EEGAH
(1962)
Starring
Arch Hall Jr, Marilyn Manning, Richard Kiel, Arch Hall Sr. Directed
by Arch Hall Sr (as
Nicholas Merriwether). (89 min).
ON
BLU-RAY FROM
Review
by Fluffy the Fearless😼
For
dedicated MSTies, Eegah needs no introduction. Featured on the
original Mystery Science Theater 3000 in 1993, it remains one
of the show’s more popular classic episodes.
The
movie itself is a woefully-inept exercise in bargain basement
nepotism. Character actor turned backwoods auteur Arch Hall Sr spent
most of the ‘60s trying to turn his cherub-faced offspring, Arch
Hall Jr, into a teen idol. That never happened, of course, and only
Eegah himself, Richard Kiel, went on to do anything noteworthy.
It probably goes without saying that MST3K is the only reason
Eegah is still remembered. Watching the film today, without Joel, Tom Servo & Crow riffing-along, seems unfathomable. The Film Detective gives us that very opportunity, though...with a 4K
restoration, no less. But while the film looks and sounds better than it
probably ever did, who the hell cares?
 |
| "Not funny, guys!" |
The
real treasures here are the bonus features, including the full MST3K
episode, which marks the first time anything from the original
series has ever been released on Blu-ray. While I personally don’t
think it’s their greatest riff job – The Clonus Horror deserves
that honor - this is where “Watch out for Snakes” became
part of MSTie vernacular. Also included are individual interviews
with MST3K’s Joel Hodgson and Arch Hall Jr himself. The latter
offers some interesting production details and generally comes across
as good-natured about Eegah’s dubious legacy.
This
Blu-ray release Eegah is definitely one for the niche crowd. I
can’t imagine anyone beyond the Hall family caring about the
restoration, but MST3K fans will certainly want to snap
this up. And quickly, too, since it’s limited to only 1,500 copies.
EXTRA
KIBBLES
MYSTERY
SCIENCE THEATER 3000 VERSION (92 min)
INTERVIEW
WITH ARCH HALL JR.
INTERVIEW
WITH JOEL HODGSON
SUPPLEMENTAL
BOOKLET – With an essay by
The Film Detective’s Don Stradley.
KITTY CONSENSUS:
PURR-R-R...LIKE A GOOD SCRATCH BEHIND THE EARS
No comments:
Post a Comment