Sharkansas Women’s Prison Massacre appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 1.78:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. An inexpensive effort, the movie looked good but not great.
Overall definition seemed positive, though exceptions occurred. Occasional shots came across as a bit on the soft and tentative side. Still, most of the movie seemed fairly concise. I saw no jaggies or moiré effects, and edge haloes remained absent. Print flaws also failed to appear.
Colors tended toward a brown/amber feel. The hues could be a little on the heavy side and lacked much vivacity, but they were usually acceptable. Blacks seemed fairly dark, and low-light shots offered reasonable clarity. Nothing here excelled, but the visuals seemed adequate.
I felt the same about the inconsistent DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack of Massacre. While the mix offered a fairly active affair, it didn’t offer the best-integrated track I’ve heard.
This meant that material cropped up from all around the room on a frequent basis but the audio lacked consistent specificity. Stereo spread was lackluster, and effects didn’t demonstrate great localization. Some parts fared pretty well, but the movie’s low budget roots betrayed it via this spotty soundscape.
Audio quality was fine. Music sounded fairly peppy and full, while effects showed nice clarity and range. Speech appeared natural and distinctive. This became an erratic but acceptable soundtrack.
Among the set’s extras, we get an audio commentary from director Jim Wynorski and actors Cindy Lucas and Amy Holt. All three sit together for a running, screen-specific look at cast and performances, locations and shooting conditions, and related topics.
At one point, Wynorski notes that he and the ladies aren’t providing a very informative commentary – and he’s right. We don’t learn a ton of specifics about the film’s creation from this track.
Even so, the participants create a frothy energy that allows the chat to entertain. They also give us some anecdotes about the challenges of super-low-budget filmmaking that add some useful material. Don’t expect a lot of value from the track, but it turns into a decent listen.
In addition to the film’s trailer, we find a photo gallery. This running reel goes for three minutes, 58 seconds and offers 51 images. These include a few production sketches but mostly show publicity shots from the set. It’s a mediocre compilation.
No one anticipates greatness from a campy cheesefest like Sharkansas Women’s Prison Massacre, but this tedious dud can’t even live up to my modest expectations. The film fails to deliver any fun or thrills at all. The Blu-ray brings us decent picture and audio as well as a moderately interesting commentary. Maybe someone will find some entertainment value from Massacre, but I can’t.