When Halloween came out, the biggest piece of trivia was Michael Myers wore a William Shatner mask as he was hacking up teenagers. At the time, it was a bit of a shock to think that Captain Kirk from Star Trek could be associated with a homicidal killing machine. He cared so much about humanity. He even became T.J. Hooker, a good cop. Why would anyone connect William Shatner and a serial killer? Anyone who went to the drive-in during the mid-70s and saw William Grefé’s Impulse would sense a connection. After watching Impulse, I demand to know why John Carpenter didn’t hire Shatner to play Michael Myers without a mask.
One night as a kid, Matt Stone walks in on his mother and her nasty boyfriend when their wild night turns violent. Stone kills the guy with a samurai sword. Years later, Stone (William Shatner) is hanging out at a nightclub when his older girlfriend gets upset at how the belly dancer is giving him a private show in the main room. She’s furious because she pays for everything. He doesn’t take kindly to being called a gigolo. He gives her one last right by the waterfront. Turns out Stone likes to wine and dine rich women until it’s time for them to give him space by going six feet under. Stone doesn’t go without female companionship too long as he meets wealthy widow Ann Moy (Hee Haw‘s Jennifer Bishop). She seems just right for him except her daughter Tina (Kim Nicholas) doesn’t trust Stone. She can’t talk her mother out of dating the guy. Tina even tries to convince mom’s friend Julia (Strangers On A Train‘s Ruth Roman) that the guy is a dangerous con man. Is Tina going to blow his deadly scam? Stone’s also got a serious problem when his old cellmate Karate Pete (Goldfinger‘s Harold Sakata) pops up in town and wants a piece of his action. Who is Stone going to kill next to keep his con going strong?
Impulse is an addictive film. This is my favorite William Grefé movie because he landed such a talented cast. Shatner doesn’t play a lofty character, but gives the guy a freakish nobility. His conning ways make you question if Kirk and Hooker weren’t also serial killers. Ruth Roman started in classic Hollywood productions such as Gilda and The Big Clock. As times changed, Ruth made strange ’70s with The Baby and William Girdler’s Day of the Animals. She’s perfect as the frustrated socialite eager to show off what she inherited from her last husband. Kim Nicholas fares well when she faces off with Shatner in the role of Tina. She appears to have only appeared in Black Sunday as a hostage after this film. The gem is getting to see Harold Sakata speak in a role as he shakes down Shatner. He didn’t have any lines as Oddjob when he fought James Bond in Goldfinger. When you watch the bonus features, you’ll learn how this might have been Sakata’s final movie thanks to a special effect not being special.
This boxset is more than just a restored Impulse. We get a celebration of director William Grefé including two more feature films. Neither film appears listed on the boxset cover which is a good thing since they’re not up to the restored quality of Impulse. The Godmother is a rather rough print. The Devil’s Sisters is missing the final reel. Grefé pops up to explain the finale. There’s also his other two shorter works with Shatner. A Bacardi Rum industrial film teaches him how they distill. The second video has Shatner teach us how to invest in movies. We also get a full seminar in how to make indie films from the director. There’s so much Grefé on these two Blu-ray discs, you’ll swear he’s your next-door neighbor. Grindhouse Releasing has made this an appreciation of the movie and the Miami-based filmmaker.
Fans of Star Trek and TJ Hooker should be in pure joy watching Impulse. Shatner is brilliant here as he lets loose his ability to choke anyone in his way. This summer, Shatner is due at a local convention in the summer. I’m tempted to be first in line for the Q&A microphone so I can ask him about his time as a lady killer.
The Video is 1.85:1 anamorphic. The film was restored from a rare archival 35mm release print since the original negative was destroyed a long time ago. The folks at Grindhouse have done a fine job of making the movie look better than when it came to your local drive-in theater. The Audio is DTS-HD MA 2.0 Mono. You’ll hear Shatner so clearly as he goes into his rages. There’s also a French track in DTS-HD MA 2.0 in case you want to make this an arthouse movie. The film has subtitles.
Audio Commentary with William Grefé gets into how the film came together and tales from the Miami location. We learn where the samurai sword came from.
The Making of Impulse (14:27) has William Grefé explain how Socrates Ballis from Rat Patrol wanted to be a producer. They teamed up and were supposed to fly out to Hollywood to find an actor when they came across William Shatner in the Miami Airport. They pitched and Shatner accepted. Frank Henenlotter (Frankenhooker) praises the casting choice. There is talk of the almost hanging of Harold Sakata.
Shatner Saves Sakata (1:31) has the footage of Shatner breaking his finger jumping off the roof and yanking on Sakata before realizing the fake noose was choking his co-star. Shatner lifts him up when he gets clued in that this isn’t acting. You get to hear audio tracks featuring William Grefé and Shatner (1:45) describing the scene.
40th Anniversary Screening (27:10) has William Grefé talk about his film to an appreciative audience at the Tampa Theater on Nov. 7, 2015. They have a Q&A session. He declares that “as a director, it’s hard to hold Shatner down.” He explains how the producer set up a free wardrobe from a local Tampa clothing store. Who doesn’t want Shatner showing off their threads?
Theatrical Trailer A (1:18) has the narrator demand everyone see the film. We get to see a sweaty and homicidal William Shatner.
Theatrical Trailer B (2:52) shows us the suave Shatner who lives on Impulse. We get to see Harold Sakata smash furniture.
Between The Treks: Shatner in the 1970s (26:26) gets into the movies Shatner made before his Star Trek movies comeback and Emmy winning TV return. He did a lot of horror films including Kingdom of the Spiders and Devil’s Rain (both recently ran on Svengoolie). There’s a lot of talk about the TV Movie Pray for the Wildcats that united Shatner with Andy Griffith, Robert Reed (The Brady Bunch) and Marjoe Gortner (Food of the Gods). The most astounding thing is the entire cast was paid $70,000 for their epic ride through the desert. C. Courtney Joyner does most of the talking and enjoys the films.
Kingdom of the Shatner (64:37) has William Shatner on stage at the Aero Theater in Santa Monica on October 9, 2022. They had run the restored Impulse before Shatner took the stage. He admits he hasn’t seen the film. He jokes about watching the audience this time. His memories are hazy, but he got along with the director.
The Devil’s Sisters (84:14) is based on a true story from the year before that took place in Mexico. They swear the facts are from the trail of the sisters. The film was released in 1966. As explained in the intro, the ending of the film has gone missing. Grefé comes on at the end to walk us through what we could have seen in the final minutes using new drawings. I think more movies need to have this sort of ending. There is an audio Commentary from Grefe.
Devil’s Sisters Resurrected Intro (2:42) has William Grefé say this is based on a true news story. He cranked it out like a Law & Order torn from today’s headlines episode. He only made 35 prints for distribution and didn’t have a copy of his own. He finally got a 35mm from Germany except it was missing a reel.
Devil’s Sisters Revisited (9:21) has him explain how they shot the film in Florida as a substitute as Mexico. He made the film in 10 days. A lot of the Mexican cast were Cuban exiles who had worked in the film industry previously. He talks about working with the heavy 35mm at the time.
Bill Grefe and the Devil’s Sisters (1:20) gets into how they made the tale of how women were tricked and forced into being hookers.
Sisters of the Devil Radio Spot (0:13) has the film linked to Rosemary’s Baby.
Devil’s Sisters Still Gallery (1:20) has press photos and the posters.
The Godmothers (77:39) is a mobster comedy that stars Mickey Rooney (Pulp) who also wrote the script. Billy Barty (Dr. Shrinker) and Joe E. Ross (Car 54 Where Are You? and Hong Kong Phooey) are part of the Godfather spoof. The plot involves two guys doing their best to not marry the top mobster’s daughter. The print is as rough as the comedy which is why it’s not advertised on the box. This is a bonus.
Intro by Bill Grefe (3:55) explains how Mickey Rooney met a guy who wanted to be a producer in Ft. Lauderdale. Rooney hired him to direct so they could make it in Florida. Rooney kept rewriting the script at the last minute and caused major changes which isn’t good on a tight budget. He was more a traffic cop than a director as the film was heavily ad-libbed.
Doug Hobart: The Corpse Speaks! (33:58) has William Grefé interviewing his associate producer. He and Doug are old friends and they get into their relationship. They met while making Sting of Death. Doug wanted to play a monster in the film. He did, but nearly died. They get into working with Shatner on the film. They also disclose how they did the car going into the water scene.
Bill Grefe Is Furious (77:46) has him not want to be called a “Swamp Man.” He gives stories about making indie films in Florida.
Bill’s Miami Stories (24:45) has his him talk about the city’s changing over the decades since he was born there in 1930. He’s been there longer than the Dolphins. His family had a restaurant. He talks about people who would “ride the rails” on the trains coming down South.
Bill’s Sea Stories (43:17) gives us more tales from World War II experience. He got a lesson on how to be a conman working the wristwatch trick by a passenger on a bus.
Bill Grefe 2011 Interview (12:34) includes him talking meeting Orson Welles. They talked about the battle to raise money to make films. Welles told him the best thing to do is partner up with someone who is great at raising money so you can focus on the creativity. He talks about his daughter worked on Waterworld.
Live and Let Die News Report (2:39) covers the time Grefé got to direct the alligator scenes and a few action scenes on Live and Let Die. He worked with Bond (Roger Moore) and Shatner.
Legend Award (9:25) has Bruce Campbell give him an award for making Miami a viable place to shoot.
Bill Grefe’s Seminar On Independent Film-Making has three sessions (5 hours total) that will guide you into what you need to know to make a low budget movie. He shares his experiences that will come in handy if you want to step up to shoot a film over the summer.
Bacardi: Shatner (19:32) is about the rum company. William Shatner gets to do some sword play on the screen. During a break from shooting, he takes a tour of the Bacardi factory in San Juan, Puerto Rico. We also get a helicopter tour of the city.
Fame With William Shatner (12:09) is a video with the star teaming up with William Grefé to promote investing in indie movies. The idea is that you can be part of low budget productions that have a chance at making a profit. Shatner mentions Pay-Per-View and the rise of the VCR. There’s a great montage of stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Investing In Movies with Lauren Bacall (23:01) has Bogart’s widow give you a reason to whistle at being part of a different indie film company. There’s footage of mid-80s Cineplexes. You will thrill at the posters.
Thumbs (6:09) is a recent short film by Grefé that features text messages and smartphones. It’s creepy when a guy watching a woman text in the park points out that she has lovely thumbs.
The Iceman (4:56) is a fundraising teaser for a film about a killer.
A Cask of Amontillado (9:22) has William Grefé star as himself in this variation of the Poe tale. He’s explaining the snakes in the pool scene from Stanley when his guest swaps movies. Grefe’s funny when going through his awards.
Underwood (21:09) has William Grefé acting in grocery store in a swampy neighborhood.
Still Galleries include, Production Stills (15 images), Press (46 articles), Drive-In Delirium Newspaper Ad Gallery (4:43), Video Releases (11 covers), Bill Grefé (10 snapshots), Revival (24 images from recent re-issue) and Cover Art by Dave Lebow (22 images). Harold Sakata was at the premiere signing autographs for the fans. The radio ads play over the ad montages.
Mini Poster of Wiliam Shatner that I’m getting framed.
Booklet with an essay by Jacques Boyreau.
Grindhouse Releasing Previews has 20 trailers of their films.
Grindhouse Releasing presents Impulse: 2 Disc Special Edition. Directed by William Grefé. Screenplay by Tony Crechales. Starring William Shatner, Ruth Roman, Harold Sakata, Jennifer Bishop, James Dobson & Kim Nicholas. Running Time: 87 minutes. Rating: Rate PG. Release Date: March 12, 2024.
