Freakmaker, The: Original Producer’s Cut (DVD)
Matt Boiselle
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Starring Donald Pleasence, Tom Baker, Brad Harris
Directed by Jack Cardiff
Distributed by GBOX
Sometimes all an old film needs is a dusting off in order to allow it to breathe new life, refreshing it to the point that it can gain some serious recognition amongst a legion of followers… and sometimes it falls on its face. Any way you slice it, I’ll begin to delve into the freshening up of an overlooked 70’s peculiarity.
Formerly titled The Mutations, we now turn the page and accept this 70’s exploitation flick as The Freakmaker, starring the good doctor Loomis himself, Donald Pleasence. However, the Don is not the good guy that everyone thinks he is, acting as mad professor Nolter, who is conducting some very shady experiments that involve turning humans into carnivorous plants. Teeming with an army of real-life sideshow performers, the film possesses the chops to make fans squirm in their seats based on the visuals alone. Directed by award-winning cinematographer Jack Cardiff, the movie is as demented as it is beautiful to look at with a fresh coat of polish shellacked over the top of it.
Now, I’m not going to beat anyone over the head and shoulders droning on and on about plot, character development, blah, blah, blah – mainly due to the fact that the movie’s been out for 42 years; and if you need an introduction after all this time, then I can’t help ya! Instead, I just wanted to take a few to yap about how good the film looks, despite its shortcomings.
Pressing “play” on this one will act as a restoration for a film that way back in the day was washed out palette-wise, and while the new coat of paint might not appease some purists, it is an admirable undertaking for a film that might have been forgotten. Compared to the 1932 Tod Browning shrieker Freaks, the movie relies heavily on the use of the anomalies, and in virtual hi-definition it makes the… intricacies… stand out even more so. Accompanied by a buffing of the psychotic audio, The Freakmaker will once again live in eye-gouging color and sound, regardless of what you might think about the overall product.
So if you’re up to it, head on over to CycloneHorror.com, pick up a copy, and let your freak flag fly!
Special Features:
- Audio commentary with writer/producer Robert Weinbach and actor/associate producer Brad Harris, moderated by Norman Hill
- Second commentary with director Jack Cardiff and Norman Hill
- Featurette: How to Make A Freak – including interviews with Jack Cardiff, Brad Harris, and Robert Weinbach
- Still gallery
- Talent bios
- Trailers
- Bonus Extra: Multi film fest award winner The Last Horror Movie
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Special Features
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