Sting of Death Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		3.5
Audio		3.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		2.0

Sting of Death Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman December 26, 2020

Note: This film is available as part of He Came from the Swamp: The William Grefé Collection.

Anyone who thought Arrow Video had already released the mother lode of Florida based exploitation fare with their gigantic The Herschell Gordon Lewis Feast set from a few years ago had best be prepared to realize that the intrepid folks at this label known for catering to (cinematic) cultists of various stripes may have in fact only been offering an appetizer of sorts. It’s kind of amazing in a way to hear Herschell Gordon Lewis himself singing the praises of William Grefé in the feature length documentary They Came From the Swamp included in this new set devoted to Grefé’s work, but Lewis actually makes a point of stating that he was the interloper on territory Grefé had already staked out, and that Grefé couldn’t have been more gracious in welcoming Lewis to the far south fold, so to speak. It may be a little odd, then, that for at least some fans of exploitation cinema Herschell Gordon Lewis’ name may be better remembered than that of William Grefé, something that may seem especially unexpected given the fact that Grefé was at least occasionally able to muster A-list (or formerly A-list) talent like Rita Hayworth for some of his projects, an accomplishment that probably never would have even occurred to Lewis to attempt.

After having made two racing (car and/or boat) themed films, 1963's The Checkered Flag and 1964's Racing Fever, William Grefé discovered what would become his stock in trade for the next several years with 1966's Sting of Death. Low budget regional exploitation (typically horror related) fare that was designed to appeal to drive-in theater trade became Grefé's calling card, and in fact Sting of Death evidently often exhibited theatrically in a double feature with another Grefé effort also included in this set, Death Curse of Tartu. Sting of Death is a kind of (unintentionally) hilarious riff on the Creature from the Black Lagoon films, with a scaly, monstrous underwater monster wreaking havoc, this time in the Florida Everglades.

With the possible exception of Deanna Lund, whom some Baby Boomers may remember from her two season stint on Irwin Allen's Land of the Giants, Sting of Death features a cast of unknowns who actually do decent work for the most part, even if none of them are exactly Academy Award caliber. The film also features a completely goofy tune sung by Neil Sedaka called "Do the Jellyfish" which rather unsurprisingly did not become a Top 40 (or even Hot 100) hit. Aside from Lund, the film also features an actress named Blanche Devereaux, which may provoke giggles from fans of The Golden Girls, and for those wondering why putative co-star Jack Nagle has a large blue-black spot smack on his forehead, the documentary included in this set provides some amusing information.

Perhaps due to budget constraints, or more saliently the fact that the monster design is almost laughably ridiculous, there are only fleeting glimpses of the beast until the final showdown. Interestingly, this is one "underwater creature" film that actually shows the villain killing his victims, and there's even a kind of disturbingly poetic shot of the creature pulling the corpse of a woman through the water early in the film.

Sting of Death Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Sting of Death is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. Arrow's hardcover insert book has a full page devoted to the transfers of each of the films, starting with some generic overview verbiage and then some brief comments on each film:

All the films included in this collection have been restored from the best available materials. Whilst every effort has been made to offer up the best possible presentations, the results inevitably vary according to the condition of the source materials, some of which were in poor shape. We hope that this does not affect your enjoyment of the films.

Sting of Death was scanned from its original 35mm negative. The audio was sourced from a 35mm optical track negative.

Death Curse of Tartu was scanned from a 16mm print. The audio was also sourced from this print. The 16mm print - presumably a TV print - was found to have been trimmed for gore, so these missing shots were sourced from a lesser copy 35mm print and reinstated.

The Hooked Generation was scanned from a 16mm internegative. The audio was sourced from a 16mm optical track negative.

The Psychedelic Priest (AKA Electric Shades of Grey ) was scanned from a 16mm Ektachrome release print. The audio was also sourced from this print.

The Naked Zoo was scanned from its original 35mm negative, which had been recut to the Barry Mahon version of the film. In order to recreate William Grefé 's original director's cut, the footage unique to that version was sourced from a badly faded and warped 35mm workprint. The audio was sourced from a 35mm double edged track print and a 35mm track negative.

Mako: Jaws of Death was scanned from two 16mm prints, which were composited for best quality sections of each. The audio was also sourced from these prints.

Whiskey Mountain was scanned from a 16mm scope print. The audio was also sourced from this print.

All materials used in these restorations were supplied William Grefé , Lisa Petrucci / Something Weird Video, Vinegar Syndrome, Ed Tucker, and AGFA (American Genre Film Archive).

Sting of Death offers one of the better looking transfers in this set, albeit one that has its fair share of age related wear and tear, despite being sourced from the negative. One of the best things about this presentation is its eye popping palette, which resonates with considerable authority. Some of the lighting, notably the final scene in an underwater lair, approaches almost giallo levels of purples and greens, all of which look really nicely saturated. Detail levels are generally quite good throughout as well, offering precise renderings of some of the vintage midcentury modern (?) clothing. Some of the location work out in the wild, notably some of the airboat material, looks a bit ragged. Grain ebbs and flows, but generally resolves naturally throughout. There is noticeable flickering that accompanies some scenes.

Sting of Death Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Sting of Death features an LPCM Mono track that suffices well enough for this low budget fare, but which has a somewhat brash, brittle sound, especially in the upper registers (a quality that afflicts several of the releases in this set). Dialogue is presented cleanly and clearly, though can occasionally sound kind of muffled (you'll hear this in some of the poolside material in particular), and the Sedaka number sounds fine, aside from its inherent silliness. Optional English subtitles are available.

Sting of Death Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

All of the films in this set save for Whiskey Mountain are presented two per disc, and so some supplements are more generalist in nature. This disc has the following supplements:

• Beyond the Movie: Monsters a Go Go (1080p; 11:43) is a fun piece by C. Courtney Joyner exploring the intersection of monsters with rock 'n' roll in various films.


• The Curious Case of Dr. Traboh: Spook Show Extraordinaire (1080p; 10:50) is a fun piece with Doug Hobart, who plays Tartu (Traboh is his name spelled backwards, in case that wasn't noticed) reliving his early days where he attended live "spook shows".


• Trailers

  Sting of Death (1080p; 2:06) has a watermark that says "SWV", which I'm assuming does not stand for Sisters With Voices (yes, I know it stands for Something Weird Video).

  
  

  Death Curse of Tartu (1080p; 1:34)

• Archival Audio Commentaries for both films on this disc are provided by William Grefé and filmmaker Frank Henenlotter.


• Introduction to Sting of Death by William Grefé (1080p; 2:51) can be accessed under the Play Menu for that film. This is authored to move directly on to the feature after it plays.


• Introduction to Death of Tartu by William Grefé (1080p; 3:13) can be accessed under the Play Menu for that film. This is authored to move directly on to the feature after it plays.

Sting of Death Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If you ever wanted The Creature from the Black Lagoon to be in color, Sting of Death may at least fulfill that wish, though a lot of this film is so unintentionally hilarious that scares may be in short supply. This has one of the better video presentations in this set, and the supplements are very enjoyable, for those who are considering a purchase.