100 Tears Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		3.0
Audio		2.5
Extras		4.5
Overall		3.0

100 Tears Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown March 1, 2025

I've never been a big fan of the Terrifier series or Art the Clown, but watching a flick like 100 Tears tips me closer to fandom than I'd ever imagined possible. It's easy to take for granted the level of spit-shine and polish showcased in a franchise like Terrifier, from the grit to the grime, the gore to the blood-letting, even the performances and script (which I've been known to dismiss in past reviews). But 100 Tears is a lo-fi homebrewed production in search of teeth, with little in the way of bite or snap. Its killer clown is no Art, much less Pennywise, though it desperately wants to prey on people's fear of clowns. Limp, lazy and shot like a high school film project, it embraces its homemade stylings but struggles to offer much more than a tired take on tropes long since engraved in the genre. It tries, oh it tries, but stumbles, falters and fails ad nauseum, with a small string of kills meant to bolster its edge but instead merely reveals how few chills and thrills it has going for it.

When a lonely circus clown called Gurdy (Jack Amos) is accused of crimes he didn't commit, he sets out on a revenge tour, hunting and killing those responsible for condemning him. Fueled by hate and a near-supernatural bloodlust, his killing spree earns the attention of two tabloid journalists (Georgia Chris and Joe Davison) who unwittingly find themselves in the clown's clutches, working to escape before he can add them to his body count. Directed by Marcus Koch and written by Davison, the film also stars Clayton Smith, Raine Brown, Becca Wheel, Pauline Schaffer, Jenn Lee, Kibwe Dorsey, Rod Grant, Norberto Santiago, Jerry Allen, Jeff Dylan Graham, Krystal Badia, Leslie Ann Crytzer, Jori Davison and Brad Rhodes.

100 Tears has garnered a cult following over the years, more I suspect because it was (for a time) so difficult to find rather than because it has so much cheap-creep on tap. On the director's commentary, Koch even mentions copies of the film going for upwards of $5,000 on eBay, which, though hard to believe, speaks to something about the film I clearly missed. What struck me as a snore-n-bore horror outing has charmed its way into the hearts and sick-and-twisted minds of plenty of gorehounds, which considering its NC-17 rating isn't much of a surprise. Not to drag out the comparison, but again, Art the Clown springs to mind; perhaps the culmination of Gurdy and his ilk, vaulted to popularity by something 100 Tears was onto years ahead of its time. Even so, today it plays like a dated, antiquated stroll down clown-horror lane, with little in the way of true frights or genuine terror to amp up the tension. Gurdy -- or rather the film's editing -- is slow and stocky, undermining what might be a collection of fun jump scares with a more plodding, overtly telegraphed series of kills that aren't all that satisfying to begin with. Ah well. Cult films are cult films for a reason. If 100 Tears is up your alley, God bless and more power to ya.

100 Tears Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

It's tough to critique a video presentation like 100 Tears' 1080p/AVC-encoded video transfer. Unearthed Films has certainly done well by the film, delivering an image that's faithful to the original photography that has little in the way of encoding issues. That said, 100 Tears isn't an attractive flick, flaunting its low-budget trappings at every turn and leaning into hyper-stylized imagery and cinematography that suffers from one too many anomalies. Colors are bright and vivid, particularly when it comes to the sticky red stuff, but convincing hues aren't on the agenda. Skintones bounce between over-saturated and yellow-toned, black levels are often tainted with ruddy browns and slightly crimson charcoal grays, contrast is overheated, and shadow delineation is non-existent. Detail is problematic too. Edge definition is often hindered by aliasing, halos and other issues, fine texture clarity is disappointing, and crush is rampant. Moreover, macroblocking is a frequent issue, though it appears to trace back to the original digital photography rather than the encode. All told, 100 Tears looks precisely as low-budget as you'd expect. Whether that's to your liking is up to you.

100 Tears Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

100 Tears' sound design is rough. And I mean rough. Presented via a LPCM 2.0 mix, the film's audio is as dirty and rickety as its imagery. Dialogue is intelligible but thin and airy, slave to air hiss and room noise at every turn. Sound effects are weak and canned too, while music is overpowering and the soundscape has all manner of prioritization issues to deal with. Still, this is the movie as it was made, so it's hardly the fault of Unearthed Films or the quality of the Blu-ray disc.

100 Tears Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary - Director Marcus Koch and Unearthed Films president Stephen Biro sit down for an unassuming audio commentary that covers just about everything any fan of super low-budget horror could hope for. From production to a search for a distributor, the pair discuss the film, its underground legacy and following, its gore effects and approach to horror, casting and performances, scripting and shoot, and really every aspect of filming. Few stones are left unturned and the duo offer an easy listen. Of particular interest is the film's cult status, which Koch and Biro return to again and again, almost as amazed by the film's underground popularity as I am. They marvel at copies of the DVD selling on eBay for thousands of dollars and continually grapple with understanding the appeal of their own production.

• Original Cut (HD, 93 minutes) - The film's 93-minute original cut.

• Director Interview (SD, 45minutes) - An AMA-style Q&A with director Marcus Koch. Questions appear on screen in text from fans submitting inquiries online, followed by Koch reminiscing, offering plenty of anecdotes and answering each one. A surprising amount of info can be garnered here that isn't included in the audio commentary, making for a satisfying interview that doesn't trod on ground covered in other features very often.

• Blood Guts & Greasepaint: Making 100 Tears (SD, 23 minutes) - Koch leads yet another feature with ease, leaving me convinced that the behind-the-scenes tale of 100 Tears is far more interesting and engaging than the film itself. Other members of the cast and crew join in the fun, outlining the genesis of the project, the filmmakers' take on the genre, their approach to Gurdy, and everything from the costumes and makeup to final cut and release.

• Original Behind the Scenes (SD, 21 minutes) - The film's original 2008 fly-on-the-wall production doc.

• Additional Behind the Scenes (SD, 34 minutes) - More behind-the-scenes goodness and "other shenanigans."

• Deleted Scenes (SD, 11 minutes) - Sixteen deleted scenes, including an alternate ending.

• Outtakes (SD, 5 minutes) - Gags, flubs and mishaps.

• Marcus Koch's Childhood Short Films (SD, 21 minutes) - Koch introduces his childhood work.

• Trailers (HD, 4 minutes) - Two trailers for the film round out the package.

100 Tears Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Gurdy is no Art the Clown, but perhaps there's more precursor to his antics than I can spot from my vantage point. Clowns are scary. Let's be clear there. So it's no small feat that 100 Tears isn't all that scary at all. It shouldn't take much more than a killer clown to work as a genre flick, but plodding plotting, poor scripting, lightweight performances and a central movie monster that isn't as monstrous as others in the circle of famed movie clowns amounts to one big problem. So it goes. As a cult film, there must be something about 100 Tears that resonates. I'm just not privy to its allure. Unearthed Films is, though, delivering an anniversary Blu-ray release packed with special features. Video and audio quality are decent (at least as far as they can be, considering how rough-n-ready the film's original photography and sound design are), making for a release that's sure to please fans of the film.