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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Drive-In Discs,Vol.1:Screaming Skull/Giant Leeches, August 2, 2006
If you are looking for the spooky and not the gore, if you want something that the younger kids can watch these are the movies for you.
Lots of acting without all the special effects.
No oscars here but lots of fun.
Get out the popcorn and enjoy.
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9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Avoid Elite Entertainment's version of this film, January 23, 2001
This review is from: The Screaming Skull/Attack of the Giant Leeches - Drive-In Discs Vol.1 (DVD)
Look, I know "The Screaming Skull" is no "Citizen Kane." But that's no excuse for the cruddy treatment it receives on this abysmal DVD from Elite Entertainment. I compared the disc with an old VHS copy and noted the following: missing shots, entire chunks of missing dialogue, bad splices, bogus letterboxing (!) that crops and cramps the image, a generally dark and muddy transfer, and a phony digital end title card. Some of the cuts actually make hash of the narrative. For example, in the original film a character screams in terror when she sees a macabre painting that plays a crucial role in the plot. But since the DVD omits any actual shots of the painting, she appears to be screaming bizarrely for no reason. Subsequent dialogue about the painting is missing as well. So when the painting finally shows up in a later scene as part of a plot twist, the viewer can only register confusion. Other omissions completely undermine the relationship between two of the movie's characters. On the basis of this disc, it's no wonder people think so little of this movie. If Elite Entertainment couldn't be bothered to find an adequate print of the movie, why bother with all the "drive-in" extras? "The Screaming Skull" is a frequently creepy (albeit low-budget and dated) movie that deserves more than its role here as the peg on which to hang a marketing concept. Look for it on VHS. Avoid this disc.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Fun Trip Back to Drive-In Days, October 4, 2008
This is really a cool way to experience those cheesy, 'so bad they're good' b-movies of yesteryear. It's the next best thing to using a time machine to go back to the old drive-in movies.
At the main menu of the dvd you can go to the ticket booth icon, and this starts the show. (You can jump to any of the features if you like, but this Ticket Booth option is the best way to do it.) Once you've started things via the ticket booth, you will then enjoy (among other things): The Star Spangled Banner, adverts for concession treats, a couple of old cartoons, reminders from theater management about not talking during the film, and a b-movie double feature.
It gets better. The coolest part is that there's an alternate audio track you can select during the films that contain the 'speaker' sound of the film as if you were sitting in a car, plus sound effects of people walking past your car on the gravel, a little comment here and there by someone in the next car, crickets, and other 'natural' sounds. It is a hoot. (And you can always just change the sound to the regular movie audio without these extra effects.)
The picture quality is mediocre at best, but the nostalgia makes it totally worthwhile. Yes, the whole experience is very kitsch and campy, but it's like capturing something from the past. It's the next best thing to being there.
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