PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Ahhh, Wild Eye Releasing’s Visual Vengeance series of releases contains some real lost gems, cleaned up and lovingly presented for a new generation of horror misfits! Are they all lost “classics”? No. Enter Scream Queen.
Synopsis
Malicia Tombs, a well-known horror actress, dies in a car accident under mysterious circumstances after leaving the set of her latest movie. Fans and co-workers alike reflect on her life. But someone believes she was murdered and sets out to get revenge for her death!
Check out the trailer below~!
Prince of low-budget horror, Brad Sykes (Hi-Fear, read our review here) wrote and directed Scream Queen, a film-within-a-film slasher in 1998. The producers of the film, looking for a little ROI I suppose, had it cut together and finished in 2002 for release. Opening with an overly long credits sequence, Scream Queen features the irreplaceable Linnea Quigley (Return of the Living Dead) as Malicia Tombs, a popular, if diva-ish, horror actress who dies whilst filming director Eric Orloff’s (Jarrod Robbins; Mutation) newest slasher opus.
With production halted the cast and crew go their separate ways. However, after a year, Malicia, seemingly from beyond the grave, sends invitations to a mysterious mansion to finish the film, at whatever the cost. Soon Squib (Bryan Cooper), girl next door Jenni (Emilie Jo Tisdale; Lost Soul), the sultry Devon (Nova Sheppard; Wish), Runyon (Kurt Levee; Evil Sister), and the Traci Lords-looking Christine (Nicole West; Dimension in Fear) join Eric and the now living Malicia in a game of cat and mouse as the resurrected starlet seeks revenge for her alleged murder.
Is life imitating art?? Who is really the star?? And who will survive??
All of this, and more, is kind of answered in Scream Queen. Shot on video, and not preserved very well at that, the film suffers from low video quality. And, trust me, all of the flaws are magnified in this 480p Blu transfer. Dubious picture quality and sound are front and center, which makes Scream Queen a semi-difficult watch. However, that’s not to say it’s unwatchable, just a challenge.
Story-wise, Scream Queen is a nifty little yarn with some original ideas and plot mechanisms but ultimately suffers from pacing problems. The film doesn’t start to cook until about an hour in, which normally isn’t that big of a deal, but Scream Queen has a running time of 78 minutes! That being said, there’s a decent amount of splatter present for the gore hounds, the requisite nubile actresses, with Quigley (in what turns out to be a smallish role) looking her mid-career best, and some strange girl/girl bondage and even a creepy little person on crutches thrown in for good measure. Scream Queen is gonzo fun, if a tad bit difficult to watch.
Of course, Wild Eye outdid themselves with the release, whether the film warrants it or not. Commentary from Sykes, a new BTS doc (where you learn that a lot of the sets were Sykes’ and Linnea’s apartments!), the original producer’s cut of the film, a new Quigley interview, trailers, and liner notes. The packaging, as expected, is top shelf. Stickers, a video membership card, a mini-poster, reversible art, and a booklet make for a tidy, cool physical media gem.
A home run release of a questionable film in Sykes’ varied catalog, Scream Queen is worth the price, even if you just want to see Linnea Quigley singing and dancing with a chainsaw in a parody of a certain Nancy Sinatra hit.
Wild Eye’s Visual Vengeance Blu-ray release of Scream Queen is available now from fine retailers.
