Harmony Korine’s ‘Trash Humpers’ Gets Deluxe VHS/Blu-Ray Collectors Edition

Last fall, I received an email from Umbrella Entertainment, an independent distributor of film and TV based in Australia. Their contact informed me about a Blu-ray release they were working on for the experimental 2009 Harmony Korine project, Trash Humpers. Apparently, they had come across a pair of related posts that I published back in 2010 and wanted to discuss working them into their reissue packaging. One of the pieces is titled BONE, THUGS, & HARMONY  and features a live Q&A with Korine that I recorded during a screening in Seattle. You can still watch the 3-part video if you click on that post. I recorded it on a simple Flip cam, but there are some solid highlights like the director referencing an obscure Youtube clip of Crunchy Black from Three 6 Mafia and discussing filming Julian Donkey-Boy with hidden cameras as Ewan Bremmer traveled on public transit while cradling a fetus pulled from a jar of formaldehyde. The guy from Umbrella wanted to include the Q&A footage in the special features of the Blu-ray. The other post that he mentioned was my pseudo-review titled Fucking Garbage, which he asked about publishing in an accompanying book for the release. I responded that I was open to the idea, but after I never heard anything about it again, I wrote the whole thing off.At the end of January, I got another email from someone completely different at Umbrella and this time they were only inquiring about the Q&A footage. The confusing part was that the tone of the email suggested they had no knowledge that someone had already reached out to me previously. As often happens, it seems there had been some staffing changes causing the mixup, but my new contact was on point and I agreed to move forward with them. Unfortunately, the idea of including my writing had all but evaporated along with the old staff member. Something could still potentially happen with it, but… I’m not holding my breath. I’ve offered to re-edit, re-write, and update parts to adjust it for the project and my contact has forwarded that stuff to the departments working on that specific aspect, but there seems to be a lot of moving parts, things already in motion, and various deadlines, etc. As of now, I’ve sent them my original unedited video footage, which they are adding subtitles to and “prepping for disc authoring.” I don’t expect anything else of mine to be included, but it’s been clear from the jump that Umbrella is really going all out on the release for such an incredibly niche project. I have to respect them for it.

After the initial contact, I decided to check out the Umbrella website to see what they were about. What I discovered is a history of them doing some super cool packages for often under-appreciated projects. After seeing elaborate reissues for titles that range from Tank Girl and KIDS to the Dolph Lundgren Masters Of The Universe flick from the 80s, I knew that there was going to be more to this than a simple Blu-ray and book combo. What I wasn’t prepared for is the full scope of what they’ve put together. The first preview of the Trash Humpers collectors edition just surfaced and it’s looking pretty goddam impressive.

The following description and breakdown of contents is taken from the product page on the Umbrella webstore:

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Only available from the Umbrella webstore, the LITTLE DEVILS – Trash Humpers Collector’s Edition includes:

• • Official VHS release with full length feature of Trash Humpers with custom slipcase by Johny ‘Smoov Design Co.’ Bekavac
  • Replica Trash Humpers press kit booklet
  • A 48 page book featuring essay by film writer and programmer Jack Sargeant, essay by Fergus Grealy, behind-the-scenes, experiences and art
  • Custom art outer rigid slipcase by Johny ‘Smoov Design Co.’ Bekavac
  • Custom art slipcase by Johny ‘Smoov Design Co.’ Bekavac
  • 8 artcards
  • A3 reversible poster
  • Limited Edition Numbered release

“Three little devils jumped over the wall… la la la de da da”

The unbelievable, indescribable, other-dimensional TRASH HUMPERS, from writer/director Harmony Korine (Gummo), is a filth-ladened film that would have us all incinerated if the aliens found it… so Umbrella Entertainment has decided to inflict it on you.

A gang of elderly people spend their time roaming back alleys, vandalising, causing trouble, frequently tormenting those they come into contact with, and humping trash. What follows is a chaotic, nihilistic, and perhaps nightmarish journey into the dark underside of small-town America, all shot through with a VHS aesthetic that lends the film a found footage quality.

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The Trash Humpers collectors edition is available for pre-order now exclusively through the Umbrella webstore and, from what I’ve seen — along with my minor inclusion in the release — I find it difficult not to recommend this one. One important thing to keep in mind is that I was told personally that this would officially be a “Region B” release, meaning that it’s intended for use on devices from Europe, Africa, Middle East, Australia, and New Zealand. That said, all of my research has lead me to comment after comment claiming that the majority of Umbrella‘s releases play perfectly fine on standard US Blu-ray players, regardless of being labeled specifically as Region B. It’s all up to you if you want to roll the dice on this one, but the extras alone might be worth it.