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