Direct to Video

Director - Dustin Ferguson (Angry Asian Murder Hornets, Stale Popcorn and Sticky Floors)

Starring - Clint Howard (Ice Cream Man, Addams Family Reunion), Kelli Maroney (Chopping Mall, Night of the Comet), and Tiffany Shepis (Tales of Halloween, Scarecrow)

Release Date - 2019

Genre - Horror

Tagline - "Straight to video horror of the 90s"

Format - DVD (Personal Collection)

Rating (out of 5):

     I've been having fun with these horror documentaries from director Dustin Ferguson.  Both of his Penny Pincher films are very solid and his Stale Popcorn and Sticky Floors doc is a must see for genre fans.  After watching a few genre films I decided to visit yet another horror doc from Ferguson.  This time I'm digging into his 2019 doc Direct to Video.  I grew up in the 90s so most of my time was spent renting a lot of these movies from Dewey's Video, my local video store.  I couldn't wait to check this one out and hear some amazing stories about the making of these movies that I grew up enjoying.  

     The film interviews several actors, directors, and effects artist who worked on the genres most popular direct to video releases of the 90s.  They discuss the budgets, issues with filming, and the stigma that the "direct to video" label has with it.  

      The original artwork (featured above) has Julie from Return of the Living Dead III which really made this one a must see for me.  The doc wasn't as insightful as I was hoping but it was still a lot of fun.  I really appreciate that these often overlooked movies are getting some much needed attention.  The interviews in this one really shed some light on some of these classic films while giving fans some amazing stories about the making of the films.  A lot of the stories I heard in this was the first time I heard them.  By this point in my life I've watched so many different horror docs and most of them tell the same old stories and facts about films that EVERYONE has seen so it was cool to see movies rarely mentioned explored to this depth.  With that being said, I feel like the movies represented here did not get enough screen time.  Direct to Video should be a series with each episode focused on a specific movie.  I'm sure it wouldn't be that difficult to get several cast and crew members from a lot of these films to discuss their roles, filming, and behind the scenes.  The topics discussed in this one is focused more on each film instead of the different aspects of the films.  I enjoyed that approach here better than it was handled in the previous Ferguson docs.  I really enjoyed that each segment was split up by film instead of by topis.  With that being said, I still feel that the films discussed did not get enough time to fully explore them.  Finally, the editing in this one is smooth and very professional.  Out of all the horror docs I've seen from Ferguson I believe this is his most professional and pieced together doc.  It looks great and works.  Overall, Direct to Video is a must see for any fan that grew up during the VHS era of horror.  It's fun and brings on a wave of nostalgia.  Check it out.