Disconnected Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.0

Disconnected Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf January 6, 2018

Before he made a name for himself with 1988’s “Psychos in Love,” writer/director Gorman Bechard launched his helming career with 1984’s “Disconnected,” bringing one of his own short stories to the big screen. Ambition runs high in this production, with locations wallpapered with images of classic actors and filmmakers, finding Bechard trying to pay tribute to beloved cinema with this genre freak-out, which combines a serial killer story with mild Lynch-ian abstraction, hoping to generate a modicum of mystery with brief visits to the unknown. What Bechard lacks is skill, finding his introductory production struggling to connect the technical and narrative dots, ultimately offering an amateurish tour of sex and violence, and one that struggles with the basics in cinematography and sound recording. “Disconnected” isn’t entirely unappealing, as some scenes do manage to hit their intended mark of insanity, but Bechard struggles to put together simple ideas, rendering the effort almost incomplete at critical moments.

A longtime clerk at the Valley Video store, Alicia (Frances Raines) is struggling in her relationship with boyfriend Mike (Cark Koch), suspecting he’s cheating on her with her twin sister, Barbara Ann (Raines). Into Alicia’s life comes Franklin (Mark Walker), a seemingly gentle man who hopes to charm Alicia into a date, becoming a necessary distraction during the chaos of her life. Unfortunately, Franklin is also murderer with a taste for innocent women, luring them back to his home for the kill. While Alicia struggles with the complexity of her love life, she’s also tormented by her phone, receiving calls that emit strange noises, blurring her sense of reality.

“Disconnected” is a few films, but it puts most of its focus on Alicia. She’s an independent person with a troubled love life, suspecting her boyfriend of sleeping with her more sexually adventurous sibling, struggling with such a sickening revelation. She works at a video store, dealing with renters and weirdos (one scene finds an adult film freak badgering her about new releases), making her way in suburban Connecticut, making a critical error in judgment during the opening scene, where she invites a frail old man into her home to make a call, only have the stranger disappear on her. “Disconnected” offers a taste of the supernatural before it moves on to the literal, with Alicia soon targeted by Franklin, who seems like a stand-up guy, sweetly trying to woo her at the store, but he’s really a sicko with a stockpile of bodies, prone to romancing the recently slaughtered.

As a horror production, “Disconnected” tends to handle grisly encounters the best, with the natural detachment that comes with most first-time filmmakers working well with the feature’s odd tone. Not that anything here is scary, but disorientation is achieved, and Franklin’s particular kinks are welcomingly disgusting, adding punch to a picture that desperately needs something to happen. The other side of “Disconnect” concerns Alicia’s battle with the phone, accepting numerous calls that either offer silence or loaded noises that rattle her, somehow believing throughout the story that she might know the perpetrator. Of course, she could just abandon the phone, toss it in a nearby lake, but there wouldn’t be a movie. And, at times, there barely is a movie, with Bechard fighting to make sense of his own work, sharing extended cutaways during key sequences (he provides a tour of tchotchkes during a sex scene), doing battle with sunlight during expositional moments, and he botches the ending, which should offer a ripping climax featuring two cops (including Carmine Capobianco) on the killer’s trail, only to have critical confrontations take place off-screen. So much for payoffs.

Disconnected Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation is listed as "Newly scanned and restored in 2K from 16mm vault elements." Those who've seen "Disconnected" on VHS or worse are likely to be impressed by the HD upgrade, which brings as much clarity as possible for the soft feature, which carries extremely heavy but filmic grain and amateur moviemaking achievements. Sharpness isn't there, but Vinegar Syndrome finds cult beauty in the imagery, pulling up as much clarity as they can, delivering a look at video store decoration and thespian reactions, and locations retain some depth. Colors are tastefully refreshed, restoring a brighter palette for period costuming, and blood red horrors are secured. Skintones are natural. Delineation reaches as far as it can go. Source is in good shape, with some mild scratches and single-frame damage.

Disconnected Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Age and technical limitations are more pronounced on the 1.0 DTS-HD MA track, finding Vinegar Syndrome working uphill to make the mix on "Disconnected" enjoyable. It's a slightly muted listening experience with inherent sync and recording issues, and dialogue exchanges aren't always the easiest to follow, though performances aren't sacrificed, with tension and emotionality open for inspection. Music has the same issues, missing a more inviting sense of instrumentation, but basic beats are noted, with the feature often stopping entirely to take in soundtrack selections. Again, Vinegar Syndrome can only do so much with troubling elements and iffy production equipment, pushing the sonic force of "Disconnected" about as far as it can go. Clarity isn't there, but the basics register adequately.

Disconnected Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Intro (:42, HD) joins writer/director Gorman Bechard and actor Carmine Capobianco as they welcome viewers to the "Disconnected" Blu-ray experience, jokingly mentioning the feature has been restored in "16K."

• Commentary features Bechard and Capobianco.

• Booklet (six pages) features an essay by Art Ettinger.

• Interview (11:28, HD) with Bechard provides an overview of his early years in filmmaking, finding a college course concerning the work of Alfred Hitchcock bringing him to New York City, inspiring him to develop a short story, "Disconnected," into a feature. Bechard shares casting stories and details locations, with most acquired through friendships and favors. The helmer also shares his feelings on the final product, and his struggle to master the sound sync while putting it together.

• Interview (10:27, HD) with Capobianco discusses the process of working with Bechard, with the pair making several features together in the 1980s. The actor seems shocked by the lasting power of "Disconnected," rediscovering the picture on YouTube years back, while his con appearances find fans pelting him with questions about the movie's availability. Capobianco shares some sandwich talk, examining the food found throughout "Disconnected," and offers his own location anecdotes.

• "Twenty Questions" (59:50, HD) is a 1988 short film from Bechard.

• Q&A (17:22, HD) returns to Bechard, who takes questions about his career at the New Haven Documentary Film Festival.

• A Trailer has not been included.

Disconnected Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Disconnected" has many problems Bechard can't hurdle, often holding on for dear life as he attempts to craft a proper chiller. Weirdly, there's not enough interest in bloodlust, which is rare for a low-budget horror production, as the tale often takes off on nightlife tangents, including full performances from The Excerpts, a local band. Bechard's inability to piece together a coherent endeavor isn't entirely surprising, and he smartly infuses enough impenetrability to cover most of his mistakes, ultimately allowing Alicia's mysterious phone-based meltdown to define the viewing experience. "Disconnected" has curious working parts, and it's also interesting to watch a young filmmaker figure out the challenges of storytelling and visual construction. For that alone, the picture holds attention, just don't go in expecting a rousing B-movie with a taste for the unreal.