The Last Horror Film: Tromatic Special Edition – Troma Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: USA, 1982
Director: David Winters
Writers: Judd Hamilton, David Winters, Tom Klassen
Cast: Joe Spinell, Caroline Munro, Susanne Benton, Judd Hamilton, David Winters, 

Release Date: September 16th, 2025
Approximate Running Time: 87 Minutes 19 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: R
Sound: Dolby Digital Mono English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $19.95

"A New York taxi driver stalks a beautiful actress attending the Cannes Film Festival, which coincides with a series of violent killings of the lady's friends." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4/5

The Last Horror Film comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 37 GB

Feature: 22.5 GB

The source is a marked improvement over Troma’s 2015 Blu-ray release. Although no information is provided about this transfer, it appears to use the same source Severin Films used for their 2023 4K UHD/Blu-ray Combo release. Flesh tones look healthy, colors are nicely saturated, image clarity is solid, black levels are strong, there are no issues with compression, and the image retains an organic look.

Audio: 3.5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a Dolby Digital mono mix in English with removable English SDH. The audio sounds clean, clear, and balanced, and ambient sounds are well represented.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a trailer under the title Fanatic (32 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), a second trailer under the title Fanatic (31 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), a trailer under the title The Last Horror Films (57 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an introduction by Lloyd Kaufman (4 minutes 7 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a short film titled Mr. Robbie, starring Joe Spinell, directed by Buddy Giovinazzo (8 minutes 4 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an archival locations featurette (14 minutes 23 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with musician-actor Sal Sirchia titled Like a Father Figure (21 minutes 11 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival audio interview with producer Judd Hamilton titled My Last Horror Film Ever! (18 minutes 58 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival audio commentary with Joe Spinell’s best friend Luke Walter, an archival audio commentary with actress Caroline Munro and Frightfest’s Alan Jones, and a second archival with Luke Walter.

Other Troma-related extras include The Return of Dolphin Man (4 minutes 48 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), highlights from The Tromadance Film Festival (5 minutes 21 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a full episode of Kabukiman's Cocktail Corner (9 minutes 44 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), and trailers for Return to Nuke 'Em High: Volume 1, Return to Nuke 'Em High: Volume 2, The Toxic Avenger, Class of Nuke 'Em High, and #Shakespeare's Shitstorm.

Summary:

David Winters directed The Last Horror Film. He’s known for Alice Cooper: Welcome to My Nightmare, That Was Rock, and Thrashin'. The Last Horror Film has been released under these alternate titles: Fanatic and Maniac 2—Love to Kill.

A psychopath with dreams of becoming a big-time director becomes obsessed with an actress who he wants to be the star of his film.

Although the premise of a deranged nobody who craves the limelight makes perfect fodder for a horror film, the narrative has its flaws. It feels disjointed and cobbled together, and the ending is somewhat of a letdown. That said, things do start off strong with a clever opening sequence where a woman is electrocuted in a hot tub, and then the camera pulls back to reveal an audience watching.

The Last Horror Film is a film made around its two leads, Joe Spinell and Caroline Munro. It was quickly put together after the success of William Lustig’s Maniac, which also starred Joe Spinell and Caroline Munro. All of the performances work well within the story that unfolds, especially Joe Spinell’s portrayal of Vinny, an aspiring filmmaker who’s unstable.

Despite posing questions like the negative effects horror cinema has on society, there is nothing really deep about what The Last Horror Film is trying to say. Although it comes up short in many areas, the same cannot be said about its moments of carnage, which always exceed expectations. Ultimately, The Last Horror Film is a by-the-numbers horror film that knows its audience, and in this regard, it succeeds.

The Last Horror Film gets a first-rate release from Troma Films that comes with a strong audio/video presentation and a wealth of extras.

Written by Michael Den Boer