UNHINGED

So ... it's a rainy, stormy night and three girlfriends - Terri (Laurel Munson), Nancy (Sara Ansley) and Gloria (Barbara Lusch) - chatter away in their car as they drive through lonely roads on their way to a concert. The car skids and crashes. No concert for these three.

In fact, when we next see them they're being tended to by seemingly innocuous spinster Marion (Janet Penner) and her wheelchair-bound mother (Virginia Settle) in their house on the edge of the nearby woods. Handyman Norman (John Morrison) is also on the scene, despite it soon being made apparent that the matriarch hates men.

The girls are invited to stay at the family home overnight on account of the terrible weather and the injuries they've incurred in their accident. Reluctantly, they accept the invitation. Before long, strange things begin to unsettle them: faces appearing at windows, the elderly mother's increasingly delirious outbursts, human teeth found on the floor ... and who the Hell is spying on the girls through a peephole while they shower?!

Of course, even characters this idiotic eventually come to understand that they're in a very bad place, and decide it's time to leave. But that's when the shit really hits the fan...

UNHINGED is a cheap, rather uneventful and unconvincing little film from the early 80s that doesn't really contain much of merit. It's doubtful that director Don Gronquist's flick would even be remembered by fans in 2014, were it not for its enticing pre-certificate cover artwork (replicated in one side of this new release's cover) and the fact that it was included in a BBC TV News article highlighting the then-growing concern over violent videos which led to it being bafflingly caught up as one of the horror films removed for some time from UK video rental store shelves during the mid-80s 'video nasties' furore.

In its favour is a modicum of atmosphere which is achieved almost by accident by way of the incessant storm, the dimly lit interiors and an effectively amateurish electronic score. I will actually give the film credit for attempting a neat twist at the end too. Oh, and if female nudity is necessary for your enjoyment of horror flicks, you're in luck during a couple of scenes.

But along the way, any attributes are offset by really ropy performances, ugly and uninspired camerawork and a crushing lack of anything remotely interesting happening. There's not much tension at all, no real escalation in pace, and if you're a gorehound who's stumbled across this by virtue of its cover and that shameless 'warning' on the front about the levels of violence contained herein, well ... don't get too excited: the film definitely under-delivers on its promise of the red stuff.

Low rent in a manner that recalls the earlier films of William Girdler (think THREE ON A MEATHOOK, for example), UNHINGED is similarly barely passable and unlikely to win many new fans.

The film has enjoyed many home video releases over the years, none of which have served it well. That's all changed now thanks to this new region-free UK DVD release from 88 Films.

The film itself is presented uncensored (so you can see how laughable it was that this ever got removed from shelves during that aforementioned 'nasties' cull of the 1980s) and in choices of either 1.33:1 open matte or the 1.66:1 theatrical matte. The latter benefits from 16x9 enhanced but, as per early online rumblings, does indeed have the appearance of being an upscale from the full-screen version. The open matte option actually serves the film better to these eyes. It certainly seems to have been shot with an eye towards framing the action at 1.33:1.

The print used exhibits grain and some damage but looks satisfyingly bright, along with presenting colours in an acceptably bold manner. Blacks are strong in general. Although it's not a perfect proposition, this is the best I can recall UNHINGED ever looking.

English 2.0 audio is serviceable. There is the odd occasion of background noise and some dialogue has a slightly muffled effect to it. But I doubt the audio was ever recorded under adequate conditions, and suspect that this is the best it's ever likely to sound.

Opening to an animated main menu page, the disc also contains a scene selection menu which allows access to the film via 10 chapters.

Extras begin with an audio commentary track from Gronquist.

We also get UNHINGED's original trailer, which clocks in at just 2 minutes in length. As was the tradition for B-movies of its era (1982 to be precise), the trailer manages to make the film look a lot more salacious than it actually is.

88 Films treat viewers to their usual trailer reel too. On this occasion, the featured previews are for CASTLE FREAK, TWO MOON JUNCTION, ROBOT WARS, DOLLMAN, THE DOLL SQUAD, SLICED AND DICED, BLOOD ORGY OF THE SHE DEVILS, THE CORPSE GRINDERS, HIDEOUS! and THE TOXIC AVENGER.

Although unavailable for reviewing purposes, it's worth noting that the set is completed by double-sided reversible cover art.

UNHINGED remains a bit of a non-event. But fans who were also collectors of horror videos in the 1980s will no doubt have already decided that they NEED this one in their DVD collection. And if you happen to be one of those people (me too), this new release from 88 Films is certainly the disc you want to be buying.

By Stuart Willis