If you, like me, dabbled in or even shot a film, then you will watch EFFECTS from the early 1980s, with a sense of respect and even admiration. 101 are about to release a whole host of great films from the AGFA (American Genre Film Archive) and this one is a solid starter. Reportedly cobbled together with loose change by George A Romero’s friends, EFFECTS explores the process of making an indie film and the background to how it is hard to make horror itself. Now along the way, Tom Savini, sometime director and actor but always the sultan of splatter to anyone and Joe Pilato or the crazy Sergeant from DAY OF THE DEAD appear. So does coke and weed, nude bodies and blood. Well you would expect that from a slasher film set but the problem is the bodies are real and the so is the red stuff!
Pittsburgh became a sort of epi centre of the horror film world at this point and EFFECTS, well makes full effect of this. It might have some grain issues, be grungy for some of the modern film lovers today but it is a solid film. Both as a historical document and as a film about film making. You might do yourself a favour prior and watch the short films on the disc, as they revel in the associated talents in the film. Then the great AFTER EFFECTS documentary to get the surrounds of the film. This is all very important to understand the magic on the print in the end.
Special Features:
- New 4K scan from the only 35mm theatrical print
- AFTER EFFECTS – documentary with commentary track
- Early short films
- Archival commentary track
- Liner notes by AGFA’s Joseph A. Ziemba
