Long Island Cannibal Massacre

"One of the beautiful things about the popularity of DVDs is that this phenomenon is allowing the most obscure niche films to be lovingly restored for the format. A good example of such an effort is Image Entertainment's special edition of Long Island Cannibal Massacre. The video transfer can only do so much with beat-up 8 mm film stock, but the image looks amazingly rich in terms of color. Likewise, the Dolby Stereo remix can only do so much with the hastily recorded original audio, but it sounds much better than anyone could have expected, especially the library-music score. This disc also boasts plenty of extras. First up is a commentary track with schlock-auteur Nathan Schiff: he never runs out of things to discuss, covering everything from the his homegrown gore effect techniques to a plentiful array of behind-the-scenes stories that illustrate the complexities of no-budget filmmaking. Also included are two video interviews, one with Schiff and one with actors John Smihula and Fred Borges. Schiff's chat takes a while to get going but ultimately offers some good stories about the film's first public screenings, and the chat with the actors allows Smihula and Borges to trot out some amusing war stories about their work on the film, especially its brutal finale. Between the film and the supplements, Image's disc of Long Island Cannibal Massacre makes an excellent primer on the bizarre joys and perils of micro-budgeted horror filmmaking."