Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Schlock Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman October 5, 2018

John Landis is just one of many talking heads offering bouquets to Larry Cohen in the recently reviewed King Cohen, a review where I had the temerity to suggest that at least some of Cohen’s cinematic output was “undeniably schlocky”. As if to underline that point, next up in my review queue came Landis’ premiere big screen achievement, Schlock, a kind of daffy send up of the already gonzo Trog (a film which kind of surprisingly still seems to be lacking a domestic Blu-ray release). Schlock may not have the (questionable?) blandishments of a star like Joan Crawford, but it’s goofily entertaining in its own small scale way as it documents the adventures of prehistoric apeman Schlock (John Landis himself in some early makeup by Rick Baker). Landis and Baker contribute a highly enjoyable commentary (ported over from the Anchor Bay DVD release) that in its own way echoes some of Larry Cohen's comments about low budget filmmaking in King Cohen, and in fact both Landis and Baker repeatedly joke about having nothing to do with the finished film they're commenting on, as if to suggest they don't want anyone taking anything about Schlock even slightly seriously.

One of the many unabashedly self deprecating remarks Landis makes in the commentary is his pointing out that while Schlock was his first big screen credit, it came out in 1973, and it wasn’t until 1977 that Landis’ next big screen credit appeared, something Landis is obviously suggesting happened at least in part due to perceived “issues” with Schlock. In that regard, however, it’s kind of interesting to note that much like Landis’ 1977 The Kentucky Fried Movie , Schlock is rather vignette driven. This element persists despite the fact that there is a narrative in play concerning the appearance topside of a so-called Schlockthropus, a prehistoric throwback who is presumed to have caused mayhem seen in the film’s opening sequence featuring a schoolyard strewn with bodies. Local newsman Joe Putzman (Eric Allison) in on site reporting (and hosting a body count contest for interested viewers), along with dedicated local policeman Sergeant Wino (Saul Kahan), who vows to catch a villain nicknamed “The Banana Killer” due to the many peels left on and around various corpses. If this brief overview of the early part of Schlock isn’t enough to give you a general idea of the outright silliness of the piece, probably nothing else will be able to, either.

That said, the various scenes that Schlock more or less just kind of wanders into repeatedly deliver some fantastic sight gags, with Landis doing surprisingly well in what is in essence a mime performance in a gigantic ape suit. Schlock does everything from befriend a blind girl named Mindy (Eliza Garrett), who mistakes the beast for a dog (perhaps because he fetches so expertly), to hang out with the likes of Forrest J. Ackerman at a showing of The Blob. Add in a propensity for piano playing and a little “interview” with Joe Putzman himself, and Schlock becomes the daffy “through line” for what is in essence almost a series of burlesque skits where one almost expects blackouts after some of the sillier punchlines.

As such, there’s a definite hit or miss quality to the film, but it’s surprisingly endearing even when some of the bits are more or less falling flat. There’s a wacky ebullience to Schlock that may not make it consistently laugh out loud hilarious, but which provides a wonderful sense of the absurd. Landis may or may not be joking when he so repeatedly attempts to distance himself from this early effort, but it’s really quite charming on its own deliberately lo-fi merits, and for such a low budget affair, Baker’s makeup is also surprisingly effective.

Schlock Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Schlock is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. Arrow's insert booklet contains the following brief verbiage about the transfer:

Schlock is presented in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio with 1.0 mono sound. The newly restored 4K master was provided by Turbine Media Group.

The back cover of this release gives a little further information, stating that the 4K restoration was culled from the original camera negative. (I'm assuming this must be from the same master that Turbine itself released for the German market last year.) With an understanding and appreciation for the less than stellar budget and shooting conditions for the film, this is a generally great looking transfer, with some nicely vivid blues especially in the (many) outside scenes, and with consistently good detail levels providing precise looks at things like Schlock's unkempt fur. There are some minor variances in color temperature and densities (including in some of the outdoor scenes, as can be seen in the some of the screenshots accompanying this review), and grain structure is just a tad uneven at times, though resolves naturally throughout the presentation. While there's no mention of the typical damage elimination efforts made in most restorations, I noticed no really major signs of age related wear and tear.

Schlock Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Schlock features an LPCM Mono track which suffices perfectly well for the film's limited sonics. While David Gibson's score does provide a few moments of energy, a lot of the film is given over to completely lunatic dialogue, and the LPCM track renders that without any issues. While it's not mentioned in the insert booklet, I'm wondering if at least some of the outside material may have been post dubbed, since sync appeared just a bit loose on a couple of occasions. Otherwise, though, this is a problem free track that may not provide a lot of "wow" factor, but which similarly has no problems to report.

Schlock Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary with John Landis and Rick Baker


• Schlock Defrosted (1080p; 17:51) features critic Kim Newman discussing the film and its milieu.


• Birth of a Schlock (1080p; 41:35) is a 2017 Q & A with John Landis.


• I Shot Schlock! (1080p; 7:34) is an archival interview with cinematographer Bob Collins.


• Promotional Material includes:

  1972 Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 1:34)

  1979 Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 1:38)

  1982 "Banana Monster" Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 1:31)

  Radio Spots (2:19)

Additionally, Arrow has also supplied a nicely appointed insert booklet.

Schlock Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If you're on the hunt for high-falutin' intellectualizin' entertainment, you'd best keep looking, for huge swaths of Schlock are pretty juvenile, though commendably also completely self aware about how unrepentantly stupid some of the humor is. I personally was laughing out loud at several junctures in Schlock, and my hunch is those who like other early Landis films like The Kentucky Fried Movie will find a lot to like in this one as well. This release sports solid technical merits and comes with some appealing supplements. Recommended.