Dead Space: Limited Edition - Shout! Factory Exclusive

A cure for a virus has some serious consequences, especially when Dead Space is involved!  It’s big and its bad attitude gives it the upper hand in this . . . remake of a rip-off?!  Yup.

There is an interesting cut which happens early in Fred Gallo’s Dead Space, a remake of Roger Corman’s Forbidden World (without the gore and gratuitous nudity).  We go from staring at an object in the cosmos - maybe near Saturn - to staring at a similarly-shaped flame from a match.  This one scene is probably as “lit” as the Z-grade antics of Dead Space gets, but I’ll take it as this laser-brained .

"might be an excuse to show off Singer’s well-chiseled body and his not-so chiseled acting talents, but it is entertaining enough"


 

From sun-tanning himself in a booth to dodging green lasers fired from enemy ships, Commander Steve Krieger (Marc Singer, The Beastmaster) has his ever-loving hands full when a couple of scientists telecommunicate their woes through a distress signal from the facility known as Phaebon.  Once there, the scientists tell him that it is a false alarm.  Now, Krieger is pissed at them for wasting his time.

But did they?  Wait until you see their monster!

His co-pilot android, Tinpin (Rodger Halston), thinks otherwise and so does Dr. Marissa Salinger (Laura Mae Tate), who convinces him to stay even though he is getting a BAD FEELING about the suspicious people playing games in the research facility.  Something is up with Dr. Emily Stote (Judith Chapman) and Dr. Frank Darden (Bryan Cranston) and the Delta 5 virus they are messing around with. Dead Space: Limited Edition - Shout! Factory Exclusive

Dead Space might be an excuse to show off Singer’s well-chiseled body and his not-so chiseled acting talents, but it is entertaining enough as even Tate joins in on the undressing shenanigans.  Sure, it has no suspense as it flexes its practical monster effects, but Catherine Cyran’s script has its moments . . . if you are drunk enough.  Squinty-eyed Singer chews the scenery while a monster - beginning as a puppet with a hand up its ass - launches itself out of a body and through a window.  Suddenly, no one is safe as this thing is “growing at an alarming rate” and taking no prisoners.

Dead Space is a certified rip-off of Alien, but it’s also a remake of one of Corman’s own movies so the entire project is beyond questionable.  There’s a first time for everyone, though.  And if you haven’t yet survived Dead Space - whether you watch the original film or the Extended Cut (which is included on this disc) - then I can think of no better starting place than with Scream Factory’s 4K scan of the interpositive for this release.

Mutant Muthas!  Bodacious Babes! And Space Cowboys!  In Space, no one can hear you scream "RIP-OFF"!

3/5 beers

 

Dead Space: Limited Edition - Shout! Factory Exclusive

Blu-ray Details

Home Video Distributor: Shout Factory
Available on Blu-ray
- September 8, 2021
Screen Formats: 1.85:1
Subtitles
: English SDH
Audio:
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; single disc
Region Encoding: Locked to Region A

On the planet Phaebon, a controlled research facility had been thought to be safe ... until a breach unleashes alien terrors unknown. A distress signal calls for Commander Krieger (Singer) and his robot cohort Tinpan (Rodger Halston). Together, they must contend with a rapidly spreading virus and an odd — and growing — cocoon.

Video:

With airy cool blues dominating almost every scene, this 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 encode dazzles with a 4K transfer that looks as sharp as a modern-day release.  While natural grain is thinly-layered, there is cool (and fuzzy) look to the entire transfer that adds a detailed film-like quality to the film.  The transfer also displays excellent, well-balanced contrast with sharp, crisp whites throughout. Details in clothing and hair are distinct, while the backgrounds in the research facility are washed out with bright lights.  Black levels are crisp and never bleed their edges.

Audio:

There is a crisp DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 which supplies all the screaming in space.

Supplements:

Commentary:

  • Found only on the Theatrical Cut of the movie, Director Fred Gallo provides an entertaining commentary about the making of the movie. 

Special Features:

Marc Singer (The Beastmaster, V), Judith Chapman (Scorpio One, Mortal Fear) and Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad, Wakefield) star in this fast-paced futuristic horror thriller, a loose remake of the Roger Corman-produced Forbidden World, complete with brand-new special features!

  • NEW 4K Scan Of The Original Camera Negative
  • NEW Extended Cut With Six Minutes Of Unseen Footage
  • BONUS: Theatrical Cut (In Standard Definition)

Blu-ray Rating

  Movie 3/5 stars
  Video  4/5 stars
  Audio 3/5 stars
  Extras 3/5 stars

Composite Blu-ray Grade

3/5 stars


Film Details

Dead Space: Limited Edition - Shout! Factory Exclusive

MPAA Rating: R for sensuality and violence.
Runtime:
72 mins
Director
: Fred Gallo
Writer:
Catherine Cyran
Cast:
Marc Singer; Laura Mae Tate; Bryan Cranston
Genre
: Horror | Sci-fi
Tagline:
In the Coldness of Space - Even Hell Freezes Over.
Memorable Movie Quote:
Theatrical Distributor:
Concorde Pictures
Official Site:
Release Date:
January 21, 1991 (limited)
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
September 8, 2021.
Synopsis: On the planet Phaebon, a controlled research facility had been thought to be safe ... until a breach unleashes alien terrors unknown. A distress signal calls for Commander Krieger (Singer) and his robot cohort Tinpan (Rodger Halston). Together, they must contend with a rapidly spreading virus and an odd — and growing — cocoon.

Art

Dead Space: Limited Edition - Shout! Factory Exclusive