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During the late 70 s Richard Elfman and his younger brother Danny got together with fellow musician friends and formed a theater group known as The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo . They performed in very inventive and bizarre avant-guarde stage shows, written by Danny and featuring twisted versions of Cab Callaway music and original compositions (also written by Danny). Richard wanted to capture the energy of the stage shows on film, and the end result is Forbidden Zone, released in 1980 and featuring Danny s music with the Mystic Knights, and one of the most twisted stories you ll ever see in a motion picture. The theater troup eventually broke up, and the rock group Oingo Boingo was formed by members of the show (remember the Weird Science theme?). Danny Elfman would go on to become one of Hollywood s most sought-after composers (Tim Burton s Batman). Forbidden Zone was originally shot in black and white, and was supposed to be colorized afterwards, but funding fell through. Now the film is presented on DVD in color for the first time, as Richard Elfman intended.As for the plot of Forbidden Zone, it involves the kooky Hercules family, who live in a house that has a basement, which leads into the mysterious Sixth Dimension. What follows features nearly constant musical numbers, a dwarf king (Herve DA PLANE! Villechaize), a giant frog butler, the freaky introvert Chicken Boy , and a crooning Danny Elfman as the devil himself. Take The Rocky Horror Picture Show as imagined by David Lynch and John Waters, while smoking LSD and listening to an Oingo Boingo record. Shake well. Forbidden Zone is the flashy trashy freaky result.Having learned that Forbidden Zone was originally shown in black and white, I can almost see how it would be an even better movie devoid of color. It has the feel of a fever dream, and I think B&W would have captured that feeling even better. I don t know what these boys were smokin but DAMN this is one wild ride! Still, I had a ball with Forbidden Zone. The musical numbers are catchy, and the film has such a manic energy, it s hard not to get caught up in the madness. The whole thing doesn t make one lick of sense, but I can see why the film is highly regarded among cult and Midnight Movie fans. It s a constant barrage of music, Terry Gillian style animation, cardboard sets and a flamboyantly-dressed cast that look like they re having the time of their lives. And you get naked t***ies to boot! If you enjoy Cult Cinema and the Midnight Movie scene, Forbidden Zone comes highly recommended. Others stay FAR AWAY! –Jay Reel of DeadPit.com