THE EPITAPH - BRIEF REMEMBRANCES OF THE RECENTLY RELEASED - COMING SOON!

A SNEAK PEEK AT THE NEXT INSTALLMENT OF THE EPITAPH - REVIEWS COMING SOON! 

THE EPITAPH VOL. 113 

BRIEF REMEMBRANCES OF THE RECENTLY RELEASED 

MAVERICK: THE COMPLETE SERIES (1957-1962) - THE YOGI BEAR SHOW: THE COMPLETE SERIES (1961-1962) - NEVER LET GO (2026) -  THE PURGE: THE COMPLETE TV SERIES (2018-2019) -  THE STRANGERS: CHAPTER 2 (2025) - THE STRANGERS: CHAPTER 3 (2026) - THE GHASTLY LOVE OF JOHNNY X  (2012) - THE QUICK DRAW MCGRAW SHOW (1959-1961) - RYAN'S DAUGHTER (1970) 

MAVERICK - THE COMPLETE SERIES (1957-1962) 32-Disc Blu-ray Set 

Label: Warner Archive

Region Code: Region-free

Rating: Unrated 

Duration: 6192 Minutes 

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

Video: 1080p HD Fullscreen (1.33:1) 

Director: Budd Boetticher, Leslie H. Martinson, Douglas Heyes, Richard L. Bare, Arthur Lubin

Cast: James Garner, Jack Kelly, and Roger Moore

The most unique '50s TV western lead may well have been gun-shy cardsharp Bret Maverick (James Garner), anti-hero of this beloved 1957-62 ABC program. Often joined by brother Bart (Jack Kelly, who became the full-time star after Garner's 1960 departure), Maverick's weaknesses for gaming and women led to fixes he reluctantly had to fight his way out of. This complete series collection contains all 124 episodes on 32 discs, now remastered for the first time in glorious High Definition!

Special Features:

- Five episodes are presented with original vintage commercials as seen during their initial broadcasts on ABC Television

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THE YOGI BEAR SHOW - THE COMPLETE SERIES (1961-1962) 

6-Disc Blu-ray Set 

Label: Warner Archive

Region Code: Region-Free

Rating: Unrated 

Duration: 792 Minutes 

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

Video: 1080p HD Fullscreen (1.33:1) 

Directors: William Hanna, Joseph Barbera

Cast: Daws Butler, Don Messick

The complete Hanna-Barbera series makes its Blu-ray debut, as Jellystone Park's Yogi Bear dreams of nothing more in life than to outwit as many unsuspecting tourists as he can and grab their prized picnic baskets. Yogi's little buddy, Boo Boo, tries to keep Yogi out of trouble, but rarely succeeds. These clever adventures are joined by the exploits of Snagglepuss and Yakky Doodle, all now remastered and restored.

Special Features:

- TIME CAPSULE YOGI - Die-hard fans view the pilot episode as originally aired

- CARTOON TRACKS: THE ART OF HANNA-BARBERA SOUND

- STILLS GALLERY TOUR WITH YOGI - Rare animation sketches come to life

- YOGI GETS GLOBAL- One Yogi Bear episode in a variety of languages

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NEVER LET GO (2026)  

4K Ultra HD + Digital 

Label: Lionsgate 

Region Code: Region-Free

Rating: R

Duration: 101 Minutes 32 Seconds 

Audio: English Dolby Atmos (TrueHD 7.1) with Optional English Subtitles

Video: Dolby Vision HDR10 2160p Ultra HD Widescreen (2.11:1)

Director: Alexandre Aja

Cast: Halle Berry, Percy Daggs IV, Anthony B. Jenkins, Matthew Kevin Anderson, and Christin Park

From visionary director Alexandre Aja (CRAWL) and the creative minds behind "Stranger Things" comes this psychological horror-thriller. As an evil takes over the world beyond their front doorstep; a mother (Oscar winner Halle Berry) and her twin sons find their only protection is their house and their deep-rooted family bond. Needing to stay connected at all times even tethering themselves with ropes they urge each other to never let go. But when one of the boy's questions if the evil is real; the ties that bind them together are severed; triggering a terrifying fight for survival.

Special Features:

- Making NEVER LET GO (11:43) : Creating Momma's House (6:37) 

- Tethered Together (7:04) 

- Deleted Scenes (7:07) 

- Theatrical Trailer (1:01) 

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THE PURGE - THE COMPLETE TV SERIES (2018-2019) 

4-Disc Blu-ray Set 

Label: Universal Pictures 

Region Code: Region-Free

Rating: Unrated 

Duration: 845 Minutes 

Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1 with Optional English Subtitles 

Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.78:1) 

Cast: Gabriel Chavarria, Rochelle Aytes, Dermot Mulroney, Derek Luke, Paola Nunez

Based on the worldwide hit film franchise, The Purge is set in an altered America governed by a totalitarian political party that has established an annual 12-hour period when all crime including murder is legal. From Blumhouse Television and Universal Content Productions we bring you The Purge: The Complete TV Series. Dive deep into the psyche of the Purgers with all full episodes from both riveting seasons. Experience what The Daily Beast hails as "Darker, Freakier, Better" now.

Special Features:

- Deleted Scenes (1:28) 

- A Conversation with Cast & Crew (2:49) 

- Anatomy of a Scene (3:17) 

- Costumes & Props (3:31) 

- Table Read (2:18) 

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THE STRANGERS: CHAPTER 2 (2025) 4K Ultra HD + Digital 

Label: Lionsgate 

Region Code: Region-Free

Rating: R

Duration: 98 Minutes 24 Seconds 

Audio: English Dolby Atmos (TrueHD) 7.1 with Optional English Subtitles 

Video: Dolby Vision HDR10 2160p Ultra HD Widescreen (2.35:1) 

Director: Renny Harlin

Cast: Madelaine Petsch, Gabriel Basso, Ema Horvath   

The Strangers are back - more brutal and relentless than ever. When they learn that one of their victims; Maya (Madelaine Petsch); is still alive; they return to finish what they've started. With nowhere to run and no one to trust; Maya must survive another horrific chapter of terror as The Strangers - driven by a senseless; unceasing purpose - pursue her; more than willing to kill anyone who stands in their way.

Special Features: 

- Heart of a Killer: Making THE STANGERS - CHAPTER 2

- Q&A with Cast & Crew

- Becoming A Survivalist 

- Theatrical Trailer 

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THE STRANGERS: CHAPTER 3 (2026) 4K Ultra HD + Digital 

Label: Lionsgate

Region Code: Region-Free

Rating: R

Duration: 91 Minutes 12 Seconds 

Audio: English Dolby Atmos (TrueHD 7.1) with Optional English Subtitles

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

Director: Renny Harlin

Cast: Madelaine Petsch, Gabriel Basso, Ema Horvath

THE STRANGERS - CHAPTER 3; the franchise's most brutal chapter yet; descends into darker territory than ever as the mythology of the Strangers unravels and the bloodshed mounts. Madelaine Petsch; returning as Maya; is the Final Girl trapped in the Strangers' unceasing cycle of violence; pushed toward an inevitable face-off with the masked killers a terrifying nightmare where the only way out is in.

Special Features: 

- None 

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THE GHASTLY LOVE OF JOHNNY X  (2012) Blu-ray + CD Soundtrack 

Label: Film Masters 

Region Code: Region-Free

Rating: Unrated 

Duration: 105 Minutes 33 Seconds

Audio: English Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo or 5.1  Surround with Optional English Subtitles 

Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (2.35:1) 

Director: Paul Bunnell

Cast: Will Keenan, Creed Bratton, De Anna Joy Brooks, Reggie Bannister, and Les Williams

Banished to Earth for intergalatic juvenile delinquency, Johnny X and his gang of Ghastly Ones set off in search of a piece of alien technology that could change the fate of the universe forever the so-called "resurrection suit." Soon, the extraterrestrial no-goodniks are embroiled in a wacky scheme involving a femme fatale named Bliss, a shifty concert promoter with schemes of his own, and a recently deceased musician who won't let a little decomposition stop him from rocking.

Special Features:

- Audio Commentary track with director, Paul Bunnell, composer Ego Plum, and star De Anna Joy Brooks

- Making-of documentary 'Paul Bunnell's Ghastly Vision' (53:38) 

- Texas Theater Q&A witt Paul Bunnell, Sara Grigsby & Aaron ball moderated by Mark Walters (19:36) 

- Trailer (2:31) 

- Collectible Postcard with part of the set of the film

- Bonus CD Soundtrack

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THE QUICK DRAW MCGRAW SHOW (1959-1961) 

Label: Warner Archive
Region Code: Region Free
Rating: Unrated 

Duration: 1050 Minutes 

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

Video: 1080p HD Fullscreen (.33:1) 

Director: William Hanna, Joseph Barbera

Cast: Daws Butler and Don Messick

Hanna-Barbera's beloved series starring the one and only Quick Draw McGraw and his sidekick Baby Looey in this Emmy-nominated program which makes its complete series debut as a Warner Archive Collection Blu-ray release. All 45 episodes of this fan favorite which also features Augie Doggie and Doggie Daddy and the team of Snooper and Blabber are here, newly remastered from 4k scans of the original camera negatives. A 6-Disc collection sure to entertain audiences of all ages.

Special Features: 

- Featurette: THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE EL-KABONG

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RYAN'S DAUGHTER (1970) 

4 Disc 4k Ultra HD + Blu-ray 

Label: Warner Archive

Region Code: Region-Free

Rating: R

Duration: 206 Minutes (107:53, 98:21)

Audio: English 2026 DTS-HD MA 5.1 Remix, DTS-HD MA 5.0 representing the original 1970 6-track theatrical presentation

Video: Dolby Vision HDR10 2160p Ultra HD Widescreen (2.20:1) 

Director: David Lean 

Cast: Robert Mitchum, Sarah Miles, John Mills, Trevor Howard, and Christopher Jones

Lovely, headstrong Rosy (Sarah Miles) cannot forsake her passionate romance with a handsome British officer (Christopher Jones). Yet there is a greater love: the devotion of her reserved schoolteacher husband Charles (Robert Mitchum), who stands by Rosy when her illicit affair leads to a charge of treason. Director David Lean and screenwriter Robert Bolt frame this brooding tale within the expansive beaches, craggy cliffs and heathered hills of Ireland's Dingle Peninsula.

Special Features: 

- Ryan’s Daughter: Rising Storm (27:47)

Ryan’s Daughter: Storm Chaser (20:56)

Ryan’s Daughter: The Eye of the Storm (14:12)

Film Night Special: We’re the Last of the Traveling Circuses (20:04)

- Audioc Commentary with Lady Sandra Lean, Sarah Miles, Petrine Day Mitchum, Michael Stevenson, 2nd Unit Dir. Roy Stevens, Art Dir. Roy Walker, Asst. Ed. Tony Lawson, Location Mgr. Eddie Fowlie, Stuntman Vic Armstrong, Biographer Stephen M. Silverman, Dir's. John Boorman & Hugh Hudson, Film historian Richard Schickel

- Announcement Trailer (2:22) 

- Theatrical Trailer (2:56) 

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A BUCKET OF BLOOD (1959) + DEMENTIA 13 (1963) Films Masters Blu-ray Review + Screenshots

A BUCKET OF BLOOD (1959) +

DEMENTIA 13 (1963)

Special Edition Blu-ray 

Film Masters continue their exploration of the films of producer-director Roger Corman with this cult-classic double-feature paring macabre comedy A Bucket of Blood (1959) and the Francis Ford Coppola Gothic shocker Dementia 13 (1963), both presented in newly restored in HD sourced from original 35mm archival elements with a wealth of new and archival extras!

A BUCKET OF BLOOD (1950)  

Label: Film Masters 

Region Code: Region-Free 

Rating: Unrated

Duration: 65 Minutes 22 Seconds 

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

Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1) 

Director: Roger Corman

Cast: Dick Miller, Bery Convey, Barboura Morris, Antony Carbone, Ed Nelson

In A Bucket of Blood (1959), directed by Roger Corman, we follow Walter Paisley (Dick Miller, Gremlins) a busboy at the Yellow Door Café, where hep-cat beatnik art-snobs gather to fellate themselves over their beat poetry and artistic endeavors. Walter dreams of being a great artist himself one day, but his lack of actual talent makes him a bit of a joke among the in-crowd. However, one night while trying to free a cat from inside his apartment wall Walter accidentally stabs the feline with a steak-knife, and while he's a bit slow he knows a good opportunity when he sees one. He takes the cats corpse and covers it modeling clay - with the knife still in it - presenting it to the espresso-slurping beatniks at the coffee house who immediately hail his macabre creation as a true work of artistic genius! 

Finally accepted by the art-crowd and craving further accolades by his new found art-world peers Walter struggles to find a new subject, resorting to murdering people and encasing them in clay, which seems to work just fine. The beatniks love his macabre sculptures, even the girl of his dreams, coffee house hostess Carla (Barboura Morris, The Trip), but things begin to fall apart for the gruesome sculptor when the truth of his morbid sculptures is eventually revealed. 

Roger Corman's film, written by Charles B, Griffith (Death Race 2000), is a fun time, a horror-comedy lampooning of the beatnik culture of the day, wittily written and played deliciously straight, this is a satire that still works even today, it really tapped into something with legs. Character actor Dick Miller (The Howling) didn't get many starring roles during his career, though he had tons of memorable smaller parts, and this rare lead was the meatiest lead role of his career. The lamentedly late Miller is wonderful playing the sympathetic yet ultimately villainous dimwitted hanger-on who wants so bad to be part of the in-crowd, and when he accidentally falls into it's good graces he's willing to do just about anything to stay in favor. A Bucket of Blood (1959) is a fun lampooning of beatnik culture, starring the beloved character actor Dick Miller in his only starring role, which immediately makes this a must-watch for me, Miller is terrific in it. 

DEMENTIA 13 (1963) 

Label: Film Masters 

Rating: Unrated 

Duration: 74 Minutes 46 Seconds

Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1)

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

Director: Francis Ford Coppola

Cast: William Campbell, Luanda Anders, Eithne Dunn, Patrick Mcgee

Written and directed by a 24-year-old Francis Ford Coppola, Dementia 13 centers on the dysfunctional Haloran family, who have converged at Haloran Castle to enact a morbid ritual in remembrance of Lady Haloran's (Ethne Dunn, Shake Hands with the Devil) deceased daughter, Kathleen (Barbara Dowling). Secrets shroud Kathleen's demise, and soon there is a mysterious interloper prowling the grounds with a literal axe to grind. Genuinely engaging and well-photographed, Dementia 13 is a bone-chilling slice of Gothic horror sure to thrill horror enthusiasts and Coppola fans alike.

As the story goes Roger Corman found himself with an excess $22,000 following the completion of the film The Young Racers (1963) and wanted to invest that movie into a profitable HItchcockian Psycho cash grab. A young sound technician on the set of the The Young Racers was chosen to direct the film based on his screenplay treatment, that man was Francis Ford Coppola who would go onto direct the Godfather trilogy and Apocalypse Now just to name a few.

The movie opens with John Holoran (Peter Read, The Brain) on a late-night boat excursion with his scheming young wife Louise (Luanda Anders, Night Tide) when he suffers a massive coronary, just after conveniently telling his wife that without him she will never see a penny of the family fortune. Despite her best efforts to save her husband he dies, as his final words echo through her mind she dumps his body overboard into the murky depths. Cue some creepy Ronald Stein film score and an equally eerie opening credits sequence and the movie proper gets underway. Louise forges a letter from her deceased husband saying he's gone to NYC on business and then she hops an airplane bound for Ireland to her husband's family estate, you know, to be sure she's included in Lady Holoran's will should the old bird suddenly expire. There she meets John's demented family whom annually gather at the family estate to mourn the death of their sister Kathleen who drown in a lake on the property years earlier. The whole family seems to be under the thrall of their mother's grief for the long deceased girl. Louise plots to take advantage of the distraught mother's state of mind and sets about to convince her that Kathleen is communicating with her from beyond the grave. The plan involves placing small trinkets from the dead girl's room and placing them at the bottom of the lake where they will be discovered when they float to the surface. However, that evening when Louis strips down to her undies and swims down to the bottom of the lake she is shocked to discover the perfectly preserved body of Kathleen! Spooked by this discovery she frantically swims to the surface only to be killed by an axe-wielding maniac. 

Well, can you get more Psycho than a scheming blond protagonist shockingly killed off quick and a family with some serious mommy issues. Coppola pooled his limited resources and used them to chilling effects with Dementia 13, this Gothic black and white tale of an axe-wielding maniac is captivating stuff. Acting legend Patrick McGee who was so menacing in everything from Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange to Lucio Fulci's The Black Cat, makes a memorably intense appearance as the intrusive family physician Dr. Caleb who takes it upon himself to solve the string of grisly axe-murders. 

Coppola manages quite a bit considering the notoriously short Roger Corman purse strings, with some great use of light and shadow, an eerie Ronald stein score, and some stylish lensing. He was obviously quite a talent even then and only nine years later would direct The Godfather, 'nuff said.  Be that as it may, after Coppola screened the film for Roger Corman the legendary producer was not pleased with what he saw and brought in director Jack Hill (Spiderbaby, Foxy Brown) to shoot some additional exploitation elements to spice the movie up, the results is a chilling and atmospheric slice of 60s horror that holds up really well. Dementia 13 is an atmospheric and chilling Psycho cash-grab from a talented then unknown first-time director named Francis Ford Coppola, who went on to direct just a few movies of note. 

Audio/Video: Both film gets separate region-free Blu-ray discs from Film Masters.  A Bucket of Blood (1959) is advertised as being a new restoration from a 2K scan of 35mm archival elements, while Dementia 13, presented in the original theatrical cut is newly restored in HD from original 35mm archival elements, both framed in 1.85:1 widescreen. They looked pretty terrific to my eyes, grain is present throughout, perhaps a bit chunkier in some sequences, but pretty solid with deep black, crisp whites and pleasing grayscale. I did not compare directly but from memory I would put these against the Vestron and Olive Films Blu-ray releases without pause. Audio on both come by way of English DTS-HD MA 2.0 dual-mono with optional English subtitles. The tracks are clean and aren't lousy with hiss or distortion, dialogue is always discernible and crisp and the effects and scores fare nicely in the mixes. 

Onto the extras, for A Bucket of Blood we get an excellent Audio Commentary for A Bucket of Blood by Tom Weaver featuring interview snippets with Roger Corman and others, plus an Alternative 1.33:1 aspect ratio 16mm raw scan of A Bucket of Blood. The 16mm version is pretty scratchy and beat-up, sourced from Something Weird Video and AGFA.  

Also includes is the 2-min episode of Trailers from Hell: A Bucket of Blood with Allan Arkush, and a 2-min Re-imagined 2026 theatrical trailer for A Bucket of Blood using restored elements.. The last of the extras is the Digitized rare 45-RPM 7-inch single novelty track promoting A Bucket of Blood by Bill Anson, provided by Gary L. Prange Archives. 

Extras for Dementia 13 start off with an Audio Commentary for Dementia 13 by Heath Holland, Film Historian and Host of Cereal at Midnight. It's a solid listen, het gets into the various versions of the film, including the version with a Monte Hellman directed prologue, the cast and crew, and some conspiratorial "alleged" hypnosis stuff that I found fascinating. Also on this set is the 10-min New documentary from Ballyhoo Motion Pictures, Jack Hill on FilmGroup in which he talks about working with Corman's company through his affiliation with Coppola, it's always a treat to hear Hill talk about the Corman years, and this brief interview is pretty great. We also get a 3-min Trailers from Hell episode, Dementia 13 with Mick Garris, a 2-min Re-imagined theatrical trailer for Dementia 13 using restored elements. 

The 2-disc Blu-ray arrives in a standard keepcase with a single-sided sleeve of artwork, tucked away inside 16-page Illustrated booklet with new essays by Tom Weaver on both films. 

Special Features: 

Disc 1

- Audio Commentary for A Bucket of Blood by Tom Weaver.

- Alternative 1.33:1 aspect ratio, raw scan from 16mm, of film A Bucket of Blood (64:47) 

- Trailers from Hell: A Bucket of Blood with Allan Arkush (1:53) 

- Re-imagine theatrical trailer for A Bucket of Blood using restored elements. (1:41) 

- Digitized rare 45-RPM 7-inch single novelty track promoting A Bucket of Blood by Bill Anson, provided by Gary L. Prange Archives (2:19) 

Disc 2: 

- Audio Commentary for Dementia 13 by Heath Holland, Film Historian and Host of Cereal at Midnight.

- New documentary from Ballyhoo Motion Pictures, Jack Hill on FilmGroup (10:13) 

- Trailers from Hell episode, Dementia 13 with Mich Garris (3:04) 

- Re-imagine theatrical trailer for Dementia 13 using restored elements (2:02) 

- 16-page Illustrated booklet with new essays by Tom Weaver

Screenshots from the Film Masters Blu-rays:

A BUCKET OF BLOOD 

Extras: 

DEMENTIA 13 

Extras: 

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