Suffering a six-year delay and a very brief U.S. theatrical release, Kino Lorber and 3-D Film Archive have teamed up to release Hyperspace, alternatively titled Gremloids internationally, in multiple formats across two discs. With the subtitle “Lord Buckethead & The Attack of the Gremloids” it is expected that writer/director Todd Durham’s Hyperspace is going to be silly, which it frequently is.
Buy HyperspaceThis very low-budget affair opens spoofing Star Wars with a prologue crawl revealing a familiar scenario about the search for a princess who has stolen plans. Due to a navigation error, the spaceship of Lord Buckethead arrives on Earth. Dressed all in black, looking a combination of Darth Vader and the Black Knight from Monty Python and the Holy Grail, he leads his Jawa-like henchmen in search of Princess Serina of the resistance through a small town in North Carolina, whose residents initially assume he’s just a guy wearing a costume.
Our heroes are comprised of Max (Alan Marx), an exterminator who is testing for a promotion, and Karen (Paula Poundstone), whom Buckethead mistakes for Princess Serina. Chris Elliot, the biggest name in the film, was a writer/performer on Late Night with David Letterman. He plays as the director of the Bureau for Research of Astral Phenomena William Hopper, who makes an entrance dragging his nails across a chalkboard, like Quint in Jaws.
There’s a lot to laugh with and at, from two hillbillies fishing at night with dynamite and shooting at Buckethead’s spaceship, to a meta gag such as characters hearing the movie’s score, from the best-they-could-do effects of shopping carts flying through the store, to the radio host getting angry at listeners ignoring the topic of aliens, and continuing to ask about guns and hunting, which is why they normally call in.
Disc 1 presents the movie in 2-D and Stereoscopic 3-D. Disc 2 presents the movie in Anaglyphic 3-D and the set comes with one pair of Anaglyphic glasses
The video is available in a 1080p/MPEG-4 AVC encoded transfer displayed in the original aspect ratio of 2.39:1. Colors on the 2-D tend toward dull hues, with occasional primary colors, like red, appearing brighter. Black are inky but tend to crush in lowlit scenes. Film grain ranges from natural to too much. The focus is soft throughout, diminishing texture detail and depth. As the henchmen leave spaceship and march through a field, there’s a slight brightness flicker. On the Anaglyphic disc, the flaws are the same but the depth has noticeably improved. Some colors are a dimmer, but greens are stronger. Hair appears at bottom of the frame (23 min) in the garage.
The audio is available in mono. Dialogue sounds clear mostly but can be overwhelmed by effects and composer Don Davis’ score, as heard during the battle between the Gremloids and the military. The latter is not balanced well in the mix, coming in too loud and distorting at times. There is a good low end for the effects. There is a slight hiss throughout.
The Special Features are:
- Isolated Music Track with Commentary by Composer Don Davis & Editor Bruce Stubblefield on both discs
- The Fright Before Christmas (1983, 33 min) – Durham’s horror short, featuring the family that appears in Hyperspace. Parents drop off kids at Grandma’s and plan to be back around Xmas Eve. Unfortunately, Grandma is “the fright.” It’s more ridiculous than scary and the conclusion is comical. Available in 2-D, Steroscopic 3-D, and Anaglyphic 3-D
- The Making of Hyperspace (75 min) – Behind-the-scenes footage. No interviews.
- Vintage Pre-Show (13 min) – includes the Let’s All Go to the Lobby” cartoon and a trailer for It Came from Outer Space.
- Hyperspace Trailer
- The Fright Before Christmas
- Trailer
The epitome of a cult classic, Hyperspace will hopefully find a wider audience with this release as it has a delightful charm with its mix of silly and smart humor. The a/v specs won’t wow anyone considering the source, but it’s fun having the option to watch it in 3-D.
