Humongous

Released by: Scorpion Releasing
Released on:
Director: Paul Lynch
Cast: Janet Julian, David Wallace, John Wildman
Year: 1982
Purchase From Amazon

The Movie:

Shot in and around Gravenhurst, Ontario - north of Toronto in the Muskoka region (cottage country!), Paul Lynch's Humongous begins when a woman is brutally raped after a party one night. As the opening credits play out, we learn that she gave birth to a freaky rape baby and that the woman more or less went into seclusion, living alone on an island with only a horde of vicious German Sheppard's to keep her company.

Cut to the present day, or what was the present day in 1982, and a group of young adults are getting ready to head out on a boat trip for a few days. Made up of Sandy Ralston (Janet Julian), Eric Simmons (David Wallace) and his older brother Nick Simmons (John Wildman), their sister Carla Simmons (Janit Baldwin) and friend Donna Blake (Joy Boushel), they hit the water and soon pick up a guy stranded in a boat. They let him on board and he warns them about a nearby island populated by a crazy lady and a bunch of vicious dogs. Of course, one thing leads to another and the group wind up taking solace on the shores of that very island, where the freaky rape baby turns out to have grown into a giant killing machine hell-bent on destruction! Of course this doesn't stop them from screwing around, getting naked, and partying a bit but soon enough, yeah, it all hits the fan.

Made a couple of years after he helmed Prom Night and before he went on to focus more on a career in television than film, Paul Lynch's efforts here are pretty decent given that this was obviously made without a huge budget. Written by William Gray, who also wrote Prom Night but who is probably best known for his work on the screenplay for The Changeling, the movie is frequently goofy but occasionally atmospheric, even eerie in the last half hour or so. It's very much a by the numbers slasher and it doesn't bring much of anything new to the genre but it does what it does well and offers up a few decent kill scenes and some welcome nudity as well. The island location is creepy enough to work and if nothing else, the film does manage to create a palpable sense of dread and isolation.

As far as the performances go, they're decent enough even if nobody here is going to take home an Oscar for their work. It's fun to see Janet Julian, who played Nancy Drew on TV in the seventies, show up here and sexy Joy Boushel from terror train pops up as well. A few of the kill scenes are appropriately grisly and when the sun goes down and it starts to get dark on the island, the movie hits a good stride.

It should be noted that this release of Humongous is uncut, so you'll note that the opening rape sequence is a lot harsher than you'd probably expect it to be.

Video/Audio/Extras:

Though their source is taken from a video master, the transfer actually looks okay. Granted it is a fair bit softer than a good film based transfer could be but the image is stable throughout, if sometimes a bit dark. If there's some color fading here and there it's not that big a deal and there are no obnoxious drop outs or rolls to note. This won't win blow you away but it is certainly watchable enough.

The English language Dolby Digital Mono track ,the only audio option on the DVD, is also fine. The levels are well balanced and there are no problems with hiss or distortion outside of a couple of bits of dialogue that are just a bit shrill. The score also sounds fine.

The main extra on this disc is a commentary track with director Paul Lynch moderated by Nathanial Thompson and hosted by Katarina Leigh Waters. Lynch has got a pretty sharp memory about working on this picture and Thompson does a fine job of pulling those stories out of him. Details include casting, location shooting in northern Ontario, effects work and more. As this release is part of the Katarina's Nightmare Theater line from Scorpion, you can play this DVD with or without the optional intro/outro from wrestler turned horror hostess, Katarina Leigh Waters. Aside from that, there's also a trailer for the film, trailers for a few other titles in the Katarina's Nightmare Theater line, menus and chapter stops. The disc is packaged with reversible cover art so that you can display the case with or without the Katarina's Nightmare Theater banner showing through.

The Final Word:

If a move about a giant monster rape baby tooling for victims in cottage country sounds like your idea of a good time, and it should, then definitely check this one out. It's goofy, gory and wickedly entertaining and the inclusion of a solid commentary track makes up for the fact that Humongous doesn't look all that amazing.