D.O.A. and BORDERLINE: A Great Collection...Save For One Thing

FILM NOIR CLASSICS: D.O.A. and BORDERLINE (Blu-ray)

1950 / 171 min (2 movies)

VCI Entertainment

Review by Mr. Paws😺

On one hand, this Blu-ray double feature from VCI Entertainment is a must grab for film noir fans, since it pairs an influential classic with a forgotten gem. On the other hand, the bonus features raise a huge red flag that one can hope isn’t an ominous sign of things to come.  

The influential classic is D.O.A., which boasts one of the greatest premises in noir history, that of a hapless man trying to solve his own murder with the time he has left. Frank Bigelow (Edmond O’Brien) is an accountant on vacation in San Francisco. Visiting a doctor after a night of drinking, he learns he’s been deliberately poisoned and will die in a day or two. With his time running out, Frank sets out to find out who wants him dead and why. 

Ingeniously plotted, D.O.A. serves up plenty of suspense, plot twists and questionable characters as Frank uncovers a connection between his predicament, the alleged suicide of a local importer and a stolen chemical called iridium. After a somewhat languid opening act, the film is urgently paced and atmospheric, anchored by a tour-de-force performance from O’Brien (no stranger to the genre). Though remade several times since, this remains the definitive version and still darkly thrilling after all these years. 

On the more obscure side of the spectrum is Borderline, which might be the closest the genre ever came to a film noir romantic comedy. This one stars Fred MacMurray and Claire Trevor as a couple of cops, working independently, trying to bring down a drug smuggler in Mexico. Both are deep undercover, yet do not know the other is also a cop, which leads to plenty of interesting moments when they’re tasked with posing as a married couple to smuggle dope across the border.

Frank defends his parking space.

Though not a comedy per se, Borderline is often pretty amusing, mostly due to its overall tone and the interplay between Johnny McEvoy (MacMurray) and Madeleine Haley (Trevor). At the same time, the action and noir elements keep things lively. Also no stranger to the genre, MacMurray makes an entertaining tough guy, while Trevor has fun with a character that holds her own amongst her male foes and colleagues. This isn’t film noir in the purest sense, but it’s highly enjoyable.

Sharing the same disc, both films are given pretty good Blu-ray transfers, with Borderline boasting slightly better picture and sound. But alas, I must take issue with the supplemental material. If something seems off about all four of these rudimentary career summaries, that’s because it’s painfully obvious they were created with ChatGPT. What exactly is the point of using AI to belch out generic histories containing no insights beyond what it liberally steals from other sources? Surely these films deserve a little more effort (and respect) than that, and I can’t imagine physical media enthusiasts thinking this qualifies as any kind of bonus.

Still, the movies themselves are well worth adding to your collection.

EXTRA KIBBLES

BLU-RAY & DVD COPIES

FEATURETTES - Edmond O’Brien: The Man Who Made Every Second Count; Rudolph Mate: The Eye Behind the Shadows; Fred MacMurray: From noir Shadows to Disney Light; William A. Seiter: Hollywood’s Hidden Craftsman. Sorry, but AI ain’t gonna make anyone appreciate these two films more than they already do.

CREEPY CREATURE DOUBLE FEATURE: A Pair of Craptastic Classics

THE CRAWLING HAND and THE SLIME PEOPLE (Blu-ray)

1962-1963 / 165 min (2 movies)

VCI Entertainment

Review by Mr. Bonnie, the Budget-Conscious😹

There are bad movies, then there’s The Crawling Hand. And just when you think ancient low-budget sci-fi can’t get any sillier, there’s The Slime People. Both daffy delights are featured on this disc with terrific restorations, making it irresistible for any fan of classic cinema sewage. 

The title almost tells all in The Crawling Hand, which opens with an astronaut’s ship blowing up upon re-entry. His severed arm drops onto a California beach, to be found by a college student, Paul (Rod Lauren), who takes it home to study! Little does he know the arm is infected with a murderous alien, which not only kills the landlady, it possesses Paul himself, who tries in vain to fight his new inner-demons and goes on a rampage.

Believe it or not, there are a couple of legitimately decent scenes, but by and large, there’s plenty of giggleworthy goofiness at-hand (at-hand…get it?). My personal favorite scene is a conversation in a malt shop between Paul and his exchange-student girlfriend, Marta, played by former Iceland beauty queen Sirry Steffen, who’s clearly reading cue cards and not even looking at him. Elsewhere, the Skipper himself, Alan Hale, is on-hand as the useless town sheriff, a role almost identical to one he’d later play in another craptastic creature feature, The Giant Spider Invasion. And if nothing else, you gotta love any movie where a bunch of cats end up saving the day!

The Crawling Hand's unsung hero.

The Crawling Hand is Invasion of the Body Snatchers compared to The Slime People, which has the titular creatures rising from the Earth to wreak havoc on Los Angeles (because of the usual nuclear testing, of course). Director & star Robert Hutton plays Tom, a sports reporter who tries to lead a group of survivors through a thick, creature-created fog wall to get out of town. 

The fog is a major part of the story. So major, in fact, that it’s often tough to see the actors themselves, much less what they happen to be doing at any given time. The creatures look hilarious and lumber slow enough that a double-amputee could outrun them. However, my favorite aspect of the film is its depiction of lawless mobs running around Los Angeles, who number in the half-dozens and include kids and middle aged women…probably offered the roles just before shooting started. Hutton also manages to create a romantic subplot between himself and co-star Susan Hart (who’s obviously half his age) while her dad looks on in approval. Such are the perks of calling the shots, I guess.

Though there’s plenty of fun to be had at the expense of both films, we still gotta appreciate the dedication on display, misguided as it might be. We sense everyone on both sides of the camera were trying their best to make good films. That they ultimately (and spectacularly) failed shouldn’t be held against them. After all, neither would be nearly as memorable if they were actually well made.

EXTRA KIBBLES

UNEARTHING THE SLIME PEOPLE - The best of the bonus features, this has author/historian Tom Weaver discussing the film, which also includes an online interview with actress Susan Hart.

FEATURETTE - Rubber Monsters, Real Fears: Mid-Century Sci-Fi is a slight, superfluous batch of clips and stills.

THE CRAWLING HAND AUDIO COMMENTARY - By podcaster Rob Kelly.

CLASSIC DRIVE-IN SCI-FI POSTER GALLERY

REVERSIBLE COVER

THE POOP SCOOP: Creepy Kibbles For The Spooky Season

🙀PARAMOUNT SCARES VOL. 2 arrives on 4K Ultra HD October 1 from Paramount.

Everyone loves a sequel!  PARAMOUNT SCARES is back with another limited-edition collection of terrifying films, all available for the first time in 4K Ultra HD.  PARAMOUNT SCARES VOL. 2 arrives October 1, 2024 from Paramount Home Entertainment. This collectible box set includes four killer films that offer an exciting mix of all that the horror genre has to offer.  From a knife-wielding maniac in FRIDAY THE 13TH PART II, to the twisted thrills of ORPHAN: FIRST KILL, the terrifying zombie hordes of WORLD WAR Z, and the psychological terror of BREAKDOWN, this must-own collection delivers loads of chills and thrills. Each film in the 8-disc collection has been newly remastered and is presented on both 4K Ultra HD Disc and on Blu-ray in an individual case and special sleeve exclusive to the set, all housed in a premium box with original artwork.  PARAMOUNT SCARES VOL. 2 also includes more than 2.5 hours of bonus content, the unrated version of WORLD WAR Z, access to a Digital copy of each film, and exclusive collectible items. 

🙀LONGLEGS Coming to 4K, Blu-ray & DVD September 24 from Decal Releasing.

LONGLEGS, the surprise sleeper hit, is coming to 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD on September 24 from Neon & Decal Releasing. Hailed as the "scariest film of the year," LONGLEGS was written and directed by Perkins and stars Maika Monroe, Blair Underwood, Alicia Witt, and Nicolas Cage. To date, Longlegs has grossed an impressive $71 million at the U.S. box office, and over $100 million globally. Dave Caplan produced and financed Longlegs through his C2 Motion Picture Group banner. Producers include Nicolas Cage along with his production company Saturn Films, Dan Kagan, Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, and Chris Ferguson. Synopsis: In pursuit of a serial killer, an FBI agent uncovers a series of occult clues that she must solve to end his terrifying killing spree. 

🙀MAXXXINE arrives October 8 on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital from Lionsgate.

In 1980s Hollywood, adult film star and aspiring actress Maxine Minx finally gets her big break. But as a mysterious killer stalks the starlets of Hollywood, a trail of blood threatens to reveal her sinister past.The murderous finale of Ti West’s X trilogy (X, Pearl) also features a star-studded ensemble including Elizabeth Debicki, Moses Sumney, Michelle Monaghan, Bobby Cannavale, Halsey, Lily Collins, with Giancarlo Esposito and Kevin Bacon. The third and final installment of Ti West’s X trilogy finally comes home when MAXXXINE arrives October 8 on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital from Lionsgate. With the previous titles in the trilogy receiving critical and audience acclaim, star Mia Goth shares that “it’s the biggest story of the three with the highest stakes” and Maxine is “just a force to be reckoned with.”

🙀DARK NIGHT OF THE SCARECROW 1 & 2: ULTIMATE COLLECTOR'S EDITION Double Feature on 4K & Blu-ray September 10 from VCI Entertainment.

On September 10th, VCI Entertainment presents Dark Night of the Scarecrow, and its 40-years-in-the-making sequel, Dark Night of the Scarecrow 2, bundled together in a Dark Night of the Scarecrows 1 & 2: Ultimate Collector’s Edition on 4K UHD and Blu-ray, packed with special features. When it made its premiere the week of Halloween in 1981, Dark Night of the Scarecrow was one of the highest rated TV movies of all time. Forty years in the making, Dark Night of the Scarecrow 2 returns to the small town where the events of the first film took place. The special features for both the 4K UHD and Blu-ray editions include a new 2023 Dark Night of the Scarecrows Triple Fan commentary track, hosted by Heath Holland (Cereal at Midnight podcaster) and featuring Robert Kelly, a noted film historian, and super-fan Amanda Reyes, an expert on TV movies, author, and podcaster; the original Dark Night of the Scarecrow commentary track with writer J.D. Feigelson and director Frank DeFelitta; a new 2023 Dark Night of the Scarecrow commentary by J.D. Feigelson; “Bubba Didn’t Do It: 30 Years of the Scarecrow” by Daniel Griffith; Dark Night of the Scarecrows cast reunion Q&A recorded at the 2011 Frightfest Film Festival; 1981 CBS World Premiere broadcast Promo; 1985 CBS Network re-broadcast promo; and a photo gallery.