David Cronenberg aims to please the gore hungry with the fabulously creepy "Rabid", now out on a DVD from Metrodome that has plenty of good points.

The one downside is picture quality. The low budget and state of the available prints means that a pristine image was never going to be possible, but as we all know, a little time and effort in digital restoration can work wonders, and would have for this film.

A 2.0 mono sound mix deals with all the moaning and screaming perfectly well, and lacks the hiss of previous video releases.

A ten-minute interview with David Cronenberg is undoubtedly the highlight of this DVD. It's short, but Cronenberg gets right to the heart of what he was trying to do with the film. He discusses rejecting Sissy Spacek for the central role, and covers the various metaphors associated with the movie.

There are also some excellent film notes for your reading pleasure, provided by none other than our own Kim Newman. Shameless plugs aside, he knows his stuff, and has even gone to the trouble of providing the addresses for the various filming locations so that you can go on your very own "Rabid" tour. Now how sweet is that?

Chapters: 18
Region: 2
Ratio: 1.85:1 (anamorphic)
Sound: Dolby Digital 2.0 (mono)
Extra Features: Scene selection, introduction by David Cronenberg, Kim Newman film notes, image gallery and animated menus.