June 11, 2018

ABOMINABLE...Isn't

https://mvdb2b.com/?site_id=mvdv&date=
Starring Matt McCoy, Haley Joel, Christien Tinsley, Michael Deak, Phil Morris, Jeffrey Combs, Paul Gleason, Lance Henriksen, Dee Wallace Stone, Rex Linn,Tiffany Shepis. Directed by Ryan Schifrin. (2006/94 min).

AVAILABLE ON BLU-RAY FROM

Review by Josey, the Sudden Cat🙀

Technically, Abominable shouldn't be part of the MVD Rewind Collection, which rescues B-movie obscurities from the video store days and restores them to their original glory, complete with packaging that resembles battered VHS covers. Abominable was released in 2006, long after VHS had gone the way of the dodo, and video stores were fast becoming an endangered species.

Let's not split hairs, though. While MVD may not be following the letter of the law, here, it's surely following the spirit. Abominable openly embraces the same aesthetic as countless direct-to-video schlock-fests from the 80s, right down to the prerequisite quota of spurting blood, stupid characters, gratuitous nudity and a completely unconvincing monster.

Conceptually, the film is basically a backwoods Rear Window, with a guy in a creature costume assuming Raymond Burr's role. Pretson Rogers (Matt McCoy) is our wheelchair-bound hero who first sees the beast, but neither his abusive caretaker or the young ladies in the cabin next door believe him...until it's too late, of course. No movie like this would be complete without its share of B-movie icons, and Abominable gives us a bunch of 'em. Jeffrey Combs, Paul Gleason, Lance Henriksen, Dee Wallace Stone and Rex Linn all show up in brief supporting roles, either as comic relief, creature fodder or both.

"Is that Jimmy Stewart staring back at us?"
Though mostly serious in tone, Abominable is ultimately more amusing than scary. However, because the film wears its influences so proudly, viewers who grew up on this stuff are more likely to laugh with it than at it. Sure, the monster could have been rendered with CGI, but what would be the fun of that? And even if one doesn't find the film's inherent silliness endearing, Abominable boasts some spectacularly violent death scenes, including one that should impress even the most jaded gorehound.

Of all the MVD Rewind releases so far, this one arguably has the best batch of supplemental features (outlined below). In addition to a 2K restoration, the film itself has also been given a bit of an upgrade. In a new introduction, director Ryan Schiflrin explains a few additional visual enhancements. But don't worry...the monster is just as delightfully daffy as ever. For those who don't go in for that sort tweaking, the original DVD transfer is also included.

EXTRA KIBBLES
"BACK TO GENRE: MAKING ABOMINABLE" - A comprehensive behind-the-scenes documentary, featuring numerous interviews with the cast & crew.
2 SHORTS - "Shadows" & "Basil & Mobius: No Rest for the Wicked" - Two early films by director Ryan Schifrin.
DIRECTOR INTRO TO NEW VERSION
ORIGINAL 2005 VERSION OF THE FILM
AUDIO COMMENTARY - By Matt McCoy, Jeffrey Combs and writer/director Ryan Schifrin.
BLOOPERS
DELETED/EXTENDED SCENES
POSTER & STILL GALLERY
STORYBOARD GALLERY
COLLECTIBLE POSTER
DVD COPY
KITTY CONSENSUS:
PURR-R-R...LIKE A GOOD SCRATCH BEHIND THE EARS

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