I wasn't expecting much and I didn't get much. How does one adequately describe 86 minutes stolen from one's life?

This is a very pedestrian horror flick. The plot is nonsensical and derivative - you'll find some direct take-offs from other more notable productions.

Two young boys have a treehouse. One of them is a very young Stephen Doorf (bad guy in "Blade"). During a particularly bad storm, the tree is brought down by lightning. The tree opens up a hole in the ground, ostensibly a well. Due to a strange series of events including playing records backwards, the hole is turned into the gates of hell spawning forth minions (one foot tall demons) and other rubbery looking creatures. This happens over a weekend where the parents are away and big sister has to babysit both boys. That is it really.

The setup and effects are as expected. Lots of latex monsters that one might buy at a joke shop, lots of dry ice and stop-frame animation a'la Harryhausen. I must admit some of the effects were well executed given the limited budget and technology.

It is too much to ask that a film frighten me however there are very laughs (except for the unintentional!) or unexpected turn of events. This is by the numbers plotting.

And you know things are going to be set right by the time the olds have come home...

Video is full frame and decidedly VHS like. There is very poor sharpness, dull colours and horrid shadow/black detail which is complicated by the extended night sequences. I suspect that the original print is widescreen and the artifacts and frame composition seem to suggest that the image has been compressed down to full frame. There's also fairly consistent aliasing on any repeated pattern such as door slats and roof tiles. There is also consistent border bleeding. Surprisingly the special effects are better presented than the 'normal' shooting. The day and external scenes are particularly diabolical with a headache-inducing fuzz and compression artifacting. Perhaps this is just me but I find I tend to 'adjust' to poor quality so that by the half way point I notice it less. Anytime the scene gets remotely complex, expect some faults to creep in.

There is a single Dolby Digital Stereo track at 224k/s and even that is more than enough for a very mono VHS-like soundtrack. Diction is generally clear and it is devoid of any flaws save a relatively poor noise floor. I think there might have been some peaking of the track during some loud stages. There's not much in the way of dynamics, high or low. Despite the work of two scoring directors, I could not remember a single musical piece.

The disc is rounded out by trailer comparable in quality to the main feature. Clearly this disc is nowhere near acceptable. Perhaps some value may be obtained by renting. It is funny and clever in some aspects however even with its short running time it has long outstayed its welcome.

The box states that it's also available on VHS. Indeed. One might get the same experience with this dvd.