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Released by: Vinegar Syndrome
Released on: November 8th, 2016.
Director: David DeCoteau
Cast: Linnea Quigley, Karen Russell, Eric Freeman, Jan Michael Vincent, Jack Carter
Year: 1989
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The Movie:
Two low budget late eighties David DeCoteau films starring Linnea Quigley arrive on Blu-ray courtesy of Vinegar Syndrome.
Murder Weapon:
“They lust for revenge ... They do it at night ... And they're more than lethal. “
Up first, we learn the story of a woman named Dawn (Quigley). While institutionalized after her entire family is killed in a freak fire she meets a woman named Amy (Karen Russell). Amy is doing a stint away from a society in hopes of breaking her from a continuing cycle of abuse that seems to damn all of her relationships with men. The two girls hit it off and decide that whichever one of them finds her freedom first will be obligated to throw a serious bash for the other at the time of her release.
Dawn uses her feminine charms to get horny shrink Doctor Gram (Lenny Rose) into a situation precarious enough that he agrees to have her set free. As such, she's the one to throw the party. Not too far down the road, Amy coerces Doctor Randolph (Lyle Waggoner) to set her free and it's party time. As they'll want some companionship at the shindig, Dawn invites her old flame Jeff (Eric Freeman) to the party as well as pretty much every one of Dawn's exes to the party. So guys like Kevin (Stephen Steward), Cary (Allen First), Billy (Richard Sebastian), Bart (Rodger Burt), as well as Eric (Mike Jacobs Jr.) - who she seems to be having recurring dreams about again - make the scene at the mansion owned by Amy's connected father.
Lots of beer is consumed and lots of sex takes place and soon enough the bodies start piling up - is Amy's dead taking care of business or is it possible that one or both of these previously institutionalized ladies might be off her damn rocker?
This one is just as ridiculous as it sounds. Staged as a 'sexy thriller' it's chock full of boobs and even a little bit of carnage. Quigley's better known as a scream queen and it's interesting to see her starring in a non-horror project like this. The film wears its low budget on its sleeve and most of the acting is pretty questionable but the plot moves at a good pace and it offers up enough of its own screwy charm to easily entertain. This one has that weird mix of horror, action and comedy (sometimes intentional sometimes not) that shouldn't work but does. It's also got a pretty cool score that cements it permanently in the era that birthed it. Not a masterpiece, but as far as straight to video low budget thrillers go, it does at least try to stand apart from the herd and for the most part it succeeds. By tying in the insane asylum angle and the mafia angle it manages to tell a pretty fun story.
Deadly Embrace:
The second feature follows Stewart Moreland (Jan Michael Vincent), a slimy businessman cheating on his wife, Charlotte (Mindi Miller), with his hot to trot secretary DeDe (Ruth Collins). Stewart is pretty tired of Charlotte, there isn't much left of their marriage, but after he talks to his lawyer pal Evan Weiss (Jack Carter) he learns that he'll wind up giving away a sizable amount of his fortune to her should divorce court proceedings not go in his favor.
This is where Chris (Ken Abraham) comes in. He's the hunk-of-the-month that the Moreland's have hired to tend to their pool. Stewart figures he can hand the guy some cash, get him to have an affair with Charlotte and make out like a bandit but what he doesn't know is that Charlotte's had her eyes on him for a while now. Their affair gets Chris in trouble when his girlfriend Michelle (Linnea Quigley) shows up to stay at the house for a spell. When she clues in to that 'something' that exists between Charlotte and her beau, she takes matters into her own hand.
This one isn't quite as zany as the first feature but it's quickly paced and reasonably sordid enough to hold our attention. Quigley is in fine form here and both Ruth Collins and Mindi Miller are easy enough on the eyes. It's fun to see Jan Michael Vincent pop up in the movie. He plays the rich slimeball type rather well. The house that serves as the movie's primary location is plenty fancy and makes for a decent enough setting for the story to play out. It's a moderately predictable affair but any time you get Michelle Bauer starring in a role like 'female spirit of sex' you're on the right track.
Video/Audio/Extras:
Both films arrive on Blu-ray from Vinegar Syndrome in AVC encoded 1080p high definition transfers taken from a new 2k scans of the original 16mm negatives framed at 1.78.1 widescreen. Detail looks really great and texture is strong too. Skin tones also fare really nicely while black levels are nice and deep. Colors pop with all that eighties garishness really standing out and the picture quality, while reasonably grainy, is virtually pristine and shows very little actual print damage. These are very solid transfers that make these goofy low budget pictures even more fun.
The English language DTS-HD Mono tracks sounds just fine, offering up clear dialogue without any noticeable background hiss or noise. The levels are well balanced, the scores sound good and there are no problems here to complain about. There are no alternate language options although English subtitles are provided.
Director David DeCoteau and leading lady Linnea Quigley provide commentary tracks for each feature and both tracks are actually pretty great. For Murder Weapon, Quigley talks not only about acting in the picture but also about how she worked behind the scenes as a producer. She and DeCoteau clearly really enjoy one another's company and have a good time strolling down memory lane here. The track is well paced and informative and occasionally pretty amusing as well, particularly when they talk about the complexities of shooting nude scenes with curious onlookers about and the intricacies of late eighties fashions. This same vibe carries over onto the track for Deadly Embrace as well, as the two talk about the film's origins, a bunch of Ms. Quigley's co-stars and what it was like working with Vincent during what was a fairly tumultuous time for the one time A-lister and TV star. Surprisingly enough, he seems to have been much better behaved here than on other projects he made around the same time. Lots of great stories here - if you're at all interested in the history of either picture you'll enjoy these talks.
Aside from that we get quick intro's to each move from DeCoteau, a trailer for Murder Weapon, three minutes of amusing outtakes from Deadly Embrace, menus and chapter selection. As this is a combo pack release we also get a DVD included inside the clear Blu-ray case that contains both films and identical supplements to those found on the Blu-ray disc.
The Final Word:
Vinegar Syndrome's Blu-ray/DVD combo pack release of Murder Weapon/Deadly Embrace is pretty great. Those who dig Linnea Quigley's charms or who appreciate the low budget 'sexy thriller' genre that was so popular in the late eighties through the mid-nineties will find much to appreciate, as will those who just dig a good B-movie. The presentation is top notch and the commentaries are a lot of fun - if this sounds like it is up your cinematic alley, proceed without fear!
Click on the images below for full sized Blu-ray screen caps!
