Announcement
Collapse
No announcement yet.
Sugar Hill (Blu-ray)
Collapse
X
Collapse
-
Sugar Hill (Blu-ray)
Released by: Kino Lorber
Released on: June 23rd, 2015.
Director: Paul Maslansky
Cast: Marki Bey, Robert Quarry, Don Pedro Colley, Betty Anne-Rees, Richard Lawson
Year: 1974
Purchase from Amazon
The Movie:
When Paul Maslansky's AIP produced voodoo zombie thriller beings, beautiful Sugar (Marki Bey) and her loving husband Langston are a happy couple, running Langston's nightclub business and very much in love. That is, until a group of punks are hired by an evil businessman named Morgan (Robert Quarry of The Deathmaster) who wants to buy Langston's club. Langston won't sell, so they make short work of him and send him off to the big discothí¨que in the sky.
Rather than go to the police (like I would), or pull a gun out of her afro and fight the man (like Pam Grier would), she enlists the aid of Mama Maitresse (Zara Cully….. yes, that's right, Mrs. Jefferson herself), an old voodoo queen. Mama helps Sugar contact Baron Zamedi (played by Don Pedro Colley, who played Sheriff Ed on a few episodes of The Dukes of Hazard), a voodoo priest with the ability to raise the corpses of the dead slaves buried in the area to do his bidding. The Baron makes Sugar a deal - in exchange for her immortal soul, he'll raise this army of zombies with strange metallic paint jobs to exact her revenge on Langston's killers.
One by one, Sugar has her army of the undead take down the punks who killed her man, and even manages to make some time with a cop guy along the way. When all the punks are dead, she tracks Morgan down and the final face off ensues.
While this isn't the type of zombie film that Euro-cult fans or Romero buffs are going to expect, Sugar hill is still a lot of fun. There's very little gore in the film (it's a safely rated PG affair through and through) but that doesn't really take away from it. There is some nice atmosphere created and a lot of cool scenes that nicely mix the blaxploitation genre with the zombie film quite effectively. On top of that, the film makes great use of its Deep South locations, from the manor Sugar calls home to the surrounding swampy areas that always seem to be foggy or misty or covered in moss and cobwebs.
The real star of the show though is Marki Bey. She's got a commanding screen presence and is well cast as the sympathetic but revenge driven lead. She's foxy, smart and the camera loves her and the script gives her some pretty memorable scenes. The supporting cast are also great, especially Don Pedro Colley as the mysterious voodoo master and Quarry, typecast a bit here as the main bad guy. It's fun to see Charlie Robinson of Night Court fame pop up in a small role here though! In the end, however, it's Bey who makes this movie what it is. And if that's not enough, well, the movie has one of the coolest opening songs ever - Supernatural Voodoo Woman - which plays over the opening and closing credits. Good stuff!
Video/Audio/Extras:
Sugar Hill arrives on Blu-ray in an AVC encoded 1080p high definition transfer framed at 1.85.1 widescreen. This looks like it was taken from the same source used for the MGM Limited Edition DVD-R/MOD release that came out a few years ago, albeit obviously a 1080p version of that source. Softness is inherent in the elements themselves to a certain extent - look for certain shots of our female lead that use soft focus here and there - but even without those scenes taken into account the image here isn't as detailed as it could or should have been. It definitely does provide a nicer looking picture than that aforementioned standard definition release but the rich textures and eye popping clarity you hope for on a nicely authored Blu-ray disc never appear. On the plus side, close up shots tend to look decent and scenes that take place outside and in nice lighting look okay, though those in dimly lit interiors suffer a bit. Is this the worst Blu-ray transfer you'll ever see? Not by a long shot. Is it a bit of a disappointment as a picky self-entitled Blu-ray nerd? A bit, yeah.
Thankfully the English language DTS-HD 2.0 Mono audio track on the disc is rock solid. Not only do we get a well balanced mix that features clean, clear dialogue but we get a fair bit more depth here than we did on DVD. The fuzzed out rock guitar score also sounds better than ever, as do the various sound effects used throughout the movie. Some hiss is present as is the occasional pop, but it's nothing too serious. There are no alternate language or subtitle options provided.
Here's where fans should be really pleased, as Kino have supplied some impressive supplements for this release, starting with a really great commentary that comes courtesy of Paul Maslansky moderated by William Olsen. Maslansky's memory is sharp as a tack and he's evidently very keen on sharing his story on this track, as he covers pretty much everything you'd want him to and maybe just a little bit more. He talks about the locations, AIP's involvement in the movie, the effects work (including the infamous 'eyes' featured in the movie!) and loads more. He's got a real enthusiasm here which makes this a track that is both interesting and fun to listen to.
Maslansky also shows up for an interview running sixteen minutes. It covers some of the same ground as the commentary but there's enough 'new stuff' in here to make it worth a watch. He speaks more about working with Arkoff and about his thoughts on the zombies in the film. Actor Charlie Robinson spends fifteen minutes discussing his experiences working on the film, how he was cast, his character and more. Don Pedro hangs out for nineteen minutes and follows suit, sharing stories about the research he did on voodoo practices for the role, what he tried to bring to his character and his thoughts on the various people that he worked with on the movie. We also get a piece with Richard Lawson who spends fourteen minutes praising his time on the movie but also not shying away from some of the difficulties he experienced as a black actor in the industry.
Outside of that we get a trailer for the feature, static menus and chapter selection.
The Final Word:
Sugar Hill finally gets the special edition treatment that it's always deserved. While the transfer definitely leaves room for improvement the audio is solid and the extras are both plentiful and interesting. As to the movie itself? It's as atmospheric as it is unique and bizarre, a really well made and entertaining slice of seventies horror absolutely worth adding to your collection.
-
#1ScorpionSenior MemberFind all postsView Profile07-21-2015, 02:56 AMEditing a commentnot to sound picky, but please note my company produced the extras, not Kino, and I also produced the disc, I made sure we did a dual layered/BD-50 to get the most out of the rather softness of the transfer, to give it as much breathing room as possible.
Posting comments is disabled. -
Categories
Collapse
article_tags
Collapse
- album review (218)
- album reviews (274)
- arrow video (271)
- blu-ray (3225)
- blu-ray review (4162)
- comic books (1392)
- comic reviews (872)
- comics (988)
- dark horse comics (484)
- dvd and blu-ray reviews a-f (1969)
- DVD And Blu-ray Reviews G-M (1711)
- DVD And Blu-ray Reviews N-S (1757)
- DVD And Blu-ray Reviews T-Z (878)
- dvd review (2512)
- idw publishing (216)
- image comics (207)
- kino lorber (391)
- movie news (260)
- review (318)
- scream factory (279)
- severin films (298)
- shout! factory (537)
- twilight time (269)
- twilight time releasing (231)
- vinegar syndrome (497)
Latest Articles
Collapse
-
Released by: Film Masters
Released on: April 23rd, 2024.
Director: Bert I. Gordon
Cast: Richard Carlson, Juli Reding, Lugene Sanders, Susan Gordon
Year: 1963
Purchase From Amazon
Tormented – Movie Review:
The late Bert I. Gordon’s 1963 horror film, ‘Tormented,’ is an effectively spooky ghost story made with an obviously low budget but no less effective for it.
The story revolves around a professional piano player...-
Channel: Movies
04-17-2024, 10:19 AM -
-
Released by: Grindhouse Releasing
Released on: March 12th, 2024.
Director: William Grefé
Cast: William Shatner, Jennifer Bishop, Ruth Roman, Harold Sakata
Year: 1974
Purchase From Amazon
Impulse – Movie Review:
Directed by the one and only William Grefé, 1974’s Impulse is one of those rare films that allows you to witness what it would be like if a really sweaty William Shatner got mad at a lady carrying balloons. Before that...-
Channel: Movies
04-15-2024, 01:20 PM -
-
Released by: Severin Films
Released on: April 30th, 2024.
Director: Andrew Legge
Cast: Emma Appleton, Stefanie Martini, Rory Fleck Byrne
Year: 2022
Purchase From Amazon
Lola – Movie Review:
Irish filmmakers Andrew Legge’s 2022 movie, ‘Lola’, which was made during Covid-19 lockdowns, is a wildly creative movie made in the found footage style that defies expectations, provides plenty of food for thought and manages to make...-
Channel: Movies
04-10-2024, 04:09 PM -
-
Released by: Vinegar Syndrome
Released on: March 26th, 2024.
Director: Jess Franco, Jorge Grau, Pedro L. Ramírez
Cast: Alberto Dalbés, Evelyne Scott, Fernando Rey, Marisa Mell, Wal Davis, Norma Kastel
Year: 1974
Purchase From Amazon
Spanish Blood Bath – Movie Review:
Vinegar Syndrome brings a triple feature of Spanish horror films of the in this new three-disc Blu-ray boxed set. Here’s what lies inside…
Night Of The...-
Channel: Movies
04-10-2024, 04:02 PM -
-
Released by: Universal Studios
Released on: April 9th, 2024.
Director: Zelda Williams
Cast: Kathryn Newton, Cole Sprouse, Carla Gugino, Joe Chrest, Henry Eikenberry
Year: 2024
Purchase From Amazon
Lisa Frankenstein – Movie Review:
The feature-length directorial debut of Zelda Williams, 20214’s Lisa Frankenstein takes place in 1989 and follows a teenaged girl named Lisa Swallows (Kathryn Newton) who, two years ago, lost her mother...-
Channel: Movies
04-03-2024, 03:40 PM -
-
Released by: Severin Films
Released on: April 30th, 2024.
Director: Gianfranco Giagni
Cast: Roland Wybenga, William Berger, Stéphane Audran
Year: 1988
Purchase From Amazon
Spider Labyrinth – Movie Review:
Professor Alan Whitmore (Roland Wybenga) is an American who works as a Professor of languages studies and has a fascination bordering on obsession with translating pre-Christian religious texts. He was also locked in a closet...-
Channel: Movies
04-03-2024, 03:37 PM -