The low budget roots show, but it doesn't really work against the film since it is supposed to be a film made by the main character. I am sure he wouldn't be spending millions to concoct these murders, so the fact that it looks to have been shot by an amateur and not on the best film stock actually helps the authenticity of the proceeding. The problem lies with the sub par acting, the pretentiousness displayed by Max, and the fact that this is not treading any new ground, but rather rehashing that of the past. Not to mention the disturbing lack of gore. something I would have expected more of considering the backing of Fangoria.
Video. Like I mentioned above, this is a low budget film, and it shows. It is presented in 1.78:1 anamorphically enhanced widescreen. It has a washed out appearance, but overall it looks pretty good for a low budget affair.
Audio. The soundtrack is presented in Dolby Digital 2.0. It sounds good, much like it was shot with one mic on set. Again, the filmmakers work within the constraints of the budget. The film is made to take advantage and hide the shortcomings of low budget film.
Extras. We are given a few extras in the package.
-Commentary. The commentary features director Julian Richards and actor Kevin Howarth. I sampled some of the track, and it is pretty good. They keep the conversation going with anecdotes about the making of the movie.
-Deleted Scenes. A selection of scenes that didn't make the final cut. They wouldn't have added much to the final product.
-Cast Auditions. Some footage from the casting of Max and the Assistant.
-Featurette. This was a behind the scenes making of. It is OK, the best part dealing with the effect of burning someone alive, which actually looked pretty good.
-Short Film "The Shoe Collector." A short 2 minute film about a murderer who collects shoes. This was an entertaining piece, looked very good.
Bottomline. Not something I can recommend. The concept has been done better before. There wasn't enough blood and the lead was just a little too smarmy for my taste. I did like the idea of recording over another movie, but how well does that play in this age of DVD? Perhaps the DVD label should have been made to look as if it were burned on a home PC to replace the movie that was supposed to be there? Anyway, skip this.
Not Recommended.
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