Plot: What’s it about?
In This Stuff’ll Kill Ya, we watch as Roscoe Boone and his followers kneel down to praise the immortal power of booze. Boone has started his own church, one which values good morals, good moonshine, and good riddance for those who oppose their way of life. A pair of federal agents come in to take a closer look at the illegal moonshine trade involved, with hopes of closing down Boone’s business for good. Of course, this displeases Boone, since his little operation nets a nice profit and lets him score with some hot local chicks. Soon after the agents arrive, a series of mysterious and religious themed murders unfolds. A woman is stoned to death in one case, while another murder involves crucifixion. Will Boone be able to keep his operation open, or will the federal agents shut him down forever? In The Year of the Yahoo, a trio of political advisors hatch a perfect plan, which has them running a popular musician for the Senate. He is Hank Jackson, a man who sings about the working man and his love for his country, traits the political advisors see as solid gold, since normal folks can relate to the crooner. But of course, their intentions are not all honorable, as they soon ask him to make small changes to his songs and himself. Will he become just another sell-out, or will Jackson prove he is a good man?
This is another wild double feature from the folks at Something Weird, which houses two moonshine laced romps from Herschell Gordon Lewis. Of course, we all know Lewis for his blood soaked schlock epics like Blood Feast, but in these two pictures, the focus is on sex, not over the top violence. Or at least that’s what the case leads us to believe, but as it turns out, naked women are in short order here. A few scenes showcase some booblets, but on the whole, these movies lack the usual exploitation elements. So then, we’re left with the actors and storylines to keep us glued to the screen, but does it all work out? Not even close, especially in the case of This Stuff’ll Kill Ya, which turns out to be a total bore at times. I did like the idea behind some of the religious themed death scenes, but the blood is minimal. No traces of female flesh either and without blood or breasts, this one sinks deep down to bottom. The Year of the Yahoo is a little more tolerable, if just because it has a couple of titties to mention, but this isn’t the usual Lewis effort, instead it is a political film that tries to deliver a message. The film was once considered lost, but now it returns in this solid presentation from Something Weird. If you want the trademark Lewis elements, you won’t be satisfied, but if you’re a fan of moonshine cinema, you might want to give these flicks a chance. The DVD is a good one too, so for bad cinema buffs, this one is worth a rental.
Video: How does it look?
This Stuff’ll Kill Ya and The Year of the Yahoo are presented in full frame. As always when applicable, I wish widescreen prints were available, but given the obscure nature of these movies, I am sure good prints were hard to track down. In both cases the image looks good, or at least good for the materials involved. There is a lot of softness in both pictures, but that is due to the equipment used and not this treatment. As far as signs of age are concerned however, the prints look good and show minimal wear & tear. No troubles in terms of color or contrast surface either, which is great news, since these kind of movies often suffer from degraded elements. All in all, the movies look more than solid, which is about all we can ask.
Audio: How does it sound?
The audio in these films is mono and decent enough, but don’t expect much in terms of dynamic presence. The tracks seem pretty clean and show little age related wear, so there’s not much to complain about. I heard minimal hiss and harshness in either flick, which is good, as some of these older exploitation movies often sound poor. The music, sound effects, and dialogue all seem in order, though limited because of the mono format involved. The basic elements come through well however, which is what counts in the end.
Supplements: What are the extras?
An audio commentary can be found on each picture, as H.G. Lewis biographer Daniel Krough discusses the productions. His tracks are loaded with insight, as he was involved in some of Lewis’ shoots and is a personal friend as well. So he is able to go deeper than most folks, which means these tracks are superb. Of course, his now hard to find book offers even more information, but these are well worth a listen. This disc also includes two bonus short films (The Old Grey Goose is Dead & Naked Moonshine), a selection of Herschell Gordon Lewis exploitation artwork, and theatrical trailers for both feature films.
