Body Parts - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray

Just a few short years ago I reviewed Eric Red’s Body Parts on Blu-ray and my thoughts and feelings about the film haven’t changed since. I pull it out every so often and it’s always a sure bet as an off-kilter reimagining of Frankenstein. Jeff Fahey and his intense steely-eyed presence carry a lot of the weight of the film, but the rest of the supporting cast and the clever plot help bring the show home. It might have been a box office under-performer, but thanks to rentals and home video sales it’s grown into something of a full-blooded cult classic. Going through a few more viewings since my last review, the film continues to grow on me. Anyway, here’s what I said about the film back in 2020:

Bill Chrushank (Jeff Fahey) is a respected psychologist trying to understand the inner workings of murderers on death row. After being seriously injured in a car accident, Bill receives the first total arm transplant thanks to the brilliant Dr. Webb (Lindsay Duncan). Recovery is a slow process but soon he's back to normal. Or so he thought. The visions of brutal murders start haunting his dreams. His arm acts violently as if by a will of its own. When Bill tracks down the other recipients from the same donor, their shared nightmare is about to become deadly. 

I was all of about 10 years old when Body Parts hit movies. I was too young to go see it in the theater so I was always hopeful whenever we went to the rental shop that I'd get to snag this one from the horror section. After my mother vetoed several attempts I was given the chance to catch up years later in my teens thanks to late-night cable movie channels. It was a fun ride, I enjoyed it quite a bit. At the time I had just seen Psycho III and was impressed with Fahey as he got to play a cooler more level-headed form of crazy. He's been a welcome addition to any production in the years since. 

After a late evening viewing after a long day at work, watching Body Parts felt like curling into a warm blanket of nostalgia. I remember the trailers so clearly and my excitement when I finally got to see this movie that I was worried this wouldn't hold up. It had been so long that I'd actually forgotten some of the twists or the great appearance from Brad Dourif - it was like watching the movie for the first time all over again. It's probably been the better part of 20 years or more since I last gave this flick its full due. I was very happy to see how well it holds up nearly 30 years after its theatrical release!

It's not a perfect film - few are - but it succeeds in its mission. Eric Red keeps the pace moving and the focus tight while Fahey gets to show his range. Sure it gets a little nuts at the end, but by that point, you're so invested in the lunacy that the little extra dash of horror crazy is well-earned. If you've missed out on this cult classic or are like me and haven't checked it out in a while, now is the perfect time to give it another shot!

Vital Disc Stats: The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray 
Body Parts transplants onto 4K home video with a new two-disc 4K UHD + Blu-ray bonus disc release from Kino Lorber Studio Classics. There is no 1080p option included with this release. There’s only the 4K disc and then a Region Free Blu-ray that includes all of the included extra features. The discs are housed in a standard two-disc case with identical slipcover artwork. The discs load to static image main menus with standard navigation options.

Back in 2020 we got a pretty solid Blu-ray experience from Scream Factory. While I couldn’t ascertain the vintage of the master, I thought it looked pretty good. Now thanks to a reportedly fresh new 4K scan of the original 35mm negative, Eric Red’s Body Parts looks refreshed and revitalized in 2160p with Dolby Vision HDR. Right from the opening interview between Fahey and Paul Ben-Victor, the improvement in fine details and the dynamic lighting and shadows was notable. The film maintains a bright appearance throughout the first chunk of our story, but when things get creepier, that difference between white and black becomes more defined and the shadows get a little longer and darker. Facial features, costuming, and the really cool make-up effects work come through clean and clear with a nice cinematic veneer of film grain. Grain is generally well-rendered and clean. With some of the optical effects and a notable freeze-zoom at the car accident, grain can thicken significantly but those moments are very brief and not out of the ordinary. Overall a very welcome and worthwhile upgrade. 

On the audio side, we have a DTS-HD MA 5.1 and a DTS-HD MA 2.0 track that sound pretty well identical to the ones Scream Factory offered on their Blu-ray. This is fine by me since both tracks handled the workload for this film nicely. Doing the disc flippies I couldn’t detect any differences so I’m standing pat on that:

Body Parts comes together with an effective DTS-HD MA 2.0 that feels right at home with memories of my original viewing experience as well as a knockout DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio mix. The 5.1 mix is the default so you have to select in the menu or through your player functions which track you want. Both are great. The 5.1 mix adds a lot of extra spacing and heft to the show. A lot of the opening quieter bits feel a bit more front/center focused but there is some surround activity. That presence pops up nicely when the plot really gets going and the gory action starts splattering across the screen. 

Even without the full range of an open 5.1 mix, there is still an impressive amount of atmospherics and imaging for the 2.0 track. The opening car accident sequence is a damned impressive bit of audio engineering! Likewise later during a car chase sequence, the sound effects have the right punch while dialog and score keep the pace. Dialog is clean and clear throughout and levels were spot on without any need for monitoring. Both tracks are great so it's dealer's choice.

The good news for fans is all of the excellent extras from the past release are carried over. We get the great commentary, the exhaustive interview with Eric Red, the cast and crew interviews, and the deleted scenes. All worth the time if you’re a fan of the film and haven't dug through these extras already.

4K UHD 

• Audio Commentary featuring Eric Red

Bonus Blu-ray

• Deleted Footage w/ Optional Commentary by Eric Red (HD/SD 10:03)
• Interview with Eric Red (HD 52:16)
• Interview with Anthony Redman (HD 22:33)
• Interview with Paul Ben-Victor (HD 13:41)
• Interview with Peter Murnik (HD 17:15)
• Stills Gallery
• TV Spots
• Trailer
• KLSC Trailer Gallery:
• Link Trailer
• Leviathan Trailer
• Without Warning Trailer
• Parasite Trailer 

I don’t think anyone will line up Body Parts as one of the greatest Horror films ever made, but I also think it doesn’t fully enjoy the reputation it deserves. It’s a fun fight flick that offers a clever and very unique take on the classic Mad Doctor Frankenstein story. Our monster in this case is a true victim of circumstance gradually losing control of his body - which is a pretty terrifying thought! Add the intensity of Jeff Fahey along with very fun performances from fellas like Brad Dourif and Paul Ben-Victor mix in some gnarly make-up work and you’ve got a hell of a fun flick to turn out the lights for. KLSC delivers a welcome worthwhile upgrade to 4K with an often impressive Dolby Vision HDR transfer, clean audio, and the return of the excellent archival extras. Recommended

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