Mask,The

Been waiting for this one to get to DVD. My review will be updated when I get the disc, but for now I'll comment on the movie itself and not the disc quality.

FWIW this was also known as Eyes of Hell, it is a 1961 low-budget Canadian horror film produced in 3-D by Warner Bros.

This is a really great B horror flick. One of those Friday night Shock Theater gems for sure. The 3-D sequences, four in all, last only a few minutes each. They were designed by montage expert Slavko Vorkapich, and feature an array of distinctively psychedelic visuals, some of which are mildly gruesome. A crude electronic music score enhances the strangeness of the 3-D scenes.

The movie is well done considering it's low budget, the story concerns a young scientist who obtains a mysterious ancient tribal mask. Whenever he puts on the mask he experiences weird dream-like visions which become increasingly disturbing and violent. The visions begin to alter his personality, and eventually drive him insane! Wee, what great Friday night fun! Pretty obvious where the later comic book and Jim Carry movie plot line came from.

UPDATE: As far as the disc quality, it's good, very watchable for a budget film, don't expect a flawless presentation as I'm pretty sure no master exists that would be better than this disc. Highly recommended.

This is a difficult movie to rate because it's so odd it needs to be seen no matter what someone might think of its quality. It is one of only two films directed by Canadian Julian Roffman. I got a chance to see this when it was originally released in the theatres. The studio used some of the 3-D "dream" sequences in the TV campaign and to a little shonicker like myself who was only 9 at the time, this looked like the greatest movie in the world. When I did in fact see it I thought this was right up there with the best of them. Well...upon viewing it as an adult on video, it wasn't quite that good, but it's a wiild flick to behold nonetheless. The 3-D sequences are outrageous. Viewers are treated to the likes of the hero rowing down the river Styx in a coffin while a skeleton-faced demon spits fireballs at him. Of course those fireballs are coming right at you and it's really nifty. These sequences looked as though though they were designed by Salvador Dali. And to a kid who couldn't tell a Roger Corman budget from a Cecil B. DeMille budget, this was the bee's knees. Of course the bones show when you get older and this film could have used at least a few more dollars. The non-dream sequences are a little dumb and slow, and the "don't do drugs or this is what will happen to you" subtext is a bit dated, but this is a definite must see for anyone who can appreciate the sheer energy and imagination involved. One could easily call this "gorilla film making." Also, the opening scene, where viewers witness the murder of a young woman, the camera is P.O.V. and it is truly frightening. So much so, that the rest of the movie can't quite sustain that level of intensity. Do yourself a favor and buy this movie. It's a cheap date and it even comes with 5 pair of 3-D glasses. It makes a great party experience. Thanks to those whacky folks at Rhino Video for digging up this little gem.

I saw this movie on TV many years ago. As I was much younger, and as I recall, up to my eyebrows in "refreshments", I thought it was a great movie. So when I saw that it was finally on DVD, I HAD to get a copy. It was, at the time, a fairly original idea. And as my old friend Greg Horn (see review above) said, its obvious where the idea of the comic book and Jim Carry movie originated.

Well, despite the flaws in the movie, I certainly got my money's worth. The flaws were absolutely hilarious. The director must have been on some strong medication - probably to offset the tiny budget and third rate actors he was forced to work with. I lost count of how many times the script referred to it being night (i.e. the psychiatrist driving his car and picking up his secretary, whom he was banging behind his fiance's back, in broad daylight, parking his car, and telling her to "Look at the stars!"). The fight scene near the end between the shrink driven mad by the mask and the dour, half-baked looking police detective was hilarious; especially the pathetic parody of a karate chop to the shoulder that finally subdued the hapless lunatic. There were too many holes in the plot to keep track of without taking notes. And EVERYBODY was smoking cigarettes like there was no tomorrow!

But it was the dream sequences and accompanying music that really made the film. The sequences were directed by Slavko Vorkapich; and you knew where the loin's share of the film's budget went. These scenes were quite well done. There is a feeling of fear and nightmarish surrealism in them that one wouldn't expect from the rest of the film. The effects utilized the limited technology of the day with a deft artistry. The 3D element (BTW, the DVD comes with a free pair of 3D glasses; a nice bonus) didn't hit me all that strong. Maybe it was me. But despite this, the dream sequences made the film.

I was also interested in the idea the film presented of exploring the depths of the human mind. Such ideas were rare for 50's grade B (or C) horror flicks. But The Mask wrestled with the idea in a way that was heroic in light of the limits of budget and talent. Somewhere, someone may have been trying to get an idea across and make a statement.

There were also bonus previews of various lost films, serials, and advertisements that were just as hilarious as the bulk of the film.

I gave this four starts partly because of the brilliant creativity of the dream sequences and partly because of the fact that the DVD as a whole was an eloquent relic of a bygone era. The demented innocence of the beginning of a headlong plunge into a spiritual emptiness that has since engulfed the whole of humanity. Yet, looking at it cannot help but bring a smile to our faces. Personally, I'm not the type to long for the "good old days". Nor am I much interested in current popular trends - which will doubtless go the way of the dinosaur and films like The Mask. My own "now" is far too interesting and fulfilling to live in such fantasy worlds. But an occasional visit to the "Old Neighborhood" is always refreshing, enjoyable, and puts things in a delightful perspective.