5.9 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
A family vacation is turned into a nightmare when they are abducted by a family of deranged killers in this "Texas Chainsaw" style comedy sci-fi horror thriller romantic drama.
Starring: Warwick DavisHorror | 100% |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.33:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 CD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
There's a rather surprisingly long list of people working in the film industry who got some of their early experience in either makeup or other effects before moving on to directing. Some names like Giannetto De Rossi (who directed Killer Crocodile, also available on Blu-ray from Severin Films) and/or Gary J. Tunnicliffe may not be overly familiar to many, but chances are even the "unwashed" (or un-made up) masses will probably recognize names like Guillermo del Toro, Stan Winston and Tom Savini, to list just a few. Gabriel Bartalos may frankly belong more firmly to that first, lesser known, category in terms of how many bells his name may ring, but Skinned Deep certainly has all the earmarks of a directorial "vision", for better or worse. In the "worse" or at least "maybe a different strategy would have been better" category, Bartalos is on hand in a supplement included on this disc freely admitting that he started with character designs and makeup effects for Skinned Deep before actually getting around to thinking about "little" things like, you know, a story and similar foundational elements. That "approach" is probably going to be quite evident to many viewers since the narrative here tends to make little to no sense quite a bit of the time. That said, Bartalos, whose effects work includes contributions to a host of films including Leprechaun and Frankenhooker, does deliver some very well executed design elements for at least two of the gonzo quasi-villains of the piece.
Skinned Deep is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.33:1. The back cover of this release states that this disc offers "the worldwide premiere of the unrated version" which was "scanned uncut in 2K from the original negative for the first time ever". The 2004 production date seems a bit late for even a straight to video offering to be presented in what amounts to Academy Ratio, but historians with more research time than I have will need to look into that aspect (ratio). I personally didn't notice any huge framing issues, but the source element here does show signs of occasional wear and tear, though nothing I'd term overly problematic. Bartalos and cinematographer Peter Strietmann shot this in 16mm, and the smaller format tends to create some resolution issues both in terms of detail levels and especially grain structure, which can look pretty gritty and even pixellated at times, especially in some of the darker scenes (see screenshot 11). In the interstitial brightly lit outdoor material, the palette pops surprisingly well, and fine detail levels are actually quite good. A lot of the dimly lit interior scenes look pretty murky, and detail levels can ebb and flow as a result.
Skinned Deep features a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track that offers capable support for the film's goofy dialogue, occasionally gonzo sound effects and a score which includes the participation of Captain Sensible. All spoken material is delivered cleanly and clearly, though there are optional English subtitles for those who may need them.
It may not be a good sign for a writer when the audience ends up liking the villains more than the ostensible hero (or heroine, in this particular instance), but my hunch is even some jaded types are going to kinda sorta fall in love or at least like with Brain, and not care one whit about Tina. The film has a lot going on, and some decidedly surreal moments that play like an acid trip transferred to celluloid, but a sharper (no pun intended) screenplay probably would have helped things. Bartalos' makeup effects are quite good in any case. Technical merits are generally solid, though the video presentation has a few hurdles to overcome, and the supplements enjoyable, for those who are considering making a purchase.
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