Movies & TV / Reviews
Scare Package (DVD) Review
Loading...Scare Package DVD Review
(check out the entire cast here)
Distributed by RLJE Films
Not Rated
Runtime– 108 minutes
https://www.facebook.com/scarepackage/
Buy it here or here or here. Also available on Digital and Video On Demand
Check out Joseph Lee’s full review here
Scare Package is a new horror comedy anthology that plenty of horror nerds likely saw earlier this year on The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs. That’s where I first saw it. Made up of 7 stories (or 8, depending on how you want to count them), Scare Package is essentially about a hilarious dipshit named Chad Buckley (Jeremy King) breaking in a new employee (Hawn, as played by Hawn Tran) at his video store called “Rad Chad’s Horror Emporium” while also dealing with a relentlessly annoying customer who really wants to work there but is always rejected for employment (Sam, as played by Byron Brown). This video store narrative acts as a framing device for the other stories (“Cold Open,” directed by Emily Hagins, “One Night In The Woods,” directed by Chris McInroy, “M.I.S.T.E.R.,” directed by Noah Segan, “So Much To Do,” directed by Baron Vaughn, “Girls’ Night Out Of Body,” directed by Courtney Andujar and Hillary Andujar, and “The Night He Came Back Again! Part IV: The Final Kill,” directed by Anthony Cousins). There’s a second framing story “Horror Hypothesis,” although I guess you could call it an extension of the “Rad Chad’s Horror Emporium” framing story. I don’t know (that’s where the whole “Just how many segments does this movie actually have?” questions comes into play. Oh, and the framing stories/framing story are directed by Aaron B. Koontz).
Now, my 411 colleague, the great Joseph Lee, did a full on review for Scare Package back in June (if you didn’t see that review or want to read it again check it out here) and I agree with everything he said. The best segment is probably “One Time in the Woods,” and the least segment is probably “Girls Night Out of Body,” but your particular mileage may vary. You may not end up liking “One Time in the Woods.” You may prefer “M.I.S.T.E.R.,” or “So Much to Do.” None of the segments are really scary, and that’s okay because Scare Package never tries to actually be scary. The movie is very gory, and even in that the blood and guts and gore is never so gross that you will avert your eyes. You may end up looking away for a moment because you’re laughing so damn hard. I’m not entirely sure the jokes and goofiness will work on non-horror fans, but who knows?
When it comes to the big wraparound story, it may be one of the longest I’ve seen in any horror anthology movie. Most wraparounds come at you in segments that last a few minutes, but the wraparound story really could be its own movie. The big cameo at the end of the movie was terrific when I watched it on The Last Drive-In as it was totally unexpected. You can probably figure out who and what the big cameo is by reading about the movie online, or, really, just looking at the DVD cover, but, as Joseph said, it’s really best to experience the cameo and the whole movie knowing as little as possible about it. I will say, though, that Dustin Rhodes, the former Goldust, kicks ass in his role as the Devil’s Lake Impaler, and if he wants to do some other horror movie bad guy I’m all for it. I believe Rhodes has said that he wants to do more movies.
Scare Package, as a movie, is great. It’s fun and it revels in being fun. That doesn’t always happen with horror movies. If you’re a horror fan, Scare Package is definitely something you want to see and own. It will continue to be on Shudder for the foreseeable future as it’s a “Shudder Exclusive,” but real deal horror fans will want to own it for themselves in DVD or Blu-ray format. I got it on DVD. The Blu-ray, as far as I know, is different in only one significant way, but it is a big difference. Huge.
So, what’s on the DVD?
DVD Presentation
Scare Package is presented in 2.1 and 1.78:1 Widescreen. It has Dolby Digital 5.1 sound. There are English and Spanish subtitles available. Scare Package looks and sounds amazing (they clearly didn’t skimp on the sound).
Special Features
–Commentary track with Aaron B. Koontz and Cameron Burns: Koontz wrote and directed the wraparound stories and Burns is credited with writing the wraparound and is one of the movie’s producers (Koontz is also one of the producers). Their commentary track, while not as wacky as advertised on the DVD case (it’s listed as “Creators Commentary on the Film, Commenting on Other Films That Have Better Commentary Tracks”), is interesting and informative. You will learn everything you could possibly want to know about how the movie was made, how decisions were made, and how Koontz and Burns think the movie turned out. I wish more home video releases had commentary tracks as good as this one. They do address why they’re the only ones on the track, so you won’t be left wondering about that.
–Bonus Segment: Locker Room Z: I’m not entirely sure I get what this segment is supposed to be about. Basically, it’s a short film where young women change their clothes after working out at the gym in a locker room that has zombies in it. There’s also a woman who is getting ready for a date after working out. The main actress in this is awesome but, again, I’m not entirely sure I get what this segment is doing. Maybe I need to watch it a few more times? Perhaps it will dawn on me at some point.
–Rad Chad’s Rad Ad: This is a faux commercial for Rad Chad’s Horror Emporium. It’s hilarious, and I’m sure that, as Scare Package gains fans and whatnot, this commercial will become a big thing on YouTube. It has that kind of vibe to it.
–The Scare Package Blooper Reel: We get a little over five minutes of bloopers. They’re funny and fun to see, but they’re not as funny as the stuff in the movie. You do get a real sense of how much fun this production must have been for all involved.
–Alternate Ending: The DVD case labels this as the “Original Not-As Good-Ending” and I totally agree. The ending used in the actual movie is much, much better. It is interesting to see what the ending could have been, though.
Movie Rating: 9.0
DVD Rating: 10.0
What do you get on the Blu-ray?: You get everything that’s on the DVD plus the full episode of The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs where Scare Package had its TV premiere. The Scare Package episode of TLDI will likely stay on Shudder as long as Shudder keeps The Last Drive-In as a thing, so the episode isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, unlike some of the other TLDI episodes that will eventually disappear from Shudder when Shudder loses the rights to the movies presented. But having the full episode on a Blu-ray is a great “for posterity” thing and, if you’re a Joe Bob fan, is something you will want to get. I know I want to get it and I already have the movie on DVD. Either home video presentation is worth getting, though.
