You would think a movie about a rampaging feral boy and David Carradine in drag would be an amazing experience in cinema, but for some reason, Sonny Boy is an experience in torture. It’s an insane, terribly written foray into strange happenings and not once can I say I enjoyed it. In fact, I don’t know how anyone can enjoy this movie, but if you can explain to me why you do, please comment below. For now, though, let’s continue with this review…
PRODUCT INFORMATION
DISCS: 1
RUN-TIME: 96 min
ASPECT RATIO: 2.35:1
RESOLUTION: 1080p
AUDIO: DTS-HD 2.0 Stereo
SUBTITLES: English
REGION: A/1
RATING: Unrated
PRODUCTION DATE: 1989
RELEASE DATE: Jan 26, 2016
PLOT SUMMARY
A shattering, unforgettable performance from David Carradine (Kill Bill) powers this wickedly off-beat tale of family love gone berserk. Paul L. Smith (Midnight Express, Crimewave) and Brad Dourif (Child’s Play, The Exorcist III) are also featured in powerfully moving supporting roles.
In a remote desert town, a psychopathic petty crook (Smith) and his transvestite girlfriend (Carradine) kidnap an orphaned infant, cage it like an animal, and train it to steal and kill on their command. Years later, when the half-wild Sonny Boy escapes and embarks on a bloody rampage, the couple’s monstrous attempt at “child development” provokes the local populace into vengeful retaliation.
Unlike any film you’ve ever seen, Sonny Boy is an unsettling, wildly bizarre allegory on the devastating effects of child abuse and the violent consequences that follow.
MOVIE
A crazy family, one that consists of a crazy Brad Dourif (Curse of Chucky), the creepy janitor from Pieces, Paul L. Smith; and transvestite David Carradine, kidnap a baby and decide to raise it. Raising the child consists of cutting his tongue out, dragging it behind a car when he is 12, setting a fire close to him to harden his skin when he is 17 and finally, sending him out on a murder missions. The local town, which is scared of the family, and refuse to cross paths with them, decided they have had enough and begin to rip off the closing moments of Frankenstein. I think that’s what the movie was about, but I could be wrong, as I was so bored, I started to fade in and out.
The problem, which there are many, with Sonny Boy, is that it is boring. There isn’t much gore to talk about, there is nothing scary about the movie and any hopes of some good 80s nudity is non existent. So what is the point of watching this movie then? Is it to see the crazy performances, perhaps, or maybe it’s to see Mr. Carrindine trying to breastfeed a baby. Yeah, that’s got to be it. Whatever it is, I can’t say I enjoyed this flick in the least bit, but I’m sure there are people out there that do and Scream Factory is going to have you covered with this Blu-ray.
BLU-RAY
The Blu-ray has some troubles in the video department, as the film is a bit rough around the edges. There is a bit of damage and noise throughout, and the occasional random light leaks. It’s a bit distracting at times, but for the most part, the video is serviceable. The audio, however, doesn’t suffer from anything and has no issues present that I could hear.
Special Features aren’t abundant, but you do get two commentaries, one with Director Robert Martin Carroll and the other with Writer Graeme Whifler. I didn’t listen to them myself, as I had hard enough time getting through the movie the first time, but I’m pretty interested in hearing what they have to say and I’m sure it will be worth it. The remaining features are the trailer and the script, which can only be accessed through a BD-ROM drive.
BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES
- NEW Audio Commentary With Director Robert Martin Carroll
- NEW Audio Commentary With Writer Graeme Whifler
- Script – 1st Draft (Accessible Via BD-ROM)
- Theatrical Trailer
VERDICT
Sonny Boy was, in my useless opinion, a terrible movie. It’s strange for no reason and boring on top of that. I’m sure there is some hidden meaning behind all this nonsense, but the blatant ripping off of the Frankenstein story is laughable and the overall experience is mind numbing. A pass from me, but for the fans of the flick, the Scream Factory Blu-ray is worthwhile.
RATING
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| My own rating, the film gets a 1 zombie brain. |
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| For fans of the flick, the Blu-ray is worth three zombie brains. |