Search - Wes Craven's Chiller on DVD

K. K. (GAMER)
Reviewed on 10/2/2020...

Avoid this one even if you like the actors. The picture and sound quality were the worse so it chilled the movie. I used the 120X FF and a quick eject. I would have given a 0/5 rating if possible for this horrible movie transfer.

1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.

Decent movie but a horrible release...

C. Smith | Anchorage, AK USA | 07/20/2007

(1 out of 5 stars)

"I don't normally write too many reviews, but I felt that I had to warn people before buying this particular DVD release. If you are in the store and see Wes Craven's Chiller released by "Quality DVD," walk the other way. As a movie I'd give this about 3 stars, maybe 3.5 stars. Its a decent story, with decent acting, basically it is an all around decent 80s psychological thriller.



The premise is that Marion Creighton (Beatrice Straight) is the mother of Miles Creighton (Michael Beck). Ten years ago he "dies" from a failed liver transplant. The doctor's can't do anything to save him and she decides to cryogenically freeze her son till one day when medical science has advanced enough to help him. Ten years later he accidently starts to thaw when his "freezer" mechanically fails. The doctor's of the time are capable of saving him. However, Miles isn't exactly the same anymore...



Miles quickly begins to terrorize the people around him. His loving mother, who is too overwhelmed with happiness at his return, doesn't realize it until it is too late what he's become. The movie also stars Paul Sorvino as Reverend Penny, a close family friend and one of the first to question the return of Miles.



Anyway, this DVD release is nearly unwatchable. Imagine someone took an original VHS copy of Chiller, watched it a hundred times, let the neighbors dog pee on it, stuck it out in the sun for a year, then locked it in an attic for another decade, then pulled it out without bothering to dust it off, used a composite connection (I'm talking the F connector) hooked it up to a theater projector, setup a tripod with their grandmother's 3 decade old camcorder, and filmed the movie being projected, and then and only then transferred the horrendous copy remaining to a digital format, slapped it on a DVD and called it "Quality."



The irony isn't lost on me. Seriously, the video is horribly washed out and even pixelated, the audio is barely legible at parts, this is made worse by the lack of subtitles and/or closed caption for the hearing impaired, therefore meaning that you will actually miss parts of conversations, expecially when Stacy is speaking. For God sake the movie actually had video frames "ripple" like an old abused VHS tape.



If you like this movie or are even interested, DO NOT buy the "Quality DVD" release at any price.



I wonder what it must feel like to work for a company like "Quality" and go home at the end of the day after producing such a low quality product like this. I can't imagine that you would feel too proud. End rant."

Great little film - poor quality transfer

K. P. Jackson | UK | 07/12/2007

(1 out of 5 stars)

"This is a great little film. It's let down considerably however from both poor picture and sound quality. Imagine a poor video recording from that video being watched repeatedly and you have some idea as to how poor this DVD quality is. Hence the rating. The film is a 3 or 4. The DVD quality is 1, simply because I cannot rate it 0."

TERRIBLE TRANSFER; OKAY MOVIE

Michael Butts | Martinsburg, WV USA | 04/08/2005

(2 out of 5 stars)

"My version was released by FRONT ROW ENTERTAINMENT, but like my fellow reviewer, this version is disastrously transferred. I agree that it looks like it was taped from either the tv movie or a VHS. The sound supposedly digitally remastered is definitely not!!! At any rate, if you can suffer through the technical travesty, CHILLER is an okay little movie, which doesn't really show Wes Craven's directorial skills. The premise of the cryogenic gentleman resuscitated, but without a soul, could be an interesting movie, but both the writer and Mr. Craven don't fill it out with enough characterization or suspense to sustain it. Michael Beck in an early impersonation of Johnny Depp, brings little real malice to his role; the late Oscar winner Beatrice Straight tries to outdo Bette Davis in her poorly developed role; Paul Sorvino gamely tries to evoke some sympathy as the Reverend Penny; Laura Johnson is wasted in her role as the corporate climber who regrets her allegiance to Beck; and Jill Schoelen (Popcorn) as the young Stacy does little to impress either. I wouldn't buy a copy of this movie, if all the versions are as poorly transferred as this one!"