FRIDAY THE 13th - THE COMPLETE COLLECTION 10-Disc Set Arrives on Blu-ray 9/13

FRIDAY THE 13th

THE COMPLETE COLLECTION 

10-Disc Collection 

On September 13, 2013 all 12 of the FRIDAY THE 13th films will appear on 1080p Blu-ray in one comprehensive boxset for the first time ever, this included the 2009 remake. While no special features have been announced as of yet but there is a Killer Bonus DVD Disc,  a 40 page excerpt from Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday The 13th book plus a nifty Camp Crystal Lake embroidered Counselor Patch.

I am assuming that we will get the same uncut version of Friday the 13th (1980) we saw in Friday the 13th - The Ultimate Collection. It would be great to know if there will be other uncut editions, the MPAA was notoriously hard on the scenes of gore in the sequels. As someone who owns the From Crystal Lake to Manhattan and The Ultimate Collection, Limited Edition boxsets plus numerous single-disc DVD editions and the the Friday the 13th 1-3 Deluxe Edition Blu-rays it's gonna take something really special for me to shell out more money for another set, Blu-ray or not. 

Press Release:

The 10-disc collection ($129.95 SRP) includes the twelve films on nine Blu-ray discs, as well as a killer DVD bonus disc full of special features on the making of the famous franchise. The must-own set will be presented in a collectible tin case with 11 hours of previously released special features and a 40-page soft cover book. The book is excerpted from Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday The 13th, a fan-favorite volume that's viewed as the ultimate memoir of the series, and highlights some of the 200 interviews, 600 photos, storyboards, concept art and more. Also included is a brand new, official Camp Crystal Lake embroidered Counselor Patch.

Friday The 13th: The Complete Collection also includes digital versions of all 12 films with UltraViolet, allowing viewers to download and instantly stream the films to a wide range of devices from computers and compatible tablets to smartphones, game consoles, Internet-connected TVs and Blu-ray players.

One of the most frightening franchises in film history, Friday The 13th focuses primarily on the character of Jason Voorhees, who drowned as a young child at Camp Crystal Lake due to the inattentiveness of camp counselors. Many years later, the camp becomes the scene of a number of murders - all of which are either committed or motivated by the avenging Jason, who forever lurks at Crystal Lake with his finely-honed machete.

Films in The Collection include:
· Disc 1 - Friday the 13th (1980)
· Disc 2 - Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981)
· Disc 3 - Friday the 13th Part 3 in 3D (1982)
· Disc 4 - Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984) NEW TO BLU-RAY
· Disc 5 - Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning (1985) / Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986) NEW TO BLU-RAY
· Disc 6 - Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988) / Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989) NEW TO BLU- RAY
· Disc 7 - Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993) / Jason X (2002) NEW TO BLU-RAY
· Disc 8 - Freddy vs. Jason (2003)
· Disc 9 - Friday the 13th (2009) (Theatrical Version and "Killer Cut" Extended Version)
· Disc 10 - Killer Bonus DVD Disc

DVD Review: THE NIGHT VISITOR (1971)

THE NIGHT VISITOR (1971) 

Label: VCI Entertainment 
Release Date: July 2nd, 2013 
Region Code: Region-FREE NTSC
Duration: 102 minutes 
Rating:  PG 
Video: 16:9 Widescreen (1.78:1)
Audio: English Dolby Digital 2.0 
Cast: Max Von SydowLiv Ullmann, Trevor Howard, Per Oscarsson, Rupert Davies, Andrew Keir
Director: Laslo Benedek

Synopsis: A powerful Gothic suspense tale of a man wrongly accused of murder, who is committed to an asylum for the criminally insane. While imprisoned, he makes a series of incredible escapes to methodically wreak vengeance on those responsible for putting him there.

In Laslo Benedek's Scandinavian thriller THE NIGHT VISITOR (1970) Salem (Max Von Sydown, THE EXORCIST) is a man imprisoned at a maximum security prison for the criminally insane, sent away for life for an ax murder he didn't commit, he was set-up by his his own sister Ester (Liv Ullman, SHAME) and her conniving husband Dr. Anton Jenks (Per Oscarsson, THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE).

The film opens up a bit oddly with Von Sydown running through the Scandinavian wilderness just outside the asylum in his undies, you're not sure what his motivations are as he sneaks into a farmhouse through a broken window and steals a syringe, three ampules of morphine and a necktie before sneaking out through the same window. he travels a short distance and visits and attractive young woman named Bitte (Lottie Freddie) whom he seduces and strangles to death. So why is this innocent man murdering folks and returning back to the asylum? It quickly becomes clear that these maneuvers are but the first in a series of devices aimed towards framing Dr. Jenks for a series of gruesome murders, at each crime scene Salem leaves a tidbit of evidence, each one further incriminating the increasingly frantic doctor.

These nuggets of plot must seems like spoilers but it's never quite a mystery whom is performing the murders and why, we know from the start that Salem is out for some cold-blooded revenge, the suspense comes from the fucked-up mind games Salem thrusts upon those that would have him rot in prison, it's a twisted game cat and mouse. The local Inspector (Trevor Howard, THE THIRD MAN) starts to put the pieces together but they don't quite fit, his interactions with the imprisoned Salem are laced with great dialogue exchanges. 

It's wonderful the way that Salem reveals himself as the culprit to both the Dr. and his sister Emma, taunting them, they inform the Inspector of his nightly visits but how can he take them seriously when Salem is locked-away at the asylum under the watchful eye of Dr. Kemp (Andrew Kier, DRACULA: PRINCE OF DARKNESS).

Love the scheming murders and repeated prison escapes, we get strangulation  blunt force trauma, a poisoning and an ax murder to which the Inspector observes "I've seen 'em hacked to pieces before, but never like this". Sadly, we don't get to see it on screen, it's all implied except for some blood spatter on one victims head, it's pretty tame but it's not about the gore kiddies. This one revels in the cold determination of a man betrayed and the lengths to which he will go to see that the lives of those that wronged him are ruined, to that end it's completely successful. In the film's final moments Salem's revenge seems assured but he must return to his prison cell unnoticed before the inspector can unravel the puzzle, and it's a nail biter!

THE NIGHT VISITOR (1970) an immensely entertaining Scandinavian suspense film deserving of a wider audience. It's great to see VCI Entertainment putting it back into circulation after the previous DVD went out of print awhile back, recommended. 3.5 Outta 5 

Blu-ray review: THE HOWLING (1981)

THE HOWLING (1981) 

Collector's Edition Blu-ray 

Label: Scream Factory

Region Code: A NTSC

Duration: 91 Minutes 

Rating: R

Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 

Video: 1080p Widescreen (1.85:1) 

Cast: Patrick Macnee, Dennis Dugan, Christopher Stone, Belinda Balaski, Kevin McCarthy, John Carradine 

Director: Joe Dante 

THE HOWLING (1981) starts off with sleazy exploitation leanings as TV news anchor Karen White (Dee Wallace, E.T.) walks the seedy neon-lit streets of Los Angeles on her way to a adult video store for a fateful meet-up with Eddie Quist (Robert Picardo, INNERSPACE), a serial killer stalking the streets of LA whom has ironically adopted the cheerful yellow smiley-faced sticker as his calling card. Karen is wired for sound and working in cooperation with the LAPD to ensnare Quist who's known for shredding his victims. Of course, something goes wrong and White is left alone with the weirdo in a porno booth watching a rape film. Quist stands behind her in the darkened booth not allowing her to see his face, just as something weird begins to happen the cops arrive and blow the creep away. Physically unharmed White is traumatized by the encounter, she experiences partial amnesia, she's an emotional wreck unable to sexually satisfy her husband or appear onscreen at the TV station. 

Karen seeks treatment from therapists Dr. George Waggner (Patrick Macnee) who suggests she and husband Bill Neill (Christopher Stone, CUJO) visit his private resort-style resort spa located along the scenic northern California coast. Arriving at the resort they meet a rather interesting assortment of folk, particularly the seductive nympho Marcia Quist (Elisabeth Brooks) who lusts quite openly for Bill. There's a bunch of Joe Dante familiars, Kevin McCarthy (INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS) as a TV newsroom manager, and it just wouldn't be a Dante film if we didn't see an appearance from Dick Miller (GREMLINS) as the fast-talking proprietor of an occult book shop. We also get fun cameos from Roger Corman and Forrest J. Ackerman of Famous Monsters of Filmland plus appearances from character actors David Carradine (BATMAN) as a scruffy suicidal weirdo, and Slim Pickens (1941) as the sheriff.

So, it's a fun cast but what the film is fondly remembered for are Rob Bottin's fantastic werewolf designs and practical transformation effects! Legend has it that Rick Baker began work on the film but left the production to work with John Landis on An American Werewolf in London, maybe not surprisingly the transformation effects are similar in nature, stretched latex and pulsating air bladders. Bottin's transformation seems more gruesome to my eyes, the other major difference being that  the werewolves walk upright. While some of the film's effects were state-of-the-art at the time not all were fantastic, the schlockiest moment comes by way of a strange animated werewolf sex scene, a victim of the film's budgetary constraint, but I cannot help myself, I love it. 

Of course there's some weird stuff happening at the Colony besides Dr. Waggner's primal scream-esque therapy treatment. On a hunting trip Bill is attacked by a wild animal and bitten, soon his personality begins to change. At night the woods come alive with strange animalistic howls and snarls and Quist's body disappears from the city morgue. All the oddness culminating in a frenzied confrontation with a barn full of werewolves, it's a great watch with a nice balance of subversive humor, some truly gruesome moments and fantastic special effects, very nicely done. 

The Howling has some effective location shots, the seedy porno shop and the preceding shots of Karen walking the dirty streets of LA past street urchins are gritty, it feels dirty. Later, once she arrive at The Colony the wooded areas are used quite well, the shadowy moonlit forests and creeping fog are quite spooky, it's a great setting for a werewolf movie and it feels like a traditional horror tale.

There's clearly a subtle tongue-in-cheek humor to the proceeding though it's a fairly serious take on the genre, particularly for a Joe Dante production. Keen observers will notice some fun wolf-themed nice gags throughout, Wolf brand chili anyone? While I love the film it's not quite perfect, there are some slow moments that bring it down a few pegs, it would have been nice to either have the humor elements or horror amped-up a bit, the tone of the film is pretty serious for the most part but it needed some oomph somewhere along the way, it's missing something.  It starts of interestingly enough but slow, however, once they arrive at the secluded spa stuff starts to happen pretty quickly from there on in. 

Surely no one saw this low-budget film spawning seven sequels, I have a soft spot for director Philippe Moira's oddity, HOWLING III: THE MARSUPIALS (1987), a schlocky ozploitation classic if you ask me, but it's Joe Dante's original that still elicits the most howls of pleasure, it's a true cult classic and a fantastic werewolf film. 

Blu-ray: The Shout! Factory Blu-ray presents THE HOWLING in widescreen (1.85:1) with a sweet 1080p AVC MPEG-4 encode and the difference between it and the previous MGM special edition in terms of visual quality is very pleasing. Shot on a shoe-string budget The Howling is a bit soft and hazy by design, there's a nice layer of film grain, colors are deep and robust and black levels are pretty decent. There's a nice amount of fine detail with some moderate depth and clarity to the image, The Howling as never looked better, a very attractive hi-def presentation. 

There are two DTS-HD Master Audio options, a 2.0 stereo mix and a 5.1 remix, I do enjoy a decent 5.1 remix and this one does open up the sound field a bit, creating a submersive surround experience. That said, there's absolutely nothing wrong with the 2.0 which has decent stereo separation during more active sequences and Pino Donaggio's orchestral score and the snarling transformation effects sounds fantastic, the Blu ray disc includes an optional English subtitle track, too. 

Onto the special features we get the full arsenal of bonus content from the previous MGM Special Edition,  some of which get a hi-def upgrade which makes it easy to trade-in the standard-def edition to make room for Scream Factory Blu-ray, though I did save the 4 pg. booklet DVD insert with The Howling trivia and synopsis. 

The first set of features are two audio commentaries  the carry-over of the commentary With Director Joe Dante And Actors Dee Wallace, Christopher Stone and Robert Picardo is appreciated, it's an energetic and informative group conversation with plenty of great anecdotes, the second commentary with author Gary Brander is moderated by Red Shirt Pictures' Michael Felsher is is more focused on Brandner's life and career than any scene specific observation or comparisons between the film and novel, though both subjects are touched upon lightly. I've read that Bradner has a pretty poor opinion of the film, which deviates quite a bit from the source material but he gives  few nods of approval here and there. 

Another carry-over from the DVD is the fantastic five-part documentary Unleashing the Beast: The Making Of The Howling Multi-part Documentary (48:33) with some great retrospective interviews with the cast and crew, including screenwriter John Sayles. We get some great behind-the-scenes special effects shots which are always my favorite.

Another great vintage featurette is the Making Of A Monster: Inside The Howling Documentary (8:01) with more cast and crew interviews with Joe Dante, Rob Bottin and actor Patrick Macnee. the latter of whom talks about the carnage he witnesses as a veteran of WWII while Dante discusses the history of comedy in horror and Bottin speaks to the difference in old school werewolf transformations in cinema versus what the visceral in-camera effects he was putting onscreen. The last of the MGM produced special features are a selection of Outtakes (7:03), a Photo Gallery and the Original Theatrical Trailer (1:28).

Now onto some brand-new Red Shirt Pictures produced special features made exclusively for Scream Factory's Collector's Edition Blu-ray beginning with the aforementioned author commentary, which was probably the least interesting of the bunch in my opinion. 

Howlings Eternal: New Interview with Executive Producer Steven A. Lane (18:49) is an quite interesting watch as he discusses obtaining the rights to the novel as a Hollywood outsider and taking the film to the studios. he then goes into each of the sequels right up the THE HOWLING: REBORN. he espouses both praise and detraction in equal measure though he definitely has a soft spot for the series, fondly recalling working with horror legend Christopher Lee on THE HOWLING 2: YOUR SISTER IS A WEREWOLF, director Philippe Moira on HOWLING III: THE MARSUPIALS, the S.African co-produced THE HOWLING IV and his favorite of the sequels, HOWLING V.

Not produced by red Shirt but culled from the ancient laser disc edition is a vintage interview with the late stop motion animator Dave Allen (8:48) is bittersweet as the Full Moon veteran speaks about his stop-motion animation that was never used in the final film except for a very brief excerpt at the end, luckily for us we get to see it here though it's easy to see why Dante chose not to use it. As it is we do get a weird animated sequence, this stop-motion segment would have been out of place.

Interview with co-writer Terence Winkless (12:32) is equally interesting as the original screenwriter of the film goes into getting the gig through a softball connection of all things and how finally getting an onscreen credit with THE HOWLING opened the doors for him in Hollywood. he goes into working with Dante whom he recalls had a lot of creative energy and input, it was Dante who named many of the characters in the film after directors of classic werewolf cinema, as well as discussing the adapting/writing process and Roger Corman's cameo in the film.  

A staple of many of the Scream Factory titles is the Horror's Hallowed Grounds (12:15) wherein host Sean Clark from Horror Hound magazine revisits classic locations from the film including a gift shop on Hollywood Blvd. that I've actually been to, I had no idea! They also revisit Marcia's shack from the film which looks nearly identical to what we see in the film to this day, Clark's got a great sense of humor and these location visits are always a howl. 

Cut to Shreds: Interview with Editor Mark Goldblat (11:20) features the horror nut speaking about his love of cinema from an early age, shooting 8mm films in his backyard and then working for Roger Corman's New World Pictures, which he describes as being beat to shit, a place where he met Joe Dante and got the gig editing Dante's feature length Debut PIRANHA ad subsequent projects. He praises Dante for his humorous subtext and delicate balance of fear and humor, his appreciation of how the director sees the irony of every situation. He also goes into the art of editing, lighting a film and the fantastic Rob Bottin effects on the film. 

Reversible Artwork Option 

Also on the disc are a selection of Deleted Scenes with Optional Audio Commentary from Director Joe Dante (11:28), not a lot of notable excised scenes aside from a Dee Wallace hot tub scene, it's nice to have 'em on the set. If your so inclined there's also a fun Easter Egg to be found featuring Joe Dante regular Dick Miller

Non Blu-ray disc special features include a sleeve of reversible artwork with a newly commissioned illustration by artist Nathan Thomas Milliner, the reverse-side features the  iconic theatrical artwork for purists. We also get a slipcase which features the Milliner artwork. This is a great edition, Scream Factory have once again stepped up to the plate dusted off a familiar horror classic and breathed new life into it with fantastic AV presentation and interesting bonus content that serve to enhance your enjoyment of the film, great stuff. 

Special Features: 

- Audio Commentary with Author Gary Brandner
- *Audio Commentary With Director Joe Dante And Actors Dee Wallace, Christopher Stone and Robert Picardo
- Howlings Eternal: New Interview with Executive Producer Steven A. Lane (18:49) 
- Interview with co-writer Terence Winkless (12:32) 
- Cut to Shreds: Interview with Editor Mark Goldblat (11:20) 
- Deleted Scenes with Optional Audio Commentary from Director Joe Dante (11:28)
- Horror's Hallowed Grounds: A look at the film's location (12:15)
- Interview with Stop-Motion Animator Dave Allen (8:48) 
- *Unleashing the Beast: The Making Of The Howling Multi-part Documentary (48:33)
- *Outtakes (7:03)
- *Making Of A Monster: Inside The Howling Documentary (8:01)
- *Photo Gallery
- *Theatrical Trailer (1:28) 
- Dick Miller Interview (Easter Egg) (3:28) 
*Extras carried over from prior DVD release

Verdict: There are two camps when the mention of werewolves in cinema are discussed among horror aficionado, inevitably the conversation comes down to  John Landis' AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON and Dante's THE HOWLING - which both came to cinemas in 1981. Which camp do I fall into you may wonder, honestly I love 'em both the same, depending on what day of the week it is I might prefer one over the other. I couldn't be happier that both films are now available in 1080p hi-def with some awesome special features, this is great stuff and essential to any horror lover's collection. 4.5 Outta 5  

DVD Review: THE ABCs OF DEATH (2013)

THE ABCs OF DEATH (2013)

Label: Magnolia Home Entertainment
Region Code: 1 NTSC
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 130 Minutes
Audio: 5.1 Dolby Digital
Video: 16:9 Widescreen (1.78:1)
Directors: Bruno Forzani, Helene Cattet, Kaare Andrews, Angela Bettis, Adrian Bogliano, Jason Eisner, Ernesto Diaz Espinoza, Xavier Gens Noboru Iguchi, Thomas Malling, Jorge Michel Grau, Anders Morgenthaler, Yoshihiro Nishimura, Jbanjong Pisanthanakun, Simon Rumley, Marcel Sarmiento, Jon Schnepp, Srdjan Spasojevic, Timo Tjahjanto, Andrew Traucki, Nacho Vigalondo, Jake West, Ti West, Ben Wheatley, Adam Wingard, Yudai Yamaguchi
Tagline: 26 Directors, 26 Ways to Die 

Synopsis: AN ALPHABETICAL ARSENAL OF DESTRUCTION. This explosive film is comprised of 26 individual “chapters” on the topic of death, each helmed by a different director assigned to a specific letter of the alphabet. Provocative, funny and shocking, this anthology is the definitive vision of modern horror diversity. Get ready to learn your ABCs!

Gotta love the anthology format, there's a long tradition of it in horror cinema and this is a pretty unique concept hatched by Drafthouse Films Tim League and New Zealand based producer Any Timpson. we get 26 directors each taking on a letter of the alphabet pushing us towards the idea of death in some cinematic fashion. Like most anthologies there's a few stinkers in the bunch and given that there are 26 entries I would say that the ratio of awesome to stinkers in the bunch is pretty fucking low. Yeah, it's a bit of a disappointment overall but there's some blood-soaked entries worth sifting through the chaff to discover. So, without spoiling too much lets have a brief look at each of the entries with a letter grade for each, seems only appropriate for the ABCs OF DEATH...

A appropriately enough  stands for "Apocalypse" from director Nacho Vigalondo

who brought us the fantastic Spanish labguage time travelling thriller TIMECRIMES (2007) and it's my favorite of the bunch. In it a rather unhappy wife vents her frustration on her long suffering husband before the end prematurely and finally comes, this is a great start. A+ 

B is another neat one, this time a Spanish language chiller from director Adrian Garcia Bogliana (PENUMBRA) involving two horny teenagers and a not-very-sleepy young lady who interrupts their amorous nighttime pursuits  They relay a gruesome bedtime tale about a child-murdering abominable snowman who eats the hearts of children whom don't fall asleep at an appropriate hour. C

C is for "Cycle" and Spanish cinema is thriving with ABC's, director Ernesto Diaz Espinoza's (MANDRILL) temporal mystery-thriller should definitely appeal to fans of Nacho Vigalondo's TIMECRIMES (2007), need to check out more of Espinoza's filmography after enjoying this vignette. B

D is for "Dogfight" from Marcel Sarmiento the director of DEAD GIRL (2008) and this one churned my guts just based on the loathsome subject matter alone, the cruelty of dog fighting, but fear not this one does not glamorize nor condone the inhumane "sport", it's brutal there's a nice twist at the end which redeems this sweaty and violent entry. So far, we're just a few segments in and the score is four for four and I am completely into the ABCs of DEATH. A


E is for "Exterminate" comes to us from longtime Lucky McKee collaborator Angela Bettis (MAY). You recall her weird thriller ROMAN from a few years back which had her directing Mckee. This entry pertains to a man with a persistent arachnid infestation whom suffers from skin irritations and a constant ringing in his ears, not one of the more memorable entries in my opinion but it definitely got under my skin so to speak. E

F is for "Fart" from the director of THE MACHINE GIRL (2008) Noboru Iguchi and is the start of several Asian entries that are just beyond words, this one is a fart-fueled lesbian fantasy and the first to feel completely out of place here, not a fan of this flatulent fantasy. F

G is for "Gravity" from Andrew Traucki is seen from the POV of someone surfing who seems to have given up on life, another sub-standard entry that just fails to coalesce into anything worth watching, starting to get worried. F

H is for "Hydro-Electric Diffusion" from NORWEGIAN NINJA (2009) director Thomas Malling, a Nazi-exploitation of furry fandom-ism, a weird fantasy-nightmare that plays out like a dirty minded WWII-era Loony Toons propaganda film featuring a humanoid dog-headed pilot and a stripper-fox. Very strange but quite entertaining. B

I is for "Ingrown" from Mexican filmmaker Jorge Michael Grau and it's a painful one as a woman bound and gagged in bathtub is poisoned by a man with a syringe with a caustic compound, it's not terrible but the limitations of the format I think hurt this one a bit. C

J is for "Jidai-geki" (Samurai Move) from Yuda Yamaguchi (MEATBALL MACHINE) is a short one involving ritual suicide beheading, not much of a point to this one but it's bloody. D

K is for Klutz from Scandinavian filmmaker Anders Morgenthalleris the first animated short, the entire short is about a turd that's hard to shit out and even harder to flush with deadly consequences, at times it reminded me of the "Wadzilla" segment from CHILLERAMA. C

L is for "Libido" from Timo Tjahjanto (V/H/S/2) and let me just say, oh those fucked-up kinky Asians!  A bizarre and deadly contest of masturbation and self-restraint, this one is just weird and demented. C

M is for "Miscarriage" which comes from indie-darling Ti West (INNKEPPERS), I do enjoy all of West's feature films but this like his mediocre short on V/H/S is a misfire, this short is DOA. F

N is for"Nuptials" from SHUTTER (2004) director Banjong Pisanthanakum and is a fun bit of comedy as a man proposes to his girlfriend just as his pet parrot repeats quotations the young man has uttered to his mistress which leads to trouble, a fun entry. C

O is for "Orgasm" from the French film making duo of Bruno Forzani and Helene Cattet who directed AMER (2009) which I have yet to see. It's a stylized and sensual entry more suited to an erotic exploration like DESTRICTED (2010) but it's really out of place here, a sensual and titillating provocation, this is the ABCs OF DEATH not the ABCs OF EROTICISM. E

P is for "Pressure" from Simon Rumley of RED, WHITE AND BLUE and it's a crush-fetish video vignette, a desperate woman resorts to making crush videos with a cute kitty, that's it. E

Q is for "Quack" which comes from V/H/S alumnus Adam Wingard and Simon Barrett.  At first this vignette annoyed the shit outta me, a very hip and ironic entry as the filmmakers struggle to come with an idea for the letter "Q" finally arriving at the idea f shooting a snuff film with a duck, at the end I was won over, fun stuff. C

R is for "Removed" from A SERBIAN FILM director Srdjan Spasojevic is not for the squeamish, not surprising considering if you've seen A SERBIAN FILM, in it a man has his skin surgically removed, creating a fleshy 35mm strip of celluloid which is fed into a camera, this is a gory entry and becomes quite blood-soaked and pretty gross, too. C

S is for "Speed" from Jake West, the director of EVIL ALIENS, two amped-up women on the run from a hooded figure in a high stakes game of cat and mouse. What we get here are two smoking hot women, a menacing Death figure, a sweet muscle car, a kick ass flame thrower and a rather depressing anti-drug story and probably the best entry since the letter "D" for "Dogfight" and  bit of an upswing after a fairly pedestrian mid section. B

T is for "Toilet" from Lee Hardcastle who created a series of shorts called "Done in 60 Seconds. With Clay", your favorite horror films in 60 seconds done with claymation, be sure to check 'em out! This claymation entry features a young boy who fears using the toilet which confounds his parents, the boys nightmares feature a toothsome and acid-blooded shitter, in reality what he should fear is something  more mundane, a loose screw. B

U is for "Unearthed" from KILL LISTS' Ben Wheatley and continues the latter third streak awesomeness for the anthology after a weak midsection, a POV of someone afflicted with either vampyrism, lycanthropy or possession (not sure which) pursued by an angry mob, it has some decent gore and great energy to it, good stuff. A-

V is for "Vagitus" from Kaare Andrews who is an artist/writer for Marvel Comics in addition to directing the 2010 thriller ALTITUDE which was a bit generic, this however is a sci-fi dystopian actioner, in the future the government strictly controls fertility, a military branch aided by armed-robots enforces the law of the land with deadly force, we're thrust into a bloody battle with procreating "rebels" whom have para-psychic abilities. This was a high energy entry with some great sci-fi futuristic visuals, at the end I was hungering for a feature length film, that's a good sign. A

W is for "WTF!" from director Jon Schnepp who comes from fromAdult Swims  METOCALYPSE and VENTURE BROS. so it night not be a surprise that this segment  is an acid-tinged psychotic mind melter, an apocalyptic mind-numbing mix of live action and animation, a film within a film and completely unhinged. Not sure WTF! was happening but I feared I might slip into convulsions so much crazy shit was happening, it was obnoxious and absurd but not great. C

X is for "XXL"from Frenchman Xavier Gens of FRONTIER(S) features a heavy-set woman going about her day as she is ridiculed for her weight and subjected to advertisements geared towards thin women, she arrives home and binges on greasy slop, forces herself to vomit and jumps in the shower where she carves herself into the ideal woman. This is another one not for the squeamish as she slices of rolls of fat, be warned, there's lots of self mutilation, a sad trip indeed. B

Y is for "Youngbuck" from HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN's Jason Eisner, it begins with an older man teaching a young boy how to hunt deer, he's a creepy guy. It turns out he's a janitor at a school and after the boys basketball team finishes up practice he creepily licks the sweat from the benches the boys were sitting on. There's some implication of molestation going on here, not exactly sure but the boy attacks the old man with the decapitated deer's head, piercing the elderly sweat-licker's eyes with it's antlers. Loved the 80's synth score on this one. A

Z is for "Zetsummetsu" (Extinction) from TOKYO GORE POLICE's Yoshihiro Nishimura continues a streak of bizarre Asian entries with the ABCs ending it with a maggot ingested orgasm of Japanese Nazi kink with the bonus of a vaginal potato canon, loads of nudity and references to Dr. Strangelove, weird and gross, sorta fun.  C

Special Features:

- A: A, B, C, D, F, H, I, J, P, R, T, V, W, Z - An offering of Behind the Scenes, Making ofs and Deleted Scenes

- B: AXS TV: A look at 'The ABCs of Death'

- C: Filmmaker Commentary (Over 30 Filmmakers)

- D: Do You Know Your ABCs Trailer

Verdict: Hmm, wanted to enjoy this unique alphabetical anthology from start to finish but going in I just knew it would be a bit too much of everything  there's too much input, too many directors, it's overwhelming and uncohesive.  It turns out I was right, this is all over the map and it's about a 60/40 split with the turds winning out over the righteous. I give this a weak recommend if only because there's some actual  good stuff here but you're gonna have to whack away at the weeds for awhile to get to 'em. There's a little bit of everything here, something to offend, a few gross outs, and even a few stand-outs, just be prepared to skip around a bit.  2.5 Outta 5 

 

Blu-ray Review: LIFEFORCE (1985)

LIFEFORCE (1985)
2-Disc Collector's Edition 

Label: Scream Factory

Region Code: 1/A

Rating: R

Duration: 101 Minutes / 116 Minutes 

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

Video: 1080p Widescreen (2.35:1) 

Cast: Mathilda May, Steve Railsback, Peter Firth, Frank Finlay, Patrick Stewart, Michael Gothard

Director: Tobe Hooper

Synopsis: A mission to investigate Halley's Comet discovers an even stranger phenomenon: an alien spacecraft! Following a deadly confrontation, the aliens arrive on Earth, where their seductive leader begins a terrifying campaign to drain the life force of everyone she encounters. Her victims, in turn, continue the cycle, and soon the entire planet is in mortal danger. And when the mission's sole survivor (Steve Railsback – The Stunt Man) sets out to destroy her, he comes face to face with the most charming - and horrifying – being he's ever known. Will he be able to destroy the lovely vampiress...or will he become yet another victim of her fatal charm?

It must have been '86 during a sleepover at my friend Barry's house that I tuned into a late night showing of Lifeforce on HBO or Showtime, one of the premium pay cable channels. I slept over at Barry's house every chance I could, he was a shit-ton of fun and a very great friend, plus he had cable television - not that I slept over just to watch cable TV... he had an Atari 2600, too! During these sleepovers it seemed I would always the last one awake  and inevitably left to my own devices I would scan the cable channels for something scary to watch. It was during these dark hours of the night I first came upon George A. Romero's Day of the Dead (1985), Larry Cohen's Q (1982), Wes Craven's A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), J. Lee Thompson's Happy Birthday to Me (1981) and Stanley Kubrick's The Shining (1980) while chowing down on a bottomless bowl of Golden Grahams, which was my preferred cereal at the time and Barry's mom always had it in abundance. To this day there's few things I enjoy more than a late-night viewing of a 80's slasher and a bowl of cereal, it's till the shit. 

Settling into Lifeforce I was hooked right from the very start,  the international spaceship Churchill, commanded by the American Colonel, Tom Carlsen (Steve Railsback), is on a scientific mission to investigate Haley's Comet when they happen upon a massive 150-mile long alien craft hidden in the comet's tail. In reality Haley's Comet was due to return to our sector of the solar system that same year plus I was a NASA space nut like most kids my age, it was a perfect melding of my love of horror, teenage lust and space exploration. When the film revealed the stunning French actress Mathilda May as the main vampiress completely nude in a state of suspended animation let me just tell you that the sight of her perfect breasts were almost too much for my young mind to comprehend, it was a sublime sight.  I distinctly remember becoming flushed at the sight of her voluptuous figure and guiltily peering around the living room to be sure Barry's parents wouldn't  spy me watching what I considered to be space-porn! Star Wars (1977) and 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) were pretty great sci-fi fantasy films but they weren't exactly brimming with breasts, this was a new sci-fi experience for me and I liked it, A LOT!

The crew return to the Churchill with the trio of humanoid aliens to the ship and make preparations to return to Earth. A few weeks later all radio communication is lost with the Churchill and the listless spaceship arrives in Earth's orbit but space command is unable to make any contact with the crew. They launch another shuttle to intercept the ship and they discover the ship has been gutted by an intense fire, the bodies of the crew are burned beyond recognition but the trio of aliens encased in the strange sarcophagus are untouched. The sarcophagus are brought to London where they are studied at European Space Research Center under the direction of Dr. Leonard Bukovski (Gothard) and Dr. Hans Fallada (Frank Finlay) but as preparations are being made for an autopsy the female alien (Mathilda May) awakens and seduces a guard sucking the life force right outta him, the draining process turning him into a shriveled corpse. The vampiress escapes the guarded research facility and before you know we find out that the aliens are actually shape-shifting space vampires who drain the life force from their victims, whom in turn re-animate a few hours later as life force craving zombie-vampires, it's a vicious cycle and in quick succession London is overrun with life force-sucking zombies.

Unexpectedly Col. Carlesen (Railsback) returns to earth in an escape pod landing somewhere in Texas, he's brought to London where he relays a version of what happened to the crew of the ill-fated Churchill. Carlsen joins forces with a British military officer Col. Caine (Peter Firth, Tess) and psychiatrist Dr. Armstrong (Patrick Stewart) and set out to put an end the the vamp virus that plaguing London before it becomes worldwide epidemic. Complicating the matter is the discovery that the space-vamps can transfer their consciousness into victim's bodies which makes it difficult to track their whereabouts, we also find out that for some reason Carlsen has a psychic-link with the vampiress.

What an epic and strange sci-fo horror film, it's adapted from Colin Wilson's 1976 novel Space Vampires by Dan O'Bannon (Alien) it definitely has a few head scratching moments but I am completely willing to forgive and ignore these imperfections because I just love this film,  it's chock-full of wonderful gore and gross-out special effects with a British cast of genre familiars who fully embrace the bizarre goings-on, director Tobe Hooper says he set out to make a 70mm Hammer horror film and the cast are giving it their all to make it happen. British familiar Aubrey Morris appears as Sir Percy Hoseltine whom bares witness to the horrors unfolding in the latter half of the film, he's pretty great but I can only ever see him as Alex's creepy probation officer from A Clockwork Orange (1971), such a perv! Star Trek: The Next Generation's Patrick Stewart is quite memorable in an unhinged performance ending in a disgusting torrent of blood pouring from every orifice in his face, it's good stuff for the gore hounds.  The word unhinged doesn't quite do justice to the performance of star Steve Railsback's who takes it just a bit too far during a few scenes, but it's quite an entertaining, there's no denying that.

The special effects are front and center for the duration of Lifeforce, the narrative and plotting may leave a bit to be desired from time to time but the effects, while somewhat dated today, are fantastic from start to finish, this is a fantastic special effects extravaganza. From the early space scenes to the burning of London and the numerous zombie-vamps and optical effects this is a glorious spectacle of 80's sci-fi horror, the practical in-camera effects and animatronic shriveled corpses of the undead are among the best on film bar none in my opinion, a dazzling spectacle.

Honestly, this is one of those films so laced with 80's teenage nostalgia it's nearly impossible for me to judge it by the merits of the film alone, that said, for what it's worth, this is my favorite vampire film, my favorite Tobe Hooper film, and one of my favorite sci-fi horror films all rolled-up into one.  

Blu-ray: Tobe Hooper's Lifeforce (1985) is presented on Blu-ray from Shout! factory imprint Scream Factory with an AVC  MPEG-4 encode in it's original widescreen scope aspect ratio (2:35:1) and it's truly a stunner of a presentation. This  restored, high def transfer was overseen by director Tobe Hooper himself with a brand-new color-timing and it's noticeable from frame one, this looks fantastic. The newly color-times images are deep and rich plus the night scenes benefit greatly from improved contrast. There's not much if any evidence of video tampering either, there's a nice robust layer of natural film grain intact. The 1080p upgrade brings with it a healthy amount of fine detail and sharpness which was missing from the previous lackluster DVD edition, Lifeforce is quite a sight on Blu-ray!

Audio options include an English language DTS HD Master Audio 2.0 and 5.1 mixes with optional English subtitles. The 5.1 is quite immersive and Henry Mancini's score and fantastic title theme sound outstanding  Dialogue, effects and score sounds great. everything is well balanced, nothing overpowering - it all comes together quite nicely. 

Onto the special features, we begin two full length audio commentaries, the first commentary comes by way of director Tobe Hooper moderated by Tim Sullivan. They start off right away discussing the fantastic director-approved film transfer and Hooper's new color-timing. It's a nice commentary and Hooper recalls quite a bit about the film and it's production. Sullivan is a spirited moderator and burns up quite a bit it's duration himself with fanboy-esque enthusiasm and  appreciations, I enjoyed it.  The second commentary is with special effects designer Nick Maley moderated by Red Shirt Pictures' Michael Felsher. It's another insightful look back at the film through the eyes of the special effects man, who considers the film his best work, if not his best remembered.

Onto the retrospective featurettes produced by Red Shirt Pictures we begin with Space Vampires from London with Tobe Hooper (9:57) who speaks about the genesis of the what he refers to as a 70mm Hammer Film, it's cheesy original title of Space Vampires and working with Canon Films. Speaking fondly of writer Dan O'Bannon and Production designer John Graysmark who also worked on Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, as did much of the production crew. It's a great video interview peppered with scenes from the film and behind-the-scenes video.

Carlsen's Curse with Steve Railsback (7:07) features the actor reflecting on his post Helter Skelter (1976) career in Hollywood, fondly recalling his work with Tobe Hooper on Lifeforce plus the effects work of John Dykstra and Director of Photography Alan Hume. We get a fun Patrick Stewart anecdote and Railsback looking back on the wire work for the space walks, Mathilda May and the film's cult status.

Dangerous Beauty with Mathilda May (15:15) has the stunning actress openly discussing the subject of her ample nudity, her unlikely turn as an actress following a career in the ballet, working with director Tobe Hooper and actors Steve Railsback and Frank Finlay and what sounds like a traumatic eight hour session in make-up for one particularly elaborate special effect shot.

Vintage "Making-Of LIFEFORCE" Featurette (21:16) a vintage feaurette from '85 which is pretty great, revealing behind-the-scenes videos of numerous special effects shots and on-set  interviews with Tobe Hooper, Steve Railsback, Peter Firth, Frank Finlay and special effects masters Nick Maley and John Dykstra. The special effects behind-the-scenes stuff is awesome, revealing how many of the optical tricks, miniatures and animatronics were used in the films and how the finished scene looked, loved it.

The entertaining selection special features are rounded out by a Still Gallery featuring 70 behind-the-scenes shots, stills and theatrical artwork for the film plus two Theatrical Trailers (3:30) and a TV Spot (:30). Scream Factory's 2-disc Collector's Edition also includes a standard-def DVD of the longer, and superior, international cut of the film with the same special features as the Blu-ray disc. It also includes a sleeve of reversible artwork featuring the original theatrical art and brand new artwork from artist Justin Osborne  which is also featured on the slipcase cover.

Special Features: 

- The original theatrical version in HD (on the Blu-ray Disc only)
- Audio Commentary with Director Tobe Hooper, moderated by Fillmmaker Tim Sullivan
- Audio Commentary with Special Make-up Effects Designer Nick Maley
- Space Vampires from London with Tobe Hooper (9:57) 
- Carlsen's Curse with Steve Railsback (7:07) 
- Dangerous Beauty with Mathilda May (15:15)
- Original “The Making of Lifeforce” Featurette (21:16)
- Still Gallery
- 2 Theatrical Trailers (3:30)
- TV Spot (:30)

Verdict: Okay, I admit that the film is a bit of a mess and goes off the rails a bit, it's overly convoluted but at the end of the day I just love this damn film so freaking much, a special-effects driven space-vamp masterpiece of sexed-up science fiction horror, a very enthusiastic recommend from me and high marks to Scream Factory for the fantastic 2-disc edition loaded with brand-new special features. 4.5 Outta 5