Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		4.5
Overall		3.5

Prey Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman April 29, 2020

Note: This version of this film is available as part of Bloody Terror: The Shocking Cinema of Norman J Warren, 1976-1987.

It might be an interesting bi-continental quiz to ask film fans in the United Kingdom if they recognize the name Herschell Gordon Lewis, while at the same time asking film fans in the United States if they recognize the name Norman John Warren. My hunch (and it’s only a hunch) is that Lewis might fare a bit better than Warren (meaning at least in part that British cineastes might be more globally aware than Americans), but that said, the two men are at least passingly comparable in that each offered exploitation outings that tended to feature both scantily clad (and sometimes naked) women and horror elements in about equal measure. Arrow released the massive The Herschell Gordon Lewis Feast* a few years ago which aggregated a bunch of Lewis’ films (there are other compilations available, including The Lost Films of Herschell Gordon Lewis* and Shock and Gore: The Films of Herschell Gordon Lewis*), and now Powerhouse Films’ Indicator imprint has aggregated a quintet of Warren films to whet fans’ appetites. As with some of Lewis’ efforts, the Warren films are often low budget affairs, but they arguably tend to be a cut above (no gore pun intended) some of Lewis’ films in terms of general production values and even performance acumen. All five films in this set have either already received Blu-ray releases in the United States, or are about to as this review goes live (in the case of Inseminoid), but Powerhouse's website lists this set as offering debuts of the films on Blu-ray for the United Kingdom market.

* Note: The links points to United States releases since there are reviews for some of those which some readers might be interested in perusing, though there are UK releases of both The Herschell Gordon Lewis Feast and Shock and Gore: The Films of Herschell Gordon Lewis.

In my Satan's Slave Blu-ray review (also included in this Norman J. Warren set), I half jokingly mentioned that Warren may have attended a screening of Rosemary's Baby at some point during the formative process for that film. In that same vein, but perhaps just a little bit weirder, some might wonder if Warren, or at least scenarist Max Cuff, had seen a double feature offering The Man Who Fell to Earth and The Fox before undertaking this rather odd outing. Much as in the Nicolas Roeg classic starring David Bowie, The Prey ostensibly follows a "man who fell to earth", an alien named Kator (Barry Stokes). Instead of happening upon a single woman, as in the Roeg film, Kator ends up interacting with a lesbian couple named Jessica Ann (Glory Annen) and Josephine (Sally Faulkner), with the resulting off kilter ménage à trois playing rather bizarrely like events in the famous D.H. Lawrence novella which became the basis for the now perhaps little remembered 1967 film with Sandy Dennis, Anne Heywood and Keir Dullea as the focal trio (if you're a fan of film music, The Fox has an outstanding score by Lalo Schifrin).

This is another Warren film that is probably hampered by what was reportedly both a severely curtailed budget and an almost insanely short shoot. The film feels both rushed and padded at various moments, and the ostensible subtext of a power struggle and how that plays into preconceived gender roles is arguably never fully developed. The film may strike some as "camptastic" enough to warrant viewing as a "post ironic" comedy, especially once the girls dress Kator up as a female himself. In what some may find a bit of unintentional comedy, the obviously very low budget only allows for what looks like a dog snout and whiskers for a brief look at Kator in his "natural" state, something that might subliminally suggest a werewolf, while at other times his blood red eyes and fanged teeth are obviously reminiscent of vampires.

As mentioned above, Prey is one of the films in this set which has already had a release in the North American market. Those interested can peruse my colleague Brian Orndorf's Prey Blu-ray review for another opinion on the film (Brian probably liked it a bit more than I did), as well as to compare screenshots, other technical data and each release's slate of supplemental material.

Prey Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Prey is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Powerhouse Films' Indicator imprint with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.66:1 (the release for the North American market is in 1.67:1). Powerhouse Films provided only check discs for the purposes of this review, with no supporting documentation, so I'm not privy to any verbiage that might be included in an insert booklet, but their website has the same generic "2K restoration, newly supervised and approved by director Norman J Warren" listed under its breakdown for every film in this set. While there are some minor dings along the way, along with occasional scratches and speckles, this is by and large a very nice looking presentation that supports some healthy saturation in the palette and generally good detail. Blues are especially prevalent, especially with regard to sweaters that both Jo and the alien wear. Kind of funnily, the alien is later in a kind of dark blue dress and that almost assumes a black look and tends to fall victim to crush in some late darkened scenes. On the whole, though, contrast is consistent and helps the presentation segue between some bright outdoor lighting and darker interior scenes. Fine detail is commendable in the many close-ups.

Prey Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Prey features an LPCM Mono track, and is the first of several films in this set to also feature synth laden electronic scores. This one can be just slightly buzzy sounding in its lowest registers, but is fun, if maybe dated sounding. Other cues, featuring piano, can sound just slightly phased and wobbly. There are some slight amplitude fluctuations at times, as in the first dialogue scene between the two women. Dialogue is generally very cleanly and clearly presented, but the entire track sounds slightly boxy.

Prey Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary with Norman J. Warren and Jonathan Rigby


• The BEHP Interview Part One (1080p; 1:00:17) is a British Entertainment History Project interview with Norman J. Warren conducted by Martin Sheffield in 2018. This is a career spanning piece that gets into Warren's early life and work and some of his lesser known efforts like commercials.


• Keep On Running (1080p; 27:32) is an archival making of featurette.


• On Set Footage (1080p; 2:21)


• Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 1:01)


• Image Gallery (1080p)


• The Bridge is a short done by Warren when he was a 12 year old (!) and leads to the following Submenu:

  Play (1080p; 6:52)

  
  

  Play with Director's Commentary (1080p; 6:52)

  
  

  Making 'The Bridge' (1080p; 1:01) is silent with Warren commentary.

• Carol Test Footage was done for prospective investors for a film and has the following Submenu:

  Play (1080p; 2:53)

  
  

  Play with Director's Commentary (1080p; 2:53)

• Drinkin Time is a quasi-silent short by Warren with the following Submenu:

  Play (1080p; 2:33)

  
  

  Play With Director's Introduction (1080p; 3:22 and 2:33) features Warren discussing the film.

• Whipper Snappers (1080p; 3:59) contains a Warren introduction for a commercial he shot.

Powerhouse provided only check discs for purposes of this review, but from their listing on their website this looks like another typically very handsomely packaged release which includes a slipbox and insert booklets.

Prey Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Prey is often a very weird film, and that inherently bizarre quality may be enough to rope viewers in far enough that they'll overlook some frankly ham handed performances and silly plot mechanics. As with some of the other Warren offerings in this set, the film may strike some as decidedly "meh", but the supplemental features are interesting and informative. Technical merits are generally solid for those considering a purchase.