ShadowZone Blu Ray Review (Full Moon Features)

Shadowzone is a 1990 horror science fiction hybrid film written and directed by J.S. Cardone (The Slayer, Wicked Little Things, Thunder Alley, Shadowhunter, True Blue, and 8MM 2). It was produced by the legendary Charles Band (The Puppet Master franchise, Trancers franchise, Subspecies franchise, Evil Bong franchise, Demonic Toys franchise, Ghoulies franchise, Troll franchise, The Resonator, Pet Shop, Robot Wars, Tourist Trap, Laserblast, Beach Babes from Beyond, Castle Freak, Blood Dolls, Seedpeople, The Creeps, Hideous!, Head of the Family, Oblivion franchise, Dollman, Doctor Mordrid, Intruder, Prison, Sorority Babes in the Slimebowl-O-Rama, Creepozoids, From Beyond, and TerrorVision). NASA Captain Hickock (played by: David Beecroft from Falcon Crest, Creepshow 2, and The Rain Killer) arrives at an abandoned research facility. Hickock is sent to investigate “Project Shadowzone”. He meets the crew which includes Tommy Shivers (played by: Frederick Flynn from The Slayer), Mrs. Cutter (played by: Lu Leonard from Blank Check), Dr. Erhardt (played by: Louise Fletcher from One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Flowers in the Attic, Cruel Intentions, Firestarter, Invaders from Mars, Blue Steel, Exorcist II, Strange Invaders, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and Best of the Best), Dr. Van Fleet (played by: James Hong from Tango and Cash, Big Trouble in Little China, Wayne’s World 2, R.I.P.D, Kung Fu Panda franchise, Ninja III, Missing in Action, Tank Girl, Everything Everywhere All at Once, and Blade Runner), Dr. Kidwell (played by: Shawn Weatherly from Police Academy 3, Amityville 1992: It’s About Time, Party Line, Mind Games, and Baywatch), and Wiley (played by: Miguel A. Núñez Jr. from Friday the 13th: A New Beginning, Street Fighter, Leprechaun 4, Carnosaur 2, Black Dynamite, Life, and The Return of the Living Dead). The experiment puts the patients in deep sleep in insolated chambers. Staff members and the doctors start disappearing one by one with gruesome results. Hickock starts to realize why he was given this dangerous mission. He must figure out a way to eliminate this nightmare before it escapes the facility and it reaches the public with it’s blood thirsty ways!!!! Shadowzone starts out really slow, it takes awhile for it to really pick up but it’s totally worth the wait. I do appreciate the character development. Director J.S. Cardone is no stranger to the slasher sub-genre from doing The Slayer and ShadowZone kinda has that vibe once the chaos happens. Most of the crew gets slaughtered in this. This sci-fi horror hybrid has some impressive practical fx and it features some awesome gore during the brutal kills. I will say J.S. Cardone decided to focus more on the aftermath of the violence so they mainly take place off screen. David Beecroft as Hickock is a very bizarre choice for the lead considering all the talent that’s involved with this low budget production. Honestly, he’s just okay as the lead and he’s severely outshined by his supporting crew in ShadowZone. I think this would have been so much better with someone else in this important role. Like I said before, the rest of the actors from this independent feature which includes James Hong, Louise Fletcher, Miguel A. Núñez Jr., and Shawn Weatherly are the main reasons why ShadowZone ends up being better than it should be. It has some nice suspense and it’s not shy when it comes to nudity. It does have a similar atmosphere to Alien but it’s a definitely take when it comes to the final product. You do have be a little patient for a little over 20 minutes but ShadowZone rewards you for it. It’s a very entertaining, fun, and something that you turn your brain off to enjoy. It’s one of the more underrated movies in the Full Moon vaults, RECOMMENDED!!!! Let’s discuss this high definition presentation and special features. This 1080p (1.78:1) transfer is a brand new restoration from the original camera negative. I’ve only seen this a few times in my life but it blows away the previous VHS and DVD home video releases from back in the day. It’s a real solid HD upgrade especially for it’s budget and it’s age, Full Moon Features was at their best when they were working with Paramount Pictures back in the day. It has excellent fx, locations, and production design that shine in this remaster. It has a few different audio options which includes English: Dolby Digital 2.0 and English: Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks on the disc. The audio is an improvement from the past on this release. All of the dialogue is very clean, the madness is elevated, and the music has a nice boost to it. It has English subtitles. It has a variety of Full Moon Features “Trailers”. It’s available everywhere right now, CHECK IT OUT!!!!