Blu-Ray Review: Kino Lorber’s The Boogens (Special Edition) 

Beware… The Boogens is gonna get you!  The 80s cult sci-fi horror film gets an upgraded Blu-ray with new transfer and extras from Kino Lorber. 

The Film 

The Boogens is the kind of film that I feel is ripe for a remake.  A film that works in sections, but ultimately vital moments do not work.  Director Jeff Conway’s film is adeptly made and executed but lacks the true terror-filled set pieces that even worked during the era.  Part of the issues is the editing and Makeup FX during what are supposed to be the horror moments.  

That said, the character work, and storytelling are great.  The way that Conway and cinematographer Paul Hipp shoot the film is acutely aware of how to tell a story visually.  The issues come about when it’s time for the monster to begin to kill the characters we’ve come to know.  The lack of good FX work rears its ugly head in these moments.  Those moments, until the climatic ending, fall flat.  The FX work seems to be stilted and jaunty – unable to hide the fact that it’s mechanical or puppeteered by someone.  

Conway and company do manage to create a third-act finale that hides the issues with the FX to be properly effective, but the damage is done.  Everything that The Boogens does right (e.g., character development, story, buildup, visuals) is all for naught because the most important aspect of a Monster movie is inconsistent – the designed FX itself.  The Boogens will remains a film of possibilities and not execution.  

The Transfer

The all-new HD Master – From a 4K Scan of the 35mm Original Camera Negative is as good as The Boogens has probably ever looked (even in the Blu-ray from a decade ago).  The image is sharp, and clean of any dirt or scratches.  There are a few moments where the image itself looks oversaturated that run throughout.  One cannot confirm if it’s the OCN itself or something that is an affectation of the new HD Master. That aside the transfer benefits greatly from the new master from the 4K scan of the OCN with the fine details pushed to the forefront including a wonderful patina of film grain.  

Note: KL has released a 4K UHD version of the title. 

The Extras

They include the following;

• NEW Audio Commentary by Actor Jeff Harlan and Film Historian Howard S. Berger
• 2012 Audio Commentary by Director James Conway, Writer David O’Malley, and Actress Rebecca Balding, Moderated by Jeff McKay
• William Munns: The Man Who Made The Boogens: Featurette by Howard S. Berger with Boogens Creature Designer William Munns
• Two TV Spots
• Theatrical Trailer

The first Audio Commentary, which is all-new, by Actor Jeff Harlan and Film Historian Howard S. Berger begins with the opening sequence for the film.  Some of the details include how horror films have change in the last forty years – a great discussion of development and setup; how Harlan was cast in the film; a discussion of director James Conway and the production company and where they were at the time; the various sets and locations they used in Salt Lake City – including a discussion of a fire that destroyed one of the sets; a discussion of co-stars John Crawford and Med Flory – and the varied career; a discussion of Fred McCarren; the production design and how much Conway created a smart looking film; a larger discussion of Conway as a director including his current work on TV and how accomplished it is; a discussion of Rebecca Balding and Anne-Marie Martin – including a discussion of the director and one of the stars eventual romance and marriage; the dog that appears in the film – including how good he was during his moments; where the film falls in the horror genre boom – and a discussion of the various genres it attempts to meld; and much more.  Harlan and Berger create an interesting commentary track that’s as interesting as the film.  

The second track is an archival one from 2012 by Director James Conway, Writer David O’Malley, and Actress Rebecca Balding, Moderated by Jeff McKay opens with introductions including Balding eventually married Conway.  Some of the details included where the title came from; the parodies of the title – including Hustler magazine; how they did local targeted advertising for TV – and the production company did this first in the 1960s; the various films and television series that Conway created before The Boogens – and how this came about at the height of their output; a discussion of Balding and Conway’s fast courtship and marriage; a discussion of the fire that burnt down not just their sets but the supermarket that they were located in; the production time frame and location; Salt Lake City at the time – and a conversation of how much it’s changed since 1981; the various screenwriters that helped O’Malley develop the screenplay – including the uncredited work by Jim Kouf; the design of the creature and how it’s shot in the film; a discussion of co-stars John Crawford and Med Flory – including a few great anecdotes about the two; a discussion about actor Anne-Marie Martin – who later married Michael Crichton who they eventually wrote and produced Twister; a discussion of nudity with the actors; discussion of working with actor Jeff Harlan; if the participants are fans of horror films and their work within the genre; working with the dogs that they used in the film – and a few anecdotes; the FX work in the film and the lack of budget they had; and much more.  The group created an entertaining look back at the production without much overlap speaking with a mixture of personal and production anecdotes.  

William Munns: The Man Who Made The Boogens (19:06) – in this all-new featurette/interview by Howard S. Berger with Boogens Creature Designer William Munns 

Two TV Spots (1:04) 

Rounding out the special features are trailers for The Boogens (2:07); Cujo (1:47); The Monster Squad (1:57); Without Warning (1:44); Parasite (1:27); Deepstar Six (1:57); Rawhead Rex (1:06)

The Final Thought 

Kino has another great special edition with The Boogens, with great picture and sound.  Recommended for fans of the film! 

Kino Lorber’s Blu-Ray edition of The Boogens is out now.