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Septic Man
R2 - United Kingdom - Sharp Teeth Films Review written by and copyright: Samuel Scott (21st December 2015). |
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The Film
 ***This is an A/V and Extras review only. For reviews on the movie from various critics, we recommend visiting HERE.*** He’s about to have one crappy day... When a small town’s water supply becomes contaminated, causing violent, projectile eruptions from the townsfolk, it’s up to trusty plumber Jack to resolve the situation. But in the deep, dank sewers, Jack is not alone... after discovering the terrible secret behind the contamination – a mass of rotting corpses – he is pursued by the twisted killers that created this mess. All the while the fetid, toxic contents of the sewer are morphing him into a hideous monster. A Fantastic Fest Award-Winner from the creators of Monster Brawl, Exit Humanity, and Pontypool, SEPTIC MAN is an odyssey into the darkest depths of your toilet... It's a crappy job.
Video
Independent British distributor Sharp Teeth Films (a new sub-division of Terracotta Distribution) have released this weird Canadian film on to DVD in the United Kingdom using the original aspect ratio of 2.35:1. The transfer is anamorphic, and as far as films of this ilk go, looks better than average. The vast majority of the film is set in the sewers of a Canadian town, and these locations are suitably dark, yet with some reasonable levels of details despite some minor crush. In fact, poop of all kinds can be seen without trouble, whether it be the runny crap in the sewers, hardened crusty pooh on some of the items that "Septic Man" Jack uses, or some lovely slushy diarrhea type excrement that cements Jack's face. It doesn't stop at details in poop though, as when Jack pukes up, we get a nice vivid lighter brown so we can easily differentiate! Lighter external scenes and dream sequences that take place above what I will call Ground Zero do fare a bit better, with more minute details showing a little more vividity to suit the locations. Skin tones do seem slightly drained but not to the point of looking strange. In some of the opening scenes, there is some rather heavy banding in the skyline, and there were also some minor moments of posterisation on some walls in a couple of shots. The banding is certainly the worst of the problems though, as there aren't any issues with print damage or any other major anomalies. The film is uncut and runs 82:36 PAL.
Audio
There are two audio options included: - English Dolby Digital 5.1 - English Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo For my viewing, I opted for the English Dolby Digital 5.1 track which was pretty standard fare for this type of film/budget. The majority of the film takes place at the front of the sound stage with the surrounds used mainly for the rather droll and uninspiring score by Nate Kreiswirth and the occasional effect and echo in the sewers. Dialogue is clear for the most part, with a couple of lines a little on the quiet side though still audible. The LFE could have been used to better effect for some low-key echoes and rumbles, but the score does at least give it something to do. There are no issues with any sort of damage in the track. No drop outs, cracks, scratches, and no background hiss. It's a technically able track, but very underwhelming. No subtitles have been included.
Extras
The included basic extras are self-explanatory. Stills Gallery (32 pages) About Sharp Teeth Films (1 page) Start-up Trailers: - "Shopping Tour" (1:30) Bonus Trailers: - "Shopping Tour" (1:30) - "Asmodexia" (2:33) - "Ritual" (0:56) - "The Midnight Game" (1:26)
Overall
"Septic Man" wasn't really for me though it did hold my interest enough in parts to raise my intrigue. Whilst I could go the route of using any old crap-based pun, I'll just say that although I found it a little dull, the two people I viewed it with did enjoy it and found it to be something different that they would watch again at some point in the future. However, I think it is safe to say we were all thankful that smellovision isn't something to worry about just yet!
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