Automatons Blu Ray Review (Glass Eye Pix)

Automatons is a 2006 science fiction horror film written, produced, edited, costume designed, and directed by James Felix McKenney (Satan Hates You, CanniBallistic!, Hypothermia, Wrack, Candyland, and The Off Season). It was executive produced by Larry Fessenden (Blackout, Sisters, The Innkeepers, Satan Hates You, The Roost, I Can See You, Trigger Man, and The House of the Devil). Somewhere in the distant future, The Girl (played by: Christine Spencer from Satan Hates You, A Sweet Kind of Hollow, and Absolute Trust) is alone. She is the last of her people. She is warned by The Scientist (played by: Angus Scrimm from the Phantasm franchise, John Dies at the End, Wishmaster, Satan Hates You, I Sell the Dead, Masters of Horror, Mindwarp, Subspecies, and Chopping Mall) about this post apocalyptic world. Many of the others have already died in a generations-long war that the girl continues to fight with the assistance of a group of antiquated robot helpers and soldiers!!!! I don’t mean this as an insult or anything like that but Automatons reminds me of a homemade movie. It feels like something kids would put together on their own but it has legit behind the scenes talent which obviously makes it way better than something like that. It just gives off that vibe. It has the visual style of early David Lynch and it pays tribute to 50’s sci-fi movies when the sub-genre was on fire. Director James Felix McKenney was the creative mind behind this and he kept himself busy with multiple responsibilities here. He came up with this concept at a very young age. Horror Icon Angus Scrimm is the reason that I was interested in Automatons. He gives the best performance here as The Scientist. He delivers his dialogue with a strong presence. He demands attention every time that he’s on screen. He puts full effort into this no budget science fiction horror hybrid. Christine Spencer is the lead as The Girl. I wonder what happened to her because she was mainly the major part in everything that she did back in the day but unfortunately she didn’t act for that long. She’s solid as the lone survivor trying to make it out in this brand new world that has been turned upside down. She lost everything that she loved and she’s now alone trying to figure it out with danger all around. She fixes and repairs stuff from her past for some assistance. The rest of the supporting cast includes Brenda Cooney (The Innkeepers), Larry Fessenden (MaXXXine), Matt Huffman (Satan Hates You), Don Wood (Satan Hates You), Benjamin Forster (Satan Hates You), Michael Vincent (Satan Hates You), John Levene (Satan Hates You), Daniel Mazikowski (Trigger Man), and James Felix McKenney (Trigger Man). Automatons is definitely not for everyone. There’s absolutely no budget for this. I appreciate it’s ambitious visual and special fx. They add to it’s unique arthouse charm. It kinda feels like an extended Twilight Zone episode. It’s a bizarre and off the wall entry for the post apocalyptic genre, it stands out on it’s own. It has some decent violence, action, and it extremely campy. It goes for an Anti-War stance when that subject was barely touched when this was made. Automatons is a little slower so it does take some patience but it has it’s moments. It’s experimental and I respect that James Felix McKenney tried something out of the box for the independent production. I’m not sure how much I would personally revisit it but I don’t regret checking it out. Give it a shot especially if you are fan of 50’s sci-fi!!!! Let’s discuss this high definition presentation and special features from Glass Eye Pix in association with OCN Distribution! This 1080p (1.33:1) transfer is from a brand new 2K restoration. It looks great in black and white, the visuals really pop here for this low budget feature. This impressive upgrade shows some of the cheaper aspects on a sharper scale. It’s not afraid to display it’s flaws. I love that it says it was filmed in Robo-Monstervision. It has both English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 tracks on the disc. The audio is much better than I thought it would be. It has a good amount of action for Automatons. All of the dialogue is crystal clear, the chaos is elevated, and the music has a nice boost to it. It has English SDH subtitles. It has a little over a minute “Director’s Introduction” from 2015 VHS release. It’s done in the same style as the actual film. It has a brand new exclusive “Audio Commentary” with director James Felix McKenney, Noah DeFilippi, and Laree Love. They share loads of detailed information and inside stories from Automations. They shot at an old ice cream factory. They joke about the controversial lights at the beginning without any warning. They chat about doing it on super 8, music, fx, visuals, the cast, robots, being crafty, and the overall project. It has the unreleased almost 3 minute “Behind the Scenes: Surveillance Camera Montage”. It has the little over 3 minute “The Delusions of James Felix McKenney” film reel. It has “Trailers” for Satan Hates You and Wrack. It has the full length 2007 little over 60 minute “Death to the Automatons” behind the scenes documentary”. It has interviews with the cast and crew. It has plenty of footage from the set while they were shooting this science fiction horror hybrid. I really enjoyed that the actual crew got all kinds of spotlight for this documentary. It shows how some of the visuals were created. This is a real cool inside look into independent film. It has an archive 2006 almost 9 minute “Interview” with horror legend Angus Scrimm. He chats about how he got involved with this. He was getting pitched another vampire movie, he suggested that he wanted to do something with robots sometime. Automations is brought up so he did it for barely anything. He thought he was getting a trip to New York but they came to him to film his role. He talks about his experience working on this experimental project. He shows his appreciation for co-stars Christine Spencer and Brenda Cooney. He says his part was written specifically for him so that motivated Angus to do it more than anything. This is my personal favorite extra on here, I miss Scrimm. It has the little over 11 minute “2005 Camera Tests” footage. It has the 2006 “Automatons Trailer”. It comes with a high quality slipcover, additional pictures underneath, and a very detailed booklet. It’s available everywhere right now, CHECK IT OUT!!!!