THE EPITAPH VOL. 54: GIANT-SIZED "CHECK DISC" CHECK-IN NO. 2 (101 FILMS)

THE EPITAPH VOL. 54 

 GIANT-SIZED "CHECK DISC" CHECK-IN NO. 2 (101 FILMS) 

DEATHSTALKER (1983) & DEATHSTALKER II (1987) -  SCARY STORIES (1993) - JOHNNY MNEMONIC  (1995) - SOMETIMES AUNT MARTHA DOES DREADFUL THINGS (1971) - WICKED WORLD (1991) 

DEATHSTALKER (1983) & 

DEATHSTALKER II (1987)

Label: 101 Films

Region Code: B

Duration: 80 Minutes / 77 Minutes 

Audio: English PCM 2.0 with Optional English Subtitles 

Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.78:1) 

Director: James Sbardellati / Jim Wynorski

Cast: Rick Hill, Barbi Benton, Richard Brooker, Lana Clarkson, Victor Bo, Bernard Erhard, Augusto Larreta / John Terlesky, Monique Gabrielle, John Lazar, Toni Naples, María Socas

In Deathstalker a warrior (Richard Hill, Dune Warriors) is recruited to battle the dark forces of the wicked wizard Munkar (Bernard Erhard, Walking the Edge), after the wicked-wiz steals away the warrior's lady-friend Codille (Barbi Benton, X-Ray). Deathstalker embarks on a series of adventures that will see him face-off against cave-dwelling creatures and shape-shifting assassins, as well as entering into tournament of champions and questing to find fabled magic items - a chalice, an amulet and the Sword of Justice. Along the way he teams-up with a cursed thief Salmaron (Augusto Larreta, Wizards of the Lost Kingdom) and another warrior Oghris (Richard Brooker, Friday the 13th Part III). The Corman produced sword and sorcery flick is a lot of fun but it ain't good, no sir, it's clunky, cheap and poorly acted, but as long as it's fun who gives a shit, and also Barbi Benton, hubba-hubba! In Deathstalker II, a sequel in name only, John Terlesk (Chopping Mall) replaces Richard Hill as the fabled warrior while Jim 'more tits' Wynorski (The Return of Swamp Thing) steps into the directors chair. Not a whole lot better than the first film it's still got some sword and sorcery charms while still being cheap, clunky and poorly acted. That said, Hill is a solid leading man and the humor hits home more often than not, and plenty of hit scantly clad babes. The action is hair-brained but not unfun with Deathstalker teaming up with the ousted Princess Evie (Monique Gabrielle, Night Shift) and a warrior Amazon Queen (Maria Socas, The Warrior and the Sorceress) to thwart the evil wizard Jarek (John Lazar, Beyond the Valley of the Dolls) and a black-hearted sorceress Sultana (Toni Naples, Sorceress) and their legion of zombies. The films both get audio commentaries and trailers. If you're a fan of cut-rate sword and sorcery flicks this is a pretty fantastic double-bill, and furthermore, if you're region-free and missed out on the now OOP limited Edition Scream Factory double-feature Blu-ray of these films this is a great alternative, so get on it!

Deathstalker Special Features (Disc 1):
- Audio Commentary with director James Sbardellati, special makeup effects artist John Carl Buechler, and actor Richard Brooker
- Theatrical trailer (2 min) 

Deathstalker II Special Features (Disc 2):
- Audio Commentary with director Jim Wynorski, and actors John Terlesky and Toni Naples
 -Theatrical Trailer (2 min) 

SCARY STORIES (1993) 

Label: 101 Films 

Region Code: B

Duration: 70 Minutes 

Audio: English PCM 2.0 with Optional English Subtitles 

Video: 1080p HD Fullscreen (1.33:1) 

Director: Doug Ulrich

Cast: Al Darago, Brad Storck, Ilene Zelechowski, Robert Zelechowski, Ann Ulrich, Al Darago, Doug Ulrich

Scary Tales (1993) is a low-budget shot-on- video anthology gem from Baltimore that was made with a lot of heart and obviously not a lot of cash. The no-budget terror tales include macabre stories of demonic possession by way of "Satan's Necklace", a psycho-slasher "Sliced in Cold Blood", and a story about a 8-bit gamer obsessed with reaching the seemingly unlockable "Level 21" only to find himself transported into a Dungeon and Dragons style live action reality that takes gaming to the next level. This is a scrappy and super independent project, it might look like a technical travesty to modern eyes use to watching microbudget films shot Un HD digital, but this was pretty great for it's time as far as SOV flicks went. The gore is cheap and chunky and everything stinks of lo-fi trash but if you have taste of this sort of no-budget lo-fi horror this is quite a kick. My favorite part of it was how the stories are introduced, by a  glowing-eyed figure in a shroud reading from a book to children, the look of it was quite eerie. The extras on the 101 Films release include over 45-minutes of shorts, a 22-min '87 demo version of the film which is sort of like a rough sketch for the finished film made a few years earlier, outtakes, a commentary with Doug Ulrich and a bonus film Darkest Soul (1994). The limited edition release includes a slipcover and reversible sleeve of artwork. 

Special Features:

- New transfer from the original S-VHS master tapes

- Audio Commentary track with director Doug Ulrich

- 1987 demo version of Scary Tales(22 min) 

- Outtakes and vintage TV promo appearance (7 min) 

- Bonus movie: Darkest Soul (1994) (63 mi 

- Early horror shorts by director Doug Ulrich (48 min) 

- Reversible Sleeve of Artwork 

- Limited Edition O-ring

JOHNNY MNEMONIC (1995)

Label: 101 Film

Region Code: B

Rating:

Duration: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, LPCM 2.0 Stereo

Video: 1080p HD 

Director: Robert Longo

Cast: Keanu Reeves, Ice-T, Dina Meyer, Takeshi Kitano, Dolph Lundgren

Robert Longo's 90's cyberpunk entry Johnny Mnemonic (1995) starring Keanu Reeves didn't do much for me when I saw it in '95, in a pre-The Matrix world I was hoping for some Blade Runner style dystopian cyber-punk action but it felt more like Lawnmower Man to me.  Set in the then seemingly futuristic year 2021 Reeves stars as the titular Johnny, a digital data courier with a 'wet-wired neural implant' that allows him to store digital data in his head, but at the cost of losing his childhood memories. His boss (Udo Kier) tells him if he does one last big-time data-run (that old nugget) for him he will restore his childhood memories, but the data-run exceeds his storage capacity, but he risks it anyway, and agrees. It turns out the data he is carrying is something the crooked people at the PharmaKom corporation don't want out there, and they send Japanese Yakuza hit men to collect his head before he can travel from Central Beijing to the Free City of Newark. Now Johnny's in a race against time to deliver the data before he dies of 'synaptic seepage' or loses his head in the process. Somehow being both overcooked and underbaked, this is fun in a cheesy sort of way, and we get appearances from Dolph Lundgren (Red Scorpion) and a severely miscast Henry Rollins (of hardcore legends Black Flag) as a cyber-nerd but it's all retro-futuristic flash and hollow as hell. That said, I wasn't bored by it, I just didn't exactly like it either. The Blu-ray from 101 Films is loaded with new and archival extras, if you're a fan this is the edition to own. 

Special Features:

- NEW! Audio commentary by film critic Rich Johnson

- NEW! Limited Edition Booklet: Features 'Future Proof: A Cyberpunk 101' by Rich Johnson and - NEW! 'The Semiotic Ghosts of William Gibson' by Brian J. Robb

- NEW! Limited Edition packaging with new artwork by Lucas Peverill

- NEW! Set of six art cards - reproductions of Spanish lobby cards

- Tomorrow Calling (1993), a short film  adaptation of William Gibson's short story The Gernsback Continues  (11 min) 

- Audio Commentary with director Robert Longo

- Japanese Director's cut Featurette (5 min) 

- Behind the Scenes (5 min) 

- Interviews from the shoot with Keanu Reeves, Dina Myer, Dolph Lundgren, Ice-T, Robert Longo, William Gibson (11 min) 

- Music video (5 min) 

- Trailer (2 min) 

SOMETIMES AUNT MARTHA DOES DREADFUL THINGS (1971) 

Label: 101 Films 

Region Code: B

Duration: 95 Minutes

Audio: English PCM 2.0 with Optional English Subtitles 

Video: 1080p HD  Widescreen (1.85:1) 

Director: Thomas Casey

Cast: Abe Swick, Wayne Crawford, Marty Cordova, Maggie Wood, Don Craig, Robin Hughes, Brad Grinter

After knocking over a jewelery store in Baltimore crooks Paul (Abe Zwick) and Stanley (Wayne Crawford) lay low in Miami, with the cross-dressing Paul posing as Stanley's Aunt Martha. It's all very Bosom Buddies by way of the Odd Couple, the subterfuge impossibly seems to be going well, except that Stanley cannot help but pick-up pretty young girls around town, and when one discovers that Aunt Martha's got a pecker he/she has to knock her off for fear of being discovered by the cops. A truly bizarre exploitation outing that features some terrific nudity and some oddball ambiguous sexuality that never quite defines itself. Paul is always chasing women off when Stanley brings them home, the sub-text is that he's gay, but the movie never quite says it, but it's palpable throughout. There's so much trashy goodness packed into this one, it starts off a bit comical but manages to get properly dark as Paul is "forced" to commit murder after murder. Sourced from a 2K scan of the only known 35mm theatrical print in existence this looks good but has some wear and discoloration that's hard to hide, but I loved the grindhouse patina of it. Extras include an commentary, plus bonus films and trailers sourced from the truly wild Something Weird Video archives. Just like now it seems that 70's era Florida was a hotbed for the bizarre, the deranged and sublimely weird. 

Special Features:

- 2K preservation from the only 35mm theatrical print in existence

- Audio Commentary with queer film historian Elizabeth Purchell + AGFA’s Bret Berg

- Bonus Movie: The Drag Queen's Ball (48 min) 

- Shorts: Gay-In III & Caught in the Can (7 min) 

- Trailers: Gay Liberation, Lusting Hours, My Third Wife George The Queen, Sins of Rachel (14 min) 

- Reversible Sleeve of Artwork 

- Limited Edition O-ring

SOMETIMES AUNT MARTHA DOES DREADFUL THINGS (1971) 

Label: 101 Films 

Region Code: B

Duration: 101 Minutes 

Audio: English PCM 2.0 with Optional English Subtitles

Video: 1080p HD Fullscreen (1.33:1) 

Director: Barry J. Gillis

Cast: Barry J. Gillis, Eddie Platt, Maria Delgado, Judy Humbel, Kelly Felhaber

Directed by the star/writer (Barry J. Gillis) of the mind-melting Canadian SOV nightmare Things (1989) comes the equally bug-nuts insane Wicked World. The film opens with a horny teen party featuring a dude and his girl fucking on the couch while her sad-ass brother brother watches from a chair a few feet away playing with a handgun. He apparently gets tired of watching his sister get her rocks off and when she goes to shower away the filth her brother opens fire on everyone at the party, until a random dude named Harold (Eddie Platt) in a gas mask arrives and cuts off his head and murders his sister! Only a few minutes in and the WTF-ery has started and it doesn't stop. A lot of what comes after are flashbacks as remembered by the now wheelchair bound psycho-killer after he is released from the asylum, Gillis stars as a cop obsessed by the death of his girlfriend who was killed by Harold and is out for revenge. The non-linear "story" structure is more than a little confusing but it has a certain trippy vibe to it that kept me tuned in. Chock full of violence, nudity and heavy riffage on the soundtrack this is a Canadian psycho-killer nightmare worth experiencing for you brave connoisseurs of demented cinema, it's certainly not something you will soon forget. Extras include two cuts of the film (both are too long IMO), a director commentary, an hour-long making-of doc, music video and video essays. Kudos to 101 Films for having the balls to bring this brain-busting SOV freak show to the UK masses, for better or worse. 

Special Features: 

- New transfer of the cut from the original 3/4” master tapes

- Unseen 2019 director’s cut (102 Min) 

- Audio Commentary with director Barry J. Gillis

- Reality: Behind-the-Scenes of Wicked World doc (60 min) 

- Video Essay: A Tribute To Eddie Platt (2 min) 

- Video Essay: Tomorrow's Dream(24 min) 

- Marshall Law video (5 min) 

- Original Trailer (2 min) 

- Limited Edition O-ring