COLLECTOR'S CRYPT - DESPISER (VISUAL VENGEANCE BLU-RAY)
Halloween is over, and spooky season is coming to a close which can only mean one thing, Visual Vengeance is about to drop their newest releases! One of our favorite annual traditions is the fall when the fine folks over at Visual Vengeance unleash upon the world some of the most unhinged, audacious, and bonkers movies you’ve probably never heard of. What sets Visual Vengeance apart from other boutique labels though, is its interesting release schedule which only sees new releases emerge between October - and January. This small release window often means a deluge of new titles in the cold months that are sure to keep you warm with hilarity, hijinx, and some of the most outrageous SOV productions you’ve ever seen. One of the first releases of the season is Philip Cook’s “Despiser,” which is getting its first-ever Blu-Ray release with all the fixings you’ve come to know and love about Visual Vengeance. Is this another SOV curiosity to add to your collection?
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
After losing his job and his wife, Gordon crashes his car and lands in purgatory, where he's attacked by fanatics and enslaved souls. He's soon saved by a quirky band of freedom fighters from different historical eras, all of whom died in noble sacrifice. Reluctantly joining their cause, Gordon embarks on a wild adventure through surreal, hellish landscapes to battle the Despiser, the malevolent ruler of the realm. Facing shifting realities, monstrous creatures, and intense car chases over lava oceans, their journey leads to the ultimate showdown to save all of humanity.
HOW IS IT?
It’s fair to say that if you’re buying a Visual Vengeance release you know exactly what you’re getting into. Largely homemade and amateur quality that is high on ideas and low on budget, “Despiser” is a welcome addition to the growing line of obscure oddities that the VV team is becoming known for. “Despiser” is almost like a greatest hits compilation of what makes VV releases either the best or worst things you’ve ever seen including shoddy CGI, overstuffed plots, an extremely benign leading character, and of course some very broad humor. What is so devious about “Despiser” is that it is chock full of heart and seems like an earnest attempt to make something epic within the confines of the homegrown horror parameters.
Gordon is the most average protagonist one could imagine. He’s not dashingly handsome, lacks charm, and has a short fuse that causes him to lose a lot of jobs leading to financial duress for him and his wife, Maggie. Maggie leaves Gordon which kickstarts the series of events that turn Gordon into an inter-dimensional hero including being recruited by a group of historic freedom fighters who have been amassed to take down the titular “Despiser.” To say that a lot is going on in “Despiser” would be an understatement as Gordon shifts from what we are told is purgatory to the real world all through the ability to have someone save you before you die. There is a novel concept in here about how people who die doing a good deed are then used to help fight the dark forces of the afterlife before passing on, but it also begs a lot of questions like, “Is it really a reward to have to fight for your way into the afterlife after dying a noble death?” Like so many of these high-concept, low-budget films it is best not to think too long about some of the plot points, like how everyone in purgatory isn’t just packing, they’re loaded with artillery. Filmmaker Philip Cook seems keen on creating a sci-fi/horror/fantasy hybrid that is heavily influenced by the Rambo-era of guns and mayhem as “Despiser” has more gunfights and explosions per minute than the filmographies of Chuck Norris and Sylvester Stallone combined. Does the action always make sense? No. Is it still entertaining, absofuckinglutely.
The secret to the success of a film like “Despiser” is just how audacious and daring it is with its vision and the lengths it will go to realize it. The most obvious is the use of early-era CGI in so many of the shots. From car chases to full locations, CGI is deployed here en masse and at a time when the technology was still in its infancy. That doesn’t hold “Despiser” from trying to utilize it to the fullest with shots where we see characters’ faces superimposed onto fake bodies while the camera zooms in and out of the inside car view. The blending of the CGI and the tangible elements is quite impressive even if it doesn’t look as sharp as what we have today. So much of “Despiser” relies on creating things that aren’t there, and while the dated look of the graphics may be a barrier to some, those who can look past it will revel in just how ingenious the usage of it is here. So many of these SOV releases from VV are overflowing with ideas, and “Despiser” is no different as even the nostalgic Troll dolls make an appearance as evil minions that are hellbent (pun intended) on thwarting Gordon’s attempts to help the fighters defeat the Despiser. As if the Troll dolls weren’t enough 90s nostalgia for you, the Pure Moods-influenced chant techno will make you think you fell asleep with the TV on again in 1993. If there is one thing that does hold “Despiser” back from being top-tier, it’s the length. At 109 minutes “Despiser” is easily 20 minutes too long and could’ve benefitted from some tightening in the 2nd act. The time spent back in the “real world” after Gordon goes to Purgatory the first time feels like the most appropriate place to cut, and instead have him spend more time in Purgatory not outside of it. Again, this critique won’t matter to those who write these films off, but to those willing to be adventurous you won’t be able to resist the charm and ambition that “Despiser” has to offer.
HOW DOES IT LOOK?
If you know Visual Vengeance, then you know they are often restoring films from elements that are less than stellar. In most cases, it is VHS tape footage that they are lovingly trying to make look better and that seems to be the case with their release of “Despiser.” As noted on the back cover, the original SD tape elements were used for this Blu-Ray and despite retaining that vintage VHS tape look of muted colors and slightly obscured details, “Despiser” looks pretty darn good in its 1.33:1 aspect ratio glory. The CGI has aged exactly as poorly as one might imagine, and yet, it is still visually impressive what they were able to do with such limited resources and early technology. Images from this release are used throughout this review.
HOW DOES IT SOUND?
Similar to the visual elements, the sound used for this release is taken from the original SD tape masters. The stereo sound option comes with an English subtitle track and overall sounds fine. For such an action-heavy film, it does feel a bit like a missed opportunity to give this some fancy 5.1 surround sound option, but it also may be overkill given the quality of the original elements. The sound still works despite this and it isn’t as much a mark against the film as it is an issue originating from how it was made.
ANYTHING SPECIAL?
Visual Vengeance is doing the lord’s work when it comes to giving these relatively unknown films the TLC they deserve. A slew of special features are included in this release, some of which were newly commissioned and others are archival features. The first one we took in was a legacy feature brought onto this release, the 15-minute The Making of Despiser. Despite the short runtime, this is a densely making-of featurette that has different members of the cast and crew reflecting on their time working on “Despiser.” What is most notable is how far ahead Cook and the team were when it came to using CGI as the foundation for the film, rather than just an accessory. It is impressive to see how they used minimal spaces to create entire worlds, all the while actors are doing their best acting for a Green screen (or Blue) at a time when that wasn’t even close to the norm. It’s clear that everyone involved with “Despiser” was aware of how over-the-top it all was, as one of the actors recalls trying hard not to laugh on set between the situations and the experimentation with CGI-laden cinema.
The other feature we watched was a 14-minute interview with Director Philip J. Cook and Star Mark Hyde which was a delightful discussion between the two answering some questions that were submitted to them. This is one of the newly commissioned features, and if we are being honest we tend to like these more as we enjoy hearing how folks reflect on these films often decades after their release. In this case, Cook and Hyde both remark on the process and their early use of CGI fondly, and they would love to revisit the world of “Despsier” which may happen sooner rather than later if the mentioned video game adaptation goes through. A full list of special features included are listed below.
Bonus Materials
Region Free Blu-ray
Producer-supervised SD master from the original tape source
Limited Edition Slipcase - FIRST PRESSING ONLY
Commentary with director Philip J. Cook and stars Mark Redfield and Gage Sheridan
New 2023 Interview with director Philip J. Cook and star Mark Hyde
Commentary with Sam Panico of B&S About Movies and Bill Van Ryn of Drive-In Asylum
The Making of Despiser
Deleted Scenes
Blooper Reel
Outtakes Reel
Despiser: Storyboard To Animation
Original DVD Menu Animated Intro
Behind The Scenes Gallery
Image and Art Gallery
Despiser Trailers
Visual Vengeance Trailer
Outerworld Trailer
Invader Trailer
Optional French audio soundtrack
Optional English Subtitles
Folded mini-poster
'Stick your own' VHS sticker sheet
2-Sided Insert
Reversible Sleeve With Original VHS Art
LAST RITES
“Despiser” isn’t for everyone, but if given the chance it will likely entertain you far more than you expect. The overabundance of early age CGI and some impressively epic worldbuilding give “Despsier” a certain charm that endears you to it’s wild ideas and makes for a great watch with a group of friends and a stellar addition to the Visual Vengeance library.
THE GORY DETAILS
Thank you to the fine fiends over at MVD ENTERTAINMENT for providing a review copy for the crypt! Despiser is available NOW and can be purchased via MVD DIRECT!
Stay up to date with “The Dark Side Of Pop Culture” by following Macabre Daily on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
