Swap a DVD: Anguish (R)

MPAA Rating: R
Content Advisory: Violence, Graphic Violence, Not For Children, Adult Language, Profanity
Movie Release: 1988
DVD Release: 05/23/2000
Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
Audio Tracks: English
SwapaDVD Credits: 1
Number of Discs: 1
Run Time: 1 hrs 29 mins
Studio: Anchor Bay
Members Wishing: 2
Genres: Horror, Slasher Film, Psychological Thriller
See Also: Anguish

Poltergeist-purger Zelda Rubinstein toplines this interesting, twisty psycho-thriller from Spain, which makes clever (though repetitive) use of its movie-within-a-movie premise. As the star of the horror film "The Mommy," Rubinstein plays a mother who hypnotizes her son (Michael Lerner) into seeking more victims to supply her growing collection of human eyeballs. "The Mommy" seems also to exert a weird hypnotic effect on the audience watching it, particularly one impressionable fellow who mirrors Lerner's actions by stalking fellow movie patrons... just as the onscreen murderer is entering a movie theater to do the same thing. If this sounds confusing, that's probably because it is. The interesting premise wears thin about halfway through, with the relentless attempts at viewer disorientation becoming more tiresome than frightening. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide

Zelda Rubinstein - Mother
Michael Lerner - John
Talia Paul - Polly
Angel Jové - Killer
Clara Pastor - Linda

Anchor Bay has done horror fans a great favor with this disc of Anguish: although it is light on features, this DVD presents the film in the way it was meant to be seen. The video suffers from a few print-related defects (the occasional scratch or bit of dust) but presents the film's bold color scheme in a memorably vivid style. More importantly, it restores the film to its full 2.35:1 widescreen ratio, which allows the viewer to appreciate the film's often stunning compositions in their full glory. Anchor Bay has also given the film an effective Dolby Digital 5.1 stereo remix that highlights the film's skillfully crafted sound design: the most effective bits come when the film-within-a-film is being commented upon by audience members in the theater - the surround-stereo mixing creates the sonic illusion that the discussion is going on behind the viewer. The only extras are a Spanish language trailer, presented with and without subtitles, and a brief but insightful text essay included as a DVD case insert: the lack of a commentary track or director's interview is especially disappointing in this case because Anguish offers a lot of food for thought with its ambitious film-within-a-film structure and it would have been interesting to gain some insight into the inspirations behind the film. Despite this quibble, Anchor Bay's DVD of Anguish is a well-crafted disc that represents the best way to see this film in a home video format. ~ Donald Guarisco, All Movie Guide

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