Search DVDBeaver

 S E A R C H    D V D B e a v e r

(aka "Body Trash")

 

directed by Philip Brophy

Australian 1993

 

Residents of the placid suburban cul-de-sac of Pebbles Court have started receiving unexpected samples of a new and experimental vitamin, manufactured by a strange health spa named Vimuville. However, shortly after adding the mysterious green powder to their diets, users begin to experience strange and increasingly macabre visions, and worse, their bodies start to mutate, ooze, and eventually melt! As visits from the coroner to the sleepy street become a nearly daily experience, Detective Sam Phillips becomes increasingly suspicious of the goings on at Vimuville, but will he be able to uncover its diabolical motives before the whole of Australia is subjected to BODY MELT? Writer/director/composer Philip Brophy's notorious slime-filled cult classic BODY MELT remains one of the last great Ozploitation films. Packed with gross-out gore effects, biting black comedy, and a throbbing techno-esque score.

***

The owner of a posh Australian health clinic uses the residents of a small suburban community named Pebble Court as a test market for some revolutionary new vitamin supplements. Unbeknownst to the locals, the pills have some particularly unpleasant side effects, as illustrated by the messy death of her boyfriend after he discovers the truth and is given a lethal dose. Before long, the locals are beginning to mutate, melt, explode, or turn into deformed psychopathic monsters. As Pebble Court becomes a miniature apocalypse, a pair of detectives plod their way through one bloody massacre after another before finally stumbling onto the diabolical Dr. Carrera (Ian Smith), inventor of the lethal vitamins and numerous other medical disasters. The odd, disjointed and episodic feel of this film is due to the script being assembled out of four separate stories by director/co-writer Philip Brophy. Without a solid framing story or sympathetic lead to give them cohesion (aside from the obvious premise that Carrera's drugs are not particularly healthy), the disparate vignettes fall apart faster than the doctor's victims. That said, there is enough wry humor, frantic pacing and boisterous gore effects to sustain horror audiences' interest for the abbreviated running time.

Excerpt from B+N located HERE


Posters

 

Theatrical Release: October 1993 (Sitges Film Festival)

 

Reviews                                                                                     More Reviews                                                                          DVD Reviews

 

Comparison:

Vanguard - Region 0 - NTSC vs. Scorpion Releasing - Region 0 - PAL vs. Vinegar Syndrome - Region FREE - Blu-ray

Big thanks to Eric Cotenas for all the DVD Screen Caps!

 

1) Vanguard - Region 0 - NTSC - LEFT

2) Scorpion Releasing - Region 0 - PAL - MIDDLE

3) Vinegar Syndrome - Region FREE - Blu-ray - RIGHT

 
Box Covers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    

 

 

Also coming out on Blu-ray by 88 Films (UK) in January 2019:

 

 

and an Umbrella Blu-ray Release (Ozploitation Classics):

 
Distribution

Vanguard

Region 0 - NTSC

 Scorpion Releasing
Region 0 - PAL		 Vinegar Syndrome
Region FREE - Blu-ray
Runtime 1:19:03 (4% PAL speedup) 1:22:27 1:22:48.713
Video

 Aspect Ratio

 4:3
Average Bitrate: 6.27 mb/s
NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s

1.65:1 Original Aspect Ratio

16X9 enhanced
Average Bitrate: 5.43 mb/s
PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s

1.78:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 44,205,008,692 bytes

Feature: 25,464,753,408 bytes

Video Bitrate: 34.86 Mbps

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate:

 

Vanguard

 

Bitrate:

 

Scorpion Releasing

 

Bitrate:

 

Vinegar Syndrome Blu-ray

 

Audio English (Dolby Digital 2.0) 

English (Dolby Digital 2.0) 

DTS-HD Master Audio English 3818 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 3818 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)
Commentaries:

Dolby Digital Audio English 128 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 128 kbps / DN -4dB
Dolby Digital Audio English 128 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 128 kbps / DN -4dB
Subtitles None None English (SDH), None
Features Release Information:
Studio: Vanguard

Aspect Ratio:

4:3

Edition Details:

DVD Release Date: 25 November 2003
 

Chapters
 

 Release Information:
Studio: Scorpion Releasing

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen anamorphic - 1.65:1

Edition Details:

 

DVD Release Date:
 

Chapters

Release Information:
Studio: Vinegar Syndrome

 

1.78:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 44,205,008,692 bytes

Feature: 25,464,753,408 bytes

Video Bitrate: 34.86 Mbps

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

 

Edition Details:
 • Commentary track with writer/director/composer Philip Brophy, writer/producer Rod Bishop and producer Daniel Scharf
 • Commentary track with Philip Brophy, focused on the sound design and film score
 •  "Melting Away: The Deconstruction of Body Melt" - 2018 featurette with Philip Brophy and Rod Bishop (38:36)
 •  "Body Building: The Making of Body Melt" - 2018 interview with Daniel Scharf (8:06)
 •  "Adrenal Glands" - 2018 interview with actor Neil Foley (10:32)
 •  "Making Bodies Melt: The Making of Body Melt" (33:55)
 •  "Behind-the-Scenes Featurette" (16:54)
 •  Extensive behind-the-scenes stills and prop gallery

•  Complete storyboard gallery
 •  Original theatrical trailer (1:40)
 

Blu-ray Release Date: September 25th, 2018
Transparent Blu-ray Case

Chapters: 5

 

Comments

NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were obtained directly from the Blu-ray disc.

 

ADDITION: Vinegar Syndrome - Region FREE - Blu-ray (September 2018): The new Vinegar Syndrome Region FREE Blu-ray release is advertised as "Newly scanned & restored in 2k from its 16mm original camera negative (exclusive to our release)". It is in the 1.78:1 aspect ratio and shows more information in the frame on the right and left wedges and a sliver missing from the top and bottom. The 1080P is an obvious advancement over the DVDs with superior colors - warmer skin tones - and an overall darker image.

 

Vinegar Syndrome use a robust DTS-HD Master 5.1 surround track and the effects are fairly crisp with imposing depth and a few head-turning separations imbedded in the sound design. The score is by the director, Philip Brophy - who actually has done a few films scores - and it is verbose but sounds appropriate and enjoyably suitable. He wrote, with Maria Kozic, the song Body Melt and Masterpieces plus some will recognize Deep Purple's Highway Star played during the film.  This transfer has optional English (SDH) subtitles on the Region FREE Blu-ray release, playable worldwide.

 

Extensive extras from Vinegar Syndrome. There are two commentaries for the films, the first with writer/director/composer Philip Brophy, writer/producer Rod Bishop and producer Daniel Scharf having some fun while exploring details of the production and the final product. The second commentary track has Brophy with more of a focus on the sound design and film score. It is good for budding students of cinema. "Melting Away: The Deconstruction of Body Melt" is a new 39-minute 2018 featurette with Philip Brophy and Rod Bishop talking more about the evolution of the film and its impact and critical reaction. "Body Building: The Making of Body Melt" is an 8-minute, 2018, interview with Daniel Scharf - one of the producers of Body Melt. "Adrenal Glands" is also new - it's an interview with actor Neil Foley and runs over 10-minutes. "Making Bodies Melt: The Making of Body Melt" runs more than 1/2 hour and has some B-roll and preparation where the 17-minute "Behind-the-Scenes Featurette" sees it from another angle. There are extensive behind-the-scenes stills and prop, and complete storyboard galleries and a trailer.

 

This is an impressive Blu-ray release of a film that was not just fluff but had an intelligence behind the realization with suburban parodies, over-the-top gore-effects, a sneaking homage to exploitation. Lots of fun and easy to see why it is such a cult favorite. Vinegar Syndrome's Blu-ray efforts here will be greatly appreciated. Absolutely recommended! 

 - Gary and Eric

 

Menus
(Vanguard - Region 0 - NTSC - LEFT vs. Scorpion Releasing - Region 0 - PAL -RIGHT)
 

 

 

Vinegar Syndrome - Region FREE - Blu-ray

 

 

CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION

 

 

1) Vanguard - Region 0 - NTSC - TOP

2) Scorpion Releasing - Region 0 - PAL - MIDDLE

3) Vinegar Syndrome - Region FREE - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

 

 

 

1) Vanguard - Region 0 - NTSC - TOP

2) Scorpion Releasing - Region 0 - PAL - MIDDLE

3) Vinegar Syndrome - Region FREE - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

 

 

 

1) Vanguard - Region 0 - NTSC - TOP

2) Scorpion Releasing - Region 0 - PAL - MIDDLE

3) Vinegar Syndrome - Region FREE - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

 

 

 

1) Vanguard - Region 0 - NTSC - TOP

2) Scorpion Releasing - Region 0 - PAL - MIDDLE

3) Vinegar Syndrome - Region FREE - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

 

 

 

1) Vanguard - Region 0 - NTSC - TOP

2) Scorpion Releasing - Region 0 - PAL - MIDDLE

3) Vinegar Syndrome - Region FREE - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

 

 

More Vinegar Syndrome - Region FREE - Blu-ray Captures

 

 

Report Card:

 

Image:

Blu-ray

Sound:

Blu-ray
Extras: Blu-ray

 
Box Covers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    

 

 

Also coming out on Blu-ray by 88 Films (UK) in January 2019:

 

 

and an Umbrella Blu-ray Release (Ozploitation Classics):

 
Distribution

Vanguard

Region 0 - NTSC

 Scorpion Releasing
Region 0 - PAL		 Vinegar Syndrome
Region FREE - Blu-ray

 

 

Report Card:

 

Image:

Blu-ray

Sound:

Blu-ray
Extras: Blu-ray
 

 

 

Hit Counter

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DONATIONS Keep DVDBeaver alive:

Mail cheques, money orders, cash to:    or CLICK PayPal logo to donate!

Gary Tooze

Thank You!