'BLACK ANGEL' and 3 More TINTO BRASS titles on the way to Blu-ray on 8/12 from CULT EPICS

BLACK ANGEL (2002) 

Label: Cult Epics Release Date: August 12th 2014 Duration: 124 Minutes  Language: Italian Dolby Digital 5.1 with English subtitles Video: Color Widescreen 1.78:1 Production Year: 2002  Rating: Not Rated Directed by: Tinto Brass Stars: Anna Galiena In 1945 Italy, Livia (Anna Galiena), the bored wife of an Italian official,  recalls the taboo affair she has been having with a much younger Nazi lieutenant (Gabriel Garko). The elation of her middle-aged sexual  awakening is soon diminished when she discovers that her lover's  intentions are far from honest. Ashamed and betrayed, she must make  the difficult decision to resolve her devastating erotic entanglement. Tinto Brass reminds us why he is a master of his art. The lush and  sentimental Ennio Morricone score beautifully complements the striking cinematography that contrasts the bliss of a woman's rediscovery with a society ravaged by war. This is Camillo Boito's 1882 novella Senso as  only maestro-of-erotica Tinto Brass could tell it. Cult Epics is proud to  present this contemporary classic drama on Blu-ray for the first time in the U.S.  Bonus Features: - The Making of Black Angel - Black Angel Promo - Theatrical Trailer - Photo Video Gallery - Motion Picture Soundtrack

TINTO BRASS: MAESTRO OF EROTIC CINEMA  4 Disc Blu-Ray Box Set + DVD Label: Cult Epics Release Date: August 12th 2014 Duration: 439 Minutes Language: Italian and English Dolby Digital 5.1 with English subtitles Video: Color Widescreen 1.78:1   Region: ALL Production Years: 2000/2002/2003/2005/2014 Genre: Erotica MPAA Rating: Not Rated Directed by: Tinto Brass Stars: Anna Galiena, Anna Jimskaia, Yuliya Mayarchuk, Franco Branciaroli Cult Epics presents in new high-definition transfers, four of Tinto Brass most delightful, erotic films of recent years: Cheeky!, Black Angel, Private, Monamour, plus the documentary Tinto Brass: Maestro Of Erotica Cinema, featuring an in-depth Interview with the Maestro himself reflecting on his full career, illustrated with rare footage. Bonus Features:  - New Restored High-Definition Transfers - Tinto Brass HD Trailers - Photo Video Galleries - Making Of Featurettes - Widescreen Versions (16x9 Enhanced) - Bonus DVD Documentary: Tinto Brass: Maestro Of Erotic Cinema - 40-Page Collectible Booklet

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. 

TOURIST TRAP (1979) (Full Moon Blu-ray Review)

TOURIST TRAP (1979)

Label: Full Moon Features

Region Code: A

Duration: 85 Minutes
Audio: English Dolby Digital 2.0, 5.1
Video: 1080p Widescreen (1.78:1)
Director: David Scmoeller
Cast: Chuck Connors, Jocelyn Jones, Keith McDermott, Dawn Jeffory, Jon Van Ness, Robin Sherwood, Tanya Roberts

A group of teens on a road trip through Texas breakdown on the side of the road and end up at the abandoned Slausen's Desert Oasis where the girls skinny-dip at a small water oasis before the gun-toting proprietor Mr. Slausen shows up and warns them not to wander at night for there are dangers in the area. Offering them refuge at his run down wax museum for the night the teens are picked off one at a time by the telekinetic weirdo brother of Mr. Salusen.

This is a creepy PG chiller that scared the bejeezus outta me as a kid but didn't do much for me this time around. Chuck Connors is alright here as the troubled proprietor of a was museum on the decline giving a creepy performance - he does crazy pretty well. The killer here is telepathically gifted and likes to put on deadly puppets shows with the mannequins on the property - some of which are quite creepy and the shrill cackling that accompanies the performances are unnerving.

The group of teens is pretty serviceable with a decent final girl. Molly (Jocelyn Jones, THE ENFORCER) doesn't break any new ground or offers anything new - not a particularly strong character she's a bit on the mousy of things. I was hoping Becky (Tanya Roberts, BEASTMASTER) would be the final girl. What a hottie and totally rocking a pair of cut-off jean shorts and a very full halter-top - when she had to go I was devastated.

The effects are pretty low-budget but effective for the time. we have lots of animated mannequins with hinged jaws used to great effect. Mr. Slalusen's wax mask is super eerie and makes for fantastic poster art. Bob Burns who worked on Tobe Hooper's TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE does some effects and set-dressing here and it is similarly sparse and dark.  

The new Blu-ray from Full Moon features a new HD master of the film and the 1080p upgrade affords this low-budget chiller a bit more texture and better color reproduction with a slightly sharper edge. It does have a few issues beginning with a very soft and gauzy shooting style which doesn't create the most razor-sharp image for the format. Also the grain structure seems a bit odd from time to time - mostly in the very first scene - it just seems off. Add to that a weird mirroring effect seen in the lower right hand of the image when Woody is rolling the flat tire. After this initial scene the grain is more pleasing and natural. 

Additionally much has been made of this Blu-ray missing about five minute of footage. It's been a good long while since I've watched the DVD but I can't say that I am such a fan that I could tell you what was excised. The reasons for it's absence  have never been definitely explained but both Charles Band and director David Schmoeller have differing opinions on that. Schmoeller suggests that Band may not have had access to the original negatives and went with a cut print for the source of the HD master.

FM have chosen to go with the lossy 2.0 and 5.1 Dolby Digital in place of a DTS-HD Master Audio track unfortunately. Things are well balanced but Pino Donaggio's score would have benefited greatly from the lossless boost. As t is the 5.1 offers only modest depth and channel separation and the stereo track is just as effective. 

Extras include a brand-new audio commentary from director David Schmoeller who talks about the production - both good and bad and working with the cast. There's also a 25-minute documentary produced by Ballyhoo Motion Pictures "Exit Through the Chop Shop" comprised of an interview with Schmoeller inter-cut with clips from the film covering much of the same ground from the commentary. Additionally there are also a selection of Full Moon trailers for our enjoyment. 

TOURIST TRAP is a PG-rated horror film with very little blood and no gore whatsoever but it does have a generous amount of atmosphere thanks in part to the Pino Donaggio (BLOW OUT) orchestral score and some decent cinematography. It loses points for the obvious identity of the killer but wins me over with how weird and demented it is, a very strange film. 

HOME BEFORE MIDNIGHT (1979)

HOME BEFORE MIDNIGHT (1979)

Label: Redemption Films

Region Code: A

Duration:  110 Minutes

Rating: Unrated

Audio: English LPCM 2.0

Video: 1080p Widescreen (1.66:1)

Director: Pete Walker

Cast: James Aubrey, Alision Elliot, Mark Burns, Juliet Harmer, Debbie linden, Chris Jagger 

At first glance HOME BEFORE MIDNIGHT (1979) doesn't seem to be the usual Pete Walker shocker - but only on the surface. Ginny (Allison Elliot) is a sweet young woman who is picked-up while hitchhiking by songwriter Mike (James Aubrey)and the two have great chemistry and a sexual relationship unfolds. weeks later and quite by accident the 28 year-old songwriter discovers his lover is only 14 years and despite his better judgment and initial horrified reaction he continues to engage with the young woman.

Soon after her protective parents become aware of their young daughters sexual activity with the older man and then the police are brought in to investigate the accusation. Her father is strongly pursuing a criminal case against the young man while her mother is somewhat more sympathetic believing her daughter may not be the victim everyone else suspects her to be. At first you have some sympathy for the young woman as she is urged by both father and authorities to say she was raped - which she clearly was not. She's embarrassed to admit the truth and therefore presses on with rape charges only somewhat reluctantly. As the film rolls on she becomes quite a bit less sympathetic as she paints herself as the victim and the future of Mike becomes more and more grim. 

Walker spices up what amounts to a melodrama with a peppering of salacious sexual scenes which make you feel pretty damn dirty once we discover that Ginny is a minor - once this is made clear the film does not ease up - the sexual encounters while not super sleazy are lurid and voyeuristic. I can see why the film was provocative at the time as the young woman is made to be the villain while at the same time it's hard to forgive Mike for continuing the relationship once he realized the age of the young girl. It makes for an interesting watch with lots of tension and frustration as Mike is loses the faith of friends and family in the wake of the rape allegation. 

A bit of a departure for Walker with no shock elements to it - no sudden outburst of violence - but there is a moral complexity to it mixed in with some fleeting moments of sexploitation. Walker sets up some interesting questions that might make you squirm but the courtroom finale was a bit of a letdown as he doesn't follow-up on a few of the more intriguing dramatic elements set up early in the film such as Ginny's doubting mother and a best friend of Ginny's who knows the truth of the matter but chooses to remain silent. 

Redemption Films present the film in it's original widescreen aspect ratio (1.66:1) with a new HD transfer that is quite nice but not amazing. The grain structure is nicely intact and natural in appearance but the cinematography is a bit sift-focus and gauzy in it's presentation, fine detail and sharpness suffer for it but this is a stylistic choice on the part of the filmmaker and not the transfer. The print itself is in decent shape with only minor instances of white speckling and print damage. The LPCM English audio is decent but unremarkable. At times the volume shoots from low to high with the soundtrack music but overall a decent presentation with occasional audio hiss and the high-end treble can be at bit annoying at times. 

Extras on the disc include an 11-minute interview with director Pete Walker and a selection of Walker trailers. Not a ton but the interview is quite good as Walker discusses the casting of the film and it's themes and the usual beating he received from critics at the time, owning up to the fact is was the wrong film for him to make at the time. 

A very interesting entry in the canon of director Pete Walker - it might not be everyones cup of tea as it strays a bit from what one has come to expect from the director but as a slightly exploitative melodrama that begs a few difficult questions - none of which it answers - it's a damn decent watch. 

redemption-fiilms.com

SCAVENGER KILLERS (2013)

SCAVENGER KILLERS (2013) 

Label: Midnight Releasing 

Release Date: July 1st, 2014
Duration: 102 minutes
Region Code: 1
Audio: English Dolby Digital 2.0 
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen (1.78:1) 
Director: Dylan Bank
Cast: Robert Bogue, Rachael Robbins, Eric Roberts, Dustin Diamond, Robert Loggia, Charles Durning

SCAVENGER KILLERS is a low-budget thriller from director Dylan Bank and concerns a judge (Robert Bogue, THE FOLLOWING) and his defense lawyer girlfriend (Rachael Robbins, BIKINI BLOODBATH CHRISTMAS) who routinely let the guilty off the hook in the courtroom so that can kill them in weird and lustful ways later. These two are super-kinky and totally get off on murder and sex while commuting murder. 

Also along for the ride are Dustin Diamond who you may remember as Screech from SAVED BY THE BELL who portrays a clairvoyant who can only use his gift while he fondles the breasts of a large black woman while finger-fucking her mouth... and he has tourettes syndrome. There are also appearances from Eric Roberts (THE DARK NIGHT), Charles Durning (DARK NIGHT OF THE SCARECROW) and Robert Loggia (LOST HIGHWAY) who are seriously slumming it in this D-grade thriller, someone must have some dirt on these three to get them on board with this cheapie.

Every performance is overwrought or amateurish from the entire cast. I definitely feel that Bank was going for campiness by design but the script and humor are just awful from start to finish, I did not find a single legitimate laugh to be found anywhere. The effects are a mix of practical blood and CGI assisted splatter - not awful but not great either. Having just watched CAMP BLOOD FIRST SLAUGHTER and GILA! the special effects bar was set mighty low. 

Poor Robert Loggia - does the guy even realize he was in a movie when he made this - the guy is getting on in years and to see him in this was almost traumatic but I must admit that the scene with his brain being scooped out of his skull was bit of fun. What little there is to enjoy here would be some cheap gore and an endless parade of nude women - at times it felt like the producers held a casting call at the local strip club - so there's that cheap thrill at least.

The DVD from Midnight Releasing looks decent as a digital production -  the cinematography and sound recording are at least competent if not mind-blowing and there are a a few extras by way of behind-the-scene stuff.

A rather poor excuse for a horror film and no amount of tits and ass are gonna save it from that fate. There's possibly some entertainment value as a group viewing just to pick it apart but not if you have to drop any cash to make it happen. A definite SKIP IT.  

CAMP BLOOD FIRST SLAUGHTER (2013)

CAMP BLOOD FIRST SLAUGHTER (2013) 

Label: MVD Visual
Duration: 85 Minutes
Region Code: 1 NTSC
Rating: Unrated
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 
Audio: English Dolby Digital Stereo
Director: Mark Polonia
Cast: Jeff Kirkendall, Ken Van Sant, Cindy Wheeler

What we have here is your run-of-the-mill slasher cheapie - there's just so damn many of 'em these days. Obviously the filmmakers have a love for the genre even if they aren't adding anything to it and execute it rather poorly. A class of kids are sent into the woods by their professor on an assignment to dispel the urban legend around the Camp Blood which is said to be terrorized my a creepy clown killer. You know the story - kids go into the woods - kids get dead - sound familiar? 

Poor acting, amateur camera work and awful photo shopped blood effects are not doing this movie any favors but there's a certain charm to this one - it too me awhile to put my finger on it but in the end I figured it out. This has a distinct shot-on-video  aesthetic about it which brought to mind the schlocky SOV classics as CANNIBAL CAMPOUT and VIDEO VIOLENCE. If you seriously love your vintage SOV you just might have a good time here if you can overlook the poor execution and awful editing. There's a found footage element to this one that I didn't quite hate at the start but it just shoots itself in the foot with impossible editing and a news cast from out of nowhere - where did that come from? They were onto something with the twist that could have been something interesting but what few bright spots there were here were quickly dimmed by the poor execution.

If you're feeling adventurous or are maybe a shit-film enthusiast have it - otherwise I'd be hard-pressed to recommend this to anyone - even to the die hard slasher fans. 

GILA! (2014)

 GILA! (2014) 

Distributor: Polyscope Media Group

Duration: 96 minutes
Rating: Unrated

Video: Anamorphic Widescreen (1.78:1) 
Audio: Dolby Digital Stereo English

Director: Jim Wynorski
Cast: Brian Gross, Terence Knox, Jesse Janzen, Christina DeRosa, Madeline Voges, Callie Burk, Julie McCullough

In this send-up of creatures features a giant gila monster is threatening small town folk in the 1950's - in fact this is a loose remake of the 1959 drive-in schlock fest THE GIANT GILA MONSTER from b-movie auteur Jim Wynorski who brought us CHOPPING MALL (1986) and 976-EVIL 2 (1992) and about 96 other soft-core erotic films not worth mentioning in my opinion. While I do love the 1980s horror stuff  he did there's just not much else in that filmography I feel the urge to watch - sorry Jim. 

This is going for a retro-1950s vibe that both pays homage and sends-up the atomic fueled creature features of the era. We have dueling high school drag racers who are clearly not age appropriate, a pair catty girlfriends and small town cops who are all but helpless to stop the reptilian threat that plagues their town. 

The effects work here is sub Syfy quality which is likely why the creature is glimpsed for mere moments. When the film is titled GILA! that's gonna be an issue now don't you think? Set in the 1950 the low-budget of this one didn't exactly make it easy to capture the vintage aesthetic - they give it a good try but the styles sorta come and go from scene to scene. There's a handful of classic cars on display though - these hot rods are freaking sweet but bad CGI and hot rods do not a good movie make.

The cast is pretty game for what they're making here - they're painfully aware they are making a cheesy creature feature and a shitty creature feature and  Wynorski is a skilled enough tradesman to keep the film moving forward in a way that keeps you plugged-in if not exactly interested.

The disc from Polyscope Media Group has a few extras that mostly text-based about the original film including a trailer and lyrics to the end credits song. GILA! is just not a film I can say I enjoyed watching or would revisit again - I have to give the a SKIP IT!