Death Screams – Arrow Video (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: USA, 1982
Director: David Nelson
Writer: Paul C. Elliott
Cast: Susan Kiger, Martin Tucker, William T. Hicks, Jennifer Chase, Jody Kay, John Kohler, Andria Savio, Curt Rector, Josh Gamble, Hanns Manship

Release Date: September 13th, 2021 (UK), September 28th, 2021 (USA)
Approximate Running Time: 88 Minutes 38 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: 18 (UK), R (USA)
Sound: LPCM Mono English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region A,B
Retail Price: £24.99 (UK), $39.95 (USA)

"Late one night, a young couple are brutally murdered at a make-out spot by an unseen assailant, their bodies tossed into the nearby river. As the lifeless lovers drift slowly downstream, the residents of the town excitedly prepare themselves for their annual carnival, unaware that a machete-wielding maniac with a twisted grudge is lurking in their midst. When a group of teen revelers plan a late-night after party down in the local cemetery, they unwittingly set the stage for a bloodbath." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 3.75/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "Brand new 2K restoration from an archival 35mm print."

Death Screams comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 38 GB

Feature: 26 GB

Considering the limitations of the source used for this transfer, all things look very good. Colors look correct, details generally look crisp and this transfer retains an organic look. That said, though black levels fare well, there are instances of where the black levels are barely adequate.

Audio: 4/5

This release comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in English and included with this release are removable English SDH subtitles. The audio is in great shape, there are no issues with background hiss or distortion, dialog comes through clearly and everything sounds balanced. That said, range wise this audio mix is at times limited.

Extras:

Extras for this release include image galleries: production stills (114 images), behind the scenes (108 stills), promotional (22 images) and TV spot behind the scenes (38 images), TV spot #1 (LPCM mono English, no subtitles), TV spot #2 (LPCM mono English, no subtitles), TV spot #3 (LPCM mono English, no subtitles), TV spot #4 (LPCM mono English, no subtitles), radio spots reel (3 minutes 47 seconds, LPCM mono English, no subtitles), House of Death alternate VHS opening title credits (5 minutes 55 seconds, LPCM mono English, no subtitles), a making-of documentary featuring interviews with producer Charles Ison, special effects artist Worth Keeter, writer Paul Elliott, actors Hanns Manship and Curt Rector, actor/producer’s assistant/assistant supervising editor Sharon Alley and actor/talent wrangler Robert “Billy Bob” Melton titled All the Fun of the Scare: The Making of Death Screams (32 minutes 53 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), two audio commentaries’, the first audio commentary is with Charles Ison and Worth Keeter moderated by filmmaker Phil Smoot, and the second audio commentary is with The Hysteria Continues, two versions of the screenplay under the original title of Night Screams (BD-ROM content), reversible cover art, a die-cut slipcover and a twenty-four page booklet with cast & crew information, an essay titled Tar Heel Terror: Death Screams and the Rise of the North Carolina Film Industry written by Brian Albright and information about the restoration/transfer.

Summary:

Made at the height of the 1980’s slasher films popularity, Death Screams is a film that will leave many slasher film fans bewildered. After a very-effective opening sequence where two characters get killed, Death Screams does a 180 tone wise. With the next thirty-five minutes spent following around the characters doing mundane things or doing ridiculous things for comedic effect that fall flat every time. Fortunately, the last fifty-minutes things pick up considerably when Death Screams makes a tonal shift that’s inline with its opening sequence.

From a production standpoint, Death Screams actually does a good job maximizing its limited resources. Most notably, it’s use of locations like the woods. The premise covers familiar ground, and a better balancing of the exposition moments and scares would have greatly benefited the narrative. The kills scenes are well-executed and sufficiently gory. The acting is best described as adequate with no performance outshining any other.  

Though Death Screams has most of the elements that are synonymous with the slasher film. It is not a film without shortcomings and if you can look past these, then you’re sure to enjoy Death Screams. 

Death Screams gets a definitive release from Arrow Video that comes with a strong audio/video presentation and a trio of informative extras, recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer