Entertainment has done the brothers and the film proud, though. As well as presenting the film in HD, there are a host of interesting extras that give insight into the passion and enthusiasm of all involved. Several behind the scenes features and the commentary from the brothers and cinematographer Andy Strahornon underline how much the Spierig siblings are fans of the genre and from what’s on display, it’s obvious why Hollywood came calling. The bonus features are topped off with a separate CD of the film’s impressive soundtrack.

Undead might be a patchy watch, but it’s easy to forgive some of the shortcomings. The package Umbrella has presented the movie in is impressive enough to steal it an extra point.

This Antipodean cult favourite gets a welcome HD release thanks to Umbrella Entertainment with an abundance of bonus features.

Real-life Australian stuntman Grant Page heads out to LA to work on a new project and meets up with his cousin who works with a rock band that incorporate magic and effects in their act. Grant also becomes the subject of attention for a young reporter (Margaret Gerard), who sees a great story for her paper.

While the reporter may have seen a story, there certainly isn’t one in Ozploitation legend Brian Trenchard-Smith’s movie. By his own admission, Stunt Rock is a 90-minute trailer. Footage from other films from the director (as well as licenced clips from the original Gone in 60 Seconds) pad out the impressive new stunts and the Spın̈al Tap-esque musical excursions featuring the never-hot band Sorcery. Accompanied by an on-stage battle between good and evil – a wizard and a flame-throwing devil – these concert segments should be terrible but are surprisingly fun (particularly if you’re fond of a bit of theatrical rock). It’s Grant Page’s film, however, and he makes an affable leading man in what is essentially a mockumentary to showcase his daredevil talents. It’s interesting that is was made at around the same time as Burt Reynolds was suiting up in Hooper, and several years before Lee Majors embodied Colt Seavers in The Fall Guy on TV, putting Trenchard-Smith at the forefront of hailing the art of the stunt man. He just failed to concoct a plot for the daring-do to revolve around.

Umbrella’s release offers more than enough extras to keep even the passingly curious happy. A new, feature-length interview with the director and his wife (Stunt Rock co-star Margaret Garard) is incredibly entertaining. Trenchard-Smith has a great self-effacing attitude to his work and is always watchable. This is good, as there are plenty more chances to see him in the numerous bonus segments. It’s surprising that there are not as many repeated anecdotes as you’d expect. As well as the director, we hear from the producer, Marty Fink, and actor Richard Blackburn, as well as the drummer from the band Sorcery, who split up pretty much once the film was released. Topping off the extras is a 16-page comic book adaptation of the film.

For a film that has no hook other than the stunts and the rock, it’s an entertaining piece of cult cinema.

Stunt Rock is available on Blu-ray from Umbrella Entertainment in Australia.