THE LAST BROADCAST (1998) Is A Gem In The Pile Of Late 90s "Found Footage" Films - BLU RAY REVIEW
While the found-footage sub-genre of horror films is somewhat tiresome nowadays, it’s worth remembering the true cultural impact it once had. Western audiences were first introduced to the concept in 1980 with RUGGERO DEODATO’s CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST, but due to the graphic nature of the film, it was quickly torn from shelves. In 1989, DEAN ALIOTO’s THE MACPHERSON TAPE (aka UFO ABDUCTION) was released but suffered a lack of distribution due to the master tape having been destroyed in a warehouse fire. Unavailable for years, it wasn’t until 2003 that ALIOTO began distributing the film on VHS via email requests from those fans who were lucky enough to see it during its initial release, and it wasn’t until 2018 that remastered DVD’s were available.
Then, in June 1998, a website appeared which reported the disappearance of 3 film students in the woods of Burkittsville, Maryland. In July 1999, DANIEL MYRICK and EDUARDO SANCHEZ’s THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT was released nationwide across the United States, supported by a faux-documentary which screened on what was then known as the Sci-Fi Channel. If DEODATO and ALIOTO can be said to have discovered the trail of found-footage horror, MYRICK and SANCHEZ cleared the way; leading horror cinema, for better or worse, into previously undiscovered realms via almost WAR OF THE WORLDS-esque levels of public belief that 3 film students had indeed gone missing.
However, in October 1998, another woodland-based, found-footage horror was released…
THE SYNOPSIS:
In 1995, the four-man team of LOCUS WHEELER, STEVEN AVKAST, REIN CLACKIN and JIM SUERD from the cable-access program FACT OR FICTION braved the desolate New Jersey Pine Barrens determined to deliver a live broadcast of legendary monster, the Jersey Devil. Only one came out alive. The lone survivor was sentenced to life in prison, but filmmaker David Leigh is convinced that he's innocent. Could the Jersey Devil still haunt the barrens?
THE REVIEW:
THE LAST BROADCAST is very much a movie of two halves. Its set up is well detailed as we are allowed the relevant back story into the two hosts of FACT OR FICTION; LOCUS WHEELER and STEVEN AVKAST (played by writer/director team Lance Weiler and Stefan Avalos respectively), their sometimes tempestuous relationship, their conflicting personalities and the motivations which drive them to host a niche show with little to no production value nor audience, and the petty, internal politics of local cable-access production. The initial investigation into the deaths of WHEELER and AVKAST, which includes damning indictments of the questionable process the police followed in order to establish self-proclaimed psychic JIM SUERD’s (played by Jim Seward) guilt, is comprehensive and well executed, and performances are convincing enough to break your awareness that you are indeed watching a work of fiction.
But if selling you on the idea that this is a genuine documentary is the goal of the film, it sure as hell misses the dunk within the last 15-20 minutes. The movie’s central “reveal”, which was no doubt deemed by the writer/director team to be a real “Gotcha!” moment, while initially shocking, doesn’t make a damn bit of sense in the context of the movie. The small efforts made to explain the reasoning behind the murders (and the identity of the real murderer) would be fine but for the fact that they also don’t make a damn bit of sense and are insufficient in answering a key question raised by the documentary maker, DAVID LEIGH (David Beard), himself during the course of his investigation. It’s a shame considering all the good will and promise which has been generated throughout the previous hour.
What’s also needed, especially in today’s increasingly true-crime obsessed world, is more gore, or more time spent on the autopsy’s of WHEELER and AVKAST than is shown. The macabre details of any given murder are commonly as enthralling (if not more so) than the investigations which piece the facts together themselves, and it’s truly disappointing that such a short amount of time it devoted to them (especially considering the movie’s “twist”).
THE PRESENTATION:
It’s hard to judge the relative merits of any clean up operation that has been conducted on VHS tape, because VHS looks like shit. However, that the movie was shot entirely using digital equipment, and that the VHS portions look exactly as shitty as you’d expect them to, it is testament to the attention which has been paid to successfully portray their realism. In direct contrast, the documentary portions of the film look clean and sharp, and the sound throughout is excellent. 101 FILMS’ Black Label releases have been uniformly superb to date, and this is no exception.
THE FEATURES:
2K Presentation
A NEW BROADCAST: Interviews with co-directors Stefan Avalos and Lance Weiler
LIMITED EDITION BOOKLET: Includes 'Welcome to the Digital Age: The Last Broadcast and the horrors of the Internet' by Phillip Escott and 'Fact or Fiction?' by Sarah Appleton
Commentary with co-directors Stefan Avalos and Lance Weiler (1999)
Commentary with co-directors Stefan Avalos and Lance Weiler (2006)
Behind-the-scenes documentary: Production
Behind-the-scenes documentary: Post-production
Behind-the-scenes documentary: Distribution
Exclusive interviews
Fact or Fiction: rare clips from the infamous public access show
Jim Seward: Alive and Well performing two folk songs
Lucas: What really happened?
Gallery of Gore: Pine Barrens murder crime scene and autopsy images, Last Broadcast poster, and box art from around the globe
Trailer
THE TECH SPECS:
Codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.33:1
English: LPCM 2.0 Mono
Subtitles: English SDH
Region: Free
THE LAST BROADCAST receives its world-wide Blu Ray debut courtesy of 101 FILMS on the 6th December, and is available to order via their website (https://101-films-store.com/products/the-last-broadcast-1998-limited-edition and yes, they ship internationally) or via amazon.co.uk
