Savage Vengeance Blu Ray Review (SRS Cinema)
Savage Vengeance is a 2023 horror film co-written, produced, and directed by Jake Zelch (Mia Moss franchise, The Buried, Tales for the Midnight Hour II, The Krampus Carol, Trick or Treaters, and The Dark Web Tapes). It was co-written by Seb Godin (Lycanimator, Slimoids, Dinogore, The Abominations of Frankenstein, and Ouija Mummy) and Jason Harlow (Prom Queen, Another Evil Night, and Cleaver: Rise of the Killer Clown). It was produced by Donald Farmer (Cannibal Hookers, Demon Queen, Invasion of the Scream Queens, Vampire Cop, Red Lips, Savage Vengeance, and Scream Dream). It’s a remake of 1993’s Savage Vengeance. It has an estimated budget of $25,000. Tara (played by: Roni Jonah from OVW, Deadly Dares: Truth or Dare Part IV, Shark Exorcist franchise, Volumes of Blood, Space Babes from Outer Space, 13 Slays Till X-Mas, Thrust, New Fears Eve, The Art of Killing, Debbie Does Demons, Deadly Dealings, Wicked Ones, and Hell House) and Meghan (played by: Jasper Evans) accidentally encounter a group of cannibalistic criminals on the run. Can these two survive these vicious kills killers or will they end up being their next meal????
2023’s Savage Vengeance remake had me very curious. The original version was basically an unofficial sequel to I Spit on your Grave back in the day but they completely changed it up here. I guess it’s more of a reboot rather than a remake considering all of that. The script was more psychological than I thought it would be. I was expecting this to be a nasty revenge meets cannibal hybrid but it really wasn’t that at all. Modern day Scream Queen Roni Jonah as Tara gives the best performance in Savage Vengeance. She’s the real highlight in this independent production. Old school Scream Queen Tamara Glynn (Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers, Terrifier 2, 10/31: Part 3, Friday the 13th Vengeance 2: Bloodlines, Growing Pains, and Freddy’s Nightmares) as the Woman in Chains has a solid short cameo in this that leaves an impact. Director Jake Zelch was very smart about using her known name in this. Her small role is what probably grabbed most people’s attention for this low budget film. The creator of the original and cult director Donald Farmer (Day of the Dead, Dirty Cop 2: I Am a Pig, and Blood Feast 2: All U Can Eat) shows up in a small role here. The rest of the supporting cast includes Jasper Evans, Adam Freeman (Debbie Does Demons, Bigfoot Exorcist, Shark Exorcist 2: Unholy Waters, Deadly Dealings, and Cannibal Hookers), Cody Alexander (Truly, Madly), Kat Underwood, Dave Ivan (Blind Date), and Jake Zelch (The Haunting of Mia Moss). Savage Vengeance is rather tame considering what it’s about. There’s some violence but there’s nothing extreme or wild here. It took awhile to get somewhere but it had a solid finale. It’s currently streaming on Tubi or Fawesome if you want to check it out!!!!
Let’s discuss the high definition presentation and special features from SRS Cinema! This 1080p (1.85:1) unrated and uncensored transfer looks way better than expected. I previously covered the original DVD home video release and this is definitely a step above that one. It has an English: Dolby Digital 2.0 track on the disc. It has it’s chaotic moments that stand out when it comes to the audio. All of the dialogue is crystal clear, the revenge is elevated, and the music has a killer boost to it. It has an “Audio Commentary” with director Jake Zelch. The director said he lost some additional footage from the movie. He mentions the introduction is a nod to the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre. He goes over his experiences from it. He chats about the characters, cast, and subplots that got removed from the original version. He gives you plenty of detailed information and inside stories about Savage Vengeance. It has an additional “Audio Commentary” with actor Adam Freeman. He chats about how he got into acting. He goes over process, character, and experiences on it. He gives his thoughts on this remake. He brings up that it’s more true crime than horror which makes it feel more real. He was working on another film at the same time as this one. It has the almost 4 minute “Slideshow”. It has a “Trailer” for Savage Vengeance. It has a variety of SRS Cinema “Trailers”. It’s available everywhere right now, CHECK IT OUT!!!!
Sounds like a very low-budget throwback to I Spit on Your Grave and at least the first Wrong Turn.
I have to look for this! I saw the original so I’m curious about this.