Lionsgate Home Entertainment, out now

It’s the 1950s and Michael is struggling following his family’s relocation to suburbia. That’s to be expected, but are his ever-weirder dreams just a product of his imagination, or are his parents really cannibals?

Bob (Close Encounters of the Third Kind) Balaban’s 1989 comedy horror movie starring Randy Quaid and Mary Beth Hurt is a strange affair, being neither that funny, nor that horrific. And yet there’s a universal theme to the ‘my parents are out to get me’ that propels the narrative, and a wonderful performance from young Bryan Madorsky as the troubled child that keeps you watching.

As has been conveyed in movies like Pleasantville, Blue Velvet and Suburbicon, the truth behind the smiles of white picket fences Americana is often very grim… and you don’t get much grimmer than cannibalism. What’s clever about the movie is the way that we’re not 100% sure if what Michael’s seeing is real or imagined, but as things develop we get greater clarity and the tension mounts. It all concludes as you’d expect but there’s a nice little coda that provides (ahem!) food for thought.

Lionsgate’s release includes a really interesting commentary with director Balaban and producer Bonnie Palef, with a second track dedicated to isolated score and interview with composer Jonathan Elias (Children of the Corn, Vamp). There’s also features with screenwriter Christopher Hawthorne, female lead Mary Beth Hurt, DOP Robin Vidgeon and food consultant Yolanda Cuomo (great fun), and the usual trailer, stills and radio spots.

Verdict: Low-key and fairly neglected on its initial release, while not an actual forgotten gem, this is a quirky movie with some decent extras and just enough cult appeal to justify a viewing. 7/10

Nick Joy