"The stupidest movie ever made" gets the Vinegar Syndrome treatment with their two-disc Blu-ray set of the not-so-unfairly-maligned SURF II.

When the mutilated and dismembered remains of two surfers wash up on the shore, Chief Boyardee (Lyle Wagonner, LOVE ME DEADLY) closes off the beach just a few days before the town's big surfing contest. Surfers Chuck (Eric Stoltz, MASK) and Bob (Jeffrey Rogers, FRIDAY THE 13TH PART III) are so focused on their technique on the board and with the babes – particularly enigmatic new girl Sparkle (Linda Kerridge, ALIEN FROM L.A.) – that it takes badgering from their long-suffering girlfriends Lindy Sue (Lucinda Dooling, LOVELY BUT DEADLY) and Cindy Lou (Corinne Bohrer, VICE VERSA) for them to notice that the rapid behavioral their friends Jacko (Tom Villard, POPCORN) and Becker (Ralph Seymour, JUST BEFORE DAWN) that goes beyond punk nihilism to cravings for motor oil and sulfuric acid in addition to Buzz Cola which no self-respecting teenager would ever drink.

Little do they suspect that their fathers (BLADE RUNNER's Morgan Paull and ZONE TROOPERS' Biff Maynard) are using a secret recipe developed by Menlo Schwartzer (Eddie Deezen, WARGAMES) to turn a profit by getting teenagers hooked on the no longer popular soft drink. Menlo's formula, however, has the side effect of turning its drinkers into zombies, and the scorned nerd has made it his mission to rid the world of surfers and punk rockers with the reluctant help of Sparkles who is dependent on Menlo's treatments to keep from reverting to her old homely, unpopular former self. While chemistry teacher Mr. Beaker (Peter Isacksen, EAT MY DUST) tries to reverse the effects of the drug, Bob and Chuck must beat Menlo's zombie horde in the surfing contest.

A sequel to a nonexistent movie (with the tagline "… the end of the trilogy!"), SURF II's mashup of Frankie and Annette beach film and teenage monster movie on paper sounds like Troma fodder but the sole directorial effort of screenwriter Randall Badat (HEAR NO EVIL) was the product of Demerol and Scotch after a severe surfing accident caused by a drunk punk, pitched at an industry event while high and written over a weekend. Inexplicably, it would up with up-and-coming producers George Braunstein and Ron Hamady whose two previous ventures TRAIN RIDE TO HOLLYWOOD and FADE TO BLACK had performed well enough that Badat's goofy concept seemed like a sure hit post-PORKY's. Although naughtier and funnier than Frankie and Annette's later BACK TO THE BEACH, SURF II brings to mind the dreadful RECORD CITY in its squandering of comic talent – including Terry Kizer (TAMMY AND THE T-REX), Ruth Buzzi (LAUGH-IN), Cleavon Little (BLAZING SADDLES), Carol Wayne (THE PARTY), Lucy Lee Flippin (THE TELEPHONE BOOK), Brandis Kemp (AFTERMASH), and a mercifully underused WELCOME BACK, KOTTER!'s Ron Palillo – on anything for a punchline exchanges.

The comedy is never quite punchy and the whole thing barrels along with some JAWS thrown in not necessarily in the form of surfers being picked off but the corrupt town council refusing to cancel the big surfing competition despite the danger. Only the over-the-top Deezen and the charming Kerridge really come off with much dignity while future star Stoltz makes little impression. Much more successful is the initially disorienting soundtrack in which teenagers rock out to The Beach Boys, Dick Dale, and the theme from HAWAII FIVE-O as well as Oingo Boingo, Wall of Voodoo (the one-hit-wonder "Mexican Radio"), Talk Talk, and Thomas Dolby ("She Blinded Me with Science", of course), the likes of which could never have been secured had the film been made by the kind of filmmakers with more experience in the genre around this time.

What charms SURF II did have would go largely unseen since, according to Badat on the commentary track, Creative Artists Agency thought they could secure a major distribution deal for the film. When it was screened for the studios and panned by the suits, instead of securing a respectable deal with a smaller distributor, the agency decided that tinkering with the film taking a cue from the aforementioned PORKY's. The eventual theatrical version of SURF II put out by minor International Film Marketing ran ten minutes shorter than the director's cut; however, there were some radical differences beyond shortening and cutting scenes. The effort to clarify what little plot there was confined solely to a text card that gave away the machinations of Bob and Chuck's dads and Menlo before the credits started, the "surfing accident" mentioned in dialogue in the original version was illustrated by the flipped and darkened recycling of the scene of Jocko and Becker encountering danger in the waters which would be repeated in its original form later (with the belief that the audience would not realize it), and additional nude and wet T-shirt extras were inserted throughout the film and never quite matching the material around it not only due to the image being either too grainy or too sharp. These additional feel even more crass than simple exploitation in a film that was meant to be goofy and naughty rather than raunchy. In spite of these compromises, the film developed a cult following, leading to a twenty-fifth anniversary Drafthouse screening.

Vinegar Syndrome's two-disc set features both the director's cut (100:12) and the theatrical cut (85:52), both of which have been restored from a 2K scan of multiple 35mm prints – which explains the British Arista Films logo at the head of both presentations – and the image is generally crisp and colorful with some saturated eighties colors in the wardrobe, while graininess varies not only between sources but the patchwork of stock footage, some underexposed night scenes (and some lab-darkened ones), and the heightened resolution makes the mismatch in the theatrical inserts even more apparent. Damage is infrequent with the most egregious example being some momentary marring of the image during the zombie autopsy scene. The DTS-HD Master 2.0 mono track on the director's cut and the 1.0 track on the theatrical cut boast clear dialogue, comic effects, and both highlight the diverse soundtrack nicely, and the damage to the image that strays onto the optical track has been minimized. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for both versions.

The director's cut includes a pair of new commentary tracks. On the first, director Badat is prompted by Vinegar Syndrome's Brad Henderson about the accident which inspired the film that he pitched as "Frankie and Annette go to hell" as well as its original darker concept as SURF DEATH, the film's casting (he notes that Stoltz utilized the same methods for developing his surfer character that his FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH co-star Sean Penn did for his iconic Jeff Spicoli character), the soundtrack, and the story of Creative Artists Agency's attempts to shop the film with the major, the "more boobs, less Eddie" tinkering, his decision to stay on the project even though producer Braustein and Hamady refused to participate in the re-editing, the yanking of the theatrical cut from theaters, and the effect the experience had on his feelings about directing anything since then. The second track with Deezen is a wild listening experience. Whether he is being quietly prompted or going it solo, he ping-pongs between anecdotes and personal commentary, with anything onscreen a trigger for either. In the film's documentary, he says he was channeling Daffy Duck for the role, but here it seems very much a part of his personality. Viewers may want to audit to the commentary in more than one installment as it can be an exhausting listen.

The director's cut disc also has "The Stupidest Movie Ever Made: Drinking the Drink of SURF II" (65:48) with Badat, Deezen, Isacksen, producer Braunstein, composer Peter Bernstein (BOLERO), casting director Fern Champion (APRIL FOOL'S DAY), costume designer Carin Berger (X-RAY) – formerly Mrs. Tobe Hooper – and first assistant director D. Scott Easton (BLAME IT ON RIO). The loose framework of the documentary is a chronological narrative from conception to release but Bernstein, Champion, Easton, and Berger each extended allotted segments with the others providing interspersed commentary. Bernstein initially moved away from film composing under his father Elmer Bernstein (GHOSTBUSTERS) into a rock career but found a way to synthesize the two, starting here and applying it to subsequent pop-infused films, Champion had an affinity with comedic projects and personalities (she describes Deezen as "certifiable in a good way") – while Isacksen notes that Champion's reputation at the time was such that most actors who had previously worked with her would automatically sign on to another film she was involved in – Berger recalls replacing the original costume designer and having to start from scratch with only six days before production and twenty-four actors to costume along with several extras, and Easton recalls that the production ran raffles on location to attract free extras. Badat reveals that he relied heavily on Easton and the script supervisor to hold his hand as a first time director, and Braunstein notes the role music supervisor Michael Arciega (PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE) had in securing some not-yet-well-known artists including Oingo Boingo's Danny Elfman to write an original song). The disc also features a behind the scenes stills gallery (1:14) and the original sizzle reel video (21:26) used to pitch the film at MIFED.