Is Deathrow Gameshow a Hidden Treasure or Dumpster Fire?
Blu-ray Distributed By: Vinegar Syndrome / October 25, 2016
Chuck Toedan hosts the most controversial show on TV: Live or Die, where deathrow inmates compete against each other for a chance to beat the executioner. However, when he accidentally kills a mob boss of the most feared mafia in the city, a hit man tries to put an end to him and his show once and for all. As a battle of wits and survival ensues, Chuck is forced to engage in the very tactics he uses on his contestants, or die trying.
From acclaimed independent filmmaker Mark Pirro, DEATHROW GAMESHOW is a playful assault against good taste, featuring outrageous kills and non-stop screwball comedy. Vinegar Syndrome is proud to present this under seen piece of late 80’s camp newly restored in 2K and on Blu-ray for the first time.
Trashmen Rubbish Round Table
Jimbo
This week we tackled Vinegar Syndrome’s Deathrow Gameshow…
Anyone want to start with immediate impressions? Lasting impressions?
Jamie
Deathrow Gameshow reminded me of a toned down, Lloyd Kaufman directed film. Similar production values and style to Troma films, but the jokes and humor in Deathrow Gameshow aren’t utilized for shock humor. Whereas Troma fills their films with R-rated shock humor and gore (this is not a complaint).
Jimbo
Maybe no gore. This had titties though. And lots of foul language and potty humor. Writer/Director Mark Pirro doesn’t shy away from his more juvenile, perverted tendencies.
Jamie
Best jokes: Chuck’s secretary using a vibrator for no reason and non-nonchalantly pulling it out from under her desk without focusing on what she did. I also laughed pretty hard at “Slow Children” as these kids walk across the street in slow motion.
Travis
It verged a little bit into Zucker brother territory (Airplane, Naked Gun) and probably should have stuck with that since there is not enough quantity to cover the duds. And not enough quality overall to carry the rest of the film. I agree the crassness of the comedy was more Troma-ish.
If they were going to have the nudity and sex jokes some blood would have been nice to again add more of an edge to the dark comedy. Having someone decapitated and literally not show a head in a basket or a little blood on the blade makes it look like a cheap continuity error.
Jamie
It’s nowhere near as perverted as Troma or half the shit we see. It has 80’s flesh friends for sure and that scene with the secretary that made me laugh pretty hard. I would have liked to have seen Pirro push the envelope more and go that route than some of that really dumb, childish humor that pretty much sunk the 2nd and 3rd acts of Deathrow Gameshow.
Maybe even make a satire on the game show by adding jokes that poke fun of Family Feud (Richard Dawson kisses all the women, have Chuck grab tits or make out with them) or Wheel of Fortune (instead of Vanna White why not Vanessa Black, an urban hostess whose completely vulgar)?
Jimbo
But that doesn’t feel like Pirro’s style of humor. The script and story feel like a prepubescent boy wrote the first draft. It’s possible Pirro wrote it in a couple of days. My perception of Pirro is that his mind lives in a permanent prepubescent state. There’s almost an innocent quality to his brand of vulgar humor. It’s not cruel, just infantile. For example, the “Pirromount” production logo at the beginning of his films riffs on the “Paramount” mountain logo. But Pirro has replaced the iconic mountain with the profile of a breast.
Jamie
Which is fine as long as the movie is humorous and entertaining. It can be at times… It seems that Mark Pirro, who does have some talent behind the camera, blew his load too early. Most of the jokes that I laughed at happened within the first 30 minutes or so. I thought this was going to be a nice surprise. I had never seen or heard of this movie until Vinegar Syndrome put it out.
Travis
It seems like I’m picking on this too much, but that might be more because I felt like there was a better movie to be found in this.
Jimbo
Comedies, for the most part, I think are meant to be viewed in a group. Whether in a movie theater or at home with friends/family. I find comedies work better in groups. I’ve watched Deathrow Gameshow twice. The first time by myself and the second time with you guys. The first time I hated it. All I remembered were the films worst moments.
Jamie
Honestly once Luigi Pappalardo shows up and the plot starts to become more prominent, the film just screeches to a halt and becomes mundane and groan-inducing. All the scenes with the mobster (played by some joker named Beano who looks like Shelly from Friday the 13th Part 3) sucked so bad…I bet this maybe would have been a better short film, focusing on the game show.
Travis
I have to agree with Jamie on the hitman character. He’s a black hole of humor, sucking all momentum or laughs into his ample orbit and doesn’t let any enjoyment escape his deadly gravitational pull. Huge, huge mistake by the director. Jimbo shed some light on why this may have happened from his time watching the ample bonus features.
Jimbo
Yeah. According to the cast and crew (in the 32 minute making-of documentary “Revisiting Deathrow Gameshow”), they universally agree that Beano was hilarious when cameras weren’t rolling. The blu-ray documentary (which is the best thing on the disc) has multiple interviews where the cast/crew talk about how amazingly funny Beano was. Unfortunately Mark Pirro doesn’t capture any of that on camera.
Travis
I wish it kept that darker edge throughout since about a third of the way through you can tell where the story is going to end up. It feels like a bit of a let down since it’s very upbeat and rosy.
Jimbo
Watching the movie with you guys allowed me to enjoy it a lot more. Sometimes I was eagerly anticipating your reactions from the movie’s worst moments. Sometimes it was a renewed appreciation for a joke that didn’t seem funny before.
Jamie
Jimbo, do you think you liked it more (I give it 2 cans) because of the very fact you wanted to see our reactions to some of the less than amusing moments? And also for the fact you enjoyed the special features on the blu-ray?
Jimbo
I recommend this Vinegar Syndrome blu-ray on the bonus features alone. That may seem a little counter intuitive, but the story behind the making of the movie is honestly worth the asking price alone. There’s a “2015 re-cut” of the movie and a bunch of Pirro’s short films, among other nice extras. Sometimes great bonus features justify a purchase even if the film sounds sub-par.
And yes, I think my enjoyment level was dictated more by your audience reaction and less by the movie itself. Deathrow Gameshow would probably be best experienced at a Midnight screening with a rowdy audience.
Jamie
Can you see yourself re-watching it again? I cannot, and therefore aside from wanting to watch the documentary you mentioned, I wouldn’t want to revisit Deathrow Gameshow any time soon, or if ever.
Jimbo
The “re-watchability” is very low. Watch the movie again alone? Never. Watch it again to see how Craig responds? Yes. Show Deathrow Gameshow to my wife? Hell no. You do have to watch it with the right audience.
Travis
On the “watching with other people” scale I think I give this 1.5 Cans for the movie. The disc does have a good amount of features, so overall a 2. You don’t want to know my score if I imagine watching this alone.
Hidden Treasure/Dumpster Fire?
In summary, Jimbo finds Deathrow Gameshow moderately entertaining with a group. Jamie finds enough laughs to only sustain a short film. And Travis tolerates it with his friends. Verdict: One’s Trash is Another’s Treasure.
| Jimbo: |  (3.0 / 5) |
| Jamie: |  (2.0 / 5) |
| Travis: | (2.0 / 5) |
| Average: |  (2.3 / 5) |
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Special Features
- Scanned, restored & preserved in 2k from 35mm original camera negative
- Commentary track with director Mark Pirro, John McCafferty (actor) & Robyn Blythe (actress)
- “Revisiting Deathrow Gameshow” – 32 minute making-of documentary
- 2015 director’s cut of DEATHROW GAMESHOW
- Multiple director introductions
- “Buns” 1978 (short film directed by Mark Pirro)
- “The Spy Who Did it Better” 1979 (short film directed by Mark Pirro)
- Original theatrical trailer
- TV spot
- Image gallery
- Director bio
- Reversible cover artwork
- English SDH Subtitles
