Director – Mark Jones (Leprechaun, Triloquist)
Starring – Max Grodenchik (Six Feet Under, Tales from the Crypt), Kim Johnston Ulrich (Supernatural, Highlander), and Tommy Blaze (Viewer Discretion Advised, The Newz)
Release Date – 1995
Rating – 3/5
UHD Release – 4/5
Horror has always been a genre of trends. When something finds success you can expect find several copy cats along with others using the idea and making it their own. In the mid 90s there was a trend where horror fully embraced the classic fairy tales. Blending these fantasy stories and nursey rhymes with horror was something that made trips to the video store so much fun. Seeing the titles and artwork often made my mind race with imagination. Leprechaun was the first of these films that I remembered seeing in the video store and one that stuck with me through all these years. However, it wasn’t the only one.
Rumpelstiltskin was released by the same director in 1995 and Snow White: A Tale of Terror was released in 1997. All three were at my local video store and I remember checking them out over the course of a few years. While Leprechaun was a favorite of mine, I still remember enjoying the other two. A few months back Terror Vision announced the release of Rumpelstiltskin on blu and UHD. It had been decades since my last viewing so I quickly snagged a copy and when it arrived I added it to my watch list.
**Spoiler Alert** The film follows a recent widow who is raising her daughter alone. While antique shopping with her sister she finds a unique sculpture and decides she has to have it. Unbeknownst to her, the sculpture is actually the prison for Rumpelstiltskin and the old tale about him doesn’t warn them about the bloodshed that is about to follow. **Spoiler Alert**
Rumpelstiltskin, though directed by the same director, is nowhere near as enjoyable as Leprechaun. It’s still a fun movie with great characters and some laughs but it borrows a lot from what made Leprechaun so enjoyable. It’s obvious Jones wanted a repeat of the success but didn’t put in the work to give viewers something different that would stand out from Leprechaun in the 30 some years after it’s release.
The acting in this one is solid. We get some fun characters and others that blend into the background. Ulrich and Blaze were my favorite performances by far. Their chemistry on screen makes the film for me and I loved watching their personalities clash from early on. Grodenchik does a decent job as the title character but you can’t watch this film and not think about Leprechaun and the performance was nothing memorable. His one liners don’t always find their mark and his dialogue is a bit forced.
The story for this one is is exactly what you would expect. We follow someone who mistakenly unleashes Rumpelstiltskin and is forced to flee for her life as he chases her because she has something he wants. Desperate, she seeks out the person who sold it to her to stop him. The exact same story as Leprechaun. We follows a group of people who unleash a leprechaun and run for their lives as he chases them because they have something he wants. When they can’t defeat him they turn to the person that imprisoned him. Wildly similar stories but this one has a lot more action and it feels like the budget is much bigger. Don’t get me wrong, I love the film but it doesn’t have the charm as Jone’s previous effort.
Finally, I love the look of Rumpelstiltskin. He’s a menacing looking creature that adds a lot of atmosphere to the film. We get a few deaths with some blood and decent enough effects but they lack imagination and creativity. Overall, Rumpelstiltskin is a solid direct to video horror flick that works for a late night monster movie but falls a bit short from what it could have been. With that being said, the release from Terror Vision is easily my favorite in my collection. I cannot recommend this one enough. Check it out.
Special Features:
Commentary w/ Writer & Director Mark Jones and Producer Michael Prescott
Making of w/ Mark Jones, Max Grodenchik, Kim Ulrich, Tommy Blaze, Michael Prescott (Producer), Charles Bernstein (Composer), Ivo Cristane (Production Designer), and Lisa Buono (Key Makeup Artist) (30min)
Remembering Rumple (27min)
Never Before Seen BTS Raw Home Movie Footage (Shot on VHS) from the set on Rumpelstiltskin (1h28m)
Baking w/ Kaci Hansen, The Homicidal Homemaker: Rumpelstiltskin Edition
Still Gallery (17min)
Trailer
Newly Created Subtitles
Blu-ray is Region A – UHD is Region Free
2.0 Audio
