‘Shadowzone’ Blu-ray Review (88 Films)
Stars: Louise Fletcher, David Beecroft, James Hong, Frederick Flynn, Shawn Weatherly, Miguel A. Núñez Jr., Lu Leonard, Maureen Flaherty, Robbie Rives | Written and Directed by J.S. Cardone
Shadowzone, one of Full Moon’s lesser-known movies, originally debuted in 1990, just after Puppet Master exploded onto the scene. It is also the second of three Full Moon Productions (the company name was later changed to Full Moon Entertainment) that were lensed between 1989 and 1991 – the others being Puppet Master and Meridian, both of which have already had the DVD, and in Puppet Master‘s case, Blu-ray treatment from 88 Films.
Shadowzone sees a group of NASA hypersleep researchers conducting tests in an abandoned underground facility in the Nevada desert. When one subject dies during the test, NASA sends in Captain Hickock (Beecroft) to investigate and what he finds is more horrific than the death itself. The scientists, guided by Dr. Erhart (Fletcher) and Dr. Van Fleet (Hong), have broken the boundaries of dream-state sleep and have tapped into a parallel dimension. However, their deadly experiments bring forth an alien life form that decides to stay and prey, assuming any life form it wants, becoming each person’s deepest darkest fear…
I have a confession to make. Shadowzone is one of my favourite non-franchise Full Moon flicks. I already own the US release (bought years ago in Canada) and the Film 2000 2002 UK release, and the previous DVD released by 88 Films! Lensed by J.S. Cardone, the director behind the 1982 video nasty The Slayer, the film is heavily influenced by the likes of Alien and The Thing; it even resembles a previous Charles Band production, Creepozoids. It’s also from the days when Full Moon productions actually had money behind them and the production values to match; there’s no cheap and nasty DV-shot footage here like later Band productions.
Instead we get stylish cinematography from Karen Grossman, another great Richard Band score and, best of all, some fantastic monster work and often times gory effects from one of the best – yet oddly overlooked – SFX guys of the 80s and 90s, Mark Shostrom, whose work has also graced the likes of The Mutilator, Nightmare on Elm Street 3 and Evil Dead 2.
Shadowzone also has a pretty decent cast to go with its higher-than-average production values, including Louise Fletcher, James Hong (who seems to be hamming it up as much as he did in The Vineyard), Miguel A. Núñez Jr. and two popular TV stars of the time: Baywatch‘s Shawn Weatherly and David Beecroft from US soap Falcon Crest. Yes, the film’s finale falls a little flat but the cast, combined with the top-notch production values, make this one of the better Full Moon flicks of the era.
And best of all, this second UK release for Shadowzone from Full Moon improves MASSIVELY over all other UK releases of the film! Of course, the last 88 Films release was as part of its Grindhouse DVD range, which didn’t really put much effort into the films beyond getting them out there on DVD (in this case, for the second time). Here we get improved visuals, improved audio (featuring both the original Mono mix and a 5.1 DTS-HD remix) and an altogether better presentation – including the trailer and a UK-exclusive commentary from Dave Wain and Matty Budrewicz. Though I would’ve loved to see some more extras, though the US release, direct from Full Moon, only features the trailer too, unfortunately.
**** 4/5
A fantastic release of one of my favourite Full Moon films, Shadowzone will be released on Blu-ray on September 8th. Pre-order your copy on Amazon now.
