Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Massacre in Dinosaur Valley Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov October 19, 2020

Michele Massimo Tarantini's "Massacre in Dinosaur Valley" (1985) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films. The supplemental features on the disc include remastered vintage trailer for the film; new video interview with star Michael Sopkiw; new video interview with co-writer Dardano Sacchetti; deleted scenes; and more. In English or Italian, with English subtitles for the Italian track. Region-Free.

The American

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 4K master that was struck from the original camera negative. Unlike the 2K master that British distributors 88 Films used to produce this release of the film in 2017, it is also fully uncut.

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, Massacre in Dinosaur Valley arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films.

A couple of years ago, we reviewed this European release which was sourced from a restored 2K master prepared on behalf of 88 Films. This release is sourced from a different new 4K master, which also happens to be uncut.

Earlier today, I spent some time comparing the two releases and I can confirm now that they offer very different presentations of the film. First, the uncut version of the film that is on this release is approximately two minutes longer. I looked at some of the 'new' material and frankly I am quite perplexed why the British censors felt the need to remove it. There is a bit of animal 'cruelty' as well as some erotic content that actually isn't explicit. Screencapture #12 is from one such 'controversial' censored sequence. Furthermore, the 4K master is graded differently. It tones down some of the yellowish/greenish nuances that are prevalent on the 2K master and strengthens a similar range of reds and to a lesser extent whites. I am unsure which of the two grading jobs is the more correct one, but right or wrong the 2K master has better saturation levels, while on the 4K master it looks like certain parts are basically stuck in 'neutral mode'. However, on the 4K master there are also areas that look much more natural and pleasing. The 4K master has some rougher spots as well. During some of the 'new' footage for instance there are obvious density fluctuations that are not caused by specific stylistic choices. Elsewhere throughout the film there are dings, marks, and other surface imperfections that could have been removed with digital tools (see screencapture #10). There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. However, the encoding on this release isn't optimized and as a result the grain often becomes quite loose and in some darker areas even disappointingly noisy. On the European release the grain structure has a noticeably tighter appearance. Image stability is very good. All in all, the 4K master should have offered the strongest and most satisfying presentation of the film, but because of smaller issues it actually frequently looks inferior. (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 DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English and English SDH subtitles are provided.

I revisited the entire film with the English track again, which should be considered the 'original' audio track. The music again sounded really good on my system and during the action footage at the end where the helicopter emerges dynamic intensity is really nice. Unevenness is still noticeable, but as I previously explained this is unavoidable. I still feel that some rebalancing adjustments could have been made, but this is the type of work that would have been considered only during a very big and expensive restoration.

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

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

• Deleted and Extended Scenes Reel One - a collection of restored deleted and extended scenes. A few have English audio, but some do not. (10 min, 1080p).

• Deleted and Extended Scenes Reel Two - a collection of restored deleted and extended scenes. A few have Italian audio, but some do not. With optional English subtitles. (10 min, 1080p).

• Valley Boy - in this new program, star Michael Sopkiw recalls his involvement with Massacre in Dinosaur Valley and shares some quite funny information about the evolution of his acting/modeling career, which started in Italy with a four-package film deal. The dubbing of the film is addressed as well. In English, not subtitled. (24 min, 1080p).

• Lost in Brazil - in this new program, co-writer Dardano Sacchetti explains how he was approached and then hired to script Massacre in Dinosaur Valley, the film's tone and style (described as pre-Jurassic Park), its international appeal, the shooting on-location in Brazil, etc. In Italian, with optional English subtitles. (15 min, 1080p).

• Italian Credits - original Italian opening and closing credits for Massacre in Dinosaur Valley. Music only. (4 min, 1080p).

• Reversible Cover - reversible cover with vintage poster art.

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

I discovered Massacre in Dinosaur Valley after I picked up this release from British label 88 Films a few years ago. I thought that it was an absolutely hilarious and at times deliciously unhinged film. Severin's release is sourced from a new 4K master and features a fully uncut version of the film, which has never been officially distributed in America. Also, the release has a very entertaining exclusive new interview with star Michael Sopkiw, plus an equally good new interview with co-writer Dardano Sacchetti. I like the types of films the folks at Severin add to their catalog and the quality bonus features they produce, but I wish they would do better encodes on their releases. If they do, they will be bringing to the market definitive editions of all kinds of different genre films, just like Blue Underground and Synapse Films do. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.