DVD Review: THE INITIATION (1984)

THE INITIATION (1984) 

Label: ArrowDrome

Rating: 18 Certificate 
Duration: 93 Minutes 

Region Code: Region 2 PAL

Audio: English Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono

Video: 16:9 Widescreen 

Cast: Vera Miles, Clu Gulager, Daphne Zuniga

Director: Larry Stewart
Tagline: Here’s to being young… staying young… and dying young.

Arrow Video budget-imprint ArrowDrome have brought Larry Stewart's by-the-numbers slasher The Initiation (1984) to PAL-format DVD in the UK. The film is a nostalgic slasher trip that doesn't stray very far from familiar slasher themes with more than a nod to John Carpenter's Halloween (1978) and even a bit of Happy Birthday to Me (1981). It stars 80's cutie Daphne Zuniga (The Dorm That Dripped Blood, Spaceballs) as a college-teen suffering from nightmares stemming from a traumatic past and a buried family secret. Throw a sorority prank gone awry, an asylum, some teen sex (of course), a fun mall setting and shocker of a twist ending and you have yourself a real slice of slasher nirvana, it's not original by any means but it is a rather enjoyable 80's whodunit.

I love the nightmare aspect of the story and how it pays off, plus we get some rather sweet kills using garden tools which set-up a rather obvious red-herring early on, gotta love the red-herrings in these 80's slashers. There's a fun cast of 80's familiars,  first we have Daphne Zuniga who is a total cutie as the final girl, she's great in a role that has some duality to it, fun stuff. On top of that you get Clu Gulager of The Return of the Living Dead (1986) as Kelly's father, a bit of a low-life but not horribly so, as the matriarch of the family we have Vera Miles from Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (1960) who would rather keep her secretes buried even if it means risking her own daughter's sanity. There's a decent amount of character development before the blood begins to flow, once the pranksters hit the local mall things really amp up after a somewhat slow start-up. There's a good variety to the deaths and a fair amount of the red stuff, too. Outside of the main characters we have the usual array of bitches, goofball doofuses and a virginal cutie, all are meat for the grinder though, no surprises there. 

The film gets a bit surreal as it deals quite a bit with Monica's nightmares and repressed memories, the dream sequences are pretty neat, particularly when she catches her mom boning away and she sets a man on fire, weird stuff and a great opening that starts of a bit askew. The mall setting is fantastic and it expectantly brought to mind Chopping Mall (1986) minus the murderous robots, as I've said, it's not an original film, but it definitely riffs on a few better films and chugs along at a great pace with some decent kills and some nice atmosphere, I was never bored for even a minute,  this is a damn decent slasher.

The standard-def transfer is on par with what we saw from the Region 1 Anchor Bay and Image Entertainment editions, there's a lot of soft focus and Vaseline on the lens cinematography and the 80's film stock is notoriously shit, but it's decent enough. The mono audio can be a bit tinny and the mix was low, had to crank it up a bit on the surround. There's not much in the way of special features unfortunately, just a theatrical trailer and that's it. My screener was just the disc only but apparently the retail version includes a booklet with writing's on the film by High Rising Productions' Calum Waddell. UK fans of slashers should definitely pick this budget-minded edition up, readers in the US need not upgrade. 3 Outta 5 

ARROW FILMS AND VIDEO Q1 2013 Releases Announced

ARROW VIDEO announced a slew of Q1 2013 titles today and I must say it's quite an array of must-haves. What are we getting? Ferdinando Baldi's spaghetti-western DJANGO, PREPARE A COFFIN (1968), a double does of the macabre from Mario Bava, a trio of erotic delights from Radley Metzger, Ozploitation, Wes Craven's DEADLY BLESSING (1981) gets upgraded to 1080p and the controversial French film BAISE-MOI (2000). Amazon pre-orders can be found at the bottom of the post...

DJANGO, PREPARE A COFFIN (1968) DVD

Label: ArrowDrome
Release Date: January 14th 2012
Region: 0 PAL 
Rating: TBA
Cast: Terence Hill, Horst Frank and George Eastman
Director: Ferdinando Baldi


Overview: Django the drifter returns in this classic Sixties Spaghetti Western from Ferdinando Baldi (Texas Addio, Comin’ At Ya!), starring Terence Hill (They Call Me Trinity) as the wandering gunslinger, hired as executioner to a corrupt local politician who is framing innocent men, sending them to hang in an evil scheme to take hold of their land.

But Django has other ideas and, cleverly faking the deaths of the condemned men, he assembles them into a loyal gang who’ll help him take down the boss, a man who had a hand in the death of Django’s wife years before.

Thrill as Django gets his bloody revenge with a hail of bullets in this classic from a series of B-movie westerns that helped to define a genre. Prepare your coffin now!  

Special Features:
- Reversible Sleeve of Original Artwork
- Collector's Booklet by Spaghetti Western Expert Hoawrd Hughes 

 BLACK SUNDAY / THE MASK OF SATAN/ I VAMPIRI (1960)

3-Disc Dual Format Blu-ray + DVD 

Label: Arrow Video 
Release Date: January 28th 2013
Region: B/2 PAL
Rating: 15
Cast: Barbara Steele, John Richardson and Andrea Checchi
Director: Mario Bava
Tagline: STARE INTO THESE EYES... discover deep within them the unspeakable terrifying secret of BLACK SUNDAY... it will paralyze you with fright!

Legendary Scream Queen Barbara Steele (Shivers, Caged Heat) stars in this classic slice of gothic terror from the father of fantastic Italian cinema Mario Bava (Lisa & the Devil).

A beautiful witch is sentenced to death for her evil deeds by her own brother, condemned to die by having a metal mask hammered onto her face before being burnt at the stake. As she passes, she puts a terrible curse on all her future descendants as the spikes of the death mask pierce her flesh... But when two unwitting travellers discover her final resting place and worse, drip blood on her resting corpse, they unleash her once again in all her stunningly beautiful, terrifying glory....

Banned in the UK on its release, Black Sunday is a groundbreaking film that opened the door for Spaghetti horror in all its gory glory.
 
Special Features:
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentation of two versions of the film; ‘The Mask of Satan’ – the European version with score by Roberto Nicolosi & ‘Black Sunday’ – the re-edited and re-dubbed AIP version with Les Baxter score, on home video for the first time
- Three audio versions: Optional Italian, European English and AIP English re-dub and re-score
- English SDH subtitles for both English versions and a new English subtitle translation of the Italian audio
- Audio Commentary with Bava biographer and expert Tim Lucas
- Introduction to the film by author and critic Alan Jones
- Interview with star and horror icon Barbara Steele
- Deleted Scene from the Italian version with notes by Tim Lucas
- International Trailer
- US Trailer
- Italian Trailer
- TV Spot
- I Vampiri (1956) – Italy’s first sound horror film directed by Riccardo Freda and Mario Bava
- US I Vampiri Trailer ‘The Devil’s Commandment’
- Trailer reel – trailers of all the major works by Mario Bava
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Graham Humphreys
- Collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the films by Matt Bailey and Alan Jones, illustrated with original archive stills and posters


Limited Edition Slipbox (1000 copies) also available exclusively from the Arrow Store. Limited Edition features the same content as above plus the Slipbox casing and four alternating artwork panels featuring new and original artwork.

LISA AND THE DEVIL / THE HOUSE OF EXORCISM (1974)

2-Disc Dual Format Blu-ray + DVD 

Label: Arrow Video

Release Date: January 28th 2012
Region: B/2 PAL
Cast: Telly Savalas, Elke Sommer and Sylva Koscina
Director: Mario Bava
Rating: 18 
Tagline: Every Corner of the Soul is Lost to the Icy Clutch of the Supernatural 

From the father of Italian Horror Mario Bava (Black Sunday, The Whip and the Body) comes a tale of nightmarish surrealism and supernatural suspense.

Lisa (Elke Sommer) - an American tourist travelling in Spain - loses her tour party and seeks refuge in the tumbledown mansion of a blind countess after being guided there by the distinctly satanic butler of the house, Leandro (Telly Savalas – Horror Express, Kojak). The Son of the Countess notices Lisa’s striking resemblance to his dead lover and pursues her as a night of murder, strange eroticism and dark hallucinations begins.

Re-cut in the US to cash in on the popularity of William Friedkin’s The Exorcist and released as The House of Exorcism (included in this special edition) the original Lisa & the Devil is Bava at his abstract and delirious best, delivering a 70s horror classic and a masterclass in cinema as feverish nightmare.

Special Features:
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentation of both versions of the film: ‘Lisa and the Devil’ and ‘The House of Exorcism’ producer’s cut
- Optional English and Italian audio on ‘Lisa and the Devil’
- English SDH subtitles on both features and a new English subtitle translation of the Italian Audio of ‘Lisa and the Devil’
- Audio Commentary on ‘Lisa and the Devil’ by Bava biographer and expert Tim Lucas
- Audio Commentary on ‘The House of Exorcism’ by producer Alfredo Leone and star Elke Sommer
- Introductions to both films by author and critic Alan Jones
- The Exorcism of Lisa – Assistant Director Lamberto Bava, screenwriter Roberto Natale, Roy Bava and Bava biographer Alberto Pezzotta discuss the making of both versions of the film
- Deleted Scene
- Original trailers
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Graham Humphreys
- Collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by critic and author Stephen Thrower illustrated with original stills and archive posters

Limited Edition Slipbox (1000 copies) also available exclusively from the Arrow Store. Limited Edition features the same content as above plus the Slipbox casing and four alternating artwork panels featuring new and original artwork

CAMILLE 2000 (1969)

Dual Format Blu-ray + DVD 

Label: Arrow Video 
Release Date: February 11th 2013
Region: B/2 PAL
Cast: Danièle Gaubert, Nino Castelnuovo and Eleonora Rossi Drago
Director: Radley Metzger
Rating: 18

Overview: From an age before the hardcore explicitness of Porno Chic comes a swingin’ late 60s erotic film brimming with Italian opulence, liberated sex and modish inflatable furniture.

When Marguerite, a promiscuous woman with a troubled past and a deep distrust of men meets Armand, she lets her guard down and falls in love. But can they resist old habits and latent emotions in order to stay together? Find out in this visual, sensual cinematic feast of multiple sexual partners, from the director of Score and The Opening Of Misty Beethoven.

A vivid mix of colour, grandiose set design, bizarre costumes and frank sexuality, Camille 2000 is an essential piece of erotic film history and a must see for cult movie fans.

Special Features:
- High Definition Blu-ray and Standard Definition DVD Presentation
- Brand new high definition restoration of the extended cut – available for the first time in the UK
- Optional English SDH subtitles
- Audio commentary with director Radley Metzger and film historian Michael Bowen
- On the set of Camille 2000 – featuring stars Daniele Gaubert, Nino Castelnuovo and Radley Metzger
- Sylviana’s Bare Striptease – previously cut scene from the feature
- Cube Love Scene – A newly discovered alternate take
- Restoration Comparison
- Original trailers
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly illustrated artwork by The Red Dress
- Collector’s booklet featuring writing on the film by Robin Bougie

 THE LICKERISH QUARTET (1970)

 Dual Format Blu-ray + DVD

Label: Arrow Video:

Release Date: February 11th 2013 
Region: B/2 PAL 
Cast: Silvana Venturelli, Frank Wolff and Erika Remberg
Director: Radley Metzger
Rating: 18

Overview: A mind-bending classic of erotic cinema, The Lickerish Quartet brings us a rich jaded couple and their grown-up son - bored after a night watching pornography - visiting a travelling stunt show, the star of which is bears a striking similarity to the woman in the sex film they just saw. Invited back to the castle for a drink, she soon becomes embroiled in a night of bizarre carnality, fantasy fulfilment and highly charged love games.

Hailing from a time when erotic cinema was embraced by the mainstream, The Lickerish Quartet is a dream-like fantasy of liberated love and questing eroticism which blurs the boundaries between staid reality and the surreal realms of unbridled sexual fantasy.

Directed by the groundbreaking sometime pornographer Radley Metzger, The Lickerish Quartet takes us back in time to an era when nudity was a novelty and sexual explicitness felt like a revolution...

Special Features:
- High Definition Blu-ray and Standard Definition DVD Presentation
- Brand new high definition restoration of the original feature – uncut and available for the first time in the UK
- Optional English SDH subtitles
- Audio commentary with director Radley Metzger and film historian Michael Bowen
- The Making of The Lickerish Quartet – A behind-the-scenes look featuring rare footage of Silvana Venturelli, Paolo Turco and Radley Metzger
- Cool Version Love Scenes – originally produced scenes where the original version too hot!
- Giving Voice to the Quartet – a look at the different audio tracks between the original location and dubbed soundtracks
- Original trailers
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly illustrated artwork by The Red Dress
- Collector’s booklet featuring writing on the film by Robin Bougie

 SCORE (1974)
Dual Format Blu-ray + DVD

Label: Arrow Video

Region: B/2

Release Date: February 11th 2013 
Cast: Claire Wilbur, Calvin Culver and Lynn Lowry
Director: Radley Metzger
Rating: 18

Overview: A MAN AND A WOMAN AND A WOMAN AND A MAN AND A MAN AND A WOMAN ETC., ETC

Riding an early 70s wave of ever more liberal big screen morals, Score takes us to the imaginary city of Leisure, where an experienced couple are playing dangerous games of seduction on the swinging scene. They’re taking bets on who can screw who as they play fast and very loose with a newly married couple – Betsy and Eddie – two cute kids who are about to get their world turned upside down...

As the two couples dance around one another and the wine and pot begin to take hold, will the young and naive pair break their vows and succumb to the new morality of their hosts? Will Betsy wear the dog collar and leash? Find out in Metzger’s paean to sexual liberation, softcore Lesbianism and gender-bending erotic freedom!
 
Special Features:
- High Definition Blu-ray and Standard Definition DVD Presentation
- Brand new high definition restoration of the film – available for the first time in the UK
- Optional English SDH subtitles
- Audio commentary with director Radley Metzger and film historian Michael Bowen
- On the set of Score – a behind the scenes look at the making of Score containing rare footage of Claire Wilber, Lynn Lowry, Cal Culver, Gerald Grant and Radley Metzger
- Keeping Score with Lynn Rowley (The Crazies, Shivers) – a brand new interview with Score’s star
- Original trailers
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly illustrated artwork by The Red Dress
- Collector’s booklet featuring writing on the film by Robin Bougie

 DEAD END DRIVE IN (1986) DVD

Label: ArrowDrome: 

Region: 2 PAL
Release Date: February 25th 2013 
Cast: Ned Manning, Natalie McCurry and Peter Whitford
Director: Brian Trenchard-Smith
Rating: 18 
Tagline: The price of admission is the rest of your life...

From Ozploitation King Brian Trenchard-Smith (Turkey Shoot, Stuntrock) comes an Australian Grindhouse classic which pits the dregs of society against each other in a crazed battle featuring atomic punks, burnt out junkers and a totally corrupt police force.

In an apocalyptic future where crimes rates have spiralled out of control and the economy has permanently collapsed, those in charge have found a perfect solution to the rise of lawlessness... Lock away the undesirables, criminals and low down dirty scumbags in the old Drive-in movie theatres, now converted into violent concentration camps.

Now, two kids who thought they were only coming along to see the show are trapped by circumstance in the chaos of Dead End Drive-In, can they escape before they too become resigned to the crazed life in this hellhole like everybody else? . There's a party every day, a movie every night, and all the junk food you can eat. What more can a kid want... except to get out.

  
Special Features:
- A Reversible Sleeve of Original Artwork
- A Collector's Booklet

DEADLY BLESSING (1981)

Dual Format Blu-ray + DVD

Label: Arrow Video
Region: B/2 PAL
Release Date: March 25th 2013  
Rating: 15
Duration: 98 mins
Cast: Sharon Stone, Ernest Borgnine, Michael Berryman
Director: Wes Craven 
Tagline: They’ll Build A Barn From Your Bones!

Wes Craven unearths the darkness that festers beneath an isolated community in Deadly Blessing, a rural tale of mistrust and bloody murder from the director of Last House on the Left.

When Martha marries into a close knit sect she finds herself shunned as an outsider by its fanatical members, but when her husband dies mysteriously while riding a tractor expressly forbidden as a tool of the devil, things take a darker turn. Marked as a incubus by her neighbours, time is running out for Martha and her visiting friends, as plagued by nightmares and fearing for their lives, they face the violent fury and retribution of old time religion.

One of Hollywood’s masters of terror presents a tale of rural horror and simmering evil from the golden age of video terror.
 
Special Features:
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentation of the main feature
- Optional English SDH Subtitles
- Audio commentary with Wes Craven [Blu-ray only]
- Brand new UK-exclusive interview with Wes Craven [Blu-ray only]
- Introduction by star Michael Berryman
- Craven Images: The Horror Hits of Michael Berryman (The Hills Have Eyes Series, Cut and Run, Weird Science) - An interview with Deadly Blessing’s iconic star
- Deadly Desires: An interview with screenwriter Glenn M. Benest
- Easter Eggs
- Reversible sleeve with original and newly commissioned artwork by Rue Morgue art director Gary Pullin
- Collector’s booklet featuring writing on the film by author and critic Kim Newman

BAISE-MOI (2000) DVD

Label: Arrow Video
Release Date: March 25th 2013
Region: 2 PAL
Rating: 18
Cast: Raffaëla Anderson, Karen Lancaume and Céline Beugnot
Directors: Virginie Despentes, Coraline Trinh Thi 
Overview: Sex and shooting assault the senses in Baise-moi [literally ‘Fuck Me’ or ‘Kiss Me’], a bloody buddy movie that’s like Thelma and Louise on acid. 

Banned on release in France, the film has provoked as much horror as it has debate.

Manu – a part time porn star - and Nadine – a hooker – set out to leave their town for Paris after witnessing and being subject to rape and violence. They rage against societal expectations in a fury of robbery, orgiastic lust and murder.

One of the most controversial movies of the last 20 years, Baise-moi was described as the most sexually explicit film to ever reach British screens by the UK press, the film offers the complacent viewer a cinematic slap in the face.

Special Features:
- To Be Announced Soon
- Original theatrical trailer
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Joe Wilson
- Collector’s booklet featuring writing on the film by author Kier-la Janisse

DVD Review: THE DEVIL'S KISS (1975)

THE DEVIL'S KISS (1975)

Label: ArrowDrome
Region Code: 0 PAL
Rating: 18 Certificate
Duration: 89 mins
Audio: English Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono, French Dolby Digital Mono
Video: 16:9 Widescreen (1.66:1)
Director: Jordi Gigo
Cast: Silvia Solar, Oliveir Mathot, Jose Nieto
Tagline: One kiss dragged the dead from their graves...

Arrow Video have unearthed director Jordi Gigo's (EXORCISMO) trashy French-Spanish production THE DEVIL'S KISS from the dusty vaults of Eurocine and spit-shined it for a right proper release through the ArrowDrome imprint, in all it's campy 70's glory to the delight of bad cinema lovers everywhere.

Claire Grandier (Silvia Solar, EYEBALL) is a former Countess turned occult spiritualist whom arrives at the Castle of the Duke de Haussemont's (Jose Nieto, FRANKENSTEIN'S BLOODY TERROR) to attend an awesomely terrible fashion show, you just gotta see it for yourself, it's a frightfully  groovy sight. When she discovers the Duke's desperation to contact his deceased son through occult channels she charms her way into castle following a spooky seance. What the grieving Duke doesn't seem to realize is that Claire is actually out to destroy him in revenge of her late husband's death, he having committed suicide which she blames the Haussemont family for. Once inside the castle walls Claire, along with her co-conspirator Dr. Gruber (Olivier Mathot, REVENGE IN THE HOUSE OF USHER), hatch a diabolical scheme to unearth a fresh corpse, inject it with regenerative micro cells (what?) and call upon the dark powers of Astaroth to possess the corpse which will carry out her vengeance with the assistance of Dr.Gruber's telepathy (Oh! That explains it). Unearthing a recently deceased villager the two macabre nuts carry out their fiendish plan. However, Dr. Gruber is afflicted with a worsening heart condition and as his telepathic powers wane it becomes increasingly difficult to harness the evil inside the blue-skinned ghoul.

The film has an odd cast of deviant characters including a pervy voyeur butler, a lusty maid, a rape-y dwarf and the Duke's douchey playboy nephew, no one is particularly likable here so don't expect to care who dies. There's a lot going on in this rickety Gothic schlockfest, it's crammed with wildly awful 70s fashion, ham-fisted erotic inserts, grave robbery, spooky seances, devil worship, necromancy, zombies and a kitschy retro Euro-sleaze aesthetic candy coated with a thick organ score that at times sounded as if someone had fallen onto the keyboard.


Reversible Artwork

While here's some cool set design going on and cinematography ain't half bad the stiff acting and poorly dubbed dialogue do the film few favors. That said, it tended to be just awful enough to be a good bit of fun. The Gothic atmosphere and kitschy elements just never quite seem to come together in a way that works but as a slice of trashy Euro-sleaze it's a fun watch.

DVD: ArrowDrome's DVD edition of THE DEVIL'S KISS is presented in 16:9 widescreen (1.66:1) with choice of English and French language Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono with optional English subtitles. The film look surprisingly good even with some minor nicks, scratches and dirt, it's a pretty great print all around and was an unexpected treat. The mono audio while lacking depth and fidelity sounds pretty decent even with some snap, crackle and pop. For the purpose of this review I would occasionally toggle back and forth from English to French during the feature for comparison and I would say that the English dialogue sounds more crisp but the French effects and score sounded a more robust on the whole. Small amounts of print damage and hiss are the least of this film's worries,

The  screener "check disc" from Arrow Video did not include any packaging artwork or the collector's booklet but did include the Eurocine trailer reel which was a pretty great feature. Of the five trailers one that jumped out at me was ZOMBIE LAKE which I've heard so much about but have never watched, it looked wonderfully terrible and I sincerely hope that Arrow Video plan release it through their ArrowDrome imprint, it seems to be very much in the spirit of the grindhouse b-movies we've seen from them thus far and I think it would make a wonderful edition to the ArrowDrome catalog.

Special Features:
- Eurocine Horror Trailer Reel: FEMALE VAMPIRE (1:14), ORLOFF AND THE INVISIBLE MAN (1:42), OASIS OF THE LIVING DEAD (2:5), ZOMBIE LAKE (2:46) and THE SADISTIC BARON VON KLAUS (3:41)
- New Booklet by Author Stephen Thrower

Verdict: There's a smorgasbord of cheese-tastic Italian Euro-cult titles floating around on DVD these days but these Spanish co-productions like THE DEVIL'S KISS and THE MAN WITH THE SEVERED HEAD (with Paul Naschy) have been given short shrift, I'm very pleased to see that the Spanish schlock is getting it's due in the UK and elsewhere. If you're a connoisseur of cinema fromage, kitsch and bad b-movies gather your friends and give this a watch, definitely a film that benefits from a roomful of bad movie fans and a couple of sixers. If you're not a fan of bad 70's cinema move on, otherwise get your schlock on. 2.5/5  

DVD Review: MCBAIN (1991)

MCBAIN (1991)

Label: ArrowDrome
Release Date: September 19th 2011
Region Code: 0 PAL
Rating: 15 Certificate
Duration: 99 mins
Video: 16:9 Widescreen (1.85:1)
Audio: English Dolby Digital Stereo
Director: James Glickenhaus
Cast: Christopher Walken, Michael Ironside, Maria Conchita Alonso, Victor Argo
Tagline: War is Addictive!

I've said it a few times on the blog that action films were never really my thing. I've always been more of a horror, comedy, thriller and arthouse kinda guy at heart but occasionally a sweaty testosterone fueled action flick would find it's way to my TV screen. More often that not in the guise of an cop-action-comedy or a sci-fi-actioner along the lines of DIE HARD, STARSHIP TROOPERS or THE MATRIX. This may sound slightly pretentious coming from someone who thoroughly enjoys a silly slasher but the action genre always seemed kind of big and dumb to me which is kind of exactly why I dig this early 90's action flick from James Glickenhaus, the director of the revenge-actioner THE EXTERMINATOR. It's an absurdly action-packed flick that's low on brains but chock full o' testosterone and explosions galore.

Much like THE EXTERMINATOR the film opens with a sweet 'Nam sequence. The war in Vietnam has quite literally just ceased and a helicopter of soldiers are being withdrawn from the jungle when they spot a bamboo dome structure they believe to be holding American POW's. Landing nearby they assault the camp in a flurry of knifings, gunfire and explosions and sure enough the dome is a MAD BEYOND BEYOND THUNDERDOME style death arena pitting American POW's against their Viet Cong captors in a fight to the death. As the soldiers move in POW Robert McBain (Christopher Walken, DEAD ZONE) faces off against a brick wall sized VC soldier when his life is saved by US soldier Robertro Santo (Chick Vennera, NIGHT EYES). Santo tears a $100 dollar bill in half and a vow is made that should the two halves of the torn currency ever be reunited that McBain will repay his debt to Santo.

Eighteen years later McBain is a steelworker living in NYC and while throwing back a beer in the neighborhood bar witnesses the now Colombian rebel Santo executed on live television after a failed attempt to overthrow 'El Presidente', a despot Colombian general played by venerable character actor Victor Argo (BAD LIEUTENANT). A few days later Santo's sister Christina (Maria Conchita Alonso, THE RUNNING MAN) makes the pilrimage from Colombia to NYC tracking McBain to the very top of the Brooklyn Bridge where he's welding. Offering him the torn $100 bill she enlists him to help liberate Central America from it's corrupt drug trade fueled dictatorship.

McBain brings his 'Nam aging buds back together to assist with the coup. We have an embittered Detective Gil (T.G. Waites, THE THING), Eastland (Steve James, THE EXTERMINATOR), Dr. Carl Dalton (Jay Patterson, DEATH OF A PRESIDENT) and a reluctant Frank Bruce (Michael Ironside, VISITING HOURS) who has apparently struck it rich post-'Nam offering "What, you miss the smell of napalm in the morning?" to which McBain counters "When I come to see you.. you're sitting in a chair like an old man, staring at the ocean, you having fun yet?".

Bruce refuses to join the coup (though he later joins the fun, of course) but offers the use of a plane which comes with a hefty pricetag. In an attempt to raise the cash the mercs decimate the crew of a low-level narcotics peddler named Papo (Luis Guzman, BOOGIE NIGHTS) who indignantly tells them after they wipe the floor with his gang in a shit-storm of gunfire that "if you guys want money why don't you go after whats his face, John Gambotti, he's got the money, all I got is table drippings" and so they do. They ambush Gambotti (Dick Boccecelli, THE EXTERMINATOR) outside the the Old Homestead restaurant which will be familiar to those who've seen Glickdenhaus's THE EXTERMINATOR as Dick Boccelli again appears as a mafioso suspended from chains, this time from a skyscraper instead of a meat grinder and squeezed for millions to be wired into the mercs account who pose as Israeli agents.

With the cash wired to their account they charter Bruce's turbo-prop private plane and head to Columbia to free the poor and repressed people of that country. At this point all logic and sanity are abandoned as the twin-prop tries to evades two Colombian jet fighters with the help of Bruce's SAT-link briefcase computer. When one of the jet pilots orders the plane to land McBain fires a single shot from a handgun through the cockpit window killing the pilot and crashing the jet. Mind you there's no decompression, the window doesn't shatter and no one is stricken deaf from the close proximity shot. It's outrageously implausible but highly entertaining and so it goes for the remainder of the film as we see one of the most casual rebel coups ever slapped on the silver screen. The Hawaiian shirted mercenaries land unscathed in Bogata during a raging ground war, pose for vacational photos and walk through a hornets nests of gunfire only to walk away unscathed and victorious, 'natch.

It's a nutty, non-sensical action film featuring Christopher Walken is at his most badass Walken-ish delivering deliciously awful dialogue with nuanced pregnant pauses as only he (and William Shatner) can, it's whacky stuff. As where THE EXTERMINATOR took a few narrative shortcuts leaving your mind to fill in the gaps this Glickenhaus action-fest numbs the brain to such a degree that it would prove detrimental should your brain enter into the fray. That said the final third of the film definitely loses some steam despite it's explosive arsenal of badassery.

Sweat 80's Action lady

Glickenhaus and crew filmed the Colombian scenes in the Philippines which I guess would qualify this as a late-era Filipino exploitation film. It was fun to see Walken strut his stuff. Sadly, the usually badass Michael Ironside is atypically subdued, definitely a missed opportunity. The film's worst performance must be from the consummate 80's action-lady Maria Conchita Alonso who really hams it up in an overly dramatic performance as Santo's rebel sister Christina, pure 80's awfulness. MCBAIN is an early 90's film but the cheese is vintage 80's no doubt about it.

DVD: This is one of the first titles from Arrow Video's fledgling ArrowDrome imprint, a budget line of cult horror and exploitation films for the cinema fromage connoisseur. It's presented in anamoprhic 1.85:1 widescreen and the transfer is very good with few instances of print damage, there's good color saturation and decent black levels. The stereo audio track is clear and balanced with the dialogue, score and effects coming through nice and clean, it's not the most dynamic track but handles the film without distortion.   

The ArrowDrome titles are  budget-minded so don't expect a ton of bonus content, the lone extra feature here is Blast 'Em Up: The Making of McBain (13:56) a video interview with director James Glickenhaus who discusses the film's origins, the futility of the war on drugs, working with Walken and how he considers all his films to be comedies of the absurd despite a few moments during the interview when he seems to take the film a bit more seriously that one might expect. The High Rising Productions produced featurette is short but appreciated with clips of the film intercut with the video interview. The ArrowDrome screener I received was a check disc and did not include final the artwork with reversible sleeve or the booklet with writings from Calum Waddell. Nice presentation and a short but sweet feature, not too shabby.  

Special Features:
- Introduction by Director James Glickenhaus
- Reagan Flexes Some Muscle: McBain and the Golden Age of the American Action Film Collector's Booklet by Calum Waddell
- Blast 'Em Up - The Making of McBain (13:56) 16:9


Verdict: I won't lie to you McBAIN is just not a good film, in fact it's pretty bad cinema, a guilty pleasure of an absurd actioner overflowing with nonsensical machismo mayhem. My advice to you is to turn off your brain and board this testosterone fueled twin-prop plane to a napalm fueled fever dream of non-stop action and unintentional hilarity. **1/2 (2.5 outta 5)  

Say CHEESE!

Arrow Video announce November releases of DEADLY BLESSING, THE EXTERMINATOR and TOKYO DECADENCE!

It's the last Friday of the month and around these parts that means new Arrow Video announcements!

First up is the November 7th release of James Glickenhaus's grindhouse revenge-thriller THE EXTERMINATOR. Check out the sweet artwork from The Dude Designs - that's awesome. Arrow are throwing some serious heat at Synapse Film whom are also releasing a region-free BD of the film on September 13th - it's gonna be a BD battle! Word is the Arrow version is also uncut but I don't think the BBFC have given a final word on the film, at least there's no announcement on the BBFC site as of today anyway. Previous editions were cut by 22 seconds for the following reasons "Cuts required to process beheading and graphic process violence, both in breach of Board guidelines; and to impressionistically strong sadistic torture of woman which is in breach of Board policy on sexual violence". That said, the BBFC seems to have come to their senses of late a have allowed for adults to decide for themselves what they should view. FYI, Arrow's fledgling ArrowDrome imprint are also releasing Glickenhaus's MCBAINE on DVD.

Up next is Wes Craven's DEADLY BLESSING with Sharon Stone, which I've never seen thanks in part to the fact that there's no R1 DVD available. That's a bummer and I think it's the only early Craven film I haven't taken in yet so it'll be a treat to finally check it out. Again, more killer artwork from  Gary Pullin and looking forward to the Michael Berryman featurette!

Arrow's cult and exploitation imprint ArrowDrome also have two November titles, first up is the Tokyo erotic thriller TOKYO DECADENCE from director Ryu Murakami who wrote Takashi Miike's AUDITION. The second title is Dario Argento's THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE which was previously an Arrow Video title but is now out of print. This ArrowDrome edition looks pretty good but if you are a special feature whore like myself you NEED to get the Blu-ray edition - it's jam packed with very cool bonus content from High Rising Productions that you're not gonna get with this DVD edition. I haven't seen any of the ArrowDrome titles yet but I can't wait to check out Glickenhaus's MCBAINE.

THE EXTERMINATOR (1980)

 Blu-ray (Arrow Video)

Release Date: November 7th 2011
Region ABC (Playable Worldwide)
Rating: TBA
Duration: TBA
Video: 1080p 16x9 Widescreen (1.78:1) Aspect Ratio

Audio: Original Uncompressed LPCM Mono Audio
Director: James Glickenhaus
Cast: Robert Ginty, Samantha Eggar and Christopher George

Tagline: Scorching the streets clean…

Flamethrowers ready as the alleyways of skid row are set ablaze with the brutal vengeance of one man… The Exterminator!

John Eastland has been to ‘Nam and he’s seen things… Things you wouldn't believe. Surviving torture and witnessing the brutal deaths of his friends, John returns home to a tough neighbourhood in New York and his loving family. But when some local thugs take a crippling dislike to his best friend Mike, leaving him paralysed, something snaps in John. Did he fight the Vietcong for this?

Taking the law into his own hands, Eastland sets out to clean the streets of every low life, good for nothing gang banger, mobster and ghetto ghoul across the city in director James Glickenhaus' (MCBAIN) brutally violent vigilante classic.

This Edition Contains:
- Reversible sleeve with original and newly commissioned artwork
- Double-sided fold-out artwork poster
- Collector's booklet featuring brand new writing on the film by critic David Hayles

Blu-ray Special Features:
- Introduction to the film by director James Glickenhaus
- Fire and Slice: Making The Exterminator - An interview with James Glickenhaus
- 42nd Street Then and Now: A tour of New York's former sleaze circuit from director Frank Henenlotter
- Audio commentary with Mark Buntzman, producer of The Exterminator and writer/director of The Exterminator II, moderated by Calum Waddell.
- Original Art by The Dude Designs

DEADLY BLESSING (1981)

DVD (Arrow Video)

Release Date: November 14th 2011 
Region 0 PAL
Rating: 15 Certificate
Duration: 98 mins
Video: 16x9 Widescreen (1.78:1)
Audio: Original Mono 1.0 Audio
Director: Wes Craven
Cast: Sharon Stone, Ernest Borgnine, Michael Berryman

Tagline: They'll Build A Barn From Your Bones!

Wes Craven unearths the darkness that festers beneath an isolated community in Deadly Blessing, a rural tale of mistrust and bloody murder from the director of Last House on the Left.

When Martha marries into a close knit sect she finds herself shunned as an outsider by its fanatical members, but when her husband dies mysteriously while riding a tractor expressly forbidden as a tool of the devil, things take a darker turn. Marked as a incubus by her neighbours, time is running out for Martha and her visiting friends, as plagued by nightmares and fearing for their lives, they face the violent fury and retribution of old time religion.

One of Hollywood's masters of terror presents a tale of rural horror and simmering evil from the golden age of video terror.

This Edition Contains:
- Reversible sleeve with original and newly commissioned artwork by Fangoria art director Gary Pullin
- Double-sided fold-out artwork poster
- Collector's booklet featuring brand new writing on the film by author and critic Kim Newman
Original art by Gary Pullin

Special Features:
- Introduction by star Michael Berryman
- Craven Images: The Horror Hits of Michael Berryman (The Hills Have Eyes Series, Cut and Run, Weird Science)
- An interview with Deadly Blessing's iconic star
- Deadly Desires: An interview with screenwriter Glenn M. Benest
- Easter Eggs

TOKYO DECADENCE (1992)

DVD (ArrowDrome)

Release Date: November 21st 2011
Region 0 PAL
Rating: 18 Certificate
Duration: 112 mins

Director: Ryu Murakami
Cast: Miho Nikaido, Yayoi Kusama and Sayoko Amano

Tagline: Erotic sex or dangerous fantasy?

From the writer of Takashi Miike's Audition - Ryu Murakami - comes a journey into a dimly lit world of submission, obedience and restraint.

Ai is a college girl who works on the decadent fringes of Tokyo's S&M scene, servicing the needs of rich men who want to dominate and be dominated. Working in an empty world of other peoples seedy desires, she longs for the love of an artist who has rejected her. Can she escape from the world of dangerous fantasies and risky sex she finds herself in and make her romantic delusions a reality?

Take a trip into the dark heart of prostitution and get a taste of Tokyo Decadence.

Special Features:
- Reversible Sleeve Art of Original Artwork
- Collector's Bookley by author Robin Bougie

THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE (1971)

DVD (ArrowDrome)

Release Date: November 28th 2011
Region 0 PAL
Rating: 15 Certificate
Duration: 92 mins
Video: 16x9 Widescreen (2:1 Univisium)
Audio: Italian Dolby Digital Mono 
Director: Dario Argento
Cast: Tony Musante, Suzy Kendall, Enrico Maria Salerno

Tagline: A Stunning Portrait in Psycho-Terror!

Dario Argento nails the Giallo blueprint in The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, a brutal thriller that packs a gory brace of terrifying murders alongside it's genre defining mix of red herrings, leather gloved slashers and stylish decor.

When Sam, an American writer in Rome, witnesses an attempted slaying in an art gallery, he unwittingly sets the killers sights on himself and his beautiful model girlfriend. But soon, things start to unravel as it becomes clear that the identity of the unknown slayer is very much open to question. Somebody's killing everyone, who is the evil fiend? Could it be Sam himself?

Argento's groundbreaking shocker combines eye-popping visuals with a seamy vein of sadomasochism and a lust for violence to create a genre defining movie classic.

Special Features:
- Reversible Sleeve Art of Original Artwork
- Collector's Booklet by author Alan Jones of 'Profundo Argento'
- Interview with director Dario Argento

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