Roger Corman is a prolific film producer who works very often on a shoestring budget, and that is quite evident here. He also shows his eye for talent. Over the course of his career in the industry, he has had the opportunity to work with some recognizable names early in their career. This movie features Cindy Williams and Ben Vereen in early roles.
Audio/Video. The transfer is quite solid. The movie definitely shows its age and budget on its sleeve, but the transfer is clean, clear, and devoid of most blemishes. There is a good deal of grain present. I am quite pleased with the look of the film, it is considerably nicer than I was expecting. The same goes for the audio, which definitely shows its age, but still is quite clear and crisp, although you can see where some of the dubbing does no quite match up. Still, it is hard to complain about he quality as a good job was done on a film that probably does not deserve it.
Extras. The film has no extras aside from the original trailer. However, this is a part of the four-disk Roger Corman Collection, featuring eight films. Gas-s-s-s shares a disk with the Peter Fonda starring The Trip. The box set pretty much makes up for the lack of extras on this movie.
Bottomline. Whether or not Corman and Armitage were actually trying to make a statement or if they were simply seeking to exploit the end of the era is up in the air. No matter how you want to slice it, the film is unique. I cannot say I have any great desire to watch it again, but it was mesmerizing to watch unfold in its decidedly non-traditional fashion. For the curious, it is definitely worth a peek.
Mildly Recommended.
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