Rating summary

Movie		1.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		2.5

Blood Rage Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 4, 2016

John Grissmer's "Blood Rage" (1987) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Arrow Video/MVD Entertainment Group. The supplemental features on the disc include outtakes; new audio commentary with the director; new video interview with actor Ted Raimi; new video interview with special make-up effects creator Ed French; behind the scenes stills; and more. The release also arrives with fully-illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Joseph A. Ziemba. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature and the two bonus versions. Region-Free.

Terry

The plot of this low-budget slasher is beyond silly. The film begins in a drive-in theater where twins Todd and Terry manage to escape from the car of their mother’s boyfriend. Then Terry, who seems to be the wilder one, kills a horny stranger with a hatchet and wipes the blood on Todd. When the two boys are discovered by their mother, Terry blames Todd, who is in shock, for the crime. Why he does it remains a mystery.

Ten years later the mother (Louise Lasser) and her best friend (William Fuller) announce that they will tie the knot. Terry (Mark Soper) does not like the idea. Todd (also played by Soper) is nowhere to be seen because for years he has been locked in a mental institution. The poor guy has repeatedly attempted to prove that he is innocent and that his twin brother is the real killer, but no one has been willing to listen to him. His mother and the doctors treating him are convinced that he is seriously ill.

On Thanksgiving night, Todd escapes from the mental facility and heads back home. When someone warns his mother that he has gone missing she shares the news with Terry and he decides that this is the perfect opportunity to prove once and for all that his brother is a very dangerous maniac.

The film is a complete mess. It is so poorly scripted that at times it is truly painful to watch the actors trying to create something out of nothing. Frankly, there are a number of sequences that literally look like extracts from a very long test session which was quickly cut and edited and made into a feature film.

The dialog is seriously frustrating. There are so many awful exchanges that getting a headache while viewing the film is practically guaranteed. What is even worse is the fact that the overwhelming majority of the actors seem genuinely lost in the film, and this is the real tragedy because the static simply kills the atmosphere. There are other slashers that have been made with equally weak scripts, but many work rather well because the enthusiasm of their stars gives the silliness a different vibe. This film makes it very clear that it wants to be taken seriously but it looks so amateurish and uninspired that it makes it absolutely impossible to warm up to it.

There are quite a few very graphic close-ups, but they are not as effective as they were clearly intended to be. They just make the film look even cheaper and more ridiculous. (The chopped hand that moves and the fake dismembered body in the forest are the two biggest "highlights").

The retro soundtrack is surprisingly good. It was created by Richard Einhorn, who scored Ken Wiederhorn's very atmospheric zombie thriller Shock Waves. It blends some nice ambient effects and electronic instrumentals that remind of the work of the prolific Italian composer, producer, and song writer Giorgio Moroder.

Arrow Video's three-disc set features three versions of the film: Blood Rage, the original home video version, Nightmare at Shadow Woods, the theatrical recut, and an alternate "composite” cut combining footage from both versions. Disc One contains the new 2K restoration of Blood Rage. Disc Two contains Nightmare at Shadow Woods (with footage not seen on the Blood Rage home video release), as well as the alternate composite cut of the feature combining footage from the home video and theatrical versions.

Blood Rage Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, John Grissmer's Blood Rage arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video/MVD Entertainment Group.

Arrow Video have delivered a new 2K restoration that should please fans of the film. I viewed the "hard" version in its entirety and excluding a short segment very early into the film (during the dinner) where some light color pulsations are visible the technical presentation seems quite good. Indeed, depth and clarity remain convincing, while contrast levels never fluctuate. There are a few segments where the grain becomes a noticeably loose, but there are no distracting anomalies. Even better, there are absolutely no traces of problematic sharpening adjustments. Overall image stability is very good. There are no debris, damage marks, big cuts, or dirt spots.

There are very obvious gaps in quality in different parts of Nightmare at Shadow Woods, but this is hardly surprising considering the fact that Arrow Video's presentation is basically a reconstruction -- there is footage from the newly restored Blood Rage as well as footage transferred from an aged 35mm print element. The composite cut combines footage from the uncut and theatrical versions of the film.

(Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

Blood Rage Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0 (Blood Rage). Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The range of nuanced dynamics is quite limited, but this should not be surprising considering the fact that the film was shot with small budget. Depth and clarity are good, through some unevenness is occasionally easy to hear. There are no audio dropouts or digital distortions to report in our review.

Blood Rage Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Disc One

• VHS Opening Titles - in English, not subtitled. (5 min).

• Return to Shadow Woods - in this featurette, author and film historian Ed Tucker revisits some of the original locations in Jacksonville, Florida, where parts of Blood Rage were shot. In English, not subtitled. (6 min).

• Behind the Scenes Gallery - presented here is a collection of behind the scenes stills, a few of which are rather graphic. With music. (5 min).

• Three Minutes with Ted - in this new video interview, actor Ted Raimi (the condom salesman in the movie theater) recalls how he became involved with Blood Rage. In English, not subtitled. (4 min).

• Both Sides of the Camera - in this new video interview, producer/actress Marianne Kanter explains how she managed to secure funds for Blood Rage and produce it (at the time apparently she was the only female producer), and discusses some of the challenges she faced during the shooting of the film in Jacksonville, her interactions with the actors, her short appearance in the film, etc. In English, not subtitled. (10 min).

• Man Behind the Mayhem - in this new video interview, special make-up effects creator Ed French explains how he entered the film business and how some of the more graphic sequences from Blood Rage were shot. In English, not subtitled. (13 min).

• Jeez, Louise! - in this new video interview, actress Louise Lasser (Maddy) discusses her acting career and her contribution to Blood Rage. Apparently, it was quite difficult for her to play her character, Maddy, and get used to the graphic footage. In English, not subtitled. (11 min).

• Double Jeopardy - in this new video interview, actor Mark Soper (Todd/Terry) explains how became interested in acting and how he prepared to play the two characters in Blood Rage, and discusses the shooting process, his interactions with producer/actress Marianne Kanter, some of the more memorable lines from the film, the film's cult status, etc. In English, not subtitled. (11 min).

• Audio Commentary - in this exclusive new audio commentary, director John Grissmer offers plenty of information about the film's production history, and specifically where and how various sequences were shot, the scouting/preparation process in Jacksonville, key points of the film's plot, etc.

Disc Two

• Nightmare at Shadow Woods - in English, with optional English SDH subtitles. (79 min, 1080p).

• Composite Cut - in English, with optional English SDH subtitles. (75 min, 1080p).

• Outtakes - without sound. (27 min).

• Booklet - fully-illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by Joseph A. Ziemba, author of Bleeding Skull! A 1980s Trash-Horror Odyssey.

Blood Rage Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Maybe Blood Rage has a certain charm if seen at the right time with a group of loud friends, but I could never warm up to it. Frankly, I thought that it is as bad as many of the films that appear in Something Weird Video's catalog. If you have seen it, like it, and have been waiting for a good home video release of it to emerge, then Arrow Video/MVD Entertainment Group's Blu-ray release should be a special treat for you. The film looks quite good in high-definition and there are plenty of informative new supplemental features with cast and crew members who recall how they became involved with it. If you have not seen the film, you should find a way to RENT IT.