PIRANHA
Even as Comic-Con attendees were wowed and shocked by the footage from Piranha 3D last month, the original cult classic film is being released by SHOUT! Factory on DVD and Blu-ray in a new anamorphic widescreen version. There are many people that may dismiss Piranha as just another B-movie from the late seventies, but this was directed by Joe Dante. You may remember Dante’s later films such as Gremlins, Innerspace and Small Soldiers. Add to that Kevin McCarthy heading up the cast and you have a cult classic that has been a favorite of film buffs for over thirty years. Piranha is a fun horror film in the sense that it is decently acted, has enough humor to keep you from becoming too terrified and doesn’t go unnecessarily overboard with the gore. In short, it’s almost like a scary campfire tale brought to life. This may have been only the second or third film that Joe Dante directed, but it is readily apparent that he is a gifted director this early on.
SHOUT! Factory really goes above and beyond with these release. The DVD comes in an outer sleeve that simulates a 3D version of one the film’s posters. The case itself has a reversible cover so you can choose which poster you want to display. Joe Dante and producer Jon Davison (who would go on to produce Robocop and Starship Troopers) provide a terrific audio commentary that is alone worth picking up this disc. There is a wonderful ‘Making Of’ featurette that has some great new interviews with Roger Corman, Joe Dante and two of the film’s stars, Belinda Balanski and Dick Miller. There are some extra scenes that were added in when this was shown on Network Television, presumably to make up for some of the cuts that were necessary to satisfy the Network censors. I’m curious as to why this weren’t included in the film itself for a full expanded edition, but that’s how it goes. Bloopers and Outtakes (these are also worth the pricetag) and a trailer with commentary from producer Davison, along with a couple of stills galleries, round out this packed set.
For the legions of fans of Piranha and for those just discovering it for the first time, this new DVD release is very impressive. The film itself looks amazing and sounds creepy in all the right places. The amount of Special Features packed into this set once again proves SHOUT! Factory to be the leader in DVD sets and I wish more companies would follow their lead. Pick this up immediately and prepared to be thrilled!
HUMANOIDS FROM THE DEEP
Humanoids From the Deep is an oddity. Granted, a film who’s main storyline involves creatures from the sea coming ashore to forcibly mate (yes, rape) with women doesn’t exactly start on firm ground, but considering that it stars Vic Morrow, Doug McClure and Ann Turkel and that is is directed by a woman (Barbara Peeters), one could easily surmise that this film is a little horror gem waiting to be discovered. Unfortunately, that is not the case. In fact, Humanoids From the Deep almost looks like two films, one about ecology and something about Native Americans and the other about sex-crazed rapist seas creatures running amok. Actually, that may not be far from the truth as all the sex and overtly violent scenes were filmed and added in later without any input from director Peeters. Still, two lackluster halves do not make an interesting whole in this case. The film also suffers from lacking any kind of humor (at least the intentional kind) and any sort of emotional investment other than revulsion during the rape scenes. This one is strictly for horror aficionados and the few fans of this film. Actually, there is one redeeming quality as it features one of the first film scores by composer James Horner. There, I found something nice to say.
As if to apologize for the film itself, SHOUT! Factory has once again done a tremendous job with the Special Features. For the completest, there are never before seen Deleted Scenes, trailers and TV and radio spots. “The Making of Humanoids From The Deep” features new interviews with composer James Horner, second unit/assistant director James Sbardellati, editor Mark Goldblatt and it is interesting to see what some of those involved think of the film. The one thing that really makes this disc worthwhile is Leonard Maltin’s interview Roger Corman about making this film. Once again, Corman reinforces why I am a fan of his. He always points out things in the films he produces that might not be readily apparently and hearing him speak about them only increases ones appreciation of his films. Yes, even this one.
