Plot: What’s it about?
As a young girl, Felice (Joanna Pacula) lived with her sister Hillary, but the two were soon separated. Felice was taken in by a relative, but this was not the kind of family she wished to join, not even close. As it turned out, she was sent to live with a relative with a most unusual bloodline, one which serves more as a curse. The curse was passed on to Felice through a kiss, an act of love which sustained darkness. After twenty-five years, both women have grown up and have their own lifestyles. Hillary is married and lives a basic, but satisfying life, taking care of her husband and of course, her young daughter Amy (Meredith Salenger). Felice has become a fashion model with a pampered, fast lifestyle. Felice now has to pass on the curse herself, to ensure it survives, as she has no family of her own. So she calls Hillary to make plans to meet up, in order to give her a kiss and let the curse infect her sister. But before she can do so, Hillary is killed in a most horrific car accident, which ruins Felice’s plot. But she won’t give up that easily, as she now plans to pass the curse on to Amy instead. Amy is glad to have Felice around, as she needs someone to talk with, but there is an unusual presence about Felice. Will Felice be able to pass the curse to Amy, or will the curse perish with Felice?
I always love to see more low rent horror released, even if its cheese laden schlock like Pen Densham’s The Kiss. Densham has produced numerous hits, such as Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Backdraft, and the revamped The Outer Limits, but his career as a director hasn’t been consistent, nor remarkable. The Kiss is a project that no one would highlight on their resumes, but I found it to be a fun, campish experience. Joanna Pacula (Virus, The White Raven) chews up scenes like there’s no tomorrow, while her costars also deliver laughable turns. I mean, this is the kind of acting you’d expect to see in an after school special. But the tone is rather serious, which lends an unintentional humor to the entire picture. As a fan of low rent horror movies, I have learned to deal with ham handed performances, so I wasn’t concerned. The atmosphere is also poorly executed, thanks to weak direction and the lame performances. In other words, The Kiss will not scare you and in truth, even the basic tension is bland here. The Kiss does have some creative kill scenes however, which include some fun blood & gore. The car wreck sequence alone warrants a rental, but the blood does not run out there. I can’t recommend this to everyone, but if you’re a diehard horror devotee, then by all means, give The Kiss a rental.
Video: How does it look?
The Kiss is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. I’ve only seen soft, worn home video editions of this movie before, so this new transfer was a nice surprise. The image looks a little dated and some grain is present, but is this the finest home video edition the film has seen. And after all, this was a low budget movie, so we can’t expect a pristine print or incredible visual depth, but this is some impressive work. The color seem solid at all times, with a hint of fading at times, while flesh tones look natural and warm also. I do think the contrast is on the soft side, but detail is strong and shadows are good, so no real complaints. This is not the best transfer I’ve seen, but it is a vast improvement over previous editions.
Audio: How does it sound?
The audio here is basic in all respects, but as this is a low budget 80s horror movie, I didn’t expect anything else. The track has aged well, with minimal harshness or distortion and I doubt anyone will be let down here. The eerie music and assorted sound effects are in solid form, while dialogue is clean and never out of balance. You won’t use this disc to showcase your home theater, but it more than handles this material, which is what counts. This disc also includes subtitles in English and Spanish.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes no bonus materials.
