Audio options are offered in 16-bit DTS-HD Master Audio in 2.0 Stereo and 5.1 Surround Sound options. The 5.1 mix was remixed from the original 3-track mag and it sounds great, far better than you might expect it to. Clarity is strong and balance is good. There are no issues with any hiss or distortion and dialogue is always easy to understand and to follow. The score sounds really strong here as well. There are no subtitle or alternate language options provided.

The Extras:

Carried over from the Scorpion Releasing special edition DVD release, there are three (!!!) commentary tracks on this release. The first comes from director Danny Steinman and is moderated by Michael Felsher, who essentially interviews the director about the picture. Steinmann talks about how he first tried to make it as an actor but wound up working in Puerto Rico making commercials when that didn't work out. From there he became a director and thus was born Savage Streets (and The Unseen, but that's a different story). Steinman talks about some of the interesting people he's worked with throughout his career and he talks specifically about his involvement on this film, sharing stories about his cast (he's quite fond of Linnea Quigley) and crew and about shooting the picture on location. A lot of the commentary is observational and there are spots where Steinman gets a little quiet, but Felsher does a good job of keeping him talking for the most part. Steinman also talks about some of his other pictures, including his thoughts on The Unseen, on Friday The 13th Part V: A New Beginning and on High Rise.

The second commentary features producer John Strong and actors Robert Dryer (who played Jake) and Johnny Venocur (who played Vince) and they're joined by moderator David Decouteu. Strong talks about how the picture came together, noting that the film was undercapitalized when it first started shooting for four days before he and his team bailed it. Strong tells some interesting stories and discusses what ideas they kept and what ideas they changed before the production finished. Venocur, who insists he's ‘still an asshole,' and Dryer talk about their characters, their co-stars and what it was like working on set, and they also talk about the fairly notorious rape scene and what it was like working on that controversial moment. There's a good sense of humor to the track (at one point they kid around and mention that the film was originally called Grease!) but there are quite a few good stories in here making this track well worth a listen.

The third commentary track joins cinematographer Stephen Posey with actors Robert Dryer and Sal Landi, joined by Mark Hoight who serves as a moderator and points out the similarity in type face in the credits between this picture and those directed by John Carpenter! Hoight keeps the trio talking as they discuss what scenes were improved and what scenes were shot using the script, what it was like working on the picture, their thoughts on the people they worked with on the film and how Danny Steinmann kept everyone going during the night shoots. Everyone seems quite fond of the shower scene and the participants talk about shooting in a school just outside of Los Angeles. Again, a fair bit of discussion is given to the rape scene, and they talk about the use of music in the film a fair bit as well. This is a good natured track that, like the second commentary, is a nice mix of humor and interesting information.

We also get an isolated score option, which is a nice inclusion for soundtrack junkies.

Moving on, we get a selection of three vintage interviews, the first of which his with Robert Dryer (5:53, fullframe) who shows up next and talks about his character, what it was like working with star Linda Blair and Linnea Quigley (who he describes as a trooper), his co-star John Venocur, and director Danny Steinmann. He shares a couple of interesting stories here and finishes things off by jokingly insisting that he was appalled by the violence in the film but then summing it up by saying ‘it was what it was.' True enough!

Johnny Venocur (14:16, widescreen) shows up next and he talks about his character and how he wound up moving from New York to L.A. to work in film. He talks about what it was like playing his part in this picture and how it was a great moment in his life. He seems pretty fond to remember his various female co-stars in the film and he talks about working with Bostonian Bob Dryer, who he struck up a friendship with during the shoot. Venocur's memories are all pretty keen here, he seems to have enjoyed working with Steinmann and John Strong came in to save the project while it was in trouble and how he regards Stong as a ‘consummate producer.'

We also get a piece where John Strong (14:03, widescreen) explains things from the producer's side of the spectrum, explaining how he wound up getting the job as the producer of the film when one of his attorney's alerted him of a ‘distressed picture' that was a perfect picture for him to get involved with - from there, he ran with it. He explains how he funded the film, what he liked about the script, who helped him finance the film, and what he thinks about the various cast of players and their characters. He talks about the MPAA's initial X rating and how he demanded that Jack Valenti let him appeal the decision and how he did so with a serious back injury and won!

There are also some more recent interviews here as well, starting with another interview with John Strong (22:04) that covers how he got his start in the movie business after college, moving to New York City and studying acting, moving to Los Angeles to do film work and getting the part in Savage Streets a year later. He talks about auditioning through his agent, how he got along with everyone on the set, how Linda Blair was 'a trooper' and great to work with, how 'every night was fun' while working on the movie, Danny Steinman's abilities as a director, his death scene in the film, the locations used for the shoot, enjoying a 6am - 10am happy hour after the shoot, playing pool with Jackie Gleason and lots more.

Producer John Strong (12:43) is up next, talking about how the original producer ran out of money and how he was approached to buy the film, which he did. He then talks about rewriting the script and selling it to Orion Pictures, the intensity of the cast, his thoughts on the different actors that were used in the picture, screening the film for the MPAA board, the rape scene in the film, the style employed in the film, the quality of the crew that he worked with and more.

From there, we spend some time with Sal Landi (9:19) who talks about getting cast in the role of Fargo, how he got the part, sharing the same agent as Bobby Dryer, getting the part after auditioning, dealing with the different cast members and who he really got along with, what it was like on set, how great Linda Blair was to work with and hanging out with her on set, how he feels Linnea Quigley should get more credit than she does for her work in the picture, having to shoot the rape scene in the film and other related bits.

Scott Mayer (12:25) talks about playing Red in the film, how he got into film thanks to his father's involvement in the acting business when he was a kid, using his father's agent to get work, starting with commercial work, landing the part on the feature, working with Blair and the other cast members, the energy that was on set, how some of the character development scenes were cut from the film to its detriment and plenty of other topics related to his work on the movie.

After that, Johnny Venocur (9:33) talks about playing Vince in the movie, describing Vinnie as 'the best.' He talks about his agent getting him an audition, his thoughts on the script, his thoughts on working with Blair after being impressed with her work in The Exorcist and how they've been friends ever since, getting along with the rest of the cast and crew, working with John Vernon who he says was a consummate professional, Steinman's directing, how much he liked John Strong and loads more.

Red Shirt Pictures also supplies Heather Speaks: An Interview With Linnea Quigley (10:46, widescreen) who talks about how she got the part, how the producers warned her that she was going to get raped and how she took the role simply because she wanted to work, and what it was like filming that nasty scene. She discusses how it was harder than she thought it would be shooting a film where she has no dialogue and what it was like working with Blair.

Last but not least is Red Shirt Pictures' Confession Of A Teenage Vigilante (17:04, widescreen) which is essentially an interview with the film's star, Linda Blair, who talks about how at this time in the eighties there weren't a lot of good roles in films like this for women. She talks about how the film came into trouble early on until the production was bailed out and she talks about working with the cast and crew from the picture. She also discusses her nude scene in the film, shooting with John Vernon, how much she likes some of her one liners from the movie, the costume and wardrobe used in the film, and her relationship both on and off screen with Linnea Quigley.

The disc also includes the option to watch the feature in Kat Scratch Cinema mode, which, when enabled, offers up a four-minute intro and minute-long outro the movie with a leather-clad Katarina Leigh Waters that is hokey enough to work. Menus and chapter selection are also provided.

We also get some nice reversible cover sleeve art included with this release.

Overall:

A gleefully trashy piece of eighties So-Cal exploitation, Savage Streets is ripe with gratuitous rape, wanton violence, horrible ‘punk' fashion and ridiculous one-liners. Code Red delivers a nice looking presentation with tons of supplemental material. Fans of revenge and exploitation films will find a whole lot to love here. Highly recommended.

Ian lives in NYC with his wife where he writes for DVD Talk, runs Rock! Shock! Pop!. He likes NYC a lot, even if it is expensive and loud.