The first disc contains the black and white version. A
title card at the beginning tells us that Huckleberry P. Jones, “local pimp,
narcotics peddler, and slum lord,” finds a mysterious door in a vacant
house he owns. What he finds beyond that door leads him to sell the place. And
soon a strange family moves in, and it isn’t long before these good people
discover the special door, which leads to the Forbidden Zone. “And Flash, be
sure you tie your grandfather up, and check the knots real good. While he was
sniffing around for food yesterday, he nearly wandered into the Forbidden Zone.”
That conversation leads to the movie’s first musical number, and it’s
wonderful. This film is like a twisted children’s program with decidedly
fake-looking sets, animation, a dancing frog, a talking chicken and a nice dose
of classroom violence. And for the adults, there is a tranny, some nudity, and
intestinal travels. There are also some excellent songs (like the Queen’s song,
“Because I was hatched out of a witch’s egg…”), and every once in a
while a helpful title card. And there is some wonderful dialogue, like this
line: “The Queen said she was gonna ream us with twenty-inch cattle prods,
and I’m still waiting.”
The second disc contains the color version, which in a
way makes it seem even more like a bizarre children’s program, but perhaps
takes a little of its twisted edge off. It’s cool to have both versions, but I
think I prefer the black and white. By the way, a door on the set says “Mystic
Knights Of The Oingo Boingo,” and it leads to Satan leading that group in a
music number.
Special Features
Each disc has its own special features. The first disc
contains an introduction by Richard Elfman, with some silliness and some
animation. There is also a documentary about the film, featuring Richard Elfman
interviewing key players, such as Danny Elfman, Marie-Pascale Elfman, Matthew
Bright, John Muto and Susan Tyrrell. Richard talks about the reasons for making
the film, and about casting the film, most of the cast coming from the Mystic
Knights shows. Danny talks about the music. John Muto talks about the
animation, and yes, he does mention Terry Gilliam’s animation, an influence
that is clear when watching the movie. Susan Tyrrell is completely fucking
hilarious in her segment. Seriously, you should check it out. This documentary
also includes some cool footage of the Mystic Knights Of The Oingo Boingo stage
shows. This disc includes a commentary track by Richard Elfman and Matthew
Bright, and there is also the option of watching the film with just the music,
which is cool.
The second disc includes five minutes of deleted scenes,
including a great scene where two of the Hercules family members pretend to
join the King’s army and are told they’re not allowed to molest the female
prisoners. The deleted scenes are in black and white. There are also eleven
minutes of outtakes, including the Queen biting Frenchy’s breasts, and another
six minutes of footage titled, “Scenes From The Hercules Family” (which is
mostly silent footage of Satan, including an alternate take of the beheading
scene). There is a promotional spot with Richard Elfman, as well as a little
musical segment, and the film’s trailer.
This two-disc special edition of Forbidden Zone
was released on November 10, 2015 through MVD Visual.
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