5.8 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.3 |
An obsessed fan hunts down his favorite actresses.
Starring: Adam Noble Roberts, Maria Olsen, Kristine DeBell, David DeCoteau, Darcy DeMossHorror | 100% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1
English: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps)
English: Dolby Digital 2.0 (192 kbps)
None
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Chances are most anyone reading this review -- a review of a Horror title from something of a niche label -- has participated, and probably rather extensively, in online forums of some sort, probably movie forums and hopefully the one right here at Blu-ray.com. Chances, then, are also rather high that some have been accused of "living in their parents' basement," or at the very least read comments in a thread that say as much of another user. It's become more a trope than a full-on insult but certainly a bit of drivel that finds its way onto many chat pages the world over on a daily basis. The main character in Trophy Heads is a spot-on embodiment of the "parental basement dweller," a dude that lives on his recliner, wears nothing but a T-shirt and red undies, and watches old Horror movies that are his de facto best friends, are all that matter in his world, and are the objects around which his life revolves. All that's missing are his "keyboard commando" custom typing gloves and a screen name of "#1FullMoonFan." Unfortunately, this movie will likely prove a bit too obscure to make an effective meme of his image, but suffice it to say that, if anything, Director and Full Moon head honcho Charles Band has absolutely nailed the look and embodied in his movie the very image of the lonely man who lives out his days in the basement rather than venture above ground to find that there's more to life than Subspecies and Creepozoids.
This is the life...
Trophy Heads features a clean, smooth, digital-sourced 1080p transfer as referenced above. The image appears very sterile and flat. Raw details are fine -- facial and clothing textures are of a relatively high quality, as are various surfaces and details both in the basement and out in the rest of the world -- but the lack of any sort of accompanying texture other than "slick" is a bit off-putting. Colors, likewise, are bold but lack in spirit. Blacks and flesh tones aren't overplay problematic. The image does show a hint of banding and some moderately heavy examples of jagged edges and aliasing, evident throughout the movie but notable in a very early shot featuring wooden pallets at the 4:45 mark, around the frames of Max's work glasses at 16:45, and along straight edges on a van seen at about the 20:30 mark. Still, the image is otherwise technically sound; it's just a matter of whether it's too clean for its own good.
Trophy Heads doesn't feature a prized soundtrack, but the included Dolby Digital 5.1 presentation gets the job done. Music is adequately airy around the top and features a satisfactory low end weight. Spacing and clarity are fine, with an evident, albeit light, surround support element. There are a few occurrences of quality ambience, such as during the film's first death scene and later at a few outdoor venues. The voices Max hears in his head nicely float around the stage for a fair surround experience. General dialogue plays with a clean, accurate, front-middle presence.
Trophy Heads contains several bonuses, including a commentary, a "Videozone" featurette, and behind-the-scenes footage.
Full Moon's Trophy Heads kinda-sorta breaks the first rule of filmmaking by poking fun at its audience, or at least a characterization of its most rabid fan base. But it does so in a rather sly, playful way that, at the same time, delivers plenty of fan service by reuniting several of the label's most cherished female icons in a wink-and-a-nod sort of movie that favors the novelty rather than the horror of it all. In a broad sense, the movie doesn't work all that well considering it lacks in a number of technical areas. But as a nifty little homage to days gone by and a little bit of fun with hardcore fandom -- just the sort on which Full Moon thrives -- it satisfies requirements and makes for a little slice of entertainment that craftily mixes together the old and the new, and obviously with the blessing of a number of Full Moon's most cherished "Scream Queens." This Blu-ray release of Trophy Heads features satisfactory video and audio. Several extras make up a fair supplemental section. Recommended to hardcore franchise and Full Moon fans only; newcomers are encouraged to start much further back in the label's catalogue first.
2018
2016
2018
1992
1969
Vinegar Syndrome Archive
1972
2003
2015
1976
Late Phases
2014
Land of the Minotaur
1976
#holdyourbreath
2012
2014
2010
Puppet Master 6
1998
1991
2011
2009
Ghost House Underground
2008
1996