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[tab title="Movie Review"]
“So . . . you ran and hid in my bush?”
Well, yeah. I mean, what would you do if your best friends become zombies thanks to what you did?!
Don’t let the typical 1990s introduction fool you. Idle Hands, directed by Rodman Flander (The Unborn, Leprechaun 2), is anything but run of the mill 1990s entertainment. In it, a stoner is accused of killing his parents. He’s not guilty, but his possessed hand is!
There’s a serial killer on the loose and people are getting iced left and right. Something is responsible for the grisly murders and . . .
. . . it’s Anton’s hand! That’s right, Idle Hands has arrived on blu-ray! Sure, the alternative rock soundtrack is total overkill - with The Offspring actually appearing in the movie - but this box office flop is definitely total gold when it comes to mixing comedy and horror. In my world, this film was a massive hit, exceeding expectations left and right, and, as you watch Seth Green stake his friend's head back on his body, you'll understand why. It takes a sick, sick mind to laugh this hard at these demented thrills and spills.
And now, fans of this stoner comedy get an awesome blu-ray release to celebrate the HIGH-jinks with. Starring a hilarious Seth Green, Elden Henson (who kills it in his role), Jessica (hubba-hubba) Alba, and Vivica Fox as a druid high priestess named Debi LeCure, Idle Hands has FINALLY arrived on a Collector’s Edition and it’s thanks to Scream Factory’s dedication to everything crazy and cool that is responsible. Can we give them a hug now? It is truly deserved. {googleads}
This film is truly a masterpiece of demented mayhem, especially when the possessed hand gets loose. I saw this flick in the theater back in the day, but a large number of folks only discovered it when it was available on Home Video. Somehow, this black comedy missed being picked up on a lot of freaks and geeks’ radars back in the day upon its initial release and it bombed in the theaters. It is truly a cult classic as its comedy - that script!!! - lands every joke and - thanks to a heavy dose of gore - the R-rated horror is legit.
The horror/comedy hybrid begins with a striking opening in which a married couple - Fred Willard and Connie Francis - is taunted by an unseen force that announces itself in the most shocking of ways: a message on the ceiling that it’s under the bed! With frights galore, they shout for their stoned son, Devon Sawa as Anton Tobias, to come to their rescue. But no one comes.
With a chomping noise heard as Francis is dragged under the bed, Idle Hands kicks off the dust on the horror genre and gives us a reason to care immediately. Good thing, too, because their no-good, do-nothing son, Anton, is only down for one thing: getting high. He doesn’t even notice the blood on the floor and it might have to do with his possessed hand! 
Anton, no longer carrying his favorite herb, walks over to his friend’s house for some weed and to stare at the neighborhood hottie, Molly (Alba), he’s been lusting after for a long, long time. As he discovers that his parents have been murdered, he ropes his friends into the domestic madness and discovers, in a hilarious sequence that has him killing his own friends with saw-blades and bottles, that his possessed hand IS responsible.
So, saying goodbye to masturbation forever, he is left with no other choice but to cut it off. Of course, this is after he tries to seek help and winds up killing a lot more people. Yet, the madness - inspired by the limb-removing antics of Evil Dead 2 - is just beginning. There's more manicured killings, cat hurling, zombie friends, and, thanks to Alba’s nighttime wardrobe and Kelly Monaco's topless scene, PLENTY of titillation to come.
Go, go, buffalo! Idle Hands are the Devil's playpen, you know. This wicked black comedy is now available on blu-ray thanks to Scream Factory’s Collector’s Edition. Shout at the Devil indeed!
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[tab title="Blu-ray Review"]
Blu-ray Details:
Collector's Edition
Home Video Distributor: Shout Factory
Available on Blu-ray - May 12, 2020
Screen Formats: 1.85:1
Subtitles: English SDH
Audio: DTS-Master Audio 5.1 track
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; single disc
Region Encoding: Locked to Region A
The Devil will find work for idle hands to do ... so what happens when he chooses the laziest teen slacker in the world to do his dirty work? Anton Tobias (Devon Sawa, Final Destination) is a channel-surfing, junk-food-munching, couch-potato burn-out who can't control the murderous impulses of his recently possessed hand. With the help of his zombiefied buddies, Mick (Seth Green, Austin Powers: International Man Of Mystery) and Pnub (Elden Henson, Daredevil), Anton's got to stop the rampaging devil appendage before it takes total control of his life and ruins any chance he has with class hottie Molly (Jessica Alba, Dark Angel). Vivica A. Fox (Kill Bill) and Jack Noseworthy (Event Horizon) co-star in this wickedly funny horror comedy.
Video:
Scream Factory’s NEW 2K scan and 1080p transfer is simply fantastic. The crisp image is fully resolved with the lightest, most beautiful layer of grain and no detection of digital noise reduction whatsoever. Blacks are deep and strong. The mastering here is impeccable. There is a fair amount of detail and not a speck of dirt to be found in the scans of the original movie, though. Simply put, this title has never looked better.
Audio:
The DTS-Master Audio 5.1 track is perfectly fine for this release. The horror and the comedy is delivered adequately and evenly throughout the presentation.
Supplements:
Commentary:
- Scream Factory gives fans a NEW Audio Commentary With Actors Devon Sawa, Seth Green, Elden Henson, and Vivica A. Fox! Hilarious and informative, it is not to be missed.
Special Features:
- Once again, Scream Factory does NOT disappoint in its handling of this underrated comedic gem.
- NEW Bloody Punk Fun – An Interview With Director Rodman Flender
- NEW Stoner Headspace – An Interview With Actor Elden Henson
- NEW This Face, These Hands – An Interview With Actor Sean Whalen
- NEW Sleight Of Hand – An Interview With Actor Christopher Hart
- NEW Written In Blood – An Interview With Writer Terri Hughes Burton
- Audio Commentary By Director Rodman Flender And Actors Seth Green And Elden Henson
- Deleted Scenes With Optional Audio Commentary By Director Rodman Flender
- Vintage Making-Of Featurette
- Storyboard Comparisons
- Theatrical Trailer
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[tab title="Film Details"]
MPAA Rating: R.
Runtime: 94 mins
Director: Rodman Flender
Writer: Terri Hughes Burton
Cast: Devon Sawa, Seth Green, Elden Henson
Genre: Comedy | Thriller | Horror
Tagline: The film that give horror movies the finger.
Memorable Movie Quote: "As usual, marijuana saves an otherwise disastrous day."
Theatrical Distributor: Columbia Pictures
Official Site:
Release Date: April 30, 1999
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: May 12, 2020.
Synopsis: Anton Tobias (Devon Sawa, Final Destination) is a channel-surfing, junk-food-munching, couch-potato burn-out who can't control the murderous impulses of his recently possessed hand. With the help of his zombiefied buddies, Mick (Seth Green, Austin Powers: International Man Of Mystery) and Pnub (Elden Henson, Daredevil), Anton's got to stop the rampaging devil appendage before it takes total control of his life and ruins any chance he has with class hottie Molly (Jessica Alba, Dark Angel).
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