Time for another trip to the Theatre of the Deranged
Released by: Troma Entertainment
Release Date: October 13, 2015
Production Year: 2013
Region Code: A
Running Time: 1:30:45
Audio: English Dolby Digital 2.0
Video: 1080p (1.78:1 Aspect Ratio)
Subtitles: Forced English for "TAG"
THE FILM - [ 3 / 5 ]:
Damien Shadows and his sidekick Adam Lansbury introduce you to 5 blood curdling horror films, all of which are actually enchanted and / or cursed. Damien shows you how to ward off the spirits after each terrifying tale in this anthology. From demented sisters, to panty raids gone wrong, to killer mimes and bad periods, this film will take you on one wild ride
The film was directed by James Cullen Bressack, Shawn Burkett, Eric Hollerbach, Christopher Leto, Dustin Mills and Shane Ryan.
"Theatre of the Deranged II" stars Eri Akita, Mariko Wordell (“Tag”) / Olivia Blake, Lorin Dineen, Christine Kinsey, Elizabeth Lee, Cory A. Thrush (“Panty Raid”) / Jody Barton, Bailey Gaddis, Kirsty Hill, Alexei Ryan (“Unmimely Demise”) / Olivia Blake, Aaron Quick Nelson, Bob Glazier (“My Aunt is Coming to Town”) / Jackie McKown, Brandon Salkil, Allison Fitzgerald (“PlateFace”) and Eric Hollerbach as Damien Shadows
Please keep in mind this is an anthology, so the segments are short. I do not like to give spoilers so my descriptions will be brief.
"TAG" - Our first story revolves around two sisters and an unusual bond that they share that reaches farther than you might expect. Unfortunately I did not care for this story all that much. It felt like there should have been more to the story. It was interesting but just didn't work for me.
"Panty Raid" - In this segment we have a janitor with vile intentions who has an obsession with panties and visits some sorority girls in search of his prize. This was my favorite part of the anthology. It has a bit of an 80's feel to it in terms of the story and the humor, which is probably why I enjoyed it so much.
"Unmimely Demise" - The third tale tells the story of Cheeky the mime who has extraordinary powers and gets revenge on those who wronged him. Another fun film. I enjoyed the offbeat humor. It reminded me slightly of the 1980 film "Harlequin" which also featured a mime. Don't all mimes seems a bit "off." Maybe it's similar to how some people don't like clowns.
"My Aunt is Coming to Town" - Next up we have Erin, a young lady who meets Jeff and falls for him. A few weeks later, her aunt is coming and wants to meet this man her niece is seeing. Erin is so happy with how well the visit with her aunt went, she has a surprise for Jeff. This film went in a different direction at the end than what I was expecting, which I am not totally sure what I was expecting. I give it credit for avoiding a few moments where it could have taken the more traditional path in films where the viewer knows what is going to happen after seeing the same thing over and over.
"PlateFace" - In the final story we find a man who seems to be in love with a woman, but we see he also has his eyes on her daughter. This segment is dialogue free and features a "laugh track" which adds to the oddity of this short. I really liked the creepy feel to this film and the direction it was going. I did not particularly care for the ending though.
AUDIO - [ 3 / 5 ]:
"Theatre of the Deranged II" comes with a Dolby Digital 2.0 audio track. For a super low budget anthology, the sound is better than I expected. I thought the dialogue, sound effects and score throughout the segments were fairly well balanced. I did not encounter any jarring issues with the audio quality. The only subtitles included are forced English subtitles for the first film in the anthology, "TAG."
VIDEO - [ 2.5 / 5 ]:
"Theatre of the Deranged II" has come to Blu-ray thanks to Troma Entertainment. The film is presented in 1080p with a 1.78:1 Aspect Ratio. Keeping in mind that the production level was low due to its budget, the film look average in terms of video quality. I did notice some instances of banding and at times its budget limitations show. However, it is not totally fair to compare this to a large scale Hollywood film. So while it does not look as clear, crisp and artifact free as most big budget films, those that are fans of the film or independent films will most likely not have an issue.
SPECIAL FEATURES - [ 2.5 / 5 ]:
Intro by Lloyd Kaufman (4:10) This intro plays automatically when inserting the Blu-ray in to you player. Lloyd gives a brief intro on the film with a voice over adding in "part 2." There's also a bit with the Tromettes complaining about working on low budget films.
Panty Raid
- Bloopers (3:40)
- Audio Commentary with director Shawn Burkett - A fun commentary where Mr. Burkett even says I'm just going to pause for a moment because you guys aren't listening to me. You're staring at the boobs. He talks a bit about the cast and production of his segment.
- Trailer (1:34)
Unmimely Demise
- Behind the Scenes (11:58) - A fun look behind the scenes of the production.
- Trailer (1:14)
- Slide Show
My Aunt is Coming to Town
- Extra Footage (2:33) - More footage of the scene at the doctor office.
TROMoMA (11:40) - This featurette talks about "Return to Nuke 'Em High Volume 1" being part of the "Contender Series" at the Museum of Modern Art. Members of the cast also perform a dance.
The American Cinematheque Honors 40 Years of Troma (2:03) - A montage of shots from several Troma films.
Radiation March (:56) - A very brief old dance performance piece that talks about the dangers of pollution.
Lloyd Kaufman's Anti-Bullying PSA (1:36) - Lloyd talks about bullying, while he bullies the crew.
Trailer (1:20)
Troma Trailers
- "Return to Nuke 'Em High Vol. 1" (3:24)
- "Return to Nuke 'Em High Vol. 2" (1:48)
- "Troma's War" (2:31)
- "The Toxic Avenger" (3:11)
- "Pro Wrestlers vs. Zombies" (1:47)
IN CONCLUSION:
I have not seen "Theatre of the Deranged" but if you enjoyed the first round, I would imagine you will enjoy another helping in the sequel. I enjoyed it and would like to watch the first film sometime. A reasonably priced anthology on Blu-ray with decent audio and video quality plus a fair amount of special features. Order a pizza, pick up some beer and have a fun night!
OVERALL: [ 3 / 5 ]