Microwave Massacre (1982) - 1985 Midnight Video/VAP Video Japanese VHS

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Crazy Japanese zombie gore explosion finds its way into Wal Mart's dump bin...

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Just a heads up, while at a local Wal Mart yesterday perusing the $5 DVD dump bin, I came across Well Go's disc of Yoshihiro Nishimura's Helldriver (2010). I figured it might be a mistake, considering the release isn't even a year old, but soon other copies were seen shuffled in among the pile of bacteria-laded plastic. I haven't seen any of these recent Nikkatsu-backed wild undead gorefests yet, even the famed Tokyo Gore Police, so I figured $5 was worth the risk.

It also appears MGM through TGG Direct have repackaged at least some Vincent Price titles as double-features that were too only five bucks. Along with the disc below (didn't have From a Whisper yet), I spotted The Pit and the Pendulum (1961) and Tales of Terror (1962) together. There's probably others, but judging by the somewhat vague back covers, TGG has made no effort to make the transfers that weren't presented as such on the old discs anamorphically enhanced for widescreen displays.

VHSPS finally says you bet your ass this is for real!

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Awhile ago I noticed the good guys over at the VHS Preservation Society had Roger Watkin's cruelly defaced classic Last House on Dead End Street in their catalog. Already owning Barrel's now out-of-print DVD set and several import discs, I ordered it with the expectation the source of the DVD-R would be the extremely scarce Sun Video VHS. Unfortunately the copy was identical to Barrel's feature disc so I shot over a kind e-mail detailing my disappointment. They responded with an apology and offer of a free title of my choosing to which I never followed up on since the quick apology sufficed.

To get brutally honest, despite their name, the outfit is really just another in the long line of roguish rare flick suppliers that have existed almost as long as consumers had a means of viewing home video. Yet still using a DVD rip while bearing such a name just seemed to negate their admirable gimmick. However, there are understandable hurtles to providing a copy of the actual North American VHS.

First, the Sun Video carton is simply hard-as-fucking-hell to find. Unless you essentially hit the Powerball of tape collecting or know someone, prices online tend soar beyond the long defunct McKinley denomination. Then there's the matter of several different versions of the film coming from Sun Video with only one being fully uncut. The distributor didn't denote this anywhere on the box or cassette, so even if you get incredibly lucky, there's a better chance the copy is censor scissored than not.

Well, several weeks ago I received word that VHSPS rectified the situation by finally upgrading by "downgrading" to the genuine uncut Sun Video. And boy, does the presentation look like vintage analog shit of the highest half inch order. Nearly every problem that can arise from the format rears its ugly head along with a multitude of crazy print issues. Scratch and fleck damage frolics constantly across the frame always threatening to totally eradicate the picture. Some scenes which should have black shadows instead burn with electric green hues. The lo-fi sound quality resembles an ancient vinyl that was flung along asphalt and then left out in the sun.

Seeing Dead End Street the way it was experienced for decades really puts Barrel's herculean digital effort into perspective, but it also brings back the infamy the film conjured. In this greasy light, it's easier to see how seemingly no one could figure out who were behind the film and believe the wild rumors of Mexican drug cartels being responsible for "real" murders depicted. So I must extend thanks to VHSPS for living up to their name and making an important piece of this notorious piece of filth's history more readily available to those without hefty bank accounts to throw at the actual original VHS. Any fan of the film needs to have this disc sitting next to their Barrel set or if you're uninitiated, prepare for one hell of a trip.

New Day of the Dead Blu-ray arriving in Japan...

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It's doubtful, but maybe this Blu-ray, debuting September 4th from Happinet Pictures, will rectify the underwhelming picture quality of both the prior Anchor Bay/Starz and Arrow Video Blu-rays. The tech specs and supplements (mostly) seem to match the Starz BD which might be an ominous sign...

• 1.85:1 1080p Widescreen (101 Minute Uncut Version)
• English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 & Dolby Surround 2.0 (w/ optional Japanese subtitles)
• Dual-layer 50GB BD
• Limited Edition "Special Outer Case" designed by Yoshiki Takahashi and twenty page booklet
• Audio Commentary with director/writer George A. Romero, Tom Savini, Lori Cardille, and Cletus Anderson (w/ optional Japanese subtitles)
• The Many Days of Day of the Dead Documentary
• Gateway Commerce Center Promotional Video
• 3 Theatrical Trailers & 3 TV Spots
• "Fast Film Facts" Trivia Track
• Photo Gallery

C'mon people, you're wasting big money on dirt mall finds...

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Don't get me wrong, I'm not against buying tapes online or paying substantially for true quality, but the increasing prevalence of total auction blowouts such as these on beat-up junk is baffling. Some tapes are beginning to be harder to find; however, it's still not that hard to hunt down great pieces in much better shape for much cheaper. Either these are shady bid bumping by the sellers or dumb pride driving bidders into wars over tapes I'd have a tough time spending a fraction of these ridiculous prices on. I hope the winners find that it was worth it somehow...