Karaoke Terror DVD Specs and Art

Today Synapse has supplied us with all the details about their upcoming release of Karaoke Terror. The film will be presented in 16:9 anamorphic widescreen transfer with Dolby Digital 5.1 audio. The DVD will hit shelves on April 29th for a suggested retail price of $24.95.

In the style of the violent and satirical Battle Royale comes KARAOKE TERROR, the darkly humorous tale of two groups of outsiders who make war on each other, set to a soundtrack of retro karaoke hits. Based on the novel by writer Ryu Murakami (Audition), and also known as THE COMPLETE JAPANESE SHOWA SONGBOOK, the film follows a gang of young slacker guys who idle away their time taking pleasure in nothing except elaborate karaoke recreations of their favorite Showa-era songs, oldies from the 1940s to the 80s. Across town, a group of thirtysomething divorced women do much the same thing, until one of the guys kills one of the women after he's rejected trying to pick her up. The ladies retaliate, and the absurdist battle of revenge is on, with weapons escalating from knives to guns and beyond. This pitch-black comedy of violence that the Japan Times called "the best black comedy of the year" is filled with rage at the status quo and a seething impatience for the ordinary, capturing the spiritual restlessness of two very different generations, both seeking payback from society with apocalyptic results.

Special Features include:

• 20-minute making of featurette including director and cast interviews
• Original trailer and TV spots
• Liner notes by Midnight Eye writer Nicholas Rucka and a written guide to karaoke and enka music by film scholar Christine Yano
• Newly-translated, removable English subtitles