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SCALPS
Fred Olen Ray is an exploitation film director that has enjoyed a broad body of work. He is best known for his over-the-top skin and monster flicks such as Hollywood Chain Saw Hookers and The Tomb. However, it was early on in his career when he made Scalps, a merciless gore film that has been a rental favorite for over 20 years. Now, Fred Olen Ray's Retromedia Home Video label has released Scalps from a variety of elements, including a rare digitized print.
A group of college students from an anthropology class head out into the desert to dig for samples of Native American relics. They proceed without their professor, who is tying up loose ends at the school before joining them. They stop at a gas station to fuel up, and are warned by an old Native American man not to go to the "black trees," where there was a great battle leading to many deaths, and the evil souls are now part of the land. Ignoring him, they set up camp.
The second night that they are camping, one of the couples go out to a secluded hill to be alone. Eerie chanting is heard from over the hills. They investigate and encounter a strange bonfire in the middle of nowhere, where the sound of evil chanting is emerging. When the man looks directly into the flames, he sees the spirit of an old, evil Native American who chants to him, and the bonfire explodes in his face. Unbeknownst to the group, he is possessed by Black Claw, an old renegade witch doctor who was responsible for many murder sprees. The group begins to notice that he is acting a little strange. It is when his girlfriend is found murdered and scalped that the group decides to go for help. One by one, they encounter Black Claw, all meeting a horrible fate. As Black Claw becomes more powerful, he becomes more hideous and misshapen. In the middle of the night, Black Claw moves in on the last survivors when they decide to take matters into their own hands.....
This title in Ray's career stands out as one of his more violent and gory films. Originally available cut (to accommodate space) on a double feature VHS with The Slayer, Scalps is presented as uncut as it possibly can be, although in a compromised version. Retromedia presents Scalps 1.85:1 in non-anamorphic widescreen. The film was taken from a number of masters for the DVD, as explained in an on-screen warning at the beginning of the movie. A well-preserved film print (as explained by Ray, an acquired digital transfer cut for violence) and regrettably, two videotape masters (a 3/4-inch and most probably, the Continental Video version - for the gore scenes), were used. The 16mm/35mm blow-up origins are obvious to the viewer when it comes to grain; however, during most scenes, it is not at all distracting. During the gore scenes, though, the picture quality is lacking in almost every way possible. The violent scenes are dark, fuzzy and over-saturated, creating an image that is almost worse than VHS quality. Fortunately, the digital transfer used dominates the running time, not only giving the viewer better picture quality than its inferior counterpart masters, but adding a few minutes of exposition (even explaining exactly what those sticks are that CJ is tapping together throughout the film). A mixed bag when it comes to the general presentation, but it is doubtful that better elements will ever be found.
The Dolby Digital mono sound is fair, and sounds as good as the materials used for the disc can be made. The track is slightly tinny, but doesn't suffer any noticeable dropouts. Among the extras is the theatrical trailer. The trailer for Scalps is a classic horror-exploitation trailer in that it gives the plot, claims that the viewer may not be able to handle it, repeats the title card several times and is narrated either by the ever-famous Don LaFontaine or one of the many sound-alikes of that era. It is an essential inclusion and warrants repeated viewing.
A running audio commentary by director Fred Olen Ray and Lee Lankford is included. The commentary track contains a wealth of information including the film's origins, the performances, anecdotes about location shooting, the distribution of the film, acquisition of the DVD's master and regrets relating to the film by director Ray. Many commentaries simply recall the information onscreen, but Ray gives the viewer something to chew on - especially aspiring film makers. A brief still gallery is featured on the disc, consisting of production stills and behind-the-scenes photos. The montage lasts under three minutes, but contains many interesting images.
By no means a budget release, Scalps is a fine disc. Despite the uncontrollable circumstances leading to inconsistency in image quality, this release delivers to the fans the story behind the film through a solid commentary, and highlights the film through a good trailer and gallery. Fred Olen Ray's films have been enjoyed by generations of film fans. From the days when drive-ins were still going strong, through the age of the VHS and into the still-new digital age of DVD, Fred Olen Ray's passion for movie making has been felt the world over. |
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