THE BELIEVERS (1987) (Olive Films Blu-ray Review/Comparison)

THE BELIEVERS (1987) 

Label:  Olive Films 
Region Code: A
Rating: R
Duration: 114 Minutes
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 2.0 with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p Widescreen (1.85:1)
Director: John Schlesinger 
Cast: Robert Loggia, Martin Sheen, Helen Shaver, Harley Cross, Jimmy Smits, Elizabeth Wilson 

I remember watching occult-thriller The Believers (1987) on late night cable TV as an early teen and enjoying it quite a bit, but more than anything it made me wary of my mom's coffee maker and the possibility that it might someday kill me. That's because at the top of the film a woman named Lisa Jamison (Janet-Laine Green) is fatally electrocuted by a faulty coffee maker right in front of her husband Cal (Martin Sheen, Apocalypse Now) and young son Chris (Harley Chris, Someone To Watch Over Me). Watching it again now I was a bit less traumatized by the scene of electric death and more jadedly amused at how overwrought that scene is. While not as jolting as I remember it does move the story along, with the now grieving widow moving from Minnesota to New York City to start a new life with his son. Cal assumes a new job as a therapist for the NYPD treating cops traumatized in the line of duty. Enter an attractive and recently divorced landlady Jessica Halliday (Helen Shaver, The Amityville Horror) who takes a liking to Cal and a romance blossoms much to the chagrin of his son who still grieves for his deceased mother.

A series of ritualistic child murders plague the city, at the first crime scene we meet undercover officer Tom Lopez (Jimmy Smits, Bless The Child) looking to be on the verge of a nervous breakdown, screaming about a Santeria cult and their strange powers. At about the same time Cal and his son are enjoying a day at Central Park when Chris stumble upon the scene of an animal sacrifice, nearby  Chris finds decorative shell which he keeps to himself, and soon enough strange things begin happening around the Jamison home. 

What unfolds afterward hints that the elite and powerful aristocrats of the city may be sacrificing their own children to ensure their place in high society, with the corrupting influence of the occult permeating all facets of society, no one is safe and no one is above suspicion, which makes this a surprisingly effective and creepy paranoid thriller. 

Martin Sheen as the cop psychiatrist is easy to get behind, the caring father dealing with grief while starting a new relationship. Harley Chris as the son manages to not be too annoying as kid actors are prone to be and Helen Shaver as the new love interest does a fine job.

Then we have Jimmy Smits as the undercover cop fallen prey to the Santeria cult, he's unhinged the moment he arrives onscreen and only unravels further as the film moves on. Then we have the always intimidating Robert Loggia (Lost Highway) as Lieutenant Sean McTaggert, whom is feeling increasing pressure to find the culprits behind the child murders, even when Loggia is a good guy like he is here he is still a menacing presence onscreen. 

The occult baddies in the film are embodied by wealthy tycoon Robert Calder (Harris Yulin, Ghostbusters II) and cult priest Palo (Malick Bowens, Double Team), a creepy figure who uses the occult to enthrall, corrupt and curse his followers and enemies throughout the film - a few of his scenes still give me the shivers.

After the overwrought beginning the film settles into a slow methodical build-up of occult tension and paranoia before diving off the deep-end with the revelation of just how far the influence of the cult extends and the result is a tiny bit over-the-top, not ruining it for me but definitely a little over-the-top.

Directed by John Schlesinger (Marathon Man) with a screenplay by future Twin Peaks co-creator Mark Frost the attractive cinematography from Robby Müller (Dead Man)- there's a solid creative team behind the camera. While I enjoyed the heart of the story of a father pulled into the occult activities of the elite and powerful the bookend whammy of that overwrought electrocution and nutty ending do bring it down a few points. Nonetheless, I do give The Believers a recommend, it's a tense and paranoia infused occult thriller with a great cast, definitely a film deserving of some attention. 

Audio/Video: The Believers arrives on Blu-ray from Olive Films presented in 1080p HD and framed in the original 1.85:1 widescreen framing with a nice layer of film grain with pleasant some moments of fine detail and clarity. Color reproduction looks terrific and skin tones are natural looking. Black levels are decent and the source material is near flawless with the exception of some minor white speckling throughout. This  looks to be the same HD master provided by 20th Century Fox to Twilight Time for their 2014 Blu-ray release, with the same color-grading and identical white speckling in certain scenes, though the now out-of-print TT release looks to have the superior encode, but only marginally. Check out a screenshot comparison below: 

Top: Twilight Time Blu-ray (2014) 

Bottom: Olive Films Blu-ray (2019)

The disc audio comes by way of an English DTS-HD MA 2.0 stereo mix, dialogue, effects and the J. Peter Robinson (The Wraith) score are well-balanced, a solid stereo mix with optional English SDH Subtitles are provided. 

The only extra on this release is the original theatrical trailer for the film. The previous Twilight Time disc only offered the trailer, an isolated score and collector's booklet with writing on the film from Julie Kirgo, so you're not losing a lot of extras, and the transfers are nearly identical. The single-disc release comes housed in a standard Blu-ray keepcase with a single-sided sleeve of artwork, while I didn't love the TT artwork this one doesn't really improve on it, Olive's stylized artwork is usually an acquired taste.    

While not quite the supreme occult thriller I remembered from my youth The Believers (1987) is still a creepy occult entry with some strong performances and troubling imagery. The new Blu-ray from Olive Films looks and sounds great if you're a fan of the film and missed out on the previous TT release this is a solid alternative. 

INNOCENT BLOOD (1992) (Warner Archive Blu-ray Review)

INNOCENT BLOOD (1992)

Label: Warner Archive
Region Code: Region-FREE
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 115 Minutes (International Version)
Audio: English DTS HD-Master Audio 2.0 Stereo with Optional English Subtitles 
Video: 1080P HD Widescreen (1.78:1)
Director: John Landis 
Cast: Anne Parillaud, Robert Loggia, Anthony LaPaglia, Don Rickles, Chazz Palminteri, Angela Bassett

I caught Innocent Blood (1992)at the theater in '92 and I loved it - but I think I was in a minority at the time, it didn't go over all that well with the masses as I recall, including my friends. Here we have a bloodsucking comedy about a Parisian vampire who accidentally turns a maniacal Pittsburg mobster into a bloodthirsty vampire when she fails to kill him properly after feasting on his blood. The mobster, Salvatore "Sal the Shark" Macelli, is played by Robert Loggia (Lost Highway), an over-the-top portrayal as a power-crazed mobster, and that was before he was turned into a bloodsucker! The vampiress, played by the pixie-ish Anne Parillaud (La Femme Nikita) is a Dexter-ish sort of femme fatale, she has her own moral code, which prohibits her from drinking the blood of innocents, preferring only the crimson fluid of criminals, which is why she sets her sights on this particular Italian crime family, who are in the midst of a turf war. 

Once turned Macelli realizes the vampiric power he now has, and begins turning his crew into the undead, beginning with his Jewish lawyer Manny, played by comedy legend Don Rickles who is fantastic! He also turns two wiseguys played by future Sopranos stars Tony Sirico and David Proval. Realizing that she's unleashed a monster of the city Marie sets about to stop the ruthless mobster with the help of an undercover cop, Joseph Gennaro (Anthony LaPaglia, Empire Records), who has ties to the crime family.  The comedy comes fast and furious in this one, mixed in with some sweet gore and awesome special effects from Steve Johnson (Poltergeist II: The Other Side). There's not a whole lot of fang-action, we get some tearing of flesh and bloodied faces as the vampires feast messily on their victims, and both Rickles and Loggia have visually stunning death scenes, especially Rickles who catches an intense ray of sunshine before going up in flames in sight of a hysterical nurse played by scream queen Linnea Quigley (Return of the Living Dead)! That's a scene I feel is owed some love from Let The Right One In, which has a very similar vamp at a hospital scene, he blows up real nice! Not all the effects and visual trickery hold up though, there's a weird circling camera movement that feels like an ode to Argento's Opera (1987) that takes place in a church, meant to imply Maria can fly (or turn into a bat?) that falls a bit flat, and the red-eyes I loved when I saw it at the cinema doesn't hold up, but that cracked-skin, burning embers effects of the vamps going up in flames is still fantastic stuff. 

Loggia steals the show, at least when Rickles isn't on screen, particularly as the scenery chewing (and bloodsucking) mob boss, with great one liners like "I can hear an angel fart" and "I'm gonna grind you down to blood and screams", loads of great quotes in this one, so good. Parillaud as the pint-sized vamp-vixen is good but not great, her French accent sounds a bit odd when they modulate her voice when she's vamped-out, at one point sounding like Lou Ferrigno, but she does fine, she's very easy on the eyes. The love story with her and LaPaglia is dead on arrival to me, I don't feel the chemistry, but it pays off with a kinky handcuffed sex scene, her tiny body is undeniably sexy, and she bares it a few times. LaPaglia like Parillaud is decent, but he's fairly low-key and straight-laced, overshadowed by the deliciously blood-crazed performance of Robert Loggia, who is just so great. 

The movie is front loaded with director cameos, a bit of a trademark for director Landis, with Sam Raimi (Evil Dead) as a meat man, Dario Argento (Tenebre) as a paramedic, and Frank Oz (The Dark Crystal) as a morgue mortician. Also be on the lookout for special effects master Tom Savini (Day of the Dead) as a photojournalist and the beloved Forest "Famous Monsters of Filmland" Ackerman in a brief cameo. Another fun Landis-ism is the appearance of other movies on TV's throughout the movie, we get clips of people watching Hammer classic Horror of Dracula (1958), Hitchcock's Strangers on a Train (1951), the Harryhausen extravaganza The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms(1951) and Phantom of the Rue Morgue (1954), all these clips brought to mind the Landis-produced HBO sitcom Dream On (1990-1996)which was predicated on TV clips. 

This one is criminally underrated, and too often maligned, perhaps owing a bit to the fact that Francis Ford Coppola's Dracula hit theaters the same year, this one sort of waned in its shadow, but this is well worth a revisit, a horror-comedy along the lines of An American Werewolf in Paris, it was even marketed in some foreign market as  A French Vampire in America, against Landis's wishes, but I can see the urge from the marketing department to make that connection to movie goers. 

The mix of mafia crime film and slapstick horror comedy is fun, it doesn't all stick when thrown up against the wall, but most of it sticks without overdoing it, the comedy is fun, the romance is just alright, and the horror is mixed well with the silliness. Landis does not get enough credit as a director these days, but this was a unique and original idea for a vamp flick and he executed it with his usual comedy-deftness, balancing the absurd with the grotesque. 

Audio/Video: Innocent Blood (1992) arrives on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive with a brand new 2017 HD master that looks mighty spiffy. Previously only available in an unattractive pan and scan full frame DVD for Warners we get a nicely opened-up 1.78:1 widescreen presentation revealing left and right information not seen on home video in the U.S. before - it's an eye-opener! Grain is nicely managed, the film has a certain early 90's ugliness to it, a gritty urban patine, but it's all nicely resolved in HD and the reds really pop, plus the black levels are nice and deep. 

The only audio option on the disc is an English language DTS-HD MA 2.0 Stereo track and it does the job; crisp and clean, nicely balanced with some good stereo separation, the music scores from Ira Newborn (Mallrats) sounds great, plus songs selections from Frank Sinatra, Cole Porter, Prince and the New Power Generation and the Rhythm Syndicate. Optional English subtitles are provided. 

Warner Archive are not known for their newly produced extras, and true to form there are none here, we get only the trailer for the DVD, but there's is something new, this is the longer international cut (115 min) version of the film with over two minutes of never-before-released-in-the U.S. footage, it doesn't add up to a whole lot honestly, a few seconds here and there, some dialogue, a bit more of a burning Loggia at the end, but it's great to have this Landis comedy in widescreen HD and uncut!   

Special Features:
- Theatrical Trailer (HD)

Finally at long last Innocent Blood (1992) gets a proper widescreen HD release from Warner archive, they even sweeten the deal with a longer international cut we've never had in the U.S.. Sure, I would have loved a John Landis commentary or an interview, the guys is always a veritable treasure trove of Hollywood insight, but I am pleased as punch just to have this sweet looking widescreen HD version of the film on Blu-ray! It doesn't mix the comedy and horror as well as An American Werewolf in London, but then again, so few do, and that's a Hell of a benchmark, even for the same director.

 

THE BELIEVERS (1987)

THE BELIEVERS (1987) 

Label: Twilight Time

Region Code: ALL

Rating: R

Duration: 114 Minutes

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

Video: 1080p Widescreen (1.85:1)
Director: John Schlesinger 

Cast: Robert Loggia, Martin Sheen, Helen Shaver, Harley Cross, Jimmy Smits, Elizabeth Wilson

SYNOPSIS: 

Director John Schlesinger (Midnight Cowboy, Marathon Man) ventures elegantly into supernatural territory with The Believers (1987), the tale of Cal Jamison (Martin Sheen), a recently widowed police psychologist forced to deal with a series of ritualistic child murders apparently perpetrated by a malevolent rogue branch of a Caribbean cult religion. As the cult’s connections to corporate oligarchs begin to emerge, the lives of Cal and those around him—particularly his vulnerable young son (Harley Cross)—are put at terrible risk. Also starring Helen Shaver, Robert Loggia, and Jimmy Smits, and atmospherically shot by the great Robby Müller, cinematographer/partner of Wim Wenders, Lars von Trier, and Jim Jarmusch.

THE FILM: 

I remember watching THE BELIEVERS on late night cable TV as a teen and enjoying it

quite a bit. More than anything it made me wary of my mom's coffee maker and the possibility that it might someday kill me because at the top of the film a woman named Lisa Jamison (Janet-Laine Green) is fatally electrocuted by a faulty coffee maker right in front of her husband Cal (Martin Sheen) and her young son Chris (Harley Chris). Watching it now I was less traumatized by the scene of electric death and more jadedly amused at how overwrought the sequence seemed. Not as jolting as I remember but it does move the story along, the now grieving widow moving from Minnesota to New York City to start a new life. Cal is now working as a therapist for the NYPD treating cops traumatized in the line of duty. Enter an attractive and recently divorced landlady Jessica Halliday (Helen Shaver) who takes a liking to Cal and a romance blossoms much to the chagrin of his son who still grieves for his dead mother. 

A series of ritualistic child murders plague the city, at the first crime scene we meet undercover officer Tom Lopez (Jimmy Smits) on the verge of a nervous breakdown,

screaming about a Santeria cult and their strange powers. At about the same time Cal and his son are enjoying a day at Central Park when Chris stumble upon a brutal animal sacrifice, nearby he finds decorative shell which he keeps to himself and soon strange things begin to happen around the Jamison home. 

What unfolds afterward hints at the elite and powerful aristocrats of the city may be sacrificing their own children to ensure their place in high society, much like ROSEMARY'S BABY we see that the corrupting influence of the occult permeates all facets of society, no one is safe and no one is above suspicion, which makes for an effective and creepy paranoid thriller. 

Martin Sheen as the cop psychiatrist is easy to get behind, a strong father dealing with grief while starting a new relationship. Harley Chris as the son manages to not be too annoying as kid actors are prone to be and Helen Shaver as the new love interest does a fine job.

Then we have Jimmy Smits as the undercover cop fallen prey to the cult, he's unhinged the moment he arrives onscreen and only unravels further as the film moves on. Then we have the intimidating Robert Loggia as Lieutenant Sean McTaggert, whom is feeling increasing pressure to find the culprits behind the child murders, even when Loggia is a good guy he is still a scary presence onscreen, such a menacing face. 

The occult baddies in the film are embodied by wealthy tycoon Robert Calder (Harris Yulin) and cult priest Palo (Malick Bowens), a creepy figure who uses the occult to enthrall, corrupt and curse throughout the film - a few of his scenes gave me the shivers.

After the overwrought beginning the film settles into a slow methodical build-up of occult tension and paranoia before diving off the deep-end with the revelation of just how far the influence of the cult extends and the result is a tiny bit over-the-top, not ruining it for me but it definitely detracting from it. 

Directed by John Schlesinger with a screenplay by future TWIN PEAKS co-creator Mark Frost the attractive cinematography from Robby Müller - there's a solid creative team behind the camera. While I enjoyed the heart of the story of a father pulled into the occult activities of the elite and powerful the bookend whammy of that overwrought electrocution and nutty ending do bring it down a few points. Nonetheless, I do give THE BELIEVERS a recommend, it's a tense and paranoia infused occult thriller with a great cast, definitely a film deserving of some attention. 

BLU-RAY:

The Blu-ray from Twilight Time presents the film in the original widescreen aspect ratio with a nice layer of natural film grain with some moments of fine detail and clarity. Color reproduction looks great and skin tones are mostly natural looking. Black levels are decent and the source material is near flawless with the exception of some minor white speckling throughout. The crisp master provided by 20th Century Fox should please fans through and through. 

The English DTS-HD MA 2.0 manages audio duties nicely with well balanced dialogue, effects and J. Peter Robinson's score, it's a good stereo mix with no one element overpowering the other. Optional English SDH Subtitles are provided. 

The disc includes and the original theatrical trailer, MGM 90th Anniversary trailer and the usual isolated music score highlighting the music of J.Peter Robinson. 

VERDICT:

Maybe not quite the supreme occult thriller I remembered from my youth but still a creepy occult cinema entry with some strong performances and troubling imagery. The new HD upgrade looks and sounds fantastic and fans of the film should enjoy it. This release is limited edition release of just 3000 units and is available exclusively from www.screenarchives.com

SCAVENGER KILLERS (2013)

SCAVENGER KILLERS (2013) 

Label: Midnight Releasing 

Release Date: July 1st, 2014
Duration: 102 minutes
Region Code: 1
Audio: English Dolby Digital 2.0 
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen (1.78:1) 
Director: Dylan Bank
Cast: Robert Bogue, Rachael Robbins, Eric Roberts, Dustin Diamond, Robert Loggia, Charles Durning

SCAVENGER KILLERS is a low-budget thriller from director Dylan Bank and concerns a judge (Robert Bogue, THE FOLLOWING) and his defense lawyer girlfriend (Rachael Robbins, BIKINI BLOODBATH CHRISTMAS) who routinely let the guilty off the hook in the courtroom so that can kill them in weird and lustful ways later. These two are super-kinky and totally get off on murder and sex while commuting murder. 

Also along for the ride are Dustin Diamond who you may remember as Screech from SAVED BY THE BELL who portrays a clairvoyant who can only use his gift while he fondles the breasts of a large black woman while finger-fucking her mouth... and he has tourettes syndrome. There are also appearances from Eric Roberts (THE DARK NIGHT), Charles Durning (DARK NIGHT OF THE SCARECROW) and Robert Loggia (LOST HIGHWAY) who are seriously slumming it in this D-grade thriller, someone must have some dirt on these three to get them on board with this cheapie.

Every performance is overwrought or amateurish from the entire cast. I definitely feel that Bank was going for campiness by design but the script and humor are just awful from start to finish, I did not find a single legitimate laugh to be found anywhere. The effects are a mix of practical blood and CGI assisted splatter - not awful but not great either. Having just watched CAMP BLOOD FIRST SLAUGHTER and GILA! the special effects bar was set mighty low. 

Poor Robert Loggia - does the guy even realize he was in a movie when he made this - the guy is getting on in years and to see him in this was almost traumatic but I must admit that the scene with his brain being scooped out of his skull was bit of fun. What little there is to enjoy here would be some cheap gore and an endless parade of nude women - at times it felt like the producers held a casting call at the local strip club - so there's that cheap thrill at least.

The DVD from Midnight Releasing looks decent as a digital production -  the cinematography and sound recording are at least competent if not mind-blowing and there are a a few extras by way of behind-the-scene stuff.

A rather poor excuse for a horror film and no amount of tits and ass are gonna save it from that fate. There's possibly some entertainment value as a group viewing just to pick it apart but not if you have to drop any cash to make it happen. A definite SKIP IT.  

Blu-ray Review: PSYCHO II (1983) Collector's Edition

PSYCHO II (1983) 

Collector's Edition Blu-ray 

Label: Shout! Factory / Scream Factory

Region Code: A

Rating: R

Duration: 113 Minutes

Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, 2.0 with Optional English Subtitles

Video: 1080p Widescreen (1.85:1) 

Director: Richard Franklin

Cast: Anthony Perkins, Vera Miles, Meg Tilly, Robert Loggia, Dinnis Franz

Tagline: It's 22 Years Later and Norman Bates is Coming Home...

Wow, a sequel to Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (1960) ...the size of the fucking balls on Universal Studios in 1983 and just a few years after the Master of Suspense's death, you just know they would never have done it while he was still drawing breath. I cannot even imagine what that pitch was like, then again I can't believe Universal greenlit Gus Van Sant's shot-for-shot remake of it in 1999 either, that was just a bad idea from the ground up. In '83 it was decades before the remake craze possessed Hollywood, shit now they're remaking John Carpenter's The Thing (1982) and it won't be long until Jaws (1975) gets the re imagining treatment, like there just haven't been enough Jaws rip-offs over the years, huh? 

Anyway, I remember seeing this one in the video store shelves ages ago and watching it, even as a kid I scoffed at the idea of a sequel to Psycho (1960) but I just had to know what they'd done to besmirch the original, call it a morbid curiosity. truly, I was expecting something quite awful but oddly enough I was wrong. Directed by Australian filmmaker Richard Franklin who had previously directed the neat ozploitation oddity Patrick (1978) about a comatose patient with telekinetic powers and the road trip slasher film Road Games (1981) starring Stacey Keach and Jamie Lee Curtis, he didn't seem like the obvious choice, makes me wonder who turned down the job beforehand. The script was written by a young writer named Tom Holland who would go on to direct Fright Night (1985) and it was lensed by cinematographer Dean Cundey fresh of Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982) and John Carpenter's The Thing (1982), on just talent alone this is actually starting to sound pretty good on paper 

Onto the cast we have Anthony Perkins reprising his iconic role as Norman Bates, also returning is Vera Miles as Lila Loomis, the sister of shower victim Marion Crane. The cast is filled out with Meg Tilly (Body Snatchers) as Norman's co-worker Mary, Robert Loggia (Lost Highway) as Norman's psychiatrist Dr. Raymond and Dennis Franz (Blow Out) playing what he seemed to do best in the 80's, a sleazeball. Perkins snaps right back into the mindset of Norman Bates, it's a scary good performance and he picks it up just fine after 22 years, it's creepy good. Robert Loggia definitely plays against type in a role that's pretty reserved compared to what I know him from, he's a pretty compassionate guy here. Vera Miles reprising her role as Lila Loomis is a nice touch, she's quite upset that after 22 years her sister's murderer is released from the loony bin, it sets her off. Tilly is also quite good as the naive good girl with a twist, I won't spoil it but this is a pretty crafty and deft script, loved the twists and turns, it's a fun 80's slasher with quite a pedigree. 

Alright, a great creative team and a  committed cast, this is starting to sound pretty damn good, and on top of that Richard Franklin and Tom Holland turn out to be quite devoted student of Hitchcock, you can feel his presence in nearly every frame, there's a lot of tense atmosphere and suspense, Holland's script is superb and Franklin's direction is top notch. I think it's probably his best work but I do have quite a soft spot for the kid friendly spy caper Cloak and Dagger (1984), also penned by Holland. 

Watching this again on Blu-ray I think I enjoyed it even more than on previous watches, my appreciation for how Frankilin and Holland were able to channel the Hitchcock vibe so true it would give Brian De Palma cinematic envy, it really works for me on every level. It arrived in cinema's at the end of the slasher-cycle it helped birth, where Hitchcock was more refined in terms of on-screen carnage this one goes right for throat with more gratuitous violence than you might expect and I just loved it from start to finish.

Blu-ray: Psycho II (1983) arrives on Blu-ray from Shout! Factory with an AVC encoded 1080p widescreen (1.85:1) transfer and it looks fantastic, way better than my 2007 Universal DVD beginning with a nice layer of fine film grain which offers up some very nice fine detail. The colors are crisp and vibrant, black levels are deep and there's a wonderful clarity which gives the image some depth, was pleasantly surprised how nice Psycho II (1983) looks in 1080p. 

Audio options include English language DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and 5.1, the newly minted 5.1 one is effective with some spatial ambiance even if the surrounds aren't overly active. Dialogue is always clear, effects are clean and Jerry Goldsmith's score sounds great. 

Special features include an Audio Commentary with Screenwriter Tom Holland moderated by Rob Galluzzo, writer/director of the The Psycho Legacy, Holland's a pretty talkative guy and has a lot to offer from the perspective of a young, up and coming writer in Hollywood, mentioning alternate casting choices (Carrie Fisher) and some fun anecdotes about he cast including friction between stars Anthony Perkins and Meg Tilly. Also included is a vintage Universal Electronic Press Kit which is a weird hodgepodge of clips and interviews with the cast including some vintage footage of Hitchcock, a decent time waster. 

Finishing-up the extras are a selection of audio interviews with the cast and crew, trailers, TV Spots and a still image gallery with 81 images of behind-the-scenes pics, production stills, and poster art.  

Special Features: 
- All-new Audio Commentary with Screenwriter Tom Holland
- Vintage interviews with cast and crew including Anthony Perkins and director Richard Franklin (35:21)
- Vintage audio interviews with cast and crew
- TV Spots (2:01)
- Original Theatrical Trailer (3:43) 
- Stills Gallery (6:37) 

Verdict: Sure, a sequel to Psycho (1960) just seems like the worst idea ever but director Richard Franklin and writer Tom Holland handle the material with a lot of respect and with a few fun winks and nods, plus it's a damn fine film on it's own. I quite enjoyed this sequel and Scream Factory's transfer and extras are top notch, you may be a doubter but I strongly suggest a viewing, particularly for you slasher fans, this is fun stuff. 3.5 Outta 5 

Bill Oberst Jr. To Play Demon Opposite Robert Loggia in THE LAST SUPPER

Bill Oberst Jr was kind enough to passed along the news that his next gig is appearing opposite acting legend Robert Loggia in the feature film 'The Last Supper'.  I do love me some Robert Loggia who's starred in everything from episodes of 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' to David Lynch's 'Lost Highway' (1997).


Bill Oberst Jr Press Release:

Fresh off back-to-back lead roles in The Asylum's ghost flick A HAUNTING IN SALEM and Drew Daywalt's 18th-century horror film NAKED, actor Bill Oberst Jr. has been cast as a demon in the upcoming feature film THE LAST SUPPER opposite Oscar-nominated veteran actor Robert Loggia.

The film relates the Biblical story of the Last Supper as told through the eyes of the Apostles. Gabriel Sabloff directs from a script by Tommy Blaze. The film shoots this month in Los Angeles. THE LAST SUPPER is produced by David A.R. White for Pure Flix Entertainment, whose founders include singer and actor Randy Travis. Robert Loggia plays the Apostle Peter, who narrates the film. Oberst was tapped by casting director Billy DaMota, CSA to embody the role of the ageless demon who appears to Peter in one-on-one scenes with Loggia.


Loggia, who famously danced with Tom Hanks in BIG and was nominated for an Academy Award for his role in THE JAGGED EDGE, has over 200 film and television appearances to his credit including SCARFACE, INDEPENDENCE DAY, the Oscar-winning PRIZZI'S HONOR and hundreds more stretching back to 1956. Loggia has worked in every conceivable genre of film, including a horror turn as a mob boss who becomes a vampire in John Landis' 1992 film INNOCENT BLOOD.


Oberst, who played Jesus Of Nazareth for 10 years in a touring stage ministry before becoming known for darker roles in film and television, says he is glad to be a part of the project. "I believe demons are very real," he says "so playing one is a heavy responsibility. And acting opposite Robert Loggia would be an honor for any actor. I'm a lucky guy and I'm excited."