Director – Howard Avedis (The Fifth Floor, Kidnapped)
Starring – Mary Beth McDonough (The Waltons, West Wing), David Wysocki (Humongous, Money to Burn), and Bill Paxton (Aliens, Frailty)
Release Date – 1983
Rating – 2.5/5
Blu Release – 3/5
Some movies are made and become iconic upon release while others gain a cult following years or even decades later. However, some movies are released and the movies themselves may not stick with viewers but their artwork becomes legendary. When I was in high school a friend of mine got a few movie posters to hang around his house. Movies like Skinned Alive, Dawn of the Dead, Zombi, and a few others.
One that stood out was the poster for the 1983 horror film Mortuary. The poster was included in an eBay lot he won but none of us had seen the film. With that being said, that was easily the coolest poster on his wall and we would often get drunk and make up stories about what the story for the film was. I never did get to watch Mortuary so when MVD announced the blu release of it as part of their MVD Rewind Collection I had to jump on it. I want to thank MVD for sending this one my way.
**Spoiler Alert** The film follows a young girl and her boyfriend who suspects that her father’s death was not accidental. She tries to investigate but the closer she gets to answers the more she feels as if she is being stalked and harassed by someone. She’s convinced that someone is trying to scare her to stop her from looking but she soon uncovers that someone has killed her father and they have ties to the local mortuary. **Spoiler Alert**
I’ve never heard people talk about this film so I always assumed it was bad but the original poster for this one is absolutely glorious. With that being said, the film does fall a little short. It has some fun moments but the overall film is a bit of a let down.
The acting in this one was actually very enjoyable. Paxton was by far my favorite performance. His character is annoying during the first half of the film but when we enter the last act his character is insane. I loved the intensity he brought to the film. With that being said, the main characters of the film are solid but they are not as memorable as Paxton and his final scene performance.
The story for this one feels like a bit of a slasher mixed with a made for television murder mystery. We get some red herrings tossed in to throw the viewer off while the real story keeps rolling. With that being said, we get a lot of long and boring scenes that do very little for the story. The film would have been so much more enjoyable if it would have embraced the slasher style story.
Finally, the film has some red stuff, especially during the final scene, but the “death” scenes are not that memorable or entertaining. With that being said, that last act with Paxton is bloody and slightly amusing. Overall, Mortuary is not as fun as the poster but it does have it’s moments. I liked some things and disliked even more. The release from MVD looks great so fans of this film should really check it out. If you’ve never seen the film I would highly recommend checking out this release if you want to watch it all.
Special Features:
Interview with Composer John Cacavas
Original Theatrical Trailer
Collectible Mini-Poster
WHILE SUPPLIES LAST AND NOT GUARANTEED PAST PREORDERS Limited Edition Retro Slip Cover – FIRST PRESSING ONLY
