THE AMBULANCE (1990)

Many are quick to criticise emergency services, especially when it comes to response times, but Larry Cohen’s The Ambulance is always there when you need it. This medical horror classic has just answered the call for a Blu-ray release in the UK from Eureka Entertainment.

Eric Roberts stars as the happy-go-lucky Josh Barker, who’s an illustrator for Marvel Comics, and yes, there is a Stan Lee cameo. After a chance encounter with an attractive woman, Josh happens upon a unique form of malpractice involving an out-of-place ambulance that’s whisking away the injured almost into thin air. Convinced of a conspiracy, our hero turns vigilante.

The Ambulance is not as widely known as Cohen’s more popular films like It’s Alive or The Stuff, but this urban horror couldn’t be a better example of the prolific director’s style, which is neither entirely serious nor comedic. It’s an elevated B-movie that syncs with Eric Roberts’ signature brand of acting, and he delivers a pitch-perfect performance as he risks life and limb.

Steering into the tropes of vehicular terror, the titular ambulance with its retro design, is as much a character as its ill-fated passengers, as it illuminates an unnerving green hue from inside. This vivid use of green contrasts with our mostly positive association with the colour, countering the otherwise reassuring sight of red sirens and indicating that something is not right. We see this technique used in greater effect throughout after-hours horror Vamp and even decades later in Steven Spielberg’s remake of The War of the Worlds, signifying an alien presence.

James Earl Jones appears in what feels like a rather random supporting role as Josh’s police pal, Lieutenant Spencer, who’s slightly tongue-in-cheek despite his bark, while Red Buttons as an over-eager journalist Elias Zacharai brings a lot of energy for an actor in his 70s. Thankfully, we do have a face behind the four-wheeled villainy, and that is Eric Braeden, whom we simply know as “The Doctor”. At the time, Braeden would have been at the peak of his soap opera stardom as the wicked Victor Newman in The Young and the Restless, and despite his limited screen time, his sinister bedside manner is naturally effortless.

SPECIAL FEATURES

Limited edition O-card slipcase featuring new artwork by John Dunn
Limited edition booklet featuring new cover art by John Dunn and an essay on The Ambulance by genre film expert Liam Hathaway
New audio commentary by Steve Mitchell, director of the 2017 documentary King Cohen
Catch Your Death – a newly edited, previously unseen interview with Larry Cohen on The Ambulance, originally shot for King Cohen
Archival audio commentary with director Larry Cohen, moderated by Steve Mitchell
Sickness and Health – a new video essay on The Ambulance and medical horror by film scholar Murray Leeder
Keep Making Pictures – new interview with film writer Michael Doyle, author of Larry Cohen: The Stuff of Gods and Monsters
Original theatrical trailer

Purchasers of this Blu-ray will come out experts on The Ambulance and Larry Cohen’s works after watching its informative and engaging featurettes. Steve Mitchell’s new commentary track is filled with background trivia on this film, its players, and its director’s other works. However, viewers not keen to sit through The Ambulance again so soon can get their fill of analysis and making-of anecdotes from both Michael Doyle’s interview and Murray Leeder’s video essay, which contain overlapping material but are nonetheless both worth a watch. Of course, a sit-down with a film’s director is always enticing, and thankfully, Cohen shared his recollection of shooting The Ambulance back in 2017, before his passing, which can be viewed for the first time on this disc.

VIDEO AND AUDIO

Unlike the fate of an HD upscale that befell many classics from the early 90s, Eureka has offered a true HD restoration of The Ambulance, which yields a bright, 1.85:1 image with vivid colours and deep blacks that suit the film’s numerous night sequences. Uncompressed LPCM Stereo will not have you adjusting your dial due to a canyon of audibility between dialogue and sound effects. It’s a well-balanced track and has an almost soothing level of bass, or maybe it’s just Eric Braeden’s voice. English subtitles are available.

The Ambulance is available now in a Limited-Edition O-card slipcase featuring new artwork by John Dunn. With this viewing being my second ride, I was more on board and now have a better understanding of Cohen’s sensibilities

THE AMBULANCE
(1990, director: Larry Cohen)