Shreck Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		2.0
Audio		2.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		2.5

Shreck Blu-ray Movie Review

Shreck is a low-budget independent horror feature made by Full Moon legends Don Adams and Harry Picardi produced back when the two were just kids with dreams of making movies. Shot-on-video, Shreck is a lost regional horror film. Produced by Bobbo Adams, Shreck is a showcase for young filmmakers exploring the terrain of what it means to make movies.

Roger (William Lantry), Neil (Anthony Van Deuren), and Mike (T.K. Malone) are obsessed with horror films and the teenage trio of friends decide to do the unthinkable – stage a pretend séance in order to bring back evil Nazi psycho Max Shreck (Big Joe Mueller) from the dead. Despite the teenagers thinking of this as a prank séance, the plan actually works and the ruthless Max Shreck begins to go on a murder spree. Can anyone survive the resurrected Nazi?

The acting is almost non-existent and feels amateurish. The young kid actors don’t seem to have any real acting range. Shreck simply showcases the actors doing their “best” with the production – the work of amateurs out to have fun while making a movie.

The makeup artist effects by Michael Dark are decent for low-budget horror – given how young everyone was when making Shreck, it’s impressive that some decent low-budget effects work. Filmmaking can be a learning system – and these young filmmakers wanted to make a movie.

The cinematography by Jim Wynorski isn’t much to look at and the shot-on-video production looks amateurish but experimental. The sometimes-experimental quality of the cinematography actually stands out as something interesting. Wynorski has a fun time playing with the dark visuals.

Edited by Don Adams (Wrong Turn 6: Last Resort, Bus Party to Hell), Shreck doesn’t feel like a film that paid much attention to the editing process. The pace and flow of the film is awkward and there are many scenes in Shreck that feel overlong even despite the short running time. Adams was learning, developing his skill set as an editor – their first work.

The score composed by Hell Hound and Eric Suhm doesn’t make much of an impression, either. The music simply doesn’t stand out. The score fits the tone of the film but it lacks a great vision.

Written by Don Adams (Dozers, Urban Decay) and Harry James Picardi (Dozers, Urban Decay), Shreck is convoluted and over-the-top. The script is a bit underwhelming and feels like a work in progress. The screenwriting doesn’t do a great job with character development, either.

Directed by Carl Denham, Shreck is far from perfect. It’s a do-it-yourself independent film made by young budding filmmakers out simply to have fun together. If one can push aside the amateurish production quality and average-at-best directing, Shreck might be worth watching just to see kids experimenting with horror filmmaking at a young age – one of the things that makes the film stand out. Creative? Sure. A long-lost future cult gem? Unfortunately, no.

Shreck Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by Terror Vision, Shreck is presented in 1080i MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition in the original 1.33:1 full frame aspect ratio. Shot on video, Shreck is a low budget film produced with standard definition materials. Terror Vision has transferred the feature from the original 3M master tapes. The transfer looks low-resolution and lacks the clarity or finesse of modern horror features. Despite the underwhelming quality of the video, Terror Vision has given a faithful encode to the presentation (as the film was made with modest SOV equipment – as such, audience expectations should be kept in check).

Shreck Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The audio is presented in English uncompressed PCM 2.0. The audio quality on the release sounds about as low-fi as one might expect for an independent production made by young budding filmmakers with basic shot-on-video equipment. The audio is passable given the obvious constraints and it simply will never sound as crisp or detailed as a modern feature-film presentation. The audio underwhelms but retains the essence of the low- budget SOV production means.  

Shreck Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The release includes a nicely designed o-card slipcover. The artwork is great and the package design makes a nice impression. Arguably, the package design is nicer looking than the feature-film itself. Terror Vision continues to show a great sense of care to package design – creating nostalgia for audiences who miss the video-store rental days.

Audio Commentary with Don Adams and Harry Picardi

Promotional Trailer (SD, 10:21)

Interview w/ Harry Picardi (HD, 11:00)

Interview w/ Don Adams (HD, 26:28)

Shreck Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Shreck is making its worldwide Blu-ray disc debut. Shreck isn't a long-lost cult classic in the making but it does have some merit as a showcase for young budding filmmakers experimenting with their craft and attempting to do something special. Shreck is a independent effort through-and-through and the shot on video (SOV) roots are apparent frame-to-frame. The Blu-ray release provides a faithful presentation. The release comes with a selection of exclusive bonus features. Terror Vision provides an impressive package design for the release with a nice o-card slipcover. Terror Vision fans may wish to consider picking up the release for their collection.