“Stephen Romano’s Shock Festival” would be a great DVD if they only stuck with the source material of old Grindhouse trailers but unfortunately they attempted to add in some newly produced material that is some of the most pathetic work from amateur filmmakers ever put on DVD. However, for the tons of old trailers this makes for a worthy purchase or an introductory class into the world of B-movies.
If you followed “Grindhouse Universe” or culled through the catalogs of Blue Underground and Media Blasters then most of these trailers will have already been seen numerous times. Many novice collectors have not done their homework so this material may be new to them and those people will be the ones that enjoy “Shock Festival” the most.
The three disc set starts with “Shock Festival” Tribute Trailers, which are appallingly bad and vile to watch. The only notable exceptions are “Dark Night of the Demonhouse” and “Warpmonster,” which is a reminder of the wonderful trailer for “Galaxy of Terror.” When the program starts out with “Attack of the Sadistic Killers” and “Tentacles in a Twisted Deathdream,” you can’t imagine the trailers getting worse but slowly they do and this is a painful thirty five minutes of your life that you will never have back. So for God’s sake skip this part of the DVD!
For “Grindhouse” the trailer Eli Roth created entitled “Thanksgiving” set the mark on how to properly spoof the genre and create a movie audiences may want to see. The same could be said for Rob Zombie’s “Werewolves of the S. S.” but we really don’t need filmmakers that truly don’t understand the genre adding their two cents. Surprisingly some of these trailers were screened at the New York Horror Festival and “GirlKiller” was directed by Michael Gingold and features a cameo by Ian McCullough (Zombie) but don’t let that fool into thinking it is worth watching.
The second part of disc one is the Exploitation Trailer Reel which is 98 minutes and where the DVD really starts to pick up a little steam. Some original selections (Treasure of the 4 Crowns, Captain America and Avalanche Express) highlight the reel of stale selections that are still fun to watch for genre enthusiasts. Material such as “1990: Bronx Warriors” and “Flesh Gordon” are solid reminders why so many of us gravitate to these types of movies. And a select few films such as “Cornbread, Earl and Me” and “The Final Countdown” are not really Grindhouse movies and don’t belong on this collection.
Be forewarned this DVD can’t compare to the “42nd Street Forever” series. That series picked interesting material and some really hard to find films.
These trailers are accompanied by two commentaries by Stephen Romano and Uncle Creepy from Dread Central and neither one sheds any real information on the films represented on the disc.
Also on the disc are six hidden trailers which include “Fire and Ice” (Not really a Grindhouse movie.) and “The Dynamite Brothers.”
On disc two most of the lame material is behind you and the fun begins with a Horror Trailer Marathon. You see old favorites like “The Toolbox Murders,” “Pieces,” “Snuff,” and “Saturn 3.” This is 80 minutes of pure bloody horror fun and will more than pay for the admission price. Especially when you hear the priceless 80’s tagline “Gordy from “Stand by Me” must stand alone.”
The TV Spectacular section of the disc is full of interesting TV ads for some bizarre curio pieces such as “Old Dracula,” “Massacre at Central High,” and “Slithis.” This all runs about 22 minutes and look for James Caan in “Rollerball.”
The second disc is rounded out by an intriguing interview and trailer gallery from Sam Sherman’s Independent International Trailer Vault.
A third and final disc houses MP3 radio spots for numerous movies. The disc also comes with a booklet and poster.
“Shock Festival” is far from a perfect DVD but the collection of oddball trailers makes it a worthwhile purchase as long as you skip the newly produced material on the disc.
– Anthony Benedetto
- Interview with J.R. Bookwalter - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Andrew J. Rausch - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Rick Popko and Dan West - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Director Stevan Mena (Malevolence) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Screenwriter Jeffery Reddick (Day of the Dead 2007) - January 22, 2015
- Teleconference interview with Mick Garris (Masters of Horror) - January 22, 2015
- A Day at the Morgue with Corri English (Unrest) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Writer/Director Nacho Cerda (The Abandoned, Aftermath) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actress Thora Birch (Dark Corners, The Hole, American Beauty) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actor Jason Behr, Plus Skinwalkers Press Coverage - January 22, 2015
