You can imagine how excited I was when Amazon listed a Hen’s Tooth DVD release for this venerable Jabootu classic. However, I’ve now received and checked my copy, and reports on Amazon from fellow consumers proved all too true. The sound mix on the DVD is noticeably off, with everything playing at a higher register than it should. This was immediately noticeable during the opening theme, which sounded way off. Then the actors started talking, and I couldn’t even watch the movie. Edward Mulhare sounds like himself, only with a vocal uptick to all his lines, but star Barry Bostwick’s voice was so far off that he sounded like he’d been dubbed by another actor. We’re not talking Alvin and the Chipmunks here, but it was bad enough that I just couldn’t get past it.
Hopefully Hen’s Tooth can afford to redo the discs and replace the old ones. If not, I’ll have to return it to Amazon for a refund, which I can only remember doing with one other item over the years (the horrendous shot-on-video sequel to Rock ‘n’ Roll Nightmare.) My condolences to Hen’s Tooth, who have put out many fine DVDs over the years. I hope this doesn’t hurt them too badly.
