A collectable set with 4K Editions of Friday the Thirteenth Part II, Orphan: First Kill, World War Z, and Breakdown
Following up on their debut in the series, PARAMOUNT SCARES VOL. 2 is another off-beat assembly of some of Paramount’s more notable spooky features, brought together on 4K-UHD, in a collectable set, with a bunch of extra treats thrown in. This time, its a return to Camp Crystal Lake in Friday the Thirteenth Part II, a diminutive deception in Orphan: First Kill, a rampant zombie swarm in World War Z, and the Kurt Russell action thriller Breakdown.
The Package
First, a look at the overall package housing these four films, and an assortment of other goodies. The box is adorned with green-hued imagery from the films included. A removable label on the back details the technical specs of the films, and other contents.
The goodies within include a Paramount Scares pin, domed sticker, and an iron-on patch for each of the 4 films. There’s also a collectable (folded) poster.
Also inside is a special edition of Fangoria magazine, with contributor articles covering all 4 films included in the release.
Beneath all the swag are the films themselves. Each is the standard release, with an additional slipcase which unifies them into a common design theme, using artwork and a choice quote from the film.
The Films
FRIDAY THE 13TH PART II
Five years on from the original, we get a return to Camp Crystal Lake, and the real emergence of Jason Voorhees as a supernatural force. Similar in setup and execution to the first, but with a step up in kills, more characters to root for (and against), and a real buildup of the mythology that would come to surround this hulking figure. He’s wearing a burlap sack rather than his yet to be acquired hockey mask, but this is a barnstorming entrance and sets a template for the films that followed.
Having seen the film in 35mm many times, it’s a grainy film, and the 4K here feels like a faithful representation of that experience. Grain is preserved, perhaps a touch cleaned up, while other elements are cleaned up. Its a great quality transfer, with an eye opening level of detail. Colors are deep, authentic, and warmly rendered. The 4K shows up the budget and age of the film for sure, but in a way that only adds to its mood and charm.
Extra Features:
• Inside Crystal Lake Memories: A short featurette covering a book that details the making of the franchise
• Friday’s Legacy: Horror Conventions: Footage of Scarefest 2008 which hosted a reunion of many of the cast and crew members
• Jason Forever: Q&A with key figures in the creation of the film’s destructive force, Ari Lehman, Warrington Gillette, C.J. Graham and Kane Hodder
• Lost Tales from Camp Blood Short: Part 2
BREAKDOWN
Less in your face than some of the other films in the collection, but damn effective at delivering a dose of suspense and thrills. A tale simple in setup, as married couple Jeff (Kurt Russell) and Amy (Kathleen Quinlan) break down on a cross-country journey. Stranded on a remote highway, a trucker (J.T.> Walsh) stops, and offers to help by taking Amy and drop her at the nearby diner to call a mechanic. Hours go by, and Jeff eventually discovers his wife never made it. The local crowd don’t take him seriously, and neither do the police, and when he finally crosses tracks with the trucker, he denies ever seeing Jeff or his wife before. It’s one of those nightmarish scenarios, triggering in it’s situation and simplicity, and as a film, damn effective thanks to the committed performances of Russell and Quinlan, and the propulsive direction of Jonathan Mostow, who makes this remote, rural, and road based tale one of the highlights of the wave of thrillers that came out or the 90s.
The 4K is again impressive, with a really robust image, solid color representation, and high level of detail. The film unfolds in sun-bleached surrounds and as such draws on murkier, earthy palettes, as well as blues for that sky overhead. Both look superb, and the quality of image is consistent from start to finish.
Extra Features:
• Commentary by director Jonathan Mostow and Kurt Russell—NEW!: A well informed and lively commentary that sees the pair reflect on the film and the shoot. Packed with personal anecdotes, discussions of some alternate takes and ideas (some included below), the story origins, practical effects, and more
• Filmmaker Focus: Director Jonathan Mostow on Breakdown—NEW!
• Victory Is Hers – Kathleen Quinlan on Breakdown—NEW!
• A Brilliant Partnership – Martha De Laurentiis on Breakdown—NEW!
• Alternate Opening—NEW!
• Alternate Opening with commentary by director Jonathan Mostow—NEW!
• Isolated Score—NEW!
• Theatrical Trailers
WORLD WAR Z
Ok, it’s a far cry from the original novel from Max Brooks, but there are elements of World War Z that are extremely effective at setting itself apart from over zombie outbreak movies. One the surface, an action horror centered around a pandemic that is rapidly turning humans into primal creatures. A bite takes seconds to turn a person into a fast moving vessels contagion and death. We take in the global scale of this by following United Nations investigator Gerry Lane (Brad Pitt), as he tries to shield his family from the outbreak, find a cure/cause, and prevent the wiping out of society. It’s this last aspect that marks WWZ a little different, with a global mission showing us how mankind responds to try and save itself. Approaches differ from country to country, culture to culture, yet each falls to this encroaching disaster. It parallels ecological warnings about out ill preparedness in the face of natural disaster, be it a hurricane or a flood of zombies, and how ultimately, science might offer our only solution.
This package includes a 4K remastered UHD for the theatrical. There is an inclusion of the films unrated cut, but it’s only here on Blu-ray. The 4K presents with a greenish tint, along with some deep inky blacks. Detail impressed, even in the more chaotic CGI heavy sequences.
Extra Features
• Origins: A making of doc, pulling together contributions from various cast and crew members, and touching on the process of how the book was adapted for the big screen
• Looking to Science: A doc on how the history of zombie films was drawn from, and meshed with scientific knowledge to craft a more grounded feature
• WWZ Production: a more expansive look at the production, key action sequences, stunts, casting, and more
ORPHAN: FIRST KILL
Orphan is the tale of Esther, a girl adopted from Estonia who turns out to actually be a psychopathic, murderous woman who suffers from a hormonal disorder leaving her trapped in the form of a child. How do you top that? Well, First Kill somehow manages it. Setting itself up as a prequel, it charts the first family to take care of Esther, who is again played by the same actress, Isabelle Fuhrman, even though it’s 13 years later. A combination of good skin care, makeup, and camera trickery allows them to pull this off, at least in a way that works with the tone of the film. With the ‘reveal’ already being known, we need a new twist to shake things up and boy do we get it, courtesy of a brilliant turn (and twist) from this families matriarch, played by Julia Stiles. It’s darkly hilarious, committed to it’s own farcical setup, and brilliantly entertaining fare.
The film was shot digitally at 4.5K, and the transfer here reflect the clarity of image you’d expect. After a well rendered opening set in Slovenia, the film takes on more grey and blue overtones. The production itself is rather muted in terms of colors, production design. its not a showcase for the 4K format, but its more to do with the drabness of the film than the 4K transfer. When considering the nature of the film, serving as a prequel to the original after 13years, it cries out for some behind the scenes glimpses, sadly we’re out of luck, as no extra features are included.
The Bottom Line
It’s an eclectic assembly to be sure, but each film in vol. 2 of Paramount Scares scratches a different kind of horror itch, be it the action of World War Z, the thriller vibes of Breakdown, the pure slashery of Friday the 13th Part II, or the off-kilter twists of Orphan: First Kill. The 4K presentations impress, and the assortment of goodies rounds out a fun filled package for Halloween season.
Paramount Scares Vol. 2 is available via Paramount Home Entertainment now
