Hanger: 2 Disc Collector's Edition – Unearthed Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Canada, 2009
Director: Ryan Nicholson
Writers: Ryan Nicholson, Patrick Coble
Cast: Debbie Rochon, Dan Ellis, Nathan Dashwood, Ronald Patrick Thompson, Lloyd Kaufman, Wade Gibb, Alastair Gamble, Candice Lewald

Release Date: July 6th, 2021
Approximate Running Time: 91 Minutes 34 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: R
Sound: DTS-HD 5.1 English, LPCM Stereo English
Subtitles: N/A
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $39.95

"Ryan Nicholson directs this savage exploitation film that follows the vengeance-fueled rampage of Hanger (Nathan Dashwood), the now-grown survivor of a bungled back-alley abortion who returns to punish a pimp for forcing his mother into the procedure. As Hanger gets a taste for blood, his revenge spills over to the street's other depraved bottom-feeders." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 3.5/5

Hanger comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 45.7 GB

Feature: 24.5 GB

Here’s a disclaimer that plays before the film, "All ghosting and compression artifacts are from the original digital master. This film is presented in its highest quality possible, warts and all."

The above disclaimer perfectly described the transfer.

Audio: 4/5

This release comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in English and a LPCM stereo mix in English. Both audio mixes sound clear, balanced and ambient sounds are well-represented.

Extras:

Extras for this release are spread over two Blu-ray discs.

Extras on disc one include a trailer for Hanger (2 minutes 8 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a photo gallery, Black on White Bread is a longer clip of the porno movie that plays in the film (3 minutes 8 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), additional scenes (20 minutes 37 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), deleted scenes (6 minutes 32 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), blooper reel (1 minute 31 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), Dope to Hanger Yourself With: On The Set with Lloyd Kaufman  (11 minutes 57 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), Behind the Scenes featurette (113 minutes 47 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), Behind the Stoma: The Making and Taking of Hanger (19 minutes 51 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an audio commentary with director Ryan Nicholson, XXX version of Hanger (90 minutes 7 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles) and four trailers for other films also released by Unearthed Films.

Extras on disc two are outtakes from Hanger, Raw Tapes Volume 1 (3 hours 26 minutes 51 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), Raw Tapes Volume 2 (2 hours 59 minutes 49 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), Raw Tapes Volume 3 (3 hours 38 minutes 32 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), Raw Tapes Volume 4 (4 hours 13 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles) and Raw Tapes Volume 5 (3 hours 34 minutes 24 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles).

Summary:

Anyone who’s familiar with the films of Ryan Nicholson should have a good idea of what to expect with Hanger. That said, for the uninitiated Ryan Nicholson’s films are known for their in your face over the top gore set pieces and subversive humor.

Content wise, Hanger is best described as a horror/comedy hybrid that’s reminiscent of the films that Troma Films makes. And Troma Films Lloyd Kaufman appears in Hanger as a transvestite prostitute.

From its opening moments it's clear that Hanger is a film that’s looking to push everything to the limit. With the opening moments revolving around a pimp who performs a botched abortion on one of his prostitutes. From there the rest of the narrative revolves around the aborted child who somehow survived and is now eighteen-years old. 

From a production standpoint, Hanger does a good job with its limited resources. And though the narrative is not much more than a series of grotesque moments. There’s just enough structure to keep things moving forward and on track for its inevitable climax. That said, Hanger ultimately shines brightest when it comes to its gory set pieces.

Unearthed Films have put together an impressive release that comes with a ridiculous amount of extra content, recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer