I don't think I'm alone in that ignorance either. The two films came and went in relative obscurity, without much in the way of fanfare or home video follow up to build any kind of following. Leave it to Severin to right this particular wrong, though, and they do it up big with one of their most impressive collections yet, and one that certainly deserves discovery.
Axe and Kidnapped Coed, Friedel's two mid seventies horror films, were strictly regional affairs, remnants of the time when films would play this drive-in, then the next one down the road, all the way across the country if they got lucky.
Axe and Kidnapped Coed, Friedel's two mid seventies horror films, were strictly regional affairs, remnants of the time when films would play this drive-in, then the next one down the road, all the way across the country if they got lucky.
In fact, we learn through the supplemental material included with this package that Axe had its world premiere at a drive-in theater, and not many films can boast of that.
They managed the rare feat of being exploitative and at times flat out weird, while maintaining some semblance of style beyond the typical fare of the time. A canny mix of sleaze and psychological thriller, Friedel's work is smarter than it deserves to be, which probably didn't help in terms of appealing to the lowest common denominator market to which it was being sold.
The stories of the films aren't particularly flashy or outre, but the execution is a cut above what I'm used to seeing from films of this type. Axe is the story of a bunch of crooks on the run who make themselves at home after barging in on a young girl named Lisa and her catatonic grandfather for whom she cares. When the interlopers start to get rough, Lisa protects herself with the titular axe, and the blood flows.
The stories of the films aren't particularly flashy or outre, but the execution is a cut above what I'm used to seeing from films of this type. Axe is the story of a bunch of crooks on the run who make themselves at home after barging in on a young girl named Lisa and her catatonic grandfather for whom she cares. When the interlopers start to get rough, Lisa protects herself with the titular axe, and the blood flows.
Kidnapped Coed, meanwhile, shares a lead with Axe in the surprisingly imposing heavy Jack Canon (a great name if nothing else), and tells the story of a small time hood who kidnaps the daughter of a businessman in order to collect ransom money. The two stay on the lam to avoid detection, and along the way form a complicated bond that confuses both the kidnapper's goal and the kidnap-ee's desire to escape. Both stories are fairly straight-forward, but their execution and the examination of the motives and psychology of the characters is unusually thorough and engaging.
With run times less than eighty minutes each, Axe and Kidnapped Coed are breezy viewings that don't require a whole lot of commitment. However, they manage to cram a lot of subtext into what should be sleazy drive-in potboilers that puts them out in front of the pack in terms of no-budget thrillers.
With run times less than eighty minutes each, Axe and Kidnapped Coed are breezy viewings that don't require a whole lot of commitment. However, they manage to cram a lot of subtext into what should be sleazy drive-in potboilers that puts them out in front of the pack in terms of no-budget thrillers.
Sadly for us, the films were sorely mishandled by distributor Harry Novak, which led to Friedel dropping out of the movie business before we could really see what he could do. The story behind the creation, release, and disappearance of these films is at least as interesting as the films themselves, and Severin has wisely chosen to focus on the back story for this passion project of theirs.
After Novak came on board as a distributor, he apparently cut Friedel out of the loop in terms of profit sharing, instead insisting that Friedel owed him money after Novak paid for marketing and promotional materials. The films had decent drive-in runs and should have made money, but thanks to shaky business practices, Friedel never saw it, and the experience pushed an enthusiastic, talented filmmaker out of the business before he got a chance to really spread his wings.
This disc explores not only the films themselves, but the story of Friedel's brief stint as a director and how he and a band of like minded brothers made something worth watching without much support. The story is engaging, at times unbelievable, and a wonderful testament to the DIY spirit. Friedel and his crew wanted to make a film, and they did.
After Novak came on board as a distributor, he apparently cut Friedel out of the loop in terms of profit sharing, instead insisting that Friedel owed him money after Novak paid for marketing and promotional materials. The films had decent drive-in runs and should have made money, but thanks to shaky business practices, Friedel never saw it, and the experience pushed an enthusiastic, talented filmmaker out of the business before he got a chance to really spread his wings.
This disc explores not only the films themselves, but the story of Friedel's brief stint as a director and how he and a band of like minded brothers made something worth watching without much support. The story is engaging, at times unbelievable, and a wonderful testament to the DIY spirit. Friedel and his crew wanted to make a film, and they did.
They even managed to piggyback a second feature onto the first because they simply never stopped shooting. It's this kind of guerrilla filmmaking that is largely missing these days when everyone's product looks super polished and we have crowd funding campaigns collecting hundreds of thousands of dollars to make a 30 minute short designed to look old. Friedel and company did it the old-fashioned way, the got a camera, a great story, and some local talent and made the best of what they had, and you know what? It didn't turn out half bad.
The Disc:
Severin Films' Blu-ray release of Axe and Kidnapped Coed has both features sharing a single Blu-ray disc, though with run times of 67 and 73 minutes, there is no issue in terms of compression of the material to fit. Both features look very good in new HD transfers, and sound perfectly fine. Neither film was designed to wow on the A/V front, so the lack of any major fault is as good as a big thumbs up.
The real strength here, as is frequently the case with Severin's releases, is in the attention to detail in terms of supplemental materials. When a film has a story to tell, you can count on David Gregory and company to make sure its told properly. Gregory is no stranger to behind the scenes tell-all film documentaries. His film Lost Soul, which focused on Richard Stanley's aborted take on The Island of Dr. Moreau, was one of the most interesting documentaries of 2014, and it's only one of many.
In this case, the doc is titled At Last... Total Terror!, and it certainly spins a yarn worth spinning. Gregory talks with Friedel and most of his core crew members about the genesis of the film project and the execution. Friedel makes the bold claim that he was inspired by the legendary story of the 25 year old Orson Welles and his masterwork Citizen Kane and how he decided that he was going to do the same thing, though without any firm plan.
Severin Films' Blu-ray release of Axe and Kidnapped Coed has both features sharing a single Blu-ray disc, though with run times of 67 and 73 minutes, there is no issue in terms of compression of the material to fit. Both features look very good in new HD transfers, and sound perfectly fine. Neither film was designed to wow on the A/V front, so the lack of any major fault is as good as a big thumbs up.
The real strength here, as is frequently the case with Severin's releases, is in the attention to detail in terms of supplemental materials. When a film has a story to tell, you can count on David Gregory and company to make sure its told properly. Gregory is no stranger to behind the scenes tell-all film documentaries. His film Lost Soul, which focused on Richard Stanley's aborted take on The Island of Dr. Moreau, was one of the most interesting documentaries of 2014, and it's only one of many.
In this case, the doc is titled At Last... Total Terror!, and it certainly spins a yarn worth spinning. Gregory talks with Friedel and most of his core crew members about the genesis of the film project and the execution. Friedel makes the bold claim that he was inspired by the legendary story of the 25 year old Orson Welles and his masterwork Citizen Kane and how he decided that he was going to do the same thing, though without any firm plan.
They go back to some of the locations of the shoot in North Carolina and reminisce about the good old days stealing shots in a busy downtown. The sad story of the film's acquisition for distribution and subsequent disappearance is detailed, including the tale of how Gregory provided the impetus to get the film back out in front of viewers again. Overall it's a fascinating documentary that tells a lot of story over the course of 61 minutes.
Next up is a strange hybrid feature titled Bloody Brothers that edits the two films together into a tale of identical twin brother committing crimes simultaneously. As a film, it's obviously pretty hit or miss, but the concept and story behind its creation is pretty interesting. It turns out that after he'd been screwed out of all chances to make any money from the film, Friedel decided to re-edit the footage into a new feature that he could capitalize on in order to recoup some of his losses. It's sloppy, and the story is all over the place, but I've seen films that are a lot worse than this. Bloody Brothers also includes a Stephen Thrower commentary that helps to explain some of the unusual leaps in logic.
Speaking of Mr. Thrower, he appears once again in a piece praising Axe and Kidnapped Coed as well as analyzing not only the films themselves, but also their place in the film culture of the mid '70s drive in circuit. As the author of the essential, central reference work on this material, Nightmare USA, Thrower's comments are incredibly insightful, and when he places these two films "head and shoulders above the pack," it's a good idea that we all listen. Thrower has become quite the staple on DVD supplements these days between Severin, Arrow, and Mondo Macabro, and I am always eager to see what he has to say.
Digging further into the package we find a mini-documentary about the jazz fusion duo Moose Magic (George Newman and John Willhelm) who scored both films. The pair met in high school and began playing professionally before they left their teens. The documentary talks to family, friends, and colleagues about their prolific talents, as well as their tragic deaths in their early twenties as the result of a car accident. I'd never heard of them, but I enjoyed the scores for both of these films (included on CD with the set), so I was interested to learn more, and this feature didn't disappoint.
Rounding out the set are several trailers, radio, and TV spots and a pair of feature length commentary tracks with the director. Friedel and company are very open and entertaining to listen to. Various anecdotes about the films and the production keep the proceedings light-hearted enough sustain interest without going dry.
Overall this is a stupendous package for a pair (or trio, depending on how you look at it) of quite good films that may not have ever been seen again if it weren't for the determination of Severin and Frederick Friedel. Definitely worth picking up!
Next up is a strange hybrid feature titled Bloody Brothers that edits the two films together into a tale of identical twin brother committing crimes simultaneously. As a film, it's obviously pretty hit or miss, but the concept and story behind its creation is pretty interesting. It turns out that after he'd been screwed out of all chances to make any money from the film, Friedel decided to re-edit the footage into a new feature that he could capitalize on in order to recoup some of his losses. It's sloppy, and the story is all over the place, but I've seen films that are a lot worse than this. Bloody Brothers also includes a Stephen Thrower commentary that helps to explain some of the unusual leaps in logic.
Speaking of Mr. Thrower, he appears once again in a piece praising Axe and Kidnapped Coed as well as analyzing not only the films themselves, but also their place in the film culture of the mid '70s drive in circuit. As the author of the essential, central reference work on this material, Nightmare USA, Thrower's comments are incredibly insightful, and when he places these two films "head and shoulders above the pack," it's a good idea that we all listen. Thrower has become quite the staple on DVD supplements these days between Severin, Arrow, and Mondo Macabro, and I am always eager to see what he has to say.
Digging further into the package we find a mini-documentary about the jazz fusion duo Moose Magic (George Newman and John Willhelm) who scored both films. The pair met in high school and began playing professionally before they left their teens. The documentary talks to family, friends, and colleagues about their prolific talents, as well as their tragic deaths in their early twenties as the result of a car accident. I'd never heard of them, but I enjoyed the scores for both of these films (included on CD with the set), so I was interested to learn more, and this feature didn't disappoint.
Rounding out the set are several trailers, radio, and TV spots and a pair of feature length commentary tracks with the director. Friedel and company are very open and entertaining to listen to. Various anecdotes about the films and the production keep the proceedings light-hearted enough sustain interest without going dry.
Overall this is a stupendous package for a pair (or trio, depending on how you look at it) of quite good films that may not have ever been seen again if it weren't for the determination of Severin and Frederick Friedel. Definitely worth picking up!