Difference between revisions of "Death Game BluRay Review"

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===The Film===
===The Film===
Peter S. Traynor’s [[Death Game|DEATH GAME]] is a movie I had previously seen once several years ago in a terribly blurry VHS quality version. Recently I received the 2 disc 4K BluRay edition from our friends at Grindhouse Releasing. First off, I have to say that the new transfer looks absolutely gorgeous. It really is like seeing the movie for the first time. The cinematography by David Worth (Bronco Billy, Bloodsport) is breathtaking and makes the movie so visually striking and lush.  
Peter S. Traynor’s [[Death Game|DEATH GAME]] is a movie I had previously seen once several years ago in a terribly blurry VHS quality version. Recently I received the 2 disc 4K BluRay edition from our friends at Grindhouse Releasing. First off, I have to say that the new transfer looks absolutely gorgeous. It really is like seeing the movie for the first time. The widescreen cinematography by David Worth (Bronco Billy, Bloodsport) is breathtaking and elevates the movie with its creatively stylized visuals.  


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[[File:Deathg3.jpg]]

Revision as of 20:31, 9 September 2022

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The Film

Peter S. Traynor’s DEATH GAME is a movie I had previously seen once several years ago in a terribly blurry VHS quality version. Recently I received the 2 disc 4K BluRay edition from our friends at Grindhouse Releasing. First off, I have to say that the new transfer looks absolutely gorgeous. It really is like seeing the movie for the first time. The widescreen cinematography by David Worth (Bronco Billy, Bloodsport) is breathtaking and elevates the movie with its creatively stylized visuals.

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The story, which takes place in the home invasion subgenre (Fight For Your Life, The House On The Edge of The Park) provides a nice twist. Instead of the typical male criminals, this time it's two beautiful women (The Swinging Cheerleaders' Colleen Camp and Willard's Sondra Locke) who are the intruders with Seymour Cassel (Faces, Minnie & Moskowitz, Rushmore) as their hostage. Cassel plays George, a San Francisco area businessman whose wife has left town on a family emergency. He is alone during his 40th birthday on a dark rainy night when he discovers two young beauties, Jackson (Locke) and Donna (Camp), at his front door after they get stranded. He invites them in so they can dry off and call for help but things soon take a steamy turn and they have a menage a trois in George's jacuzzi. As the film progresses, the two women are eventually revealed to be out for retribution due to traumatic events in their past. What starts off as two innocent looking women seeking a helping hand becomes an all out sadistic attack on the patriarchy.

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Once their true motive is in motion, Colleen Camp and Sondra Locke are in full blast frenzy as Jackson and Donna, the bisexual lovers/psychotic babes from hell that completely take over George's safe personal space. This provides entertaining elements of both dark humor and unhinged mayhem. While I think much of the movie works well, other parts do get a bit over the top and silly. Regardless of any flaws it has, it definitely holds your attention and keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout the running time. One aspect that is really important to keep in mind about the film is that it was made in about 2 or 3 weeks mostly on a small set with a very low budget yet looks just as amazing as any Hollywood studio film from the time. It certainly makes you wonder what Peter Traynor might’ve done next if he had continued working in film with even better scripts and bigger budgets. It turns out that this production was a bad experience for him (which included an on set battle with Seymour Cassel) and he moved on to other things because of it.

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BluRay Review

PICTURE: Presented in (2:35:1) 4K High Definition - As far as video transfers go, this is another stunner. The original Death Game video that had been released was bottom of the barrel and faded. Grindhouse Releasing used the original camera negative to breathe new life into this forgotten, underseen 70s psycho-thriller. Now film fans can see it the way it was meant to be seen, in gleaming high definition with vibrant photography that was so good it got David Worth notice from major filmmakers like Don Siegel and Clint Eastwood.

AUDIO:

SPECIAL FEATURES

  • AUDIO COMMENTARY with Eli Roth and Colleen Camp - Eli and Colleen have a lively discussion about the production of the film and go through the trials and tribulations of bringing it all together. It was a quick shoot and Colleen was fresh off the 1975 film SMILE and new to the movie biz. Her energy and devil may care attitude certainly showed on the screen. Director Peter Traynor was making his directorial debut, his vision was strong but on set tensions between him and Seymour Cassel was a negative which led to a very unbalanced performance and ultimately had to be saved in the editing room by David Worth who also served as cinematographer, mediator and even provided the voiceover for Cassel's performance when the actor refused to do the ADR.
  • AUDIO Commentary with Larry Spiegel & David Worth -
  • INTERVIEWS with Director Peter Traynor, star Colleen Camp, Producer Larry Spiegel, DP/Editor David Worth, screenwriter Michael Ronald Ross -
  • AUDIO INTERVIEW with Sondra Locke'-
  • EXTENSIVE STILL GALLERIES & GRINDHOUSE RELEASING THEATRICAL TRAILERS
  • LINER NOTES BOOKLET by cinema historian David Szulkin
  • THE FINAL WORD:
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  • Kung fu movies
  • Giallo BluRay