Killers: Unrated Director's Cut – Synapse Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: USA, 1996
Director: Mike Mendez
Writers: Dave Larsen, Mike Mendez
Cast: Dave Larsen, David Gunn, Damian Hoffer, Nanette Bianchi, Renee Cohen, Wendy Latta, Ivan Vertigo, Chad Sommers, Ellis Moore, Carol Baker, Timothy Patrick Quill, Susan Laprelle, Burke Morgan

Release Date: October 8th, 2024
Approximate Running Time: 89 Minutes 3 seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVCC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Stereo English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $29.95

"Once upon a time, the James Brothers, Odessa (Dave Larsen) and Kyle (David Gunn, VAMPIRE JOURNALS), murdered their parents in their own beds. Now they've escaped from Death Row and are on the run on a stormy night, looking for a place to hide out. They invade the home of the Ryans, who seem like a typical American family and should be easy to control. But there's something not quite right about this brood--the women seem more attracted than frightened by these notorious murderers in their house, and Dad (C.T. Miller) has secrets of his own. Things get violently out of hand as the James boys find the night not going as they expected...and there are even more surprises waiting in the basement!" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, “Original unrated director's cut scanned and restored by Multicom Entertainment Group."

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

Disc Size: 28.4 GB

Feature: 25.5 GB

Outside of some minor white specs, the bulk of the source looks excellent. The colors look correct, image clarity, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image always looks organic.

Audio: 5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD stereo English with removable English subtitles. The audio sounds excellent; dialog comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced and robust when it should.

Extras:

Extras for this release include promotional trailer #1 (2 minutes 37 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), promotional trailer #2 - Bloody Version (2 minutes 37 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), alternate ending (3 minutes 48 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), an audio commentary with director Mike Mendez and horror scholar Michael Gingold, and a 8-page booklet with an essay titled My Brother Death: Mike Mendez’s Killers written by Heather Drain.

Summary:

Two psychopath brothers, freshly escaped from San Quentin's Death Row, invade a family's home. Have the two brothers found a place to lay low, or have they stumbled upon someone who is more demented than they are?

Psychopaths take a family hostage, resulting in an inventive take that constantly surprises, despite the familiar scenario. Without giving away too much about the twist, it works better the first time around and loses impact on subsequent viewings. That said, when you think you have figured out where things are going, it throws in one last twist in its final moments.

One area where Killers deliver in spades would be a stylish flashback sequence where the two killers murder their parents. This sequence is greatly enhanced by Iron Butterfly’s In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida. The combination of In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida with the nihilism of this moment makes a perfect fusion that sets the tone for what follows.

Though some time is devoted to the law enforcement who are looking for the two brothers, the bulk of the narrative focuses on the two brothers' interactions with the family. When it comes to pacing, despite a few moments that drag, most of the time things move at a good pace. That said, for a first-time director, Mike Mendez’s instincts are generally very good.

Considering the subject matter, the level of on-screen carnage is not surprising. And though there are a few brutal killings, most of them come off as cartoonish. One area that quickly wears thin is the overuse of Tarantino-like pop culture dialog references. When it comes to the use of subversive humor, this is an area where Killers is very effective. Ultimately, Killers is a film that seems to divide its audience; either you loathe it or you fully embrace it for what it is—a fun time filler.

Synapse Films gives Killers a first-rate release that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and an informative audio commentary.

Written by Michael Den Boer