THE CLAIRE SINCLAIR SHOW (2014)

THE CLAIRE SINCLAIR SHOW (2014) 

Label: Cult Epics
Release Date: January 13, 2015
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 75 Minutes
Video: Fullscreen Aspect Ratio (1.33:1)
Audio: English Dolby Digital 2.0 

Director: Nico B

Cast: Claire Sinclaire, Bunny Yeager 

SYNOPSIS
The Erotica Channel presents the CLAIRE SINCLAIR SHOW hosted by Playboy’s Playmate of the Year, Bettie Page clothing spokes model, and the Star of the Las Vegas show PIN UP. The first Two episodes features “CLAIRE ON CLAIRE”, everything you wanted to know about Claire and BUNNY YEAGER’S “LAST SITTING” in which Claire interviews and is being photographed by the original Bettie Page photographer Bunny Yeager, in her last shoot and on camera interview.

"Claire on Claire" (23 Minutes) features the pin-up star interviewing herself, which is a pretty novel idea and fun. She goes into her early life growing up in the "ratchet areas" of California and how she ended up coming into pin-up modelling and becoming a Playboy Playmate and landing her own show on the Vegas strip before becoming the spokes model for the Bettie Page clothing line. She describes life at the Playboy Mansion as pretty much a country club for older men, way to ruin the illusion! The episode closes with some fun outtakes and flubs from the filming of the episode. 

The second episode is "Bunny Yeager's Last Sitting" (25 Minutes) featuring Claire Sinclair pin-up photographer Bunny Yeager who worked with Bettie Page creating some of the most iconic shots of the pin-up queen. Unfortunately it's marred by some bad audio recorded in a gallery with the sound bouncing of the walls and echoing. The episode is extended and features more of the tasty HD Nude Shoot not seen during the original broadcast on The Erotic Channel. 

The episode is spliced with footage from what turns out to be Bunny Yeager's last nude photo shoot with Claire Sinclair prior to her death earlier this year. The behind-the-scene video is presented in both HD and a grainier super 8mm footage shot by Nico B.. These are my favorite shots of Sinclair, love the grainy retro aesthetic of the images and she has quite a body, pin-up perfection.  There's a very cool rockabilly guitar score from Danny B. Harvey who in recent years has played with Wanda Jackson and Nancy Sinatra, it's pretty damn good, check him out at www.dannybharvey.com

During the interviews Bunny speaks about creating Bettie Page's wardrobe for the classic shots, the resurgence and influence of her photography with Page, Sinclair is maybe not the best interviewer but she's a a genuine fan and it shows through. 

Bonus features on the disc include the Original Super 8 films with Bunny and Claire Sinclair shot by Nico B., the grainy super 8mm footage gives the entire thing a vintage patina and it looks great - though  must say that the  HD short footage captures her porcelain skin quite nicely, which is something lost on the 8mm footage. 

There are also two Claire Sinclair introductions for the Erotic Channel showings of the films BETTIE PAGE BONDAGE QUEEN (2 Minutes)  and VIVA (3 Minutes) 

SPECIAL  FEATURES
- Original Super 8 films with Bunny & Claire shot by Nico B (7 Minutes)
- The Erotica Channel Introduction for BETTIE PAGE BONDAGE QUEEN (2 Minutes)

by Claire 

- The Erotica Channel Introduction for VIVA (3 Minutes) by Claire 

- Uncensored HD Nude Shoot with Claire and Bunny

VERDICT
Coming into this I had no idea who Claire Sinclair was and I found it to be pretty entertaining watch and while the Bunny Yeager interview was light on substance and marred by poor audio I found the Nico B. super 8mm footage of the shoot to be quite a treat. Not a lot of substance here but I found Claire Sinclair to be quite easy on the eyes and not difficult to endure in the least, a very sexy lady and if you're a fan of contemporary pin-up this could be a fun watch. 

SWEET AND PERVERSE MILLY (1990)

SWEET AND PERVERSE MILLY (1990)  Label: One 7 Movies Region Code: Region FREE Rating: XXX Duration: 80 Minutes Video: Full Frame (1:33:1) Audio: Italian Dolby Digital Mono with Optional English Subtitles Director: Christopher Clark Cast: Milly D'Abbraccio, Joanna Lin, Cindy Torn SWEET AND PERVERSE MILLY (1990) is a straight up x-rated entry from One 7 Movies starring Italian porn actress Milly D'Abbraccio that has the slutty Milly exploring the US "in search of big cocks for my hungry pussy". That's about the entire story and what unfolds for the next eighty-minutes is a very loosely connected string of sex vignettes beginning with an extended solo shower scene and then straight into a raunchy escapade in a limo featuring the always eager Milly with mouthfuls of cocks and a few too many too-close for comfort penetration shots ending with Milly's ass being frosted before she pisses into a cup... for better or worse we never do find out what happened to that cup of piss. So we have a painfully threadbare plot with bucket loads of raunchy sex - which I guess is about par for porn. Preferring the artful eroticism of Radley Metzger and Tinto Brass I must confess I don't find most adult films as entertaining as I did when I was watching late night softcore on cable as a teen but I can appreciate them to a certain base degree. Sometimes you just wanna fast forward to the good stuff and tug one out and to that end this one is jammed front to back with plenty of spank material if that's what your craving. There's the orgy scene, a threesome with Milly being finger cuffed before taking it up the backside, some girl on girl carpet-munching and even a hermaphrodite on hermaphrodite scene, which may not be your taste but c'mon, that's just never boring. All in all a pretty raunchy sex romp with not an an ounce of artful pretension to distract from the base pleasures onscreen. On a personal note Milly D'Abbraccio doesn't do it for me, she's just not my type. I can appreciate her nice build and what a willing slut she is but that short-cropped orange hair wasn't doing it for me, maybe good for a quick wank but after that cannot see revisiting this one again.

CHRISTMAS EVIL (1980)

CHRISTMAS EVIL (1980) 

Label: Vinegar Syndrome

Region Code: Region-FREE

Rating: Unrated

Duration: 94 Minutes

Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio Mono 

Video:  1080p Widescreen (1.78:1) 

Director: Lewis Jackson

Cast: Brandon Maggart, Jeffrey DeMunn, Dianne Hull, Andy Fenwick, Brian Neville, Joe Jamrog

When Harry (Brandon Maggart) was just a young boy he experiences a rather traumatic event on Christmas Eve. While trying to sneak a peek of jolly old St. Nick leaving gifts under the Christmas tree what he ended up with was an eyeful of the bearded fat man doing a bit more than just kissing his mommy. Poor Harry didn't realize that the man in the Santa suit was his kinky father having a fun with mom, confused and frightened by what he saw Harry runs off to his room before cutting himself with a shard of glass from a broken snow globe. 

Now thirty years later Harry works at the Jolly Dream toy factory but still carries the mental scars of that awful night.  In the years since Harry has styled himself into a neighborhood Santa Clause of sorts, his home is plastered with Christmas decorations and he sleeps in Santa pajamas. Harry regularly goes onto the rooftop of his apartment with a pair of binoculars to spy on the neighborhood kids. Peeping through their windows he documents who's naughty and nice in a  set of ledgers labeled "naughty" and "nice". A kid looking at Penthouse magazine in his room ends up in the naughty book while another young girl observed taking out the trash is noted as good. 

Weird though he may be Harry seems like a well meaning guy and enjoys his job at the factory making toys for the boys and girls of the world.  Sure, he's odd but he seems mostly harmless at first. Harry's older brother Phil (Jeffrey DeMunn, THE BLOB) notices Harry is becoming more obsessive and weirder as Christmas approaches, he tries to reel him back into reality but it's a losing battle and only Harry descends further into madness as Christmas approaches. 

He finally snaps on Christmas Eve, now fully delusional and dressed in a Santa suit Harry sets about rewarding the good boys and girls in the neighborhood and punishing a few of the naughty adults who corrupt the true spirit of Christmas. In the process he leaves behind a small body count and a mob of towns folk armed with torched and pitchforks chase him through the streets before we come to a very surreal finale, one that the film is rightfully most remembered for. 

I think this film is often confused for the more bloody and cynical Santa slasher SILENT NIGHT DEADLY NIGHT. Both movies deal with a young men traumatized as kids who grow up into a delusional and homicidal Santa, this one is more of a character study along the lines of TAXI DRIVER or HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER. As the film moves along we witness Harry's  break from reality and the tragic aftermath. Maggart is pretty great and does a fine job portraying the descent into madness all the while keeping Harry a sympathetic character. There's something about his eyes that conveys so much, he really does carry the film on his shoulders, there's just so much that could have gone wrong here but he holds it together. 

While there are a handful of deaths none are overly graphic or gory and this might not satisfy the gore hounds but if you enjoy a demented slow-burn with a very strange finale there's some fun to be had here. There are a few times where the film does drag a bit but I find myself returning to this one every Christmas season and it's great to see it get a new restoration with loads of extras from Vinegar Syndrome. 

BLU-RAY:
Vinegar Syndrome have gone back to archival 35mm elements for this new transfer and the source material looks very nice with just a few blemishes and minor white speckling along the way. The new 4K restoration is mighty fine with accurate skin tones, decent black levels and vibrant colors. The cinematography is a bit on the hazy side so the image is not the sharpest but  the grain is managed quite nicely and the detail is far superior to previous releases and improves the image in all the expected areas. The print used bears the original title of YOU BETTER WATCH OUT, which is probably a more appropriate title but doesn't carry with the same exploitative cache. 

The English language DTS-HD Master Audio Mono does a fine job exporting the audio chores with a clean and nicely balanced presentation. 

Onto he extras we have three audio commentaries featuring director Lewis Jackson who is joined separately by actor Brandon Maggart and cult film director John Waters. The commentary with John waters is quite amusing, some might say that his interest in this cult-film resurrected it from obscurity. The king of bad taste is a true champion of the film and at a few points seems to stop commenting just to sit back and enjoy the film. 

Sourced from the previous releases are interview with director Lewis Jackson and star Brandon Maggart coming in just under fourteen minutes in length, the interviews cover the spotty distribution of the film and the cult status. The Tromatic interview with Maggart is conducted at what appears to be his  kitchen table and he is joined by Troma's Sgt. Kabukiman which is just weird. 

Also on the disc are nearly a half hour of screen tests, deleted scenes, original theatrical trailer, storyboard comparisons and my favorite, a collection of hilarious comment cards from early screenings of the film

SPECIAL FEATURES:
- BD/DVD Combo Pack
- Restored in 4k from 35mm archival elements
- Commentary track with Lewis Jackson
- Commentary track with Lewis Jackson and Brandon Maggart
- Commentary track with Lewis Jackson and John Waters
- Archival Video Interviews with Lewis Jackson (7 mins) 
- Archival Video Interviews with Brandon Maggart (7 mins)
- Original Theatrical Trailer (2 mins)
- Deleted Scenes (7 mins) 
- Screen Tests (26 mins)
- Storyboards (4 mins) 
- Comment Cards Gallery (3 mins) 

VERDICT:
CHRISTMAS EVIL may not the blood and guts fueled Santa slasher I think most might expect - and the artwork suggests - but it's definitely one of the most demented Christmas stories out there and it just happens to be a damn good film. Vinegar Syndrome are a very naughty label but I am pretty sure they're on Harry's good list this year with the definitive release of CHRISTMAS EVIL. 

GRADUATION DAY (1981)

GRADUATION DAY (1981) 

Label: Vinegar Syndrome

Region Code: Region-FREE

Rating: Unrated

Duration: 96 Minutes

Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio Mono 

Video: 1080p Widescreen (1.85:1) 

Director: Herb Freed

Cast: Christopher George, Ruth Ann Llorens, Michael Pataki, Vanna White, Patch McKenzie, Linnea Quigley 

Ann Ramstead (Patch McKenzie) is a young woman in the armed forced who returns to the small California town where she was raised to bury her younger sister Laura (Ruth Ann Llorens), who promptly dropped dead after winning a high school track meet. George Michaels (Christopher George) is the over-driven track and field coach an he draws some criticism for pushing Laura, and the other student athletes, a bit too hard to win. With senior graduation fast approaching the student and staff try to carry on but when someone donning a fencing sword and mask arrives on the scene and starts bumping off the track team the week leading up to graduation is marked with the bodies of dead teens.  

The film doesn't stray far from the tried and true slasher formula of the era, we have a group of teens and a demented masked killer murdering them for reasons unknown, with no shortage of suspects to choose from. Could it be the hard-driving coach, Principal Guglioni (Michael Pataki), the creepy truancy officer or maybe even the older sibling of the fallen track star... or maybe someone far more obvious!

The high school setting is pretty great and feels plenty authentic with rowdy track meets, a rollicking roller skate party, plus horny teens and a rocking soundtrack with plenty of hard driving eighties cheesiness from the band Felony, you just gotta love that twin-neck guitar! 

Sure, the story is a bit hackneyed but we do have a great cast, which includes the venerable Christopher George (CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD) as the track coach and he chews up the scenery quite nicely. Patch McKenzie as the older sibling is quite capable too but disappears for a large stretch before returning for the final moments for a damn decent final stretch. Her scenes at home with her grieving mom and asshole stepfather are fun to watch, the dad is a complete and total jackass - the whole thing reminded me of the Strode family dynamic from HALLOWEEN: THE CURSE OF MICHAEL MYERS. 

Being a slasher film the kills are pretty important, and they are fun but the execution is not the greatest, though I do give the crew high marks for creativity, a few of the deaths involve a fencing sword and my favorite would be the football tipped with the fencing sword and thrown for a touch down in the death zone, that was awesome, but just know going in that the deaths are a bit tame. 

B-movie queen Linnea Quigley (THE RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD) shows up in a small role as a teen who lusts for a goofy lounge-lizard music teacher, her inclusion provides some fun nudity during a pretty great stalk and slash scenario. She's not the only one, there's also some fun nudity in the locker room. The film definitely musters up a a few tense moments and some decent atmosphere which make this cheesy slasher quite a bit of fun. 

The identity of the killer is not the best kept secret despite the plethora of red herrings thrown upon us, it's pretty much given away during the opening scene, but that didn't stop me from enjoying it. Generic though it may be it won me over with the creative kills and general eighties goofiness. One thing that went a long way towards saving it for me was the unique style of editor Martin Sadoff who punched up a few of the sequences with some disorienting editing tricks. 

  

BLU-RAY

GRADUATION DAY (1981) has been afforded a new 4K restoration from 35mm elements from the cult-cinema archivist at Vinegar Syndrome and the end result is quite satisfying. Presented in the correct aspect ratio - for the first time - we can now enjoy this 80s slasher the way it was meant to be seen. The grain structure is nicely managed with accurate skin tones and vibrant color reproduction with a pleasing amount of depth clarity. There's some white speckling throughout but overall the 35mm answer print used for the restoration is in fantastic shape. 

The DTS-HD MA Mono does a decent job exporting the dialogue, score and effects of the film with some minimal hiss and pop, you will no doubt be rocking out to the sweet eighties sounds of rockers Felony all night long. No subtitles are provided.

Onto the extras we have the option of two commentaries, one with Producer David Baughn and a second with The Hysteria Continues Podcast crew who know a thing or two about slasher films. At this point I have only listened to the Hysteria Continues track and can conform that is both fun and informative and I highly recommend fans of slashers subscribe to their podcast. 

There are also thirty-minutes of interviews with director Herb Freed, actress Patch McKenzie, producer David Baughn and editor Martin Sardoff, plus the original theatrical trailer. 

SPECIAL FEATURES:
- BD/DVD Combo Pack
- 4K Restoration from the Editor’s 35mm Answer Print 

- Video interview with Director Herb Freed (12 Minutes) HD
- Video interview with Star Patch Mackenzie (9 Minutes) HD
- Video interview with Producer David Baughn (12 Minutes) HD
- Video interview with Editor Martin Sadoff (7 Minutes) HD
- Commentary track with Producer David Baughn moderated by Elijah Drenner (12 Minutes) HD
- Commentary track with The Hysteria Continues
- Original Theatrical Trailer (2 Minutes) 

VERDICT:

While there are quite a few better crafted slashers with gorier kills but this one is just so eighties and goofy I cannot help but love it, plus we have Christopher George classing it up. A fun high school slasher and recommend for fans of slasher whodunits. Vinegar Syndrome have done a great job cleaning this up and presenting it with some entertaining extras with superior audio and video - this is the definitive edition of this one. Great to see Vinegar Syndrome branching out from the vintage porn and restoring a few cult horror films. The Christmas cult-classic CHRISTMAS EVIL is available now and the b-movie masterpiece DON'T GO N THE WOOD in 2015. 

THE BELIEVERS (1987)

THE BELIEVERS (1987) 

Label: Twilight Time

Region Code: ALL

Rating: R

Duration: 114 Minutes

Audio: English DTS-HD MA 2.0 with Optional English Subtitles

Video: 1080p Widescreen (1.85:1)
Director: John Schlesinger 

Cast: Robert Loggia, Martin Sheen, Helen Shaver, Harley Cross, Jimmy Smits, Elizabeth Wilson

SYNOPSIS: 

Director John Schlesinger (Midnight Cowboy, Marathon Man) ventures elegantly into supernatural territory with The Believers (1987), the tale of Cal Jamison (Martin Sheen), a recently widowed police psychologist forced to deal with a series of ritualistic child murders apparently perpetrated by a malevolent rogue branch of a Caribbean cult religion. As the cult’s connections to corporate oligarchs begin to emerge, the lives of Cal and those around him—particularly his vulnerable young son (Harley Cross)—are put at terrible risk. Also starring Helen Shaver, Robert Loggia, and Jimmy Smits, and atmospherically shot by the great Robby Müller, cinematographer/partner of Wim Wenders, Lars von Trier, and Jim Jarmusch.

THE FILM: 

I remember watching THE BELIEVERS on late night cable TV as a teen and enjoying it

quite a bit. More than anything it made me wary of my mom's coffee maker and the possibility that it might someday kill me because at the top of the film a woman named Lisa Jamison (Janet-Laine Green) is fatally electrocuted by a faulty coffee maker right in front of her husband Cal (Martin Sheen) and her young son Chris (Harley Chris). Watching it now I was less traumatized by the scene of electric death and more jadedly amused at how overwrought the sequence seemed. Not as jolting as I remember but it does move the story along, the now grieving widow moving from Minnesota to New York City to start a new life. Cal is now working as a therapist for the NYPD treating cops traumatized in the line of duty. Enter an attractive and recently divorced landlady Jessica Halliday (Helen Shaver) who takes a liking to Cal and a romance blossoms much to the chagrin of his son who still grieves for his dead mother. 

A series of ritualistic child murders plague the city, at the first crime scene we meet undercover officer Tom Lopez (Jimmy Smits) on the verge of a nervous breakdown,

screaming about a Santeria cult and their strange powers. At about the same time Cal and his son are enjoying a day at Central Park when Chris stumble upon a brutal animal sacrifice, nearby he finds decorative shell which he keeps to himself and soon strange things begin to happen around the Jamison home. 

What unfolds afterward hints at the elite and powerful aristocrats of the city may be sacrificing their own children to ensure their place in high society, much like ROSEMARY'S BABY we see that the corrupting influence of the occult permeates all facets of society, no one is safe and no one is above suspicion, which makes for an effective and creepy paranoid thriller. 

Martin Sheen as the cop psychiatrist is easy to get behind, a strong father dealing with grief while starting a new relationship. Harley Chris as the son manages to not be too annoying as kid actors are prone to be and Helen Shaver as the new love interest does a fine job.

Then we have Jimmy Smits as the undercover cop fallen prey to the cult, he's unhinged the moment he arrives onscreen and only unravels further as the film moves on. Then we have the intimidating Robert Loggia as Lieutenant Sean McTaggert, whom is feeling increasing pressure to find the culprits behind the child murders, even when Loggia is a good guy he is still a scary presence onscreen, such a menacing face. 

The occult baddies in the film are embodied by wealthy tycoon Robert Calder (Harris Yulin) and cult priest Palo (Malick Bowens), a creepy figure who uses the occult to enthrall, corrupt and curse throughout the film - a few of his scenes gave me the shivers.

After the overwrought beginning the film settles into a slow methodical build-up of occult tension and paranoia before diving off the deep-end with the revelation of just how far the influence of the cult extends and the result is a tiny bit over-the-top, not ruining it for me but it definitely detracting from it. 

Directed by John Schlesinger with a screenplay by future TWIN PEAKS co-creator Mark Frost the attractive cinematography from Robby Müller - there's a solid creative team behind the camera. While I enjoyed the heart of the story of a father pulled into the occult activities of the elite and powerful the bookend whammy of that overwrought electrocution and nutty ending do bring it down a few points. Nonetheless, I do give THE BELIEVERS a recommend, it's a tense and paranoia infused occult thriller with a great cast, definitely a film deserving of some attention. 

BLU-RAY:

The Blu-ray from Twilight Time presents the film in the original widescreen aspect ratio with a nice layer of natural film grain with some moments of fine detail and clarity. Color reproduction looks great and skin tones are mostly natural looking. Black levels are decent and the source material is near flawless with the exception of some minor white speckling throughout. The crisp master provided by 20th Century Fox should please fans through and through. 

The English DTS-HD MA 2.0 manages audio duties nicely with well balanced dialogue, effects and J. Peter Robinson's score, it's a good stereo mix with no one element overpowering the other. Optional English SDH Subtitles are provided. 

The disc includes and the original theatrical trailer, MGM 90th Anniversary trailer and the usual isolated music score highlighting the music of J.Peter Robinson. 

VERDICT:

Maybe not quite the supreme occult thriller I remembered from my youth but still a creepy occult cinema entry with some strong performances and troubling imagery. The new HD upgrade looks and sounds fantastic and fans of the film should enjoy it. This release is limited edition release of just 3000 units and is available exclusively from www.screenarchives.com

COLLAR (2014)

COLLAR (2014)

Label: unearthed Films

Region Code: 1 NTSC

Rating: Unrated

Duration: 77 Minutes

Audio: English Dolby Digital 4.0

Video: Anamorphic Widescreen (1.85:1)
Director: Ryan Nicholson

Cast: Nick Principe, Momona Komagata, Ronald Patrick Thompson, Aidan Dee, Wolfgang Meyer, Mackenzie Murdock

Welcome to depraved world of Vancouver-based director Ryan Nicholson and his latest effort COLLAR (2014). Set in a rather ugly place inhabited by an enormous homeless man named Massive (Nick Principe) who prowls the streets pushing along a shopping cart decorated with a duct tape pentagram - not a person to be be messed with.

As the streets go dark the neighborhood scum come out in force, those unfortunate enough to cross Massive's path don't usually live long enough to regret it - unless you happen to be a woman - in that case he chains you with a dog collar and repeatedly rapes you. A prostitute in the wrong place at the wrong time encounters Massive who does just that. All the while a pair of opportunistic dirt bags capture the assault on camera and do nothing to help. These two have graduated from funding bum fights to documenting Massive's seemingly unstoppable crimes spree with dreams of somehow making it big with their footage. 

The whore is spared death when a drunken bum stumbles upon the scene, she escapes while Massive destroys the bum before eating his heart - that's right, not just a Satanic murderer, he is also a cannibal. Swearing revenge the whore returns with her pimp with hopes of putting a hurting on the Devil worshiping bum - a big mistake. Also on the scene are a pair of cops investigating an assault who themselves fall prey to unstoppable cannibal. What we end up with is a small group of people converging onto the neighborhood and the ensuing string of ultra-violent rape and murders. Massive has quite an appetite for violence and fortunately for him - and unfortunate for everyone else - there's no shortage of fresh meat for pleasure and eating. 

Fans of story driven horror probably aren't going to get a lot from this but the gore hounds and lovers of depraved filth are in for a treat with generous amounts of uncomfortable nudity, ultra-violence and bloody practical effects. Never one to pull away from a good gore gag Nicholson offers up a series of truly gruesome carnage with jaws and heads ripped-off, a brutal broken-bottle neck stabbing and a whole lot of unsavory stuff thrown-up on the screen including a sweet back-breaker wrestling move with a intestine spewing finish.

Not a lot of character or story building here but there is a cast of colorfully disgusting characters to watch be defiled and destroyed. We do get a glimpse into the past of Massive who was sexually abused by a priest in his youth and would appear to suffer from a mental illness of some sort. While the rapist/murderer is not exactly a sympathetic character Principe does convey some true emotion through the mute character using body language and facial expression when he's not brutalizing one victim after another.  

A damn fine looking film with solid cinematography that captures the gritty aesthetic with some small amount of polish but you can almost smell the piss the air when watching it. Adding to the atmosphere is a very cool dark electronic score from PROTECTOR 101 whom offer up a fantastic main title theme with a vintage John Carpenter vibe. 

Director Ryan Nicholson has created a nasty treat for the exploitation fans with a steady stream of offensive and gruesome imagery ripe with cannibalism and rape. This mean-spirited film is probably not for the average horror fan but a definite recommend for fans of low-budget exploitation along the lines of HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN, STREET TRASH and RUN! BITCH RUN!

There is currently a INDIEGOGO campaign to fund the sequel to director Ryan Nicholson's slasher film GUTTERBALLS - check it out HERE. 

HILLBILLY HORROR SHOW VOL. 1 (2014)

HILLBILLY HORROR SHOW VOL. 1 (2014) 

Label: Leomark Studio
Duration: 60 Minutes
Region Code; 0 NTSC

Rating: Unrated Audio: English Dolby Digital Stereo 2.0
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 

Director: Sharif Salama, Bill Hayes, Theo Stephansky, Timothy Zwica
Cast: Bo Keister, Scott Geiter, Rachel Faulkner

Here we have an hour long horror anthology of short films introduced by fun loving hillbillies Bo and Cephus and they're scantly clad  cousin Lulu who is none to hard on the eyes. The hillbilly shtick only goes so far with me but onto the films we begin with FRANKY AND THE ANT (2012)  from director Bill Hayes. A nine-minute tale of a betrayed lover and what turns out to be a very short day trip with his lover and best friend. The film is nicely composed and tells a damn decent story in just nine minutes, bonus points for the use of the Carl Martin blues number "Farewell to You Baby" and local band The Deludes from right here in Tucson who offer up a very cool Stones influenced rocker. 

Up next is AMUSED (2011) a nine-minute short from director Cuyle Carvin, set a snow bound rural area an woman arrives to find a feral man feasting on her daughter in the kitchen. After the initial shock she must run for her life and find a weapon to fend of the ravenous attacker who laughs like the joker throughout. I didn't love this one, of the four on the disc it's the one I would most likely skip on repeat viewing, it's a bit generic and the execution's clumsy. It's didn't help that this was the most consumer grade photographed if the shorts, now I don't mind the micro-budget aesthetic but I need something in the writing, execution or acting to shine through to make it work for me and this didn't have any of that. 

DOPPELGANGER four-minute stop-motion animation short directed by Theo Stephansky which owes quite a bit to Ray Harryhausen. A very simplistic short wherein a skeleton emerges from a cave in search of companionship only to succeed with less than desirable consequences. Short on story this one feels more like a demo reel or proof of concept, I give the team a lot of props for the fluid stop-motion animation of the skeletons, very cool but not the most engrossing short film. 

The fourth and final film THE NEST (2011) is the best of the bunch, a thirty-two minute short from director Timothy Zwica. A tasty killer insect film that begins when a local rancher discovers that one of his horses have been stripped to the bone, and it has something to do with a nearby diner and the proprietor's award winning honey. This is the longest of the bunch and the story is engrossing with some decent performances, especially the woman playing the proprietor of the diner. At the heart of the story are a swarm of bird sized bees with a taste for flesh, a very well executed story and the digital effects are pretty great, the deadly bees are rendered quite well. .This is the one film on the disc that I felt could be a damn decent full length feature with a strong b-movie story and the highest production value of the bunch, this one might just we worth the $10 price tag alone. 

As micro-budget horror anthologies go this is alright stuff with THE NEST being far and away the best of the bunch, truth be told it's the one entry I would re watch. With two more volumes of the Hillbilly Horror Show on tap this next year and I hope to see the producers step-it up with more consistency and some higher production values, if they had found four to five films of the same quality as THE NEST this would have been something special. I was sort of annoyed by the redneck aesthetic of the intros and the artwork, the tired riff on rural yahoos has zero appeal but I did enjoy the films to varying degrees, and that's what matters, not great but it's a decent enough watch with one stand-out entry.  

Two More PEEKARAMA double-features from VINEGAR SYNDROME on 1/13

SEXUAL HEIGHTS - UNDULATIONS (1981) 

Label: Vinegar Syndrome
Run Time: 170 Minutes Original Language: English
Color Widescreen Anamorphic 1.85:1 Dolby Digital Mono Region 0
Genre: EROTICA Rating: NR
Director: Carlos Tobalina
Cast: Mai Lin, Serena, John Holmes, Jamie Gillis

SEXUAL HEIGHTS: A man whose marriage was destroyed by an affair with the babysitter plots a lusty revenge, only to have his plans turn into the ultimate orgy!

UNDULATIONS: The biggest stars in sex films gather to watch the latest in erotic television, but their desires can't be confined to the screen.

Bonus Features: - Original Theatrical Trailers for Both Films

THREE RIPENING CHERRIES - SENSUAL FIRE (1979)  Label: Vinegar Syndrome CRun Time: 171 Minutes Original Language: English Color Widescreen Anamorphic 1.85:1 Dolby Digital Mono Region 0 Genre: EROTICA Rating: NR Director: Carlos Tobalina Cast: Dorothy LeMay, Kitty Shayne, Jamie Gillis, Serena, Jesie St. James THREE RIPENING CHERRIES: Three suburban virgins, eager to learn about sex, take their education into their own hands. When life gives them the opportunity to wet their appetites, will the reality live up to the fantasy? SENSUAL FIRE: A man lusts after his nubile stepdaughter, knowing the sinful nature of his desires. Can he satisfy his lust with others or will his secret fantasies send him over the edge? Bonus Features: - New 2K restoration from the 35mm negative - Original Theatrical Trailers for Both Films

'PRETTY PEACHES' and 'RIBALD TALES OF CANTERBURY' on DVD 1/13 from VINEGAR SYNDROME

PRETTY PEACHES (1978) 

Label: Vinegar Syndrome
Run Time: 92 Minutes Original Language: English
Color Widescreen Anamorphic 1.85:1 Dolby Digital Mono Region 0
Genre: EROTICA Rating: NR
Director: Carlos Tobalina
Cast: John Holmes, Leslie Bovee, Annette Haven

After attending her father's wedding, innocent Peaches crashes her jeep in the forest only to wake up with complete amnesia. She is quickly rescued by two manipulative men who hope to sell her back to her family for a hefty ransom. Their adventures introduce Peaches to a crazy doctor with very unusual treatment methods, a sleazy sex show promoter and more, but nothing helps. Poor Peaches doesn't know what to do...until she remembers Daddy!

Alex deRenzy's acclaimed classic, Pretty Peaches, ranks as one of the craziest, sexiest, and funniest X rated comedies ever made. Starring Desiree Cousteau and Juliet Anderson in their screen debuts, and co-starring Joey Silvera, John Leslie, and Paul Thomas, Pretty Peaches makes its official DVD debut uncut and fully restored in 2k.

Bonus Features:
- New 2k Scan and Restoration from 35mm Vault Elements
- Rare Archival Interview with Alex deRenzy
- Interview with Film Historian Ted Mcilvenna
- Original Theatrical Trailers for Three deRenzy Films

RIBALD TALES OF CANTERBURY - TASTY (1985)

Label: Vinegar Syndrome
Run Time: 167 Minutes Original Language: English
Color Widescreen Anamorphic 1.85:1 Dolby Digital Mono Region 0
Genre: EROTICA Rating: NR
Director: Bud Lee
Cast: Hyapatia Lee, Sharon Kelly, Peter North, Patti Petite, Gail Force

Screenwriter, photographer and husband of actress Hyapatia Lee, Bud Lee made his directorial debut with these 1985 features shot back-to-back. They represent two of the last big budget 35mm X rated films to receive a theatrical release. First, in RIBALD TALES OF CANTERBURY, a group of knights, journeying across the British countryside in the 15th century, share fantastic and absurd stories of sexual conquests. Hyapatia Lee and Coleen Brennan (aka Sharon Kelly) star. Then, in TASTY, struggling DJ Tasty Tastums realizes that what listeners really want to hear are the sounds of sex! Both RIBALD TALES and TASTY have been restored from their original 35mm negatives.

Bonus Features: - New 2k Scan and Restoration from 35mm Negative - Commentary Track with director Bud Lee on RIBALD TALES - Video Interview with Bud Lee - Original Theatrical Trailers for Both Films

ARROW VIDEO 2015 TITLES ANNOUNCED!

Today ARROW VIDEO in the UK announced their first round of releases for 2015 and it's a whopper! First up is the non-SteelBook remaster edition of Dario Argento's TENEBRE with a brand new interview with Maitland McDonagh, author of Broken Mirrors/Broken Minds: The Dark Dreams of Dario Argento.

My most anticipated title would be David Cronenberg's RABID starring porn star Marilyn Chambers. It features a brand new HD transfer and a ton of extras. As for non-horror we have both Stanley Kubrick's THE KILLING and Michael Mann's THIEF coming to UK Blu-ray plus more Roger Corman directed Poe adaptation starring Vincent Price in addition to THE COMEDY OF TERRORS starring Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, Boris Karloff.

Read on and feast your eyes on the juicy details, artwork and there are Amazon UK pre-order links at the bottom of the page. 

TENEBRE

Release Date: January 19th 2015
Format: Blu-ray
Starring: Anthony Franciosa, Daria Nicolodi, John Saxon
Directed by: Dario Argento

Synopsis: Terror Beyond Belief!

A notorious horror classic returns in all its depraved glory. This infamous video nasty updated the classic Giallo blueprint for the gorified 80s, courting controversy and drenching the viewer in crimson arterial spray.

A razor-wielding psycho is stalking the horror writer Peter Neal, in Rome to promote his latest work, Tenebre. But the author isn’t the obsessive killer’s only target, the beautiful women who surround him are doomed as one by one, they fall victim to the murderer’s slashing blade…

Will fiction and reality blur as fear and madness take hold? Watch in terror as by turns the cast fall victim to the sadistic imagination of Dario Argento, Italy’s master of horror.

SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS:
- Newly remastered High Definition digital transfer of the film
- Presented in High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD
- Optional original English and Italian Mono Audio tracks (uncompressed PCM Mono 2.0 Audio on the Blu-ray)
- Optional English subtitles for Italian audio and English SDH subtitles for English audio for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Audio Commentary with authors and critics Kim Newman and Alan Jones
- Audio Commentary with Argento expert Thomas Rostock
- Introduction by star Daria Nicolodi
- The Unsane World of Tenebrae: An interview with director Dario Argento
- Screaming Queen! Daria Nicolodi remembers Tenebrae
- A Composition for Carnage: Composer Claudio Simonetti on Tenebrae
- Goblin: ‘Tenebrae’ and ‘Phenomena’ Live from the Glasgow Arches
- Brand new interview with Maitland McDonagh, author of Broken Mirrors/Broken Minds: The Dark Dreams of Dario Argento
- Original Trailer
- Reversible Sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by GGilles Vranckx
- Exclusive collector’s booklet featuring writing on the film by Alan Jones, author of Profondo Argento, an interview with cinematographer Luciano Tovoli and an appreciation of the film by director Peter Strickland, illustrated with original posters and lobby cards

Region: B
Rating: 18
Cat No: FCD1043
Duration: 101 mins
Language: English/Italian
Subtitles: English/ English SDH
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 (16×9)
Audio: Uncompressed PCM Mono 2.0
Colour

THE KILLING + KILLER'S KISS

Release Date: February 9th 2015
Format: Blu-ray
Starring: Sterling Hayden, Coleen Gray, Vince Edwards
Director: Stanley Kubrick

Synopsis: An ex-con, a corrupt cop, a reformed alcoholic, a wrestler, a sharpshooter and a pair of inside men: these seven men intent on executing the perfect robbery and taking a racetrack for two million dollars. But this is the world of film noir, a tough, sour place where nothing quite goes as planned…

For his third feature Stanley Kubrick adapted Lionel White’s Clean Break with a little help from hard-boiled specialist Jim Thompson (The Killer Inside Me), and in doing so created a heist movie classic, one to rank alongside John Huston’s The Asphalt Jungle and Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs. The robbery itself is one of cinema’s great set-pieces, as taut a piece of filmmaking as you’ll ever find, expertly controlled by Kubrick, who called The Killing his “first mature work”.

Starring Sterling Hayden (Johnny Guitar, The Godfather), perennial fall guy Elisha Cook Jr (The Maltese Falcon, The Big Sleep) and Marie Windsor (The Narrow Margin) as his duplicitous wife, The Killing is quintessential film noir, still as brutal, thrilling and audacious as it was almost six decades ago.

SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS:
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation of the feature
- Original uncompressed mono PCM Audio
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Stanley Kurbrick’s second feature, Killer’s Kiss (1955), presented in High Definition (1080p)
- A look at Kubrick's 1950s output with critic Michel Ciment
- An appreciation by filmmaker Ben Wheatley (Kill List, Sightseers)
- An extract from the French television series Journal de la cinéma featuring an interview with Sterling Hayden
- Original theatrical trailers for both films
- Collector’s booklet containing new writing by Peter Kramer (author of volumes on Dr. Strangelove, 2001: A Space Odyssey and A Clockwork Orange), Barry Forshaw and filmmaker Ron Peck, illustrated with original archive stills

Region: B
Rating: 12
Cat No: FCD1046
Duration: 84 mins
Language: English
Subtitles: English SDH
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
Audio: 1.0 Mono

THIEF 

Limited Slipcase Edition

Release Date: January 26th 2015
Format: Blu-ray
Starring: James Caan, Tuesday Weld, Willie Nelson
Directed by: Michael Mann

Synopsis: For his first theatrical feature, Michael Mann (Manhunter, Public Enemies) returned to the rain-soaked streets of his hometown, Chicago, for a stunning piece of neo-noir starring James Caan (The Godfather, Rollerball) at his toughest.

Caan plays Frank, a jewel thief and former convict who is looking to settle down with his girlfriend (Tuesday Weld, Once Upon a Time in America) and begin a family. But when his ‘fence’ is thrown from a window and the Chicago mafia begin to flex their muscles, his hopes of a quiet life become anything but…

With a sterling supporting cast in the shape of James Belushi, Robert Prosky, Willie Nelson and Dennis Farina, lush electronic score by Tangerine Dream and the assured direction of Mann, Thief is a standout eighties crime flick that paved the way for the his later urban thrillers such as Heat and Collateral as well as Nicolas Winding Refn’s Drive.

SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS:
- Limited Slipcase Edition [3000 units] featuring two versions of the film
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation of the director’s cut from a new 4K film transfer, approved by director Michael Mann, with uncompressed 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation of the original theatrical cut [Limited Edition Exclusive] with original uncompressed 2.0 Stereo PCM audio
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Optional isolated music and effects track on the theatrical cut
Audio commentary by writer-director Michael Mann and actor James Caan
- The Directors: Michael Mann – a 2001 documentary on the filmmaker, containing interviews with Mann, James Belushi, William Petersen, Jon Voight and others
- Stolen Dreams - a new interview with Caan, filmed exclusively for this release
- Hollywood USA: James Caan – an episode of the French TV series Ciné regards devoted to the actor, filmed shortly after Thief had finished production
- The Art of the Heist - an examination of Thief with writer and critic F.X. Feeney, author of the Taschen volume on Michael Mann
- Theatrical trailer
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by maarko phntm
Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Brad Stevens

Region: B
Rating: 18
Cat No: FCD1027
Duration: 125 and 122 mins
Language: English
Subtitles: English SDH
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Audio: 5.1 / 2.0
Colour

RABID 

SteelBook

Release Date: February 2nd 2015
Format: Dual Format Blu-ray + DVD
Starring: Marilyn Chambers, Frank Moore, Joe Silver
Directed by: David Cronenberg

Synopsis: PRAY IT DOESN’T HAPPEN TO YOU!

First come the Shivers… then, you turn RABID! Celebrated Canadian cult auteur David Cronenberg (The Fly, Videodrome) followed up Shivers with this tense and gory thriller which expands upon the venereal disease theme of that film, this time unleashing it on the whole of downtown Montreal – with terrifying consequences.

When beautiful Rose (adult film star Marilyn Chambers) is badly injured in a motorcycle crash, Dr. Keloid, who is in the process of developing a revolutionary new type of skin-graft, seizes the opportunity to test out his as yet unproven methods. The surgery appears successful and Rose seems restored to full health. But all is not as it should be – Rose has been transformed into a contagious blood-sucker, endowed with a bizarre, needle-like protrusion in her armpit with which she drains the blood from those unfortunate enough to be in her vicinity.

An important landmark in the early career of Cronenberg, Rabid sees the director returning to the viral theme of his earlier work but on a much larger (and more assured) scale – where the infection has shifted from the confines of a single apartment block to the expansive shopping centres and motorways of Canada’s second largest city.

SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS:
- Limited Edition SteelBook packaging
- New High Definition Digital Transfer
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentation of the feature
- Original mono audio (uncompressed PCM on the Blu-ray)
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Audio Commentary with writer-director David Cronenberg
- Audio Commentary with William Beard, author of The Artist as Monster: The Cinema of David Cronenberg
- Archive interview with David Cronenberg
- Brand new interview with executive producer Ivan Reitman
- Brand new interview with co-producer Don Carmody
- Make-up Memories: Joe Blasco Remembers Rabid – A short featurette in which Blasco recalls how the film’s various gruesome effects were achieved
- Raw, Rough and Rabid: The Lacerating Legacy of Cinépix – Featurette looking back at the early years of the celebrated Canadian production company, including interviews with author Kier-La Janisse and special makeup artist Joe Blasco
- The Directors: David Cronenberg – A 1999 documentary on the filmmaker, containing interviews with Cronenberg, Marilyn Chambers, Deborah Harry, Michael Ironside, Peter Weller and others
- Original Theatrical Trailer
- Collector’s Booklet featuring new writing on the film by Kier-La Janisse, reprinted excerpts of Cronenberg on Cronenberg and more, illustrated with original archive stills and posters.

Region: B/2
Rating: 18
Cat No: FCD1017
Duration: TBC
Language: English
Subtitles: English SDH
Aspect Ratio: TBC
Audio: TBC
Colour

WITHNAIL AND I 

Release Date: February 9th 2015
Format: Blu-ray
Starring: Richard E. Grant, Paul McGann, Richard Griffiths, Ralph Brown, Michael Elphick
Directed by: Bruce Robinson

Synopsis:The finest cult film known to humanity!

Camden Town, the arse-end of the sixties. Two struggling, unemployed actors decide some respite is in order and so depart their miserable flat for a week in the Lake District – one that will involve rain, booze, minimal supplies, a randy bull and an even randier Uncle Monty.

Based on the real-life experiences of former actor turned writer/director Bruce Robinson, WITHNAIL and I has become one of British cinema’s most fondly remembered comedies. A cult film in the truest sense that has also become a classic.

Perfectly cast – with career-defining roles for Richard E. Grant, Paul McGann, Richard Griffiths and Ralph Brown – and crammed with irresistibly quotable dialogue, WITHNAIL and I is a sheer delight, even on the umpteenth viewing.

SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS:
- New 2K restoration of WITHNAIL and I from the original camera negative, supervised and approved by director of photography Peter Hannan
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) Presentation
- Original uncompressed mono 1.0 PCM audios
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
- Audio commentary by writer-director Bruce Robinson
- Audio commentary by critic and writer Kevin Jackson, author of the BFI Modern Classic on WITHNAIL and I
- All four original ‘Withnail Weekend’ documentaries, first screened on Channel 4 in 1999, including The Peculiar Memories of Bruce Robinson, which looks at the director’s career, Withnail & Us, which focuses on the film’s making, and two shorter documentaries, I Demand to Have Some Booze and Withnail on the Pier
- Newly filmed interview with production designer Michael Pickwoad, who discusses his work on Withnail & I
- An appreciation of Withnail & I by Sam Bain, co-creator of Peep Show and Fresh Meat
- Theatrical trailers
- Illustrated collector’s booklet containing new writing by Vic Pratt.

Region: B
Rating: 15
Cat No: FCD1045
Duration: 104 mins
Language: English
Subtitles: English SDH
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Audio: 1.0 Mono

THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE

Release Date: February 16th 2015
Format: Blu-ray
Starring: Frank Sinatra, Laurence Harvey, Janet Leigh
Directed by: John Frankenheimer

Synopsis: WHY DON’T YOU PASS THE TIME BY PLAYING A LITTLE SOLITAIRE?

After saving the lives of his platoon during the Korean War, Sergeant Raymond Shaw (Laurence Harvey) is hailed as a bona fide American hero. This couldn’t have come at a better time for his mother (Angela Lansbury) who is hell-bent on boosting the career of his stepfather, a senator straight from the McCarthyite wing of the US political spectrum with designs on the Presidency.

So far so familiar – but why does Shaw’s former captain (Frank Sinatra) have recurring nightmares that suggest that his distinguished comrade-in-arms might not be all that he seems?

Based on the memorably paranoid bestseller by Richard Condon (Prizzi’s Honor), this is one of the greatest of all Cold War suspense thrillers, not least for its alarmingly original take on the notion of “the enemy within”. Angela Lansbury won multiple awards and an Oscar nomination for her performance as one of the most monstrous mothers in screen history, but perhaps the most unnerving thing about the film is the way that its political satire remains so perfectly on target more than half a century later.

SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS:
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation of the main feature, transferred from original elements by MGM
- Uncompressed 1.0 PCM soundtrack
- Optional English SDH subtitles
- Audio commentary by director John Frankenheimer
- The Directors: John Frankenheimer, an hour-long portrait from 2000, including interviews with Frankenheimer, Kirk Douglas, Samuel L. Jackson, Roy Scheider, Rod Steiger and many others
Interview with John Frankenheimer, Frank Sinatra and screenwriter George Axelrod from the film’s 1988 revival
- Queen of Diamonds: an interview with Angela Lansbury
- A Little Solitaire: an appreciation of the film by director William Friedkin (The Exorcist)
- Stills gallery
- Theatrical trailer
- More to be announced!

Region: B
Rating: 18
Cat No: FCD1047
Duration: 126 mins
Language: English
Subtitles: English SDH
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Audio: 1.0 mono
B&W

THE COMEDY OF TERRORS 

Release Date: February 16th 2015
Format: Dual Format BD/DVD
Starring: Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, Boris Karloff
Director: Jacques Tourneur

Synopsis: From Jacques Tourneur, director of numerous horror classics including Cat People, I Walked with a Zombie and Night of the Demon, comes The Comedy of Terrors – a gleefully macabre tale which brings together genre greats Vincent Price, Peter Lorre and Boris Karloff.

Price plays Waldo Trumbull, a perpetually inebriated, down-on-his-luck undertaker who has struck on an interesting way to boost business – by hastening the deaths of those whom he buries. When landlord Mr. Black (Basil Rathbone) threatens to put him out on the street for falling behind with the rent, Trumbull, together with his reluctant and bumbling assistant Felix Gillie (Lorre), hatches an ill-advised plan to “kill two birds with one stone”, so to speak…

The penultimate directorial effort from Tourneur, The Comedy of Terrors bears many of the hallmarks of the master filmmaker’s earlier works, whilst adding a healthy dash of humour to the proceedings. Careful – you might just die laughing!

SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS:
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentation of the feature, transferred from original film elements by MGM
- Original Mono 2.0 audio (uncompressed PCM on the Blu-ray)
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Audio Commentary with Price historian David Del Valle
Extensive archive interview with Vincent Price
- Whispering in Distant Chambers: The Nightfall of Jacques Tourneur – a specially-commissioned video essay by David Cairns, which charts the career of director Tourneur
- Richard Matheson Storyteller – an archive featurette on the Comedy of Terrors writer
- Original Theatrical Trailer
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Paul Shipper
- Collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Chris Fujiwara, author of Jacques Tourneur: The Cinema of Nightfall, illustrated with original archive stills and posters.

Region: B/2
Rating: 12
Cat No: FCD1041
Duration: 83 mins
Language: English
Subtitles: English SDH
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Audio: 2.0 Mono
Colour

THE TOMB OF LIGEIA

Release Date: February 23rd 2015
Format: Blu-ray
Starring: Vincent Price, Elizabeth Shepherd, John Westbrook
Directed by: Roger Corman

Synopsis: THE EYES, THEY CONFOUND ME!

For the last of his cycle of Edgar Allan Poe adaptations, Roger Corman asked screenwriter Robert Towne (Chinatown) to turn Poe’s story ‘Ligeia’ into another vehicle for Vincent Price, who once again plays a man so haunted by his past that he is unable to function in the present.

In this case the past comes in the form of his now-deceased first wife Ligeia, who casts a long shadow over an ill-advised second marriage to a woman who resembles her (Elizabeth Shepherd), particularly when he becomes convinced that Ligeia’s spirit is returning to him in the form of a black cat. But is this actually a delusion on his part?

Although the doom-laden narrative and Price’s tormented performance had become well established ingredients in the Corman Poe cycle, the film looks strikingly different from the earlier films, with much of it taking place in broad daylight, and shot in actual English locations (notably Stonehenge and Norfolk’s Castle Acre Priory) instead of
Hollywood sets.

SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS:
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation of the feature, transferred from original film elements by MGM
- Original uncompressed Mono PCM Audio
- Optional isolated music and effects track
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Audio commentary by director and producer Roger Corman
- Audio commentary by star Elizabeth Shepherd
- All-new interviews with crew members including cowriter/production assistant Paul Mayersberg, first assistant director David Tringham, clapper loader Bob Jordan and composer Kenneth V. Jones
- Original Theatrical Trailer
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by the Twins of Evil
- Collector’s booklet containing new writing by Julian Upton, illustrated with original production stills.

Rating: 12
Cat No: FCD1029
Duration: 82 mins
Language: English
Subtitles: English SDH
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Audio: 1.0 mono
Colour

THE HAUNTED PALACE

Release Date: February 23rd 2015
Format: Blu-ray
Starring: Vincent Price, Debra Paget, Lon Chaney Jr.
Directed by: Roger Corman

Synopsis: ONE BECOMES ACCUSTOMED TO THE DARKNESS…
Although recognised as part of Roger Corman’s Edgar Allan Poe cycle (its title comes from a Poe poem), The Haunted Palace has a much more significant place in film history for being the first high-profile adaptation of the work of H.P. Lovecraft, in this case his novella The Case of Charles Dexter Ward.

Ward is one of two characters played by Vincent Price, the other being Ward’s great-great-grandfather Joseph Curwen, burned as a warlock 110 years before. When Ward returns to the village of Arkham to reclaim the family mansion, his striking resemblance to his ancestor is just the first of many macabre events that proceed to unfold, including the screen debut of Lovecraft’s legendary Necronomicon.

As before, Corman and his team worked wonders with their modest budget, with Daniel Haller’s sets amongst the most elaborate in all the Poe cycle, enhanced by genuinely creepy moments such as the crowd of deformed villagers still living under Curwen’s curse.

SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS:
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation of the feature, transferred from original film elements
by MGM
- Original uncompressed Mono PCM Audio
- Optional isolated music and effects track
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Audio commentary by Vincent Price’s biographer David Del Valle and writer Derek Botelho
- Kim Newman on H.P. Lovecraft, a look at the relationship between Lovecraft and the cinema, and the challenges of adapting his work
- A Change of Poe, an interview with Roger Corman
- Stills and Poster Gallery
- Original Theatrical Trailer
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Matthew Griffin
- Collector’s booklet containing new writing on the film by Roger Luckhurst, illustrated with original archive stills

Region: B
Rating: 15
Cat No: FCD1028
Duration: 87 mins
Language: English
Subtitles: English SDH
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Audio: 1.0 mono
Colour