6.5 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
A deranged undertaker kills various people to keep as his friends in his seedy funeral home.
Starring: Joe Spinell, Rebeca Yaron, Patrick Askin (II), Susan Bachli, Martha SomoemanHorror | 100% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Joe Spinell is a character actor with, as they say in the business, a “face for radio.” During his career, he’s managed to play all kinds of tough guys, mob guys, and cops (appearing in classics like “Rocky” and “The Godfather: Part II”), but he’s best remembered for his work portraying psychopaths, vividly conjuring screen insanity in pictures like “Maniac” and “The Last Horror Film.” He’s a passionate performer despite some thespian limitations, always trying to make an impression with roles of any size. He passed away in 1989, leaving 1988’s “The Undertaker” his final lead role, tasked with embodying a seemingly mild-mannered mortician who happens to embrace the romance of necrophilia, collecting victims to create a basement family for himself. It’s not exactly a stretch for Spinell and his impressive creep factor, but he’s the best thing about “The Undertaker,” which is clumsy and periodically goofy, but always makes time for Spinell to shape his interpretation of insanity, which is incredibly entertaining to watch.
The arrival of "The Undertaker" on Blu-ray is a bit complicated. While Vinegar Syndrome has been able to deliver an AVC encoded image (1.78:1 aspect ratio) presentation with 35mm elements, the film itself is incomplete, requiring scenes sourced from a VHS workprint to help expand the picture to its original intent. These scenes aren't clean (the last two screencaps showcase what we're dealing with) and mostly regulated to the finale. However, this is the closest "The Undertaker" has come to a complete cut, making the effort impressively tenacious, gifting cult fans a minor miracle with a wildly obscure movie. The rest of the viewing experience is clear and highly detailed, supplying rich textures on various grotesqueries and sweaty characters, while costuming retains fibrous qualities. Colors are bold and direct, handling vivid greenery and set interiors with care, while skintones are natural throughout. Delineation handles ideally, preserving frame information. Grain is fine and filmic. Beyond VHS interruptions, source is in solid shape, with only mild speckling.
The 1.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix does what it can with obvious production limitations. VHS workprint scenes sound rough but not impossible, while the rest of the listening experience offers a clear assessment of dialogue exchanges, keeping terrible performances open for inspection. Scoring retains a heavy synth creep, but never overwhelms the action. Atmospherics are blunt, while sound effects are adequate, preserving all the heavy breathing a viewer could want. Damage is minimal.
"The Undertaker" is a fine showcase for Spinell's screen personality, and he makes different choices when playing Roscoe, giving him a fey presence instead of gunning straight for movie monster mode. It's not the most professional work, as Spinell is prone to looking directly into the camera, but it's often the only thing to embrace as the feature struggles with technical challenges and botched performances from the supporting cast. He makes a convincing ghoul, and his general greasy look is an easy match for Roscoe's thinly veiled instability. The writing isn't interested in maintaining secrets, allowing Spinell to dominate a strange slasher endeavor, but one that's mindful of nudity requirements and surges of violence. After all, even the clumsiest productions are aware of genre standards, and "The Undertaker," while sloppy (with a baffling conclusion), is always mindful of what the target audience expects from exploitation cinema.
1987
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