Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		2.5

Attack of the Killer Tomatoes! Blu-ray Movie Review

Will fans want to ketchup with this Blu-ray?

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman January 26, 2018

There’s a brief snippet of an old The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson on one of the supplements on this new Blu-ray of Attack of the Killer Tomatoes where Carson, interviewing Jack Riley about the film, says it sounds like it’s going to become a cult item a la The Rocky Horror Picture Show, which is indeed kind of what happened. In fact, if memory serves (which it may not), I’m almost positive I first saw Attack of the Killer Tomatoes on the semi-large screen at a neighborhood movie “palace” that was best known for having shown late night screenings of The Rocky Horror Picture Show for literally decades (it may still be screening the film, for all I know). Attack of the Killer Tomatoes is, according to at least some of the comments on the supplements, a film which started with a title (co-writer Costa Dillon offers a slightly different take on what sparked the project, included on the audio commentary on this disc), and in some ways there’s very little that can be said about this totally gonzo effort that the title doesn’t already disclose. This is guerilla filmmaking at its most basic, to the point that a horrifying helicopter crash inadvertently caught on film during the shoot was simply folded into the plot because — well, horrifying helicopter crash. Anyone looking for finely reasoned plot points or even a baseline level of verbal humor in this film is probably going to want to keep looking, but when taken on its own decidedly lo-fi terms, there’s nothing quite like seeing an army of sentient tomatoes attacking helpless humans.

Now there is simply no getting around the fact that Attack of the Killer Tomatoes is stupid. As in stooooopid. So expectation bars must be set accordingly, but if they are, the film is kind of deliriously funny as it documents the uprising of the fruit (yes, tomatoes are fruits) that those who abide by macrobiotic diets have been warning us about for years (yes, that’s kinda sorta a joke). The film gets out of the gate (and/or garbage disposal) from the get go, as a whole tomato jumps out of a sink and (supposedly) attacks a woman. (As might be gleaned from the fact that this film had a budget that could only be described as paltry, there’s actually little to no footage clearly depicting tomato attacks against the citizenry. Instead, we are treated to a vast array of “reaction” shots.)

There’s so much rampant silliness going on in Attack of the Killer Tomatoes that it hardly matters that some gags don’t really land, since there’s some other outré element sure to show up in mere moments. And, oh, just in case I forgot to mention it, Attack of the Killer Tomatoes is kind of a musical, replete with song and dance numbers that may not have helped to kill the film musical, but which probably won’t make any song and dance fan’s “must see” list. A Mission: Impossible team of sorts is assembled to investigate the increasing carnage, and lest it not be clear from the outset, none of the team is exactly overly skilled at their ostensible jobs and/or assignments.

A conspiracy is of course underlying the mayhem, but the denouement of the film plays kind of weirdly close to Mars Attacks!, with “music” providing a way to combat the unwanted interlopers. It’s all frenetic and hyperbolic, and perhaps a little too ridiculous to continue generating sizable laughs, but for those with a certain fondness for “stupid comedy”, there’s nothing quite like Attack of the Killer Tomatoes.

Attack of the Killer Tomatoes! Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Attack of the Killer Tomatoes is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of MVD Rewind with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. For anyone who has experienced previous home video releases of this title, this new restoration is going to be something of a revelation, especially in terms of the palette, which is appealingly vivid and rather nicely suffused throughout the presentation. MVD is touting a 4K scan without mentioning what kind of element was used, but one way or the other, this is easily the best Attack of the Killer Tomatoes has ever looked, though that said there are still a few passing issues some videophiles may have minor qualms with. There are still minor blemishes that can be spotted, including a couple of brief splotches that look like chemical burns. Some of the dark scenes offer very little in the way of detail, let alone fine detail (I'm wondering if a BD-50 might have provided a bit more "real estate" to improve some of these admittedly transitory issues). Clarity is also somewhat variable, not necessarily due to things like opticals or other effects. Grain resolves naturally and has the expected spikes in some of the sequences like the stop motion scene of tomatoes attacking grocery store victims.

Attack of the Killer Tomatoes! Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Attack of the Killer Tomatoes features an LPCM 2.0 mono track that supports the film's dialogue and "musical" interludes without any problems. The track has some rather good low end, and midrange also sounds nicely full, especially in the song and dance routines. Dialogue and effects are rendered without any issues like dropouts or other damage.

Attack of the Killer Tomatoes! Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Legacy of a Legend (480i; 14:14) is an archival retrospective featuring some fun interviews with the cast and crew, along with fans like Bruce Vilanch.


• Crash and Burn (480i; 3:39) documents the horrifying helicopter crash mentioned above in the main body of the review.


• Super Duper 8 Prequels

  Attack of the Killer Tomatoes (480i; 17:36) is the "first draft" short, and includes an optional commentary track.

  Gone With the Babusuland(480i; 32:29) is an unrelated short that only features a commentary track (that I could figure out, anyway).

• Famous Fowl (480i; 2:21) features an interview with the San Diego Chicken. That is not a typo.


• Deleted Scenes (480i; 6:04)


• Killer Tomatomania (480i; 4:33) features a Killer Tomato invading Hollywood. He fits right in.


• Where Are They Now? (480i; 2:51) is a tongue in cheek follow up on several cast members.


• We Told You So (480i; 3:07) purports to uncover a terrifying conspiracy.


• Sing Alongs

  Sidewalk Sing Along (480i; 1:30)

  Main Theme (480i; 1:49)

  The Mindmaker Song (480i; 2:04)

  Tomato Stomp (480i; 1:46)

  Puberty Love (480i; 00:40)

  Love Theme (480i; 1:00)

• Slated for Success (480i; 1:56) celebrates the unrecognized talents of the slate clapper.


• Attack of the Killer Tomatoes Trailer (480i; 2:11)


• Attack of the Killer Tomatoes Radio Spots (480i; 2:02) have a video element of course.


• Audio Commentary (available under the Play Menu) features John De Bello, Costa Dillon and Steve Peace.

Additionally, MVD Rewind has provided a (folded) poster in the keepcase. One member private messaged me asking me about Easter Eggs on this release, and I did a cursory attempt to find some with the directional arrows on my remote, but failed, which is not to say they don't exist.

Attack of the Killer Tomatoes! Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This new MVD Rewind release is obviously geared toward a certain kind of "genre" enthusiast, though I'd be hard pressed to define exactly what genre Attack of the Killer Tomatoes might be. You can't help but laugh at the rampant stupidity, intentional and/or otherwise, that permeates this film (at least I can't help laughing at it), and for those who share a kind of twisted sense of humor, Attack of the Tomatoes may in fact be a very tasty treat despite its obvious shortcomings. Technical merits are generally first rate and the supplementary package very enjoyable. With an understanding that this is a release that is not going to appeal to everyone, Attack of the Killer Tomatoes is that rare 2.0 scored film which comes Recommended.