On DVD: Masters of Horror The Washingtonians

Directed By Peter Medak

Starring Jonathon Schaech, Venus Torzo, Julia Tortolano

As most of you know I'm a big fan of the Masters of Horror series.  I liked a great deal of season one and I've been a bit critical of season two but there have been some episodes of season two I have enjoyed.  Unfortunately, The Washingtonians is not one of those episodes.

The Episode

I know this is like broken record time but I have to start the review by complaining about the director, Peter Madek, being given the "Master" of Horror title.  He's made one film in his lifetime that could be considered a classic and that film is The Changeling.  While I don't question the merits of that film I do question what else the director has done.  Well, he's uhh done Species 2.  See what I mean?  Anyway, on to the movie....

The story follows a family as they move into an old house willed to them by the husband's grandmother.  As they sort thing in the house out they discover and old painting of George Washington and inside it they find a note discussing the eating of children and making utensils out of the bones.  The note is actually signed G. W. convincing the husband that this note was written by Washington himself.   Freaked out the husband becomes determined to get the truth out about Washington and his evil ways.  What the family doesn't discover until too late is that the town is full of Washingtonians, Washington purists that celebrate the legacy of Washington and they continue to carry on his ways.

This film is most disappointing in the opportunity that it misses.  There could have been some really cool bits of sociopolitical commentary in this film but the director doesn't even try.  Instead what we get is silly, but not in a purposefully silly way, it's predictable, and most importantly it's not scary.  The acting is bad and the side characters are more like caricatures.  They actually make the climax the most predictable from the first time they appear.  The Washingtonians isn't the worst film of the series but it's really close.

3.5/10

The Video

This anamorphic presentation continues a trend started by previous releases of the Masters of Horror series in that the quality is very solid, a top of the line television transfer.  Detail levels are solid and consistent throughout the film with color reproduction and flesh tones looking great.  Unfortunately it's not quite perfect though, there are some compression issues in some of the darker scenes of the film.  Overall though this is a satisfying presentation.

8.5/10

The Audio

The Dolby Digital 5.1 presentation features some good atmospheric effects, they're pretty subtle but they're there which is better than what we get for many television presentations.  Dialogue, score, and sound effects are clean and well balanced.  

8.5/10

Packaging and Bonus Features

The packaging here is the standard for Masters of Horror releases, a single disc housed in an amaray case with a slipcover bearing the same art as the case.  I wasn't blown away by this artwork but it does tie itself to the film.

First up is a commentary with the director and star/co-writer.  The commentary covers nearly everything you'd expect even if it feels a bit spastic at times.  They really like to slap each other and the rest of the cast on the back too.  It's not a mind-blowing commentary but it's not a mind-blowing film either so take from that what you will.

In an odd DVD authoring decision the very brief costume featurette Wigs, Teeth, and Powder! is first on the list in front of the lengthier making of featurette. Feast on This: The Making of The Washingtonians is a pretty run of the mill making of featurette where most of the running time is spent with the cast and crew slapping each other on the back.

The rest of the extras are a blooper reel that's not all that funny, a photo gallery, and a PDF of the script.  I'm a little sad to see how far the bonus features have fallen from the level they were when these DVD's first started coming out.

5/10

Overall (Not an Average) 5/10

The Movie 3.5/10

The Video 8.5/10

The Audio 8,5/10

The Packaging and Bonus Features 5/10

Overall (Not an Average) 5/10

-Stephen Lackey