Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker appears in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1 on this 4K UHD Disc. The dated nature of the original photography held back the image, but it mostly looked fairly good.
Sharpness was largely fine. Some shots could be a bit tentative, and I can’t claim the movie boasted razor-sharp delineation. Nonetheless, it displayed appropriate definition the majority of the time.
I saw no jagged edges or shimmering, and edge haloes remained absent. Grain seemed natural, and print flaws only became a minor concern, as I saw a smattering of specks but nothing significant.
Colors appeared acceptable albeit a bit on the dull side at times. Still, the hues generally felt well-rendered as a whole, and HDR added oomph to the tones.
Blacks were fairly rich, and low-light shots delivered decent clarity. Contrast and whites receive a boost from HDR. Nothing here excelled, but the image seemed satisfactory given the source limitations.
As for the film’s DTS-HD MA monaural soundtrack, it seemed mediocre even for its vintage. Speech showed a fair amount of edginess and could feel somewhat reedy, so the lines appeared bland, though they remained perfectly intelligible.
Effects seemed iffy, as those elements lacked much punch and could feel a bit shrill at times. Music came across as similar, with thin, rough tones at times. This wound up as a meh mix, without any boost when I considered the age of the material.
How did the 4K compare to the Blu-ray version? Both came with identical audio.
The 4K’s visuals showed a moderate step up in terms of delineation, colors and blacks. While the 4K didn’t offer a major improvement over the Blu-ray, it became the more satisfying rendition.
On the 4K disc, we get the movie’s trailer as well as three separate audio commentaries, the first of which comes from actor Jimmy McNichol. Along with moderator Jeff McKay and an additional unnamed moderator, we get a running, screen-specific look at McNichol’s career and aspects of the Butcher shoot.
Don’t expect much that one could call compelling here, unfortunately, as we mostly get banal thoughts about McNichol’s “teen idol” era and a smattering of Butcher details. The participants go quiet too often and this never turns into a track with a lot of substance.
By the way, McNichol claims that at one point, he was the second highest paid actor in Hollywood. Given that he never made any big movies or starred in successful TV shows, this seems delusional, to put it mildly.
For the second commentary, we hear from co-writers Steve Breimer and Alan Jay Glueckman. Accompanied by film historian Nathaniel Thompson, this track examines the premise's roots and story/characters, cast and performances, sets and locations, themes, various titles and related topics.
The commentary starts very well, as the first act or so provides a lot of insights. Though it remains acceptably interesting, the track peters out some as it goes. This means it remains listenable but less informative along the way.
Finally, we get a commentary from unit production manager Eugene Mazzola. Moderator Michael Felsher moderates this running, occasionally screen-specific view of Mazzola’s career and his memories of the Butcher production.
As indicated in that last sentence, the conversation only sporadically addresses the film as we watch it. The first segment of the commentary covers Mazzola’s overall time in Hollywood before the rest gets into various domains about Butcher.
This format works fine, as we get a lot of good information. Felsher interviews Mazzola well and ensures that we get a solid chat about the topics at hand.
More extras appear on the included Blu-ray copy. Called Extreme Prejudice, we get an interview with actor Bo Svenson. This reel lasts nine minutes, 49 seconds.
Svenson tells us about how he came to the film and some experiences. The actor brings us a brief but informative and entertaining chat.
Point and Shoot fills 15 minutes, four seconds. It features director of photography Robbie Greenberg.
During this reel, we learn about how he came to his career as well as his experiences during the Butcher shoot. Greenberg offers an engaging set of memories.
Next comes Family Dynamics. The 16-minute, 51-second program offers info from editor Ted Nicolaou.
As expected, Nicolaou mainly looks at his work on Butcher along with notes about other aspects of his time in Hollywood. Like Greenberg, Nicolaou delivers a fine overview.
A collection of Cast and Crew Interviews appears. We hear from McNichol (8:29), actor Susan Tyrell (10:55), actor Steve Eastin (9:38), makeup effects artist Allan A. Apone (4:56) and writer/producer Steve Breimer (12:22).
McNichol covers some basics of his casting and experiences. This feels redundant given we already got virtually the same content in his commentary.
Tyrell seems more interesting, mainly due to the fact she seems to be bonkers. She actually offers a mini-commentary, as she reacts to the film while she watches it.
At the start, Tyrell claims nothing but miserable memories, and it feels unclear if she means it - because again, she appears to be nuts. She does toss out a few notes about the film, but no one can trust the veracity of these comments given that either she's a kook or she's playing the Susan Tyrell Character as a form of performance art. This leaves us with a weird and largely pointless chat.
Matters get back on track with the meat and potatoes interview with Eastin, as he gives us a succinct look at his experiences. Apone follows suit and explains his work as well as other impressions of the production.
Finally, Breimer gives us his thoughts about the movie's creation. Given his presence in a commentary, his notes here tend to feel repetitive, though he brings them to us in a tight manner.
The BD finishes with the same trailer from the 4K as well as a TV spot.
Silly and scattered, Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker becomes a tedious slasher flick. It lacks anything scary or ominous and just seems ridiculous. The 4K UHD delivers reasonably positive picture as well as iffy audio and a broad mix of bonus materials. Not much about this goofy horror flick works.
To rate this film, visit the prior review of BUTCHER, BAKER, NIGHTMARE MAKER