Plot: What’s it about?
In The Thirsty Dead, we’re told the story of Raoul, a five hundred year old disembodied head and the empire he rules over. Raoul lives in a box and ever at his side is his high priestess, who runs the day-to-day operations of this evil kingdom. The two hold dominion over a large cult of followers, who happen to be immortal. The downside to eternal life is that the cult members need to feast on human blood, which can be hard to obtain at times. But that is where Raoul and his right hand woman come in, as they run a kidnapping ring that shuffles young women through a sewer system and right into their headquarters. The women are then drained of their precious bodily fluids, which are funneled into the cult to be consumed. When a victim is chosen to join the ranks, she refuses at first, but can she forever resist The Thirsty Dead? In The Swamp of the Ravens, a madman known as Dr. Frosta experiments on bodies and when he is finished, he dumps them into some nearby swamp waters. His girlfriend has caused him some troubles of late, telling him she is leaving him for a lounge singer, but Frosta ends those talks. At the same time, the corpses out in the swamp have started to come back to life, which isn’t good news. Can Dr. Frosta survive the zombies that surround him, while also trying to salvage his relationship?
I have seen all of Something Weird’s double feature DVDs, which means I have witnessed bad movies, fun movies, and in some cases, just plain dull movies. In this volume, we have one movie that turns out to be insane and fun to watch, while the other is so painful and dull, you’ll want to slap yourself and shatter your television screen. So which do you want first, the good news or the bad news about this release. Ok, the bad news is The Thirsty Dead, which has a keen title and seems to have some promise, but winds up a lackluster experience. I wanted to see bad acting, hilarious gore effects, and naked women, but I only saw one out of three. And of course, that would be the poor thespian presence, which is coupled with bad direction and that all equals a bad, not good bad, but just plain bad movie. The good news however, is that The Swamp of the Ravens is a hoot and makes this a worthwhile release. The acting is still bad, but some eerie atmosphere and total sense of chaos in the plot levels it all out. We even see a mad doctor sing a duet with a mannequin, which is reason enough to seek out this one. The disc is passable, but thin on extras, which is unusual, since Something Weird often loads on the goodies. So unless you’re a diehard bad movie buff, this one is worth a rental at best.
Video: How does it look?
The Thirsty Dead is presented in 1.66:1 widescreen, while The Swamp of the Ravens is presented in 2.35:1 widescreen, but neither treatment is anamorphic. These movies don’t look too good, but keep in mind, these were lower than low budget pictures from the 70s, so we can’t expect the world. The Thirsty Dead has the better treatment, thanks to a cleaner print and brighter color scheme. The result is still a worn, not too sharp presentation, but all things considered, the flick looks more than passable. The Swamp of the Ravens, on the other hand, looks bad and has a murky, muddled visual presence. This is due in part to the film’s dark design, but time has taken its toll on the colors and contrast. You can still watch this and not be too distracted, but this one could use some serious work.
Audio: How does it sound?
The mono tracks used here sound stable, but signs of age and wear are evident in both treatments. Not a lot to discuss on the whole, as vocals come through well enough and sound effects seem in proper order. You’ll hear some age related defects here and there, plus these are older, very low budget pictures, so no one should expect pristine audio treatments, if you ask me. The audio in both films is acceptable, but flawed and that’s good enough, given the age and nature of the material that is involved.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes an episode of 13 Demon Street, a rare Swedish horror series and the episode found here is The Black Hand. A wealth of bonus trailers is also included, but none for the films featured on this release.
