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Released by: IWC Films
Released on: May, 2016.
Director: Justin Channell
Cast: Zane Crosby, Josh Lively, Chris LaMartina
Year: 2016
Purchase From IWC Films
The Movie:
Directed by Justin Channell, Winners Tape All: The Henderson Brothers Story is a mockumentary that shouldn't work, but does. The premise is pretty simple. A VHS hound named Henry Jacoby (Chris LaMartina) winds up renting a couple of obscure tapes from a store that goes out of business before he can return them. The movies on those tapes were The Curse Of Stabberman and Cannibal Swim Club and they were made by a mysterious team of filmmakers named Michael (Zane Crosby) and Richard (Josh Lively) Henderson.
Not much was known about these filmmakers but once Henry found out that they lived nearby, he sought them out and set down to record their story. As we hear from the Henderson brothers in their own words how they wound up making these movies, we see plenty of clips from them as well as from their earlier super 8mm productions, most of which are surprisingly believable.
And that's really all there is to it. It's a simple enough idea but what's impressive is how they pull it off. LaMartina plays the VHS fanboy type well, geeking out at the right moments and with the right amount of enthusiasm, while Crosby and Lively are hysterical as the two brothers. The film clips are definitely the highlights but the deadpan delivery that these guys do as they explain everything from why wo many people walk for prolonged periods of time in their movies to the importance of showing off your legs in the film to why you might choose to deliver all of your lines in a film as if you were Quint from Jaws, well… it's funny. It's all played completely straight and far more effective for it.
As to the clips, well, the people behind the movie obviously binged on a steady diet of movies from the likes of Tim Ritter, Todd Sheets, John McBride and especially the Polonia Brothers and they channel that low budget camcorder aesthetic really well, warts and all. The rough edits, the stilted line deliveries, the amateurish gore and recycled props all stand alongside plenty of horrible casting choices and backyard locations to recreate a pretty authentic 'shot on video' experience. Given that the principal cast members have been involved in low budget films of their own (LaMartina most recently directed Call Girl Of Cthulu while Crosby and Lively have worked on Die And Let, which Justin Channell directed, Live and quite a few others) it stands to reason that they 'get it' as far as this type of material is concerned but it's nice to see it all handled with both humor and an obvious affection.
Video/Audio/Extras:
Winners Tape All is presented in 1.78.1 anamorphic widescreen with certain 'clips' matted on the sides for fullframe presentation, which makes sense given that we're supposed to buy into those clips being taken from eighties Super 8mm and SOV productions. The footage that is intended to be the newly shot interview footage looks nice and clean, the clips look rough - as they should. The filmmakers have done a pretty convincing job of nailing the look.
The English language Dolby Digital 2.0 track gets the job done. Some of the 'movie' clips sound a bit fuzzy and soft in spots, but they're supposed to. You won't have any trouble understanding things and the track is fine. It works quite well in the contexts of the movie.
The extras on the disc kick off with an audio commentary from 'Michael Henderson' done completely in character that's pretty funny. If you dug the humor of the main feature take the extra time to give this a spin because it works on the same level. Some of the background information we get on the clips if pretty funny stuff.
In the Restoration Demos section you get the chance to watch the two SOV features showcased in the film - The Curse Of Stabberman and Cannibal Swim Club - in their complete form. Definitely worth checking out if you have an affinity for SOV horror pictures from the 80s, as they are sometimes startlingly accurate. Eighteen minutes of outtakes (most of which are additional interview bits with the two Henderson Brothers) is also found here, along with a trailer for the feature, animated menus and chapter selection.
The Final Word:
Winners Tape All: The Henderson Brothers Story is surprisingly good. If you're at all familiar with the movies that this mockumentary is clearly paying an affectionate but hilarious tribute to, you'll find a lot to appreciate here. It's well acted, the clips are surprisingly convincing and it doesn't overstay its welcome. The DVD release is just fine, presenting the movie looking as good as it should with some fun extra features too.
