Hello readers, and welcome to a new monthly post in which I will be reviewing a Scream Factory release. Each month I will pick either a new or previous release from the line of collectible horror releases which are released each month under the Scream Factory name!
Death Valley
Director:
Dick Richards
Stars:
Paul Le Mat, Catherine Hicks, Stephen McHattie, Wilford Brimley, Peter Billingsley, Edward Herrmann
What’s It About?:
“A divorced mother, her young son and her new boyfriend set out on a road trip through Death Valley and run afoul of a local serial killer.” – IMDB
THE FILM:
Death Valley is another of the many Scream Factory releases that I have never seen. The film starts off with shots of young Billy (Peter Billingsley) and his father Paul (Edward Herrmann) spending a day together in the city before Paul reveals him and Billy’s mother Sally (Catherine Hicks) are splitting up. Next up we see Billy and Sally headed to Death Valley to spend time with Sally’s new boyfriend Mike (Paul Le Mat). During their trip though they run across the path of a serial killer and soon young Billy finds himself as a target.
The film starts off at a pretty decent pace and quickly gets to the first encounter with the serial killer. The director doesn’t waste any time setting up the mood and tension. By the end of the film, the entire family finds themselves trying to escape with their lives, and then comes to a very abrupt end. In the end the film is sort of a letdown, and I was really hoping for a bit more. I agree with a lot of other people who feel this movie almost feels like a made-for-tv film, if you cut out some of the violence and the one topless shot that is. The movie overall is sort of forgettable, but the transfer does look really amazing and I’d say it’s worth at least one watch if you’ve never seen it.
THE EXTRAS:
This release only comes with an audio commentary with the director, which like the film itself is actually pretty boring. There’s a few interesting facts about the movie in there but overall it wasn’t even worth the listen.
CONCLUSION:
Out of the films I’ve watched in the Scream Factory collection so far, this is by far my least favorite. It’s still a good film and all, but just not one I’d ever go out of my way to watch or rewatch. If you ever stumble across this film go ahead and give it a shot, but there’s no need to pick up a copy of this release unless you really like this film.