After the colossal success of The Evil Dead, director Sam Raimi teamed up with the Coen brothers (fresh from Blood Simple) to make his next film, Crimewave, an unusual mixture of screwball comedy, film noir and B-movie homage.
Raimi’s film tells the bizarre story of a security-system installer, Vic (Reed Birney), who finds himself in the electric chair when he falls in love with Nancy (Sheree J Wilson), a femme fatale on the run from two bumbling exterminators ‘of all sizes’ (Paul L Smith, Popeye, and Brion James, Blade Runner).
A notoriously troubled production which flopped upon its original release, Crimewave can now be enjoyed as a riotously entertaining showcase for Raimi and the Coens, which also benefits from a highly amusing performance from cult-horror star Bruce Campbell.
Streaming Options
Release Information:
Technical Specifications
Supplements
- Four feature presentations: the 87-minute international version with a selection of three alternative titles (Broken Hearts and Noses, The XYZ Murders, and Crimewave); and the 82-minute US theatrical cut
- Alternate Title Sequence
- Alternative The XYZ Murders title
- Audio Commentary With Actor Bruce Campbell
- Audio commentary with Sam Raimi expert James Flower (2021)
- Interview with actor Bruce Campbell
- Interview with Actor Reed Birney
- Interview with Producer/Actor Edward R. Pressman
- Rank Outsider (2021, 10 mins): critic and author Kim Newman remembers the original UK release
- Too Much for Comfort (2021, 8 mins): appreciation by comedian, musician and writer Rob Deering
- On-set footage (1983, 12 mins): rare behind-the-scenes material from Reed Birney’s personal archive
- Promotional reel (1984, 14 mins): previously unseen digest version with unique voice-over, intended for industry use
- Theatrical Trailer
- US home video trailer
- French theatrical trailer
- Image galleries: promotional materials and behind-the-scenes photography
- The XYZ Murders script gallery: complete pre-production screenplay