Hyperspace (Blu-ray 3D Review)
Director
Todd DurhamRelease Date(s)
1984 (July 28, 2026)Studio(s)
Regency Productions/Earl Owensby Studios (Kino Lorber Studio Classics)- Film/Program Grade: B-
- Video Grade: B-
- Audio Grade: C+
- Extras Grade: B+
Review
In the 1970s and 1980s, Early Owensby Studios was one of several and notable low budget independent production companies attempting to make as many films under a million dollars per picture as possible. The results speak for themselves as most of those films are unknown to most modern audiences, partly due to their lack of availability on home video. In the 1980s during the theatrical 3D revival, they produced several 3D movies. The last turned out to be Hyperspace (aka Gremloids and Hyperspace: Lord Buckethead & the Attack of the Gremloids). Having the feel of a small local production held together by scotch tape and local investors, it more or less dropped off everyone’s radar, with mostly only 3D enthusiasts keeping its memory alive.
Pursuing Princess Serina across the galaxy, the evil Lord Buckethead (Robert Bloodworth) accidentally lands his spaceship on Earth. He and his dwarfish minions head out into the small town nearby, confused about where they are while disturbing the locals. One of them is Karen (Paula Poundstone), a mechanic whom they kidnap and interrogate. Escaping with the help of Max (Alan Marx), a college student and exterminator, the two go on the run as the military and avid scientist William Hopper (Chris Elliott) arrive to inspect and fight back against them.
If this film sounds like an amalgam of various pieces of science fiction, including and most obviously Star Wars, you’re not far off the mark. Films like this and Hardware Wars pre-date Mel Brooks’ Spaceballs by a number of years. Directed by Todd Durham, who went on to write the story for the original Hotel Transylvania, Hyperspace is a straight up parody of movies about UFOs from another world, with Lord Buckethead, the Darth Vader-esque stand-in, always being irritated by incompetency and stomping his way across this small town. The other notable aspect of the film is that it features early appearances by Paula Poundstone and Chris Elliott, the latter of whom was working mostly as a writer on Late Night with David Letterman at the time.
Interestingly, the film doesn’t feel like it has a studio behind it at all. It feels like a Bad Taste or Evil Dead situation where a group of talented friends got together on the weekends and made their little movie with the support of friends and local townspeople. That’s not the case, but it gives Hyperspace a charm that it might not otherwise have. Many of the jokes fall flat, although there are a couple of zingers to be had. It’s just kind of fun to watch Lord Buckethead traipse his way from one situation to the next, always angry and never getting what he wants due to the inability of his small minions, who are basically Jawas, to carry out his plans effectively. Charmingly, Chris Elliott and Paula Poundstone are giving it their all, and both are amusing in their respective roles.
To truly enjoy something like Hyperspace you need to understand where it’s coming from. It’s not trying to be a major Hollywood blockbuster, and it’s nowhere near a Z-grade homemade movie shot on video in someone’s back yard. Its heart is in the right place, aiming for goofball while maintaining a loose plot to hang some jokes and funny characters on. Think Attack of the Killer Tomatoes... and if you can jibe with that, Hyperspace is a pleasant enough diversion. For bonus points, keep your eyes peeled for an early appearance by character actor Leon Rippy.
Cinematographer Irl Dixon (A Day of Judgment and The Boneyard) shot Hyperspace on 35mm film with Arriflex cameras and anamorphic lenses in Stereovision 3-D. The results were finished photochemically and framed at the aspect ratio of 2.35:1. Kino Lorber Studio Classics debuts the film on Blu-ray with a 4K restoration of the interpositive and three viewing options: standard 2D, polarized 3D, and anaglyphic (red/cyan) 3D. The 3D alignment was handled by 3-D Film Archive while the restoration was carried out by director Todd Durham. All three presentations are encoded to two dual-layered BD-50 discs, with the anaglyphic version receiving its own disc. Watching the film in 2D reveals the limits of the restoration, with erratic encoding, heavy grain, and uneven saturation. Scratches and speckling are also present, with scenes featuring subtitles appearing to have come from lesser elements. It’s not the ideal viewing experience since the 3D, in both forms, hides most of the faults inherent to the restored master. This film’s use of 3D is more about depth than sticking objects toward the camera, and 3-D Film Archive’s work here really bears that out. The anaglyphic 3D version, which features their exclusive Adaptive Multi-Band Anaglyphic Encoding process, is also enjoyable. But more importantly, it provides everyone who purchases this release without access to Blu-ray 3D technology a way to experience the film the way that it was intended, and that’s important.
Audio is included in English 2.0 mono DTS-HD Master Audio with optional subtitles in English SDH, French, German, Pig Latin, and Spanish. There’s a prevalent hiss with minor distortion and crackle, as well as an occasional thump here and there, but it’s a decent monaural experience with good support for dialogue and score.
The Kino Lorber Studio Classics 2-Disc Blu-ray 3D release of Hyperspace sits in a blue Amaray case with a pair of anaglyphic 3D glasses and a double-sided insert, featuring the original theatrical artwork on one side (as well as the slipcover), and new artwork with the full title Hyperspace: Lord Buckethead & the Attack of the Gremloids on the reverse. It’s a shame that the most excellent VHS artwork couldn’t be utilized somehow. Regardless, the following extras are included on each disc:
DISC ONE (STANDARD 2D & POLARIZED 3D)
- Isolated Music Track with Commentary by Don Davis and Bruce Stubblefield
DISC TWO (ANAGLYPHIC 3D & EXTRAS)
- Isolated Music Track with Commentary by Don Davis and Bruce Stubblefield
- The Fright Before Christmas (Standard 2D/Polarized 3D/Anaglyphic 3D) (HD – 33:07)
- The Making of Hyperspace (Upscaled SD and HD – 75:11)
- Hyperspace Trailer (HD – 2:56)
- The Fright Before Christmas Trailer (HD – 3:00)
- Vintage Pre-Show (Upscaled SD and HD – 13:11)
- The Fright Before Christmas Production Stills (HD – 35 in all – 2:33)
The isolated music track features audio commentary by composer Don Davis (The Matrix Trilogy) and editor Bruce Stubblefield. The Fright Before Christmas, which was originally titled Visions of Sugarplums and was included with the anthology film Tales of the Third Dimension, has received the same restorative treatment as the main feature (in some ways, it’s a more entertaining film comparatively). The Making of Hyperspace isn’t so much a straight making-of as it is an extensive collection of behind-the-scenes footage and photographs, with previews of scenes from the final film. All of it appears to have been cut together by Todd Durham himself, though there are no credits to verify this. Next are two newly-cut trailers for Hyperspace and The Fright Before Christmas. The Vintage Pre-Show is a charming collection of theater advertisements, including trailers for It Came from Outer Space, The Phantom Planet, The Creeping Unknown aka The Quatermass Xperiment, It! The Terror from Beyond Space, Phantom from Space, Invasion of the Saucer Men, Robot Monster, and Killers from Space. Last is a set of 35 Production Stills taken during the making of The Fright Before Christmas.
To enjoy Hyperspace is to appreciate the low budget “gee whiz, let’s put on a show” mentality of filmmaking. The comedy doesn’t always land, but the energy and ingenuity of a small crew making the best out of it is what counts. That coupled with The Fright Before Christmas and you have an underground pair of favorites that have been long overdue for a 3D disc-based home video release. Very much recommended.
- Tim Salmons
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