CRYPT-KICKERS - NOISE FROM THE UNDERGROUND VOL. 3

NOISE FROM THE UNDERGROUND VOL. 3

The third installment of Crypt-Kickers: Noise from the Underground is the most jam-packed yet, 11 tasty albums that span the audio spectrum, a bumper crop of fantastic doom and stoner rock from Ripple Records,  garage-ravers from Spinout Nuggets, roots rock classics from Liberation Hall, thrash and old school Metal Blade re-issues from Punishment 18 Records, soundtrack from Dragon's Domain, and technical power metal from Greece via Sleaszy Rider! So strap in, let's dig in...

 WOLFTOOTH: WIZARD'S LIGHT (2025) - STONE NOMADS: EMPIRES OF STONE (2025) - BLACK SABBITCH: UNREST IN THE WEST (2025) - HERETIC: BREAKING POINT (1988) - THE BLASTERS: AMERICAN MUSIC (1980) - THE BLASTERS: NON-FICTION (1983) - DAVID RUSSO: SPACED INVADERS SOUNDTRACK (1990) - TYPHUS: FATE WEAVER (2025) - PANIC: EPIDEMIC  (1991) - BONE CHURCH: DELIVERANCE (2025) - CREAM SODA: SERVING YOU ...(2025) 

WOLFTOOTH - WIZARD'S LIGHT (2025) CD

Label: Ripple Music

Duration: 43:48 mins

Band: 

Terry McDaniel - Bass

Jeff Cole - Guitars

Chris Sullivan - Vocals, Guitars

Jeremy Lovins - Guitars 

Shane Shook - Drums

'Wizard's Light' is the fourth album from Richmond, Indiana's Wolftooth, and while this is my first time listening to them, I have already ordered their last two albums, because this album is fucking aces. The album opens with the creepy intro "Hymn Of Belgarath (Intro)" before launching into the bombast "Sightless Archer" with chugging rhythms, searing leads, and some clean/melodic vocals that brought to mind Sword, sounding both contemporary but vintage in the best sort of way. The opening twin leads of "Darkened Path" are so tasty, and the title tracks opens with a bluesy riff and turns into quite an earworm. The bands mix of stoner, doom psyche, and NWOBHM is a winning bit of alchemy, well produced, terrific lyrics about battles, wizards and warriors,  and a metallic edge that gets the blood and fists pumping. If you're a fan of Sabbath/Ozzy, The Sword and Weedian I think you will find they share a kindred fire for galloping rhythms and riff-tastic guitars, and killer clean vocals. This single-disc CD from Ripple Music arrives in a four-panel digipack with killer artwork by David Paul Seymour, and a clear plastic tray holding the CD with lyrics printed in the inner panels. The album is also available on vinyl. 

Track Listing:

1. Hymn Of Belgarath (Intro)

2. Sightless Archer

3. Darkened Path

4. Wizard's Light

5. Sounds Of Redemption

6 Eternal Hunt

7. Armor Of Steel

8. War Brigade

9. Bloodline

10. All Father

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STONE NOMADS - EMPIRES OF STONE (2025) CD

Label: Ripple Music 

Duration: 39:32 mins

Band: 

Jon Cosky - Guitar/Vocals Jude Sisk - Bass/Vocals

Ben Wozniak - Drums 

'Empires in Stone' are Texas doom/sludge power trio Stone Nomads third album, a blistering slab of concrete heaviness that is heavy on textured layering and atmosphere, the album opener "Lost inthe Storm" is H.E.A.V.Y., super-sludgy but driving, the guttural but melodic vocals are impressive, and when it kicks in with the technical soling I was sort of blown away. "Empires of Stone" has some tasty Sabbathy doom riffing that, with melodic vocals that just sweeten the deal, it's epic. My favorite track is easily the monolithic "Mount Aras" which has a Celtic Frost heaviness to it that has been on repat in my car all damn week, then shifting gears on "Desolate Sands", which is more intricate but stil offers slabs of riffs for days, before once more pummeling you with "Death Adder" which is a chug-monster. Stone Nomads Texas-style doom/sludge is blistering, uncompromising and highly infectious. This single-disc CD from Ripple Music arrives in a four-panel digipack with artwork by Jan Tanduk Art, and a clear plastic tray holding the disc. 

Track Listing

1. Lost In The Storm

2. Eyehatesociety

3. Valley Of Souls

4. Empires Of Stone

5. Mount Aras

6. Desolate Sands

7. Death Adder

8. The Devil Lives In Texas

  

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BLACK SABBITCH - UNREST IN THE WEST (2025) CD

Label: Ripple Music

Duration: 43:43

Band: 

Alice Austin - Lead vocals, Emily Burton - Guitar, Melanie Makaiwi - Bass

Angie Scarpa - Drums

The debut album by the all- female Black Sabbath tribute band Black Sabbitch keeps the eternal flame of Birmingham's finest lit with a terrific setlist of songs from Black Sabbath's Master of Reality, Sabotage, Vol. 4, and Never Say Die, and album that is a bit conspicuous in it's absence of Sabbath's most iconic songs with the exception of "Children of the Grave", but I was quite happy with the song selection, which showcases the band's grip n Sabbath deeper cuts, with some occasional flourishes that stray from the originals, but stay true to the spirt of the metal-masters. The grooves are tight, the riffs are taut, and Alice Austin's vocals while not spot-on Ozzy are fantastic, I love her interpretations of the songs, after decades of adoring Sabbath I do love a solid cover and I think Black Sabbitch really nail these songs, their version of "The Wizard" complete with that tasty harmonica accompaniment had me replaying that track several times. Likewise "A Hard Road"  has a sort of new life to it with the band's feminine vocals, the live energy is terrific, and of course the songs are stone-cold classics, but Black Sabbitch bring some new energy to it, staying true to the spirit of the original with plenty of swagger and heaviness, but still able to add their subtle stamp to it. I will say, when I first saw this announced I thought it was odd that a Black Sabbath tribute band were releasing an album, but after listening to, at least six times now, I say bring on another one from Black Sabbitch! Give those Zakk Sabbath albums a rest and give Black Sabbitch a spin. The album, which features artwork by guitarist Emil Burton, is also available on vinyl.

Track Listing

1. Wheels Of Confusion/The Straightener

2. A National Acrobat

3. The Wizard

4. A Hard Road

5. Lord Of This World

6. Hole In The Sky

7. Children Of The Grave

8. Into The Void

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HERETIC - BREAKING POINT (1988) Reissue CD 

Label: Punishment 18 records

Duration: 45:00

Band: 

Dennis O'Hara - Bass

Brian Korban - Guitar 

Mike Howe - Vocals

Bob Marquiz - Guitar 

Ricky Merick - drums 

L.A. metal band Heretic is a speed metal band formed in 1984, this one and only one full-length album in 1988, originally released by Metal Blade Records, with singer Mike Howe, The band broke-up right after in 1988, when Howe joined Metal Church as their new vocalist, with the album 'Blessing in Disguise'. Strangely, the remaining members of Heretic formed a band with the original singer of Metal Church, David Wayne, the band was Reverend, which I was quite a huge fan of! I knew of Heretic at the time of this album's release, pretty sure I would hear it in rotation on the local metal show The Rock Shop on WSFW, Seneca Falls, NY. that was hosted by the late Bob Appel, and I am pretty sure I ended up with a cassette dub of it from my highschool pal Seriah, who years later would end up hosting the long-running metal show The Last Exit for the Lost on WVBR, Ithaca NY, which is still going strong 30+ years later! Anyway, glad to see this getting a reissue from Punishment 18 Records, while Howe's name is best known as vocalist for Metal Church this is an interesting footnote in his career, a solid old school power metal album, well-produced for it;s vintage by Bill Metoyer (Sacred Reich, W.A.S.P., Slayer, Acid Reign, Armored Saint, Trouble, Flotsam and Jetsam) with solid riffing and some thrashy tendencies, but leaning more into power/speed metal with some pleasing chugging guitar and driving rhythms. I think when this first made the rounds I was way into thrashier metal and I was turned off my more traditional metal, I know, silly, right? Anyway, with fresh ears nearly forty years later I can honestly say this is a solid album, it's not an all-timer by any means, too many mid-paced songs for my tastes, but still totally solid, with some tasty tightly wound riffs and more intricate acoustic interludes, but the real shine her are the vocals from Howe, they soar and have grit, and are front and center in the mix. This release arrives in a standard CD jewel case with an 8-page booklet with credits and lyrics.  

Track Listing

1. Heretic

2. ...and Kingdoms Fall

3. The Circle

4. Enemy Within

5. Time Runs Short

6. Pale Shelter

7. Shifting Fire

8. Let 'Em Bleed

9. Evil for Evil

10. The Search

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THE BLASTERS - AMERICAN MUSIC (1980) CD 

Label: Liberation Hall

Duration: 31:18 

Band: 

Phil Alvin - Vocals, Harmonica, Guitar

David Alvin - Lead Guitar 

John Bazz - Bass

Bill Bateman - Drums 

Track Listing

1. American Music

2. Real Rock Drive

3. Barefoot Rock

4. I Don't Want To

5. Marie Marie

6. I Wish You Would

7. She Ain't Got the Beat

8. Flat Top Joint

9. Crazy Baby

10. Never No More Blues

11. Buzz Buzz Buzz

12. She's Gone Away

13. Barn Burning

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THE BLASTERS - NON-FICTION (1983) CD 

Label: Liberation Hall 

Duration: 31:51

Band: 

Phil Alvin - Vocals, Harmonica, Guitar

David Alvin - Lead Guitar 

John Bazz - Bass

Bill Bateman - Drums

Lee Allen - Tenor Sax

Gene Taylor - Piano, Vocals

Steve Berlin - Baritone Sax 

Track Listing

1. Red Rose

2. Barefoot Rock

3. Bus Station

4. One More Dance

5. It Must Be Love

6. Jubilee Train

7. Long White Cadillac

8. Fool's Paradise

9. Boomtown

10. Leaving

11. Tag Along

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Legendary roots-rockers The Blasters get terrific reissues of their first and third albums via Liberation Hall with brand new liner notes written by Chris Morris, rare photos and memorabilia images. These releases recreates the album original releases complete with a replica of the inner sleeve. These are celebrations of all things American, energetic roots-rockers tinged with Delta blues, country, swing and rockabilly music, tightly played and infectious as all Hell, high-energy and upbeat, you'll be shakin' your tailfeather and rockin' the night away with these albums. The single-disc reissues arrive in a four-panel digisleeves, with a booklet featuring writing by Chris Morris.

DAVID RUSSO - SPACED INVADERS (1990) Original Motion Picture Soundtrack CD

Label: Dragon's Domain 

Duration: 63:41 

Music Composed and Conducted by David Russo 

Dragon's Domain Records presents the original motion picture soundtrack for the sci-fi alien invasion comedy Spaced Invaders (1990), featuring music composed and conducted by David E. Russo (Playroom) offering an earbud tingling  mix of playful sci-fi and slapstick comedy with a rousing soundtrack that is both offbeat while still offering some terrific themes, including the alien-americana "Alien Darlin'", and an array of cuts that to my ear can only be described as alien circus music, which tonally is pitch perfect. The brassier more dramatic themes are my favorite, but  do love a good title credit sequence and "Martians Takin; Over the World" is a banger, few songs are more early 1990 than this one. The CD from Dragon's Domain is a limited edition of 500, arriving in a jewel case with a clear insert tray with a two-sided rear tray insert with interior artwork, as well as a trifold, six-panel booklet with liner notes by composer Brian Saterwhite . 

Track Listing

1. Main Title/The Fleet

2. Welcome To Big Bean/Crazy Old Wrenchmuller/Property D34. Family Picture/War Of The Worlds/Somewhere Near Mars

4. Dropping Off Kathy/First Speeding Ticket/Wrenchmuller’s Lament/Speed Violation/The Landing/Termites

5. A Real Mission/Bad Idea/Work To Do/Scout Robot

6. Kathy Alone/Kathy’s New Friend

7. Honey Darlin’

8. Prepare to Die/Robot Slave/Attack Vehicle

9. Martian Bebop

10. WrenchmullerOn The Move/You Wanna Bet/Investigating The Ship/Kathy Hides/Dr. Ziplock

11. The Martians HaveLanded/Let’s Get ‘Em/Evading Townfolk

12. War Of The Worlds/Yikes/The Launch

13. Robot Attack/Vendroid Arrives/Wrenchmuller 16. Missing/Martians Emerge

14. No Place Like Home/Farmzoid

15. Big Toy Robot

16. 12 Minutes Until The End Of The World/Verndroid Away

17. Saving The Martians

18. Time To Go/Jim The Dog and Finale

19. Takin’ Over The World

20. Bow Down Before The Civilian/Asteroid Patrol

21. Hello Big Bean 

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TYPHUS - FATE WEAVER (2025) CD

Label: Sleaszy Rider 

Duration: 43:14

Band: 

Kostas "Korg" - Vocals, Bass, Keyboards

Kostas Foukarakis - Guitar, Backing Vocals 

Stefanos Konstantinou - Guitar, Backing Vocals

Dimitris Ginis - Drums

This is the 2nd album of Greek power-metallers Typhus, formerly Nuclear Terror, a tightly wound album in the traditional vein but with fantastic production. The vocals are on the higher-end, operatic and soaring, with driving guitars, interesting time signatures and rhythms, it very tasty all the way around, driving power metal with searing leads and soaring vocals that brought to mind the late-great Warrel Dane from Sanctuary and Nevermore, the music not dissimilar to the energetic metal style of Vicious Rumors. The whole album is solid with some nice variation in the song structures, my favorite track is the thrashier closing song "The Last Congregation". The CD arrives in a jewel case with a clear insert tray with a 2-sided tray insert featuring an image of the band on the reverse side, and we get some striking album art by Par Olofssonwho has done artwork for Exodus, Immolation, and Malevolent Creation, among others. The 12-page booklet features lyrics and credits.  

Track Listing

1. Only Ashes Remain

2. Primordial Hunger

3. I Stand Defiant

4. Catacombs Of Sancre Tor

5. The Oracle

6. Apocrypha

7. Army Of None

8. Crestfallen

9. The Last Congregation

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PANIC - EPIDEMIC  (1991) Reissue CD 

Label: Punishment 18 Records

Duration: 46:00

Band: 

Jeff Braimes - Vocals

Jack Coy - Drums

George Hernandez - Bass

Martin Chandler - Guitars

Defunct Seattle thrashers Panic's only album, Epidemic, was originally released in 1991 through Metal Blade Records produced by Gary Holt and Rick Hunolt of Exodus. The album now gets a reissue through Punishment 18 records. I remember buying this album at Area Records in Geneve, NY when I was eighteen, and living it, and being disappointed that a second album never materialized, the band showcases an aggressive Bay Area thrash influences, I hear a lot of Exodus in these riffs, thanks in no small part to the Holt/Hunolt production, and the singer here brings to mind Exodus' Steve "Zetro" Souza by way of Phil Rind from Sacred Reich, with some 'Cowboys from Hell' energy thrown in. I certainly could have lived without hearing their cover of Kiss's "I Stole Your Love" featuring Zetro mispronouncing the word 'stole' as 'stoled', but 90's thrash bands love their corny cover tunes. The CD arrives in a jewel case with a clear insert tray with a 2-sided tray insert featuring artwork on the reverse side, plus we get a six-panel tri-fold sleeve with lyrics and credits. 

Track Listing: 

1. Blackfeather Shake

2. High Strung

3. Hypochondriac

4. Spider Desire

5. Morbid Curiosities

6. Hellfire Club

7. 911

8. Devil's Night Out

9. I Stole Your Love (Kiss cover)

10. Pile o' Bones

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BONE CHURCH - DELIVERANCE (2025) CD

Label: Ripple Music

Duration: 33:02

Band: 

Jack Rune - Vocals

Dan Setcik - Lead Guitar 

Pat Good - Bass

Nick Firine - Rhythm Guitar 

Rob Sickinger - Drums 

Connecticut's bluesy stoner-rockers Bone Church's new album 'Deliverance' offers driving and catchy hard rockin' metal with some Southern boogie flavor, with a little cleaner sounding Uncle Acid. There's a lot of hard rock and early metal influence to be heard, but it all comes together to form their own distinct, fully formed sound. The seven tracks are impeccably produced, coming off string with the overdrive of "Electric Execution". the Southern boogie really comes through with the doomy ZZ Top-ish "Goin' To Texas" and the "Muchachos Muchachin", the former of which name checks ZZ op in the lyrics and has some tasty Hammond B-3 organ in it and tasty slide soloing. If you like tasty hard drivin' rock n' roll with plenty of swagger Bone Church have got you covered. This single-disc CD arrives in a four-panel digipack with a clear plastic tray holding the disc, the artwork by SoloMarcello is pretty terrific, looking like it owes a small debt to Garry Sharpe-Young's artwork for Grim Reaper's 'See You In Hell' album. 

Track Listing: 

1. Electric Execution

2. Lucifer Rising

3. The Sins Of 1000 Heathens

4. Goin' To Texas

5. Muchachos Muchachin

6. Bone Boys Ride Out

7. Deliverance

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CREAM SODA - SERVING YOU (2025) CD

Label: Spinout Nuggets 

Duration: 36:07 

Band: 

Tom Page - Vocals, Guitar 

Tom Emerick - Drums

Jack Etheridge - Bass, Backing Vocals

The Medway Delta's Cream Soda are a punk rock n 'roll trio  of teens, their debut album is chock-full of tasty riffs in the Billy Childish/Thee Milkshakes style, tracks like "Victims of the Medway Towns" and with some snarling 70s/80s punk and new influences, like "Someone I'm Not", "I Don't Owe You (A Single Thing), and the Real Kid-esque raver "Leave You behind". I also hear a bit of Magazine, some Wire, and Buzzcocks for sure, the latter influence cemented with a rollicking cover of "Ever Fallen In Love With Someone (With Some You Shouldn't've) that shows up as a bonus track. Even when the slow it down we don't get no ballads, just a snarling laid-back beast like "You Know What I mean: which brought to mind The Ponys, or the Bo Diddley beat of "Het Hey Ray Ray". There's a pop hook to it, but it's a pop derived from snarling, jagged riffs and a freakbeat bluster and garage rock energy, not a ballad in sight, just good rockin' from start to finish. This is another one that's been in my car's CD plater for a couple of weeks now, recommended for the insatiable garage rock geeks out there looking for a new favorite trio. The 16-song CD arrives in a digipack gatefold sleeve from Spinout Nuggetss, and is also available on vinyl LP for the cool kids. 

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PEARL (2022) Second Sight Films 4K Ultra HD Review

PEARL (2022) 

Limited Edition 4K Ultra HD

Label: Second Sight Films

Region Code: Region-Free

Rating: Cert. 15 

Duration: 102 Minutes 31 Seconds 

Audio: English Dolby Atmos (TrueHD 7.1), DTS-HD MA 5.1 Surround with Optional English 

Video: Dolby Vision HDR10 2160p Ultra HD Widescreen (2.39:1) 

Director: Ti West

Cast: Mia Goth, Alistair Sewell, Tandi Wright, David Corenswet

Pearl (2022) is Ti West’s prequel-sequel to X (2022). telling the origin story of the elderly-terror Pearl (Mia Goth, Frankenstein), going back 61 year earlier to the year 1918 when she was a young living on the farm with her German immigrant parents, the ultra-religious and strict Ruth (Tandi Wright, Black Sheep) and her father (Matthew Sunderland, The Nightingale) who was stricken with the Spanish flu and rendered infirm, meanwhile her husband Henry (Alistair Sewell, The Power of the Dog) is away fighting the first World War. With her father unable to work the farm it falls on Ruth and Pearl to make ends meet and keep food on the table, but young Pearl dreams of becoming a chorus girl or movie star and escaping her life on the farm, and had grown increasing emotionally starved and resentful, while her mother grows increasingly impatient with her daughter's pursuit of frivolity. Right from the get-go there are signs that young pearl is disturbed and full of rage, her resentment festering just below the surface now starts to emerge, first with the killing a goose with a pitchfork and feeding it to the alligator in the family pond, named Theda, abusing her helpless father in various ways, and masturbating with a scarecrow in a cornfield, yeah, she an odd one for sure, and her peculiar tendencies have not gone unnoticed by her mother, who sees the frightening tendencies her daughter attempts to mask.  

Pearl further spirals out of control after meeting a handsome movie projectionist (David Corenswet, Superman) who ignites further aspirations of fame, encouraging her to follow her dreams. he gives her a backstage your of the theater and invited her into the projection room to show her an early porno flick 'A Free Ride', igniting her sexually frustrated libido - it's after this encounter when she's riding her bicycle home that she pulls her bike off to the side of the road and finds a scarecrow, she begins to dance with it and then fantasizes about fucking the projectionist while masturbating herself with the help of the straw-stuffed scarecrow. A short time later she learns from her well-off sister-in-law Mitsy (Emma Jenkins-Purro) that a touring dance troupe is holding local auditions, and she sees this as her one chance to finally escape the isolation and loneliness of the farm. When her mother learns her plan to audition she tells her that there is something deeply wrong with her, that she frightens people, and will not succeed. A heated argument erupts and Pearl shoves her mom up against the fireplace, igniting her dress, as the fire engulfs her Pearl extinguishes the flames with a boiling pot of corn on the cob, then dragging her mother into the basement to die. She immediately flees to see the theater to fuck projectionist, and the next day she goes to the audition, and sure enough, the audition does not go well, even though Pearl in her mind imagines a transcendent and fantastical audition, they pass her over in favor of blonde Mitsy, devastating her. As her dream of stardom slip away she fully unravels, fully consumed rage, unleashing a wave of violence that ends up consuming her father, the projections and her sister-in-law, guaranteeing that Theda will be eating well. 

Ti West's prequel-sequel has a ultra-vivid Technicolor look inspired by The Wizard of Oz and Gone with the Wind, with the look of a Norman Rockwell painting, standing in stark contrast to the dark, psychological nightmare that it is, with a macabre finale that references both Tobe Hooper's Texas Chain Saw Massacre  and Eaten Alive, it's quite wonderful in how gruesome and fucked-up it is. Mia Goth is fantastic, conveying the cracked-psyche of someone obsessed with fame, overflowing with narcissistic resentment, and willing to destroy anyone who rejects her or attempts to prevent her from achieving her delusional dreams. 

Audio/Video: Pear (2022) arrives on 4K Ultra HD widescreen (2.39:1) with Dolby Vision HDR10 color-grading, the digital shot film is intended to have a Technicolor level of saturation and it looks fantastic, the verdant greens of grass, the unreal blue skies, the eye-searing red of the barn, the hues of wall paper inthe farmhouse, it's just a gorgeous presentation with beautifully suffused colors that are garish and intentionally unnatural. Texture and detail looks terrific, the native 4K digital image is stunning, and depth and clarity continually impress.  Audio comes by way of English Dolby Atmos (TrueHD7.1) and DTS-HD MA 5.1 Surround with optional English subtitles, dialogue is clean and well-balanced, the discreet but gruesome sounds of maggots eating rotting flesh, Pearl's father's infirm moans, sounds of thunder, and the lush score by Tyler Bates and Tim Williams all benefit from the Atmos upgrade.  

Second Sight also impress with a terrific array of extras, bot new and archival. New bonus features begin with a terrific Audio commentary by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas that covers a lot of ground, of this being a pandemic shot film and how that is felt in the film, it's style and themes, and so much more. New interviews kick-off with the 19-min Bold Choices: Interview with director Ti West, who speaks about writing the script over 2 weeks quarantining before shooting X in New Zealand, utilizing the existing locations, sets, and crew from X for a quick turnaround, how having completed the script prior to shooting X enriched the characters and performances in the first film, the intimacy coordinator from X played Pearl's Mother, what a trooper Goth was, as well as the Tyler Bates/Tim Williams score, 

Next is the 28-min The Mother: Interview with actor Tandi Wright who talks about how she went from being the  intimacy coordinator on X to playing Pearl's mother in the sequel, giving appreciation for producer Jacob Jaffke and his sincere care for his cast and crew, an appreciation of Mia Goth and her work ethic, Ti West's directorial style, her make-up effects and the excitement of the fire-stunt, 

The 12-min Absorb the Aesthetic: Interview with director of photography Eliot Rockett, which gets into collaborations with West, the initial conception of shooting in B&W before then going with a highly color-saturated Technicolor look, and realizing while making it that was some of his best work to date, as well as some technical talk about camera systems, lenses and lighting, 

Going Technicolor: Interview with production designer Tom Hammock, is a 19-min interview wherein he discusses the challenged of prepping Pearl while shooting X, playing Led Zeppelin and big band jazz to differentiate the two projects in his mind, the 4-week turnaround between films, the set design and custom made wallpaper, going for that Technicolor look, dressing the streets to look period, and the strong weather patterns in New Zealand, 

We also get an 11-min Hollywood Goes West: a video essay by Joe Wallace that explores the trilogies theme of seeking fame and how cinema is a through line. The last of the extras are archival featurettes that were present on the previous A25 Blu-ray release, these include the 12-min Coming Out of Her Shell with MiaGoth, Ti West, David Corenswet and 4-min Time After Time. 

The single-disc 4K UHD Limited Edition release arrives in a sturdy Rigid Slipcase with new artwork by Thinh Dinh, inside there's a 120-page book featuring all new essays by Jenn Adams, Joel Harley, Mo Moshaty, Tori Potenza, Vannah 

Taylor and Nadine Whitney that explore the film even more deeply chock full of insights with essays exploring repression, madness, the effects of isolation, and quite a bit more, plus Six Collector's Art Cards. The 4K disc is housed in a gatefold digipak with a clear plastic tray holding the disc.  

Special Features: 

- Presented in HDR with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos

- New audio commentary by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas

- Bold Choices: a new interview with director Ti West (18:50) 

- The Mother: a new interview with actor Tandi Wright (28:19), 

- Absorb the Aesthetic: a new interview with director of photography Eliot Rockett (12:53)

- Going Technicolor: a new interview with production designer Tom Hammock (19:02) 

- Hollywood Goes West: a video essay by Joe Wallace (10:31) 

- Coming Out of Her Shell (11:36) 

- Time After Time (3:59) 

Limited Edition Contents: 

- Rigid slipcase with new artwork by Thinh Dinh

- 120-page book with new essays by Jenn Adams, Joel Harley, Mo Moshaty, Tori Potenza,

Vannah Taylor and Nadine Whitney

- Six collectors' Art Cards

Second Sight's Limited Edition 4K UHD of Pearl (2022) is another stunner, they've totally knocked it out of the park with this one with a spectacular A/V presentation, copious deep-diving extras, and premium packaging make this a must-own for fans looking to add the film to their physical media collection. 

MAXXXINE (2024) Second Sight Films 4K Ultra HD Review

MAXXXINE (2024) 

Limited Edition 4K Ultra HD 

Label: Second Sight Films

Region Code: Region-Free

Rating: Cert. 18

Duration: 104 Minutes, 16 Minutes 

Audio: English Dolby Atmos (True HD 71), DTS-HD MA 5.1 Surround with Optional English Subtitles 

Video: Dolby Vision HDR10 2160p Ultra HD Widescreen (2.39:1) 

Director: Ti West

Cast: Mia Goth, Kevin Bacon, Giancarlo Esposito, Elizabeth Debicki, Michelle Monaghan, Bobby Cannavale, Halsey, Lily Collins, Sophie Thatcher, Moses Sumney

Maxxxine (2024) is the concluding chapter in director Ti West's gory X Trilogy, with star Mia Goth (Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein) reprising her role from X (2022) as porn actress Maxine Minx now living in Los Angeles in 1985, it's been six years since she survived The Texas Porn Star Massacre from X, she's now a working adult film star trying go legit, the film opens with her auditioning for the lead role in the new horror film The Puritan II, the new film by up and coming Brit director Elizabeth bender (Elizabeth Debicki, 

Tenet). In the background The Night Stalker murders are happening, and we see a giallo-esque figure in a black leather trench coat and gloves stalking Maxine, following her to her side gig at a  peep show and dropping a quarter in the slot to lift the curtain and see her do her peep show thing, the unknown figure becoming visibly excited, wringing their leather-gloved hands to creepy effect. This individual is killing people in her friend's circle by way of porn actresses Amber (Chloe Farnworth, 12 Hour Shift) and Tabby (pop-star Halsey), both of whom turn up dead with pentagrams burned into their skin after attending a party in the Hollywood Hills. The cops investigating the murders, Det. Williams (Michelle Monaghan, True Detective) and Det. Torres (Bobby Cannavale, Boardwalk Empire), quickly realize that Maxine is somehow connected to the murders, but still hiding from her Texas Porn Star Massacre past she refuses to assist the investigation out of fear of exposing herself, figuring she can defend herself well-enough. We see early on how well she can fend for herself when a Buster Keaton costumed street performer follows her into a darkened alleyway and attempts to rape her, but instead he has the tables turned on him by the resourceful and armed Maxine, resulting in a visceral scrotum-smashing bit of violence that reaffirms her own inner strength and willingness to defend herself when threatened. 

Another figure on her trail is the ultra-sleazy New Orleans P.I. John Labat (Kevin Bacon, X-Men: First Class), Bacon is full tilt sleazoid here, he's dripping with skin-crawling creepiness and I love it. He begins hovering around Maxine's orbit, working for the mysterious leather-clad killer, who threatens to expose her past if she does not agree to meet with his benefactor. At one point he chases her across the Universal Studios Backlot through the Back to the Future/Gremlins town square and into the Psycho house, which was pretty cool. We also get Maxine's loyal talent agent Teddy Knight (Giancarlo Esposito, Breaking Bad), who is seedy but is also willing to just about anything for his client; and her best pal Leon (musician Moses Sumney), a queer metalhead/horror fan who runs a video store located just below Maxine's apartment. 

I love the mid-80's setting, offering a sleazy underside of L.A. lit by neon and lousy with garish pastel colors, the streets are filthy, the characters are seedy, it's just a terrific setting, reminding me a bit of a West Coast version of Lucio Fulci's Murder Rock or New York Ripper. There's a ton of tasty era specific touches that paint the world, I love the video store, the retro fashions and decor, it does excellent work establishing the era, especially during the opening title sequence that with a very 80's font, news clips of satanic panic, The Night Stalker killings, and we even get clips of the PMRC Rock Porn Senate Hearings, which was quite a nostalgic blast for me as a young metalhead in the '80s. I won't spoil it further other than to say the climax of this trilogy is set high-up in the Hollywood Hills and delivers the grisly goods and is totally wild, going places I wasn't expecting, and leaving me with a big smile on my face. 

Maxxxine (2024) is a terrific finale to the X/Mia Goth Trilogy, I thought it was a pretty terrific '80s-set exploitation thriller that I think captures that seedy early eighties vibe quite well, even getting a bit goofy at times, and continues the theme of cinematic ambitions and the darkness that can accompany that pursuit, all wrapped up in a bloody and gruesome neon-lit slice of 80's carnage.

Audio/Video: Maxxxine (2024) arrives on 4K Ultra HD from Second Sight Films framed in 2.39:1 widescreen in 2160p Ultra HD with Dolby Vision HDR10 color-grading. The film was shot to emulate the look of 80's exploitation films like Angel, shot on digital but with a digital grain filter applied from the looks of it. The garish 80's neon and paste; colors look terrific, blacks are solid, and depth and clarity are pleasing. Fine detail in the close-ups of fabrics and faces look terrific, especially when lingering over the seedy features of the gold-toothed Labat. The Dolby Vision HDR really juices up the candy-colored highlights, blacks are deep and inky, contrast is nicely dialed in, and the 4K resolution offers crisply resolved textures and detail that improves upon what the Lionsgate Blu-ray I have in the collection could muster. 

Audio comes by way of Dolby Atmos (TrueHD 7.1) and DTS-HD MA 5.1 Surround with optional English subtitles. The track is robust and well-balanced, dialogue exchanges please, and the soundtrack from Tyler Bates, plus period specific tunes by way of  ZZ Top’s “Gimme All Your Lovin’”,  Judas Priest's "Prisoner of Your Eyes, Ratt's "I'm Insane"," Animotion’s “Obsession”, and Frankie Goes to Hollywood “Welcome to the Pleasuredome” among others, sounds fantastic, the Atmos track having pleasing depth, the immersive track immersing you in the sleazy 80s-ness of it all.  

Second Sight knock it out of the park with a slew of new extras and archival extras. We start off with a brand new Audio commentary by Bill Ackerman & Amanda Reyes that is both humorous, engaging and informative, tackling 80s touchstones, the cast, locations, and giallo films that inform the story. Also new is the 16-min Back to the Blank Page: Interview with director Ti West, writing the big, bombastic finale to the trilogy, transforming L.A. into seedy 80s L.A., the theme of cinematic, the VHS-era aesthetic, the connective tissues of the trilogy, themes of being haunted by the past, casting stories, the shooting locations and tight scheduling on the Universal backlot, and other touristy iconic Hollywood locations, cut scenes, the four year journey making the trilogy. Next is the 30-min Money on the Screen: Interview with producer Jacob Jaffke, not really starting out as a horror fan till he worked on I Sell the Dead for Glass Eye Pix, then into House of the Devil with Ti West, and onward, producing five film while in grad school. West pitching horror-porno X, developing the franchise based on a bad joke, what a terrific collaborator Mia Goth was, the sticker shock of shooting a period film in LA, complications shooting the Hollywood sign lead to creating their own set in Santa Clarita, casting, special effects, a troublesome exploding head gag, shooting on the empty studio lots during the strike, how cool it was hanging out on the Psycho set, ad how with this trilogy he came into his own and grew as a producer. 

The 21-min B-Movie Aesthetic: Interview with director of photography Eliot Rockett, features Rockett speaking about working with a larger budget, the giallo/DePalma vibe, lots of technical talk, visual references, planning out the back lot shots, the logistics of the Hollywood sign set, Kevin Bacon's gruesome death scene, the scrotum crush scene, and Ti's commitment to practical effects, 

Then into the 24-min Curating Space: Audio interview with production designer Jason Kisvarday, he gets into overseeing three art directors, developing references books for look and tone, the draw of recreating the 80s L.A. of his youth, the challenge of breaking down the script and managing the production designers while on budget, working on sets versus locations, and what he's most proud of about his work on the film. Th e last of he new extras in the 15-min The Whole World's Gonna Know My Name: Kat Hughes on MaXXXine, a visual essay that examines the pursuit of the Church of Fame in the context of the trilogy, dissecting the character of Maxine and others that populate the film.

Archival extras carried over from the US release from Lionsgate  include about an hour's worth of featurettes; we get the 10-min The Belly of the Beast; 11-min XXX Marks the Spot; 88-min Hollywood Is a Killer; these explore the 80's vibe, the set design, and some of the special effects work. We also get a 25-min Q&A with Writer-Director Ti West that is moderated by journalist Jen Yamato, which I believe was an Alamo Drafthouse live-stream exclusive. 

The single-disc 4K UHD Limited Edition release arrives in a sturdy Rigid Slipcase with new artwork by OC Agency Group, inside there's a 120-page book featuring all new essays by Reyna Cervantes, Sarah Miles, Sam Moore, James Rose, Rebecca Sayce and Michelle Swope, plus Six Collector's Art Cards. The 4K disc is housed in a gatefold digipak with a clear plastic tray holding the disc.  This is quite a wonderful edition and easily the most definitive release to date with a pleasing Dolby Atmos/Vision presentation and some terrific deep-diving extras.

Special Features

- Presented in HDR with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos

- NEW! Audio commentary by Bill Ackerman & Amanda Reyes

- NEW! Back to the Blank Page: Interview with director Ti West (16:03) 

- NEW! Money on the Screen: Interview with producer Jacob Jaffke (29:54) 

- NEW! B-Movie Aesthetic: Interview with director of photography Eliot Rockett (21:09) 

- NEW! Curating Space: Audio interview with production designer Jason Kisvarday (24:28) 

- NEW! The Whole World's Gonna Know My Name: Kat Hughes on MaXXXine (14:58) 

- The Belly of the Beast (9:37) 

- XXX Marks the Spot (11:19) 

- Hollywood is a Killer (8:12) 

- Q&A with Ti West (25:29) 

Limited Edition Contents: 

- Rigid slipcase with new artwork by OC Agency Group

- 120-page book with new essays by Reyna Cervantes, Sarah Miles, Sam Moore, James Rose, Rebecca Sayce and Michelle Swope

- Six collectors' art cards

MALPERTUIS (1971) Radiance Blu-ray Screenshots

MALPERTUIS (1971) 

Label: Radiance Films

Region Code: A, B

Rating: 

Duration: 125 Minutes 16 Seconds 

Audio: Dutch DTS-HD MA 2.0 Dual-Mono with Optional English Subtitles 

Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1) 

Director: Harry Kumel 

Cast: Orson Welles, Michel Bouquet, Mathieu Carriere, Susan Hampshire,  Jean-Pierre Cassel

Jan (Mathieu Carrière, Police Python 357), a sailor newly arrived onshore, is unsure about returning to land but makes the journey to visit his childhood home only to find it no longer there. He goes to Bar Venus and joins his friends but an altercation leaves him knocked out cold. He wakes up in Malpertuis, a gothic mansion presided over by his uncle, Cassavius (Orson Welles). All the inhabitants of Malpertuis are waiting for Cassavius to die and the opportunity to inherit his vast fortune. But Cassavius wishes anyone who inherits to stay there forever. Jan investigates as those who leave meet with mysterious deaths.

Harry Kümel's (Daughters of Darkness) phantasmagoria is a Matryoshka doll of fantastic ideas, realized with stunning photography by Gerry Fisher (The Exorcist III) and scored by Georges Delerue (Contempt). Newly restored and overseen by Kümel, it is released on Blu-ray for the first time in the world.

Special Features: 

- New 4K restoration of the film overseen by director Harry Kümel

- Audio commentary by Harry Kümel and assistant director Françoise Levie (2005)

- New interview with Harry Kümel (2025, 19:43) 

- New interview with author and gothic horror expert Jonathan Rigby (2025, 26:00)

- Malpertuis Archive - an archival documentary on the making of the film featuring Kümel, actor Mathieu Carrière and director of photography Gerry Fisher among others (2005, 37:22))

- Orson Welles Uncut - a featurette on the casting of Welles, including rare outtakes of the actor (2005, 25:54)

- Susan Hampshire: one actress, three parts - an archival interview with the actress, including screen tests and contributions from cast and crew (2005, 11:43)

- Archival interview with Michel Bouquet and Harry Kümel from Belgian television (1971, 13:36) 

- Jean Ray, John Flanders 1887 - 1964 - an archival interview with the source novelist and co-writer of Malpertuis (2005, 7:53) 

Malpertuis Revisited - Harry Kümel revisits locations from the film (2005, 4:54)

- Malpertuis: The Cannes cut - the rejected version of the film which premiered in Cannes(103:52, SD)

- The Warden of the Tomb - Kümel’s early film based on Franz Kafka’s play (1965, 36:43)

- Trailer (3:35) 

- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Time Tomorrow

- Limited edition 80-page perfect bound booklet featuring new writing by Lucas Balbo, Maria J. Pérez Cuervo, David Flint, Willow Catelyn Maclay, Jonathan Owen 

- Limited edition of 3000 copies, presented in rigid box and full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings

Sales Points

- Global first 4k Remastered Blu-ray

- A LOST ORSON WELLES CLASSIC, finally available uncut in a director-supervised version

- Gothic Horror for fans of REBECCA, NOSFERATU, WUTHERING HEIGHTS, and THE THIRD MAN

Screenshots from the Radiance Films Blu-ray: 

Extras: 

Buy it!

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