THERE'S NOTHING OUT THERE (Rolfe Kanefsky, 1991) - Vinegar Syndrome, January 2019

[bruce holecheck]

Another exclusive from my Cinema Arcana FB Page:

“It’s a fight to the death with a slimy mutation!” Rolfe Kanefsky’s meta-horror fan favorite THERE’S NOTHING OUT THERE (1991) gets a fresh 2K makeover this January from the cine-psychos at Vinegar Syndrome!

A group of college kids head to a remote cabin for Spring Break, planning to drink some beer, have some fun and hopefully hook up. Naturally, the lone horror fan among them notices a few telltale signs of trouble—abandoned cars, disappearing meals, trails of green slime—but his friends refuse to listen, instead opting for isolated hikes in the woods and wholly necessary skinny-dipping sessions. However, they’ll soon need his help and genre expertise when their wild weekend party is crashed by an amphibious alien with ambitious plans of cross-culture reproduction.

A surprisingly fun indie effort that hit rental store shelves when you could still physically browse them, THERE’S NOTHING OUT THERE quickly gained acclaim in the pages of Fangoria and similar rags due to its at-the-time unique take of transplanting a knowledgeable cinephile into the mix to handily point out the clichés and absurdities its characters were blindly traipsing through – including some inspired fourth wall breaking and an extremely memorable bit where one potential victim swings out of danger using a conveniently located piece of recording equipment.

Previously released on DVD by both Image Entertainment and Troma, Vinegar Syndrome bring the film to Blu in high style, starting off with a brand new 2K restoration from the original interpositive. All of the existing extras will be carried over—intros, a pair of cast and crew commentary tracks, pre-production and behind-the-scenes footage, audition tapes, test shots, short films and tons more—but if that’s not enough, the company have also added three new supplements sure to appeal to fans. First, we get a fresh audio commentary featuring Kanefsky, cult director Joe Lynch and FINAL DESTINATION creator Jeff Riddick, covering the title with the added benefit of hindsight. Secondly, and much more exciting, we’re treated to a career-spanning interview with producer / editor Victor Kanefsky, best known for his work on Bill Gunn’s GANJA & HESS (1973) and his collaborations with Joel M. Reed, most notably BLOODSUCKING FREAKS (1975). Its inclusion alone should be a major point of interest for readers of this page. Finally, the disc will also include the home video premiere of an earlier Kanefsky feature -- a shot-on-video comedy whodunit titled MURDER IN WINTER (1988), produced during the director's senior year of high school and starring future THERE'S NOTHING OUT THERE lead Craig Peck. It should make for quite the package.

Street date is currently set for January 29th. Previously announced 2019 titles from Vinegar Syndrome include Juan Antonio Bardem's underseen Spanish giallo THE CORRUPTION OF CHRIS MILLER (1973), Lee Frost’s adult roughie A CLIMAX OF BLUE POWER (1975), Greydon Clark’s goofball slasher spoof WACKO (1982), and the Blu debut of Clark’s killer-kitty-on-a-cruise classic UNINVITED (1988), now with extra grue and a long-lost alternate ending! Be sure to check out Vinegar Syndrome’s upcoming Black Friday sale, featuring a pair of must-have limited editions, yearly subscriptions, and plenty more – and watch this space for further details!

A Cinema Arcana exclusive © Bruce Holecheck, 2018

[bryantburnette]

I love that movie! I'll totally buy this.

[bruce holecheck]

Troma's trailer:

There's Nothing Out There ...now available from TROMA - YouTube

[bruce holecheck]

Finally, the disc will also include the home video premiere of an earlier Kanefsky feature -- a shot-on-video comedy whodunit titled MURDER IN WINTER (1988), produced during the director's senior year of high school and starring future THERE'S NOTHING OUT THERE lead Craig Peck. It should make for quite the package.

[TheConstantBleeder]

This is GREAT NEWS.

The video store near where I went to college had this in their "Cult Movie" section and that's where I discovered it about twenty years ago. I loved it and rented it two or three more times. This is a total fun horror-comedy with cute girls, goofy jokes and several memorable moments. It doesn't take itself seriously for a minute.

The original DVD releases were packed with extras and it's good to see that the Blu-ray is going even more over-the-top.

There's no other label I'd rather see put this out than Vinegar Syndrome. They'll do it justice. Excited for this.

[RedHarvest]

Great news. This is an awesome B-movie. Preordered.

[goodstuff]

Sweet news indeed!

[RRL]

I first saw this film in the summer of 93 on Cinemax and I thought it was great. Then a few years later I saw Scream and thought, "hmmm, someone stole that Randy Character". I bought the anniversary edition on dvd and will be getting this bluray

[bruce holecheck]

https://vinegarsyndrome.com/shop/the...ere-slipcover/

This special limited edition embossed slipcover (designed by Earl Kessler Jr.) is limited to 2,000 units and is only available here at VinegarSyndrome.com!

Mike is always getting in the way of fun. His obsession with horror movies and their rules dictates that no matter where he goes, he can’t help but expect to find a monster lurking around every corner. But this time, his paranoia might be justified…

After being invited to a remote lodge, along with some friends, Mike immediately begins to sense that something isn’t right, but none of his friends believe him. Unfortunately, they’re dead wrong, and a slimy alien frog monster has indeed landed in the nearby woods and set out to fulfill it’s mission of killing all human males and mating with females. Can Mike convince his friends that there IS something out there, before the men have their brains sucked out and the women are carrying green mutant fetuses?

Made by then 19 year old cinematic wunderkind Rolfe Kanefsky, THERE’S NOTHING OUT THERE is a gag and gore filled horror comedy which lovingly riffs on some of the genre’s most used tropes. Produced and edited by acclaimed editor Victor Kanefsky (GANJA & HESS, BLOODSUCKING FREAKS), Vinegar Syndrome presents the Blu-ray debut of THERE’S NOTHING OUT THERE, newly restored from its 35mm interpositive and featuring more extra features than any other title in our catalog, including Kanefsky’s first feature, MURDER IN WINTER.

directed by: Rolfe Kanefsky
starring: Craig Peck, Wendy Bednarz, Mark Collver, Bonnie Bowers
1990 / 91 min / 1.85:1

Features Include:
• Region Free Blu-ray/DVD combo
• Newly scanned & restored in 2k from it’s 35mm interpositive
• “There’s A Movie Out There” – new interview with writer/director Rolfe Kanefsky and editor Victor Kanefsky
• ”40 Years Of Cutting” – new interview with Victor Kanefsky
• New interview with actor Craig Peck
• Brand new group commentary with director Rolfe Kanefsky, Joe Lynch (filmmaker), Jeff Reddick (filmmaker) and others
• Archival ‘20th anniversary’ commentary with Rolfe Kanefsky
• Archival group commentary with Rolfe Kanefsky, Victor Kanefsky, Craig Peck, Mark Collver and others
• Commentary with The Hysteria Continues!
• Archival interview with Rolfe Kanefsky
• ”Copycat” – a short film about the film’s influence
• ”Murder in Winter” – an early feature film by Rolfe Kanefsky (Blu-ray only)
• ”Just Listen” – an early short film by Rolfe Kanefsky
• ”Mood Boobs” – a short film by Rolfe Kanefsky
• Behind the scenes of “Mood Boobs”
• Theatrical trailer
• Music video
• Production stills gallery
• Behind the scenes rehearsal footage
• Pre-production footage and video storyboards
• Original cast auditions
• Animation test footage and deleted shots
• Reversible cover artwork
• English SDH subtitles

[ghostsofjoy]

I just watched this — along with several other released/forthcoming VS titles — and enjoyed it thoroughly. I look forward to experiencing it again next month in higher quality before delving in to that treasure trove of special features!

[takicat]

I worked on this movie. Excited for blu ray. Rolfe is a great director.

[Nosferatu31]

My copy arrived today from VS.

[The Great Owl]

Contrary to popular assumption, something actually is out there.

Seven teenagers venture out to a remote vacation home in the woods for a few days of partying, skinny-dipping, making out, and fun. Instead, they are terrorized by a slimy tentacled alien creature that devours human flesh and shoots lasers out of its eyes in order to control the minds of its victims. The nerdy odd man out, played by Craig Peck, initially annoys the other six teens with his vast knowledge of horror movies, but, in the end, he is the only one who can save the day.

The 1991 low-budget 16mm feature, There's Nothing Out There, which was directed by cult filmmaker Rolfe Kanefsky when he was only 20 years old, proudly wears its cheapness on its sleeve, even to the extent of having one character use a visible boom microphone to escape from from the fantastical monster, a crude puppetry creation that looks like a more sinister version of the hungry Ghostbusters slime entity with a mouthful of menacing razor-sharp teeth. Despite its noticeably scrappy and amateurish approach, the film is an irresistibly entertaining mix of The Evil Dead, Friday the 13th, and Invasion of the Body Snatchers that benefits from a self-awareness that predated meta-horror outings like Wes Craven's Scream. In fact, Peck's scary movie expert serves as an obvious blueprint for Jamie Kennedy's character in the Craven film.

I love one early scene in There's Nothing Out There that takes place in a videocassette rental store and features several cardboard VHS covers of 1980s horror films that paved the way for this comedic take on the genre. Like its spiritual ancestors, this offbeat B movie earns considerable mileage from its attractive cast and its creative makeup effects. I never turn down horror films about bad things that happen to people when they're camping or staying in a cabin, and I have to give this one an extra tip of the hat for utilizing all of the conventions to amusing effect. We even get the classic false scare by way of a cat that jumps out at a character.

As always, Vinegar Syndrome shines with a beautiful presentation and an unbelievably vast array of special features, including four...four...commentary tracks which I am still going through.

Kanefsky's early feature film, Murder in Winter, and his short movies, Mood Boobs and Just Listen, with their VHS picture quality, may be a chore for many fans to watch, but I quite enjoy them.

[Ruined]

RONINFLIX got a new version coming out, they say a NEW NEW 2K remaster heh:
https://roninflix.com/products/there...ere-2-disc-set

[Nosferatu31]

Originally Posted by Ruined

RONINFLIX got a new version coming out, they say a NEW NEW 2K remaster heh:
https://roninflix.com/products/there...ere-2-disc-set

Good for those that missed out on the already great VS release. If they did a new 4K scan maybe i'd grab it, this is one of my favorite VS releases.

[Ruined]

Originally Posted by Nosferatu31

Good for those that missed out on the already great VS release. If they did a new 4K scan maybe i'd grab it, this is one of my favorite VS releases.

If it was a 2K scan from the OCN that would probably be just as good since the VS was from an IP, but the detail does not specify

[Trekkie313]

Wow the review from Mr. Orndorf starts out "strong".

[Ruined]

Now up at RONINFLIX for preorder:

There's Nothing Out There 2K Remaster
+
The Lost

39.99 shipped

https://roninflix.com/products/there...ere-2-disc-set
https://roninflix.com/products/the-lost

Reviewing the caps of the VS edition, I think this version has a shot of beating it, cuz the VS presentation was fairly weak by modern standards, especially if Ronin got the OCN (VS is from IP). This Ronin edition has a lot of unique extras so a chance they got with the filmmakers or something

[russweiss1]

Originally Posted by Ruined

Now up at RONINFLIX for preorder:

There's Nothing Out There 2K Remaster
+
The Lost

39.99 shipped

https://roninflix.com/products/there...ere-2-disc-set
https://roninflix.com/products/the-lost

Reviewing the caps of the VS edition, I think this version has a shot of beating it, cuz the VS presentation was fairly weak by modern standards, especially if Ronin got the OCN (VS is from IP). This Ronin edition has a lot of unique extras so a chance they got with the filmmakers or something

It's also a really nice price point. $20 for limited edition releases are difficult to find these days.

[Ruined]

Originally Posted by russweiss1

It's also a really nice price point. $20 for limited edition releases are difficult to find these days.

for sure

clip of it here
https://vimeo.com/870421265

matching cap:
https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/scree...68&position=17

what do ya think?

hard to tell with vimeo compression. contrast looks a bit better, detail a bit worse - but that could be vimeo