The Deadly Spawn [1983]

Product Information

The Deadly Spawn is the ultimate example of guerrilla filmmaking; it was shot on 16mm and contains so many flubs, dropouts, and herky jerky behind-the-scenes mayhem that one cannot help but fall for this perfect imperfect example of ultimate science fiction freakdom. Casting and Gags (35:57, SD) supplies B&W VHS footage from the production's improvised rehearsals (Bohus is quite the ham), showing the cast as they figure out the script and peppy character interactions. Plenty of tomfoolery ensues. Synopsis: Alien creatures invade a small town and a group of four teenagers, plus one little boy, try to escape from them . B-movie enthusiasts and cult film fanatics can rest easy now. The darling no-budget creature feature from 1983 finally has found a welcomed home in dazzling high definition. Released by Elite Entertainment, The Deadly Spawn finally completes many a freak’s quest in the sacred collection of quintessential cult films. It is a film beloved by many creature-feature gorehounds and grislettes and certainly the only to feature slimy penis-looking mutant muthas from outer space that munch on human flesh for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Visit with the Deadly Spawn" (8:39, SD) is a comical visit with one of the feature's creature designers, who shows off his work and questionable sense of humor before revealing the enormous Deadly Spawn puppet used in the picture. Like all of the supplementary material on this disc, little explanation and identification is offered to encourage any appreciation for the footage. Of course the foolish tenants of the farmhouse are clueless to our space invaders (who have already taken their first victims down into the cellar) and, before long, spend the rest of the movie trapped in the attic…trying to outsmart and outrun the three-rowed sharp teeth of our alien invaders as they slither through the house. Chomp, chomp, chomp. Introduction with Ted A. Bohus (1:19, SD) welcomes the viewer to "The Deadly Spawn," while taking a few moments to display some merchandise for the film and goof around with an alien puppet.Introducing audiences to the film is Bohus who manages to goof around with a puppet from the original shoot. With this as the opening, Elite Entertainment has provided the goods in supplemental material concerning The Deadly Spawn. There is an alternate opening, rehearsal scenes, goofy flubs, and deleted scenes. It’s amazing that these items still remain considering the long and amateur shoot. B&W VHS footage from the production's improvised rehearsals provide a few hammy actors and a lot of laughs. Local news footage adds depth to the screenplay and story and are included here to further show the rampant carnage that festers throughout the town on account of these no good wiener-looking aliens. Alternate Opening (4:43, SD) offers little to no discernible changes from the theatrical cut outside of a different opening title sequence. Plot: What’s it about? Video: How does it look? Audio: How does it sound? Supplements: What are the extras? Plot: What’s it about? The Deadly Spawn is presented in full frame, as intended. I am not sure what the source was for this release, but it is not a good visual effort. Even the DVD release seems to sport better detail, which is not good news. This is perhaps due to the excessive noise reduction applied, which softens the image and harms the inherent grain. I wanted this transfer to be a home run, but sadly it fails to live up to that expectation. I think we all know this movie will never look pristine, but it deserves a sharper, more natural treatment than this. Audio: How does it sound? Take One" (24:58, SD) is a cable access show from 1982, interviewing Marc Harwood on his experiences shaping the movie and his feelings about the low-budget world of filmmaking.

For more about The Deadly Spawn and the The Deadly Spawn Blu-ray release, see the The Deadly Spawn Blu-ray Review published by Brian Orndorf on February 15, 2012 where this Blu-ray release scored 2.0 out of 5. Memorable Movie Quote: "The gorilla! No eating the flesh for him, no sir. He's peace-loving, and adorable!"

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