5.4 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
A group of campers in the Canadian wilderness begins to hear strange reports over their radio. Terrified by what they've been listening to, the campers decide to barricade themselves at their cabin in order to face the danger.
Starring: Paul Bentzen, Debbi Pick, Nick Holt, Karl Wallace, Robert ArkensDrama | 100% |
Sci-Fi | Insignificant |
Fantasy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 3.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
Note: This film is available on Blu-ray as part of Weird Wisconsin: The Bill Rebane Collection.
Somewhat hilariously considering the geographical focus of this collection, I have previously disclosed that I discovered some time ago that
undeniably weird
Wisconsin is evidently
the presumed center of the universe. That is a conclusion I not so coincidentally came to after I married a woman from that state, but it's a
sentiment
which has
been regularly reinforced by a truly gobsmacking number of Wisconsin set films that have crossed my path in various ways in the time since I said
"I do". There have also been
an unusually high
number of
Wisconsin-centered or actually filmed titles that have as a matter of fact entered my queue to write about over the years, and though not
part of my
official
reviewing duties, two wildly
disparate films,
American Movie and Dr.
Bronner's
Magic Soapbox, actually have a more or less direct connection to the tiny town my wife grew up in, Menomonee Falls. As if to make the
circle complete, one of
American Movie's aspiring filmmakers shows up as a talking head in the documentary about Bill Rebane included in this set. That documentary
starts off with a kind of joke where a critic is asked to sum up the impact of "someone like Bill Rebane", to which the critic may understandably
respond, "Who is Bill Rebane?" For those who are either unacquainted with this kind of delirious "regional" filmmaker, or in fact for those who have
already fallen under the sway of "classics" (?) like Monster A Go-Go!, this new collection from Arrow provides a nice selection of Rebane's
work, with the typically broad and deep assortment of supplementary material that has become Arrow's stock in trade.
Invasion from Inner Earth is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.33:1. The hardback book included with this limited edition contains both an initial overall disclaimer about video quality, along with subsequent detailed information on the transfer, as follows:
All the films included in this collection have been restored by Arrow Films from the best available materials. While every effort has been made to deliver the best possible presentations, the results inevitably vary according to the condition of the source materials, some of which were in poor shape.While showing some of the same kinds of age related wear and tear that afflicted Monster a Go-Go, Invasion from Inner Earth is in at least relatively better shape, and the best news is that the color palette, while perhaps skewed a little toward ruddy red-pink, has emerged from the mists of time largely intact. Detail levels are at least decent most of the time, though a rather gritty grain field can definitely mask fine detail in some of the dimly lit interior moments. As should probably be expected, the (many) outdoor scenes pop with most authenticity, and perhaps due to brighter backgrounds, grain can look a bit more tightly resolved in those scenes as well.
We hope that this does not affect your enjoyment of the films.
Invasion from Inner Earth is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1 [sic] with mono audio. A 16mm print was scanned in 2K resolution at Company 3. The film was graded and restored at R3Store Studios in London. The mono mix was remastered from the print's soundtrack at Deluxe Audio Services.
A cursory check of online data suggests that Ennio Morricone did not sue Bill Rebane for co-opting what sounds like a cheesy, quasi-reggae interpretation of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly as the opening theme for Invasion from Inner Earth, but the film's peculiar score (which sounds like it was done on an early seventies 8 bit synth) sounds reasonably secure on this disc's DTS-HD Master Audio Mono track. There are once again some ebbs and flow to amplitude and clarity, but dialogue is delivered with reasonable fidelity throughout, and optional English subtitles help to elide any problem areas.
Monster A Go-Go! and Invasion from Inner Earth share the same disc, which offers the following supplements:
- Twist Craze (HD; 8:49) is a 1961 documentary about the then au courant dance phenomenon.
- Dance Craze (HD; 14:41) is Rebane's 1962 follow up to Twist Craze.
- Kidnap Extortion (HD; 14:28) is a fictional short involving a bank robbery. This is billed as an "industrial", which may beg the question as to exactly what industry was being promoted.
Invasion from Inner Earth shows what a resilient and resourceful filmmaker Rebane could be under difficult circumstances, and if the final product here defies "tradition" in talking about things rather than actually showing them (aside from the truly gonzo final moments), the result is intermittently interesting. This presentation has some of the same source element issues that crop up in other films in this set, and so technical merits are variable, but the supplements are engaging, for those who are considering a purchase.
(Still not reliable for this title)
The Alien Incident
1978
1965
1984
1983
1988
2021
1989
2018
The Director's Cut
1997
2019
2018
2017
Space Mission to the Lost Planet / Vampire Men of the Lost Planet
1970
2014
2003
2K Restoration
1980
2019
2018
1957
Collector's Edition
1988