DEADTIME STORIES (1986) (88 Films Blu-ray Review)

DEADTIME STORIES (1986) 

Label: 88 Films 
Region Code: B
Duration: 83 Minutes 
Rating: Cert. 18 
Audio: English DTS-HD MA Mono 1.0 with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1) 
Director: Jeffrey Delman
Cast: Matt Mitler, Cathryn de Prume, Melissa Leo, Nicole Picard, Scott Valentine, Michael Mesmer

Synopsis: In the creepy compendium style of CREEPSHOW (1982) comes DEADTIME STORIES (1986) a collection of stories with teeth and torment that are sure to send chills down the spines of viewers even today! A sleazy and shocking pack of splatter fairy tales - this contemporary spin on the likes of "Little Red Riding Hood" has gore aplenty, a sick sense of humour and enough splattered limbs to make for essential late night viewing. Directed by genre veteran Jeffrey Delman and packed full of plastic fantastic charms, 88 Films is enthusiastic about keeping you up at night with this perfectly restored version of a VHS classic!

Deadtime Stories (1986) is a low-budget horror anthology that has a certain regional feel about it, shot by college kids between '82-'85, it feels a bit cheap, but it's fun, sort of silly, a little macabre, hokey and loaded with plenty of DIY charm. It's probably not gonna be for everyone but if you're the adventurous type who craves bite-sized horror with heart there's a lot here to love. 

Like any good anthology we have wrap-around story that frames the segments and bookends the movie, wherein a young boy named Brian (Brian DePersia) is being babysat by his Uncle Mike (Michael Mesmer), who just wants to couch surf with a few beers and some softcore nudie films on skinemax as soon as the kid goes to sleep. This kid, however, has an overactive imagination and worries there might be monsters is in his room waiting to pounce once the lights go out. He begs his uncle to read him bedtime story so the grown-up conjures up a few stories off the top of his head, and they're pretty gruesome for someone trying to coerce a kid into falling asleep. 


First up is "The Black Forrest", a tale of two witchy sisters who have a boy slave named Peter (Scott Valentine, TV's Family Ties), they task him with luring villagers to their cabin in the woods where they kill and use their body parts to cast a spell in hopes of locating and resurrecting their long dead third sister witch. A local Lothario is the first victim, lured and entranced by the witches, believing the rotten toothed witches to be sexy maidens, he loses a hand before dying when they apply a burning liquid to his wrist. The second intended victim is a cute maiden living in the woods, but lustful Peter begins to take a liking to her and things begin to sour for the witches. 

The special effects and atmosphere on this one are cheap but fun, the severed hand and resurrection scenes are lo-fi b-movie magic-making, but some of witchy make-up appliances leave a bit to be desired, as do the set dressing, but this one is not without its charm, but it is my least favorite of the three stories here.  


The second story is "Little Red Running Hood" which offers up a werewolf story, wherein  Rachel (Nicole Picard, Ghoulies Go to College) is a fine-looking young woman living with her granny. She and her boyfriend meet in an old tool shack and mutually lose their virginity to each other, which is awesome, however, back at grannies house there was a mix-up at the pharmacy and the old woman got her prescription refill mixed-up with one for a guy named Willie (Matt Mitler, The Mutilator), who just happens to be a werewolf. He seems like an alright guy, aside from those rocker leather pants he's wearing, and that prescription, for sedatives, is the only thing preventing him from becoming a snarling hairy beast. He tracks grannie down with the best of intentions but she doesn't want to trade prescripts with him, leading to him wolfing out in front of her house when the sun goes down. 

Due to what is surely a budget constraint the werewolf transformation is mostly hinted at, but what we do get is pretty decent, a bulging sternum, canine incisors popping out, but the final werewolf look is only just okay, not great. The finished wolf is humanoid with a hairy facial transformation with clawed, hairy hands... and those tight leather pants! This one is fun, it lacks direction and the editing is wonky, but that final line uttered by Rachel had me howling, so good and cheesy. 


The third and final story is "Goldi Lox and the Three Baers" featuring Ma Ma Baer (Melissa Leo, TV's Wayward Pines) as the matriarch of a trio of oddball bank robbers. At the start she is breaking her husband and son out of the loony bin, and they immediately rob a bank and drive out to their former residence to lay low for a bit, only to find that a pretty, young telekinetic serial killer named Goldi Lox (Cathryn de Prume, Wild) has taken up living there. The young woman has  acquired quite a stockpile of dead would-be suitors, but her telekinetic powers makes her a formidable addition to the crime family. 

The three stories are fun, lo-fi and not all that inspiring, but I love these regional cheesy horror anthologies, I like the goofy wrap-around story, and I like the amateur can-do attitude of the whole thing, this is a fun late-night b-movie watch. Yeah, the lack of a budget shows throughout but its got a lot of heart. I also love the soundtrack, which was written and performed by director Jef Delman with music by former porno composer Larry Juris (Deep Inside Annie Sprinkle), I sort of wish this had a bonus CD of just for those four songs, they're a lot of fun. Delman didn't go onto direct much, this was his first of only three films, but you can see the cast and crew had a lot of fun making it, making this anthology cheapie a low-rent good time.  


Audio/Video: Deadtime Stories (1986) arrives on Blu-ray in the UK from 88 Films as part of their 88 Vault Series, a 2K scan straight from the original 35mm camera negative. Grain is nicely managed and not overwhelming, the colors are nicely saturated, and the black levels are nice and deep. Audio on the disc comes by way of a DTS-HD MA Stere0 2.0 track, dialogue and score sound good, the synth heavy score comes through with some good decent depth, including that memorable opening theme song which name checks Romero, Hitchcock and De Palma, like the movie itself the tunes are sort of goofy but also fun. The lone audio knock I levee against it is some odd audio distortion for a few seconds during the "The Black Forrest" segment, optional English subtitles are provided. 

Extras on the disc are plentiful and seem to be carried over from the U.S. release from Scream Factory, beginning with a solo audio commentary from director Jeffrey Delman, plus a 16-min interview with him, in which he speaks about the genesis o the film, settling on the horror genre as a commercially viable option, the producer's connection to the film Nightmare, working with and casting Valentine and Leo, who both studied with the same acting teacher, also mentioning they had to shoot around Leo's broken arm in her segment.    

The extras also provide a VHS-sourced alternate cut of the first story segment 'The Black Forest', which plays a bit differently, having been planned as a possible stand alone feature at one point during the production. There are two brief deleted scenes with introduction from Delman, theatrical trailers and a an image gallery of various home video releases, stills, storyboards, and behind-the-scenes stuff. 

The single-disc release comes in a clear oversized Blu-ray keepcase with a sleeve of reversible artwork featuring alternate artwork options which I appreciate, plus a limited edition slipcover.

As I own the U.S. release of this film on Blu-ray/DVD combo from Scream Factory it's worth noting that that  the extras are nearly identical, the lone exception is the absence of 16-min extra that appears on the U.S. release  - that being 'Band of Gypsies: The Making of Deadtime Stories' with interviews from actors Cathryn de Prume, Melissa Leo and Scott Valentine, otherwise these are identical. On the plus side the 88 Films release comes with several non-disc extras, we get a booklet with new writing on horror anthologies from Dr. Calum Waddell, a reversible sleeve of artwork and a sweet slipcover.  

Special features:
- 2K Scan from the Original Negative
-  Audio Commentary with co-writer/director Jeffrey Delman
- I Like the Grotesque – an interview with co-writer/director Jeffrey Delman (16 min) HD 
- The Black Forest – An alternate cut of the first story (30 min)
- Deleted Scenes with Intro (3 min)
- Theatrical Trailers (3 min)
- Still Gallery (4 min) 
- Limited Edition Booklet Notes by Dr. Calum Waddell
- Reversible Sleeve with Alternate Artwork
- Limited Edition Slipcover 

Deadtime Stories (1986) is a spunky slice of regional American horror, an anthology that comes up a bit short but offers up macabre chuckles and spine-tingling hokum in equal measure, glad to see it getting a proper UK Blu-ray with some cool extras and nice packaging from 88 Films, a solid release with nice shelf appeal. 

'GERMAN ANGST' Finds a Happy Home with Artsploitation Films

GERMAN ANGST  North American film distribution company Artsploitation Films continues its focus on provocative international genre movies with the North American acquisition of this 3-film anthology which premiered at the 2015 Rotterdam Film Festival. The films – all of which deal with love, sex and death in a decidedly unconventional way – were written and directed by three equally controversial underground filmmakers: the legendary Jörg Buttgereit (Nekromantik (1987), The Death King (1990)), Andreas Marschall (Tears of Kali(2004), and Michal Kosakowski (Zero Killed (2014). As can be expected from these directors, these tales are less romantic and much more mystical and disturbing. German Angst includes: “Final Girl” (Jörg Buttgereit) The first episode, tells the story of a young girl who lives with her guinea pig in a dirty apartment in Berlin. Seemingly a little lonely except for that bound and gagged man tied to her bed. “Make a Wish” (Michal Kosakowski) This gut-wrenching tale involves a young deaf-mute couple who are attacked by a group of skinhead hooligans. However, they are in possession of a mysterious talisman that could help them. “Alraune” (Andreas Marschall) The finale follows a man who stumbles upon a secret sex club that promises the ultimate sexual experience by using a drug made from the roots of the legendary Mandragora plant. But the ecstatic experiences have horrific side-effects. Artsploitation’s president Ray Murray said, “German Angst is a singularly memorable film experience. It is infused with amazingly dark, violent, and disturbing ruminations on love and sex. And if this is German romance, let’s just say I won’t be dating a German any time soon.” He commented, “Actually, in a time when so many horror films are familiarly formulaic, it is amazing that this “romantic” threesome is seismically more horrific.” Matteo Lovadina, CEO of Paris-based sales company Reel Suspects, said, “We are very happy to work again with Artsploitation. They are the perfect fit for this film that has proved to be a double player both on the art house and horror fields. Raymond Murray and his team will surely releaseGerman Angst with all the attention required by an already cult feature." The triptych, which is having its North American Premiere at the Fantasia Film Festival on July 18th and will continue its festival run. A DVD/Blu-ray and VOD release is scheduled for the 1stquarter of 2016.

GERMAN ANGST trailer #1

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.  

THE PERFECT HOUSE Horror Anthology Coming to DVD with SLEEPAWAY CAMP's Felissa Rose & Jonathan Tiersten

'THE PERFECT HOUSE' 

Starring Felissa Rose and Jonathan Tiersten

Coming to DVD July 22nd from Wild Eye Releasing

Wild Eye Releasing has announced that The Perfect House, the anthology horror film from Kris Hulbert and Randy Kent, will make its long-awaited DVD release on July 22nd. Starring Sleepaway Camp's Felissa Rose and Jonathan Tiersten and Return of the Living Dead's John Philbin, The Perfect House will finally be available to own after a multi-city theatrical tour and screenings at film festivals and horror events across the country.

The film has been hailed as a "love letter to classic and modern horror" (Just Press Play) and having "enough gore for ten movies" (Crosstalk New York). The Perfect House won awards at several fests, including Best Visual Effects and Best Actor at the Underdog Festival and Best Feature at the Scarlet Waters Film Fest.

The Perfect House is an anthology inspired by the styles of three of the most famous time periods and sub genres of horror. Each vignette reveals a dark side to suburban anonymity through three different homeowners of the same house. A young couple are now looking to buy the house, but the violent acts of the previous doomed occupants are reawakened for them to experience. Now they must escape or become part of the legacy of pain that lives in the basement, and possesses anyone who stays too long.

The Perfect House (Official DVD trailer) 

The DVD release of The Perfect House (SRP $14.95) will exclusively include over two hours of bonus features: behind the scenes featurettes, cast interviews, footage from the national theatrical tour, special effects featurettes, and footage and an alternate ending. 

DVD Review: THE ABCs OF DEATH (2013)

THE ABCs OF DEATH (2013)

Label: Magnolia Home Entertainment
Region Code: 1 NTSC
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 130 Minutes
Audio: 5.1 Dolby Digital
Video: 16:9 Widescreen (1.78:1)
Directors: Bruno Forzani, Helene Cattet, Kaare Andrews, Angela Bettis, Adrian Bogliano, Jason Eisner, Ernesto Diaz Espinoza, Xavier Gens Noboru Iguchi, Thomas Malling, Jorge Michel Grau, Anders Morgenthaler, Yoshihiro Nishimura, Jbanjong Pisanthanakun, Simon Rumley, Marcel Sarmiento, Jon Schnepp, Srdjan Spasojevic, Timo Tjahjanto, Andrew Traucki, Nacho Vigalondo, Jake West, Ti West, Ben Wheatley, Adam Wingard, Yudai Yamaguchi
Tagline: 26 Directors, 26 Ways to Die 

Synopsis: AN ALPHABETICAL ARSENAL OF DESTRUCTION. This explosive film is comprised of 26 individual “chapters” on the topic of death, each helmed by a different director assigned to a specific letter of the alphabet. Provocative, funny and shocking, this anthology is the definitive vision of modern horror diversity. Get ready to learn your ABCs!

Gotta love the anthology format, there's a long tradition of it in horror cinema and this is a pretty unique concept hatched by Drafthouse Films Tim League and New Zealand based producer Any Timpson. we get 26 directors each taking on a letter of the alphabet pushing us towards the idea of death in some cinematic fashion. Like most anthologies there's a few stinkers in the bunch and given that there are 26 entries I would say that the ratio of awesome to stinkers in the bunch is pretty fucking low. Yeah, it's a bit of a disappointment overall but there's some blood-soaked entries worth sifting through the chaff to discover. So, without spoiling too much lets have a brief look at each of the entries with a letter grade for each, seems only appropriate for the ABCs OF DEATH...

A appropriately enough  stands for "Apocalypse" from director Nacho Vigalondo

who brought us the fantastic Spanish labguage time travelling thriller TIMECRIMES (2007) and it's my favorite of the bunch. In it a rather unhappy wife vents her frustration on her long suffering husband before the end prematurely and finally comes, this is a great start. A+ 

B is another neat one, this time a Spanish language chiller from director Adrian Garcia Bogliana (PENUMBRA) involving two horny teenagers and a not-very-sleepy young lady who interrupts their amorous nighttime pursuits  They relay a gruesome bedtime tale about a child-murdering abominable snowman who eats the hearts of children whom don't fall asleep at an appropriate hour. C

C is for "Cycle" and Spanish cinema is thriving with ABC's, director Ernesto Diaz Espinoza's (MANDRILL) temporal mystery-thriller should definitely appeal to fans of Nacho Vigalondo's TIMECRIMES (2007), need to check out more of Espinoza's filmography after enjoying this vignette. B

D is for "Dogfight" from Marcel Sarmiento the director of DEAD GIRL (2008) and this one churned my guts just based on the loathsome subject matter alone, the cruelty of dog fighting, but fear not this one does not glamorize nor condone the inhumane "sport", it's brutal there's a nice twist at the end which redeems this sweaty and violent entry. So far, we're just a few segments in and the score is four for four and I am completely into the ABCs of DEATH. A


E is for "Exterminate" comes to us from longtime Lucky McKee collaborator Angela Bettis (MAY). You recall her weird thriller ROMAN from a few years back which had her directing Mckee. This entry pertains to a man with a persistent arachnid infestation whom suffers from skin irritations and a constant ringing in his ears, not one of the more memorable entries in my opinion but it definitely got under my skin so to speak. E

F is for "Fart" from the director of THE MACHINE GIRL (2008) Noboru Iguchi and is the start of several Asian entries that are just beyond words, this one is a fart-fueled lesbian fantasy and the first to feel completely out of place here, not a fan of this flatulent fantasy. F

G is for "Gravity" from Andrew Traucki is seen from the POV of someone surfing who seems to have given up on life, another sub-standard entry that just fails to coalesce into anything worth watching, starting to get worried. F

H is for "Hydro-Electric Diffusion" from NORWEGIAN NINJA (2009) director Thomas Malling, a Nazi-exploitation of furry fandom-ism, a weird fantasy-nightmare that plays out like a dirty minded WWII-era Loony Toons propaganda film featuring a humanoid dog-headed pilot and a stripper-fox. Very strange but quite entertaining. B

I is for "Ingrown" from Mexican filmmaker Jorge Michael Grau and it's a painful one as a woman bound and gagged in bathtub is poisoned by a man with a syringe with a caustic compound, it's not terrible but the limitations of the format I think hurt this one a bit. C

J is for "Jidai-geki" (Samurai Move) from Yuda Yamaguchi (MEATBALL MACHINE) is a short one involving ritual suicide beheading, not much of a point to this one but it's bloody. D

K is for Klutz from Scandinavian filmmaker Anders Morgenthalleris the first animated short, the entire short is about a turd that's hard to shit out and even harder to flush with deadly consequences, at times it reminded me of the "Wadzilla" segment from CHILLERAMA. C

L is for "Libido" from Timo Tjahjanto (V/H/S/2) and let me just say, oh those fucked-up kinky Asians!  A bizarre and deadly contest of masturbation and self-restraint, this one is just weird and demented. C

M is for "Miscarriage" which comes from indie-darling Ti West (INNKEPPERS), I do enjoy all of West's feature films but this like his mediocre short on V/H/S is a misfire, this short is DOA. F

N is for"Nuptials" from SHUTTER (2004) director Banjong Pisanthanakum and is a fun bit of comedy as a man proposes to his girlfriend just as his pet parrot repeats quotations the young man has uttered to his mistress which leads to trouble, a fun entry. C

O is for "Orgasm" from the French film making duo of Bruno Forzani and Helene Cattet who directed AMER (2009) which I have yet to see. It's a stylized and sensual entry more suited to an erotic exploration like DESTRICTED (2010) but it's really out of place here, a sensual and titillating provocation, this is the ABCs OF DEATH not the ABCs OF EROTICISM. E

P is for "Pressure" from Simon Rumley of RED, WHITE AND BLUE and it's a crush-fetish video vignette, a desperate woman resorts to making crush videos with a cute kitty, that's it. E

Q is for "Quack" which comes from V/H/S alumnus Adam Wingard and Simon Barrett.  At first this vignette annoyed the shit outta me, a very hip and ironic entry as the filmmakers struggle to come with an idea for the letter "Q" finally arriving at the idea f shooting a snuff film with a duck, at the end I was won over, fun stuff. C

R is for "Removed" from A SERBIAN FILM director Srdjan Spasojevic is not for the squeamish, not surprising considering if you've seen A SERBIAN FILM, in it a man has his skin surgically removed, creating a fleshy 35mm strip of celluloid which is fed into a camera, this is a gory entry and becomes quite blood-soaked and pretty gross, too. C

S is for "Speed" from Jake West, the director of EVIL ALIENS, two amped-up women on the run from a hooded figure in a high stakes game of cat and mouse. What we get here are two smoking hot women, a menacing Death figure, a sweet muscle car, a kick ass flame thrower and a rather depressing anti-drug story and probably the best entry since the letter "D" for "Dogfight" and  bit of an upswing after a fairly pedestrian mid section. B

T is for "Toilet" from Lee Hardcastle who created a series of shorts called "Done in 60 Seconds. With Clay", your favorite horror films in 60 seconds done with claymation, be sure to check 'em out! This claymation entry features a young boy who fears using the toilet which confounds his parents, the boys nightmares feature a toothsome and acid-blooded shitter, in reality what he should fear is something  more mundane, a loose screw. B

U is for "Unearthed" from KILL LISTS' Ben Wheatley and continues the latter third streak awesomeness for the anthology after a weak midsection, a POV of someone afflicted with either vampyrism, lycanthropy or possession (not sure which) pursued by an angry mob, it has some decent gore and great energy to it, good stuff. A-

V is for "Vagitus" from Kaare Andrews who is an artist/writer for Marvel Comics in addition to directing the 2010 thriller ALTITUDE which was a bit generic, this however is a sci-fi dystopian actioner, in the future the government strictly controls fertility, a military branch aided by armed-robots enforces the law of the land with deadly force, we're thrust into a bloody battle with procreating "rebels" whom have para-psychic abilities. This was a high energy entry with some great sci-fi futuristic visuals, at the end I was hungering for a feature length film, that's a good sign. A

W is for "WTF!" from director Jon Schnepp who comes from fromAdult Swims  METOCALYPSE and VENTURE BROS. so it night not be a surprise that this segment  is an acid-tinged psychotic mind melter, an apocalyptic mind-numbing mix of live action and animation, a film within a film and completely unhinged. Not sure WTF! was happening but I feared I might slip into convulsions so much crazy shit was happening, it was obnoxious and absurd but not great. C

X is for "XXL"from Frenchman Xavier Gens of FRONTIER(S) features a heavy-set woman going about her day as she is ridiculed for her weight and subjected to advertisements geared towards thin women, she arrives home and binges on greasy slop, forces herself to vomit and jumps in the shower where she carves herself into the ideal woman. This is another one not for the squeamish as she slices of rolls of fat, be warned, there's lots of self mutilation, a sad trip indeed. B

Y is for "Youngbuck" from HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN's Jason Eisner, it begins with an older man teaching a young boy how to hunt deer, he's a creepy guy. It turns out he's a janitor at a school and after the boys basketball team finishes up practice he creepily licks the sweat from the benches the boys were sitting on. There's some implication of molestation going on here, not exactly sure but the boy attacks the old man with the decapitated deer's head, piercing the elderly sweat-licker's eyes with it's antlers. Loved the 80's synth score on this one. A

Z is for "Zetsummetsu" (Extinction) from TOKYO GORE POLICE's Yoshihiro Nishimura continues a streak of bizarre Asian entries with the ABCs ending it with a maggot ingested orgasm of Japanese Nazi kink with the bonus of a vaginal potato canon, loads of nudity and references to Dr. Strangelove, weird and gross, sorta fun.  C

Special Features:

- A: A, B, C, D, F, H, I, J, P, R, T, V, W, Z - An offering of Behind the Scenes, Making ofs and Deleted Scenes

- B: AXS TV: A look at 'The ABCs of Death'

- C: Filmmaker Commentary (Over 30 Filmmakers)

- D: Do You Know Your ABCs Trailer

Verdict: Hmm, wanted to enjoy this unique alphabetical anthology from start to finish but going in I just knew it would be a bit too much of everything  there's too much input, too many directors, it's overwhelming and uncohesive.  It turns out I was right, this is all over the map and it's about a 60/40 split with the turds winning out over the righteous. I give this a weak recommend if only because there's some actual  good stuff here but you're gonna have to whack away at the weeds for awhile to get to 'em. There's a little bit of everything here, something to offend, a few gross outs, and even a few stand-outs, just be prepared to skip around a bit.  2.5 Outta 5 

 

THEATER OF DERANGE PRESS RELEASE

From Executive Producers James Cullen Bressack and Jarret Cohen at Psykik Junky Pictures comes the newest horror anthology starring horror film icon Shawn C. Phillips and adult-film sensations Sophie Dee and Veronica Ricci: THEATRE OF THE DERANGED! (Theater of Derange)

Join Andy the Arsonist as he shares five of his favorite short horror films in all their demented glory. The collection features never-before seen films by popular indie horror writer/directors James Cullen Bressack, Shawn C. Phillips, Liz Gilbert, Brian Dorton, and Creep Creepersin.

The Film was Just Picked up for WORLD WIDE distribution by the company WORLD WIDE MULTI MEDIA and comes out on DVD in 2012.


Here is a little teaser trailer to keep you tided over until the release:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7sQMEuOBp0

Here is the IMDB:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2064980/

TREASURE CHEST OF HORRORS DVD Art Unearthed!

Another gold nugget of info about the no-budget horror anthology TREASURE CHEST OF HORRORS from directors Shawn C. Phillips and Doug Waugh has emerged by way of the DVD art, check it out...

DVD Cover art has been released for the upcoming TREASURE CHEST OF HORRORS anthology!

This NO BUDGET ANTHOLOGY, from Executive Producers James Cullen Bressack and Jarret Cohen at Psykik Junky Pictures and directors Doug Waugh and Shawn C. Phillips, will soon be available for pre-orders on Amazon and other leading retailers nationwide.

Join us on this wild horror anthology filled with zombies, vampires, serial killers, killer mannequins and pirates - starring cult film legend Lloyd Kaufman (Toxic Avenger) and Shawn C. Phillips (Don and Murph)!

Here is a little teaser trailer to keep you tided over until the release:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRcnlWgKwC0


Here is the IMDB:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2084984/

DVD Review: Drive-in Horrorshow (2009)

Drive-In Horrorshow (2011)

Label: Midnight Releasing

Release Date: July 5th 2011
Region: Region 1 NTSC
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 107 mins
Video: 1.33:1 Widescreen
Audio: 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo
Director: Michael Neel
Cast: Luis Negron, Bill Gage, Nancy Sadad, Judith Kalaora
Tagline: Some Films Won't Stay Dead!

Synopsis: In days long ago, people would come to the drive-in to experience highs and lows. To laugh, or cry...... or scream. Those days have passed us by, and all the drive-ins have long since closed their doors. Those great movies have been forgotten. But some films won't stay dead.

Film: I do love a good horror anthology and while the mainstream cinema has turned it's back on the format indie filmmakers like Michael Neel and Anthony G. Summer (3 Slices of Life) are crafting great collections of indie horror vignettes for the masses willing to turn a few stones to find the good stuff. The Drive-In Horrorshow is hosted by a wonderfully campy ghoul known as The Projectionist, an undead horror host in the grand tradition of Alfred Hitchcock and Vincent Price. He along with his loyal assistants Billy Troll, Zombie Frank and The Teenage Axe Victim delve into his private vault of horror every Saturday night and select five horror tales for his Horrorshow. This is pure awesomeness, right up there with the Crypt Keeper, I love this host and the concept is nicely developed throughout the film's connective segments.  

The first short is called "Pig" and it's post-date rape revenge tale. A young man awakens in a bath tub as the it slowly fills with water. He's glued to the tub with adhesive and is unable to move. He's missing some of his upper front teeth and blood trickles down his chin. He's disoriented and panicked, a distraught young woman stares at him as she sits aside the tub, a bloody hammer lies on the floor next to her. It's a pretty simple set-up and it's effective stuff. At one point the young man makes a desperate attempt to escape, he pries his feet from the adhesive, his skin tears away and blood droplets stains the water. That was excruciating to watch, like seeing a mouse on a glue trap hopelessly struggle to escape, tearing itself apart in the process. But you can't feel sorry for the guy though, he's a date rapist, he violated this young woman and she's out for revenge, can you blame her? He's a feisty lil' rapist too, takes a bite outta her hand but you just don't fuck with a red head with a hammer, y'know. Made me think of a phrase from the Beat Happening tune "Red Head Walking", "heed what this wiseman says, stay away from redheads" and most certainly don't rape women lest you get what a pig deserves.

Up next is "The Closet" which is a variation on the classic monster-in-the-closet premise in the tradition of The Twilight Zone. A young boy named Jaime has a terrible home life. His Dad's a rage-a-holic, his Mom's unaffectionate and his sister is the worst kind of pick-ass. The kid just wants to watch his favorite science-fiction TV program but it just ain't gonna happen. After unjustly being sent to his room without dinner he discovers a creature in his closet that convinces him that he would be so much better off without the annoyance of his family. One by one Jaime lures the family members into the closet where they become creature bait. The story is told from Jaime's perspective and it's easy to see how a naive, abused 10 year old kid might be tempted to do such a thing but he quickly comes to realize the error of his impulsive actions. 

In "Fall Apart" Patrick Mazursky is a small town Dr. who makes house calls, so obviously this takes place in an alternate reality where HMO's haven't plundered the medical profession, right? After visiting a patient with Flu symptoms he starts to feel a bit under the weather himself which he chalks up to just an inherent danger when  treating the ill. Soon his flu symptoms turn worse and he begins to develop painful leisons that get progressively worse. What is this mysterious illness and what secret agency is trying to keep it under wraps? If you crave old-school gore this vignette does not disappoint. Skin peeling of in sheathes, exposed musculature, real gross stuff along the lines of Cronenberg's The Fly or the recent splatterfest Cabin Fever 2. Aside from the awesome gore what I loved about this was the running narration from the Dr. told in retrospect and the conspiratorial tone which reminded me of classic Tales from the Darkside episode. This was my favorite of the five tales.

Two young brothers overhear the tale of "The Meat Man", a cannibalistic serial killer stalking their suburban neighborhood. He kills his victims then strips their bodies of the choicest cuts of meat for consumption later. I love suburban horror, particularly films where kids are put in imminent danger and this one was fun. The boys come to discover some items in their own home, blood stained twine and meat packing paper, that would seem to implicate their travelling vacuum salesman father in the murders, at least in their minds. Are the boys in danger or are they just letting their youthful imaginations get the better of them? Fun stuff with a nice twist.

The finals story "The Watcher" is a backwoods survival horror film and features a group of four friends who head to the great outdoors for a weekend of drinkin', tokin', fuckin' and runnin' ....for their lives! True to it's inspiration the film has all the earmarks of a slasher film with very little new to offer, but so what, it's fun. There some witty humor, some sex, annoying characters and a final girl who takes on the predatory cannibal-man with a formulaic finale.


DVD: The pre-release screener I was sent to review is 1.33:1 full frame and shot on consumer grade digital video, it's a micro-budgeted feature and has many of the limitation you might associate with that format. That said the film looks quite good with nice cinematography and great production values.  The only supplemental materials on the pre-release screener was a Trailer (2:06) for the film. No subtitle options are included. While my screener didn't contain the supplemental materials here's what you'll find on the disc.

- Audio Commentary
- Additional Scenes
- Music Videos
- More

Verdict: Thank the Lord that indie filmmakers like Michael Neel keeping the horror-anthology flames burning bright. Major studios have all but shunned the format, shelving the brilliant Trick r' Treat for years before dumping it unceremoniously onto DVD. Drive-In Horrorshow instantly reminded me of classic horror anthologies like Creepshow, Tales from the Darkside and all those wonderful Amicus anthologies like Tales from the Crypt and Vault of Horror. This is a high recommend from me, very entertaining and obviously done by filmmakers who love the genre. Long live the horror anthology!

3.5 outta 5

http://www.driveinhorrorshow.com/