Trailers From Hell! Volume Two

Based on the titular website, Trailers From Hell! is a compilation of movie trailers introduced by different directors who champion them with a short preface and an optional commentary running over the trailer itself. The whole endeavour was created by Gremlins' director Joe Dante, and he shows up to talk about a couple of films, as do Guillermo del Toro, John Landis and a bunch of other industry folks. With a title like Trailers From Hell! there's the expectation that the work in question will be B-movie schlock only there as fodder for sarcastic comments and jokes, but most are good films that have slipped through the cracks. Add to that some insights into what makes them great from enthusiastic fans that just happen to be filmmakers themselves and chances are you will want to search out the likes of Pit Stop and Deep Red. And Troma's Lloyd Kaufman is pretty convincing about his Terror Firmer too. Even with the great commentaries, it makes absolutely no sense for Jaws to be included, as it's so well known. There needs to be a clearer idea of what the series is trying to accomplish because the mix of sincerity and mockery is a little strange, and the overall tone unclear. The most disappointing thing about the DVD is that it clocks in significantly shorter than the advertised 88 minutes. There is actually just under an hour of trailers, which isn't long enough considering how much stuff is on the website and just how entertaining it can be when various directors talk about their choices. Thankfully, Shout Factory sweetens the pot a little by throwing in a bonus movie – the Roger Corman directed version of Little Shop Of Horrors from back in 1960, apparently presented in Anamorphic Widescreen for the first time ever, although the print is still a little on the scratchy side. Scratchy or not, it's still a very entertaining romp that stands up well, even if it lacks the songs and giant puppets from the remake.