A lesser-known cult favorite, Forbidden Zone has had a relatively frequent publishing schedule on home video, getting a DVD release in black and white in 2004 from Fantoma Films, followed by a color version put out by Legend Films in 2008. There was also an ultimate edition on Blu-ray in 2015, which included a CD soundtrack. All three have been reviewed by DVDTalk.
The Movie
Somehow, until this DVD crossed my path, I had never seen Forbidden Zone, a delirious mix of John Waters and old-school pre-PC cartoons courtesy of film composer Danny Elfman's older brother Richard. That shouldn't be a big surprise, as it's not exactly a well-known film, but for someone who seeks out the fringe of film, it's rare to find something that's personally new and undiscovered. Now that I have, it's a pleasure to say the wait was worth it, as this film is the kind of over-the-top experience so rarely seen in film today.
When a film opens with text talking about a pimp named Huckleberry, and Huckleberry is a guy in hardcore blackface, you know you're in for it, and that's the case here, as we learn that Huckleberry's house contains a portal to the Sixth Dimension, which becomes the Hercules family's problem when they move in. A motley crew, the family is a bunch of nuts, outside of Frenchy (Marie-Pascale Elfman), the daughter who inexplicably speaks with a French accent. Soon enough, in an Alice in Wonderland sort of way, she's pulled into the Sixth Dimension, where she meets bizarre denizens like the small French king (Herve Villechaize), his giant queen (Susan Tyrrell), a pair of jockstrap-clad goons (the Kipper Kids), a frog-headed butler and a topless princess (Gisele Lindley). Suffice it to say, the film is weird.
Back on Earth, things aren't much more normal. Besides the Hercules family, the school Frenchy attends is full of unusual folk, including her cross-dressing teacher, a Hitler lookalike, a gaggle of jive fellows and Chicken-boy (Matthew Bright) a strange youngster from a broken family, who could easily be a Fred Armisen character. If you can't deal with random stuff like this, this is not the movie for you. There are several points that are simply haunting, including a chubby boy in Mickey Mouse ears who gets the Clutch Cargo treatment during a twisted Latin musical number (a visual that will stay with you forever.) Musical numbers like this, which repurpose older music from performers like Cab Calloway and Josephine Baker, make for an even more unique and idiosyncratic tone, and are a big part of the film's appeal. In another reality, there are even more songs, and people dress up like Villechaize and Tyrell for midnight screenings of Forbidden Zone.
The creativity in this movie is off-the-charts, with a look and feel that feels right at home with the great cartoons of the 1930s, while providing gorgeous animation to match. The influence of Monty Python and silent film seems to be found throughout as well, making for a fascinating blend of style and concepts, which only gets better when Danny Elfman's music is laid over it (especially when it's him that's singing said music while appearing as a white suit-wearing Satan.) Is there a story to go with all this madness? Maybe. But to be honest, the plot escapes me and I couldn't care less. Forbidden Zone is more about feel than anything else. How it makes you feel. And it should make your brain feel good. Good and weird.
It's worth pointing out that the film is presented in both its original black and white scheme and a later computer colorization. Watching them both, the black and white is a more natural fit for the film's look, but the color adds a whole other level of style to the proceedings. Though the original is the preferred version, there's nothing wrong with the newer edition--it's just different.
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