Home Grown Horrors: Volume 2 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.5

Home Grown Horrors: Volume 2 Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf January 3, 2023

"Home Grown Horrors: Vol. 2" takes a look at the big dreams of filmmaking, which are often blocked by the realities of regional production challenges. With “Dead Girls,” “Moonstalker,” and “Hanging Heart,” Vinegar Syndrome shares a collection of smaller horror features that work with limited resources and easily accessible locations to make genre magic.

Click here for a review of Moonstalker

Click here for a review of Dead Girls

Click here for a review of Hanging Heart

Home Grown Horrors: Volume 2 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

See above for reviews.

Home Grown Horrors: Volume 2 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

See above for reviews.

Home Grown Horrors: Volume 2 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Moonstalker

• Commentary #1 features cinematographer Michael Goi, producer Sally O'Rourke, production manager John Strysik, and actors Joleen Mullins and Kelly Mullis.

• Commentary #2 feature The Hysteria Continues.

• "Camper Stamper Lives" (95:47, HD) is the extended making-of for "Moonstalker," featuring interviews with production manager John Strysik, cinematographer Michael Goi, composer Douglas Pipes, and actors Kelly Mullis, Joleen Mullins, John Marzilli, and Ingrid Vold. Professional origins are explored, with the interviewees eventually finding their way to director Michael S. O'Rourke, who was generally regarded as a good guy with interest in developing a career, making his debut with 1987's "Deadly Love." Biographical details are shared, with Marzilli breaking through during his time on "Surf II," and the "Moonstalker" adventure began with freezing locations in Nevada, with the shoot occurring the dead of winter. Cast camaraderie is highlighted and accommodation misadventures are shared. Cinematography is analyzed, with Goi fighting to find enough electricity to power his lights, often working with next to nothing in the middle of nowhere. Technical achievements are celebrated, including makeup effects, with the crew working for very little money, and sometimes they weren't paid at all. Pipes offers his experience with O'Rourke and the film. First impressions are shared, and the feature's home video history is tracked, with Goi managing to find the original elements, giving the endeavor a new life on Blu-ray.

• "Camper Stamper Caper" (70:05, SD) is the original making-of for "Moonstalker," offering a lengthy, fly-on-the-wall look at the production process. Shooting days are observed, thoughts are shared, and cast and crew camaraderie is showcased, detailing the day-to-day work on the film.

• Image Gallery (2:01) collects publicity shots and BTS snaps.

• A Trailer has not been included on this release.

Dead Girls

• Commentary #1 features director David Devine and writer Steve Jarvis.

• Commentary #2 features The Hysteria Continues.

• "Dead Girls Rock" (92:44, HD) is an extended making-of, featuring interviews with director David Devine, writer Steve Jarvis, composer Erik Ekstrand, and actors Angela Scaglione, Jeff Herbick, Brian Chin, Ilene Singer, Robert Harden, and Kay Wolf. Opening with his educational history, Devine establishes a college friendship with Jarvis, with the pair pursuing a filmmaking dream, making "Dead Girls" their second feature. The actors detail their industry ambition, finding their way to Devine and Jarvis, who are generally regarded as nice guys who knew what they wanted from the effort. Paying tribute to giallo entertainment, the production worked to deliver a twisty tale with an unusual killer, trying to channel some Dario Argento energy along the way. With a $75,000 budget, Devine and Jarvis had to get real about their limitations, trying to work with what they had while still remaining ambitious about the murder mystery they were trying to make. Characterization is examined, with the director candid about his permissiveness with hiring standards. Locations are recalled, as the shoot commenced in February, offering cold weather pains for cast and crew. Memories of cinematographer Aaron Schneider are offered, with the future director of "Get Low" and "Greyhound" fighting to make art with a 14-day-long shooting schedule. Technical and thespian challenges are recalled, especially with frigid temps and shifting locations. Music is celebrated, with Ekstrand bringing life to suspense sequences. Distribution tales are presented, with "Dead Girls" becoming a popular VHS title, cementing cult longevity. And Vinegar Syndrome is praised, finally releasing the endeavor as it was meant to look.

• Image Gallery (:58) collects VHS art, film stills, and BTS snaps.

• A Trailer has not been included on this release.

Hanging Heart

• "Directing from the Heart" (23:06, HD) is an interview with writer/director Jimmy Lee, who originally pursued acting while at UCLA, eventually abandoning such a life, aiming to become a director instead, educated at Columbia College. Setting out to make his first movie, Lee encountered troubles with financing, especially with a script detailing the gay experience, eventually using his own money to get the project made. The interviewee details a learning experience with a dubious distributor, and he identifies his attachment to the "fiction-ary" story, wishing he injected a little more horror into the feature. Technical achievements are celebrated and L.A. locations are noted, with Lee offering his memories of the shoot, including management of tone. Lee closes with some information on his follow-up film, 2004's "Close Call."

• "Music is Where the Heart Is" (8:57, HD) is an interview with composer Erik Ekstrand, who explores his lifelong interest in music, mastering various instruments over the years. Making a connection to writer/director Jimmy Lee through his wife, Ekstrand was hired, dealing with the helmer's demands. The interviewee has never seen "Hanging Heart," but he certainly has opinions about the feature, also discussing the addition of a second composer to give Lee what he was looking for. Losing interest in the business, Ekstrand decided to form his own band, preferring the live music experience over studio time.

• "Hanging with Ingrid" (6:47, HD) is an interview with actress Ingrid Vold, who shares her entrance into the business, taking advice from Dustin Hoffman. Vold shares her memories of writer/director Jimmy Lee, also examining her character and time inside a hospital location.

• "A Hero Who Kicks" (17:18, HD) is an interview with actor Dan Zukovic, who charts his early interest in music (participating in the punk scene) and acting, making his way to Los Angeles to study the artform, eventually finding his way to "Hanging Heart." Some character work was attempted, getting Zukovic in cop mode, and locations are recalled. An assessment of writer/director Jimmy Lee is provided, with the production working through a 35mm, low-budget shoot, dealing with periodic setbacks. First impressions are provided after an industry screening some time after production was completed.

• "The Many Hats of Mr. White" (11:30, HD) is an interview with producer Michael White, who followed his interest in filmmaking to Columbia College, where he met Jimmy Lee, with the pair becoming friends. Working with Lee on various projects, White was hired to help bring "Hanging Heart" to life, handling various roles, including the overseeing of post-production work. Locations for the feature are highlighted, and distribution headaches are revealed, keeping the picture from achieving success on the home video market.

• Image Gallery (1:11) collects BTS snaps.

• A Video Trailer (2:20, SD) and a 2015 Trailer (1:00, SD) are included.

Home Grown Horrors: Volume 2 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The DIY moviemaking nature of "Dead Girls," "Moonstalker," and "Hanging Heart" can result in a lack of pace, but some level of imagination is always present, displaying the struggle of small productions trying to put on a bloody show for genre fans. Supplements are wonderful, and Vinegar Syndrome puts together the best possible versions of these endeavors, giving admirers, the filmmakers, and their extended families a chance to relive a moment in time when Hollywood dreams were realized in backyard productions.