Curfew – Vinegar Syndrome (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: USA, 1989
Director: Gary Winick
Writer: Kevin Kennedy
Cast: Kyle Richards, Wendell Wellman, John Putch, Frank Miller, Jean Brooks, Peter Nelson, Niels Mueller, Nori Morgan, Peggy Rea, Christopher Knight, Robert Romanus

Release Date: January 25th, 2022
Approximate Running Time: 85 Minutes 52 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Stereo English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $39.98

"Ray and Bob Perkins are brothers whose grisly killing spree has landed them on death row. Plotting a daring escape, they break free from prison with vengeance in mind, setting targets in the form of the key witnesses against them, but particularly the judge in their trial and the prosecuting attorney. Leaving a trail of maimed corpses as they enact their revenge, the brothers finally arrive at their prime target: the home of district attorney Walter Davenport and his wife. What they don’t expect, however, is the late return home of the Davenport’s teenage daughter, Stephanie…" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.25/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "Newly scanned & restored in 2K from its 35mm interpositive."

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

Disc Size: 30.5 GB

Feature: 23.5 GB

The source used for this transfer is in great shape; colors look correct, image clarity and black levels look solid throughout, and there are no issues with compression. And though the grain remains intact, during some darker sequences, the grain is noticeably thicker.

Audio: 3.75/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD stereo mix in English and included with this release are removable English SDH subtitles. Though dialog comes through clearly and everything sounds balanced. There are a few instances where the audio sounds distorted.

Extras:

Extras for this release include theatrical trailer (1 minute 35 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with removable English SDH subtitles), an interview with actor Wendell Wellman titled Mind Games (17 minutes 58 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with removable English SDH subtitles), an interview with editor Carole Kravetz Aykanian titled Still Scary (13 minutes 36 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with removable English SDH subtitles), reversible cover art and an embossed slipcover limited to 5,000 units.

Summary:

Though the premise of two escaped death row inmates and a rebellious teenage girl is full of interesting possibilities, The result is a film that fails to exploit its strengths.

The bulk of the narrative revolves around the two escaped death row inmates who track down everyone responsible for sending them to prison. And in between these moments where the two inmates torture and kill people, there are unsuccessful attempts at humor where a dim-witted deputy is being tricked by pranksters.

For a film that revolves around two violent characters out for revenge, The kill sequences have minimal gore, and some of the violence happens offscreen. Another area where Curfew comes up short is its generic score.

Curfew’s cast has several recognizable faces: Kyle Richards (Halloween) in the role of a rebellious teen, Robert Romanus (Fast Times at Ridgemont High), a cook who works at a diner, and Christopher Knight (The Brady Bunch) in the role of an inept deputy. Unfortunately, most of the performances are bland. The only performance that leaves a lasting impression is Wendell Wellman's convincing portrayal of a psychopath escaped convict.

From its opening moments, Curfew is a film that never finds its footing. And nowhere is this more damning than when it comes to an inconsistent narrative that’s unable to build any momentum.

Curfew gets a strong release from Vinegar Syndrome that comes with a good audio/video presentation and a pair of insightful extras.

Written by Michael Den Boer