Vile 21 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.0

Vile 21 Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown July 28, 2024

"VHSHITFEST has been uncovering and releasing movies on video for over a decade, across DVD and VHS, and is now moving into blu-ray, with the same goal to showcase the most unique, crazy, and obscure movies that they've discovered through years of collecting VHS, allowing even more people to actually be able to experience these nearly lost gems in the best versions possible."

It's always a strange day when a flick like Vile 21 hits Blu-ray and lands on my desk. I'm not exactly the first person eager to nab a film that looks like something I might have made in my basement in middle school, but I'm also always up for a challenge, especially one that claims to offer so much practical fx goodness. Problem is, Vile 21 doesn't have much gore, ooze or monstrosities to go around. There's plenty of rubber-mask fun posing as horror, but it's a surprisingly talky, actor-forward affair that desperately wants to be taken both seriously and satirically. It has its moments, for sure. But it also isn't exactly the wall-to-wall fx showcase you might assume. Instead it's a '70s grindhouse creature feature through the haze and hassle of lo-fi VHS filmmaking, and it stands as much more of an oddity than a standout low-budget passion project.

When Dr. Walter Hall (Dan Skinner) creates a drug that turns men into unstoppable beasts, the government will stop at nothing to obtain the serum. Forced into action by the pressure of diligent agents of law-and-order, Dr. Hall gives an injection to Jon (Steve Kelley), an unsuspecting homeless man, and unleashes sheer practical fx terror on his quiet little community. Five days in one mad scientist’s life gives him an eternity in hell when he reopens an old experiment... when he reopens… Vile 21! Dum dum dummmmm. Made in the mid-90s by special effects veteran Mike Strain Jr. (Vincent's Vow, You're Next), Vile 21 is as cheap, homemade and homebrewed as they come, features a handful of standout gore-and- goo bits, and co-stars a cast of actors you've never seen before and will probably never see again.

No one would blame you for growing bored of Vile 21 long before anything of consequence splashes across the screen. Other than the transmutation of poor Jon the Bum, the film limps along and tries to build up a solid lineup of characters to summarily dispatch or have save the day. The bottom-rim budget takes its toll at every turn, as does the high-school-play production design. This is a film shot on a shoestring, edited on the other shoestring, and cobbled together without much in the way of anything more notable than its own home-movie flair. There is a certain appeal and affection to such a project, I'll be the first to admit. It's fun watching an aspiring filmmaker create against all odds. But it's fairly clear from the jump that Strain is meant to keep his feet squarely in the fx box and not wander too far beyond its boundaries. Best known for his contributions to the excellent and tragically overlooked You're Next, Strain isn't a tower or powerhouse in the industry, nor the sort of artist you'd expect to earn his own film. Turning to a camcorder and the forest near his home is about the most you can expect of someone using portions of their weekly paycheck to shoot a movie, and therein lies the value and nasty bits of entertainment Vile 21 provides.

Don't expect top bar horror. You're not an idiot, I know. A single, passing look at this one tells you exactly what it is and, more specifically, what it isn't. Approach with caution, but approach as if sitting down in your friend's living room to watch something he made with every cell of his body. Be polite. Laugh. Nod. Shiver at all the appropriate times. Enjoy the results, compliment the achievement, then move on to better genre flicks in waiting.

Vile 21 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

"This version of Vile 21 was re-edited by Ronnie Sortor and approved by director Mike Strain Jr. in 2023. It uses the original SVHS-C master tapes digitally transferred at the highest quality possible. Elements from the original VHS edit were used to replace any shots missing from the master tapes. This version also features a new music score written by Todd Reynolds."

So begins the Blu-ray presentation of Vile 21, which features about as good an AVC-encoded high definition transfer of a standard definition production you could hope for. Strain's film is no looker, regardless of whether discussing the cinematography or the transfer, but we're not in the video section to judge the art, rather simply to evaluate the encode. Unfortunately, that's quite difficult -- as it often is in these cases -- as the line between SVHS-C anomalies and encoding issues are blurry at best, impossible to discern at worst. Blocking, banding, aliasing, edge halos, over-saturation, inconsistent contrast, poor shadow delineation... all are sadly or suitably present, depending on your outlook. It's clear respect has been paid to Vile 21 in its restoration and treatment, but not so clear what the resulting quality actually is. That said, any issue present arguably only adds to the experience and visuals, so there's not a lot to really complain about.

Vile 21 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Vile 21 includes an equally dated and limited DTS-HD Master Audio mix that sounds, well, horrible, but then again, that's kind of the point. Dialogue is reasonably clear, albeit ever at the behest of poor audio recording, bargain equipment and subpar spatial presence and power. It sounds exactly as it was designed, no doubt. But again, how do you judge how accurate to the source it comes? Go in with low expectations and enjoy the pulpy, pudgy, sludgy sound effects for all their worth. In other words, turn off your critical brain, kids, and take Vile 21 on its own terms.

Vile 21 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Original 1998 VHS Cut - A second cut of the film, or rather the original cut, as originally available.

• Audio Commentaries - Two tracks are available on this extras-packed disc. The first comes courtesy of exceedingly generous, self-effacing director Mike Strain Jr., who's chock full of anecdotes, production details and good humor. The second is from 2023 editor Ronnie Sortor, which touches on his contributions and the film as it was and as it is.

• The Genetic Monster (HD, 30 minutes) -This new VHShitfest production featurette offers interviews with Strain and Sortor, along with plenty of B-roll and making-of footage from the original shoot.

• Original Making-of Featurette (HD, 40 minutes) - The archive doc gets the better treatment, with far more behind-the-scenes footage and a sharper sense of the challenges Strain faced while shooting Vile 21.

• Footage and FX Restoration (HD, 3 minutes) - A brief restoration overview.

• Deleted Scenes (HD, 7 minutes) - Eight wisely cut scenes.

• Stop Motion Monster Footage (HD, 1 minute)

• Bits-n-Pieces (HD, 31 minutes) A 2015 short film/creature feature by Madison Strain, with fx work by Mike Strain Jr.

• Behind the Scenes of Bits-n-Pieces (HD, 40 minutes)

• Trailer for Bits-n-Pieces (HD, 1 minute)

• Hotel of Terror (HD, 33 minutes) - A second short film, this one from 2003, directed by Mike Strain Jr.

• Behind the Scenes of Hotel Terror (HD, 31 minutes)

• Vile 21 Photo Gallery (HD)

• Original Vile 21 Trailer (HD, 1 minute)

Vile 21 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

You probably already know whether Vile 21 is for you or not, so no need to repeat anything here other than that this Vinegar Syndrome release moves heaven and earth to honor and preserve the film as best as any distributor could. Faithful AV and a slew of extras make this one a decent edition of a never-known flick. It's too pricey, mind you, but those who pony up will find plenty of bang for their buck.