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ZONTAR THE THING FROM VENUS
(1966)
THE EYE CREATURES (1965)
Directed by Larry Buchanan
Retromedia DVD
Reviewed 11.17.05
Review by Joseph A. Ziemba
THE FILMS
At 8 AM this morning, I walked out
of our apartment and made my way
to work. As I reached the alley,
a low hum seemed to be emitting
from behind the fence. It sounded
like a theremin caught in a vacuum
cleaner. Ten seconds later, the
noise had vanished. Twenty seconds
later, I stopped in my tracks. The
night before, I witnessed Zontar
communicate through his human minions
with a sound not unlike the mystery
wail I had just witnessed.
Am I alive? Was this just a movie?
Rest easy, Zontar. I'm your only
friend.
The works of the late Larry Buchanan
are oblivious to the outside world.
From the postcard pop-art of Mars
Needs Women to the implied
gorilla sex of Mistress Of The
Apes, Buchanan's films are
light-headed experiments in displacement.
Normal film elements like character
names and implicit details get thrown
out the window, while unearthly
conversations and thrift store ambiance
hang in their place. As a result,
our modern world is blessed with
a dirt cheap body of work that challenges
all notions of what is "real"
and "fake". Remember those
cinder blocks that lined the interior
of your grade school? Grandma's
car with that plastic covering over
the seats? Add a ten foot foam monster
and you're halfway there.
According to Kevin Heffernan's Ghouls,
Gimmicks, and Gold, Larry Bucahanan
was hired to produce a series of
seven movies in 1966 for AIP's “Amazing
Adventures ‘67” television
distribution package. The Eye
Creatures and Zontar The
Thing From Venus kicked things
off for the deal and Buchanan’s
Azalea Pictures production troupe
was born. Debuting several recurring
Azalea characteristics (waning "name"
stars, grim occurrences, desolate
locales), the 16 mm marvels presented
here are split right down the middle.
They'll both knock you out, but
that’s not always a good thing.
Zontar The Thing From Venus
has arrived! Hoping to take over
planet Earth with the help of a
suburban hi-fi enthusiast, a UHF
fuzz-theremin voice ("Sounds
like progressive jazz!"), and
his creepy "Injectapods,"
Zontar faces off against genre grizzly
bear John Agar in a battle to the
death. A remake of Roger Corman's
It Conquered The World
(1956), Zontar is like
Carnival Of Souls on cheap
acid. Strange isolation permeates
every frame and the eventual uncovering
of the title character himself is
a glorious amalgamation of what
these films have to offer: colorful,
small scale settings, slightly unsettling
imagery, and an element of surprise
that can only come from a $25,000
budget. The forced morality and
dark turns tow the line between
hilarity and...something else. Oh,
you'd like the kitchen sink as well?
Check out Agar's face off against
a fluttering Injectapod in his suburban
living room. Undeniable fun.
After Zontar sends you into a tizzy,
get ready to doze when The Eye
Creatures snake into town.
Blood
Island main man John Ashley
attempts to thwart an invasion of
Eye Creatures on the eve of his
elopement, much to the chagrin of
local cops. Like Zontar,
Eye Creatures is a color
remake of an older AIP film (Invasion
Of The Saucer Men from 1957).
Unfortunately, it also picks up
on that film's dull comedic touches,
but with ten times the embarrassment.
It’s like Frankie and Annette’s
beach party getting shanghai'd by
an inbred cousin. The lame puns
and sudden switch in mood tends
to derail the mind-bending weirdness
(the Eye Creatures themselves are
incredible to behold, especially
when only half of their costumes
are intact). We're left with a mostly
boring set of repetitive happenings
that even the mighty John Ashley
can’t fully salvage. However,
once the hour mark hits, the film
kicks into overdrive; headlight
explosions, broad daylight-for-night,
and an automobile attack that almost
makes it all worthwhile.
John Agar suggests during Zontar's
closing morality lesson that all
forms of peace must come from within.
I'm not sure what that means. The
next time I transform my stereo
into an intergalactic walkie-talkie
to Venus, maybe I'll find out.
AUDIO AND VIDEO
Both films are presented in their
original 1:33.1 television shooting
ratio on this double sided disc.
Pretty nice overall, given the origins
of the source material. Zontar
features a disclaimer, announcing
that the film you're about to watch
is a little on the rough side, due
to a multi-source print. The picture
is a bit soft, features some dirt
and damage, and appears jumpy at
times. The Eye Creatures
is in better shape, with stellar
clarity, bouncing colors, and less
damage overall. The mono sound on
both films was just fine, although
Eye Creatures features
the addition of new sound effects
(lightning, doors opening, crunching
paper) that really stick out. Yuck.
Print quality aside, there's a slight
issue regarding the presentation
of this release that's worth mentioning.
Namely, the compression artifacting
is on a rampage. Backgrounds in
Zontar shimmer endlessly
and Eye Creatures breaks
up into digital blotches quite a
bit, most noticeably during darker
scenes. Depending on your tastes,
this may or may not affect your
enjoyment of the films.
EXTRAS
Carried over from Retromedia's earlier,
out of print Beast
Of The Yellow Night DVD
is a 20 minute featurette called
"Remembering John Ashley."
It's a nice tip of the hat to the
late Ashley's career, including
video interviews with his wife and
associates (Fred Olen Ray included).
FINAL THOUGHTS
Larry Buchanan rarely disappoints.
While the wobbly Eye Creatures
is an exception to the rule, Zontar
joins other Azalea TV productions
like Year
2889 and Mars Needs
Women as a breezy masterpiece.
Naturally, Buchanan devotees will
want to own this disc, but everyone
else may want to stick with a rental.
For a more consistent double dose
of L.B. goodies, pick up Retromedia's
It's
Alive/Year 2889 release
from last year. |
Happy curls
Simply amazing
King Zontar
Peep show
Poor kids
Eye Creature
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