Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

Massacre in Dinosaur Valley Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov June 19, 2018

Michele Massimo Tarantini's "Massacre in Dinosaur Valley" (1985) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British label 88 Films. The supplemental features on the disc include deleted scenes; vintage international trailer for the film; and new featurette with Dr. Calum Waddell. In English or Italian, with English subtitles for the Italian track. Region-Free.

The American guy

Here’s a film that could have been directed only by an Italian and only during the ‘80s. Truly, this isn’t an exaggeration. The story of Massacre in Dinosaur Valley is such a spectacular mish-mash of ideas that only an Italian would have looked at it and concluded that it is good enough for a feature film. And the really odd thing about this film is that it is in fact pretty damn entertaining, at times possibly even brilliant.

The young and very handsome explorer Kevin Hall (Michael Sopkiw) arrives in Brazil to track down some very rare bones. In a suspicious gambling saloon, Kevin convinces a shady French pilot to let him join a small team of travelers that are heading deep into the Amazon jungle. But the Frenchman crashes his plane and only a few of the passengers survive -- Kevin, an unhinged Vietnam vet (Milton Rodriguez), his sexually frustrated wife (Marta Anderson), a clueless fashion photographer (Andy Silas), and two very hot underwear models (Suzane Carvalho and Susie Hahn). The vet instantly declares that he has what it takes to get them to a safer place, but Kevin becomes annoyed by his attitude and they repeatedly clash. Then the jungle eliminates the weaker ones and leaves the rest as a gift for some local cannibals that have initiated a sacred ceremony that honors their pagan god.

The film is defined by a degree of absurdity that pretty much matches that of J. Lee Thompson’s King Solomon's Mines. Of course, having Michele Massimo Tarantini write and direct it immediately ensured that there would be a lot more excess delivered with a typical for the era Italian machismo. So instead of goofy action there is plenty of sleaze and the silly characters are essentially replaced with some real nasty opportunists. In other words, the film offers a very different kind of ‘adult’ entertainment.

All of the sleaze and nastiness, however, are garnished with a wonderful sense of humor that makes the film charming rather than repulsive. Also, the really random nature in which different events occur initially seems like the film’s Achilles’ heel but then gradually becomes one of its biggest strengths. After the plane crashes it becomes impossible to predict where the film is heading and as a result there is just an endless string of surprises.

Like all memorable Italian genre films from the ‘80s this film also has a shockingly good soundtrack. Its producers apparently did not think much of it, but its synthesizer and guitar solos are exactly the type of material that made Giorgio Moroder an international star. The music makes the madness so much more attractive.

*This recent release of Massacre in Dinosaur Valley is sourced from a new 2K remaster that was struck from the original camera negative. It was commissioned by 88 Films and funded through a public campaign by fans of the film whose names are listed after the final credits.

Massacre in Dinosaur Valley Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Michele Massimo Tarantini's Massacre in Dinosaur Valley arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of 88 Films.

The release is sourced from a new 2K remaster that was struck from the original camera negative and the technical presentation is lovely. Aside from a few tiny white specks I think that the film looks pretty much as healthy as it can. There are some minor fluctuations in terms of depth and density, but given the nature of the shooting locations and the type of outdoor footage this is to be expected. The good and important news here is that there are no traces of problematic digital tinkering. Also, the color grading is very convincing. Image stability is excellent and there are no distracting encoding anomalies to report. Lovely presentation. My score if 4.75/5.00. (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).

Massacre in Dinosaur Valley Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English: LPCM 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit) and Italian: LPCM 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit). English subtitles are provided for the Italian track, but keep in mind that they cannot be used on the English track.

I viewed the film with the original English track. As it is the case with many of these Italian genre films, both tracks were actually overdubbed and there are plenty of areas where balance is a bit off and some flatness emerges as well. The music, however, sounds great. Also worth mentioning is the fact that the Italian track has a completely different translation for various exchanges that makes the film far less colorful. (See the final sequence with the chopper).

Massacre in Dinosaur Valley Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

NOTE: All of the supplemental features on this Blu-ray release are perfectly playable on North American Blu-ray players, including the PS3.

• Deleted Scenes - presented here is a collection of deleted scenes that were never dubbed in English. Some are in Italian and some are without audio. (11 min, 1080p).

• Trailer - remastered vintage international trailer for Massacre in Dinosaur Valley. In English, not subtitled. (2 min, 1080/60i).

• Location, Location, Cannibalization - in this new video piece, Dr. Calum Waddell shares some interesting observations about the evolution of the cannibal genre in Italy and the production history of Massacre in Dinosaur Valley. In English, not subtitled. (21 min, 1080p)..

• Cover - reversible cover with vintage poster art.

Massacre in Dinosaur Valley Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I thoroughly enjoyed Massacre in Dinosaur Valley and could not be happier that 88 Films were able to produce such a beautiful 2K remaster for their release. I thought that the film was as outrageous as King Solomon's Mines but its blending of sleaze and humor actually ensured a completely different roller-coaster ride. I should have discovered this film a long time ago. Hopefully, the folks at 88 Films would consider bringing to Blu-ray a few of Michele Massimo Tarantini's comedies, like Taxi Girl and A Policewoman in New York with Edwige Fenech. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.