Published by: Unearthed Films
Retail: $29.95 US
We all know Troma Films, bastions of gore... Now imagine them without the subtlety. And with less good taste. You're getting close to The Guinea Pig series of films. Unearthed Films has, "for the good of mankind," taken up the task of releasing these movies in the states on DVD. Most of the movies are rather short, hence the double feature. So we'll look at these one at a time.
Mermaid In A Manhole desperately wants to be good psychological horror. It has a good concept: Crazy artist comes upon an injured mermaid, takes her home, watches her wounds fester. Only it runs far too long for the material that's there. Watch it second, or else you'll be burnt out for any of the fun of He Never Dies.
He Never Dies is where the meat of this disc lies. It starts with a salaryman trying to commit suicide, but as the title says He Never Dies. The movie ends up a dark comedy with a twist ending on par with the best of the old EC horror comics. Also, the guy is a geek, so you can play "Hey, look, there's a _____" as they show his room.
As for technical issues, the dvd is fine. The source material is clear, and the video looks far better than you'd think a twenty-year-old movie about stabbing would. The audio's there. That's all you can say really. I'm not sure if it was even in stereo, but it doesn't really matter. All the screams and splats are clear.
All and all, $30 is a bit steep for the movies as is, but there's also a very good history of the Guinea Pig series, so I was satisfied with my purchase. If you like gore movies, then this has some great stuff to offer you. Those weak of stomach had better steer clear.