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    • BLU-RAY REVIEW

    Stan Helsing: A Parody

    Featured In Issue 145, December 2009

    Picture3.5
    SoundNR
    WSR Score2.5
    Basic Information on new release titles is posted as soon as titles are announced. Once reviewed, additional data is added to the database.
    (Studio/Distributor):
    Anchor Bay Entertainment
    (Catalog Number):
    N3150
    (MPAA Rating):
    R
    (Rating Reason):
    (Retail Price):
    $34.98
    (Disc Type):
    Single Side, Single Layer (BD-25)
    (Widescreen Edition):
    Yes
    (Full Screen Edition):
    No
    (Running Time In Minutes):
    90
    (Color Type):
    Color With B/W Sequences
    (Chaptered/Scene Access):
    Yes
    (Closed Captioned):
    Yes
    (Regional Coding):
    Not Indicated
    (Theatrical Year):
    2009
    (Theatrical Release):
    Yes
    (Direct-To-Video Release):
    No
    (Disc Release Date):
    10/27/09
    (THX® Digitally Mastered):
    No
    (Director):
    Bo Zenga
    (Screenplay/Written By):
    (Story):
    (Music):
    (Director Of Photography):
    (Production Designer):
    (Visual Effects):
    (Costume Designer):
    (Editor):
    (Supervising Sound Editors):
    (Re-Recording Mixers):
    (Executive Producers):
    (Co-Producers):
    (Producers):
    (Academy Awards):
    (Principal Photography):
    (Theatrical Aspect Ratio):
    (Measured Disc Aspect Ratio):
    (Disc Soundtrack):
    Dolby Digital 5.1, PCM 24/48 5.1
    (Theatrical Sound):
    (Theatrical Re-Issue Soundtrack):
    (DTS Bit Rate):
    (Dolby Digital Bit Rate):
    (Additional Languages):
    (French Language):
    (Spanish Language):
    (Chinese Language):
    (Subtitles):
    (Cantonese Language):
    (Mandarin Language):
    (Japanese Language):
    (Italian Language):
    (German Language):
    (Portuguese Language):

    It's Halloween night, and video clerk Stan Helsing (Howey), along with his sexy ex-girlfriend (Baird), his best buddy (Thompson), and an "exotic dancer/massage therapist" (Lydic) detour into a town cursed by parodies of six of the biggest monsters in movie history: Freddy, Jason, Pinhead, Leatherface, Chucky, and Michael Myers. But when Stan discovers that he's a direct descendant of the legendary monster hunter Van Helsing, the four have to survive a night with the monsters, homicidal hitchhikers, vampire strippers, killer karaoke, and the temptations of lots of hot chicks. (Tricia Spears)

    Special features include commentary with Writer/Producer/Director Bo Zenga and Actors Kenan Thompson and Desi Lydic; the featurette Killer Parody: The Making Of Stan Helsing (HD 11:06); six extended, alternate, and deleted scenes (SD 08:01); outtakes (SD 04:59); the trailer; a still gallery; and a storyboard gallery.

    The 1.85:1 1080p VC-1 picture is overly dark, with blacks that are crushed and shadows that are undefined. The picture should be viewed in a completely dark room, preferably a black viewing environment, to resolve the detail in the imagery. This will challenge the contrast and black-level capability of your display system. Colors are vivid, with warm and rich hues. Fleshtones are generally naturally rendered. Resolution is good and resolves fine facial features and object textures. Overall, this is a dark picture and will not translate well on display systems with low or mediocre native contrast capability. (Gary Reber)

    The uncompressed LPCM 5.1-channel soundtrack is the preferred choice, with more nuance and dynamic presence compared to the Dolby® Digital presentation. The sound is quite dynamic, with an effectively extended low-frequency foundation particularly energized by the .1 LFE channel. Atmospheric and other sound effects are prevalent and extend aggressively into the surrounds, with at times, directionalized effect. Dialogue is production sound and ADR, and at times, lacking good spatial integration. The music is recorded well, with a forward presence, and an aggressive surround presence, which is often active. The soundtrack has its engaging moments and generally supports the parody situations. (Gary Reber)

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