For more than 40 years, filmmaker Todd Sheets has been bringing his brand of cinematic mayhem to audiences around the world. Most were made on shoestring budgets, but he’s somehow been able to keep things going regardless. He achieved early success in video stores with Sorority Babes in the Dance-a-Thon of Death (1991) and has continued to build his resume with titles that are equally as enticing. Visual Vengeance is dipping their toes into Sheets’ catalogue again with the release of Violent New Breed (1997), another example of his unique and fearless brand of filmmaking.
Jack Williams is an undercover cop having the worst year of his life. His wife has left him, she’s taken their daughter, and the streets are drowning in a new drug called “Rapture”. Forced undercover into one of the city’s sleaziest nightclubs, Jack uncovers the Breed, a violent race spawned by demons and ruling the streets like an underground army.
Beneath New York City, the unthinkable has happened: the Anti-Christ has been born. When Jack’s daughter Amy is kidnapped and dragged into the Breed’s torture dungeons, and his ex-wife Lillian is enslaved by the demon Asmodeus, Jack and his partner Steve must descend through the gates of hell to rescue the innocent and destroy the dark prophecy before it’s too late.
Violent New Breed isn’t just another SOV horror film. Sheets makes sure to pack the movie with style, atmosphere, loads of gore, and a heaping amount of gratuitous nudity. Despite being close to two hours long, the story flows at a brisk pace and is extremely well constructed. The lead characters are three-dimensional, and the acting is a touch above anything you might be used to seeing in a film like this.
What’s even more exciting is the fact that legendary comedian and actor Rudy Ray Moore, Dolemite himself, appears as a reverend. As fun as the film is, the digital effects don’t hold up and come close to ruining the experience. Thankfully, Sheets keeps everything tight, and the film runs smoothly.
Visual Vengeance always packs these discs with special features, but this one really stands out. This release features a new director-approved, remastered SD master sourced from the original tape elements, alongside multiple alternate cuts, including the original DVD version, the R-rated broadcast edit from The Movie Channel, and the original VHS release.
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Special features include three commentary tracks, interviews with actor Jerry Angell and director Todd Sheets, a featurette on Sheets’ collaboration with Rudy Ray Moore, a behind-the-scenes documentary, a 2023 Nitehawk Cinema Q&A, bloopers, image galleries, original Kansas City news coverage, an uncut strip club sequence, the short film Fistful of the Undead, the original and Visual Vengeance trailers, plus a booklet with liner notes by Tony Strauss.
Packaging includes a reversible VHS-art sleeve, Ghana art mini-poster from Heavy J, and a first-pressing-only slipcase with a vintage “Birth Announcement” insert. There’s a reason Sheets has had such a long career in indie film, and with Violent New Breed, he achieves something special.
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Thank you so much! I truly appreciate the review. I agree the digital effects were crude, of course done in 1995-96… I truly tried to make everything practical, and do as much in camera as possible… but dimensional portals and things were tough to do so we did some of that digitally… a couple old school morph effects as well when a couple of the demons changed or were transported to hell. LOL. With more budget we could have done it all practical. At least all the monsters and gore are practical effects and the fire stunts too. Your kind words made my weekend awesome and I am so glad to enjoyed the movie!