THE EPITAPH VOL. 40
GIANT-SIZED "CHECK DISC" CHECK-IN EDITION NO.1
WEIRD WISCONSIN: THE BILL REBANE COLLECTION (1965-1988) - VENGEANCE TRAILS: FOUR CLASSIC WESTERNS (1966-1970) - UNCLE PECKERHEAD (2020) - THE BLACK WINDMILL (1974)
We get quite a "check discs" sent in for review, these are non-retail review copies labels send out without artwork or packaging. These are of the same A/V quality as the retail discs but I do find it hard to get excited about a generic looking check disc without the benefit of artwork, which I know is a very first world sort of problem to have, but it's a bummer man. That said, while I appreciate the promos these disc don't always get a proper full-on write-up on the site, sometimes they slip through the cracks so to speak. I thought going forward I would collect these in regular Check Disc Check-In Edition of The Epitaph in abbreviated capsule review form. Here we go, it's the first of what will absolutely be many Check Disc Check-In segments, this time featuring releases from the venerable Arrow Video and 101 Films.
Label: Arrow Video
Region Code: Region-FREE
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 638 Minutes
Audio: English DTS-HD MA Mono with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Full Frame (1.33:1), 108-0p HD Widescreen (1.85:1)
Director: BIll Rebane
Arrow have been absolutely killing it with their regional-horror sets, beginning with the first two volumes of the American Horror Project and then the He Came from the Swamp: The William Grefé Collection. Now we get the
Weird Wisconsin: The Bill Rebane Collection, a four-disc set chronicling the truly independent regional filmmaker who made a name for himself in the backwoods of Wisconsin. Perhaps most famous for turning a rusty VW Beetle into a giant spider in The Giant Spider Invasion this set brings together six films on Blu-ray and in brand new restorations for the first-time ever.
Here we get region auteurism at it's finest, beginning with a mutant astronaut in the fairly awful Monster A Go-Go, cabin-in-the-woods apocalypse movie Invasion from Inner Earth, the alien-spore invasion of The Alpha Incident, a haunted piano Gothic chiller The Demons of Ludlow, a Ten Little Indians-styled body count thriller with The Game and the A.I. enabled monster truck terror of Twister’s Revenge.
A lot of Rebane's films might be considered stinkers by the average movie fan but if you have that deep-down love of independent regional 70's and 80's movies along the lines of William Grefe, Al Adamson and S.F. Brownrigg you will find much to love about these grainy 16mm independent flicks. The set is overstuffed with extras, including a six-part making of interview with the director, a feature-length documentary about Rebane, appreciations from Kim Newman, Stephen R. Bissette, alternate versions, Rebane Short films, trailers, outtakes and galleries. This is another terrific regional filmmaker set from Arrow Video, and you can currently pick-up this set for $49.99 on Amazon, which is a great price.
Special Features:
Disc One: Monster A Go Go (1965) & Invasion From Inner Earth (1974)
- Straight Shooter Part 1 and Part 2, two newly filmed interviews about the making of Monster A Go-Go and Invasion from Inner Earth with director Bill Rebane (21 min)
- Brand new interview with historian and critic Kim Newman about the films of Bill Rebane (15 min)
- Twist Craze (9 min), and Dance Craze (15 min), two early short films by Bill Rebane
- Kidnap Extortion (1973), a newly restored industrial short directed by Bill Rebane (14 min)
- Stills and Promotional Gallery (3 min)
Disc Two: The Alpha Incident (1978) & The Demons of Ludlow (1983)
- Straight Shooter Part 3 and Part 4, two newly filmed interviews about the making of The Alpha Incident and The Demons of Ludlow with director Bill Rebane (17 min)
- Rebane’s Key Largo, a brand new visual essay by historian and critic Richard Harland Smith (16 min)
- The Alpha Incident original trailer (3 min)
- The Demons of Ludlow original trailer (3 min)
- Stills and Promotional Gallery (3 min)
Disc Three: The Game (1984) & Twister's Revenge (1988)
- Two presentations of The Game (aka The Cold) in 1.85 and 1.33 aspect ratio
- Straight Shooter Part 5 and Part 6, two newly filmed interviews about the making of The Game and Twister’s Revenge with director Bill Rebane (15 min)
- Discovering Bill Rebane, brand new presentation by historian & critic Stephen R. Bissette about his personal connections with the films of Bill Rebane and their importance to regional film making in America (28 min)
- The Game original trailer (1 min)
- Twister’s Revenge original trailer (4 min)
- Stills and Promotional Gallery (3 min)
Disc Four: Who is Bill Rebane? (2021) & Bonus
- Who is Bill Rebane? Exclusive new feature length documentary by historian and critic David Cairns on the life and work of the Wisconsin auteur, featuring historians, critics, filmmakers, plus cast and crew members who worked with Bill Rebane (115 min)
- King of the Wild Frontier a new almost two-hour impassioned conversation with historian and critic Stephen R. Bissette about the films of Bill Rebane (134 min)
- Invasion from Inner Earth outtakes from the shoot (17 min)
- The Alpha Incident outtakes from the shoot (11 min)
- The Demons of Ludlow outtakes from the shoot (10 min)
- The Giant Spider Invasion original trailer (4 min)
- Gallery of Behind the Scenes stills (3 min)
- Stills and Promotional Galleries for the rest of Rebane’s filmography
VENGEANCE TRAILS: FOUR CLASSIC WESTERNS (1966-1970)
Label: Arrow Video
Region Code: Region-FREE
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 379 Minutes
Audio: Italian and English DTS-HD MA & LPCM 1.0 Mono with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (2.35:1
Directors: Lucio Fulci, Maurizio Lucidi, Massimo Dallamano, Antonio Margheriti
Cast: Franco Nero, George Hilton, Nino Castelnuovo, Robert Woods, Pier Paolo Capponi, Enrico Maria Salerno, Venantino Venantini, Terry Jenkins, Klaus Kinski
In the wake of Sergio Leone’s “Dollars” trilogy the ensuing spaghetti western explosion spawned multitudes of westerns looking to cash-in on the violent revenge-drive sub-genre. This 4-disc set from Arrow collects four film, we have Lucio Fulci’s (The Devil's Honey) Massacre Time (1966) starring Franco Nero (Man, Pride and Vengeance) and George Hilton; Maurizio Lucidi’s My Name is Pecos (1966) with Robert Woods (Johnny Colt); Massimo Dallamano’s (What Have You Done to Solange?) Bandidos (1967) with Enrico Maria Salerno (Savage Three); and Antonio Margheriti’s (Seven Deaths in the Cat's Eyes) And God Said to Cain (1970) with cult-cinema mad-man Klaus Kinski (Aguirre the Wrath of God). These dusty tales of vengeance all get gorgeous new 2K scans from the OCN that offer tight, organic looking images on all four films. Extra are plentiful, beginning with new commentaries by the likes of C. Courtney Joyner, Henry Parke, Kat Ellinger, actor Robert Woods and Howard Hughes, plus new documentaries and interviews for each film, plus trailers and galleries. If you're passionate about your pasta-westerns this set from Arrow Video is a no-brainer.
Special Features:
Disc One - Massacre Time (1966)
- Alternate US dub
-New Audio Commentary by authors and critics C. Courtney Joyner and Henry Parke
- New documentary featuring a new video interview with actor Franco Nero and an archival video interview with actor George Hilton (45 min) HD
- New video interview with film historian Fabio Melelli (19 min) HD
- Italian trailer (3 min) HD
- German Promotional Gallery (1 min) HD
Disc Two - My Name is Pecos (1966)
- New commentary by actor Robert Woods and C. Courtney Joyner
- New interview with actor George Eastman (21 min) HD
- New interview with actress Lucia Modugno (19 min)
- New documentary featuring a new interview with Fabio Melelli and an archival interview with cinematographer Franco Villa (20 min) HD
- Italian trailer (3 min) HD
- German Promotional Gallery (1 min) HD
Disc Three - Bandidos (1967)
- New Audio Commentary by author and critic Kat Ellinger
- New interview with assistant director Luigi Perelli (19 min) HD
- New interview with actor Gino Barbacane (12 min) HD
- New interview with Fabio Melelli (11 min) HD
- Alternate end title sequence (1 min) HD
- German Promotional Gallery (1 min) HD
Disc Four - And God Said to Cain (1970)
- New Audio Commentary by author and critic Howard Hughes
- New documentary featuring a new interview with Fabio Melelli and a new audio interview with actress Marcella Michelangeli (20 mIn) HD
- New interview with actor Antonio Cantafora (13 min) HD
- German Promotional Gallery (1 min) HD
UNCLE PECKERHEAD (2020)
Label: 101 Films
Region Code: B
Rating: Cert.18
Duration: 97 Minutes
Audio: English PCM 2.0 Stereo DTS-HD MA 5.1 Surround with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (2.39:1)
Director: Matthew John Lawrence
Cast: Mike Lawrence, David Littleton, Chet Siegel, Jeff Riddle, Ruby McCollister and Shannon O’Neill
The same day that the cash-strapped punk band DUH are about to embark on their first regional tour their car is stolen. The tour seems doomed to fail before it's even started, but when the trio encounter a southern-fried homeless redneck named Peckerhead living in a 15-passenger Ford Econoline van fortune smiles upon them. They strike an alliance with Peck who seems more than happy to be both their roadie and merch guy as long as they cover the gas expenses. While on tour the band discover that Peck has one small drawback, every night at midnight he transforms into a cannibalistic monster for thirteen minutes. A fact which comes to light when he evicerates a crooked concert promoter who stiffs them on their gig earnings. Now this might be an issue for some, but to a hungry young band on the road looking to make-it there's definitely a work around here. A super-fun horror comedy along the lines of Deathgasm by way of the Green Room that delivers the laughs, gore and some fantastic punk rock tunes. Recommended!
Special Features:
- Audio Commentary with the Director and Cast
- Holy Mess music video (2 min) HD
- Short Film: Larry Gone Demon (14 min) HD
- Trailer (2 min) HD
THE BLACK WINDMILL (1974)
Label: 101 Films
Region Code: B
Rating: Cert. 12
Duration: 106 Minutes
Audio: English PCM Mono with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (2.35:1)
Director: Don Siegal
Cast: Michael Cain, John Vernon, Delphine Seyrig, Donald Pleasence, Joss Ackland
The Black Windmill (1974) is a Brit thriller directed by legendary American filmmaker Don Siegel (Charley Varrick), starring Michael Caine as a British secret agent Major John Tarrant, who is targeted by blackmailer McKee (John Vernon, Animal House) and Celi (Delphine Seyrig, Daughters of Darkness) who kidnap his son to extort a cash of uncut diamonds. When his superior Cedric Harper (Donald Pleasence, Raw Meat) refuses to play ball with the kidnappers Tarrant takes takes matters into his own hands. A terrifically entertaining spy-thriller with the always reliable Caine directed by Siegal, chock-full of action, spy-gadgets, explosions, and a very cool cast. The mystery was well-played but there's some weird tonal vibes and plot holes that stick-out like a sore thumb, but this is a still a gem in my opinion in the filmography of Siegal and Caine, plus you get to see Pleasance working a snot-rag like nobodies business. Extras include an interview with Joss Ackland (The House That Dripped Blood) and cinematographer Ousama Rawi (Pulp), the latter of whom talks about Pleasance's tendency for onscreen "business". A bit of gem IMO and a definite recommend.
Special Features
- Reversible sleeve with alternate artwork
- Interview with actor Joss Ackland (9 min) HD
- Interview with cinematographer Ousama Rawi (20 min) HD
- Trailer (2 min) HD
