JACK-O:
10th Aniversary Edition (1995)
Directed by Steve Latshaw
Retromedia DVD
Reviewed 09.30.04
Review by Joseph A. Ziemba
THE FILM
Just let me get this off my chest,
ok? Jack-O’s delirious
off-kilter fervor can be summed
up quite simply. It’s bad.
Hilariously bad. But there’s
a catch.
For some reason, this abomination,
surely one of the most awkward “horror”
films ever released, manages to
charm the pants right off me. You
read that right. Granted, even the
most astute explorers of dreck cinema
may balk at the stupidity on display
in Mr. Jack’s opus -- but
that’s beside the point. With
a pumpkin-headed slasher film produced
by Fred Olen Ray, you pretty much
know what you’re getting into.
That said, Jack-O surprises;
coming across as a warped kiddie
Halloween film, filled with buckets
of syrupy blood, barren suburbia
locales, and some hysterical misplaced
nudity. So get prepared for one
of the worst (best?) of the most
excellent of mini-trash film genres
-- it’s Halloween night and
there’s a slasher on the prowl!
Only this time, he’s got a
giant pumpkin on his head.
The plot finds Mr. Jack aka Jack-O
aka Pumpkinman stalking a boy named
Sean (Director Latshaw’s hysterically
deadpan son, Ryan) and his family
on Halloween night. Back in the
day, sorcerer John Carradine (onscreen
for thirty seconds via old footage
like Bela in Plan 9) summoned
up Jack-O for a fit o’ revenge
against those that wronged him.
When a group of partying teens accidentally
resurrect our slasher by tripping
over a wooden cross, you’d
better believe the fit’ll
hit the shan. While Jack-O bloodies
everybody up, Sean’s dad obsesses
over his “Haunted Garage”
(does this guy have a job?), his
mom looks to be strung out on several
Red Bulls, and he’s got to
deal with a touchy-feely psychic
witch that invites herself over.
Again and again. Midway through,
Linnea Quigley, the token 35 year
old babysitter, gives herself a
shower with all the erotica of a
clinical breast exam. And Sean has
a picture of himself on his night
stand. Jack-tastic!
Remember when I mentioned the word
“awkward”? Aside from
a few moments of inspired photography,
Jack-O defines bumbling.
From the classic bad acting chops
(kids mouthing each other’s
lines and perfect-o over enunciation)
to Sean’s comatose declarations
of “NOO!”, the weirdo
bar is set and continually raised.
But why over analyze? Jack-O
has that certain something -- Halloween,
cheap spooks, ridiculous costumed
slasher, and hilarious bad film
weirdness. You can’t go wrong.
AUDIO AND VIDEO
Replacing the full-frame Image disc
from a few years back, Retromedia
and Image offer up a nice letterboxed
print on the tenth anniversary of
Mr.J’s birthing. The picture
quality looks similar to the earlier
release (muted colors and blemish
free), but adds a touch of clarity.
Unfortunately, the transfer suffers
from some noticeable compression
during darker scenes. It’s
a bit distracting and something
Retromedia should take note of,
as similar problems have been creeping
up on their recent discs. The mono
sound was slightly muffled, but
fine.
EXTRAS
Although there are a surprising
amount of extras present, everything
is pretty much overshadowed by the
jaw-dropping commentary. Why keep
you waiting?
You’re always in for a treat
with Fred Olen Ray’s commentary
tracks. Teaming up with director
Steve Latshaw, the two bash out
one of the most entertaining tracks
I’ve heard in awhile, but
not for the reasons you’d
expect. As soon as things get underway,
it’s apparent that there’s
a notch of tension in the air. It
seems that Steve and Fred have differing
views on Jack-O -- Fred
approaches the film with a sense
of humor, while Steve takes the
festivities a bit more seriously.
Amidst very interesting shop talk
and innocent jabbing, things start
to unwind. Steve becomes increasingly
aggravated with Fred’s harmless
comments, leading to flared tempers,
heated discussion over the term
“shit pickle,” and astounding
closing remarks. Is it a hoax? Judging
by Latshaw’s comments and
tone from the get-go, not likely.
Listen in awe.
After that scorcher, get ready for
a trailer (utilizing the title Jack-O-Lantern),
a five minute behind the scenes
segment, the "Gator Babes”
supplements, and a very interesting
insert. The behind the scenes footage
is shot on video and mostly features
Linnea Quigley and Steve Latshaw
standing around and smoking. We
also discover that Ryan Latshaw
has way more personality than we’re
led to believe by his acting chops.
Interesting to see once, but not
that engrossing. The “Gator
Babes” footage (comprised
of a two minute trailer and a seven
minute featurette) is from an aborted
project helmed by Latshaw and Ray.
It’s a “jungle spoof,”
featuring some of the cast from
Jack-O and lots of explosions,
daisy dukes, and an alligator man.
Extremely lame, this backyard mishap
borders on unwatchable. For the
full story on this footage and some
enticing Jack-O ballyhoo,
refer to the informative insert
with a smirk.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Jack-O should be a Halloween
staple in every self-respecting
trash lover’s household. On
its own, this awkward bugaboo is
a must-have. Coupled with the totally
entertaining commentary track, it’s
STILL a must-have. Make your choice. |
Strange contorts
I dig dummies
Maximum eye-rollage
Mr. Jack
|
