DRIVE-IN MASSACRE (1976) (Severin Blu-ray Review)

DRIVE-IN MASSACRE (1976) 

Label: Severin Films 
Region Code: Region-Free
Duration: 74 Minutes 
Rating: Unrated
Audio: English DTS-HD MD with Optional English Subtitles 
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.78:1) 
Director: Stu Segall
Cast: John F. Goff, Steve Vincent, Douglas Gudbye, George Flower, Robert E. Pearson, Norman Sheridan, Bruce Kimball

This low-budget proto-slasher is set at a small town drive-in cinema in Southern California, a seedy joint run by an even seedier proprietor, the wonderfully bad-dressed former carnie sword-swallower (no that's not a euphemism) named Austin Johnson (Robert E. Pearson), a bad-tempered baldie who bares more a bit of a resemblance to Church of Satan founder Anton Lavey. Austin runs the movie joint with the help of a slow-witted laborer (and former carnie geek) named Germy (Douglas Gudbye). The local drive-in joints a popular place for teens and horny lovers to congregate, but a sword-wielding maniac is on the loose at the drive-in and lops the head off of a guy before stabbing his lady friend right through the neck, the decapitation is a nice bit of Herschel Gordon Lewis-esque cheapie gore to kick things off proper and then were off and running with a damn decent body count throughout. 

Local detectives Mike Leary (John Goff, The Fog) and John Koch (Bruce Kimball, Love Camp 7) arrive to investigate the initial double-homicide, they interrogate Austin and Germy looking for possible suspects, with Germy offering fingering a local pervert named Orville (Norman Sheridan) who is known to frequent the drive-in and whack-it while peeping on young couples through their car windows. The inept cops launch a befuddling sting operation posing as a couple parking at the drive-in, with one of the cops in the most unattractive drag I think I've ever seen, a ploy also used in The Town That Dreaded Sundown (1976) the very same year. However, even with the cops in attendance the sword wielding maniac manages to rack up a few more victims... and even after several murders happen over the course of as many nights no one thinks to closes the damn drive-in down, and now wonder, patrons don't seem to care about the maniac on the lose, business is booming, and goers are willing to risk their heads for some necking time!

While this inept drive-in cheapie will never be highly regarded as a proto-slasher or anything else it's got a decent body count and some cheap gore that will pass the time just fine, but if I'm being completely honest it's about a half-hour's worth of a movie with 43-minutes of patience-testing padding, but something keeps me coming back to it. The kills and set-ups are fun but this thing is padded with tons of z-grade filler including voice over narration, and an over abundance of red-herrings, including a from-out-of-nowhere subplot featuring co-writer George "Buck" Flower (They Live) as a deranged man stalking a young girl through a warehouse, it's strange stuff, the first watched the movie it sent my head spinning, wondering if I'd missed something earlier, but no, it's just a bizarre detour to pad the run time. 

The true joy Drive-In Massacre is not that it's some forgotten slasher  classic but that it's a bad slasher movie with a fun drive-in premise, with loads of bad police procedural bullshit, cheap action and gore and awful-ly entertaining dialogue. Some of the lines uttered here are deliciously eye-rolling, such as drive-in proprietor yelling "You really want to talk to this piece of puke?" and "You better watch it, you might be eating your father" when he catches one of the cops eating a ham sandwich, which did kind of make me laugh for real. 

Audio/Video: Drive-In Massacre (1973) arrives on Blu-ray from Severin Films in association of Dristribpix whose logo also appears on the spine of the Blu-ray. Not sure what their involvement is, but this is advertised as being restored from the original camera negative which was supposedly "found in the ruins of the Sky View Drive-In Movie Theater near Oxnard", and whether that's true or not is less important as how fucking cool it sounds! Framed in 1.78:1 widescreen the image is very pleasing, this is a movie I've seen several times on various public domain collections - all culled from fullframe VHS sources -  and all were uniformly bad. Severin's Blu-ray is the first time I've seen it in proper widescreen, and the image looks pretty great. Grain can be a bit chunky at times, and then there's some minor print damage and speckling to contend with, but this is still a pleaser with surprising amounts of 70's ugly fine detail, but it still has plenty of that grindhouse patina. 

Audio on the disc comes by way of an English DTS-HD MA 2.0 Mono with optional English subtitles, the source is a bit limited and doesn't have the spiffiest fidelity but it is clean and sounds true to the source. 

Reversible Artwork 

Onto the extras we get a brand-new audio commentary from director Stu Segall, plus new interviews with Star/Co-Writer John F. Goff (who plays one of the cops), actor Nick Sheridan (the peeping-tom), and a video interview with the director as well, plus a theatrical trailer. They really give this one more than it might deserve, and that's why I love Severin Films, they're always giving these under-seen, under-loved movies spiffy new releases, such as they did with Blackenstein (1973) and Axe (1975), both of which got the deluxe Severin treatment on Blu-ray. 

The single-disc Blu-ray release comes housed in a standard Blu-ray keepcase with a sleeve of reversible artwork, the a-side featuring the the traditional artwork of the slashed victim spilling upside down from her car, the b-side featuring an illustration of a sword-wielding man in a shroud (pictured above) - the disc itself features a version of the a-side artwork.  

Special Features:
- Audio Commentary With Director Stu Segall
- Drive-In Days: Interview With Star / Co-Writer John F. Goff (16 min) HD
- Norm Sheridan Recalls Drive-In Massacre (12 min) HD 
- Making the Massacre: Interview With Director Stu Segall (7 min) 
- Theatrical Trailer (3 min) HD 

Drive-In Massacre (1976) might be for the die-hard schlock junkies only, but I think it has loads of 70's z-grade cinema charms that might lure in the more casual trash horror fan, wonderfully inept though it may be. For starters it's a fun premise, who doesn't want to see a movie about a madman slicing the heads off of lovers at the drive-in? Add to that some ripe dialogue and a parade of bad cops, perverts, horny lovers, and former carnival freaks and you've got all the fixings for a fine Friday night solo-adventure on the couch. Severin Films once again dive deep to scrape the bottom of the cinema barrel, rewarding us with a tasty slice of z-grade 70's drive-in schlock, thanks guys! 

VINTAGE NAUGHTY NURSE DOUBLE-FEATURE DVD FROM DISTRIBPIX 4/14

NAUGHTY NURSE DOUBLE FEATURE 2-Disc DVD

HEAD NURSE (1971) / NURSE- MADE (1972) )

Label: Distribpix Inc.
Release Date: April 14th 20015
Duration: 123 Minutes
Color Full screen 1.33:1
English Stereo
Region 0
Directors: Leonard Kirtman, Robert Mansfield
Cast: Andrea True, Marc Stevens, Cindy West, Harry Reems

Synopsis:

Head Nurse, 1972 Kirt Films International
In Head Nurse, director Tim Davies takes us on a tour of NYC’s most bizarre hospital. While there are similarities to a “white coater”, it is clear that producer Jones Gregor, had other ideas…gorgeous nurses, crazed doctors, test tubes and corpses! Not too mention, one of the most unforgettable scenes involving a human skull, ever captured on film. Starring a moustache-free Harry Reems, a young Marc Stevens, and rare sex appearance by disco superstar, Andrea True. With original music by the Bushels.

Nurse-Made, 1971, Mansfield Prodcutions
Some early sex-exploitation films have a cheap and amateurish look. Low quality audio dubbing, sloppy edits and poor lighting are just a few of the signs. Nurse-Made is the epitome of a NYC sexploitation film. Written, directed and produced by Robert B. Mansfield, this film explores a unique relationship between an ailing patient and his young nurse. Starring Jean Ashley, Lee Tucker, Dick Baker. Original music by Bob Mann. Assistant director, Gary Kahn.

Bonus Features:
- Original Theatrical Trailers
- Slideshow Gallery

McBASTARD'S BEST OF 2013

McBASTARD'S TOP 10 OF 2013

1. MANIAC  - when I found out a remake of the depraved 80's slasher was on the way my first instinct was 'fuck that' but gotta say that this creepy and brutal entry that made my skin crawl, truly excellent.
2. EVIL DEAD  - another remake, wtf. This was brutal and unrelenting and was one of the best theater going experiences I had in 2013, awesome. 
3. THE CONJURING - a first-rate creepy chiller with some genuine scares, another great theater experience, quality haunter that made me jump a few times. 
4. V/H/S/2 - was not a fan of the first V/H/S entry, the sequel amps up the thrills with a bit more creativity and way better execution, loved the doomsday cult segment 'Safe Haven' directed by Timo Tjahanto (The ABCs of Death) and Gareth Huw Evans (The Raid) and Jason Eisner's 'Slumber Party Alien Abduction' was great fun, the wrap-a-around still blows. 
5. JOHN DIES AT THE END - any entry from Don Coscarelli (Bubba Ho-Tep, Phantasm) is a cause for celebration in my opinion and this acid-tinged slice of surrealism was a blast - give this guy more money Hollywood! 
6. JUG FACE  - a well crafted indie about simple wood folk worshiping a Lovecraftian demon that lives in the bottom of a muddy pit. Thrown in a little incest and you have one of the best surprises of the year. 
7. ALL THE BOYS LOVE MANDY LANE - Jonathan Levin's shelved slasher
finally gets a region 1 release after sitting in a vault for six years, the aesthetic falls somewhere between The Virgin Suicides and the Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake, a hypnotic slice and dicer.
8. INSIDIOUS CHAPTER 2 - Seriously, this film and it's predecessor feel like an unofficial remake of the Poltergeist series and I am totally okay with that, poor voice-dubbing aside this was a blast, not perfect but a great theater experience with a fun crowd. 
9. THIS IS THE END - I love this comedy crew and I laughed non-stop, one of the year's best comedies with some fun apocalyptic gags.
10. SIGHTSEERS - Ben Wheatley up to this point was an interesting film maker but I wasn't in love with what I'd seen (Kill List, Down Terrace). This one was different, the humor worked for me and the interactions of this demented murderous couple pleased me to no end, quite a wonderful love story. Looking forward to his new one A Field in England (2013) in the near future, I'm a believer.  

HONORABLE MENTION:
BERBERIAN SOUND STUDIO - this one appealed to my arthouse tendencies but didn't wrap up satisfyingly, unfortunately. 
GRABBERS - a fun, drunken romp streaming on Netflix, watch it

When it came to dragging myself to the cinema to support horror in 2013 I fell pretty short of the mark and have not yet watched MAMA, WORLD WAR Z, YOU'RE NEXT, CARRIE, and THE PURGE yet somehow I managed to watch TEXAS CHAINSAW 3D (GROAN)...

TOP 10 RE-ISSUES OF 2013 
1. SCREAM FACTORY! - maybe a bit of a cheat, but hands down the bulk of my most anticipated re-issues in 2013 came from Shout! Factory horror imprint Scream Factory and their outstanding slate releases this past year. What a year with four John Carpenter classics in 1080p, Tobe Hooper's space-vamp epic LIFEFORCE and THE FUNHOUSE, Stuart Gordon's gooey classic FROM BEYOND, the camp-slasher classic THE BURNING, Don Coscarelli's PHANTSM II, a fantastic VINCENT PRICE COLLECTION plus bringing TERRORVISION, THE VIDEO DEAD and THE TOWN THAT DREADED SUNDOWN to Blu-ray for the first time. What a banner year and I've chosen to recognize their body of work over a singular title which would have been just too difficult. What's to come in 2014? Read our preview of Scream factory's 2014 roster HERE. 
2. ARROW VIDEO: Arrow's Brian DePalma re-issues this past year have been fantastic with awesome new special features from Fiction factory and sweet 1080p presentations. If you love DePalma you need to pick-up DRESSED TO KILL, BLOW OUT and THE FURY - these are must-own editions and there's more to come in 2014 - read about it right HERE. 
3. THE TELEPHONE BOOK (Vinegar Syndrome) - Vinegar Syndrome's 1080p edition of this kinky slice of art house cinema is gorgeous, an oddball sexpoitation film that's both cute and smutty. 
4. HOW TO SEDUCE A VIRGIN (Mondo Macabro) - Jess Franco's wild-eyed orgy of lurid depravity and lesbian delights starring Euro-cult goddesses Lina Romay, Alice Arno and Tania Busselier plus a sweet transfer, drool. 
5. THE HOT NIGHTS OF LINDA (Severin) - a deeply satisfying slice of 70's voyeuristic sleaze with all the depravity and eroticism you've come to expect from Jess Franco and this Severin Blu-ray is double-stuffed with extras.
6. ZOMBIE FLESH EATERS (Arrow Video) - a gorgeous edition with some fantastic special features, a gut-munching, eye-gouging slice of 1080p from gore-master Lucio Fulci.
7. POSSESSION (Second Sight) -  this video nasty is a taut, paranoid psychological thriller with horrific elements, an uncomfortable watch from start to finish. A phenomenal Blu-ray with some great value-added extras, 
8. STREET TRASH (Synapse) - a true cult classic, this is a nasty slice of 80's splatter-comedythat looks stunningly good in 1080p from Synapse.
9. CORRUPTION (Grindhouse Releasing) - it's Peter Cushing as you've never seen him before in this surgical proto-slasher, a first-rate edition from Grindhouse Releasing, a stunner.
10. MANIAC COP 2 (Blue Underground) - a kick-ass revenger with supernatural elements and brutal deaths plus a fantastic action-slammed finale that's engulfed in flames, a sweet 1080p presentation. 

HONORABLE MENTIONS
THE OPENING OF MISTY BEETHOVEN (Distribpix)
THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM (Full Moon Features)
HALLOWEEN (Anchor Bay)
BODY DOUBLE (Twilight Time)

Blu-ray Review: THE OPENING OF MISTY BEETHOVEN (1975)

THE OPENING OF MISTY BEETHOVEN (1975) 

Collector's Edition Blu-ray 

Label: Distribpix

Region Code: Region FREE

Rating: Unrated

Duration: 86 Minutes 

Video: 1080p Widescreen (1.85:1) 

Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1,  Dolby Digital 2.0 

Director: Radley Metzger

Cast: Jamie Gillis, Constance Money, Jacqueline Beudant, Ras Kean, Gloria Leonard

Erotic auteur Radley Metzger's THE OPENING OF MISTY BEETHOVEN (1975) is widely considered the premier adult film of the late-70's porno chic zeitgeist  following the mainstream success of DEEP THROAT (1972) which had housewives and A-List celebrities flocking to 42nd Street to catch a glimpse of Linda Lovelace's orgasmic birth defect. Metzger was already well known for softcore delights CAMILLE 2000 (1969), SCORE (1974) and THE IMAGE (1975) before filming a foursome of hardcore sex film under the alias Henry Paris, and this fascinating fornication-film was an porno chic adaptation of George Bernard Shaw's classic play Pygmalion, it's a pretty great idea and it's executed quite wonderfully by Metzger and the cast.  

As the films begins a noted sexologist named Dr. Seymour Love (Jamie Gillis, THE LICKERISH QAURTET) is at a XXX theater in Paris, France where he  is propositioned by a super-cute street walker named Misty (Constance Money) who refuses to to anything but straight sex, she doesn't take it in the ass or the mouth, the mere thought of sucking a cock seems to turn her stomach. They're conversation is put on hold as Misty meets up with a regular hand-job appointment at the theater, it's an elderly gentleman dressed in a rather large Napoleon hat and costume, he seems happy enough with her skills and after she spills his geriatric-goo she returns to the conversation with Dr. Love who's intrigued by the spunky, if rather uninspired whore. During the conversation Seymour is also distracted by the orgasmic moans of a friend named Geraldine Rich (Jacqueline Beudeant) who's "both very Geraldine, and very rich", she's pleasuring a man in the wings of the theater and the three strike up a conversation, the  subject of which is the absence of anal or oral in Misty's oeuvre    

Seymour makes a bet with Geraldine that he can turn Misty from an uninspired,  low-rent hooker into the a true sexual dynamo in time for the next party to be thrown by socialite and magazine publisher Lawrence Layman (Ras Kean) where she will be crowned the new Goldenrod Girl. Misty agrees to the terms and the trio are off the New York City where Seymour trains Misty in the ways of lovemaking and how to suck a proper cock. We're treated to a fun series of titillating training montages as Misty learns to take it in the mouth, up the ass to hw make three men cum simultaneously - the latter is designed to give her self confidence. Throughout the film Misty conquers one lover after another, working her way up the social sex ladder until the film culminates at the Layman party in an unforgettable sex scene involving a threesome and pegging!

The film has a great cast, firstly Jamie Gillis is fantastic as the smug sexologist Seymour Love which plays perfectly against Constance Money''s portrayal of the titular Misty, she plays it super sweet and a bit naive and it's a total turn-on from start to finish. The dialogue is comedic and witty, its fun stuff, not what you would expect from a typical hardcore sex film but then again Metzger was never a typical filmmaker and the hardcore sex is punctuated by his typical air of elegance and style. 

There's lots of great sex scenes, we get some carpet munching, threesomes, pegging, slow cocksucking, handjobs  and the seduction of a gay art dealer - there's nothing too outrageous but I guess pegging in '75 must have been a bit of an eyebrow raiser to the suburban set maybe, having just rewatched Metzger's SCORE which features an extended gay-sex scene I didn't find it too startling. There's a lot of nice comedic touches throughout the film, fun music cues, witty banter and great fun set pieces, there's even an airline which offers blow jobs on their flights. 

The erotic training montages of Misty's sex lessons are fantastic, her work with a rainbow colored dildo is awfully exciting, the sex on screen is scintillating. Honestly, it's pretty rare that a hardcore film actually stirs the still waters for me but this film had me squirming in my seat - simply put the sex is hot!  Metzger's eye for erotica so evident in his softcore films is fully intact. His films are always a visual delight and this is no exception, great location shoots in Europe and New York City, great set pieces including a stylish mod room with a cut-out wall which features prominently in the film and it's advertising. It certainly doesn't hurt that the film was shot by Academy award winning cinematographer Paul Glickman who shot the film under the name Richard Rochester, you may recall his work on many Larry Cohen films including GOD TOLD ME (1976) and THE STUFF (1985) and this is some of his best work right here, Metzger always surrounded himself with a great crew whom extracted he best stuff from small budgets.

Blu-ray: Distribpix present the film on a 50G dual-layer Blu-ray in 1080p widescreen (1.85:1) with a brand-new HD transfer that's uncut and restored and it looks fantastic. The film was shot on super 16mm and Distribix went back to the original elements for this stunning transfer, it looks great with some nice detail and color saturation. Some scenes are a bit softer than others but overall this is a very pleasing image. 

Audio options include an English language Dolby Digital Mono and a newly created DTS-HD 5.1 surround mix with optional subtitles which are available in English, French, Italian, Spanish, German and Portuguese. Like the image the audio was remastered from the original sound elements and it sounds great, the outstanding library music score sounds fantastic, no one utilized a canned score like Metzger could, there's some real gems to found here. 

Onto the extras let's begin by saying that there are both "hot" and "cool" versions of the film on the Blu-ray meaning you can watch the full strength XXX version or the more subdued softcore version with extended dialogue and alternate takes, it's pretty interesting stuff and I recommend a viewing of the softcore version at some point. 

There are two audio commentaries, the first with Radley Metzger moderated by adult film aficionado Benson Hurt which plays over the XXX version. Like most the Metzger commentaries it's an engaging listen from start to finish. There's a lot of ground covered from the cast and crew on the film, to the production, the score and Metzger's other Henry Paris films.  

A second commentary with adult actress Gloria Leonard can be listed to during the softcore version, she talks a lot about what's happening onscreen and reminiscing about working with Constance Money and Jamie Gillis as well as what it was like to work with Metzger. It's a fun track, not as fact filled as Metzger's but quite entertaining on it' s own merits. 

If the commentaries are just not jam-packed with trivia enough for you, don't worry, there's also a 'Film Facts' subtitle trivia track that recycles a lot of the information you will find on the featurettes, interviews and booklet but it's an informative track just the same. 

More extras include Outtakes and Deleted Scenes (24:16)  from the Audubon Film Archives which are presented without sound, it's an interesting watch and most of it's quite familiar except for some sweet Misty bondage footage, which those scenes by themselves are worth a watch. 

There's a very nice documentary on the disc, too. Behind the Scenes of Misty (48:21) is a narrated documentary featuring interviews with actors Gloria Leonard, Casey Donovan and Ras Kean plus cinematographer Paul Glickman and George Craig who sourced the library music used in the film plus other Metzger projects. It gives a well-rounded perspective of Metzger's career leading up to Misty Beethoven and it covers a lot of the production of the film, great stuff. 

The Back to Cinetta Studios 2012 (3:08) featurette is a nifty then and now comparison of the location used to shoot the wrap party scene, it's surprising how little has changed in 37 years, I've always a fan then and now video tours.

If you have an interest in film restoration you are going to love The Restoration of Misty (25:58)  featuring Ryan Emerson and Joe Rubins of Process Blue who scanned and restored the film for this release. We get a tour of the facility and a nice look at the Goldeneye Film Scanner and the processes involved, the tools used and a very cool demonstration of noise reduction, the good and the bad of what it can do to a film. 

Up next are two video tribute features narrated by adult film historian Benson Hurst. The first Desperately Seeking Susan; Constance Found (7:41) felt a bit like deja vu as he narrates a lot of what he wrote about her in the 60 pg. booklet which accompanies the release. It's a nice overview of Money's somewhat secretive life beginning with her middle class upbringing in Kenmore, WA and the pain caused by the reaction she received following her career in porno. The second tribute Remembering Jamie Gillis (9:00) is a nice eulogy for the actor, a nice remembrance of a truly one-of-a-kind adult film actor. 

Jamie Gillis - The Final Interview (18:53) features the actor shortly before his death speaking about his life as a nice Jewish boy turned adult film star beginning with low rent basement porno shoots before making a name for himself. When the topic turns to Paul Thomas Anderson's film BOOGIE NIGHTS (1987) he get's a bit irritated, he obviously didn't care for. 

The last of the exhaustive Blu-ray special features are a collection of Henry Paris Trailers (25:52), a selection of Radio Spots (3:06), Vintage Slideshow (3:05) and a neat Ephemera Galley (6:41). 

Included inside the keepcase is a 5x7 replica of the 1977 Erotic Award Certificate presented to the filmmaker by the AFAA for best screenplay. The slipcase and insert feature newly commissioned artwork by artists Anthony Palumbo, this is a very attractive package. Last but not least is the aforementioned 60 page collector's booklet with writings on the film from Benson Hurst, Ian Culmell and Lawrence Cohen. It contains an overview of the film, it's principle cast, locations and filming, artwork, score and details about the infamous pegging scene plus notes about the transfer. It should be noted the booklet is designed for insertion in a DVD keepcase, not a Blu-ray, as such it does not fit inside the keepcase. whew, that was a lot of features, fantastic stuff. 

Special Features: 
- Audio Commentary with director Radley Metzger and adult film historian Benson Hurst on the 'Hot' Version

- Audio Commentary with co-star Gloria Leonard on the 'Cool' Version
- Behind the Scenes of Misty (48:21) 

- Remembering Jamie Gillis (9:00)

- The Outtakes and Deleted Scenes (24:16) 

- The Restoration of Misty (25:58) 
- Desperately Seeking Susan; Constance Found (7:41) 

- Jamie Gillis : The Final Interview (18:53)
- ‘Fim Facts’ Subtitle Track

- All 5 Henry Paris Trailers in HD 

- Back to Cinetta Studios 2012 (3:08) 

- Vintage Slideshow (3:05) 

- Ephemera Galley (6:41) 
- 7 Radio Spots for NAKED CAME THE STRANGERS and MARASCINO CHERRY  (6:03) 
- Henry Paris Trailers (25:52) for THE PRIVATE AFTERNOONS OF PAMELA MANN, NAKED CAME THE STRANGER, THE OPENING OF MISTY BEETHOVEN, BARBARA BROADCAST and MARASCINO CHERRY 

Verdict: Radley Metzger's erotic oeuvre has enjoyed a recent amount of prestige releases from Synapse, Cult Epics and Arrow Video but nothing comes close to the sweet love that this film has received, a phenomenal tribute to porno chic's supreme document. Might I also add that no film has made me want a blow-job more than after watching this, a truly seductive film and an outstanding presentation from Distribpix! 4 Outta 5