Satan's Menagerie Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

Satan's Menagerie Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf February 20, 2023

A monster mash is prepared by co-writer/director Gary Griffith, with “Satan’s Menagerie” an ode to the menace of classic Universal Studios Horror. Griffith concocts a reworking of creature mayhem, dancing carefully around legal issues to bring his version of the Wolfman, Gill-man, and vampire to the screen. Of course, the endeavor isn’t ready to pay big for such ghoulish visions, with “Satan’s Menagerie” a shot-on-video movie, finding Griffith trying to turn his limited budget into a horror epic, complete with dark magic and forbidden love. There’s an A-for-effort here that carries the viewing experience, with Griffith and his team really trying to do something with next to nothing in the feature, and such ambition is welcome, helping the picture to overcome its clear lack of polish and weird neglect of tight editing.

Dr. Craymoor (Thomas V. Powers, who also co-scripts) is a man committed to the study of the supernatural, narrowing his focus on Markov (Arthur Cwik), a man with special powers, capable of sensing evil in the area. When a cemetery is vandalized, Dr. Craymoor calls in Markov to investigate, eventually finding his way to a monster, triggering an awakening led by Veronica (Alexia Kouros), who’s working with blood priest Arcon (Andy Zeffer) to facilitate the return of dark lord Jeramin. While Markov struggles to find his place in this developing mess, evil arises with half-amphibian Brax (Chuck Szatkowski), werewolf Stavros (Pete Papageorgiou), and vampire Elektra (Wendi Winburn), who join Veronica as they prepare for a grand arrival from beyond.

Dr. Craymoor is devoted to the selling of the supernatural, hosting a television show on the subject, but he’s also a true believer, keeping Markov on a tight leash as he attempts to do something with the tormented man’s powers. Writers Griffith and Powers don’t waste time with the world-building of “Satan’s Menagerie,” establishing multiple characters with ties to an evil presence, finding Veronica a sneaky type looking to play all the angles to help with the return of Jeramin, a dark being with ultimate power. Markov has a “gift,” and he uses it to find horrors, which kicks off the monster movement of “Satan’s Menagerie,” with the picture slowly unveiling multiple sources of menace. And I mean slowly.

Pacing isn’t a top priority for “Satan’s Menagerie,” which gradually introduces the monsters as they’re released. Perhaps most interesting is Brax, who’s been caged for years, finally offered a chance to return to the world, only to find it a polluted mess where he has no home. Stavros is a paralyzed veteran angry with society, turning into the werewolf when fully worked up, allowing him to run around the city, hunting his victims. Elektra is presented with a slightly more difficult journey, as she was once a lover to Markov, which complicates his position in this gathering of ghouls. Makeup work isn’t strong, but Griffith marches forward with this assembly of evil, presenting flare-ups, especially with Stavros, who’s a bitter man prone to yelling at anyone he interacts with. Pulling the strings is Veronica, who deals directly with Arcon, a red-faced mummy-type who’s a direct connection to the whole Jeramin situation, which is offered plenty of screen time to explore, yet remains somewhat unclear. There’s also an issue with names, as a few of the characters go by multiple monikers, which doesn’t help the cause when it comes time to crystalizing the players in the doomsday game.

Satan's Menagerie Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC-encoded image (1.34:1 aspect ratio) presentation is listed as "newly transferred from the original Betacam master." The shot-on-video endeavor certainly looks approachable here, and while fine detail isn't available, a good sense of screen events remains, exploring the strange appearances of the monsters and pained reactions from human participants. Colors are acceptable for this type of viewing experience, finding decent primaries. Delineation is passable. Source has a few minor points of damage.

Satan's Menagerie Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA mix preserves dialogue exchanges, with the actors often fighting background elements and mask coverage to be heard. Intelligibility is acceptable. Scoring offering a more aggressive synth sound, which occasionally competes with performances. Sound effects are basic.

Satan's Menagerie Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features co-writer/director Gary Griffith, editor John Tanzosh, and co-writer/actor Thomas V. Powers.

• "All Hell Breaks Loose" (51:44, HD) is the making-of for "Satan's Menagerie," featuring interviews with co-writer/actor Thomas V Powers, co-writer/director Gary Griffith, editor John Tanzosh, belly dancer Marguerite Timpone, and actors Tony Timpone and Fernando Kuper.

• Interviews (HD) include actor Charles Szatkowski (11:57), set designer Leonard Boss (9:54), and actor Pete Papageorgiou (10:28).

• "Tales of the Undead" (90:12, SD) is an unreleased anthology horror film.

• "The Art of Murder" (25:00, SD) is a 1983 short film by Gary Griffith.

• "War on Peace" (4:17, SD) is a music video by the band Nightwing.

• Image Gallery (1:38) collects publicity shots, magazine articles covering the production of the film, merchandise order forms, and VHS cover art.

• And a Trailer (2:00, SD) is included.

Satan's Menagerie Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

There are curious creative choices made in "Satan's Menagerie," including a decision to explore monster history in the final act. Instead of building to a suspenseful conclusion, Griffith stops the feature to manage backstory and motivation, showing sudden interest in the creatures, which is something best utilized earlier in the story. It's a longer movie as well (100 minutes), but the production doesn't pack the material with riveting turns of plot or particularly potent conflicts, allowing the endeavor to drag along for long stretches. Of course, this is an S.O.V. effort, with Griffith fighting technical and thespian limitations (heavy New York accents are common) throughout the viewing experience, but there's a spark of inspiration to the film, which is dedicated to generating a collision of macabre creations, showing commitment to its mythology. "Satan's Menagerie" provides a little more depth to its genre adoration, which makes the picture enjoyable in a particular way. It's not a rollicking understanding of a horror/fantasy gathering, but it's certainly trying to do something.