Fay ’ray
KING KONG (1933) Blu-ray Starring Fay Wray, Robert Armstrong and Bruce Cabot
Directed by Merian C. Cooper and Ernes B. Schoedsack Written by James Creelman, Ruth Rose, Merian C. Cooper, et al. Warner Bros.
King Kong isn’t just a classic monster movie, it’s
one of the few titles that irrevocably changed the medium. The special effects-driven blockbusters that dominate Hollywood today can all be traced back to that famous stop-motion gorilla puppet climbing the Empire State Building. It’s hard to think of another movie monster that’s more iconic or a scream queen as lovably shrill as Fay Wray, so it’s no surprise King Kong’s inevitable appearance on Blu-ray serves as a reminder of how ridiculously en- tertaining the film is and just how few times it’s been equalled. Easily the best presentation that King Kong has
ever received on home video, Warner Bros’ Blu-ray finds the movie has aged remarkably well (beyond its laughably naïve portrayal of natives and women, of course). Due to the age of the negative, it’s not a slick digital transfer like the Blu-ray for Peter Jack- son’s 2005 Kong remake, so you can expect a layer of grain on the image, which vividly renders the texture of the origi- nal film stock. Still, every piece of rabbit hair jostled by special effects guru Willis O’Brien to simulate the beast’s fur is crystal clear. Unfortunately, no new special features were included beyond those from the 2005
two-disc DVD, but that’s probably because there wasn’t much room for improvement. The Jackson- produced seven-part documentary covers every as- pect of the groundbreaking production, featuring interviews with Kong experts, the late Wray and fa- mous fans such as John Landis, Rick Baker, Ray Harryhausen and Frank Darabont. Though the archival test footage of O’Brien’s abandoned di- nosaur epic Creation and Jackson’s re-enactment of the lost spider pit sequence get an impressive high-def upgrade, the supplemental material is oth- erwise identical to what came before. If you don’t yet own a copy of King Kong, this is
the one. Whether or not you’ll want to upgrade from the previous DVD will depend on how much you value improved presentation, but seeing that famous gorilla come alive so vividly while Wray squeals in
Mad Ron’s Prevues From Hell: A splash of Dario Argento’s Deep Red.
beautifully restored sound is simply horror movie gold.
PHIL BROWN Sins Of Our Fathers
MAD RON’S PREVUES FROM HELL (1987) DVD Starring Nick Pawlow and Happy Goldsplatt
Directed by Jim Monaco Written by James F. Murray Jr., Ron Roccia, Nick Pawlow, et al. Off the Wall Video
Before IMDb and YouTube, the
trailer compilation tape was a valuable tool for exploitation ex- ploration. Labels such as Sinister Cinema and Wizard Video teased fans with numerous releases, of- fering a glimpse of undiscovered shockfests. Now, a highly sought- after compilation from that era, Mad Ron’s Prevues From Hell, has finally hit DVD. Originally released in 1987, this
collection of 47 of the strangest, goriest and sleaziest horror and exploitation film trailers from the ’60s and ’70s is hosted by a bookwormish ventriloquist named Nick Pawlow and his sarcastic, potty-mouthed zombie dummy, Happy Goldsplatt. Adding a unique ele- ment are wraparound segments set in an old movie theatre populated by a zombie audience that
not only munch on buckets of bloodsoaked pop- corn but also each other while waiting for the cin- ema’s insane, mouth-frothing projectionist, Mad Ron (Ron Roccia), to play the trailers. The scope of the selection is wide, with sublime
entries such as Night of the Living Dead, Tales from the Crypt, Black Christmas (a.k.a. Silent Night, Evil Night) and Deep Red included alongside sleaze masterpieces such as Color Me Blood Red, The Undertaker and His Pals, The Corpse Grinders, Ilsa: She Wolf of the S.S. and the truly offensive promo for 1966’s Africa: Blood and Guts – which features numerous images of human executions and animal killings. Ads for films that are thematically linked are grouped together, such as the Ed Gein-in- spired Three on a Meathook, De- ranged and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The downside is the poor picture
and sound quality. Released in fullscreen format, it looks as though it’s been sourced from an old VHS cassette and wear ’n’ tear is evi- dent. Some will see this as adding
an element of grindhouse charm. Extras include a movie poster gallery, behind-the-scenes making- of footage and trailers for the compilation itself. It’ll leave you pining for the sordid classics of yester- year.
JAMES BURRELL
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