Plot: A wild trailer can capture your imagination and make you rush to see the featured movie, so it is no surprise that we have seen some labels release entire collections of these trailers for fans to devour. One of the most consistent in this area has been Drive-In Delirium, Umbrella Entertainment’s ongoing series of trailer collections, each packed with a treasure trove of previews. Dead by Dawn is no exception, another great volume that delivers 167 trailers, all in high definition, no less. But it doesn’t end there, as Umbrella also included a supply drop of bonus trailers.
Entertainment Value: So what’s in this blockbuster assortment of wild, outrageous, and memorable theatrical trailers? Umbrella has divided Dead by Dawn into two sections, The Final Chapter and A New Beginning. The Final Chapter houses 76 trailers, with the focus on horror, sci/fi, and monster movies, from the 50s to the 80s, with the 70s and 80s getting the lion’s share of time here. You can watch previews for genre classics, b movies, Ozploitation, giallo favorites, and even animal attack movies, with all kinds of stops in between to delight your cult film senses. Even the cannibal movies get some love here, so it is a nice, deep selection of trailers to peruse. The second half is The New Beginning, home to 91 trailers and once again, most are from the 70s and 80s, but other decades are given time to shine again. This assortment has more variety however, with some comedies and mainstream titles blended in, with films like Teen Wolf, Young Frankenstein, and The Princess Bride included. But there’s still a wealth of cult, horror, sci/fi, and b movie previews, so no worries on that front.
I love how well designed this release is, as Umbrella makes it easy to browse and find the trailers you’re after. Each trailer has a dedicated chapter break, so access is so simple and intuitive, with no delays getting to those crazed trailers you need. You can also just watch the entire sections of trailers, with brief intros and outros, in case you need hours of trailers in your eyeballs. I think this makes Drive-In Delirium a great party disc, as you can drop in and out, while the trailers will entertain anyone who needs a few minutes of distraction. The intros and outros contain old school commercials and promo spots, so it is quite cool, fitting in perfectly with the trailers. So if you appreciate trailers or want to fill up your wish list with wild movies to check out, Drive-In Delirium: Dead by Dawn is well recommended.
The Disc: All 167 trailers have been sourced from HD and look quite good, though some variance is inevitable in this kind of release. The sheer volume of movies featured, the number of companies involved, and the various ages of the material lead to some trailers looking better than others, but none look bad here. You will see some debris, scratches, and heavy grain at times, but honestly, since the overall quality is rock solid, these visual quirks tend to bolster the grindhouse texture of the release. So Umbrella Entertainment has once again taken the care to make sure these trailers have good presentations. In addition to the 167 HD trailers that are the showcase of Dead by Dawn, Umbrella has included some bonus trailers as well. A selection of 60 standard definition trailers are the bonus here, with a nice assortment of comedies, cult movies, sci/fi, and such, adding even more value to this disc.
Marc Fusion 