The Lawnmower Man: Loose 1992 Stephen King adaptation coming to 2-dsic collectors edition Blu-ray from Scream Factory
In the 1980s and the early ’90s, every studio locked their paws on at least one of iconic author Stephen King‘s short stories and attempted to flesh them out for a feature-length treatment. Some were moderately successful and maintained enough of the soul of their source stories to be at least begrudgingly King approved. Films like the underrated Graveyard Shift. Children of the Corn. And King himself took his tale Trucks and perverted it into the movie Maximum Overdrive.
But in the case of Brett Leonard’s The Lawnmower Man, King successfully sued New Line to remove his name from all marketing materials and subsequent home video releases. No wonder! The original — VERY short — King tale was about a monstrous handyman who stripped nude and ate grass, before killing his confused employer. New Line had the rights to the tale and an unrelated script called Cyber God and decided to combine the two properties. The result has absolutely zero to do with King (outside of a lawnmower!). And the movie itself ain’t that great either. More of a curio, really.
Nevertheless, Scream Factory have rolled out the AstroTurf with their wild 2 disc release of The Lawnmower Man, available for the first time on Blu-ray on June 20th. This definitive collector’s edition release boasts The Director’s Cut, theatrical cut and a pack of nifty extras. It also includes a collectible slipcover featuring newly-rendered artwork and a reversible cover wrap featuring original theatrical key art. Avid fans and collectors please take not: Order from ShoutFactory.com and get a FREE 18″ X 24″ poster featuring our brand new artwork, available while supplies last. If you’re gonna do The Lawnmower Man, at least do it right. And these cats have. Don’t they always?
Synopsis: Dr. Lawrence Angelo (Pierce Brosnan) is a brilliant scientist obsessed with perfecting virtual reality software. When his experiments on animals fail, he finds the ideal substitute – Jobe Smith (Jeff Fahey), a slow-witted gardener. Dr. Angelo’s goal is to benefit his human guinea pig and ultimately mankind itself, but evil lurks the guise of “the Shop,” a shadowy group that seeks to use the technology to create an invincible war machine. When the experiments change the simple Jobe into a superhuman being, the stage is set for a Jekyll-and-Hyde struggle for the control of Jobe’s mind and the future of the world.
The film stars Fahey (Psycho III), Brosnan (The Son, James Bond!) and is directed and co-written by Brett Leonard (Virtuosity, Hideaway, The Dead Pit). The film also stars our pal Jenny Wright (Near Dark) and Geoffrey Lewis (The Devil’s Rejects).
Here’s a look at the bells and whistles:
Disc 1 – Theatrical Cut:
*NEW 4K scan of the interpositive
*NEW Cybergod: Creating The Lawnmower Man – featuring interviews with co-writer/director Brett Leonard, actor Jeff Fahey, editor Alan Baumgarten, make-up effects artist Michael Deak and special effects coordinator Frank Cegli
*Audio Commentary with writer/director Brett Leonard and writer/producer Gimel Everett
*Deleted Scenes
*Original Electronic Press Kit with cast interviews and behind-the-scenes footage
*Edited animated sequences
*Theatrical Trailer
*TV Spot
Disc 2 – Director’s Cut:
*NEW 4K scan of the interpositive with additional “director’s cut” footage from the original camera negative
*Audio Commentary with writer/director Brett Leonard and writer/producer Gimel Everett
*Conceptual art and Design sketches
*Behind the scenes and production stills
*Storyboard Comparison
Do you have fond memories of this oddball flick? Will you picking it up in June? Discuss in the Discus below!
