Dead-End Drive-In (Special Edition): Blu-Ray Review

deadend

Arriving on Special Edition Blu-ray this week is the 1986 Ozploitation flick, “Dead-End Drive-In”.  Quentin Tarantino says that this is his favorite from director Brian Trenchard-Smith and with good reason. “Dead-End Drive-In” is set in an Australian drive-in theater, that is actually a concentration camp for societal rejects.  Teens go to the theater to watch a movie, only to be trapped there by the government. How can you not get excited about that synopsis?

It has been at least two decades since I had last seen “Dead-End Drive-In” and thanks to Arrow Video we now have a great looking 2k restoration of the film.  One of the things I love most is the film’s drive-in setting.  It’s pretty impressive and feels quite massive.  I also love that the concentration camp food is basically anything at a movie theater concession stand.  Popcorn, Burgers, Soda. Not a single healthy items for the inmates.  At night, bad movies are projected onto the screen.  This is a prison that nobody wants to leave, with the exception of Jimmy, who has been trapped there with his girlfriend.

“Dead-End Drive-In” is cinematic junk food and much like the characters in the film, I am more than happy shoveling it in.

Bonus Features

  • Brand new 2K restoration from original film materials
  • High Definition (1080p) Presentation
  • Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
  • Audio commentary by director Brian Trenchard-Smith
  • The Stuntmen, Trenchard Smith s classic television documentary on Grant Page (Mad Max, Road Games) and other Australian stunt performers
  • Hospitals Don t Burn Down, Trenchard-Smith s 1978 public information film told in pure Ozploitation fashion
  • Theatrical trailer

By: Marc Ferman

Order: Dead-End Drive-In – Special Edition (Blu-ray)