Customer Reviews

Red Carpet Double Feature: Fear/Parents

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've been trying to get my hands on Parents on DVD for some time now and was very disapointed that the specs for this release state that they are presented in fullscreen. Someone didn't do their homework because I purchased it and they are WRONG. Both films are presented in Widescreen!!!!!!

Just to chime in with the previous review--both movies are indeed widescreen, not full-screen. Even better, it's anamorphic widescreen (nice looking too.) Even the box states "Full-Screen Version, thankfully the specs are wrong. Much higher quality transfer than the original release of Parents a few years back.

I bought this double feature for PARENTS, but thoroughly enjoyed FEAR as well. I love Ally Sheedy (Man's Best Friend) enough to watch her in just about anything! Her role as Cayce Bridges, well-known psychic and author, was a real treat. She has made a career out of using her mental powers to assist police departments in tracking down assailents and (hopefully) rescuing victims. The idea of a psychic helping the police catch criminals is nothing new, but having a serial killer use his own psychic abilities to torment Cayce is definitely different! The interaction between Cayce and the "Shadow Man" is tense and frightening, especially when he decides to go after Cayce for real, instead of just playing twisted games with her. No one is safe! PARENTS is a tremendously wicked, jet-black comedy set in 1950s suburbia. Randy Quaid (Independence Day) and Mary Beth Hurt are the Laemles. They move to a new town w/ their 10yo son, Michael. Dad works at TOXICO, where he works on chemical defoliating agents. Mom is a perfectly prim housewife, always working in the kitchen on new and exciting meat recipes. Michael has a hard time at home, due to his suspicions about dear mom and dad. What does dad REALLY do all day at work? What KIND of meat is mom preparing? Michael also has trouble at his new school, where he draws macabre pictures and says some very disturbing things to his teacher, Miss Baxter. This causes the chain-smoking, school social-worker (played wonderfully by Sandy Dennis) to get involved. The darkness and dread in PARENTS are perfectly in synch with the bleakest black humor I've seen since Dr. Strangelove! Bizarre, unsettling, and dreadfully funny, this movie is worth multiple viewings. I highly recommend this double bill... P.S.- Yep, both movies are in widescreen, even though the box says full screen! No complaints here...

ASPECT RATIO ON BOTH MOVIES IS 1.85:1.

Red Carpet lists incorrect info on the DVD case.

I give this DVD 5 Stars for giving us "Parents". "Fear" is just a so-so extra.

I was just looking at all the movies I had on VHS (and BETA, so help me) and this is one. I forgot how weird this one was and how I liked it.

Also look for "Motel Hell." A classic of the cheap and tacky horror genre: "Meat's meat, and man's gotta eat!!"

My original review is shown below . . .

First, I love Parents (5 starts) and own the original 1.33:1 Pioneer DVD release. When I read the reviews (here at Amazon) that the Lions Gate re-release was actually in widescreen, I bought it. The bad news is that Lions Gate simply chopped off the top and bottom of the 1.33:1 picture to make it fill a 16:9 screen. So, you're actually getting less than the 1.33:1 version. The Lions Gate people should be flogged!!!

It turns out that the Lions Gate release is actually what was shown in theaters. So, I was wrong; my apologies to the people at Lions Gate. I'm leaving this up so that other folks don't make the same mistake I did. My thanks to Paul Rudoff for the info.

More of the same to chime in with the other reviews: I was really happy to see "Parents" in this release after seeing the original DVD had been discontinued, and then happier yet when I saw that others had reported that it's widescreen. Don't get nervous when you see the "full screen, 1.33" spec mistake, it's definitely widescreen enhanced and fills an HD set quite nicely.

"Fear" is worth watching and good to have as a bonus, but "Parents" is a must-see / must-have movie. The surreal 1950's suburbia, the meals, the suspense, the great ending ---it's simply wonderful, and will leave you feeling good inside!

I've been looking for the movie " Fear " for some time now. Used to watch it when i was a kid. It arrived within a week from ordering, was brand new and cheap. Very Satisfied.

Both of the movies are in anamorphic widescreen, looks like a screw up but its a surprsie when they screw up and its not a negative one.
usually it would be the other way around and it would say widescreen then turn outto be crappy fullscreen.

I like tha concept of the pit and thats why I brought it. It's something different in horror shows and these creepy little things should be looked after better, and fed more with your enemies.Can't spoil the story line and must keep people guessing.