Heightening the Fright in Horror Flicks

“The Thing” (MCA Laser Video Disc 40946, letterbox edition with a matrixed surround sound track in digital sound) and “Tremors” (MCA Laser Video Disc 40957, with a matrixed surround sound track in digital sound).

Sometimes crystal-clear images and sensational surround digital sound can turn routine sci-fi horror flicks into memorable home-video viewing experiences. It doesn’t really matter if director John Carpenter’s gory color remake of “The Thing” is a slimy bore, or that director Ron Underwood’s giant man-eating creatures in “Tremors” are more disgusting than scary. The CD-quality sound track turns both films into roller-coaster rides. The result is a visceral experience that overwhelms all intellectual and aesthetic thoughts. After the ride is over, there is a curious mixture of guilt and pleasure at having so much excitement during such a trivial and meaningless experience.

“Tremors” is by far the better film. It is not only scary, but funny, and the cast led by Kevin Bacon, Fred Ward, Finn Carter and Michael Gross are nice companions to have along for the trip. You laugh in spite of the usual dose of comic-book violence. The surround sound track is amazingly lifelike as the slimy subterraneans race around the room after their prey.

“The Thing” is all serious business. The laser video disc letter-boxed edition preserves Carpenter’s original theatrical screen image, making the laser disc vastly superior to the tape version. (With letterboxing, black bands at the top and bottom of the image preserve the wide-screen format and let you see the director’s vision.) Chapter stops make it possible to repeat favorite--maybe even gross--scenes (“Blair Goes Berserk,” “Confrontation”). The theatrical trailer, which may be preferable to the movie, is also included. On the home video version, some of the sound-track music from the film has been re-scored, apparently because of copyright problems.