The Firelight Shocks DVD Review Section

The Bone Yard Distributor: Program Power Region: 1 Ratio: 4.3 Sound: Digitally remastered in Dolby Surround Stereo

Now this is an odd one. Made in 1990, The Bone Yard is an obscurity of the finest sort - a truly deranged little horror film with the odd flash of originality to boot. I'm not quite sure of how to begin describing this film because it really is very bizarre, but here goes - three children are found murdered and it transpires that they were kept alive (before being killed) through being fed human flesh. Not very nice at all, but it also turns out that because of some sort of voodoo ritual they are destined to return to life as flesh craving zombies. Yet that is not quite the end of it - for these three zombie children also have the power to infect and mutate others whenever their putrid green blood is consumed. Okay, so you're thinking - just don't swallow their blood. Indeed, that would seem to be the sensible thing to do. Still, it turns out that one Phyllis Diller (as far removed from acting opposite Bob Hope in Boy, Did I Get a Wrong Number! as one could possibly imagine) manages to get herself infected and she promptly mutates into a huge bug eyed freak! However, the best mutation is undoubtedly saved for her pet poodle. Trust me, if you ever wanted to see what a horror movie might do with a marauding, carnivorous, bloodthirsty poodle then The Bone Yard is for you! Besides the huge, menacing poodle the most original thing about this film is that it dares to make its main heroine an unattractive, middle-aged psychic. I'm sure most directors would have vouched for a young, busty blonde in the token Ripley role - but instead director James Cummins appears to want us to actually believe in these characters and, suitably, the acting in this film is way above par for a low budget horror film. Besides Diller, the other familiar face in this movie is provided by Norman Fell - who might be best known for his role in The Graduate. As aforementioned, The Bone Yard is a strange movie. Its casting is strange, its monsters are strange and its plot is best described as nonsensical. Even the narrative is bizarre - very little actually happens for the first forty minutes or so (I guess it's called character building but I'd have preferred forty more minutes of the rabid poodle myself!). In terms of splatter, the film is actually rather subdued, instead saving its special effects budget for the creation of a couple of extraordinary monsters. However, all said, this is one horror movie that is actually somewhat unique and unforgettable. Now when you consider the amount of horror films that clog up your video shop, that can be seen as quite a recommendation. Consequently, for lovers of horror films with no pretensions and which feature enough originality to put many of the big budget multiplex horror films to shame (re: Urban Legend, The Hollow Man et al), The Bone Yard does its job just perfectly.

EXTRAS: Following on from their outstanding job on cult slasher movie Slaughterhouse, those folks at Program Power show exactly how a 'special edition' DVD should be done. If discs such as these become the norm for this company then it cannot be long before they are even head and shoulders above even the likes of Anchor Bay. Seriously, even they have never put quite as much work into a horror disc release as Program Power have on The Bone Yard and Slaughterhouse! First up, we have lengthy and interesting chats with star Phyllis Diller (who is hilarious, laughs loudly and makes some witty comments about plastic surgery), director and writer James Cummins (very matter-of-fact) and producer Richard F. Brophy (arguably the most insightful of the three). There is also a full-length audio commentary with the producer and the director, both of them have worked together three times before and seem to get along very well. This adds to a very laid back talk and it's great to listen to - especially because Cummins gives away every one of the special effects tricks! These great features aside, we also have a behind the scenes picture gallery and a theatrical trailer ('Something's happening at the county morgue...'). However, the special edition shines even further with its wealth of DVD rom material which include the original screenplay, yet more behind the scenes pictures, crew and cast biographies, concept drawings and art, packaging and promotional art, advertisement campaigns and trade press clippings! The final word on this low budget wonder I would imagine... The picture quality on this disc (again shown in full screen - which looks correct) is actually even better than on Slaughterhouse, with very crisp colours and a sharpness that adds hugely to the eerie atmosphere of the movie. The sound is excellent too, and there really is nothing to fault in the either the visual or the sonic side. A brilliant disc, and one which carries a huge recommendation.