Blu-Ray Review: Scared Stiff (1987) by Richard Friedman

Company: Arrow Video
Director: Richard Friedman
Year: 1987
Genre: Haunted House
Discs: 1
Special Features:
Audio Commentary-Richard Friedman, Dan Bacaner and Robert Ehlinger
Featurette-Mansion of the Doomed: The Making of Scared Stiff
Interview-Composer Billy Barber
Image Gallery
Original Trailer

To read about the film itself: GO HERE.

As for the disc itself-

Picture: ***/5

This release features a new AVC 1080p HD transfer from a 2K master. This is more than likely a far cry from those who viewed its old murky VHS look as the film certainly looks its age but doesn't suffer from any majorly noticeable defects. The sweaty environment looks greatly realized and detailed, it doesn't have any real kind of major damage in terms of film grain and the numerous night scenes look bright and clear, which is a fine indication of the transfer as a whole. This looks fine and serviceable for the film quality and content without featuring anything major or trendsetting in that sense.

Audio: ***/5

The LPCM audio track here is pretty much the exact definition of serviceable. This keeps things nice and clear in pretty much every sense but doesn't do much to become a standout audio track. The soundtrack is clear, the dialog is singularly unaffected as well but seems kinda quiet overall and the main theme song is schmaltzy 80s cheese at it's highest point. There's nothing special about this but it's perfect for this kind of release.

Special Features: ***/5

While not the typical all-star treatment Arrow dishes out on the regular, there's still a lot more here than generally expected. A feature-length commentary by director Richard Friedman, producer Dan Bacaner and film historian Robert Ehlinger is far too light on actual recollections from the shooting, offering plenty of speculation about the process rather than telling concrete stories or even just flat-out not knowing. It's a tad disappointing and may be frustrating to not have the answers and stories for every question possible but the time between everything is a fair counter to everything and it's not a chore to get through at all.

Also included is a solid albeit brief interview collection called Mansion of the Doomed: The Making of Scared Stiff. This brand-new 30-plus minute documentary includes interviews with most of the key personnel in the film, from Friedman, Bacaner and Ehlinger alongside actors Andrew Stevens and Joshua Segal, special effects supervisor Tyler Smith and special effects assistants Jerry Macaluso and Barry Anderson which has a lot to like. There's some great stories involved and some decent behind-the-scenes photographs interspersed with footage from the film. A self-filmed interview with composer Billy Barber about the score and recording the main song offers some solid points. Rounding out the collection is an image gallery and the original trailer.

Also available in the original package is a fully illustrated collector's booklet with new writing on the film by James Oliver which was not available for review.

Overview: ***/5
A decidedly minor title but still one of the more endearing cult titles in the 80s, there's a lot to like with the film and is given quite a strong if not mind-blowing release from Arrow Video. The presentation of the disc is just as good as the film itself, so if you've been looking for this one due to the reputation or just plain curiosity then this disc will be a wholly appreciated release worth picking up.

To order the film: LINK.