Digi-Schlock: THE KINDRED (1987) (Synapse Blu-Ray Standard Edition)
The Kindred is one of those sci-fi/horror titles that had a healthy life during the VHS era but disappeared completely when home video transitioned from tape to DVD. After decades out of circulation, Synapse Films revived it at the end of 2021 in a limited edition steelbook blu-ray and more recently in an unlimited standard edition blu-ray release. Synapse's promotional materials reveal it was a 15 year journey to produce this set - and fans of '80s genre material will be thankful for the results. Read on for a breakdown of the standard edition release.
Transfer: The transfer here is drawn from a new 4K restoration done by Synapse and the results are impressive, giving the viewer a pristine representation of the film: the colored lighting really pops, detail is impressive and black levels are nice and rich. As for the audio, you can listen to the original 2-channel stereo mix or a new 5.1 stereo mix created by Synapse. The 5.1 mix was utilized for this review and it does a nice job of spreading around the score and heightening shock effects with some good rear speaker activity. This transfer is worth the epic odyssey required to produce it.
Commentary Track With Directors Jeffrey Obrow and Stephen Carpenter: this offers a relaxed, nostalgic stream of comments from the two directors, with periodic questions from moderator/genre journalist Steve Barton. There's a little bit of overlap with this disc's featurette when it comes to stories - and Obrow's memory is sharper than Carpenter's - but fans will want to listen as it gets into more scene-specific tales about production as well as fond appreciations of each major actor.
Inhuman Experiments: The Making Of The Kindred (51:16): an excellent retrospective documentary from Red Shirt Pictures. Obrow and Carpenter drive this telling of the film's history but there's also commentary from co-writers/editors John Penney and Earl Ghaffari, actors Amanda Pays and David Allen Brooks, FX designers Matthew Mungle and Mike McCracken Jr., plus more. It's a briskly-paced piece that offsets the talking head interview footage with plenty of stills, film footage and behind-the-scenes video. Everybody remembers the film fondly and you get fun stories about the challenges and benefits of working with Rod Steiger, the unique setpiece Joseph Stefano added to the screenplay and plenty of details on the film's elaborate special effects sequences.
On-Set Footage (17:52): a compilation of standard-def video segments taken on the set, all oriented around the shooting of the special effects sequences. You get a nice cross-section of effects highlights, including the small "Anthony" puppets in the lab jars, the challenges of shooting a scene involving tentacles and a dog and, in the most amusing bit, the dungeon filled with all the reject experiments: one is played by Michael McCracken Sr. and it's fun to hear him banter with Mungle. These moments give you a new appreciation for the work involved in staging analog FX for the camera and also the 'monster kid'-style fun everyone is having.
Other Extras: there is a video gallery of storyboards for the film's climactic "Anthony Attacks" sequence and another video gallery of images that include not only stills and set photos but also FX makeup tests, conceptual sketches and promotional art, all set to the strains of David Newman's score for the film. There is also an extensive set of trailers, including two brief t.v. spots, the theatrical trailer and another trailer used for home video promotion.
Summation: simply put, this is another great Synapse release, with a superb transfer that is up to their usual high standards and excellent supplements that provide context and understanding to enhance one's appreciation of the main attraction. The standard edition can be purchased here - and if you want to get the limited edition steelbook, a small quantity remains available as of this writing and can be obtained by clicking here. The main difference between the two versions, besides the steelbook packaging, is that the limited edition also includes a CD of Newman's original score, a liner notes booklet and a bonus DVD presentation of the film and its attendant extras.