Society/Spontaneous Combustion

Customer Reviews:

Those in Control.......2006-07-13

Two campy movies about people in power and the control they exert. In each, one character slips out of control so the movies have a common theme even if they seem completely different.

In the first movie, a high-school student feels he does not fit in with his rich family and their associates. His fears combine with suspicions from others not in favor and a horrifying picture begins to emerge. Finally his safety is in jeopardy and he challenges the horrific Society.

In the second movie we have a man who was born after a nuclear test designed to immunize people against radiation. He knows nothing of his past, only that suddenly people around him are being burned to death. His fears and concerns drive him to uncover his past and the lengths others have gone to in order to control all aspects of his life. Unfortunately the film ends rather suddenly.

Although billed as a Drive-In Double Feature, each movie occupies a different side of a single disk so you can't just sit back and watch them both without flipping the disk. Each movie is accompanied by its trailer and a commentary. Picture quality is good and some of the acting is quite good even with some of the horrible lines. All in all just what you would expect from a pair of Drive-In horror movies.

Double feature from Anchor Bay with only one good film........2006-05-26

This double feature only has one good film which is Brian Yuzna's Society the other film was Tobe Hooper's awful Spontaneous Combustion which is quite possibly one of Tobe's worst films I have ever seen, watch it at your own risk. Society is the reason I got this double feature dvd in the first place, I've read alot of great reviews for this film on other horror websites and I would have to say its worth it. The film has probably one of the most goriest and disgusting special fx I have ever seen that happen especially towards the end at the gory climax where the upper society or rich people start transforming and having there flesh mix up with each other, its very sick and twisted and I only recommend it to true horror fans. Billy has grown up all his life feeling like he just didn't fit in with his family, he's constantly paranoid of his family and the way his parents treat his sister. The sister's ex-boyfriend tells Billy about a secret society that his family is involved in but it seems to late when both they're lives are in danger ,4/5 stars this is deffinetly one of Brian Yuzna's best films despite being very cheesy and not having a clear explanation of this bizzare society club and how they became this way, I guess that you shouldn't take it to seriously. Spontaneous Combustion has to be one of the worst horror films I have ever seen, you could tell that Brad Douriff wants to be some where else with his over the top and very bad acting and the fx were terrible and you could tell that the film sucks when you hear the awful dialogue, its suppost to be sci/fi but they keep making things up to the point of making the film seem completely unrealistic and everything was serious. If your a hardcore horror fan like myself then you might be interested to get this dvd but don't expect a horror masterpiece or something like that.

2 films for the price of one, for horror completists........2003-12-10

I say that this DVD is for completists because I don't think these two films are going to end up on anyones top ten horror lists in the near or far future. BUT, you do get two at once here, and the films are somewhat interesting because of the talent involved, and it is a good deal. You get both films on a double sided disc, and that is a good thing if you are looking to see as many films as possible (like me).

SOCIETY is directed by Brian Yuzna (of Bride of Re-animator fame), and the special "surreal" effects are done by Screaming Mad George, who has worked on many, many films. It is about a teenager who thinks that everyone is not what they seem, and that he is paranoid. Ideas are not explored fully, but the film tries, and deserves a look. Yuzna includes a commentary, and the film is letterboxed. Overall, society would rate a 3 out of 5 stars due to its plot snowballing out of control, but for people who just want to see a modern effects master do his thing, stick around for the last half hour of this film. Devin Devasquez also plays a part.

SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION stars Brad Dourif (one flew over the cukoo's nest, childs play, two towers- Grima Wormtongue) and is directed by Tobe Hooper. It is letterboxed, there is a trailer included and not much else, but the film is mildly interesting, especially in reenacting a bomb test from the 50's. Overall the film is not great, but it does have mood at times. The soundtrack is especially effective when using an old standard: "I don't want to set the world on fire."

Is the DVD worth buying? Well, it is if you want to see as many films as possible. If you are a horror fan and have not seen them then yes it is worth buying (or renting). BUT, if you want to see a great horror film, and do not want to see every film that comes along, you may be better off seeing RE-ANIMATOR, and FROM BEYOND (in Yuzna's case, he was involved in those). For Tobe Hooper you need only to see the first two TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE films to see how he became such a well known horror director.

Customer Reviews:

Just Plain Weird.......2005-08-26

I remembered seeing this when I was younger and really freaking out over the carousel scene where the parents are in the bed all hot for each other. I mean, really HOT. Flaming hot in fact. That scared the (blank) out of me!

Now that I am no longer a wee lad, but am a bit older and wiser, I watched this movie with great interest. One word: "Huh?" This is the freakiest movie ever. And I don't mean that in a good way. It is Dumb with a capital D. Brad Dourif is weird, man. It freaks me out to even look at the guy. And the story is really lame. A psychic radio show guy gets set on fire through the phone. Sam's mentor turnes out to be an EVIL MADMAN who is trying to set him up with his sister/girlfriend Lisa so that together they will breed and create the ULTIMATE SECRET GOVERNMENT WEAPON so that this crazy guy can have THE ULTIMATE POWER. Uh, sorry. You kind of lost me back there somewhere...

The ending is... uh, funky. Some bad special effects with a memorable last line: "Lisa, I can take your fire." Then the movie just ends. What? It just stops. Like, "Okay that's it. You can all go home now. Sorry for wasting your time."

This movie would have had a great theme song if they had used The Doors' "Light My Fire". I can definitely see telling Cynthia Bain to "Come on baby light my fire." I give this movie 2 stars instead of 1 because... well I'm not sure why really. I guess I just like to witness Brad Dourif's flame-sprouting dementia.

Very strange.......2005-05-03

I liked this movie, but there were alot of loop holes in it's logic and the end was horrible. One loop hole is 2 caracters are riding in a car, and one begins shooting flames all over the place. Neither gets even scorched. But by the end of the movie, the one character is burnt pretty bad.On the other hand, the movie takes a creepy surreality at times that if it had maintained, this wold have been a classic. Example is at one point 2 characters are discussing the situation, and in the middle of the conversation voices from the radio add clues to the mystery. The 1950's Area 51 atmosphere is a plus.The ending makes no real sence.I do like ths movie, and love parts, but over all, the end was crap.

Spontanious Human Combstupid.......2004-11-27

This movie starts with this ugly little man who is annoying not to listen to, but also to look at. (You might recognize him from his best work in "Silent Night Deadly Night Part 5" with Mickey Rooney. [An equally unattractive man]) His wife is a pretty one in which in real life he would not have a chance. They have a kid during some radiation experimentation and end up with a kid that looks like Brad Douriff. (Coincidence? I think not). Later on Brad Douriff is a student/teacher (we really don't know what the heck he's doing there at the a college/high school [i think it's a college]). All we know is that he is an ugly man with a relationship with a pretty woman (in which we know he would have no chance with in real life [coincidence i think not] [the men his family must have a good personality]). And all the students at the school are wearing nazi-esque patches that are to protest the Nuclear Power Plant that is to be built. (Why you may ask? Good question.) Anyways, whenever Douriff gets mad he sets people aflame. (So maybe the men in his family don't have the best of personalities) So the movie goes on to "explain" why he is ripping off Drew Barrymore from "Firestarter", but end screwing it all up and making no sense whatsoever. Also you find out that his ex-wife's grandfather raised him and his current girlfriend, even though they didn't know about each other. So his girlfriend is a sister/girlfriend/enemy-because-she-knew-about-his-condition/
ex-wifes competion for affection. Got that?? Good. The ending is horrific in the sense of "Get me out of here before I burst into flames of confusion and frustration!"

If you liked this movie I recomend: The Mangler (another Tobe Hooper classic/mistake.
What I learned from Spontanious Combustion: Brad Douriff looks better and better as he decomposes.

Pyromania over the top!.......2003-01-01

The silliness begins in 1955 with newlyweds Brian and Peggy Bell undergoing a secret government experiment to give humans an increased resistance to radiation. As an unfortunate side effect, (don't all nuclear experiments have icky side effects?)their newborn child has developed the ability to cause people to burst into flame. Alas, Brian and Peggy are our first victims and our first hint that this is not going to be a special-effects masterpiece.

Jump to the present-day (late 80's) and our little firestarter is all grown up in the form of university student, Sam Kramer (Brad Dourif). Sam's opening scene is a school play audition wherein his performance is so pathetically bad that even his loving fiance, Lisa (Cynthia Bain) tells him not to quit his day job. If this scene was meant to ease the audience into Dourif's unconventional manner of acting by poking fun at him, it doesn't work, because we'll get to cringe a whole lot more as Dourif spends the rest of the film screaming and bugging his eyes out in an over-the-top performance that, for many other actors, would be a career-ending one. Even if this movie had a decent director, Dourif is woefully miscast and should really stick to roles that welcome complete psychosis like Grima Wormtongue (The Two Towers) and Piter De Vries (Dune).

Cynthia Bain doesn't fare much better, which is a shame because she does show some promise and is one of the better actors in the movie. Indeed, seeing her smiling face early on, while dressed in some attractive, if outdated outfits is one of the few bright points of the film. Unfortunatley, the screenplay soon has her bouncing between moderate to extreme hysteria, reminiscent of the closing scenes of Pumpkinhead, but without the believable motivation. It is actually a testament to her acting abilities that she can keep a straight, albeit tortured face through an increasingly ludicrous and muddled plot. In one scene, while driving her deteriorating, flamethrower of a boyfriend to the doctor, she has to alternately comfort and express her love for him while dodging the jets of flame shooting out of a hole in his arm. With driving skills like these she belongs in NASCAR, not this whacked-out flick.

If you think this sounds completely insane, just wait, it gets better - or worse depending on how you like your camp. After all, the words, "subtle" and "Tobe Hooper" are never found in the same sentence, let alone the same screenplay. As with Hooper's other works like Poltergeist and Lifeforce, the level of chaos and zaniness can only escalate, but in this case, on a very limited budget. Soon Sam Kramer is inadvertently toasting everyone around who even mildly upsets him - from a snotty radio producer (John Landis in a cameo role) to a friendly old security guard to an evil doctor/scientist who's trying to inject our poor hero with some green goo that looks fresh out of a cylume stick. All of this culminates in one of moviedom's most memorably silly climaxes that will leave you either laughing hysterically or uttering a very large: "huh?".

Bottom line: If you enjoy campy movies, Spontaneous Combustion can be quite fun at times. Unfortunately, the film is laced with enough seemingly serious acting and overtones to give the viewer the feeling that it wasn't meant to be funny. This, combined with a demented musical score and some seriously flawed writing make for an experience that can only be truly enjoyed by die-hard Brad Dourif (or Cynthia Bain) fans.

As far as this DVD version goes, the transer is very so-so and the only extra offered is a theatrical trailer. Blech.

CAUTION: Contents of this movie may be hot!.......2002-10-26

spontaneous combustion
Function: noun
: self-ignition of combustible material through chemical action (as oxidation) of its constituents -- called also spontaneous ignition

The thought of inanimate objects -- such as a pile of rags, or an old collection of tools -- spontaneously bursting into flames, is terrifying. Well, imagine if there was such a thing as spontaneous HUMAN combustion! Pretty scary, huh?

For Sam, it's not only scary, it's reality.

Sam always knew that there was something wrong with him, but he couldn't quite figure out the origin of his problem. After years of research, Sam discovers that his parents had been used in a number of atomic-weapons experiments shortly before he was born. The government was attempting to engineer the perfect weapon for war. When the project fails, the government hides all evidence of the project, and it becomes a tightly-kept secret.

Or did it?

No!

As a result of Sam's parents' repeated exposure to radiation, both of their genetic codes were changed, eventually being passed onto their first (and only) child, Sam. Because of the radiation running through his veins, Sam discovers that he has the uncanny ability to make things AND PEOPLE burst into flames.

Talk about getting "hot under the collar"!

"Spontaneous Combustion" is a masterful horror/sci-fi movie by one of the most talented filmmakers in the industry - Tobe Hooper ("The Texas Chainsaw Massacre", "Poltergeist").

Average customer rating:

Pure junk
I really loved this movie, I don't get what everyone else's problem is!
Why am I watching this???
Blah blah, rent the "Returner" instead.
Oh, what a mess

Armageddon
Starring: Andy Lau , Michelle Reis , Anthony Wong Chau-Sang , Claudia Lau , and Jessica Chau (II)
Director: Gordon Chan
Manufacturer: Tai Seng
ProductGroup: DVD
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Running Out of Time

ASIN: B000059XUD
Release Date: 2001-04-17

Amazon.com

Like a high-tech version of the Christian apocalypse tale Left Behind with a skeptical skew, Gordon Chan's Armageddon (not to be confused with the Bruce Willis giant asteroid adventure of the same name) haphazardly combines end-of-the-world prophecies from various faiths with a murky X-Files-like mystery. The world's greatest scientists spontaneously combust after receiving a cryptic note ("You Have No Choice"), and communications genius Andy Lau (Savior of the Soul) is roused from mourning the death of his fiancée to investigate. Anthony Wong (Hard-Boiled) costars as his buddy and bodyguard, a shaggy, sloppy street cop out of place in the high-tech environment, and Michelle Reis (Fong Sai Yuk) is the dead girlfriend who steps out of his flashbacks and into his life, like a ghost providing him with clues. The darkly handsome film is more tech noir than action thriller, with a spiritual undercurrent, a serious tone, and a slow, moody buildup. Chan breathes some excitement into the otherwise somber film with some intriguing effects and a striking climax, but he never really clears up the cryptic mystery. Still, he got the jump on Hollywood. Produced and released in 1997, when the fear of Hong Kong's return to China was investing everything from gangster movies to costume epics with a rumbling, paranoid sense of confusion, his millennial thriller is at least as interesting as the U.S. attempts that followed (End of Days, Stigmata, Lost Souls) and certainly more fun. --Sean Axmaker

Customer Reviews:

Pure junk.......2007-08-27

Ok, I've seen it despite the poor reviews. I can't say I wasn't told. The only reason this gets two stars is it was a really bad train wreak of a movie as one five star review, on another site, said. DON"T WASTE YOUR TIME WITH THIS.

I really loved this movie, I don't get what everyone else's problem is!.......2007-06-16

I saw this in the theatre in 1997 and thought it ruled. Andy Lau was brill as the scientist, Anthony Wong is always fantastic, and it was a great supernatural thriller, which is a genre you don't see so much of in HK films. I really enjoyed it completely and I have no idea why anyone else dislikes it--perhaps it's just not what they expect from an HK film? But if you like things like Twin Peaks, Supernatural, Profit, Hex, Existenz, or The Matrix I think you will enjoy this movie!

Why am I watching this???.......2005-01-09

Terrible ending to this apocalyptic sci-fi thriller. Andy Lau (in his umpteenth lead role) plays a scientist and head of a telecommunications MNC whose girlfriend (Michelle Reis) has just died, and then gets involved in an international cult that believes the end of the world is nigh. With a cop friend (Anthony Wong) he got tracked down by the Caucasian cult leader who wants to ordain him (?). At the end the director and writers probably run out of ideas, or funds, or both. Whatever good the film does in the first one hour is undone by the abysmal end. You'll be a saint not to throw things at your television set. Pretty boy Andy gets to decide the fate of the world? Gimme a break! Is this the end of the world or what?

Blah blah, rent the "Returner" instead........2004-02-24

This is a supernatural "thriller" about a mysterious cult that is murdering famous scientists (why?) by spontanteous combustion. Our hero, played by the talented Andy Lau, is a scientist on the list who has police protection forced on him, but will only accept his old friend the cop, played well by the accomplished Anthony Wong, as a bodyguard. Things get weird as Andy's dead fiancee starts appearing to him and everyone else and soon it becomes clear as the cult invites him into their inner sanctum, that God is pissed and everything falls to Andy making a decision.
Despite competent direction and good acting all around, this just drags on, makes no sense in many places, and has a ridiculous sappy ending that will make just about anyone cringe. The few positive moments are all in snappy banter between the two friends and virtually no action exists here. Unless you can't resist the re-united beyond the grave love story thing, avoid this one.

Oh, what a mess.......2000-05-11

Andy Lau is the scientist. Anthony Wong is his buddy, the cop assigned to protect him when leading scientists start getting knocked off in some unusual ways. Oh, and there's a dead wife coming back here and there to torment Andy.Actually, this film held my attention for about the first 45 minutes. It seems to be headed in some neat, techno occult direction, but . . . well, this one falls apart and it's not pretty.One last question: how come all the worst Caucasian actors are in Hong Kong? I think some L.A. waiters should buy a plane ticket and try their luck.

Average customer rating:

Ed wood films beat the crap out of this amateur stuff.
WARNING: This film has been censored!
Most Excellent Adventure
Hilarious movie finally on dvd, but. . .
For a good laugh

It Came From Somewhere Else
Starring: William Vanarsdale , Don Aldrich , Robert Buckley (VI) , Allen M. Johnson , and Richard Speeter
Director: Howard Hassler
Manufacturer: Xenon
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00096S43A
Release Date: 2005-06-07

Description

Kung fu experts from outer space invade a small town to set up their bizarre agricultural experiment. With the authorities unable to curtail spontaneous combustion of the townspeople and human hands growing in the fields, some local teenagers decide to take matters into their own hands, whatever that might entail.

Customer Reviews:

Ed wood films beat the crap out of this amateur stuff........2005-09-02

Ive seen bad films, but this one takes the cake,,, unfunny, amateurish, boring and stupid actors.
Looks like they wanted to make a bad movie like they used to make
in the 50's....and failed.
Shot in black and white with the gore and cheap sex scence in color.
Even if they were shot in 3d it would not save the film.
Please give me real moviemakers and send these low grade crappy actors/directors into the sunset....
This film makes the Toxic Avenger series look good.......

WARNING: This film has been censored!.......2005-08-22

This film has always been one of my favorites.
I own three copies on VHS (two back-ups just in
case the one I usually watch wears out). I make all of
my friends watch it, and most of them love it as much as I do.
It's stupid, completely inept, and totally hilarious. I put it up there with Richard Elfman's "Forbidden Zone" and John Paiz's "Crimewave" (A.K.A. "The Big Crimewave") as one of the three greatest cult movies of all time.

Only problem is nobody has ever heard of this movie. So I couldn't believe my luck when I stumbled upon the DVD!!!
I thought I was dreaming. I was tempted to buy three copies... just in case.

First off, I watched the deleted scenes and extras,
which were pretty great. It seemed odd, though, because
I had already seen many of the deleted scenes (they are part of my VHS versions). Then, when I settled in to watch the movie, my heart was broken.

Somebody, in their infinite wisdom, decided to
censor out almost all of the nudity, and many other
scenes have either been shortened,
or are missing entirely.

I suppose this version of the film might seem a little more
competent, because the missing scenes may have slowed down the pacing of the movie a little, but the
missing scenes were all PRICELESS. The ineptitude of this
film is what made it special, and editing it down to a
more "professional-feeling" version is borderline blasphemy.

After seeing this edited and censored version, I wished I had never bought it at all. I wish it didn't even exist. Thank god for my VHS copies.

Whoever decided to censor and edit this film should be
ashamed of themselves. Thanks a lot for wrecking one of my favorite films. I only give it two stars because
some of the extras are cool.

Most Excellent Adventure.......2005-08-05

I've enjoyed this movie almost as much as those who made it, many of whom are close personal friends. Particular favorites are the doofy psychiatrist (it's impossible to believe that this guy could ever be a real doctor, but rumor has it he is), Mrs. VA who looks young and couquetish, and the Deputy who brought new meaning to the words "dumb-ass sidekick" and made me want to eat a goldfish or three. If you watch closely, you can see all the stylistic touches of the director's assistant, Tim Johnson, that he demonstrated later as the executive producer of "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman" including the excessive use of beefcake to entice female viewers, in this case the star, William VanArsdale (one of the finer pieces of manhood appearing on the big screen in the 1980s: where is he now?) His popcorn scene just ooozes sensuality. Like a French pastry, you'll find "It Came From Somewhere Else" a tasty delight.

Hilarious movie finally on dvd, but. . ........2005-06-08

"It Came From Somewhere Else" has a place in my heart that no other movie does. I first rented this movie back in 1989 when in was first out on VHS and it became no less than a religion to my friends and I. We constantly quoted lines and watched it whenever we had parties. It's a parody of many films, and I liken the humor to that of the television show Get A Life, with Chris Elliott. It's sarcastic and clever, but has the underlying quirkiness of an inside joke that you don't quite get. On top of it's clever comedy, it's also low budget enough to get a laugh at it's bad sets and props.

As for the DVD release, bless the fine people at Xenon for putting it out, but I wish the version on the DVD was the version I saw on video. Some scenes were deleted then made into "deleted" scenes on the DVD. It seems like a ploy to get people to believe the deleted scenes are something extra. The "lost footage" selection to me is more like the "deleted scenes". Also I noticed some other small shots and bits cut out. Little things, but to someone who holds this film on high and has such fond memories of watching it, I hate to see them gone. I'm glad I still have an old VHS copy. The full version of the secretary scene is hidden on the DVD, but some of these other shots are not there at all.

All in all, this DVD is great. It has more extra features than I'd ever imagine for this movie, and to see something "new" pertaining to this movie after so many years is truly amazing. Just don't throw away any old copies of the movie you have.

For a good laugh.......2005-05-17

If you want glitzy special effects look elsewhere. If you enjoy a good belly laugh from the absurd this may be your title. One of those "cult" movies you will watch more than once.

Average customer rating:

Just Plain Weird
Very strange
Spontanious Human Combstupid
Pyromania over the top!
CAUTION: Contents of this movie may be hot!

Spontaneous Combustion
Starring: Brad Dourif , Cynthia Bain , Jon Cypher , William Prince , and Melinda Dillon
Director: Tobe Hooper
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00006LSF6

Customer Reviews:

Just Plain Weird.......2005-08-26

Very strange.......2005-05-03

Spontanious Human Combstupid.......2004-11-27

Pyromania over the top!.......2003-01-01

As far as this DVD version goes, the transer is very so-so and the only extra offered is a theatrical trailer. Blech.

CAUTION: Contents of this movie may be hot!.......2002-10-26

Average customer rating:

Pure junk
I really loved this movie, I don't get what everyone else's problem is!
Why am I watching this???
Blah blah, rent the "Returner" instead.
Oh, what a mess

Armageddon
Starring: Andy Lau , Michelle Reis , Anthony Wong Chau-Sang , Claudia Lau , and Jessica Chau (II)
Director: Gordon Chan
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Art House & International | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Foreign & International | Stores | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $9.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( A ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Running Out of Time

ASIN: 6305020671
Release Date: 1998-07-01

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

Pure junk.......2007-08-27

I really loved this movie, I don't get what everyone else's problem is!.......2007-06-16

Why am I watching this???.......2005-01-09

Blah blah, rent the "Returner" instead........2004-02-24

Oh, what a mess.......2000-05-11

DVD:

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