Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		3.5

The Boneyard Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf May 11, 2018

Seeing Phyllis Diller credited as part of the cast of 1991’s “The Boneyard” inspires certain expectations for the film. However, while she is portraying a woman named Ms. Poopinplatz, Diller is actually quite game to go wherever writer/director James Cummins leads, including a rare screen appearance without her famous fright wig, showing up here with her naturally thinning hair, adding to the characterization. “The Boneyard” is an odd mix of camp and emotional sincerity, but Diller certainly helps the cause, adding enough energy to her corner of the movie to help boost the appeal of the overall work, finding Cummins struggling with pacing issues in the first half of the effort. It’s a wild movie, but only when it finally reaches a point of explosion, and that’s a long journey to a proper screen release.

There are strange happenings at the local morgue, and Detective Callum (Ed Nelson) needs help sorting out a case that involves the bodies of three children. The cop turns to tortured psychic Alley (Deborah Rose) for assistance, pulling her out of depression and into the morgue, which is run by Ms. Poopinplatz (Phyllis Diller), a surly clerk joined by her dog, Floufsoms. Meeting up with head attendant Shepard (Norman Fell), Callum and his partner, Mullin (James Eustermann), step back and let Alley work her magic, only instead of cracking the case, the gang awakens the evil legacy of the “kyoshi,” with three small ghouls who feast on human flesh escaping into the building, setting out to add the helpless humans to their daily meals.

Alley is the character who’s prized most highly by Cummins, working extra hard to make sure the viewer understands her initial state of mind, scarred by previous forays into child murder investigations. The cases have destroyed her, and “The Boneyard” spends plenty of time with the psychic before she agrees to help Callum with his latest puzzle. In fact, it takes a good 45 minutes before all the players are in position and the morgue awakening begins, which is a long wait for this type of low-budget entertainment, which always benefits from tight pacing and a more active nightmare. Characterization is valued, but it often delays the fun factor of “The Boneyard,” spending time on tedious conversations when focus could be on the pint-sized horror show going on the bowels of the morgue.

Once Cummins gets his footing and unleashes the threat, “The Boneyard” wakes from its slumber to provide decent genre thrills, most focusing on the wrath of the miniature ghouls, who scurry all over the place, jumping out of hidden spaces to acquire their prey. Additional oddness is supplied by Dana (Denise Young), whose botched suicide adds her to the roster of humans desperate to find an exit. “The Boneyard” eventual concentrates in scare scenes and gore shots, coating surfaces with slime and highlighting the appetites of the ghouls, turning them into a compelling threat, giving the picture some needed fright film oomph in the second half, where the humans are forced to battle their way out of the building, getting attacked from all sides.

The Boneyard Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.78:1 aspect ratio) presentation is billed as a "New HD restoration from the original negatives – Financed by Code Red DVD's credit card." I'm not exactly sure what's going on with that piece of information, but the work shows during the viewing experience, which provides a bright look at the particulars of this monster movie. Detail is acceptable through, exploring gruesome make-up achievements and basic facial particulars, and costuming remains fibrous. Set decorations are easy to study as well. Colors are tastefully refreshed, bringing life to macabre encounters, with yellow and green slime retaining sharp hues, while skintones are natural. Grain is fine and filmic. Delineation preserves shadowy encounters. Source isn't plagued with damage issues, but mild judder is detected, along with a brief frame freeze at the 1:49 mark.

The Boneyard Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA mix was never destined for greatness, as the makers of "The Boneyard" didn't prioritize sound quality, leaving the film with uneven recording levels at times. Dialogue exchanges are acceptable, picking up on performance choices and personal enthusiasm (Diller is engaged, Fell looks like he'd rather be elsewhere). Scoring is acceptable, supporting screen activity with appropriate emphasis and basic instrumentation. Sound effects are strangely muted at times (including gunfire), but that appears to be an inherent issue. Hiss is prominent throughout the listening event, and brief audio dropouts are found at 21:48 and 65:47.

The Boneyard Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features director James Cummins and producer Richard Brophy.

• Interview (13:29, HD) catches up with actress Sallie Middleton, who's joined by associate producer Phil Smoot to trigger memories of "The Boneyard" shoot, where the nine-year-old girl portrayed the lead ghoul and various other monstrous parts. Middleton is extremely enthusiastic about her experience on-set, also detailing how she landed the part (being the only child who could sit for the life-casting process), sharing adoration for special make-up artist Bill Corso. Strangely, Smoot brings up the issue of on-set nudity, with Middleton clarifying she and the other ghouls wore body stockings and paint to remain covered, but elements of the shoot still needed to be explained to the child. More interesting (and less icky) is a discussion about temperaments, finding Deborah Rose's method acting driving her castmates crazy, while Middleton enjoyed a pleasant card-playing relationship with her co-stars. Thoughts from sound mixer Sid Williams are crudely wedged into the conversation, and "urban explorer" footage from the Old Davis Hospital (the picture's primary location) is shared.

• Interview (17:05, SD) is an undated chat with Phyllis Diller (who passed away in 2012), offering an overview of her genre participation and work on "The Boneyard," including a summation of the freezing hospital location and her fondness for her character name. Diller is a delight, happy to talk about her life and times, digging into career history and her professional philosophy, along with an exploration of her decades in comedy, reaching a point where she's influenced a great number of female comedians.

• Interview (30:30, SD) with Cummins inspects the early production process for "The Boneyard," including the casting of Diller and Norman Fell, who stepped into his role when Alice Cooper didn't respond to requests. Special effects achievements are discussed, along with various helming challenges required to keep the movie on the go, including the wrangling of children and dancers to play the ghouls. Time is also set aside for Brophy, who talks about the financial side of "The Boneyard," recounting how he acquired investors to make the low-budget feature, also sharing tips and experience for those ready to make their own film.

• And a Trailer (2:43, SD) is included.

The Boneyard Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"The Boneyard" graduates to more outrageous reveals in the final act, presenting viewers with a monster movie reward for their patience, also keeping Diller and her natural eccentricity a key point in the chaos. It can be a highly amusing endeavor, but only when it wants to be, which is part of the problem. Cummins doesn't have the tightest control on the overall flow of "The Boneyard," but when he finally begins connecting the dots and unleashes his version of a hellacious Asian curse, the film suddenly stands upright and behaves like the exaggerated nightmare it was meant to be.