The uncut version of Intruder (called Night of the Intruder here) has long been one of the lost Holy Grail's among horror fans. Having to suffer through the R Rated video version released here in the states wasn't easy, uncut versions ran the bootleg circuit for years. Dragon has previously released Intruder on DVD uncut in a sub par, bare bones edition much to the chagrin of fans across the globe. Well, it's payback time for fans as Dragon has really stepped up to the plate this time with a new transfer and enough heart warming extras included that they alone truly make this disc worth the price of admission. The presentation all around is quite solid - so let's just see how the film holds up on repeated viewings and break down the discs content, shall we?

Arriving quite late in the slasher genre Intruder had very little to offer fans by way of new material. However, what Intruder lacked in originality, it certainly made up for in character development and sheer visual audacity (in just about every sense of the word). The late crew at the Walnut Lake Supermarket is about ready to close up. Jen (Elizabeth Cox) and Linda (Renee Estevez) are ringing up the last few customers as Jen's ex-boyfriend Craig (fresh out of prison mind you) storms in the store ready to reconcile. Of course Jen's reluctant and Craig won't take no for an answer. He raises a ruckus and eventually the night crew chases him out of the store. Seems as if it won't be that easy to get rid of Craig as he continues to make threatening phone calls and somehow manages to even leave disturbing notes for Jen in the store as well. The night crew makes a call to the police and they continue to close up the store until the law arrives.

It's at this point that co-owners Danny and Bill inform the crew that the store has just been sold to the county and will be closing soon. This brings the group of close-knit friends down even more than the crazy ex-boyfriend lurking about outside. They continue to wrap things up in the store and as fate would have it, one by one are "knocked off" by an evil presence in the supermarket. Is it Jen's ex-boyfriend Craig or is there some other sinister force at work here? Well, unfortunately if you take a good look at the cover art (front or back) to Dragon's latest release the answer is quite obvious. Not that it isn't that obvious as you watch the flick - because it is, it just would have been nice NOT to have the information plastered all over the cover art. No biggie, because once again it goes without saying that originality is NOT one of Intruder's stronger points.

OK - let's see what Intruder has to offer us. First of all, it's obvious that the flick was made by a group of friends, all out to have a good time - this really shows throughout the film. In its uncut form, Intruder is essentially a balls to the wall slasher flick with not only plenty of gory murders, but also plenty of creative gory murders. There are a few time lapses that could have been tweaked and the final battle between the lone survivor and the murderer is extended a bit too long - but overall Intruder is a very entertaining affair and most importantly, it delivers on its promises. Now back to the gore for a minute, I was hooked on Intruder before I even saw the film originally. I remember the cover story from the long gone mag GOREZONE (Fangoria spin-off) way back when. The cover featured a gory closeup of the saw through the face victim, present here in all of its uncut glory with even more of it in the extras (more on THAT in a bit). The kills are all fairly outrageous and next to the solid performances (we really do care about these characters, they're very likeable) definitely the star of the show here.

Solid gore, likeable characters and stars like Renee Estevez (Sleepaway Camp 2), Ted and Sam Raimi along with cameos from Bruce Campbell and producer Lawrence Bender (longtime Tarantino Producer). These aren't the only factors that make Intruder as enjoyable an experience as it is. There's one more star that makes this fine flick so special - say hello to the POV (Point of View) shot. Mr. Spiegel LOVES the point of view shot as evidenced by the multitude of them in this fine picture but suffice to say, everything in this film (including many an inanimate object) has its own POV - outrageous!

Quality is actually pretty decent, but not mind blowing. There are a few slight video glitches, which give away the fact that this DVD was pulled from a video source. Fair enough, film elements may no longer exist, who knows. Colors are pretty stable, but it's worth noting that the dark scenes are still pretty dark. There are a lot of harsh lighting setups (a trait of the obviously low budget) so this film will probably never look like anything beyond a no-budget wonder. Print damage is minimal but there is a slight amount of video noise/artifacting that's primarily visible during some of the darker scenes. Overall, this is easily the best that I've ever seen this film look, just don't go in expecting a complete makeover. The mono audio track sounds fine with clear dialogue and barely any noticable background noise - perfectly acceptable.

Extras are where this disc really shines, and while they are fairly brief they still remain priceless. First up are two trailers (one under the title Night Crew) along with a still gallery (with some great video box art from around the world) and a few filmographies NOT in English. Next up are two extended gore scenes (both appear to be raw footage with minimal sound) one for a hook in the face and the other for the aforementioned saw in face gag. As if the extended gore wasn't enough, extras are rounded out with two very early Scott Spiegel short films, featuring the involvement of a young Bruce Campbell and the Raimi's these short films are worth their weight in gold.

I don't forsee any other version of Intruder hitting the home video market anytime soon. This PAL DVD release is definitely the way to go, and while the quality may not be reference quality - the uncut film coupled with these mouth-watering extras makes this release of Intruder highly recommendable. Keep in mind that although this disc is Region 0 it is still a PAL DVD, you will need PAL player capabilities in order to enjoy.

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