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In our ever ending search for horror that we have never seen before, we came upon Killing Spree and we have to say that it met our fancy. Today, we take a look at the blu-ray from SRS Cinema and let you know what you may have been missing out on. Now, updated with our thoughts on the Terror Vision blu-ray release of Killing Spree.
Studio: SRS Cinema (2015 Release)
Run Time: 88 mins (original cut)
Region Code: FREE
Picture: 1080i upconvert (1.33:1 aspect ratio) (director's cut) (SRS blu-ray)
Sound: English Dolby Digital 2.0 (both cuts) (SRS blu-ray)
Subtitles: None (both cuts) (SRS blu-ray)
Slipcover: No (SRS blu-ray)
Starring: Asbestos Felt, Courtney Lercara, Raymond Carbone, Bruce Paquette, Joel D. Wynkoop, and Kieran Turner
Written by Tim Ritter
Directed by Tim Ritter
Rating: Not Rated (graphic horror violence and gore, language, and some sexual content) (both cuts)
NOTE: I am updating my original KILLING SPREE SRS blu-ray review with my thoughts on the brand new KILLING SPREE blu-ray from Terror Vision. The updates are in red so they are easier to find. Read until the end to find out which release I think is the one to get.
THE FILM
Tom feels that his wife is cheating on him. It doesn't take long for his paranoia to get the best of him and he begins to murder the men he thinks his wife is sleeping with. Tom has the most inventive and gruesome ways of dealing with these unfortunate chaps.
The 80’s were a high time for horror and for VHS. Horror hit an all time with the popularity of slasher films and video stores, which were booming, were looking for product. Horror rented especially well and people like David A. Prior and John Wintergate were among the many who answered that call. Prior and Wintergate would make two of the first “shot on video” movies that were big hits when they debuted on VHS.
KILLING SPREE was not “shot on video”, but it still has that go broke feel to it that many “shot on video” movies have. While director Tim Ritter could have followed the mold that the theatrical horror films were following, he decided to make his films their own beasts. His first film, DAY OF THE REAPER, was a sizable hit, so Ritter decided to make more.
KILLING SPREE is the fourth film that Ritter made and it is a gem of a film. It follows Tom Russo who is driven crazy by his wife’s diary, which contains her steamy exploits with the men in their area. Russo snaps and starts killing all the men mentioned in her diary in more gruesome and graphic ways. I mean, Russo attaches machetes to a ceiling fan, calls an electrician to come over and fix it, and when the guy shows up, Russo lifts him into the fan which takes the top of his head off. There are many more kills like this throughout the film, but I thought that this one was the craziest.
Watching KILLING SPREE, it becomes apparent that Ritter is a pretty good director. His shot composition is always interesting and the story never really goes where you think it’s going to go. I thought that once the spree started that it was going to be nonstop, but Russo kills one person, cleans up, and waits for his wife to get home. The film definitely has a weird pace to it, but I never thought that it was a bad thing. The film moves pretty fast even if it isn’t going the way you thought it would.
The acting, for the most part, is what you would expect from a film like this, but its the lead performance by Asbestos Felt that really helps sell the film. His performance is almost indescribable in that, like the film, you never know what you are going to get out of him. He laughs maniacally when he kills, but he also talks normally to his victims. I would compare this performance to a true Nicolas Cage performance. The performance draws you in and won’t let go until the film is over.
KILLING SPREE is not a film for everyone. I am sure that there were plenty of people who hated it when they found it in their local video store in the 80’s. The film is crass, sloppy, and gory as shit. But the film has a lot of charm to it and we can appreciate what Ritter and company pulled off here. I had a blast watching the film and I am sure that there are plenty of people out there who feel the same.
THE PICTURE AND THE SOUND
While KILLER SPREE was shot on 16mm, this release is an upscaled standard definition picture. While it would have been nice to have an HD presentation (the film resources are gone so there is no chance of that happening.), the picture doesn’t look too bad. Everything that you would expect from an upscale is here: softness to the picture, colors not popping, very little in the way of detail. This, however, fits the film just fine. It has a shot on video feel to it and I think that anyone looking at getting this release would be just fine with that.
The Original Cut fares far worse than the Director’s Cut, which is the main feature. Colors are not vivid at all and there are some really bad banding issues. Basically, it looks like a copy of a copy. Thankfully, this is not the main feature, but I still wanted to bring this up.
The sound is lossy and sounds like it was shot on set with a camcorder mic. This, again, really isn’t a problem as this is what you would come to expect from DIY horror.
THE PACKAGING
THE MENUS
THE FEATURES
Commentary Track: Director Tim Ritter is onhand to give one of the most informative commentary tracks of recent memory. Ritter has been working in the industry since the early 80’s and he brings all his knowledge to the track along with all the stories he can pack in between. He talks about the trials of making a no budget film, the problems on and off the set, some great stories involving various cast and crew members, and what the film means to him all these years later. If you are going to watch one of the many special features on this release, make it this one.
Original Cut (1h 28m, SD, 1.33:1)
Original Cut Commentary 1 This features Tim Ritter again giving very much the same commentary that is on the Director’s Cut. This track was recorded for the film’s 2007 DVD release and the Director’s Cut commentary was recorded seven years later. They are completely different commentary tracks but contain almost all the same information. As much as I liked this track, I would say that it loses out to the Director’s Cut track just because it is more complete.
Original Cut Commentary 2 The final track of the set features Asbestos Felt, Joel Wynkoop, and R.M. Hopes and is a decent listen. The participants do fall into the trap of describing what’s happening onscreen more than once, but they make up for that by telling some great stories and just having a good time.
Photo Gallery (22m 1s, HD) Gallery auto-plays as selections from the film’s score plays.
Music Tracks- Here we have basically the entire soundtrack. 16 tracks that include the film’s score and the songs heard in the film.
HG Lewis (43m 25s, SD, 1.33:1) This is video that was shot during a Fort Lauderdale talk radio show appearance from both Tim Ritter and Hershell Gordon Lewis. Ritter is there to promote a new VHS release of KILLING SPREE and Lewis is there because he appears to be on the show often. Ritter admits that Lewis is an influence on his work. Lewis counters by tearing KILLING SPREE apart. Lewis comes off as a complete asshole and I felt really bad for Ritter. You can see from his reaction that he is not having a good time listening to Lewis tear his film apart. It doesn’t help that the host seems to keep Lewis going. After the attack, the four men (there is another guy there, but I have no idea who he is) talk about their favorite directors and what horror films they love.
Blinded by the Blood (1h 23m, SD, 1.33:1) This is a behind the scenes look at how KILLING SPREE was made. Everything from how the effects were created to the filming of scenes is covered here. As much as I liked KILLING SPREE, I think that this behind the scenes look is better.
2005 Commentary by Asbestos Felt and Joel D. Wynkoop
2021 Commentary by Tim Ritter
Interview with Asbestos Felt and Tim Ritter conducted by Tread of Brains on Film (58m 33s, HD, 1.78:1)
Documentary: Peeling Back the Felt. A 2021 retrospective (1h 22m, HD, 1.78:1)
Documentary: 1994 making of film, Blinded by the Blood (1h 2m, SD, 1.33:1)
Interview with Tim Ritter and H.G. Lewis at the ration station WFTL in 1994 (43m 26s, SD, 1.33:1)
Trailers: Vintage Twisted Illusions trailer reel (16m 27s, SD, 1.33:1) Day of the Reaper, Twisted Illusions, Truth or Dare, Killing Spree promotional trailer, Killing Spree trailer from Camp Motion Pictures, and a trailer for the making of Blinded by the Blood.
Trailer: Brand new Killing Spree 2021 trailer (3m 49s, SD, 1.33:1)
Photo Gallery: Behind the Scenes of Killing Spree narrated by Tim Ritter (20m 51s, HD, 1.78:1)
The special features package here is really nice. The original blu-ray from 2015 had quite a few features, but this one tops it. All of the features from that release are carried over except for the Music Tracks feature that lets you listen to the songs from the film as well as the original commentary track that Ritter recorded. The Ritter commentary found on this release is one he recorded in 2021. That’s actually a pretty good carry-over rate. Added for this release is an almost hour-long interview with Asbestos Felt, Tim Ritter, and Tread. It’s a great interview that feels more like three guys hanging out, talking about their histories and the making of Killing Spree. It never feels like an interview. Lots of fun here. There is also a new making of doc entitled PEELING BACK THE FELT and it is a more traditional making of than BLINDED BY THE BLOOD, which is also on this disc. I like both making ofs as they give us something different in each of them. The trailer reel was fun and I love the Photo Gallery with commentary.
The thing that I took away from this release was “fun” These guys clearly had a lot of fun making this film and they also clearly have a lot of fun talking about the film. This translates to the film, but also to the special features. There is not one wasted special feature here. Everything is entertaining and informative. I had fun with all of these special features and I can not recommend them highly enough.
So, which version would I pick? Both releases have their positives and their negatives. The 2015 release features the Director’s Cut version along with its corresponding commentary track, the original 2007 Tim Ritter commentary track, and the Music Tracks feature that let you listen to the music from the film. This does not mean that the 2021 release is slouching. It adds a new commentary, an awesome interview, and a great making of. I would say that if you are just trying to watch the film, then go for the 2021 release as it is probably easier to come by. However, if you love this film and want to get everything KILLING SPREE you can get, then go for both of them, It might be a little costly but if you love the film, it will be worth it. However, I am going to have to give the edge to the 2021 release as it has the slightly better features, plus it is easier to get.
THE CONCLUSION
KILLING SPREE is the type of film that is going to cater to a select few, but I think that more people should sit down and watch a film like this. This is a film that tries it’s best to give you something different (for the time, at least) and does so with no reservations on whether you are going to like it or not. If you like the film, then you are going to like this blu-ray. The picture and sound may not be the best, but the special features are and really make this release something special.
So, which version would I pick? Both releases have their positives and their negatives. The 2015 release features the Director’s Cut version along with it’s corresponding commentary track, the original 2007 Tim Ritter commentary track, and the Music Tracks feature that let you listen to the music from the film. This does not mean that the 2021 release is slouching. It adds a new commentary, an awesome interview, and a great making of. I would say that if you are just trying to watch the film, then go for the 2021 release as it is probably easier to come by. However, if you love this film and want to get everything KILLING SPREE you can get, then go for both of them, It might be a little costly but if you love the film, it will be worth it. However, I am going to have to give the edge to the 2021 release as it has the slightly better features, plus it is easier to get.
 Blu-ray Review - SRS CInema with a Terror Vision Blu-ray Update){kind=link}
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