5.4 | / 10 |
Users | 2.8 | |
Reviewer | 2.0 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
A team of parapsychologists is invited by John Stoker to research the evil Fischer Manor, an ancient brothel where the owner Alfred Fischer was a gigolo that practiced black witchcraft. While investigating, the men are attacked by flesh-eater succubus and the psychic Erin Cooper seeks a powerful amulet for John Stoker. When they meet the trio of succubus, John finds a lethal secret.
Starring: Jane Scarlett, Sergio Jones, Clark Beasley Jr., Jim Coope, Michael SinterniklaasHorror | 100% |
Fantasy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1
English: Dolby Digital 5.1
None
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 2.0 | |
Video | 1.5 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 2.0 |
Anyone familiar with the work of writer/director Terry West (all two of you out there), should already know what they’re getting into with this film. When your prior filmography includes such cinematic gems as The Sexy Sixth Sense, Witchbabe: The Erotic Witch Project 3, Satan’s School for Lust, and The Lord of the G-Strings: The Femaleship of the String, there’s really no place to go but up. Unfortunately, his latest endeavor seems to be in the same vein, with scores of fully nude actresses lighting up the screen, atrocious acting that borders on satire, and outlandish gore staging that will have you chuckling every five minutes. Flesh for the Beast may not be cinematic gold, but if you set your expectations as far down in the gutter as they will go, there might actually be some entertainment value in West’s latest directorial outing.
The look of fear...
Presented in 1080p utilizing the AVC codec (at an average bitrate of 23Mbps), Flesh for the Beast offers a consistently rough visual presentation. Your appreciation for the quality of the picture will likely hinge on your threshold of comfort with film grain, which shrouds every frame of the picture in layers of digital noise. I'm not usually bothered by the presence of grain, but considering the amount of damage it wreaks on other aspects of the visuals, I was more than a little disappointed. For instance, fine object detail looks awful through the majority of the film, but the primary cause of the lost clarity seems to be a lack of hard edges or texturing due to the abundance of film grain. There are still plenty of shots that appear hazy when grain isn't present, meaning I can't pin all of the blame on that one singular component of the transfer, but it's certainly a contributing factor. Equally unimpressive is the color spectrum of the film, which incorporates heavy filtering to create the murky atmosphere of the mansion corridors. If you approach the film without expectations for a natural palette, you might enjoy the visual presentation more than I did. Lastly, I was reasonably impressed with black level depth, but contrast is extremely weak, blending the darker shades of the background into large blocks of nothingness.
In the end, the film offers a pathetic visual presentation that simply doesn't benefit much from the transition to high definition.
Considering this is a low-budget film from a relatively small studio, I was surprised to find a lossless audio track included on the disc. While not overly impressive, the combination of elements in the audio design ratchets up the tension where needed, and provides plenty of vicious gore effects. For instance, every time one of the lovely (fully nude) female characters transforms into a demonic monster, the music descends into a deranged heavy metal number to accompany the upcoming blood-letting. It comes across as two parts cheesy and one part gross, but I doubt anyone's actually watching this B-grade horror film for the scares. Likewise, the dialogue between characters is given adequate weight in the mix (despite the horrible delivery of the shoddy script), so even during moments when the effects or music are cranked up, we still have no problem making out the spoken lines. My only real complaint about the audio presentation is an overall lack of spatial separation in the surround channels. I never felt a creepy element to the sound design, which I blame partially on the nature of the film, and partially on the lack of immersion from carefully placed effects. In the end, the audio presentation is a competent component of the overall Flesh for the Beast experience, but won't hold a candle to the audio design of a higher budget horror film.
Behind the Screams (480p, Dolby Digital 2.0, 29:32 min): Featuring interviews with members of the production crew and cast, this featurette borders on laughable. It cracked me up to hear everyone talk about the film in a serious light (almost as if they're not in on the joke), since the film is the furthest thing from a legitimate horror entry. Interspersed with the various interviews, we're shown clips of the director and crew working on several gruesome set-pieces.
Aldo and Caroline Interviews (480p, Dolby Digital 2.0, 19:43 min): Writer/director Terry West discusses the cameo appearance by Aldo Sambrell and Caroline Munro, who play Alfred Fischer and Carla the gypsy. The two actors are given a brief opportunity to discuss their characters and film careers, but most of the running time is dedicated to praise for these two relatively obscure actors.
Rounding out the extras, we have a collection of standard definition trailers (Shadow: Dead Riot, The Oracle, Flesh Eater, and Flesh for the Beast).
Flesh for the Beast will only appeal to a very small segment of the population. You need to have a strong stomach, the ability to leave your brain at the door, and a twisted appreciation for gore-laced nudity. If you'd count yourself among that small segment of the viewing public, this might be a film worth adding to your collection. Otherwise, I'd recommend you avoid it like the plague, and remain in the camp of fortunate individuals who can continue to say they've never witnessed a Terry West production.
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