The week’s DVDs see the return of an influential French horror classic:
DVDs for Oct. 15 by Boo Allen
This week, we begin en France:
Eyes Without a Face (Les Yeux Sans Visage) (***1/2)
Just in time for a Halloween stocking stuffer, The Criterion Collection releases to Blu-ray George Franju’s 1960 classic horror film. This ghoulish work has influenced various horror fare, seen most recently in Pedro Almodovar’s The Skin I Live In, Cameron Crowe’s Vanilla Sky, and even in the sublimely ridiculous The Human Centipede. Of course by today’s blood-soaked slasher standards, this moody creepfest might lag. But it has its own charms, particularly in the well balanced atmospherics in which little seems extreme, even when Dr. Genessier (Pierre Brasseur) begins his nasty work. He and his assistant, Louise (Alida Valli), abduct young women, take them to his remote lair and then remove their faces in attempts to transplant them onto his disfigured daughter Christiane (Edith Scob). For her part, Christiane wanders around in a mask, taking it off only once briefly in an exercise that made people faint in 1960 movie theaters. The moments of sheer terror come selectively, as Franju instead creates a mood of heightened tension with the constant threat of possible dangers.
Not rated, 90 minutes. This high-definition digital restoration with uncompressed monaural soundtrack includes a similar restoration of Franju’s 1949, 22 minute Blood of the Beasts, along with an interview with Franju. This documentary was also controversial at birth, as it examined a Paris abattoir and showed some of the same skin-stripping that goes on during Eyes/Face. Plus, a nine minute interview with Edith Scob, who worked often with Franju. Plus, a too-short, seven minute, featurette, the 1985 “The Grandfathers of Crime,” on the delightful mystery writing team Pierre Boileau and Thomas Narcejac, who wrote the novels that Vertigo and Diabolique are based on and who contributed to the Eyes/Face adaptation of Jean Redon’s novel. Plus: a 21 page booklet on the film with essays by film scholar David Kalat and by novelist Patrick McGrath.
Abducted (**)
More ghoulish Halloween-timed fare can be found in this lurid slice of torture porn. Trevor Morgan and Tessa Ferrer star as, respectively, Dave and Jessica, who find themselves in a dark Saw-like cell after being abducted in Los Angeles. Unfortunately for them, their captor turns Joseph Mengele on them, making this fright-fest an almost unwatchable exercise.
Not rated, 95 minutes. The DVD includes a five minute “making of” featurette.
Pacific Rim (**1/2)
This summer blockbuster only performed moderately at the box office and now arrives on small screens that might struggle to capture its huge scope. Co-wrote and directed with flair by Guillermo del Toro, the film centers on the computer generated behemoths from the bottom of the sea that rise up to battle humankind and to threaten the world. And it seems like earth’s best chance for survival lies with an army of man-made machines. Despite its silliness, and an utter lack of realism or believability, it remains grossly entertaining, with plenty of action and some outstanding special effects. Most of the humans remain forgettable, but among them, Charlie Hunnam takes the pivotal role as a once-fallen warrior wanting redemption against the creatures.
Rated PG-13, 129 minutes.
Maniac (**1/2)
Schlockmeister Aja Alexandre (The Hills Have Eyes) delivers this horror film remake set in Los Angeles. Elijah Woods plays Frank, a creepy guy who takes great pride in his mannequins. You see, he likes them a lot. Really, really likes them. But Frank transfers some of this obsession to Anna (Nora Arnezeder) when she arrives requesting his help. Before long, Frank is, gulp, a maniac.
Not rated, 89 minutes. The DVD includes commentary, a full length, 66 minute “making of” documentary, and four minutes of deleted scenes.
And, finally, for kids this week:
Thomas and Friends: Santa’s Little Engine
When snow covers Sodor, Thomas gets into the holiday spirit with these five episodes teaching children lessons on friendship, cooperation, and discovery. A reindeer lends a hand, or hoof, to help Santa on his way.
Not rated, 58 minutes. The DVD includes a game and several puzzles.
The Halloween Stories Collection—volume two
Scholastic Storybook Treasures releases this three disc collection of fourteen animated stories from various children’s storybook authors such as Marisa Montes, Kevin Henkes, and Linda Williams. Included among the three discs of “The Day of the Dead,” “Teeny-Tiny and the Witch Woman,” and the sing-along “Demo Bones” are such enticing episodes as “Fletcher and the Falling Leaves,” “Dinosaur Bones,” “The Boy With Two Shadows,” and more. “The Day of the Dead” features several segments centered on Latin American holidays, such as “Kitten’s First Full Moon” and “The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything.” “Dem Bones” also includes sing-alongs on “Dinosaur Bones,” “Hush Little Baby,” and more. An excellent voice cast has been assembled to lend support: Joan Allen, Rita Moreno, Maria Conchita Alonso, and others.
Not rated, 132 minutes. The collection also includes a read-along feature, and interviews with author Marisa Montes and author/illustrators Bob Barner, Kevin Henkes, and Linda Williams.
Also on DVD: The Heat, A Hijacking, Orson Welles’ The Stranger.