The Terror Within - Dead Space

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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r

Roger Corman's Cult Classics

The Terror Within (1989) Dead Space (1991)

Directed by Thierry Notz + Fred Gallo

In the aftermath of a chemically induced plague that wipes out most of the world, the only survivors are a small group of scientists trapped in a laboratory 500 feet below the ground in the Mojave Desert. But they are not alone. The Terror Within stars Academy Award winner George Kennedy (Cool Hand Luke), Andrew Stevens (The Fury) and Terri Treas (The Nest).

Phaebon had been thought to be a safe and controlled research facility until a distress signal calls for Commander Kreiger (Marc Singer) and his robot Tinpan. Together, they try to save the planet from a spreading virus and an odd and growing cocoon in Dead Space, a loose remake of Forbidden World. Also starring Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad) and Laura Tate.

Posters

Theatrical Release: January 20th, 1989 / January 21st, 1991

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DVD Review: Shout! Factory - Region 1 - NTSC

DVD Box Cover		CLICK to order from:
Distribution	Shout! Factory - Region 1 - NTSC
Runtime	1:27:48 + 1:12:03
Video	1.78 + 1.33:1 Aspect Ratios Average Bitrate: 5.69 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate:
Audio	English (Dolby Digital 2.0)
Subtitles	None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Shout! Factory Aspect Ratio: Original Aspect Ratio 1.78 + 1.33:1 Edition Details: • The Grindhouse Experience (trailers) • Theatrical trailer for The Terror Within • Commentary by Fred Gallo on Dead Space DVD Release Date: November 2nd, 2010 Keep Case Chapters: 12 X 2

Comments:

Another couple of Corman duds - but The Terror Within is the least abominable of the two in the double feature.

The two films are housed together on one dual-layered DVD. The Terror Within is progressive and anamorphic in 1.78 and Dead Space - running only 1-hour 12-minutes is 1.33:1. The widescreen looks best - very clean - only modest noise. The flatter 'full screen' feature has some marks but is fairly consistent. In all honesty they look to be transferred adeptly.

Audio is unremarkable but close, I'll wager, to the way it was produced. There are no subtitles, for either feature, on the region 1 NTSC disc.

There are a few redeeming features that I should mention. The menus have some inventive attributes appearing to allow entrance a theater (Bijou) - and then a lobby and the two films show as a double feature first with The Terror Within - then an intermission with some cool Grindhouse-esque previews (it seems there is nothing they won't exploit) followed by the 'B' Deep Space. It did give the experience a fun edge and it was kinda cool to see Bryan Cranston pre-Breaking Bad. Lastly, the price doesn't appear to be outrageous - Shout! Factory aren't excessively gouging. Still, only Corman fans should consider indulging. I generally like bad cinema and Terror held me for a while but Dead Space was so bad it turned me right off. Buy at your own peril.

Gary W. Tooze

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