Product Details

• Actors: Katharine Houghton, Joe Dallesandro, Rita Gam, James Congdon, Anne Meacham
• Directors: James H. Kay
• Writers: James H. Kay
• Producers: Chalmer G. Kirkbride Jr., Chalmer Kirkbride, Tony Belletier
• Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono), English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo)
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Studio: Subversive Cinema
• DVD Release Date: February 28, 2006
• Run Time: 86 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000E6EK60
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #182,730 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "The Gardener (AKA The Seeds of Evil)" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Starring Andy Warhol superstar Joe Dallesandro in his first non- Warhol role and Katherine Houghton ("Guess Who's Coming to Dinner") the niece of superstar actress Katherine Hepburn The Gardener is a flowery mix of 70s mod-art film grindhouse horror and Italian giallo released theatrically in an abbreviated form as Seeds of Evil.Ellen (Houghton) and her husband John (James Congdon) enjoy the good life in their lovely Costa Rica home-all that's missing is a nice garden. Enter the mysterious and dangerously handsome Carl (Dallesandro) who creates a botanical paradise while casting a spell on Ellen and her woman friends. Things take a turn for the worse when Ellen discovers that her Gardener may be planting his own "seeds of evil".DVD Features: Available Audio Tracks: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo) English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono) Audio commentary track with cast and crew (Dallesandro's first ever feature length commentary!) Original mono mix and new stereo 2.0 mix New 16x9 transfer of the uncut version of the film Trailers Featurette with cast and crew Featurette on how to make an independent feature by producer Chalmer Kirkbridge Jr. Talent bios Still gallery ROM section with original production notes synopsis and thesis System Requirements:Running Time 87 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: HORROR Rating: R UPC: 858964001003 Manufacturer No: 00100

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars For a specialized audience only, May 15, 2006

By 

Ben (Lincoln, CA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Gardener (AKA The Seeds of Evil) (DVD)

This is a good film if you are an arthouse/Warhol fan, if you're into bad (meaning fun) 70's schlock, or are obessed with Joe Dallesandro. If you don't fall into any of these catagories, then don't bother with this film.

Most of the plot revolves around the lead female and her best friend investigating the mystery that is Carl, the gorgeous but unnerving gardener. Dallesandro himself only has a few speaking lines, but he is beautiful as ever, especially in those tight 70's low ride jeans. There are several psuedo-scary scenes that are actually more erotic than frightening, so if you are adverse to horror flicks, you have little to worry about here. There is only one scene with a lot of blood, although I'm not sure where the blood comes from as the scene is pretty tame.

For those who want to know: there are a few nude Dallesandro scenes, but they are confined, as it were, to butt shots. If you want more revealing nudity, stick to the Morrisey trilogy (Flesh, Trash, & Heat).

The ending is pretty silly, but then so's the whole movie.

Sound and color transfer seem as good as one can expect from a low-budget 70's flick, and there aren't any real DVD extras.

As both an arthouse and Dallesandro fanatic, I found the film light and entertaining. Don't expect too much, and you won't be dissapointed. Just sitback and enjoy this little piece of 70's silliness.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent DVD release, April 11, 2008

By 

Gregory Holmes "DeCoteau Fan" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Gardener (AKA The Seeds of Evil) (DVD)

I'm amazed that such an obscure little film has gotten such a lavish DVD re-issue. This is an incredibly beautiful film and this transfer from Subversive Cinema looks and sounds spectacular. The colors pop off the screen (and what wild and vibrant colors they are). I think this film is some sort of a classic, although I'm not sure what kind of a classic it might be. It never fails to be entertaining and every frame is beautiful to behold. The acting is first rate, especially Katherine Houghton and Rita Gam. Joe Dallesandro is perfect as Karl, THE GARDNER who manages to be the most beautiful sight in a film full of beautiful images.

An earlier review here stated that there are no DVD extras. Nothing could be further from the truth. This DVD is blooming with special features. First the packaging is gorgeous. The DVD comes in a lovely blue slip case with holographic lettering and a reproduciton of the poster art. Inside is a transparent keepcase with color production photos printed on both sides of the insert. There are three full color lobby cards included as well as a 12 x 17 color poster. The DVD has two audio tracks, the original mono and an all new dolby mix. Both sound great. There are two commentary tracks. The first is from star Joe Dallesandro and it is a lot of fun. The second commentary is from director James Kay. There are two documentary films. The first is called PLANTING THE SEEDS OF EVIL and features brand new interviews with Joe, Katherine Houghton and James Kay. The second documentary is from the late 70's and discusses the distribution problems that independent films face. It features GARDNER producer Chalmer Kirkbride. Also included on the disc is an extensive photo gallery of behind the scenes shots. Six theatrical trailers are included. There is also extensive cast and crew biography information and colorful animated menus.

This is a great early seventies art film and I'm so glad that Subversive Cinema has seen fit to produce such an incredible DVD release of it. A big thank you and congratulations to everyone who worked on this!

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars soft horror bordering naiveté, August 14, 2009

By 

Francisco P. Neto (Brazil) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Gardener (AKA The Seeds of Evil) (DVD)

Some people may not agree with me, but I really like this movie. I saw it first in the 80's , I think. And I never forgot it. Some of the charm it has comes from the fact that the idea is a little different from the average. Beautiful, dangerous plants, and a very weird gardener. The effects are not fantastic, but that doesn't matter. It more than compensates.