So I was recently given the task to review a new DVD from my good friends at Fangoria, the home for all things horror. Here is a review that I just recently wrote for them, which I thought that it would be fun for you fine folks to read as well!
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| Original DVD Cover (2011 |
The marriage of exploitation and horror films has been part of cinema for decades. However, during the 1960s this union had an unprecedented amount of offsprings. And like most children, some were good, some were bad, and then there were some that were just plain awful. In this case, the newly released SHOCKORAMA double feature DVD offers to of these abominations, courtesy from the folks at Cheezy Flicks.
The DVD package consists of two movies on two discs. Disc one contains BILLY THE KID VS. DRACULA, which as the Prince of Darkness himself (portrayed by John Carradine) traveling to the Old West, posing as an uncle to the young and naïve Elizabeth Bentley (Melinda Plowman). She introduces her “Uncle James” to her fiancée William Bonney (Chuck Courtney), who is better known as Billy the Kid. When strange supernatural occurrences begin to happen on the ranch, Billy suspects that Uncle James is a vampire, and tries to prevent him from turning his blushing bride into an unholy creature of the night.
With JESSE JAMES MEETS FRANKENSTEIN’S DAUGHTER on disc two, the legendary outlaw Jesse James (John Lupton) and his slow-witted sidekick Hank (Cal Bolder) are on the run from the local sheriff after a foiled stagecoach heist. Seeking shelter, the duo hide in the castle belonging to Dr. Maria Frankenstein (Narda Onyx), the granddaughter of Dr. Baron Von Frankenstein. Determined to carry on her grandfather’s legacy, she uses Hank for her experiment, thus transforming him into a walking bald monstrosity which she names Igor. Soon it’s up to Jesse to stop Maria and to end the Frankenstein curse.
Both films were directed by William Beaudine, better known as “One Shot” Beaudine because of his refusal to do more than one take of any scene. Both films were shot in 1966, and contain the basic ingredients of a bad, B-movie, horror flick: terrible acting, horrible dialogue, plausible storyline, and bland directing. While all these examples add up to two atrocious films, the transfer of these films was even more laughable.
The people behind Cheezy Flicks never disguised the fact that these films were obviously transferred from really bad and apparently really old VHS tapes that also contained early drive-in intermission commercials. The blatant scribble lines found at the bottom of the screen, fading picture quality, and muffled audio soundtrack shows a lack of quality and care. Even the DVD cover art for it looks like it was done on someone’s personal home computer. As for the DVD extras, both discs contain the same features: a chapter menu, and a director bio.
Overall, Cheezy Films’ SHOCKORAMA double feature is a lack luster release that won’t hold anyone’s attention, let alone grab any attention. While both films are nothing more than forgotten cinema trash, they at least deserve a better fate (and release) than this.
SHOCKORAMA Double Feature DVD is currently available at your local retailer. You can order a copy at the Cheezy Flicks website at http://cheezyflicks.com/shop/
Thanks for reading, and enjoy the show!
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