Idle Hands - Collector's Edition

Horror flicks are making some sort of comeback of late. Scream help rejuvinate the genre but it seems it's been taken to the extreme with an overdose of teen scream flicks been excreted out of Hollywood. Out of the crowd appear some gems and Idle Hands is a perfect example.

Anton (Devon Sawa) wakes up one morning to find his parents missing. There's apparently a serial killer on the loose and this lazy bum just spends another day in front of the TV bonging away oblivious to the fact that his parents may infact be victims of these murders. The truth comes to pass when his friends Mick (Seth Green) and Pnub (Elden Henson) come over and find their fate sealed by the right hand of Anton.

You see, Antons right hand has been possessed by the Devil himself and is on a quest to find a sacrifice that will enable him to open a portal to Hell. Whatever. It's the uncontrollable right hand that causes havoc for Anton and he must destory it by any means possible whether it be to sever the limb or to get it stoned.

Not the greatest of transfers from columbia given it's dark nature. It felt a little bland at times, a smidge washed out in look. It could have been the movie itself that is presented with deep orange and green hues, often clashing with each other, even if they were all for effect.

Sharpness is of a low standard and detail suffers at times with some less than 3d looking imagery. Black level also seems to suffer and shadow detail is lost in the dark blue/grey tinge.

The 90 minute movie is restricted to a single layer so I don't know if the compression had to be compromised to account for this. I'm sure a dual layered, higher bit-rate presentation will have produce a better result. The transfer is a 1.85:1 ratio 16x9 enhanced image so those planning for the future and those already there will be pleased.

Another of those center channel restricted soundtracks that opens up during the involving and musically backed scenes. Dialogue is always clear throughout the movie and is restricted to the front sound stage, which is the norm these days.

When the action heats up we are treated to a full surround experience with directional qualities complimenting the on-screen images. The opening scene will ensure a few jumps in the seat experiences as the musical score and the surround channels are fully utilised to frighten the audience member.

Another Collector's Edition from Columbia with a handful of features to compliment the decent movie.

• Audio COmmentary - by director Rodman Flender and actors Seth Green and Elden Henson. This is one of the better commentaries I've heard, simply for the fun they are obviously having. It's one of those commentaries that you sit down to listen to and end up watching the credits not long after. They shed alot of insight into the movie and various key scenes along with a large amount of knowledge about the horror genre in general. It's nice to note which scenes were ad-libbed as it gives the actor that certain quality and creativity that you wouldn't normally notice if they'd simply read from the script book. Seth Green, you're a talent and a laugh.
• Behind the Scenes Feature - this short feature is your average off set interviews intermingled with scenes from the movie and the narrators summary of the plot.
• Storyboard to final comparison - Another neat feature showcasing 2 scenes from the movie with the top half of the screen featuring the storyboards and the bottom half the actual finished product. Only problem is that the finished product was too dark to make most of it out.
• Theatrical Trailer - Standard procedure promoting the comedic aspect of the film.
• Deleted scene - Director Rodman Flender introduces this section by mentioning how dvd enables directors to show the fans stuff that didn't quite make it. This scene is of the alternate ending that was dropped because it didn't fit the tone of the film. I agree with the decision as the ending in the movie suits it just fine.

I enjoyed the movie. It's not your average slasher flick, it's got it's gory moments, it's got it's way funny moments and it's got some good talent that are semi-used to their full potential. If you like sitting down with friends for a laugh then you'll enjoy this one.