ORGY OF THE DEAD (1965)
Directed by Stephen Apostolof aka A.C. Stephens
Rhino DVD
Reviewed 05.09.04

Read Bleeding Skull’s daring expose: “Orgy Of The Dead: Torturing Pleasures With The Greatest Trash Film Of All Time!”

THE FILM
‘Tis a glorious day in the age of DVD. Yes, it’s true: a new level of dimension has been achieved; a new level of approximation has been pinned down. Why, you ask? How can it be possible? The answer is simple. Ed Wood’s Orgy Of The Dead has been released on DVD. Sexicolor will never be the same.

As I’ve already expounded upon the virtues of this one-of-a-kind, strange cinema masterpiece in my feature, “Orgy Of The Dead: Torturing Pleasures With The Greatest Trash Film Of All Time” (link above) I won’t delve into the film for this review. What’s said is said. Only the night people know for sure.

Suffice to say, the emergence of this film on DVD has been a long time coming and one of my most sought after for release in the digital format. Since you’ve probably already passed judgment on Criswell and his bevy of ghouls with their non-sexy and hilarious interpretive dances, here’s where we separate the crowds. Not into this film? You’ll probably want to stop reading. All others...enjoy the pleasures.

AUDIO AND VIDEO
Hands down, Orgy Of The Dead has never looked better. It appears as though Rhino’s VHS print was utilized for this transfer, just completely remastered from the 35 millimeter source. The result? A beautifully crisp full frame transfer, revealing nuances that were never before apparent. Yes, my friends, you can now clearly see the back drop standing in for the black of night (ala “Plan 9”), the varying degrees of color in Bob’s grease paint forehead “bruise,” and the drunken stupor of Criswell’s manic eyeballs. A minimal amount of scratches are present throughout, but I was pretty impressed with the overall clarity and resonance of the picture. Colors are bright and bold. The mono sound is loud and clear, as expected. Very satisfying.

EXTRAS
Although the two extras here are minimal, both are of very high quality. Frankly, I’m surprised to see any supplements at all, so anything is good in my book. Also included is an insert with chapter titles, although they're listed out of order.

Starting off, we have an original theatrical trailer. It runs about two minutes and features a reverbed Criswell-esque narrator introducing each themed dance with a “See!” Alas, no extra footage appears here, but the clip is in very nice shape, looking close in quality to the film itself. I had never seen the trailer before, so it’s nice to have.

Next and lastly, Rhino has included a brand new, exclusive twenty minute interview with director Stephen Apostolof. Mostly engaging, Apostolof comes off as no-nonsense and kinda nutty. He discusses his beginnings in the business, a humorous first meeting with Ed Wood, interesting production aspects and origins of Orgy, and a somewhat tedious segment regarding his theories on film in general. He also announces plans for the ridiculous “Orgy Of The Dead II: The New Generation” and refers to women’s breasts as “mammal glands” and “ticket sellers.”

FINAL THOUGHTS
Love it or hate it, it’s great to see such care being put into the release of such a bizarre rarity like Orgy Of The Dead. I’m of course biased, but I was very pleased with the fantastic transfer and sparse, but high quality extras. It’s a must own.

Not so the ghouls...


Easy, Shirley


She worshipped the flame


Aloha


S. Apostolof