Uninvited (Vinegar Syndrome Blu-ray Review)

Is Uninvited Trash or Treasure?

Blu-ray Distributed By: Vinegar Syndrome / January 29, 2019

At a secluded biochemical lab, which runs cruel tests on animals, a seemingly innocent looking cat has just escaped, but beneath its furry exterior, a terrifying monster has been seeded, emerging to brutally maim and kill anyone it finds threatening. Discovered by a group of teenage spring breakers and brought aboard a luxury yacht bound for the Cayman Islands, the cuddly fluff ball quickly begins gnawing away at the ship’s guests and crew. But to make matters even worse, it’s soon revealed that the cruise’s host, a renowned multimillionaire, is in fact on the run from the law and won’t return the boat to shore, killer mutant cat be damned!

A mind-boggling piece of late 80s horror weirdness, mixing low-fi creature effects, explosive gore, crime thriller subplots, and a fairly logical cat monster, Greydon Clark’s (JOYSTICKS) UNINVITED stars George Kennedy (DEATH SHIP), Alex Cord (THE DEAD ARE ALIVE), and legendary character actor Clu Gulager (RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD). Vinegar Syndrome proudly brings this video store classic to Blu-ray, newly restored in 4k from its 35mm camera negative and includes a previously unreleased international cut which features exclusive footage, including an alternate ending!

Jimbo’s Take (3.5 / 5)

Uninvited is exactly what it sounds (and looks like) like. It’s a very bad creature feature that was prime for the direct to video market of the late 1980s. But by “bad” I mean “awesome”. There’s a great mix of veteran actors with young and fresh faces. Add a mutant cat that is murdering a bunch of people on a ship, and then it occurred to me… There are literally no bad ideas bad enough to prevent someone from making a movie. And that’s both the beauty and drawback for Uninvited. No one is going to accidentally stumble across this and think, “I might be interested in that”. You hear mutant cat, George Kennedy, and Clu Gulager stranded on a cruise liner: You know if you’re in or out.

Me? I’m all in! And Uninvited did not disappoint me at all. The creature looks bad. I’m talking Hobgoblins bad. Again, that’s the charm. This isn’t Gremlins. But everything else is surprisingly very good, from acting to special effects. Director Greydon Clark is an expert of low-budget filmmaking and he’s able to stretch a $200K budget to great effect. Shot in only three weeks, Clark assembled a tiny cast/crew giving him just enough talent to pull off this ridiculous premise. Clu Gulager probably has my favorite scene where he spits in the face of the cat and drunkenly laughs. (It’s in the trailer, so you can see what I’m talking about). All in all, Uninvited is perfect fun for those that enjoy a good/bad creature feature.

Video (3.5 / 5)

Vinegar Syndrome proudly brings this video store classic to Blu-ray, newly restored in 4k from its 35mm camera negative.

At least that’s what they claim. And you know what? I believe them because the movie looks pretty damn good! Especially when you consider it’s really only been available on VHS or VHS dumped to DVD. It’s easily the best Nicholas von Sternberg’s cinematography has ever looked for Uninvited. The image includes a healthy level of film grain with colors and detail looking very natural.

Audio (3 / 5)

In the audio commentary, Director Greydon Clark mentions that his sound people had one hell of a time getting good audio because they were shooting in the middle of the ocean with the wind constantly being a factor. Well, Clark surrounded himself with capable crew because I couldn’t tell you it mattered. I’m no audiophile so I can’t give you the ins and outs, pluses or minuses, of the phonic differences between your high frequencies or low frequencies. But when it’s all said and done, nothing about the audio mix drew my attention out of the movie. Uninvited is presented with one 2.0 stereo track and an audio commentary by Director Greydon Clark.

Extras (4.5 / 5)

Commentary track with director Greydon Clark
Alternate International edit (93min)
“That Darn Mutant Cat!” – an interview with cinematographer Nicholas von Sternberg
Original theatrical trailer
Reversible cover artwork

There are two versions of the movie on Vinegar Syndrome’s blu-ray. If you play the movie from the main title screen, you will launch the PG-13 version. In my opinion, the superior version to watch is the “international cut” found within the special features section. Vinegar Syndrome does this a lot, burying the preferred version in the special features. The “international” version of the movie includes some nudity and an alternate ending that I deem superior to the US cut.

But once you finish the “international cut” this will give you a perfect opportunity to re-watch the US cut with Greydon Clark’s excellent solo audio commentary. Clark opens the commentary by stating he assumes you’ve already watched the movie and must be a fan of it if you’re listening to him. He comes across as humble and grateful, sharing bits of information that is very digestible for your average viewer and more expert listeners. He segues easily between facts about Uninvited to filmmaking 101 tricks that have worked for him during his 20-picture career. He even plugs a book “On The Cheap” that’s for sale on his website. I’ll admit that I immediately bought a copy… What I find most endearing is that Clark is simultaneously proud of Uninvited whilst being completely aware of the kind of film he’s written, produced, and directed.

Finally, the almost 10-minute featurette “That Darn Mutant Cat” with cinematographer Nicholas von Sternberg gives a brief but alternate perspective on the film’s background.

Trash or Treasure? Overall Recommendation

As I’ve said before, you know if this is your cup of tea or not. If you’re open to a goofy sci-fi horror movie about a mutant cat monster that kills people, then you’re going to have a blast with Uninvited. Furthermore, Vinegar Syndrome’s new blu-ray/DVD combo feels lean and mean. It’s not overburdened with too many special features, but the one’s it contains are premium quality. Watching both versions of the film, Clark’s excellent commentary, and the brief interview with Nicholas von Sternberg convince me that this is a blu-ray very much worth owning.