BEYOND DARKNESS (1990) (Severin Films Blu-ray Review)

BEYOND DARKNESS (1990)

Label: Severin Films 

Rating: Unrated

Region: A

Duration: 93 Minutes

Audio: Italian DTS-HD MA 2.0 Stereo, English DTS-HD MA 2.0 Stereo with Optional English Subtitles

Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.66:1)

Director: Claudio Fragasso

Cast: Theresa F. Walker, Michael Stephenson, Gene Lebrock, David Brandon, Barbara Bingham

Beyond Darkness (1990), not to be confused with Beyond The Darkness aka  Buio Omega, was released in Italy as La Casa 5 and comes to us from co-writer/director Claudio Fragasso and co-writer Rossella Drudi, the team-up that brought to us the deliciously awful Troll 2. It starts off with priest Father George (David Brandon, Stage Fright) administering last rites to an unrepentant child murderess named Bette (Mary Coulson, Door Into Silence) at a prison. As she is executed in the electric chair the priest envisions the spirits of the children she murdered surrounding her, and afterward his faith is so shaken by the experience that he hits the bottle hard and leaves the priesthood altogether. 

A year later we zero in on another priest, Father Peter (Gene Lebrock, Metamorphosis), who is moving into a new home in Louisiana where he has been assigned to replace Father George. Joining him are his wife Annie (Barbara Bingham, Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan), their freckle-faced son Martin (Michael Stephenson, Troll 2) and young daughter Carol (Theresa Walker). It turns out the house has a evil history, aside from being the house from Lucio Fulci's The Beyond it was apparently built on land where witches were burned at the stake centuries ago. which as you might imagine does come into play. 

In the kid's room there's a creepy black swan rocking toy, one which rocks itself in the dark of night, so you know evil is afoot right from the get-go! It soon becomes apparent that the house is being haunted by a gaggle of undead witches draped in black veils that are out to get the children, pulling them into an evil alternate dimension which first appears as a bright light emanating from a hole in the wall. At this point it might be worth mentioning that this is quasi-sequel to both Ghosthouse (1988) aka La Casa 3 and Witchery (1988) aka La Casa 4, all of which are part of the unofficial La Casa series, which were unofficial sequels to Sam Raimi's Evil Dead movies which were retitled La Casa and La Casa 2 in Italy. They're not really connected and they are certainly not sequels to the Evil Dead films, but those Italians do love a good cash-in, don't they? 

Eventually the evil forces come after the kiddos, somehow the demonic witch ghost of the child-murderess figures into it too; possessing the freckle-faced boy, and the new priest ends up teaming with the previous priest from the start of the film to exorcise the demonic evil and save the boy. We get elements of Poltergeist and The Exorcist tossed into it, creating an over long mish-mash of euro-cult weirdness that is somehow both batshit and boring in the same breath. The flick is no great shakes bit for what it's worth I did enjoy it a bit more this time than last I saw it. This is the sort of flick that would be improved by having a roomful of friends with witty quips at the ready and plenty of alcohol on hand to get the most out of it. While there are some fleeting moments of creepy imagery and haunting atmosphere they are few and far between and not nearly enough to give this a general recommend. However, if you're on an Italian horror jag and get a kick out of the batshit late-80's, early 90's Italian horror you could do a lot worse. 

Audio/Video: Beyond Darkness was previously issued on a double-feature Blu-ray from Scream Factory with Metamorphosis. That HD transfer that was pretty soft looking with and muted colors, plus it was digitally scrubbed of grain for the most part. Unfortunately it looks like Severin are using the same Filmirage licensed scan, presented in 1080p HD framed in 1.66:1 widescreen with the same inherent issues. It's still watchable, just not optimal, this is an ugly film with diffuse cinematography steeped in fog machine and blasted white light atmosphere, it's was never gonna look pretty. 

Audio comes by way of Italian DTS-HD MA 2.0 Mono or English DTS-HD MA 2.0 stereo with optional English subtitles. I preferred the English track, it doesn't have much depth or exceptional fidelity but it does the job, and the synth score by Carlo Maria Cordio (Aenigma) sounds cheesily good. 

Severin at least offer new extras; we get three new interviews: the 37-min Beyond Possession: Interview With Director/Co-Writer Claudio Fragasso, the 22-min The Devil In Mrs. Drudi: Interview With Co-Writer Rossella Drudi, and the 29-min Sign Of The Cross: Interview With Actor David Brandon. There's also a 2-minute Trailer for the film, plus a CD Soundtrack for the Carlo Maria Cordio score, which I appreciated. 

The interviews are pretty great, with Brandon recalling filming in New Orleans, which he says is one of his favorite cities in all the world. Also getting into his experiences making the film, sitting in the electric chair, his relationship with the the kids in the film, the strange vibes of the house, and they heavy use of smoke machines, and his preference for vomiting blood and not foam. Fragasso talks about the history of the La Casa series, his love of New Orleans and it's culture, hos thoughts on the paranormal, and some strange encounters he has had himself, how great the young actress Theresa Walker was, and what a disaster the American FX crew were, the film's success and his alter-ego Clyde Anderson. Co-Writer Rossella Drudi speaks about her Catholic upbringing, her love of demonology and the occult, her style of research for scripts, and a fun story about how her friend's attributed some incidents to the evil-power of the script, her love of New Orleans, and homages she peppered into the script, and how focused Fragasso was during the making of the film. The interviews are far and away more interesting that the movie itself, so if you're an extras junky this is worth the upgrade in my humble opinion, plus you get the CD soundtrack which I don't think has ever had an official release before. 

The 2-disc BD/CD release arrives in a black dual-hub keepcase with a single-sided sleeve of artwork featuring a brilliant illustration by the late Enzo Sciotti - the man was a horror poster legend and turned many a trash film into movie poster gold. Inside there's a 4-page insert booklet with writing on the film and a track listing for the 17-song CD soundtrack. 

Special Features:

- Beyond Possession: Interview With Director/Co-Writer Claudio Fragasso (37 min)

- The Devil In Mrs. Drudi: Interview With Co-Writer Rossella Drudi (22 min)

- Sign Of The Cross: Interview With Actor David Brandon (29 min) 

- Trailer (1 min) 

- Bonus: CD Soundtrack (17 Songs, 44 Minutes) 

Beyond Darkness (1990) is a bit of a early-90's Italian turd, but if you have an affinity for Italian horror trash it's got some cheesy charms, and I appreciate Severin Films for upgrading it with some solid extras and the CD soundtrack. 

Screenshots from the Severin Blu-ray: 

Extras: 

CONTAMINATION (1980) (Arrow Video Blu-ray Review)

CONTAMINATION (1980) 

Label: Arrow Video

Release Date: July 6th 2016 

Region Code: Region FREE

Certificate: 15
Duration: 95 minutes

Audio: Language: Italian/English 1.0 Mono 
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1) 
Director: Luigi Cozzi 

Cast: Ian McCulloch, Louise Marleau, Marino Masé, Siegfried Rauch 

Luigi Cozzi's throbbing Alien knock-off begins with a cargo ship drifting into New York harbor - not unlike the beginning of Lucio Fulci's Zombi (1970) but on a larger scale. The crew are all found dead, their bodies seemingly turned inside-out by an unknown force. As authorities explore the derelict ship they discover crates of coffee in the hold from Columbia. Inside they find not coffee beans but thousands upon thousands of pulsating green eggs, which have the appearance of tumor filled zit pustules. The eggs seem to grow when exposed to heat and explode upon contact - spraying a corrosive green fluid which causes humans to explode in a horrendous torrent of blood and guts -- captured here in exquisite slow-motion. 

Special Division Five is called in to assess the situation and we're introduced to the sexy Colonel Stella Holmes (Louise Marleau) who quarantines the cargo ship and orders the eggs to be frozen. Of course the science-geeks back at the laboratory have to run some tests on the eggs, exposing a rat to the green fluid from the egg, causing it to explode just like the humans did. It soon becomes clear that these eggs are not of this planet, and that someone intends to cultivate them here on Earth, but to what diabolical end? 

Colonel Holmes team-up with Lt. Arras (Marino Masé) from the NYPD and a former disgraced astronaut named Hubbard (horror icon Ian McCulloch) who two years earlier reported seeing eggs during a NASA mission to Mars .. just wait till you see the Mars excursion flashbacks scenes and the toothy mouth of the the Martian cave ...and those motorcycle helmets, cheap doesn't even begin to describe it. Hubbard's former astronaut partner Hamilton (Siegfried Rauch) at the time contradicted his story, attributing the encounter to a form of space madness brought on by the enormous stress of the mission, but now it seems that Hamilton might be a slave to the alien eggs.

The authorities raid a warehouse at the boat docks hoping to capture those responsible, in the ensuing melee there's plenty of gunfire with a nice bloody shot to the head, plus they uncover thousands more of the alien eggs. The human collaborators explode before they can be apprehended with loads of splatter, afterward the evil clutch of eggs are destroyed, burning them with flamethrowers. Having destroyed the alien eggs in NYC Arras, Hubbard and Holmes head off in search of the tropical origins of the lethal cargo, tracking down the treacherous Hamilton and and the hideous one-eyed alien creature who seems to be pulling his strings.

There's plenty of schlock and cheese to enjoy, beginning with the score from Goblin is ham-fisted and fun, and once the trio arrive in the tropics we are subjected to a pretty goofy half-formed love triangle and a love story that lasts for all of ten seconds. Additionally, Colonel Holmes seems to enjoy a good authoritative slap to the face, which Hubbard is only to happy to provide, slapping her hard after she calls him "soft, you're half a man", to which he retorts "that's just so we understand one other", to which she gleefully replies, "yes, I believe we do understand one another" with a perverse smile on her face -- such a weird little slice of misogyny mixed in with the schlocky science-fiction thrills, gotta love those Italians. 

Landing in Columbia the trio secure a hotel  where one of Hamilton's minions plants an alien egg in Holmes shower, jamming the door shut and trapping her inside with the pulsating menace. Unfortunately despite the perfect set-up there is no nudity during the scene, just Holmes panicking and knocking on the door screaming for help as eerie enlarged egg pulsates, threatening to coat the Colonel in the gooey corrosive green slime.

Eventually the trio end up at on a clandestine coffee plantation where we finally catch-up to the one-eyed alien monster who speaks through Hamilton through some form of mind control, and it's a b-movie disaster of a creature, created by FX designer Giovanni Corridoli (Zombie Flesh Eaters). A gooey and ridiculous cyclops of an alien, with large folds of green flesh and mouths that somewhat resemble a vagina oozing a milky secretion. The design reminded a bit of Kang and Kodos, the comic alien duo from The Simpsons, minus the classic sci-fi glass helmets.

The build-up to the  end is a fun bit of awesomeness, with the reveal of the giant one-eyed alien, the Bond-type villain Hamilton meets an appropriately gruesome fate, and an ominous downbeat ending that comes perhaps a bit to quick, but it is what it is, a fun Italian Alien knock-off with more than a few nods to the classic Invasion of the Body Snatchers, but amped with buckets of blood and Italian knock-off goofiness. There's a lot to love here, weather you love gory science fiction or just revel in bad cinema there's plenty of both for your enjoyment.

Audio/Video: Arrow Video went back to the original negative for a brand-new 2K restoration f the film and the results are beyond what i could have hoped for. The film looks fantastic with a fine layer of film grain, a modest amount of fine detail and improved clarity, a fantastic 1080p HD transfer all the way around. Audio chores are capably handled by a the PCM 1.0 Mono track, with choice of either Italian or English languages, with optional English subtitles. The dubbed-English track is solid, dialogue comes through very clean and crisp and is well-balanced. The Goblin score is fun, and though I wouldn't consider it top tier among their filmography, it does have a certain cheesy charm about it.

Arrow have again gone above and beyond with bonus content for this release, beginning with a commentary by filmmaker, Fangoria editor and Eurocult enthusiast Chris Alexander who provides a fan-based commentary with is quite good with some fun observations and the story of how he discovered the film the first time, a nice blend of fandom and insider info. There's also a 22-minute vintage documentary about the making of the film with director Luigi Cozzi loaded with behind-the-scenes footage, a 41-minute Q/A from 2014 with with Luigi Cozzi and actor Ian McCulloch, a brand new 43-minute career-spanning interview with the director, a 12-minute interview with Goblin keyboardist Maurizio Guarini who speaks about creating the score for the movie, plus a new 17-minute featurette, Imitation Is The Sincerest Form of Flattery: A Critical Analysis of the Italian Cash-In  with the participation of noted author Maitland McDonagn and Chris Poggiali fromTemple of Schlock, which is a fun overview of the Italian knock-offs of the seventies and eighties, mentioning such classic knock-offs as Killer Fish and the outright theft of Great White, a Jaws knock-off the that Universal has pretty much sued out of existence. 

Extras are finished-up with a trailer for the movie and a 55-page black and white digital comic based on the original screenplay with artwork by Sergio Muratori. There's also a 12-page illustrated collector's booklet with writing on the film by Fangoria's Chris Alexander. and a sleeve  of reversible artwork featuring both the original and newly commissioned artwork by artists Gary Pullin. 

Special Features
- Brand new 2K restoration of the film from the original camera negative
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations
- Original Italian and English soundtracks in mono audio (uncompressed PCM on the Blu-ray)
- Newly translated subtitles for the Italian soundtrack
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtrack
- Brand new audio commentary by filmmaker, Fangoria editor and Contamination super-fan Chris Alexander
- Notes on Science-Fiction Cinema – an archive documentary featuring behind-the-scenes footage and director Luigi Cozzi on the birth of Contamination (22 Mins) HD
- 2014 Q/A with Cozzi and star Ian McCulloch (41 Mins) HD
- Sound of the Cyclops: Maurizio Guarini on the music of Contamination – the Goblin keyboardist discusses Contamination’s dark, progressive rock score and a lifetime of making music for Italian terror (12 Mins) HD
- Luigi Cozzi vs. Lewis Coates – a brand new interview with the director in which he discusses his film making career from past to present (43 Mins) HD
- Imitation Is The Sincerest Form of Flattery: A Critical Analysis of the Italian Cash-In – a brand new featurette looking at the Italian genre movies which sought to cash-in on popular Hollywood blockbusters (17 Mins) HD
- Theatrical Trailer (3 Mins) HD
- Graphic Novel based on the original Contamination screenplay (Disc gallery)
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Gary Pullin
- Fully-illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Chris Alexander

Arrow Video's new 2K restoration of Luigi Cozzi's sci-fi splatter classic is top notch and the extras were far beyond my expectations, watching this again for the first time in years I was surprised by just how much my appreciation for the Alien knock-off had grown, this was quite a bit of fun. A high recommend for fans of Italian gore and science-fiction horror, a fantastic Blu-ray from Arrow Video. 

DVD Review: MANHATTAN BABY (1982)

MANHATTAN BABY (1982)

Label: Shameless Screen Entertainment 

Region Code: 0 PAL

Duration: 85 Minutes

Rating: 18 Certificate

Audio: English Dolby Digital Mono

Video: 16:9 Widescreen (1.85:1)

Director: Lucio Fulci

Cast: Christopher Connelly, Martha Taylor, Brigitta Boccoli, Giovanni Frezza, Cinzia de Ponti, Cosimo Cinieri, Andrea Bosic, Carlo De Mejo, Enzo Marino Bellanich, Mario Moretti, Lucio Fulci, Tonino Pulci

Ten-year old Susie Hacker (Martha Taylor) is on vacation in Egypt with archaeologist father George Hacker (Christopher Connelly) when she meets a strange, blind woman in the city bazaar whom gifts her with an ancient amulet with weird, inter dimensional powers. While excavating a cursed Egyptian tomb George is struck blind when an ancient jewel emits a blue laser-blast to his eyes, the effect is pure 80's awesomeness, it's fun stuff, even if dated. These opening scenes in Egypt are fantastic, perhaps a bit confusing, but Lucio Fulci was at top of his game in '82, these shots are atmospheric and creepy, particularly the gorgeously shot and spooky Egyptian tombs with secret passages, serpents, trap doors and spiked booby traps. 

The family returns to New York City where Professor Hacker is told by doctors that the blindness is only temporary, which is great for him but things just get weirder for his poor daughter Susie, strange things begin happening to those around her, there's some connection between the amulet and the tomb her father was exploring, you never quite comprehend just what the fuzz is actually going on, you might, but it's never explained to any satisfactory degree, which is just fine by me. A fun note,  Susie's younger brother Tommy is played by Giovanni Frezza, that spooky creeper kid Bob from Fulci's The House by the Cemetery (1981), the one with that awful dubbing, but worry not for he's not quite so annoying here.

Manhattan Baby really does come off as a head-scratching schlocky rip-off The Exorcist (1973) and Rosemary's Baby (1968) with a nasty nod to Hitchcock's The Birds (1963) but it's a bit more than just that, there's also a poorly conceived rip-off of the elevator death scene in Damien: Omen II (1979). Lucio Fulci and cinematographer Guigliemo Mancoro put some great images on-screen, sure some of the effects are super schlocky, the glowing doors, birds on wires, and the 80's laser effects come immediately to mind, but there's some decent gore effects, too. An early scene in Egypt features a great impalement and late in the film a roomful of stuffed birds wreak exquisite suffering on a para-psychologist, in the gore department it's not a complete disappointment, just a bit restrained by Fulci standard of the time. 

Story wise there's a lot of weird and unexplained events transpiring, you won't walk away from this with any real understanding of what you've just seen but the connective tissue of the film are suspenseful and intriguing, or at least pleasantly confusing. I think Fulci gets hammered on, perhaps not unjustly, for poor storytelling and this head-scratcher, penned by longtime collaborator Dardano Sacchetti (Zombi, New York Ripper), certainly won't dissuade that line of criticism.  However, if you have love for Lucio Fulci's The Beyond (1981) and City of the Living Dead (1980) or other Italian supernatural weirdies you will enjoy this one, it's pretty slim on the gore, quite restrained for this period of Fulci, but it's thick with creepy atmosphere and schlocky supernatural fun. 

DVD: Shameless Screen Entertainment present Lucio Fulci's Manhattan Baby (1982) in it's anamorphic original widescreen aspect ratio (2.35:1)  on a region 0 PAL formatted DVD. The print looks quite nice, there's a fine layer of film grain and the print is mostly free of minor scratches and damage. The transfer features strong vibrant colors and decent black levels. The English language Dolby Digital mono audio is well balanced and clean, dubbed dialogue and effects come through clear and  Fabio Frizzi's recycled score from The Beyond (1981) and City of the Living Dead (1980) sound fine, there's the usual odd English-dubbing funkiness but that's par for the course with  80's Italian features. There's not much by the way of special features unfortunately, no commentary or featurettes, but we get a selection of trailers and a reversible sleeve of artwork, but that's it. 

Special Features:

- Shameless Trailer Gallery (13:33): New York Ripper (1982), The Black Cat (1981), Torso (1973), Frightened Woman (1969) , Night Train Murders (1975)  
- Theatrical Trailer (3:03) 
- Sleeve of Reversible Artwork

Verdict: Not on par with Lucio Fulci's The Gates of Hell Trilogy but this supernatural scholcker is nothing to sneeze at, this is fun 80's schlock and it definitely gives me hope as to what I might discover further exploring Fulci's post-New York Ripper (1982) filmography. Prepare yourself for a "what the fuck did I just watch" sorta experience, you might never quite understand many of Lucio Fulci's films, you just sorta get a feel for 'em, and this one feels just about right for the period, a medium recommend. 3 Outta 5 

BLU-RAY REVIEW: The Beyond (1982)

THE BEYOND (1981) Blu-ray

LABEL: Arrow Video
REGION: Region Free, Region 0 PAL
DURATION: 88 min.
DIRECTOR: Lucio Fulci
CAST: Catriona MacColl, David Warbeck, Cinzia Monreale
TAGLINE: Only death awaits in The Beyond!

PLOT: If your new business venture is sited on the cursed gateway to the hell dimension of The Beyond, then maybe it’s time to move elsewhere but Liza (Catriona MacColl) is determined to make her New Orleans hotel work, until strange things start happening, people vanish and her waking thoughts are haunted by a ghostly blind woman who seems to hold the answers to the whole bizarre fever-dream. As reality breaks down and the plot explodes, Liza must journey far from everything she understands and descend in The Beyond...

FILM: Italian gore-master Lucio Fulci's THE BEYOND (1981) is pt.2 of the unofficial Gates of Hell trilogy which began with CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD (1980) and ended with insanity that is THE HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY (1981).  The connective tissue that bind this gruesome trio seems to be the apocalyptic effects of the dead entering the world of the living.  The film was heavily censored for it's outstanding gore sequences upon release and was granted a release here in the states under the lesser title SEVEN DOORS OF DEATH, which was also substantially edited.

The pre-credit sequence opens in 1927 as an angry mob enter the Seven Doors Hotel where they apprehend a painter named Schweick who's dabbling in the dark arts has led to the discovery that the hotel is built upon one of the seven gates of Hell as written about in a cryptic tome known as Eibon . They torture him, nail him  crucifixion-style and throw quicklime upon his body and watch as it eats away his flesh, it's truly grotesque. Their need for vengeance sated the mob don't realize their acts have set in motion a chain of events that will bring apocalyptic ruin upon the Earth. Fifty years later a young woman named Liza (Catriona MacColl) inherits the hotel and has plans to renovate the property but as you can imagine renovating one of the seven portals to Hell is fraught with problems. For starters the water in the basement is waist high - enter a rather unfortunate guy aptly named Joe the Plumber who is the first but certainly not the last in this film to receive the patented Fulci eye-trauma, it's a scene that nearly bests the infamous eyeball vs. splinter scene from Fulci's own ZOMBI 2 (1979). Other characters figuring prominently into the story include an apparition of a blind woman named Emily (Cinzia Monreale) whom only appears to Liza warning her to leave the hotel and not return but Liza isn't easily frightened despite the strange happening at the hotel. Following the near-death accident of a day laborer Liza also meets Dr. John McCabe (David Warbeck) who while skeptical of all things supernatural joins forces with Liza until the intensely eerie Hell on Earth finale.

The Beyond is truly thin in the plot department and has a few confusing non-linear bits that will surely dismay some folks but not me. It's as simple as woman moves into a haunted hotel which rests upon one of the seven gates of hell and nightmarish crazy things happen - 'nuff said. Fulci's signature eye mutilation, tense atmosphere  and sickening gore are all accounted for as the typical quirky dialogue exchanges, the usual classic Italian to English dub stuff. My favorite bit of dialogue has Emily screaming to her dog to "Attack! Dicky! Dicky Attack! Attack Dicky!" shortylt before it turns it's teeth on her which always makes me sequel with delight. We get the aforementioned eye-trauma, a truly gnarly tarantula attack, the vicious canine encounter, sulphuric acid to the face, a full on zombies assault and a heinous head, it's great stuff. The special effects work of Giannetto de Rossie is mostly superb throughout with the exception of some piss poor tarantuals and are on par with his work on Zombie 2. Thin though the plot may be The Beyond is an effectively chilling film, very eerie and steeped in dark atmosphere helped no doubt by the setting of the film in Louisiana. It's a great looking feature with fantastic cinematography that just happens to be stuffed with outstanding gore. Fulci was a true filmmaker and The Beyond is a very technically accomplished film.

I've only seen a handful of Fulci films outside of the Gates of Hell trilogy; THE PSYCHIC (1977), ZOMBI 2 (1979), and THE BLACK CAT (1981) and each is a wonderful excursion into the realm of Italian cinema that I can easily recommend. I'm far less familiar with his early 70's output like  DON'T TORTURE A DUCKLING (1972) and A LIZARD IN A WOMAN'S SKIN (1971) and look forward to discovering each in it's own time. It's comforting to know that there's so much more to discover from Fulci.

BLU-RAY: The Beyond gets a brand new HD restoration and is presented completely uncut in it's original aspect ratio 2.35:1 (16x9) anamorphic with English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and original English and Italian mono audio options with English subtitles for both the Italian and English language tracks. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 is immersive with a surprising amount of depth to it. Frizzi's score sounds brilliant and the effects really leap out of the surrounds. The films appears quite crisp with vibrant colors and great black levels with a healthy amount of film grain present but not distractingly so. It should be noted that I am reviewing a pre-release screener that may not be representative of the film final release. As an example; the prologue is errantly presented in monochrome black and white and not the intended sepia tone.  Arrow Video are aware of the issue and have taken action to correct this on the commercially available release.

Disc 1 special features include a fun commentary with stars Warbeck/MacColl. They have a playful rapport with each other as they remember fun facts from the shoot. This commentary is a carry-over from the Grindhouse Releasing DVD.  There's also a commentary featurng Fulci's daughter and Calum Waddell speaking about not just THE The Beyond but her father's films and legacy. The 1st of 2 featurettes is AKA Sarah Keller: Cinzia Monreale remembers ‘The Beyond’ (25:04) which features the still stunningly gorgeous Monreale fondly recalling her work with not only Fulci but director Joe D'Amatto on the film BEYOND THE DARKNESS. She also speaks to her perceptions of violence in cinema and her memories of shooting the film in Louisiana and Rome. Rounding out disc 1 is Catriona MacColl Q+A from the Glasgow Film Theatre (20:08) that is moderated by Calum Waddell as the star discusses several of her collaborations with Fulci, the script and her relationship with the director and there's also an easter egg.



The proper sepia-tone pre-credit sequence.



The errant monochromatic pre-credit sequence.

Disc 2 special features begin with One Step Beyond: Catriona MacColl Remembers a Spaghetti Splatter Classic (29:09)  a conversation in English as the star recalls being on set and working with Fulci. Beyond Italy – Louis Fuller and the Seven Doors of Death: Interview with US distributor and editor of ‘The Beyond’ Terry Levene (20:21) is a fascinating interview with the film's American distributor as he describes his life in film distributing grindhouse classics CANNIBAL FEROX, ZOMBI FLESH EATERS and THE LIVING DEAD AT MANCHESTER MORGUE among many others. This is essential stuff, fans of Italian cinema are in for a real treat. Equally fascinating is Butcher, Baker and Zombiemaker: The Living Dead Legacy of special effects wizard Gianetto Di Rossi (30:32) as the Italian effects master Rossi recalls his most famous works including the trademawk eye-trauma in both ZOMBI 2 and THE BEYOND as well as the tarantula attack. Fulci Flashbacks: Dario Argento, Daria Nicolodi, Sergio Stivaletti, Antonella Fulci and others remember The Godfather of Gore (25:08) is a collection of fond Fulci memories from many familiar face including Argento and Nicolodi who is always a great interview. Finishing off disc 2 extras are an interesting Alternative Colour Pre-Credits Sequence (16:02)  which presents the pre-credit sequence in color from the German cut of the film and the Original International Trailer (3:15).

DISC 1 SPECIAL FEATURES (Region Free Blu-ray)
- Introduction by star Cinzia Monreale
- Audio Commentary with Antonella Fulci and Calum Waddell
- Audio Commentary with David Warbeck and Catriona MacColl
- AKA Sarah Keller: Cinzia Monreale remembers ‘The Beyond’ (25:04)
- Catriona MacColl Q+A from the Glasgow Film Theatre (20:08)
- Easter Egg

DISC 2 SPECIAL FEATURES
(Region 0 PAL)
- One Step Beyond: Catriona MacColl Remembers a Spaghetti Splatter Classic (29:09)
- Beyond Italy – Louis Fuller and the Seven Doors of Death: Interview with US distributor and editor of ‘The Beyond’ Terry Levene (20:21)
- Butcher, Baker and Zombiemaker: The Living Dead Legacy of special effects wizard (30:32)

- Fulci Flashbacks: Dario Argento, Daria Nicolodi, Sergio Stivaletti, Antonella Fulci and others remember The Godfather of Gore (25:08)

- Alternative colour pre-credits sequence (16:02)

- Original International Trailer (3:15)

VERDICT: When one thinks of the films of Lucio Fulci it's either Zombi 2 (1979) or The Beyond (1981) that spring immediately to mind and for good reason. These films are wonderful examples of gruesome Italian horror cinema and are both excellent films to jump into for the uninitiated. An equally gorgeous and grotesque example of Fulci's nightmarish imagery and surreal atmosphere. As with many Arrow Video editions of beloved genre classics it is easy to give this a high recommend without reservation. Transfer error aside the numerous bonus features are truly outstanding and give fans of the director a true appreciation for his work as well as the talented folks who made it possible. A stunningly gore-geous masterstroke of Italian cinema. 4.5 outta 5

BLU-RAY REVIEW: Alien 2 On Earth (1980)

ALIEN 2 ON EARTH (1980) Blu-ray

Release Date: March 22nd 2011

Label: Midnight Legacy
Region Code: All Region
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 84 Mins
Director: Ciro Ippolito
Cast: Belinda Mayne, Mark Bodin, Roberto Barrese, Benny Aldrich, Michele Soavi

Plot: A group of cave explorers are confronted in an underground cavern by a mysterious living rock. Little do they know that it bears home to deadly, flesh-eating creatures, intent on wiping out the entire human population. Can they survive and ultimately prevent Earth's total annihilation?

Film: The upstart niche film label Midnight Legacy have chosen director Ciro Ippolito's fairly obscure ALIEN 2 ON EARTH (1980) as their initial Blu-ray/DVD release. There's not too many niche labels emerging in today's trying marketplace. In fact the only one comes immediately to mind, Intervision Picture Corp. who've  just recently unleashed a salvo of Jess Franco titles. Alien 2 On Earth is one of those crazy unauthorized pseudo-sequels that came out of Italy in the 1970's and 1980's. Not all were atrocious, and many were quite good such as Lucio Fulci's ZOMBI 2 (1979) which was marketed as a sequel to George A. Romero's DAWN OF THE DEAD (1978). It features a zombie battling a shark, 'nuff said. Like many Italian films of the era Alien 2 on Earth is nearly incomprehensible at times, shrouded by a thick fog of surreality and has little to do with the film it lifts from, Ridley Scott's ALIEN (1979). Looking back it's no wonder there was such a glut of ALIEN knock-offs in the 80's as the studio delayed a sequel to Ridley Scott's horror-stunner until 1986. The world wanted more and Italy was only too happy to oblige legions of ravenous fans.

This slab of Italian b-movie madness begins as a manned space capsule is set to splash down off the coast of California. The Navy have assembled a recovery team and we are treated to a confusing montage of grainy 8mm stock footage of space capsules and Navy fleet maneuvers - it's nearly unwatchable but it does set-up that the spacecraft was mysteriously found to be empty upon splashdown. We are then introduced to Thelma (Belinda Mayne, of KRULL) the leader of a team of spelunking speleologists and her boyfriend Roy (Mark Bodin of ANTHROPOPHAGUS) as she make an appearance on a television program to comment on the returning space mission. What qualifies her for such commentary eludes me, but I'll allow it.  While on air Thelma suffers a psychic breakdown of sorts which renders her unable to carry-on the interview. It's an odd occurrence and not explained to my satisfaction but throw reason to the wind for it will not be needed here or elsewhere in this film. Next thing we know Thelma and her team are gearing-up for a weekend of cave exploration when Burt (played by actor turned director Michelle Soavi, CEMETERY MAN) discovers a peculiar blue rock and promptly tosses it in his backpack for examination later. Turns out this is no rock at all but the egg of a parasitic alien organism that was somehow scattered throughout the coastal during the arrival of the unmanned space capsule. Again, no explanation, just go with it. Once below ground things are what some might generously call deliberately paced, not that the first 20 minutes were screaming with action though. Adding to the sleepy time hypnotic pace of the film is an alternately sleepy and creepy score from Guido and Maurizo De Angelis. Mercifully at about the forty-five minute mark the blue meteorite/alien egg shows signs of life. It begins to pulsate and hatches a beasty that looks like a bloody pile of loose meat. Entering through the mouth the parasite incubates and then explodes not from the chest, but from the victims head, completely decimating the face in a spew of bloody viscera. The facial eruptions are by the far the most enjoyable parts of the film and in true Fulci-gore style there are several instances of grotesque eyeball mutilation. Once the creature makes itself known the spelunkers are forced deeper into the cave looking for an alternate exit.

 While most of the remaining team have their faces popped like blood filled zits Thelma and Roy escape the cave and the finale of the film plays out in a bowling alley, WTF right? There they are confronted by the barely-seen and apparently much larger creature.   Unfortunately the films seemingly meager budget seems to have been spent on the face decimating eruptions and what we get here are rather disappointing POV shots from inside the creatures mouth, again looking like a pile of bloody shredded meat. Thelma again escapes the creature and runs through the now abandoned streets of San Diego implying an apocalyptic ending wherein that the creatures have taken over the city, perhaps even the world. .

DVD: Midnight Legacy's inaugural release of Alien 2 On Earth is surely the definitive version of film, transferred from the original 35mm negative, its uncut and  runs longer than any other version available. This perfectly compliments Midnight Legacy's Mission Statement of releasing films uncut in their original aspect ratios/audio in spine-numbered, limited edition collectible pressings. The film is presented in a 16:9 enhanced 1.85:1 aspect ratio in wonderful 1080p and looks surprising good, it's crisp, clear and offers a good amount of fine detail. The colors are vibrant and the natural grain is not overwhelming. The depth of the black levels are quite good, inky and deep. The image is a bit soft but after watching a unrestored trailer from the film's Dutch VHS release it's quite clear how stunning the blu-ray truly is, great job on Midnight Legacy's part for the brilliant transfer. I would have to assume this is far superior to even the initial theatrical release of the film. Audio options consist solely of a DTS-MA 2.0 stereo mix, there are some occasional hiss and pops but nothing overly distracting. Far more concerning is the fact that the film was entirely dubbed in post-production as most Italian films of era were but this is no fault of Midnight Legacy. No subtitle options are included.  The special features are kept to a minimum with only the aforementioned Dutch trailer and a 11 minute special effects outtake reel, not outstanding but given the obscure nature of the film there's probably not much available. I would've loved subtitles and a Ippolito commentary or a brief featurette speaking to the many ALIEN knock-offs of the era but the fine transfer is appreciated.

Special Features:
- Dutch VHS Trailer (3:10)
- Special Effects Outtakes (11:27) [1080p]

Verdict: ALIEN 2 ON EARTH is an occasionally interesting spaghetti exploitation flick and if you're a connoisseur of ALIEN knock-offs there's definitely something to enjoy here if only a few choice moments of gore. While it's not essential cinema it is definitely an obscure curiosity and an interesting first-step for this young company.  If they're are able to sustain the high standards set forth here and keep the obscure treasures coming they could easily  join the ranks of Synapse, Severin and Code Red as a force to be reckoned with in the niche home entertainment market. 3 outta 5

www.Midnight-Legacy.com/