(A.k.a. FREAKY FAIRYTALES; THE GRIEBELS)
A fondly remembered "also ran" title from the video rental days of the 1980s, DEADTIME STORIES (which I will always remember as FREAKY FAIRYTALES, the title that Entertainment In Video Ltd released it onto UK VHS with in 1986)
Mike (Michael Mesmer) races upstairs one evening, following the sounds of laughter and creaking bed springs. As he forcefully opens the closed door of a bedroom, he finds his young nephew Brian (Brian DePersia) bouncing up and down on his mattress.
Brian insists he can't get to sleep without a bedtime story. So, wideboy Mike - who just wants to watch Miss Nude on the TV - reluctantly sits down to fulfil his babysitting obligations. Prompted by Brian, he's given to create a trio of fairytales of his own ...
The first story concerns a young man called Peter (Scott Valentine), who has a dog's life living with two witches in the middle of the woods. He's instructed by them to go to the nearby village and lure a wealthy dignitary to their dwelling, with the promise of an evening in the company of two comely hotties. Cue the film's first surprisingly effective FX scene.
Horrified by what he witnesses, Peter flees into the woods - but his keepers are never far behind.
Still not content enough to fall into slumber, Brian demands a second story ... this time one without a mushy ending.
And so, Mike embarks on an atmospheric, decidedly erotic retelling of the classic "Little Red Riding Hood" fable - pitting the titular character, here renamed Rachel (Nicole Picard), against a particularly frisky werewolf, Willie (Matt Mitler).
Willie encounters hot jogger Rachel at the local chemist's and, when the prescriptions they're each picking up getting accidentally swapped, Willie frantically gains Rachel's granny's address off the chemist and rushes out into the woods to retrieve his much-needed anti-lycanthrope pills. Guess what happens in the meantime?
Mike's final story is a madcap take on the "Goldilocks and the Three Bears". This sees Papa Bear (Kevin Hannon) and Baby Bear (Timothy Rule) sprung out of a "Home for the Hopelessly Insane" by Mama Bear (Melissa Leo). In the meantime we learn that murderess Goldi (Cathryn de Prume) is also on the loose, and has an advantage over the lawmen pursuing her due to her formidable psychic powers.
How long do you suppose before Goldi and the Three Bears are united?!
DEADTIME STORIES is a fun frolic, a fast-paced flick that never takes itself too seriously. Yes, there are gags aplenty, and many of them work to some extent. There's a lot of referencing going on, right from the off (the opening theme song nods towards Hitchcock, Romero and De Palma). Director Jeffrey Delman shows himself as being hugely film-literate, paying homage throughout to everything from The Three Stooges and PSYCHO to Edgar Allan Poe and beyond.
On an aesthetic level, the film is unexpectedly proficient. For all that DEADTIME STORIES tries to profess its dumbness, it benefits from a sharp script (you have to admit, even the most groan-worthy one-liners are kind of smart - though Baby Bear breaking the fourth wall during the final segment went a little too far), along with some deceptively well-considered camerawork, William Szarka's adroit editing and imaginative compositions. The 60s pop-esque score is enjoyably inappropriate too, in a knowing way.
For those looking for simpler titillation, we get plenty of well-executed practical gore FX (pounding disembodied hearts; multiple dismemberments; a show-stealing arm slowly being burnt in half while the freshly severed hand crawls away ... A slew of FX artists worked on the film, including Ed French, Laurie Aiello and John Bisson. Their efforts, though decidedly low budget, provide top entertainment here.
The wraparound story riffs on "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" and seals the deal nicely, in what emerges as a cheery slice of silly but often surprisingly well-made and effective fun.
DEADTIME STORIES makes its UK debut on blu-ray thanks to 88 Films. This uncut presentation - 82 minutes and 39 seconds in length - is proffered as a handsomely-sized MPEG4-AVC file, demonstrating the film in full 1080p HD. Boasting a new transfer from the original negative, we get the film in 16x9 widescreen here and everything appears to be correctly framed.
Colours are vibrant, flesh-tones are accurate and blacks are solid in this well-contrasted, finely detailed presentation. Some scenes are softer-looking than others, which may be due to the extended production history behind the film's shoot (some scenes were shot in 1982; others in 1985). But this is by far the best the film has ever looked (and most likely ever will). Also, note that the aforementioned Entertainment In Video Ltd release was cut by the BBFC to the tune of 29 seconds; this here presentation is completely intact.
English audio comes in a crisp, clean stereo mix. Optional English subtitles are well-written and easy to read.
The disc opens to a static main menu page. There is no scene selection menu, but you do have the option of flicking through the movie via 12 remote handset-accessible chapters.
A fine set of much-appreciated bonus features begin with an audio commentary track from Delman, originally recorded for the Shout! Factory release. He doesn't need a moderator: from the off, there's an absence of dead air as the director covers just about everything you'd ever need to know about this production. Cast members, body doubles, extras - all covered. Special effects, including how Ed French became involved - covered. Things that didn't go to plan on the shoot, and why production took a number of years - covered. How friends and acquaintances helped to get this film made - covered. Delman speaks fluently and with enthusiasm, name-checking just about everyone involved along the way, and you get the impression we're in the company of a very clever man.
How the opening credits sequence inadvertently cribbed from Monty Python; how the corny score came to be; what influenced the rather novel werewolf make-up; where and when each shot was made ... It's all here, and more.
"I Like the Grotesque" is a new 16-minute onscreen interview with Delman. He covers some of the same ground from the commentary track, obviously, but this remains worthwhile thanks to the director's intelligent and snappy demeanour. He seems to have genuinely fond memories of the movie's shoot. Delman once covers a multitude of production aspects in a fast-paced, amiable manner: how his cast endured through injuries; the film's connections with NIGHTMARES IN A DAMAGED BRAIN and The Trashmen; how Delman performed on the film's score (in one take); how he hated the export title FREAKY FAIRYTALES etc ....
A couple of deleted scenes are also present here, complete with an onscreen introduction from Delman helping to place them into context. These are presented in the 1.33:1 ratio and contain minor female nudity (if it matters).
Two of the film's original theatrical trailers are presented in grainy window-boxed form, and provide a whole lot of nostalgic fun - replete with the deep voiceover which was ubiquitous during the 1980s. These run for a total of 3 minutes and 14 seconds.
A 4-minute stills gallery is a well-presented, highly colourful affair, set to the film's cheerfully cheesy theme song.
Another great extra is a complete alternate cut of the film's "Black Forest" segment. This is presented in 1.33:1 and looks healthy enough despite a lack of restoration. Delman appears on screen at the start to explain that he originally toyed with the notion of extending this segment to feature-length, hence a running time here of almost 30 minutes. The pacing of this enjoyable, atmospheric offering is also more in tune with a longer film.
88 Films' release also comes with double-sided cover artwork, the reverse of which is a very striking alternate US poster design.
This blu-ray's first run also comes with an attractive slipcase cover, and a collector's booklet containing new notes. These offer a well-versed and witty critique on the horror anthology trend of the 1980s, taking in the likes of CREEPSHOW, CAT'S EYE, NIGHTMARES and FROM A WHISPER TO A SCREAM, as well as DEADTIME STORIES.
Recommended.
Review by Stuart Willis
| Released by 88 Films |