Though audiences at the time most likely expected
If that's not enough Unseen for you, head on over to disc two where the film's effects are covered in detail with two featurettes, a 38-minute chat with future Hollywood make-up man Craig Reardon and a half-hour interview with writer Tom Burman, who also covers the effects as well as the reasons he wound up leaving the film before completion. For a troubled production, the surprisingly good result is explained here in enough detail to answer anyone's questions. The final extra is a big batch of Reardon's test slides, sketches and production photos with a focus on the grisly effects and Furst's unforgettable climactic creation.
early '80s horror drive-in oddity The Unseen has long been one of those films cult fans are passingly familiar with, having perhaps caught a few minutes here and there on cable back in the early days of channels like Cinemax. The film was barely released in theaters by the short-lived World Northal, who mainly promoted the presence of Bond girl/Beatle wife Barbara Bach after her success in The Spy Who Loved Me. However, the wild departures from audience's slasher expectations and some truly demeted plot elements ensured this would remain a word-of-mouth cult item rather than a bona fide hit.
Our story begins as TV reporter Bach leaves her apartment under cloudy circumstnaces with her injured athlete boyfriend (Barr). Along with two perky blonde assistants, she drives to Solvang to cover their annual Danish celebration (which leads one to expect Bill Murray and a groundhog to pop up any minute). However, their hotel accommodations turn out to be lost, so they find refuge instead at the home of jovial but very eccentric local museum owner Mr. Keller (Carrie's Lassick), who lives in a nearby antiquated house with his mousy wife, Virginia (Goldoni). However, at night the husband experiences traumatic flashbacks involving his father and some hideous incestuous secret, while something monstrous and murderous lurks in the cellar below the young women's guest rooms...
a monster-meets-slasher outing from The Unseen, the film draws far more inspiration from the string of perverse, Lovecraftian thrillers involving dark, nasty things tucked away in attics and basements (for example, The Shuttered Room and Beast in the Cellar), albeit with a couple of murders involving more blood and T&A than censorship would previously allow. The film is still surprisingly non-explicit with its imagery but definitely unsettling in its implications, particularly in the final third when we finally meet the "unseen" of the title (played by an unrecognizable Stephen Furst shortly after Animal House), whose exact nature and appearance will remain unspoiled here. This revelation also opens up the story in some interesting directions, with viewer sympathies swerving all over the place as the whole sick family drama plays out with more than a few shredded bodies in its wake. The film features a few creepy moments, most memorably a bit involving one unfortunate character's scarf and a ventilation grate, but the real fascination here lies with the actors; Bach makes a respectable scream queen after remaining largely passive and icy for the opening act of the story, but the real show here is Lassick and Furst, who carry the inherently ridiculous script to nearly operatic heights. Also worthy of a mention is the sterling music score by the criminally underrated Michael J. Lewis, who had already proven his horror mettle with Theatre of Blood and The Legacy. His moving main theme here is surprisingly underused (grab the very scarce promo soundtrack CD if you can find it), but his evocative strings are perfectly used throughout to generate an air of classical unease.
Given this film's spotty distribution history, it's amazing that Code Red found enough elements and participants to assemble such a generous, two-disc DVD set. (Who's have ever imagined?) A murky, bare bones UK disc preceded this by a couple of years, but it in no way compares to the transfer here from the IP negative. Some of the interior night scenes were shot with low light and inherently look a bit grainy, but otherwise the progressive transfer looks great with solid fleshtones and bright, vivid colors throughout. Extras include a far-reaching and often hilarious audio commentary with Furst and producer Tony Unger (with moderator Lee Christian), who chart the film's difficult journey to the screen (with Savage Streets director Danny Steinmann yanking his name during post-production). Disc one also includes on-camera interviews with Furst and Barr, who talk for a few short minutes about how they became involved with the productions, and both actors also contribute quick, funny video intros to the main feature (with Furst calling it "really scary" because it's "the only film where you can see me wearing a diaper"). Other first-disc extras include the theatrical trailer, a lengthy still gallery, and bonus Code Red trailers including a very tasty (but curiously time-coded) promo for The Visitor, which could be the finest release of whatever year in which it gets released.
