Thanks to home video distributor Vinegar Syndrome, Tammy & The T-Rex can now be seen in its original, uncensored form on 4K Blu ray. It's always a shame when movies like Justice League and Fantastic 4 are released in severely edited forms that the original filmmakers didn't intend. While it may seem like a new phenomenon, the practice has been going on for years. Take, for example, Tammy & The T-Rex, a cult 1994 horror comedy starring Denise Richards and Paul Walker in one of their earliest films.
Tammy & The T-Rex follows a pair of teenagers, Tammy and Michael (Richards and Walker), whose relationship is tragically cut short when Tammy's ex-boyfriend, the leader of a gang of thugs, attacks Michael and attempts to murder him by bringing him to a wildlife preserve where he is mauled by a lion. Dr. Wachenstein (played by Weekend At Bernie's star Terry Kiser) removes Michael's brain and puts it into an animatronic T. Rex, which then goes on a violent rampage while attempting to reunite with his lost love.
In its original American release, the film was heavily censored by the studio, who removed all the violence and harsh language in an attempt to appeal to more of a family audience. Now, over 25 years later, home video distributor Vinegar Syndrome has restored the film from its original 35mm negative and have given the movie a proper 4K release (as well as Blu-ray and DVD). At last, American audiences will be able to see Tammy & The T-Rex in all its uncensored glory, with all the decapitations, gratuitous blood spurts, and profanity-laden dialogue completely intact.
Vinegar Syndrome specializes in restoring cult classic exploitation movies, from forgotten slashers to 1970s smut. Basically, they give the "Criterion treatment" to the types of films that would otherwise never receive such a release, like Flesh Eating Mothers, Zombie Island Massacre, and A Thousand And One Erotic Nights, among countless others. Having seen the Blu-ray in action, we can confirm that the picture is absolutely gorgeous. The gore effects are surprisingly well done, which makes it a genuine shame they've been kept hidden from audiences for so long. It's leaps and bounds above the PG-13 cut, which is also included on the disc, though it's sourced from prior home video releases and thus isn't as pristine as the unrated cut in terms of picture quality.
The Vinegar Syndrome release also includes several interviews with cast and crew, including director Stewart Raffill (Mac and Me) and stars Denise Richards, Sean Whalen, and George Pilgrim. Finally, Raffill and producer Diane Kirman recorded a full-length audio commentary for the film.
Overall, the Vinegar Syndrome release of Tammy & The T-Rex is a must-have for fans of low-budget horror comedy. No, it's not Jurassic Park, but that should be immediately clear by the title alone. It's full of laughs, both of the intentional and unintentional variety, and many of the devilishly juicy gore effects still hold up quite well. The acting is as deliciously hammy as one would expect, and the story is as nonsensical as it is irrepressibly jolly.
Tammy & The T-Rex is out now on 4K, Blu ray, and DVD.
Source: Vinegar Syndrome