All Rise...

Judge Patrick Naugle is on the edge of destruction.

The Charge

Get ready for two times the terror!

The Case

Scream Factory, purveyors of fantastically cheese B-horror home movie releases, serve up a double bill of terror with 1988's Destroyer and 1989's Edge of Sanity. The connecting tissue between these two films is actor Anthony Perkins, AKA Norman Bates from the Alfred Hitchcock classic Psycho.

In director Robert Kirk's Destroyer (this was his only feature film), former Denver Broncos football all-star Lyle Alzado plays Ivan Moser, a rapist, torturer, and serial killer who is given the death penalty by electrocution. During Moser's execution a freak power failure takes place just as the power switch is thrown on the electric chair. A riot ensues leaving guards and prisoners dead, and Moser disappears. Eighteen months later a film crew, led by director Robert Edwards (Perkins), screenwriter David Harris (Clayton Rohner, The Relic), and Harris' girlfriend (Deborah Foreman, April Fool's Day), arrive at the prison to make an exploitation film titled "Death House Dolls." As production gets underway it's clear the cast and crew aren't alone because the sadistic Ivan Moser still roams the corridors of the dilapidated prison—and he's out for blood.

I'd like to tell you that Destroyer is some kind of undiscovered horror gem that warrants reevaluation. Unfortunately, that's not the story that unfolded before me during the film's laborious hour and a half run time. Destroyer (the title credit reads "Shadow of Death" as the film's name was changed during production) is a fairly by-the-numbers maniacal killer-on-the-loose horror flick. People are picked off one by one, and eventually there's a final duel between the monster and the hero(s). No cliche is left uncovered, including the revelation that one of the guards still working around the prison is really—wait for it, waaaaaaait for it—Ivan's father! The death scenes are all standard stuff and rather tame by today's standards.

Performances are mediocre across the board. It's clear that Anthony Perkins is just going through the motions as the film's director, portraying a caricature of what everyone assumes a film director acts like (snippy and snobby). The two heroes of the film—Clayton Rohner and scream queen Deborah Foreman—are almost updated by their hairstyles; I'm guessing a good portion of the film's budget went towards cans of Aqua Net hairspray. Finally there is the lumbering Lyle Alzado as Ivan Moser, who certainly looks imposing but has the personality of a yam. While physical presence is certainly a requirement for your movie's villain, there also has to be something else going on under the hood to make them interesting. All Mr. Alzado does is growl, laugh maniacally, and try to smash things like he was the offspring of the Incredible Hulk. Destroyer sounds like a cool film, but the end product is less destructive and more repetitive.

The second film on this disc is Edge of Sanity, a retelling of the Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde story featuring Destroyer holdover Anthony Perkins. Perkins plays the aforementioned doctor who goes quite insane after breathing in the fumes of a powdered drug he's been working on (which looks suspiciously like cocaine or heroin) that was created as an anesthetic. Once Jekyll is turned into the crazed Hyde, the doctor wanders the streets and finds a prostitute that he murders, which sets into motion a killing spree that will terrorize all of London!

Edge of Sanity is a period piece, so the horror elements are mixed weirdly alongside a high class story and English accents. It reminded me of the Robert Englund The Phantom of the Opera remake, released the same year. Both films want to have their cake and eat it too—they want to be high art while toiling in lowbrow gore. Edge of Sanity as a whole doesn't really work because the filmmakers don't infuse the Dr. Jekyll / Mr. Hyde story with any new blood. The film goes through the same paces we've come to expect from this narrative; the good doctor is married to a beautiful woman, Elisabeth (Glynis Barber, Hammer of the Gods), and has the respect of his community. Then he goes off the rails on a murder spree, pausing to wake up every once in a while as Dr. Jekyll and contemplate the horrible things he's done.

Anthony Perkins looks gaunt and sickly as Jekyll, and downright deathly as the insidious Mr. Hyde, like the elderly version of actor DJ Qualls. Most of Perkins' role consists of being sexually weird with hookers, masturbating in corners, and killing women left and right. After about forty five minutes this became repetitive and boring. The costumes are odd, almost a mash up between the late 1800s and the late 1980s; one prostate wears a belt that looks like it was picked up at an S&M shop on Hollywood Boulevard. Director Gerard Kikione (who toiled in soft core porn) shoots the film without my razzle-dazzle (especially considering the theme of duality that runs throughout the film). Edge of Sanity was one of Anthony Perkins' final major film roles (the terrible made-for-cable Psycho IV: The Beginning arrived a few years later), and it's a sad reminder of how great he once was. He deserved better than this middling horror effort.

Destroyer (Blu-ray) is prevented in 1.78:1 HD widescreen while Edge of Sanity (Blu-ray) is presented in 1.85:1, both in 1080p high definition. Scream Factory has done the best they can with the elements provided for each film and, under the circumstances, both look solid. The transfers are generally clean and clear of defects. Colors are usually bright and sharp with Edge of Sanity appearing to be the better transfer. While neither of the video transfers are fantastic, they are certainly far better than any DVD counterparts. The soundtrack for both films is presented in DTS-HD Mater Audio 2.0 Stereo in English. Both tracks are rather front heavy without any surround sound placement. Even so, each track features clear dialogue, music, and effects work. The only bonus features are theatrical trailers for both films.

I commend Scream Factory for putting out two little known B-level horror movies, even if neither are of the highest quality. Destroyer is a by-the-numbers slasher movie while Edge of Sanity struggles to mix old time drama with new wave horror. That being said, if you are a fan of either movie you'll find this package to be appealing even without any substantial extras.

The Verdict

Two cheesy horror movies for the price of one, and neither are stellar.

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