Dark
Night Of The Scarecrow 2
(2022/VCI Blu-ray*)/Initiation
Of Sarah
(1978/Arrow Blu-ray*)/Offseason
(2021/RLJ Blu-ray)/True
Romance 4K
(1993/Arrow 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray w/Blu-ray/*all MVD)/Umma
(2022/Sony Blu-ray)
4K
Ultra HD Picture: B+ Picture: B-/B+/B+/B/B+ Sound:
B-/B+/B+/B/B+ Extras: C-/B/D/B/D Films: C+/C/B-/C+/B
Now
for more creepy thrills of all kinds...
The
ultra low budget sequel to the cult classic from the original made
for television film, Dark
Night of the Scarecrow 2
(2022), isn't terrible for low budget frights and is a new story from
the original filmmaker J.D. Feigelson (The
Lake,
Gone
To Texas.)
Playing
out like a PG-13 Goosebumps-style
story of sorts, a killer scarecrow viciously stalks the small country
town of Stubblefeld, which is the new home to an unusual little boy
and his single mother. The mother, after a hard day, playfully tells
the seemingly unreal scarecrow a secret and forms a bond with this
supernatural killing machine she affectionately calls 'Straw Eyes'.
The
film stars Tim Gooch, Amber Wedding, Carol Dines, and Richard Seng to
name a few.
Dark
Night of the Scarecrow 2
is presented in 1080p high definition on Blu-ray disc with an MPEG-4
AVC codec, a widescreen aspect ratio of 1.85:1, and a lossless,
English DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit). The film is
average in terms of its filmmaking and challenged by its low budget
in certain scenes. There is one scene filmed in a moving car that
you can tell the image is a little warped. Nothing too
groundbreaking in terms of color either sadly. The film definitely
could have used a more cinematic look overall to hide its budget a
little more.
The
only extras are trailers, which is a shame because it would have been
interesting to have an interview with the filmmaker at least to hear
how this project came to be and the original film's cult status.
Obviously
a bit limited in terms of its budget, I found Dark
Night of the Scarecrow 2
pretty entertaining for what it is and an honest effort despite some
lackluster filmmaking techniques. I'm glad that the original creator
got to make it as well, and I would recommend it if you enjoyed the
original.
Released
in the age of Carrie
and The
Exorcist,
The
Initiation of Sarah
(1978) gets a new release on Blu-ray disc courtesy of Arrow Video.
Originally made for TV, you can feel the vibes when watching this
film that is essentially a tamer version of Carrie.
The film isn't terrible, but pretty dated and nothing too shockingly
original.
Sarah
and her Sister are the new freshmen at college and have to go through
several different initiations to get into the sorority, but Sarah has
a bizarre superpower that comes out whenever she is upset, and she
isn't afraid to use it when her or her sister are in danger. The
film stars Kay Lenz, Shelley Winters, Tony Bill, Kathryn Grant,
Morgan Fairchild, and Morgan Brittany.
The
Initiation of Sarah
is presented in 1080p high definition on Blu-ray disc with an MPEG-4
AVC codec, a full frame aspect ratio of 1.33:1, and a lossless,
English DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) Mono mix. The film transfer looks
pretty nice here and I don't see anything that detracts too heavily
from the presentation.
Special
Features:
Brand
new audio commentary by TV Movie expert Amanda Reyes
Welcome
to Hell Week: A Pledge's Guide to the Initiation of Sarah,
a brand new appreciation by film critic Stacie Ponder and Queer
Horror programmer Anthony Hudson, co-hosts of The
Gaylords of Darkness
podcast, celebrating the film through a queer feminist lens
Cracks
in the Sisterhood:
Second Wave Feminism and The Initiation of Sarah, a brand new visual
essay by film critic and historian Alexandra Heller-Nicholas
The
Intimations of Sarah,
a brand new interview with film critic Samantha McLaren looking at
witchcraft, empowerment, TV movies, and telekinetic shy girls post
Carrie
The
Initiation of Tom,
a brand new interview with Tom Holland on this his first film writing
credit
Image
gallery
Reversible
sleeve featuring newly commissioned artwork by Luke Insect
and
First
Pressing Only:
fully illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing by
Lindsay Hallam and Alexandra West.
Offseason
(2021) is
a great new horror film in the vein of Silent
Hill,
Dagon,
or The
Fog.
Starring Jocelin Donahue (The
House of the Devil),
the film follows her as she gets a call that her famous mother's
gravestone has been vandalized on a strange island where she was
buried against her own wishes. As she and her friend journey to the
isolated island to search for answers, they are soon stuck there as
the draw bridges go up on the offseason. Once there, she finds out
that the citizens of the island worship a bizarre sea dwelling
demigod that has control over them, and that her mother has a
connection to them.
The
film also stars Joe Swanberg, Richard Brake, and Melora Walters. The
film is written and directed by Mickey Keating.
Offseason
is presented in 1080p high definition on Blu-ray disc with an MPEG-4
AVC codec, a widescreen aspect ratio of 2.39:1, and an English,
lossless DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit). The film is
beautifully shot with a predominantly blue color palette and has a
great soundtrack and sound mix that adds to the foggy and dark
atmosphere of the world within the film.
Sadly,
no extras.
Offseason
is an exciting and well made supernatural horror film that is worth
checking out and a step above anything put out by James Wan or the
like. Jocelin Donahue lights up the screen and does a terrific job
of acting terrified. The filmmaking is solid as well and it's a
surprise that this film isn't getting more buzz aside from being on
Shudder. Recommended.
Rivaled
only by Top
Gun
(1986,) the late Tony Scott's True
Romance 4K
(1993) may well be the director's most popular film. Starting with
The
Hunger
(1983) until his last film, Unstoppable
(2010,) every film he released was a big event and attracted some of
the biggest stars and best actors in the business. From a Quentin
Tarantino script early on in his career, Christian Slater and
Patricia Arquette play a couple who meet, fall for each other quickly
and go wild.
Turns
out she's under the control of a pimp he has to kill, so on the run
they go, but for how long? What follows are some wild scenes, wild
dialogue, a few twists and a list of co-stars that would be hard to
come by today. Tarantino's raw 1970s style mixed oddly with Scott's
Kubrickian approach, but somehow manage to just complement each other
without clashing or ruining the film. With that said, I still found
it a little off often and even more predictable than I would have
liked, but its following remains strong over the years as more than a
curio.
Again,
the cast is inarguable and also includes Samuel L. Jackson, Brad
Pitt, Gary Oldman, Dennis Hopper, Val Kilmer, Bronson Pinchot, Sal
Rubinek, Michael Rapaport, Conchata Ferrell, James Gandolfini, Tom
Sizemore, Chris Penn, and Christopher Walken. We'll never see that
combination again, but you can watch the film as often as you want
now yourself, and in both a director's and theatrical cut with
limited differences. Even if I am not the biggest fan, I can at
least see why people love it.
Arrow
has issued the film in a new 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray with a regular
Blu-ray edition and it is loaded with a ton of extras. It is also
the first major release of a Morgan Creek Production in 4K I can
pinpoint and the company seems to have the rights to almost its
entire catalog to itself free of any studios who released them, so it
would be nice to see their films start to all get the 4K treatment (I
would vote for their most underrated of all myself, White
Sands,
which never got an extended director's cut) and this new limited
edition set is a great place to start.
The
2160p HECV/H.265, 2.35 X 1, Dolby Vision/HDR (10; Ultra HD
Premium)-enhanced Ultra High Definition image is really good, having
some shots that do not look as good as they could, but many others
that look great and as good as when I saw the film when it opened in
35mm back in the day. Color is particularly wide-ranging and detail
can be great. The 1080p 2.35 X 1 digital High Definition image on
the Blu-ray is passable for the format and looks fine, but it cannot
capture how good the widescreen anamorphic Panavision image
originally looked as well as the 4K and is here for convenience. The
4K even has a few demo shots going for it.
As
for sound, the film has an interesting backstory, starting out as an
older Dolby System A-type analog sound production, but the company's
improved and still-impressive Spectral Recording (aka SR) analog
system in 1987, so why not go for SR? Though it is not listed on
posters or in the end credits, apparently it did get some SR
treatment in time for its theatrical release, but some moments in the
film can still reveal the age fo the recording sonically. For this
release, the sound has been nicely upgraded for a DTS-HD MA (Master
Audio) 5.1 lossless mix and this is as good as the film is ever going
to sound. Nice work and older fans familiar with the film will be
pleasantly surprised.
As
noted, extras are many and include
Limited Edition packaging with reversible sleeve featuring newly
commissioned artwork by Sara Deck for the initial run of this 4K set.
You also get:
60-page
perfect-bound collectors' booklet featuring new writing on the film
by Kim Morgan and Nicholas Clement, a 2008 Maxim Magazine oral
history featuring interviews with cast and crew, and Edgar Wright's
2012 eulogy for Tony Scott
Electronic
press kit featurettes, behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with
Tony Scott, Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette, Dennis Hopper and
Gary Oldman
Finally
we come to Umma
(2022)
which stars Sandra Oh, of whom does a stand-up job here. Known
mostly for her television roles and leaning more towards the comedic,
here she plays a bee-keeper who lives in seclusion with her teenage
daughter on a beautiful ranch and have a quiet life and their own
successful honey making business.
When
her mysterious uncle travels across the world to deliver her mother's
remains to her, she is suddenly tormented by the life of abuse that
she left behind. All of which was by the hands of her own mother,
who was steeped in tradition and had a harsh manner of raising her...
even going as far as electrocuting her as a form of punishment. As
the demon starts to possess her, she must keep her daughter and
friends safe before the evil sadistic ways of her 'Umma' takes over.
The
film also stars Fivel Stewart, Odeya Rush, and Dermot Mulroney. The
film is produced by horror heavyweight Sam Raimi and directed by Iris
Shim.
Umma
is presented in 1080p high definition on Blu-ray disc with an MPEG-4
AVC codec, a widescreen aspect ratio of 2.39:1, and an English,
lossless DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit). The film
looks fine for the Blu-ray format, but some of the darker scenes
would certainly look better in 4K UHD. Still, there isn't anything
that detracts from the presentation and the film is nicely shot and
made.
The
only extra is a Trailer. Bummer.
Umma
is a surprisingly fun supernatural horror / possession film that's a
bit slow moving, but is nicely made from a filmmaking perspective and
features solid performances all around.
-
Nicholas Sheffo (4K) and James Lockhart
https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/
