Customer Reviews

Stephen Romano Presents Shock Festival

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I picked up Stephen Romano's book Shock Festival when it came out at my local comic book shop and enjoyed it immensely, so when I found out a DVD version was coming out I was anxious to pick it up. I have to say this DVD companion did not disappoint.
The 3 discs (two DVDs and a CD full of mp3s of radio spots and music) are a lot of fun and provide quite a bit of entertainment. Much like the 42nd Street Forever series of trailer compilations this set is an excellent sampler of exploitation films that have led to me finding a lot of hidden gems for my Netflix queue. Like the 42nd street volumes, the trailers on Shock Festival are a mixed bag of different exploitation fare; action, horror, martial arts, and some stuff that simply indescribable. Shock Festival is a must-have for fans of exploitation movies and its the perfect sort of DVD to have playing at a Halloween Party ot watch with a group of pals to goof on.

This trailer set gives you real bang for your buck, it's camp, trashy and gross, everything you'd want in a trailer compilation and the MP3 disc is a total knockout.
My only complaint was that the DVD discs had scratches on them but both played fine (I must have a good player) hence the four stars instead of five..
So don't sit there thinking is it worth it, get this in your collection before it's deleted, boy am I glad I purchased this gem, it fits perfectly along side the 42nd Street Forever collection.
Don't dream it, buy it, Now.

Being a fan of Grindhouse cinema and trailer compilation, this set is one of the best for your movie! It's absolutly loaded with content, Trailers, TV Spots, Extras galore even a poster. If you've purchased any trailer compilations in the past then you won't be disappointed by this one, it has something for everyone, regardless of your tastes!

I had been looking forward to this dvd set since it was first announced. I loved the Shock Festival book, and when I found out the author would be releasing fake trailers along with a real trailer compilation, I pre-ordered it immediately.

The real problem with this set is the fake trailers. I can't understand how someone who really seemed to have a grasp on what made this concept great missed the mark so badly on the execution of the trailers. There were a couple decent ones, but overall they were pretty lame.

First, what is the point of having the concept of old, beat up grindhouse trailers, if you are going to destroy the illusion by having actors sporting modern clothes, hairstyles, piercings, etc? especially when you overdo the "scratch" and "Splice" effects to make it look old? A major problem was the voiceover sound. Talking in a deep voice on a tinny mic doesn't cut it - It sounded like it was done on a computer, which really killed it for me.

I watched this set with a buddy, and we both had the same thought - did these guys even watch any real trailers beforehand to get an idea of how they should be done? Probably not.

If they were done by different directors, kudos to the crew that made the Devils Sister trailer - that is the level they should all have been done at.

Ironically, there is a "hidden" trailer on disc 1 that is a fake coming attraction reel from the 1940's or so that shows more wit and talent than the entire set of fake trailers made for this disc. Way to show yourself up.

As for the trailer compilations, those were okay, but there were more than a few repeated from the far superior 42nd Street Forever series. I realize that by now, with so many trailer compilations out there, there probably aren't a lot left that haven't been included somewhere else, but seriously - research what's out there before coming up with your own to make your product more unique.

The only features I enjoyed on this set are the image gallery which shows many of the posters from the book, and disc 3 which contains a ton of MP3 radio spots.

Last, the way the plastic dvd case is designed is awful. The disc holder is cheap, and caused both disc 1 and 2 to arrive scratched - even though the discs were on the spindle, the molding of the case has several protruding cuts that the playing surface rests on that caused deep scratches.

Here's a hint for Stephen Romano - what makes these old trailers and movies great is that when they were being made, the actors weren't mugging for the camera and trying to be ironic - they were playing it straight. Your best ideas in the book are the ones that look like they could have been actual movies - not the ones that are trying to be funny. Watch some old trailers before you make a volume 2.

... and that's the secondary audio commentary by "Uncle Creepy". Who is this guy and how does he rate the opportunity to participate in this otherwise excellent collection ? Maybe he suffers in comparison to Stephen Romano's entertaining, enthusiastic and educated commentary, but his rambling, mush-mouthed, near-incoherent commentary detracts from an otherwise excellent collection. I could only handle about 15 minutes worth, but I honestly believe I could do a better job providing commentary, and my experience is limited to genre film fandom and several years managing a video rental store.

Otherwise, a great collection. Good picture quality, great variety of trailers and excellent commentary provided by Romano. The "fake" trailers are kind of hit-or-miss, the hits being entertaining and impressive, the misses just make you appreciate the hits ( and the genuine article trailers ) that much more. "Uncle Creepy" on the other hand ... one star.

This is pretty simple, its all about the grindhouse trailers. You get major bang for your buck. You get about 7 hrs of all sorts of trailers. Not only that you will love the fake trailers that were made especially for this dvd. And one of the coolest features is the 350some mp3 radio spots. I could not believe some of the obscure movies that was drudge up. So just microwave some popcorn and sit back and relax.

I am a big fan of the 42nd Street Forever series. I have all 5 volumes but they have not been making anymore for over a year now so I saw the DVD advertisement for the Shock Festival. I ordered it and received it about 2 weeks later via UPS. This puppy has 3 dvd's chock full of grindhouse goodness! The first two dvd's have tons of trailers covering sci-fi,horror,and soft core porn. The third disc is full of mp3's of radio clips from many of the trailers of yesteryear. Stephen Romano's commentary is fasinating but it's not a scene specific commentary. If you are a fan of the 42nd Street series like I am but are maybe afraid that this dvd is more of the same trailers, well your in luck because these are all different trailers!! I highly recommend this dvd and it's alot of fun to watch with some snacks,beers and buddies!!

If you like horror/exploitation movies, you'll love this. Trailers are an art of themselves, and this is a fantastic collection of trailers, commercials, and radio spots that are really difficult to track down otherwise. And the original spots are really well done too. This is more than worth the price for the amount of entertainment they've packed on to the discs.

First off let me explain by saying that I collect 35mm and 16mm film prints of obscure films and trailers, I've been buying this kind of junk since I was in my early teens, having setup a makeshift screening room with clunky and noisy projectors in my basement. To prove my worthiness in this regard I have a 16mm 'scope stereo optical print of SUPERMAN including all the footage for the television presentation (just a lot more of Krypton being destroyed) and also a 35mm supposedly-stereo (not dolby) magnetic print of PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE. (Even 20th Century Fox and producer Ed Pressman don't possess one so I'm told)

I am an avid fan of the grindhouse crap out there -- I have all the 42nd Street Forever DVDs and also all the EXPLOITATION CINEMA, STARLITE DRIVE IN and GRINDHOUSE CINEMA-branded DVD releases. For the less obscure "grindhouse" junk I have the majority of the MGM MIDNIGHT MOVIES collection as well. (Those are mostly great-looking transfers of AIP, ALLIED ARTISTS and LIPPERT pictures)

That being said, this DVD is pretty fantastic. Yes, many of these trailers have been seen elsewhere and on other compilations, but damn there is a tremendous amount of trailers for films I've never even heard of. The "fake" trailers (just a handful of them) were made by various people at various times as a pseudo-tribute to Romano's SHOCK FESTIVAL book. The fact that they're included in this set should be deemed an "extra" and should not be the main focus of anyone's purchase. They're just there for s**ts and giggles, if anything.

The MP3 disc is worth twice the amount of the entire set. I think I've only heard less than 10% of those radio spots.

This set is really designed for someone who has an affinity for schlock, and there's plenty of that to go around.

Many of these films aren't worth sitting through, but the trailers always are. You have to remember, the majority of these films were produced prior to the advent of home video and these films and trailers weren't designed to be seen more than once. The producers would "churn and burn" them -- make them, release them, collect all (if any) revenue and then onto the next one... They were produced fast and cheap and they weren't very good, but damn they're fun.

"Experience it soon. Here. At this theater"

This is the real grindhouse experience!!! Over a hundred horror and exploitation trailers and they are all great. Then there are the original "fake" trailers to the movies from the Shock Festival book. Wow! Good work from some up and coming filmmakers. If you liked the fake trailers in Tarantino's Grindhouse, then you know what to expect. Then there are hundreds of cool radio spots. It takes days to go through all the amazing sleaze on display here. The 3 disc set is almost overwhelming at first, but provides hours and hours of entertainment after you settle in. Also makes a perfect party DVD! If you are a true fan of all that is underground, then you definitely need this DVD in your collection. It is the final word in trailer compilations. Props to Stephen Romano for creating this DVD and the fantastic book on which it is based.