Forbidden Zone

One of the most bizarre underground films to win a devoted cult following, Richard Elfman's 1980 musical happily and recklessly combines crass low comedy with inspired Dadaist flourishes to create a tuneful sci-fi slapstick adventure. The story follows a dysfunctional family's journey through a mysterious door in their basement that leads to a warped parallel universe called the Sixth Dimension, where an oversexed little king (Hervé Villechaize) and his tempestuous queen (Susan Tyrrell) reign with sadistic glee over their imprisoned subjects. Topless women, mature adults pretending (badly) to be pre-teens, and a Cab Calloway-style Satan (the director's brother, Hollywood soundtrack maestro Danny Elfman, backed by the Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo—Oingo Boingo being Elfman's former band) add to the mayhem. Forbidden Zone also features very politically incorrect humor (including broad black and Jewish stereotypes and a comic gang rape), intentionally ridiculous threadbare sets, and John Muto's outrageous animation. The film is far from perfect—the comedy is more silly than funny, and the zany shenanigans eventually grow tiresome—but for sheer audacity, Forbidden Zone is quite an experience. This new release features both the original black-and-white version and the 2008 colorized re-release, along with extras including an audio commentary, behind-the-scenes documentary, deleted scenes, and a booklet detailing the film's surprisingly tortured history (exclusive to the Blu-ray release is a bonus soundtrack CD). Recommended. (P. Hall)