Special Features: |
- Commentary features director Mark Goldblatt, writer Terry Black, and producers Michael L. Meltzer and David Helpern.
- "The Building Blocks of Movies" (25:55, HD) is an interview with director Mark Goldblatt, who describes himself as a "movie freak," drawn to genre entertainment. Beginning his career as a production assistant for Roger Corman, Goldblatt eventually found his way into editing, building a resume in the 1980s that included "The Terminator" and "Commando." For "Dead Heat," a directorial opportunity arrived with the "D.O.A."-influenced horror comedy, pushing the interviewee to work hard refining the screenplay before the hectic 35-day-long shoot. Goldblatt shares helming lessons learned during the experience, and goes into the specifics of post-production, celebrating the score by Ernest Troost and various technical achievements. The feature's botched theatrical release is recalled, with Goldblatt happy "Dead Heat" has found an audience over the years.
- "Dead and Alive" (19:00, HD) is a 2017 interview with makeup effects artist Steve Johnson, who details his "Dead Heat" hiring, pulling a random budget number out of thin air for the producers, who promptly left his team alone to do the work. Various special effects are analyzed, including deterioration makeup Johnson finds embarrassing, and Roger's slow evolution into a punk look. Zombie hand tricks are revealed as well, and Johnson shares his enthusiasm with a life cast made of Vincent Price, who was way too old to sit for such an experience. Also explored is a deleted scene that required a dancing skeleton.
- "A Thousand Feet of Lightning" (15:51, HD) is an interview with visual effects artist Ernest Farino, who got his moviemaking start in the world of stop-motion animation, even working on Pillsbury Doughboy commercials in the 1970s. This led to main title work, creating intros for "The Terminator" and "The Abyss," and, ultimately, visual effects, renting a Tesla coil used in classic monster films to create lightning effects for "Dead Heat" and other productions. Farino doesn't have much to share about the making of "Dead Heat," but he does recall a missed opportunity to chat up Treat Williams during their day together.
- "How to Edit for an Editor" (12:06, HD) is an interview with editor Harvey Rosenstock, who counts "Dead Heat" as his first job in Los Angeles after working his way into the business in New York City. Accepting gigs with Cannon Films, Rosenstock developed his skills with editing, eventually selected by Mark Goldblatt to cut "Dead Heat," which required some time to consider the tone of the material, which touches on action, comedy, and horror. The interviewee celebrates casting and briefly mentions some creative differences with Goldblatt, maintaining respect for his friend, who taught him the ways of "point to point" editing.
- "Happy Accidents Happen" (7:56, HD) is an audio-only interview with composer Ernest Troost, who shares his early work with Roger Corman, trying to make a name for himself in low-budget movies. Scoring the job on "Dead Heat," Troost reveals that director Mark Goldblatt didn't want any trumpets near his picture, inspiring the interviewee to find different sounds, influenced by film noir offerings. Tonality is also analyzed, with Troost trying to keep up with the atmosphere of the feature.
- "Seizing the Opportunity" (6:12, HD) is a brief interview with second unit director Patrick Read Johnson (wearing a "5-25- 77" hat – whatever happened to that film?), who shares his history as a model maker, finding production assistant work in Los Angeles. Time on "Dead Heat" involved his vision for the butcher shop sequence, which he was handed responsibility for when the schedule proved to be too much for director Mark Goldblatt.
- Deleted Scenes (16:54, SD) are included, sourced from a VHS workprint.
- Photo Gallery (4:37) collects film stills, publicity shots, and poster art.
- Archival EPK Featurette (5:32, SD) is a promotional piece showcasing BTS footage and interviews with the cast.
- And a MIFED Promotional Piece (2:21, SD)
- Theatrical Trailer (1:35, HD)
- Reversible cover artwork
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