PUPPET MASTER 4 (1993)

PUPPET MASTER 4 (1993)

Label: Full Moon Features
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: R
Duration: 79 Minutes 
Audio: English Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo, Diolby Digital 5.1 Surround 
Video: 1080p HD Widecsreen 
Director: Jeff Burr
Cast: Chandra West, Jason Adams, Teresa Hill, Gordon Currie, Guy Rolfe

The fourth installment of the Puppet Master series is directed by Jeff Burr whom a few years earlier directed the maligned Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3 (1990) which I actually quite enjoy quite a lot, but the man also directed Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings  (1994) which has grown on me in recent years, still not great, but not straight-up awful wither. The film opens in an other dimensional netherworld where we are introduced to a rubbery Egyptian demon Lord named Sutekh and his trio of jawas looking minions adorned in robes with glowing red eyes. The demon Lord has declared war on those whom have stolen his secret of animation, namely Andrew Toulon who died in the first movie, but in the years since others have carried on his work, namely Rick Meyers (Gordon Currie, The Woods), a genius level researcher working for the Phoenix Division of the Omega Project which aims to develop military applications A.I.. Coincidentally he just so happens to work as the off season curator of the very familiar Bodega Bay Inn, Toulon's old stomping grounds, and is on the verge discovering Toulon's puppets and life giving elixir.  

Sutekh sends his trio of Gremlin-like creatures called Totems to the Earthly plane, the pint-sized terrors  are controlled by his jawa-esque minions, each delivered in a wooden case to the three researchers involved with the project, Dr. Piper (Stacie Randall, Ghoulies IV), Dr. Baker (Felton Perry, Robocop) and Rick at the Bodega Bay Inn. Dr. Piper is the first unlucky recipient of the deadly package and is terrorized by the Totem in a manner that specifically pays homage to the Zulu fetish doll segment of Trilogy of Terror (1975) and then of Cat's Eye (1985) when the creature sucks the life from her mouth and eyes with wispy Army of Darkness opening credit style animations, not the most original stuff but pretty entertaining.
Similarly Dr. Baker received a Totem dies soon after.

Back at Bodega Bay young prodigy Rick spends his time playing laser tag with experimental robots in an attempt to gauge and encourage them to react autonomously, to transcend their programming an exhibit true A.I. His war-games are interrupted when his girlfriend Susan (Chandra West, The Salton Sea) shows up with her red-haired psychic friend Lauren (Teresa Hill, Bio-Dome) in tow alongside her moussed-up 80's asshole boyfriend Cameron (Ash Adams, A Nightmare on Elm Street). Turns out that Cameron is a former schoolmate of Rick's as well as a current member of the Phoenix Division, he's previously unaware that Rick is the lead researcher on the very project he works for. 

After dinner that night Lauren notices the puppet Blade which Rick has previously discovered at the Inn, she stares at the puppet intensely, definitely getting a psychic vibe from the still secretly animated puppet. Later that night the group discover Toulon's trunk and open it despite Lauren's protests. Inside they find Toulon's journals, the remaining puppets Six-Shooter, Jester, Tunneler and Pinhead plus the animating serum. Reading through the journals they decide to attempt to reanimate the puppets, and do so successfully. Both researchers quickly realize that the serum could prove to be the key to A.I. and Cameron immediately begins to devise a plan steal the serum and take credit for the discover. He and Lauren use a mystical wiiji board of sorts found in Toulon's drunk to reach out to the spirit of former puppet master but instead open a gate to the netherworld summoning two Totems. Not long after the third Totem is mysteriously delivered at the Inn's doorstep and it's game on as the four battle for their lives against the creatures with the help of the puppets who in the grand Frankenstein tradition bring to life one of Toulon's unfinished creations, the new puppet Decapitator!

I rather enjoyed this installment of the franchise which kind of reads like a reboot of the series with the addition of the demonic Sutekh and his minions, it's all fun stuff and the more occult elements reminded me a bit of Beastmaster. The spirit of Toulon (Guy Rolfe, Dolls) appears to both the Puppets and Rick throughout the film, often morphing with the head of Decapitator, that I didn't enjoy quite so much. The puppet animations this time around weren't on par with a few of the earlier films but there are some very cool action sequences involving the puppets working together to destroy the Totems including a lassoing and electrocution of a creature, the tag team of Six-Shooter and Pinhead holding down one of the creatures while Tunneler burrows into it's chest cavity, and the awakening of the Decapitator who exchanges his silver featureless head for a electron discharging sci-fi ensemble which he uses to destroy the final minion.

The fourth installment of the franchise is good cheesy fun with some decent low-budget effects work and decent acting and while it's not a great film I found it fun and steeped in the now familiar Full Moon atmosphere that I seem to have an affinity for. The new widescreen presentation looks damn good, quite a step up from previous standard def versions I own. Extras on the disc include a vintage Videozone and an audio commentary with director Jeff Burr, if you are a fan of the marionette-horror series this is a no-brainer, get at it. 3/5

STUNG (2015) (Blu-ray Review)

STUNG (2015)

Label: Scream Factory I IFC Midnight
Release Date: November 3rd 2015
Region Code: A
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 87 Minutes
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1 with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (2.40:1) 
Director: Bennie Diez
Cast: Clifton Collins Jr., Jessica Cook, Lance Henriksen, Matt O'Leary, Adam Aresty

Caterers Paul (Matt O’Leary) and Julia (Jessica Cook) drive through the rural New England countryside on their way to Mrs. Perch's (Eve Slatner) annual garden party, she's a rich old widow who lives in a sprawling Victorian manor with her hunchback son Sydney (Clifton Collins Jr.). Arriving they set-up the catering spread and bar and the party gets underway. In attendance are local faces like Mayor (Lance Henriksen) and a few other guests, many of whom don't survive for long, for soon after the sun sets a deadly mutant breed of wasp crash the party and begin stinging anything that moves. Paul, Julia, the Mayor, Mrs. Perch and her son Syndney make for the safety of the house, but the rest of the party-goers are stung, and these wasps pack quite a punch! Once you are stung a human sized wasp begins to grow within you, tearing away at your skin before bursting through in a grotesque birthing - the special effects are pretty damn good, too. 

Right away this one is several cuts above your typical Syfy creature feature, beginning with a very good cast and some fantastic practical animatronic special effects tastefully combined with digital effects. The characters are interesting - even the ones who aren't around that long get some decent screen time, they're just fun and interesting characters. That the characters are interesting at all already pushes this past the usual crop of bug-horror movies. 

Horror fans will be very pleased with this one, not only are the creature effects pretty great in an old school 80s sort of way but they're gross, with the insect legs emerging from the mouths of the stung, ripping through their faces, the stomach-churning sound of flesh being torn... this is some fun stuff with a lot of gooey stuff. 

I love that they wrangled Lance Henriksen and Clifton Collins Jr. into appearing in the movie, it adds a touch of class to the b-movie creature featured and both look to be having a great time. Henriksen is always a solid addition and Collins is pretty great as the mamas boy who turns into a demented human/wasp hybrid. Our leads Matt O’Leary and Jessica Cook are solid, too. It's fun to see Paul take the abuse from Julia throughout the early part of the movie, he's so in love with her from the very beginning, he will do anything for her, but she comes to realize she has feeling for him, too. 

At under ninety-minutes this one zips along briskly with no time to drag it down, it has a great pace and doesn't overstay its welcome even for a minute. As creature features go this is an engaging slice of bug-horror cinema with just the right out amount of thrills, humor and splatter, plus the added bonus of a fun final scene that made me smile at how ridiculous it was, just tone perfect. If you're into cheesy creature features like Mosquito (1990) or the more recent Infestation (2009) you will have a bug-eyed blast with Stung (2015), this is good stuff all around and a high recommend for horror fans and creature feature aficionados. 3.5/5 

 Special Features:- Audio Commentary With Director Benni Diez, Producer Benjamin Munz, And Writer Adam Aresty
- The Making Of Stung (21 Mins) HD 
- Production Blog Videos (21 Mins) HD 
- Theatrical Trailer (2 Mins) HD 

BLOODY KNUCKLES (2014)

BLOODY KNUCKLES (2014)

Label: Artsploitation Films

Region Code: A
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 85 Minutes
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Digital 2.0 with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.78:1)
Director: Matt O.
Cast: Adam Boys, Kasey Ryne Mazak, Ken Tsui, Gabrielle Giraud, Dwayne Bryshun, Steve Thackray, Tim Lok, Jason Asuncion

If you want to win me over straight from the start of your movie paying tribute to splatter classic Street Trash (1987) and then launching straight into Mudhoney's "Touch me, I'm Sick" seems to be a pretty sure fire way to win my heart. Matt O.'s horror-comedy is a mighty fun blast of non-PC shenanigans about an underground comic artists named Travis who publishes the comic zine "Vulgarian Invasions" which offers a little something offensive for everyone, from a masked homo-avenger to pig-fellatio. Unfortunately Travis's latest issue takes aim at a local businessman named Leo Fong, an unscrupulous businessman who is secretly the head of an Asian street gang the Golden Dragons, he's also illicitly selling a toxic rat poison which threatens the community. 

When Fong finds out about the insulting underground comic he orders the Golden Dragons to abduct Travis and cut off his right arm with a buzz saw, afterward throwing his arm into the sewer. Afterward the distraught Leo takes to the drink and falls into a deep depression, pushing away his best friend and a cute young reporter, who is investigating Mr. Fong. One night while wandering the streets after dark a drunk Travis pukes into the sewer, unbeknownst to him the vomit lands right on top of his severed hand, which is reanimated and takes on a demented life of its own. The mischievous severed-hand, now in a sad state of decomposition, returns to Travis's apartment and tries to encourage him to take up the comic again, when Travis is unwilling to comply the arm sets of on a path of revenge, taking out one of the Golden Dragons and making life a living Hell for Travis. 

We've seen the severed hand horror movie before, with Oliver Stone's The Hand (1981) with Michael Caine, Sam Raimi's Evil Dead 2 (1981) and the underrated Idle Hands (1999). But none are as straight-up gross and offensive as this entry, I am not saying this is horror-comedy of the year, but it made me laugh and the gore was fun. If the idea of a severed hand sticking it's finger up someones ass and then putting that finger in the victim's mouth seems funny to you I think you are gonna love this one. 

Imagine Idle hands by way of Bad Milo and you have a pretty good idea what you're in for here . Adam Boys as Travis is pretty good, a young guy who loves to offend through his underground comic, a fun guy with a twisted sense of humor, whom after the traumatic hand-severing turns into a reclusive loner, the whole sad guy routine starts to wear a bit thin at times but the movie kicks it up a notch at just the right moment with a fun sequence at a gay s/m club with a bondage beheading and a leather-daddy bent on revenge, teaming-up with Travis and his severed hand to bring justice against Leo Fong and the Golden Dragons. This juvenile and sometimes revolting slice of cinema is one worth checking, fun stuff. 

Audio/Video: The disc from Artspoiltation is pretty stuffed with bonus content, beginning with an audio commentary from director Matt O.. There' are also two short films on the Blu-ray, one of which is just a ton of disturbing fun, dealing with a guy who has his cock gnawed off by an epileptic whore and is given a penis transplant, unfortunately the donor was a pedophile and in a way the brought to mind Body Parts the guy must now fight off his new found love of little boys. There are three deleted scenes, and a series of interviews with the participation of Cinema Sewer, Lunchmeat VHS, and a tour of Diabolik DVD headquarters, fun stuff. 

Special Features: 
- Trailer (2 Mins) HD 
- Three Deleted Scenes (3 Mins)
- Director's Audio Commentary with Matt O. 
- A Hate Letter To Censorship (7 Mins) HD 

- Diabolik DVD Tour (6 Mins) HD 

- Lunchmeat VHS Interview (5 Mins) HD 

- Q/A with Cinema Sewer (9 Mins) HD 
- Short Films "Adjust Tracking" (5 Mins) 
- Short Film "Electric Fence" (18 Mins) HD 
- Artsploitation Films Trailers: Children of the Night (1 Min), Horsehead (2 Mins) HD, Cub (2 Mins) HD 

I loved the punk rock spirit of Bloody Knuckles, there's a few pacing issues but overall this is a winner of an offensive comedy with some fun gore, despite the abundance of toilet humor you cannot help but appreciate this as was intended my Matt O., as a middle-finger to those who would censor art, fuck those guys. Highly recommended, this was a lot of fun. 3.5/5

THE RETURN OF COUNT YORGA (1971)

THE RETURN OF COUNT YORGA (1971) 

Label: Scream Factory
Region Code: A
Duration: 97 Minutes
Rating: R
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 1.0 Mono 
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1) 
Director: Bob Kelljan
Cast: Edward Walsh, Mariette Hartley, Robert Quarry, Roger Perry, Yvonne Wilder

Synopsis: When the overlord of the damned rises again to prowl the shadows, who will stand against The Return Of Count Yorga? Robert Quarry is back as one of the most dapper vampires to ever set up shop in California in this thrilling sequel that really raises the stakes. Revived by the well-known supernatural properties of the Santa Ana winds, our undead leading man takes to the streets with an unquenchable thirst. In search of new blood, Yorga moves next door to an orphanage. But when he crosses paths with a beautiful young woman, the Count's thoughts turn to love. Has the ruler of the night finally found the girl with whom he can share eternity?

Count Yorga (Robert Quarry) returns after his demise in the first film, resurrected by the supernatural forces of the Santa Ana winds of Northern California. This time Count Yorga taking up residence in a very fine manor conveniently located right next to an orphanage for children, which promises a steady flow of fresh blood for some time for himself and his vampire-brides. 

Yorga and his brides are introduced during a great intro scene of a young boy named Tommy finds himself in a most unfortunate place, a forgotten cemetery after dark. As we all know nothing good can happen after dark at a cemetery, Yorga's vampire brides rise up from their graves and Tommy becomes a victim to Yorga, becoming one of his evil minions. Later that evening Yorga attends a Halloween masquerade ball at the orphanage where he meets Tommy's older sister Cynthia Nelson (Mariette Hartley, TV's Law and Order: SVU), and the vampre become instantly infatuated with the young woman, hoping to make her one of his undead vampire-brides. 

Something that separated Robert Quarry from the Hammer-Cushing movies was that he played the undead Count as a suave and dapper gentleman, a well spoken and elegant man out of time draped in his cape and vintage clothing in a contemporary setting, at the masquerade ball it is assumed he is in costume. The way that Quarry goes from smooth to baring his fangs for some pumped up frightful moments can be a lot of fun, but they are few and far between. His sinister brides comes across as more zombie than blood-sucking vamps, but the sight of them appearing in a group does provide some old school fun, just prepare yourself for a bit of a slow-burn, it can be slow going but the movie is punctuiated by some fun moments of fright and humor. 

A lot of the humor comes by way of a pair of inept police detectives played by Craig T. Nelson (Poltergesit) and Rudy De Luca (Transylvania 6-5000), who are vampire-scoffers but who soon enough find themselves on the run from the horde of vampire-brides at Yorga's manor, fighting off not just the blood-sucking brides but Yorg's disfigured  henchman Brudda (Edward Walsh). Of course, every vampire movie needs a Van Helsing type character, and here we have one by way of the elderly Professor Rightstat (George Macready). 

Count Yorga was one of the first vampire franchises to place a vampire in a contemporary setting that I can remmeber, followed by Blacula with William Marshall a few years later, it's old hat these days but  at the time it was something pretty original. The Northern California coastal location makes for a great setting for the movie, a contemporary movie but with a hint of the Gothic originas in the architecture of the orphanage and Yorga's manor, it creates a nice atmosphere of creepiness.

The movie is a little campy in hindsight but very straight-faced, a slow-burn punctuated with some fun moments, including numerous scenes of blood-draining and the horde of vampire brides descending upon a home i a way that echoes the Manson murders. There's also a fun scene of a priest being humorously lured to his death by Yorga into a pit of quicksand. I grew up with the Yorga movies on TV so I have a lot of nostalgia for them, I'd been keen to know what a younger audience makes of it, if they can appreciate it the series for retro-charms and loads atmosphere, or if it comes across as cheesy and slow. 

Audio/Video: The Return of Count Yorga arrives on Blu-ray from Scream Factory with a very nice 1080P HD widescreen presentation, in the original widescreen aspect ratio with a pleasing amount of clarity. The vintage colors are strong and robust with solid blacks and shadow detail. This is a nice upgrade from the MGM Midnight Movies release from a few years back , a much crisper presentation than I would have imagined. The English DTS-HD MA Mono audio is nicely balanced with the dialogue, Bill Marx score, and special effects coming through clean and crisp, with optional English subtitles for those like myself who often watch movies in a house full of noisey kids. 

Onto the extras we have a brand new Audio Commentary With Film Historian Steve Haberman And Actor Rudy De Luca with Haberman taking the lead with a wealth of information about the production of the franchise, the cast and crew, and American International Pictures. The remainder of the extras include a trailer, a TV spot, some radio spots and a gallery of posters and promotional images used to advertise the movie. There's also a cool vintage sleeve of reversible artwork, always a nice bonus

Special Features
- Audio Commentary With Film Historian Steve Haberman And Actor Rudy De Luca
- Theatrical Trailer (2 Mins) 
- TV Spot (1 Mins) 
- Radio Spots (2 Mins) HD 
- Photo Gallery (3 Mins) 

I love the Yorga movies, I think the movie might be a little slow for a modern youth audience but for us old timers who can enjoy a proper slow-burn with a decent payoff there's a lot to love here, and Scream Factory have done a fine job bringing it to Blu-ray, that while not loaded with bonus features does offer an excellent A/V presentation. For those who might have hoped for a double feature with Count Yorga, Vampire (1970) on Blu-ray, while we didn't get it, the original movie is now on Blu-ray from Twilight Time as stand alone release. 3/5 

EXTRAS ANNOUNCED FOR 'BLACK CHRISTMAS' (1974) 41st ANNIVERSARY SEASON'S GRIEVINGS SPECIAL EDITION from ANCHOR BAY CANADA

Extras for the BLACK CHRISTMAS-  41ST ANNIVERSARY SEASON'S GRIEVINGS SPECIAL EDITION Blu-ray were announced today over at the Facebook page for Ghoulish Gary Pullin! Contrary to previous report we're getting new extras - hopefully making this the definitive edition to own. No word yet on a US release...

BLACK CHRISTMAS (1974) 

41ST ANNIVERSARY SEASON'S GRIEVINGS SPECIAL EDITION

Pre-order here: http://www.amazon.ca/Black-Christmas-Seasons-…/…/ref=sr_1_1…

The Black Christmas: 41st Anniversary Season’s Grievings Edition features, brand new bonus features a new documentary Black Christmas Legacy by George Mihalka (director of My Bloody Valentine) and Justin McConnell (The Collasped) and and it comes packaged in new artwork created by illustrator Gary Pullin.
BLU-RAY EDITION BONUS FEATURES:
-Black Christmas Legacy: NEW documentary
-40th Anniversary Panel at FanExpo 2014 featuring John Saxon, Art Hindle,
Lynne Griffin & Nick Mancuso
Commentary Tracks:
-Billy Is Watching: NEW commentary with Billy himself (Nick Mancuso as Billy)
Archival Featurettes:
- "12 Days of Black Christmas" Documentary
- "Black Christmas Revisited" Documentary
- Interviews: Olivia Hussey, Art Hindle, Margot Kidder, Bob Clark, & John Saxon
- Midnight Screening Q&A w/ John Saxon, Bob Clark, Carl Zittrer
- Two original scenes with a new vocal soundtrack
- Original Trailer
- Alternate Trailer *** check for difference, may be the same
- Original English and French Trailers
- Original TV and Radio Spots
- Alternative Title Sequences
- Rue Morgue Magazine retrospective 16-page booklet featuring interviews with cast and crew

THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE (THE COMPLETE SEQUENCE) (2009-2014)

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THE LARRY FESSENDEN COLLECTION (1991-2006)

THE LARRY FESSENDEN COLLECTION (1991-2006) 

Label: Scream Factory I IFC Midnight
Release Date: October 20th 2015
Region Code:  A
Rating: Unrated, R
Duration: 395 Minutes
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1 Surround, DTS-HD MA 2.0 Stereo with Optional English SDH Subtitles 
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen(1.78:1, 2.35:1) Fullscreen (1.33:1) 
Director: Larry Fessendden
Cast: Ashley Arcement, David Van Tieghem, Miriam Healy-Louie, Richard Topol, Stephen Ramsey, Larry Fessenden, Meredith Snaider, Patricia Coleman, Jesse Hartman, Aaron Beall, Heather Woodbury, Erik Per Sullivan, Jake Weber, John Speredakos, Patricia Clarkson, James Le Gros, Kevin Corrigan, Connie Britton, Ron Perlman, Zach Gilford 

Filmmaker Larry Fessenden is a writer, a producer, a director and an actor, a man of many trades and a filmaker with voice and a passion for horror cinema. His first four features are brought together in a new four-disc Blu-ray box set from Scream Factory and IFC Midnight that will see release on October 20th. All four films have been remastered in HD for the first time, along with both loads of brand-new and vintage extras including seven short films and two music videos in one Hell of an attractive package.

NO TELLING (1991) 
Rating: R
Duration: 93 Minutes
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1 Surround, DTS-HD MA 2.0 Stereo with Optional English SDH Subtitles 
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.78:1) 
Director: Larry Fessendden
Cast: Ashley Arcement, David Van Tieghem, Miriam Healy-Louie, Richard Topol, Stephen Ramsey

Synopsis: When Lillian Gaines (Miriam Healy-Louie) moves to the county with her husband Geoffrey (Stephen Ramsey) for a quiet summer retreat, she never suspects that meeting activist Alex Vine ( David Van Tieghem) will force her to confront her deepest fears about the man she married, and the bizarre experiment underway in his lab. 

Part of the reason I love this four-disc set is it brought to my attention Fessenden's first feature length movie, the mad scientist movie No Telling, a film I don't think I'd ever even heard of before the announcement of this set. The movie is a rural mad scientist take of sorts about a young and driven doctor whose research into human limb replacement threatens to destroy his marriage to his much neglected wife. His secretive experiments with animals out in the barn cross all sorts of ethical boundaries, even though we don't see a lot of what's transpiring, a lot of it's left to the imagination, and as we will soon discover that is probably for the best. Like many of Fessenden's best works the movie brings to life the humanity of the characters, and in this instance, the inhumanity of science. It also digs into his wife's struggle to maintain the marriage in the face of her husband's science-obsession and her own strength to stay true to him when a romantic opportunity presents itself by way of eco-activist who arrives in the area. 

Unfortunately the movie is a sort of ungainly mash-up of of mad scientist and ecological horror, the latter being a subject Fessenden would explore later with more success with a few movies on this very set. Part of the problem is that this science gone wrong story is a very slow to get a head of steam going, the emotional core of the movie didn't pull me and the wait for the stitched together animal creation made me wait for far too long, when it is finally revealed I can understand why they waited, it just doesn't work very well. 

Every filmmaker starts somewhere, and No Telling is a here Larry Fessenden began, I didn't like it much, but I can certainly appreciate what is was aiming for. While it falls pretty far from the mark I can see the early core Fessenden qualities that would bleed into his later films, the emotional core of the characters is there, and the eco-horror warnings, you can see it there on screen in pieces, but the movie is weak and the acting is spotty. 

NO TELLING Special Features: 
- NEW Director-Approved HD Transfer
- NEW Audio Commentary With Writer/Director/Executive Producer Larry Fessenden
- The Making Of No Telling (1991) (14 Mins) 
- Archival Footage with NEW Intro by Fessenden (1990) (25 Mins) 
- Short Film White Trash (1979) with NEW Intro by Fessenden and New Music By Composer Will Bates (9 Mins) HD
 - Glass Eye Pix Sizzle Reel with NEW Intro by Fessenden (1985-1990) (8 Mins) HD 

HABIT (1997) 
Rating: Unrated
Duration:113 Minutes   
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1 Surround, DTS-HD MA 2.0 Stereo with Optional English SDH Subtitles 
Video: 1080p HD Fullscreen (1.33:1) 
Director: Larry Fessendden
Cast: Larry Fessenden, Meredith Snaider, Patricia Coleman, Jesse Hartman, Aaron Beall, Heather Woodbury

In his second feature film Habit director Fessenden turns the camera on himself as Sam, a New York City Bohemiam of sorts who is down on his luck and at the bottom of a bottle. At a Halloween party he meets a young woman named Anna (Meredith Snaider) and the two almost immediately embark on an aggressive sexual relationship with Anna regularly draining Sam of his blood on a nightly basis. The new relationship separates Sam from his old friends, with his health failing he descends further into madness, as he soon begins to suspect that Anna might be a an actual blood-sucking vampire, but can he stop her before she drains him completely, and does he even want to? 

Fessenden looks pretty run down here as Sam, by design, here we have vampirism as a fitting metaphor for addiction, as his unnatural lust and dependence on Anna grows his friends are driven away, while he attempts to rekindle a friendship with his ex. I loved the urban setting, the Bohemian-loser lifestyle portrayed, it's a contemporary movie but it manages to pay homage to the classic bloodsuckers of yesterday in a '90s NYC setting. Anna arrives and lives on a boat anchored in the harbor, straight out of Nosferatu. She must be invited into a home before entering through the door, she only arrives on scene during the dark hours, and there even a Van Helsing type older character who attempts to warn poor Sam about his new lustful lover. Habit is a very NYC-centric movie, a dirty and grimy production with an authentic New York vibe, at times you might think this was an Abel Ferrara movie, and that's a very nice compliment.

The acting is quite good, Fessenden seems like a man genuinely losing his mind and his grip on reality, aggrivated by alcoholic tendencies. Things have spiraled beyond his control and his dependence on his blood-sucking lady friend might just prove to be his undoing, and we're rooting for him, despite the fact that he's a mess of a man hes a good guy. There's a thick layer of psychological horror at play throughout, lending the possibility that perhaps Anna is not a vampire at all, but maybe just a horny blood-junky and Sam might just be imagining it through a haze of alcoholism and depression. Habit is a movie that will stick with you for awhile after watching it, a very interesting art-horror take on Dracula.  

HABIT Special Features: 
- NEW Director-Approved HD Transfer
- NEW Audio Commentary With Actor/Director/Writer/Editor Larry Fessenden
- The Making Of Habit (1995) (24 Mins) 
- Short Film Habit (1981) (18 Mins) HD
- The Making Of Short Film Habit (1981) (6 Mins) HD 
- Save You From Yourself Music Video (4 Mins) 
- Theatrical Trailer (2 Mins) 
- Short Film N Is For Nexus From Magnet Releasing's The ABCs Of Death 2 (4 Mins) HD 
- The Making Of N Is For Nexus (4 Mins) HD 
 - Frankenstein Cannot Be Stopped Music Video with NEW Intro by Fessenden (7 Mins) HD 

WENDIGO (2002) 
Rating: R
Duration: 92 Minutes
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1 Surround, DTS-HD MA 2.0 Stereo with Optional English SDH Subtitles 
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.78:1) 
Director: Larry Fessendden
Cast: Erik Per Sullivan, Jake Weber, John Speredakos, Patricia Clarkson

Larry Fessenden's Wendigo is the movie that made me aware of him as a filmmaker, I've longed loved the Native American lore of the Wendigo, and when I saw it on the movie shelf at Block Buster some years back I could not snap it up fast enough. The touching story of a young family and their tragic trip to the Catskills of Upstate New York won me over, for the most part. On their way to their winter getaway the couple have an accident and are besieged by a group of armed deer hunters, one of the hunter named Otis (John Speredakos) has some major beef with the father (Weber) over a chipped deer antler. It's a typical rural folk don't care for city folk encounter, but it sets a threatening tone that carries through the entire movie. 


One day while in town a mysterious Native American shopkeeper tells the son (Malcolm In Middle's Erik per Sullivan) tells him of the Wendigo, the half-man, half-animal spirit of legend, which chills the young boy to the bone. The shopkeeper gives the young boy a wood carving of the creature, and the idea of the mythical beast fills his head and dreams with terrifying thoughts. 

Meanwhile the boys parents struggle with grown-up stresses involving family and rednecks who may or may not be taunting the family, the boy himself attributes the darkness surrounding the family to the spirit of the Wendigo, culminating in a final third of the movie which beings the Wendigo to life, and in a manner that sort of harkens back to the dismal No Telling creature, it might leave you underwhelmed. 

Where the story excels is the 70s period setting and tone of the movie, it has atmosphere to spare and the cinematography is pretty great, Fessenden's movie definitely lean towards art-horror and this is no exception. Patricia Clarkson and Jake Weber are fantastic as the caring but emotionally duressed parents, both are phenomenal actors. For his part the young Sullivan handles the role of introverted kid with a wild imagination very nicely. Likewise, Speredakos as the redneck menace is a simmering menace, his distaste for the family is palpable from the beginning, what starts as maybe just a simple lets pick on the city folk turns into a dangerous game with tragic consequences. 

Wendigo has a lot going for it, an sweet retro art-horror aesthetic, the period setting, the winter environment, an underlying redneck menace, psychological terror and a great cast of actors who bring it together very nicely. What is does not do so well is bring on the wendigo in a form that won't make you laugh, a strange antlered tree-creature, which at times won't elicit a giggle,but there are a few shots. I loved the mythology, the settings and characters of Wendigo, the end might not live up to build-up but I dig this film a ton, recommended. 

WENDIGO Special Features: 
- NEW Director-Approved HD Transfer
- NEW Audio Commentary With Writer/Director/Editor Larry Fessenden
- NEW Audio Commentary With Actors Patricia Clarkson, Jake Weber And John Speredakos
- Searching For The Wendigo – Behind The Scenes Featurette (2001) (32 Mins) 
- Interview With Larry Fessenden (2001) (8 Mins) 
- Wendigo: Animated Series Trailer with NEW Intro by Fessenden (3 Mins) HD 
- Short Film Santa Claws (2008) (5 Mins) HD 
- Theatrical Trailer (2 Mins) 
- Glass Eye Pix Sizzle Reel with NEW Intro by Fessenden (2010) (3 Mins) HD 

THE LAST WINTER (2006)
Rating: Unrated 
Duration: 101 Minutes
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1 Surround, DTS-HD MA 2.0 Stereo with Optional English SDH Subtitles 
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (2.35:1) 
Director: Larry Fessendden
Cast: James Le Gros, Kevin Corrigan, Larry Fessenden, Connie Britton, Ron Perlman, Zach Gilford 

The Last Winter was far and away Fessenden's most accomplished film at the time, it takes his eco-horror passion to the next level with a story about a doomed team of oil scouts on the Alaskan tundra as they prepare to drill on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the team is headed by the stubborn Ed Pollack (Ron Pearlman), a can-do company man who is at odds with environmentalist James Hoffman (James LeGross) who is on-site to advise the company. The winter has been unseasonably warm and the permafrost is soft, Hoffman objects to bringing in heavy drilling equipment, fearing it will irrevocably damage the protected lands, this is the source of the initial frustration at the drill-site.

Separate from that, but related, are concerns about the mental healthy of several of the staff at the site, everyones a little on edge and Hoffman's sexual relationship with Pollack's second in command, Abby Sellers (Frasier's Connie Britton), seems to rub the crew boss the wrong way. As tempers  begin to flare strange things start to happen, the crew are acting funny, and things begin to turn deadly, beginning with a crew members who seems to have wandered off it the frozen tundra naked in the dark of night, found frozen to death the next day, crows having pecked his eyes out, truly a disturbing sight. 

With the crew members death things escalate pretty quickly leaving Pollack grasping to control his team, while Hoffman postulates that the thawing permafrost is releasing a deadly "sour gas" which might be affecting the minds of everyone. Other theories begin to emerge, such as the spirits of the fossil fuels below ground are restless and seeking vengeance, or that the Earth is somehow turning against mankind. 

The spirit of the wendigo returns in a way for this film, the movie is loaded with spectral "ghosts" of animal who are not glimpsed directly very much, but left me with a vision of demonic caribou who at various times are present and attack a few characters. I do not think that special effects are Fessenden' bag, but of the four film here I think the practical and digital stuff here is by far his best work to date.

What he does well is nail a very specific apocalyptic vibe that creeps in early and sinks in deep by the end, it's is creepy stuff but the environmental message might be hammered to death a bit too much for some, but I dug it, at times it brought to mind John Carpenter's The Thing, with the isolation and apocalyptic hopelessness. 

LAST WINTER Special Features: 
- Director-Approved HD Transfer
- Audio Commentary With Co-writer/Director/Producer/Editor Larry Fessenden
- The Making of "The Last Winter" – Full-length Documentary Featuring Deleted Scenes (107 Mins) 
- Archival Footage (2005) with NEW Intro by Fessenden (19 Mins) HD 
- Short Film Jebediah (3 Mins) HD 
- Short Film Origins with NEW Intro by Fessenden (8 Mins) HD 
- Short Film Mister (6 Mins) HD 
- Tired Of Killing Myself Music Video (6 Mins) HD 
- NEW 2015 Interview With Larry Fessenden (22 Mins) HD 
- Glass Eye Pix Sizzle Reel (2014) with NEW Intro by Fessenden (4 Mins) HD 
- Includes 24-Page Booklet With Liner Notes By Fangoria's Michael Gingold And Never-Before-Seen Photos, Storyboards, And Sketches.

The four-disc set arrives with brand-new HD transfers approved by Larry Fessenden. Each movie has a commentary, some are newly recorded and benefit from hindsight, wendigo specifically has two new audio commentaries from the cast and director that was great.  All four films have the option of English DTS-HD MA 5.1 Surround or DTS-HD MA 2.0 Stereo with Optional English SDH Subtitles and a host of bonus content, including Fessenden's short films, music videos, Glass Eye Pix sizzle reels and behind-the-scenes video footage, a lot of it with new intros from Fessenden. 

All four movies are housed on separate Blu-ray discs inside a single Criterion-sized Blu-ray case with a slipcover, both the Blu-ray sleeve and slipcover feature a painting from The Dude Designs which captures the essence of the release with the characters erupting from the top of Larry Fessenden's head, which is very cool. The collection also features a 24-page booklet with Liner Notes By Fangoria's Michael Gingold And Never-Before-Seen Photos, Posters, Storyboards, Sketches and quotes from Fessenden describing each of the movies. This is a fantastic set, and despite not loving all the movies within I loved the package, the bous content, the attention to detail, this is quite a tribute to the wild-haired Larry Fessenden and Glass Eye Pix and what they've accomplished through the years. Here's hoping we have another volume in a few years, Fessenden has only directed one feature post The Last Winter, the fun killer fish movie Beneath (2013) for the Chiller channel, but he's been busy producing (Late Phases) and acting (We Are Still Here), but the world needs more Fessenden! 3.5/5