Madman (Blu-ray)
Steve Barton
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Starring Paul Ehlers, Tony Fish, Gaylen Ross (as Alexis Dubin), Harriet Bass
Directed by Joe Giannone
Distributed by Vinegar Syndrome
Walking into the now severely missed mom and pop video stores as a horror fan during the early Eighties, you were guaranteed one thing… some really cool-ass VHS artwork. Most of the films rarely lived up to the promises of the box art, but some did. Madman gave you everything it promised and more. In fact, it remains a personal favorite of mine both art- and movie-wise.
Here was a campfire tale with a definitive Eighties slasher slant that lives on forever in the hearts of just about everyone who’s ever seen it. And rightly so. The movie is still the absolute shit as it has everything a fan could want: sex, violence, and a disfigured lunatic who’s incredibly memorable. Like Shaft, he even has his own theme song. I could prattle on endless about what makes Madman so very good, but after the treatment Matt Fini gave the film in his Saturday Nightmares series, I would be nothing but redundant. Click here for Matt’s wonderful look at Madman. Me? I’ll be focusing on the Blu-ray release.
As for the new 4K restoration from the 35mm camera negative… only two words come to mind… HOLY and SHIT! Before we get to that, though, how about a little history?
Madman first hit DVD via Anchor Bay in 2002. It wasn’t brimming with extras, but it was home to a splendidly fun commentary track featuring director Joe Giannone, writer/producer Gary Sales, and stars Tony Fish and Paul Ehlers (who plays the Madman himself) plus a handful of TV spots. That being said, what made this shine was Anchor Bay’s wonderful transfer of the film itself, which was non-anamorphic 1.85:1. Colors were extremely vibrant, and though the blacks could sometimes be on the murky side of the fence and there was a bit of print damage here and there, there was no artifacting to be found, and fans were pretty happy. Myself included.
Years later, in 2010, Code Red released Madman: 30th Anniversary Edition. Code Red corrected the lack of extras found on the Anchor Bay release but dropped the ball with the transfer. In terms of supplemental material there was a new feature length documentary entitled The Legend Still Lives: 30 Years of Madman which ran close to 92 minutes. To this day, this doc remains the definitive look at the film and includes comments from Gary Sales, actors Paul Ehlers, Michael Sullivan, Carl Fredericks, and Harriet Bass along with a host of Madman fanatics. The only thing missing was the participation of director Joe Giannone, who had passed on in 2006, and actor Tony Fish, who died in 2009. It may be a little on the low side in terms of production value when compared to the stellar supplemental material found on cult releases from companies like Scream Factory, but this is as good as it gets for fans… especially since Paul Ehlers (Madman Marz) is nothing short of absolutely hilarious and heartfelt throughout. The man shines like one of Pink Floyd’s Crazy Diamonds. This release also included the TV spots from the Anchor Bay release as well as the commentary track. Also included was a 10-minute featurette on various bands and fans, including CKY, who offered some cool riffs on the glorious Madman theme song, an image gallery, and a few other odds and ends.
Yep, supplement-wise Code Red’s DVD did the job and did it well. But that transfer, man… It was reported that version of Madman would be presented in an anamorphic widescreen transfer sourced from an HD source that was originally commissioned by the now defunct Monsters HD. Yet, it was home to lots of screen combing issues, the same print damage from the Anchor Bay release, the image appeared softer, and if you thought the blacks were murky before… Also someone made the odd decision to mess with the film’s color timing, removing its trademark blue tint, an error ironically repeated by Anchor Bay when they first brought John Carpenter’s Halloween to Blu-ray. Why? I have no idea. It was kind of heartbreaking.
All that being said… on to Vinegar Syndrome’s treatment of the film’s print, which is nothing short of outstanding. The AVC encoded image (1.78:1 aspect ratio) presentation retains the film’s blue tint, making it feel more like Madman than Code Red’s DVD did. Skin tones are natural; colors range from completely stable to beautifully saturated with deep blacks and nicely managed film grain present throughout. Honestly, I noticed things I’ve never even seen before thanks to a stunning print that at times can venture more on the soft than sharp side. The only real problem image-wise is some vertical scratching which appears in several scenes. No matter how you slice it, Madman has never looked better. If you’re a fan, and you should be, it doesn’t get any better than this.
In terms of the audio, present here is an 1.0 DTS-HD MA that is in fine form. Dialog is crystal clear, and that electronic soundtrack thumps marvelously well when it needs to. Really good stuff.
In terms of bonus materials Vinegar has ported over all that has come before, and the biggest addition is the Madman: Alive at 35 featurette, which features producer/writer Gary Sales along with Paul Ehlers and, for the first time ever, actor Jimmy Steele, who played Ritchie in the film. Don’t get too excited, though; in terms of production value this one makes Code Red’s doc look incredibly professional. While it’s nice to have an updated dining room table-set chat with these wonderful gentlemen, there’s really not a hell of a lot new here.
Next up there’s a talk with Sales regarding his early work, and he even does an optional producer’s intro to the film. Also new is a playfully fun and informative fan commentary track with The Hysteria Continues! podcasters, two Dead Pit Radio interviews – one with Sales and the other with Ehlers, and a memoriam featurette revering Madman participants who are no longer with us.
There’s no question about it… this is the ULTIMATE edition of Madman. The version we’ve all been clamoring for. Sales and company have their sights set on rebooting Madman from a script by Ehlers and his son. You can visit The Madman Marz Movie on Facebook for details and updates. In a perfect world Madman Marz will return, axe in hand and ready to go. We’ll be waiting patiently, but we’ll never speak his name aloud. He’s real, you know.
Special Features:
- NEW 4K restoration from the 35mm camera negative
- NEW Madman: Alive at 35 featurette
- NEW Dead Pit Radio Interviews with Gary Sales and Paul Ehlers
- NEW In Memoriam featurette with Gary Sales commentary
- NEW Commentary track by The Hysteria Continues!
- Commentary track with the cast and crew
- The Legend Lives: 91-minute documentary on the making of Madman
- Original theatrical trailer
- Vintage still and art gallery with Gary Sales commentary
- TV spots
- Reversible cover art from Paul Ehlers
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Film
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Special Features
Categorized:Reviews
