Disturbing
Behavior
(1998/MGM)/The
Kindred
(1987/Synapse/both MVD Blu-ray)/Outlander:
Season Six
(2022/Sony Blu-ray Set)/Poltergeist
4K
(1982/Warner 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray w/Blu-ray)
4K
Ultra Picture: A- Picture: B-/B+/B/B Sound: B/B+/B/A-
Extras: C/B-/C/B Main Programs: C/C+/C/B+
Here's
more genre suspense and mostly terror in this new set of releases...
David
Nutter's Disturbing
Behavior
(1998) had the potential to be a very good film and maybe a great one
had it been thought out better and worked harder to go deeper into
its subject matter, but it gives away too much in the first scene
alone and never recovers. We
go to a suburb where seeming conforming student keep growing in
numbers (Village
of The Damned
for a new generation, though the school students are older) while
they start to do things that no one should be doing.
The
idea of a new generation still being Reaganized not long after the
era began has its credibility, but the film is not interested in
exploring that much, or any kind of class division that even a semi-B
movie like Massacre At Central High (recently reviewed on
Blu-ray elsewhere on this site) did a better job of touching upon
before getting to its own horrors. I'll add that Bill Clinton being
president does not negate the situation much, as the soon-to-arrive
events of 9/11 (et al) would prove.
So
how are these teens being 'possessed' or the like? Well, this also
could have been a strong variant in the original film version of The
Stepford Wives (and not its hideous remake) and say something
more like X-Files was doing in its early seasons before the
first theatrical feature film ruined everything or even the darker
episodes of Kolchak: The Night Stalker, making it a little
ahead of Stranger Things, but that does not happen here
either. This is made more tragic by the young talent here including
Katie Holmes, Nick Stahl, James Marsden, Ethan Embry and Katharine
Isabelle, all moving on to bigger careers, backed by savvy veterans
like Bruce Greenwood, Steve Railsback, William Sadler and Susan
Hogan. All the more reasons its shortcomings are unfortunate, as the
film ages in the oddest ways.
Of
course, Nutter can direct and there are some good scenes here, along
with an interesting choice of songs that are a little more hit than
miss. The makers were ultimately just trying to make some kind of
scary film to be scary, but forgot to stick it into a more palpable
world. Of course, this kind fo Ira Levin-style story was not dead,
as Jordan Peele proved more recently with his hit debut feature
horror film, Get Out.
That makes Disturbing
Behavior a curio no one
seemed to know how to give an ending to and that results in one of
the saddest near-misses of the last few decades.
The
1080p 1.85 X 1 digital High Definition image and DTS-HD
MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless mix seem to repeat the older Blu-ray
release, with the color trying to imitate the blue/purple look that
X-Files
had made popular at the time, which also affected some TV commercials
and music videos and it is consistent, while the sound is a
still-pretty good soundmix with clear dialogue and both music and
sound effects that have an impact. The combination is good, though
obviously slightly aged and not 4K, but there are no effects that are
majorly dated either.
Extras
include a poster in the Blu-ray case, while the discs repeats
previous extras including a feature-length audio commentary by
Director Nutter, an Original Theatrical Trailer and a bunch of
Deleted Scenes, but adds three trailers for other MGM/UA films MVD is
issuing or has issued on Blu-ray.
The
cult classic The
Kindred
(1987) gets a new hold on life thanks to the new 4K scan from the
original 35mm camera negative, out now thanks to Synapse Films. It
is in the same genre as Re-Animator
mashed with Carpenter's The
Thing
and other tongue in cheek '80s horror faire with a sort of
Lovecraft-meets-classic-monster-movie vibe. The film shows its
budget a bit with some dated special effects, but they still have
some charm to them and the story itself is pretty fun and full of
surprises. The cast is solid with there being no scream queens or
big names attached, and the film itself holds up pretty well.
The
film stars Rod Steiger, Kim Hunter, David Allen Brooks, Talia Balsam,
Peter Frechette, and Julia Montgomery.
The
story centers on a geneticist takes his assistants to his old family
home to locate the deadly product of his late mother's revolutionary
research into rapid human evolution, the result of which is a
creature beyond imagination. As the group encounters this creature,
the game of survival begins.
The
Kindred
is presented in 1080p with a widescreen aspect ratio of 1.85:1 and a
lossless audio track in English DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1. The
transfer looks and sounds pretty great. This is my first time seeing
the film so I can't compare it to previous releases but it looks and
sounds fantastic considering its age and budget, though some good
money was spent on latex monster visual effects, a new thing going
wide back then.
Special
Features:
Audio
commentary with directors Jeffrey Obrow and Stephen Carpenter,
moderated by horror journalist Steve Barton
Inhuman
Experiments: The Making of "The
Kindred",
an all-new documentary
A
compilation of creature effects artist Michael McCracken, Jr.'s
never-before-seen on-set footage
Still
gallery and original storyboards
Original
theatrical trailer, original video promotional trailer and TV spots
Outlander:
Season Six
(2022) surprises me by the fact that it is still in production and on
the air as a hit, the tale of a modern gal Claire is now so stuck in
the past from some kind of time slip, that she has given up any hope
of returning to the early 21st Century and settled in the past, well
knowing more about what is to happen than she could or would ever
dare reveal. We covered the series early on and recently, which you
can read more about at the following links:
Season
One, Volume One
DVD Set
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/13397/Outlander:+Season+One,+Volume+One+(2014/So
Season
One, Volume Two
Blu-ray Set
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/13801/Outlander:+Season+One,+Volume+Two+(2014+-
Season
Two
Blu-ray Set
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/14548/Outlander:+Season+Two+(2016/Sony+Blu-ray+Se
Season
Five
Blu-ray Set
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/15809/Daughters+Of+Darkness+4K+(1971/MVD/Blue+Un
Again,
at this point, saying most anything is a spoiler, though some of what
is going on is obvious to anyone following the show. It is at least
taking its audience and fans seriously, consistent in its look and
feel, so even a non-fan like myself can appreciate what they achieved
here. It also has some visual moments that do look good, though the
show overall does not wow me.
Either
way, the show looks and sounds as good as any of the previous set
releases. The 1080p 1.78 X 1 digital High Definition image has the
same style going back to the debut season and that is not easy, but
they did it, while the
DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless mix is well done and has a
consistent soundfield. It is as professional as expected with clear
dialogue throughout as well.
Extras
include a
Digital Version, while the discs add Two Outlander
Untold Scenes
plus
EXCLUSIVE BLU-RAY AND COLLECTOR'S EDITION BONUS MATERIALS
Certainly
enough for loyal fans and they'll be pleased.
Finally,
like Joel Schumacher's
The
Lost Boys
(1987) that I just reviewed on 4K, Tobe Hooper's Poltergeist
4K
(1982) are both films that were hits in their time and are also
considered cult classics at the same time. We have seen many hideous
remakes and sequels over the years that we would like to forget
about. The new restorations here and pretty jaw dropping -
especially with Poltergeist,
which features strobing effects that are seen better now and have
warnings slapped all over the cover and disc in concern from the
studio.
in
Poltergeist,
a family moves in a haunted home in a suburb that appears to be just
a normal house. Learning later that it was built over a cemetery
where the only the headstones were removed, the house is in reality a
portal to hell. The family does their best to survive against these
paranormal entities and soon call in some experts to help when the
little girl is taken to the other side. This is the 40th Anniversary
Edition of the Steven Spielberg-produced film that stars Craig T.
Nelson, Zelda Rubinstein, JoBeth Williams, Oliver Robbins, and
Heather O'Rourke.
Poltergeist
4K is presented in 2160p on 4K UHD disc with HDR10, an HEVC /
H.265 codec, a widescreen aspect ratio of 2.39:1 (shot on 35mm with
the ever-underrated, anamorphic J-D-C Scope lenses) and an audio
track in lossless, English DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 and 2.0
Stereo mixes respectively. The strobing effects, more vivid than
ever here, add another layer of intensity to many key moments of the
film and the newfound details in a lot of darker scenes are more
vivid here. Recommended.
Special
Features:
They
Are Here: The Real World of Poltergeists
documentary
The
Making of Poltergeist
and
an Original Theatrical Trailer
-
Nicholas Sheffo (Behavior,
Outlander)
and James Lockhart
https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/
