DVD Review: SLAUGHTER HIGH (1986)

SLAUGHTER HIGH (1986)

LABEL: Arrow Video
REGION CODE: Region 0 PAL DVD
RATING:18 Certificate
DURATION: 87 mins
VIDEO: Anamorphic Widescreen (1.78:1)
AUDIO: English Dolby Digital Mono
DIRCTORS: George Dugdale, Mark Ezra, Peter Litten
CAST: Caroline Munro, Simon Scuddamore, Carmine Iannaccone
TAGLINE: For Marty, School Days were the worst days of his life...

Marty Rantzen (Simon Scuddamore) has the sad distinction of being the preeminent science-nerd at Doddsville High in anytown USA (filmed in the UK actually) and he comes complete with sweater, tie,  matted hair and the prerequisite Coke bottle glasses. The poor lad is harassed by his peers to no end, it's really a painfully stereotypical caricature. As luck would have it today is April Fool's Day, which also just happens to be his birthday (poor bastard) and he is about to be royally pranked by cheerleader Carol (Caroline Munroe, MANIAC) who somehow has convinced him that one, she's a high school student (she was 36 at the time) and two, that she wants to fuck his brains out in the ladies room. I kept thinking to myself why doesn't he know this is too good to be true? Not only that, but when asked if he's done "it" before he brags that he's in fact a sex machine. We fans of horror and slashers in particular are no strangers to the idea of hanging our thinking caps at the title screen and this film will challenge even the most forgiving slasher enthusiast. Carol ushers him into a shower stall and tells him to undress while she gets ready. While he's fumbling with his clothes she let's in her friends who've come armed with an odd arsenal of party favors; a camcorder, fire extinguisher, jester's mask, car battery, Polaroid camera and a javelin!?! Carol cues him to open the curtain thinking he's gonna get laid instead find nine of Caroline's friends documenting the embarrassing scenario with his schlong flapping around for all to see while they shout "April Fool's!" and chant "Where's the beef?". As if that's not mortifying enough he gets mildly electrocuted plus a world class swirly which is interrupted by the gym teacher post-flush. The mean-spirited pranksters aren't really punished just verbally reprimanded and forced to do push-ups, oh 1980's how I miss you 

Still not sated by their mischievous deeds Skip, the leader of the bullies, and a few of the other pranksters continue the April Fool's shenanigans almost immediately by offering Marty a joint, which is odd considered he was just humiliated to the nth degree, these are the kind of pranks that would lead some to suicide... more on that later. Marty tells 'em that it was very uncool how they cock-blocked him earlier in the ladies room, that Carol's really hot for him, oh Christ this kid is in the upper zenith of denial. A few minutes later Marty smokes the joint while performing an experiment in the chem lab but the weed's been laced with something that cramps him up and he makes for the bathroom in a hurry. While he's otherwise busy in the shitter Skip sneaks into the lab and dumps some white powder into a beaker. When Marty comes back to the lab the experiment blows up knocking over a Bunsen burner which sends the place up flames. A jug of nitric acid that Marty himself placed precariously on an upper shelf earlier comes crashing down and splashes directly into his face, disfiguring him. The commotion in the lab catches the attention of the pranksters in the gym who come running but can only stare on in horror at the disfigured nerd as he clutches a white hot gas pipe screaming in agony.

Ten years later the pranksters are invited by persons unknown back to now crumbling Doddsville High for a ten year reunion. Despite the fact that only the pranksters were invited and that the school is in ruins they party on anyway. It is said that after several unsuccessful skin graft surgeries that Marty is now in an insane asylum and waits for his opportunity to exact revenge. It's at the school that someone (I wonder who?) decked out in the odd but awesome combo of letterman jacket and jester mask kills off the pranksters in a wonderfully cartoonish variety of kills.


It's the kills that are the highlight for me here, there's a nice variety including a gut-busting acid-laced beer, a blood-spraying lawnmower to the guts, a fornicating electrocution and a wonderfully gruesome acid bath with a very cool stop motion face melt alongside a few lesser but decent murders. This is fun low-budget slasher goodness from the SF/X team of John Humphries, Peter Litten and Robert Turner, it should be noted that the kills mimic in many ways the pranks foisted upon Marty at the start of the film. The killers get-up is pretty great, too. The jester mask I feared corny at first provided some genuinely creepy moments, a scene where the killer looks through a pane of glass with his head eerily cocked to the side is particularly chilling and a bit reminiscent of Michael Meyers, as is another scene where the jester is thrown from a second floor balcony and sits-up, apparently unharmed. Also creepily effective is the jingle of the jester's bells that can be heard throughout, good creepy stuff. The setting in the dilapidated school is also very cool. It's creepy, strewn with cobwebs, and makes for a great set piece as our victims scream n' flee through darkened hallways.

The not so good, first and foremost is Harry Manfredini's goofy score, it's way too campy in my opinion. The film is not without it's share of comedy but the score lays it too thick. It's an overly synthy score peppered with some stingers straight outta Manfredini's own FRIDAY THE 13th playbook, but I do kinda love the main title theme featuring a reoccurring jesters laugh and the creepy refrain "I'm gonna get you", but overall pretty kitschy.

Some might call this a guilty a pleasure, but I thinks it's just a  flat out fun late entry in the slasher game. Sure, it's flawed and goofy at times but is still quite entertaining with some awesome kills and an interesting killer. The prank set-up really brought to mind TERROR TRAIN, it's not original and though the execution is flawed is mostly satisfying. The fever-dream ending is admittedly sketchy but overall I must say that I really dig this film.

A few fun facts about the film; it's original title was 1 APRIL FOOL'S DAY until co-producer Stephen Minasian sold the rights to the title to Paramount who used it for Fred Walton's APRIL FOOL'S DAY. Actor Simon Scuddamore who played Marty committed suicide by overdose before the film's release. Apparently he was an unhappy individual with some drug problems. There's a cigar chompin' cameo from producer Dick Randell whom appears in an office with a poster of the Spanish-Italian slasher PIECES hanging in the background, he produced the British slasher DON'T OPEN TILL CHRISTMAS which was directed by PIECES star Edmund Purdom. And lastly, apparently in the UK April Fool's Day last just till noon which explains several references to just being able to survive until and things will be fine, assuming a masked killer would properly observe protocol.
 
DVD: When I was really getting knee-deep in buying slasher DVDs a few years back I came across SLAUGHTER HIGH several times, and each time I would actually sweat it out as I considered a purchase, turning the DVD over and over in my hands but I could never do it though, you know why? The Lionsgate DVD was fullframe, and similar to how Frank from David Lynch's BLUE VELVET's couldn't stand warm fuckin' beer I can't stomach cropped DVDs, original aspect ratios only, please. Thankfully Arrow Video have remedied this with a rather nice looking anamorphic widescreen (1.78:1) transfer. The film probably hasn't looked this good since it's very brief theatrical run in the U.S., slasher fans in the UK didn't even get that, it made it's debut there on VHS - long live VHS! Apparently sourced from the UK Vestron print the film has the original title of 1 APRIL FOOL'S DAY, it's original title before co-producer Steve Minasian - somehow involved with the FRIDAY THE 13th series - sold the title to Paramount who then slapped it on Fred Walton's slasher-comedy APRIL FOOL'S DAY, a film that gets short shrift in my opinion, I dig it. The transfer looks good, it's a clean print, nice color saturation with some good grain. I've seen the Lionsgate DVD image and it's pretty dark, this is a substantial improvement.

The English Dolby Digital mono audio sounds good if not overly dynamic, it's a balanced mix and Henry Manfredini's score rarely overpowers the dialogue.


The film has not one but two audio commentaries. The first is from co-writer/co-director Mark Ezra that's moderated by Justin Kerswell of the slasher cinema site HYSTERIA LIVES! http://www.hysteria-lives.co.uk/ and also co-hosts the Hysteria Continues Podcast, with an episode dedicated to this film which includes an interview with star Caroline Munroe. I highly recommend the site and the podcast. It's a detail oriented commentary, quite focused thanks in large part to Kerswell who definitely knows and loves the film, seemingly more so the Ezra who's quite candid about the film's shortcoming, including his own contributions. The second commentary with star Caroline Munroe, moderated by Arrow familiar, Calum Waddell of High Rising Productions is joined by DVD World/The Dark Side editor Alan Bryce. It's a fun though not as focused as the Ezra track, there's a lot of talking over one another. Not a bad listen but I personally find commentaries with more than two commentators a bit of a chore to sit through at times.  

There are two video interview featurettes also with Mark Ezra and Carolyn Munroe. Jesters and Jolts: Interview with co-writer/co-director Mark Ezra (11:46) features the director speaking towards how he came to be on the film, critiques his own writing a ropey, and the poorly conceived idea of having three directors helm the film, he speaks the truth, name another Mark Ezra directed film, see? The second featurette Lamb to the Slaughter: The Scream Queen Career of Caroline Munro (25:59) is more interesting. Munroe, still a gorgeous woman, gives a fond retrospective of her career which proves quite interesting. Munroe is a many storied starlet, a former contract player for Hammer Films who worked on DRACULA A.D. 1972, CAPTAIN KRONOS: VAMPIRE HUNTER, was a Bond girl in THE SPY WHO LOVED ME, and starred in both William Lustig's MANIAC and THE LAST HORROR FILMS plus Jess Franco's FACELESS. She tells of working with the horror masters Vincent Price, Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing as well as very warm memories of working with Joseph Spinell (CRUISING, VIGILANTE) and Euro-sleaze auteur Jess Franco. Typical of a High Rising Productions features there are clips galore. The last of the video features is a fullframe Theatrical Trailer from the Vestron release.

Arrow Video always very giving with their extras extend their graciousness here to include reversible artwork with the main sleeve featuring fantastic newly commissioned artwork from Graham Humphreys and a 17x14" fold-out poster featuring the Humphries artwork, the reverse side featuring a gallery of Arrow DVD covers plus a 16 page booklet with an essay by Troy Howarth, the author of The Haunted World of Mario Bava, an interview with composer Harry Manfredini by Calum Waddell, and an interview with actress Josephine Scandi (the acid-bath gal) by Hysteria Lives! writer Justin Kerswell whom also moderates the Caroline Munroe commentary. It's a jam-packed affair with many  interesting tidbits, particularly for a slasher that's not been held in the highest regard, very cool.  


Special Features:
- Available on DVD for the first time in the UK!
- Introduction by co-writer/ co-director Mark Ezra (:20)
- Jesters and Jolts: Interview with co-writer/co-director Mark Ezra (11:46)
- Lamb to the Slaughter: The Scream Queen Career of Caroline Munro (25:59)
- Audio Commentary with star Caroline Munro, DVD World editor Allan Bryce and author and critic Calum Waddell
- Audio Commentary with co-writer/ co-director Mark Ezra moderated by Teenage Wasteland author J. A. Kerswell http://www.hysteria-lives.co.uk/
- Original art by Graham Humphreys http://www.grahamhumphreys.com/
- Theatrical Trailer (0:20)

- Easter Egg (0:19)

VERDICT: Guilty pleasure my fat ass, this is a straight recommend in my opinion. Arrow Video's DVD blows away the Lionsgate edition with a anamorphic widescreen presentation and a host of special features that really enhance repeated viewings. If you're in the mood for a semi-cheesy slasher with some great kills, gratuitous nudity and an awesome masked killer SLAUGHTER HIGH definitely fits the bill.

DVD Review: VS. THE DEAD (2009)

My guest review for the Canadian zombie flick VS. THE DEAD (2009) can be found over at THE WITCHES HAT BLOG or by clicking right HERE.

Root Rot over there at horror-themed THE WITCH'S HAT BLOG has been entertaining me for the past six years, biginning with the legendary THE MIDNIGHT PODCAST (R.I.P.) and now with The Witch's Hat Blog, Blogcast and Vidcast.

The site features written, audio and video reviews as well as several podcast;

The Witch's Hat Blogcast - Updated bi-monthly with host Root Rot, Kreepy Kyle, and Keeley… Featuring the Big Ugly Hairy Scary movie review by Eric R. Lowther.

Joanie Loves the Witch's Hat - The original spin-off show of The Witch’s Hat Blogcast featuring reviews and interviews from special all star guests… Host Eric R. Lowther gives you a new show featuring a new special guest each month

The Witch's Hat Horror Discussion -  Originally featured as a segment on The Witch’s Hat Blogcast, the Horror Discussion became so popular that it only made sense to feature it as a stand-alone podcast… Join host Misfitboy and co-host Root Rot as they discuss a new horror topic each month.

Wonder Twins Acticast - bi-monthly podcast featuring two controversial podcaster’s, Horrorcore Bart from the Horrorcore Podcast and Root Rot…

The Hellal Files - A mini-series presented by The Witch’s Hat… Years ago (2006), long before The Witch’s Hat, Root Rot created and hosted a podcast called The Midnight Podcast (MP). His co-host for MP was a guy named Hellal. Hellal was not only the brains behind those classic episodes, he is also one of the greatest guys around. The MP episodes with Hellal as the co-host are too good not be shared with the listeners of The Witch’s Hat, so a series of best of clips have been put together as a mini-series for your listening pleasure.

Then there's a host of Vidcasts, trailers, short films plus a Horror Directory of blogs and podcasts.

So head on over there and check it out, there's tons of content, for free for you!

http://thewitchshatblog.com/

DVD Review: THE SECRET OF DORIAN GRAY (1970)

THE SECRET OF DORIAN GRAY (1970)
[Il Dio Chiamato Dorian]

LABEL: RaroVideo USA
REGION CODE: 1 NTSC
RATING:Unrated
DURATION: 101 mins
VIDEO: Anamorphic Widescreen (1.66:1)
AUDIO: Italian, English Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
DIRECTOR: Massimo Dallamano
CAST: Helmut Berger, Richard Todd, Herbert Lom, Maria Rohm, Marie Lijedahl, Margaret Lee

THE SECRET LIFE OF DORIAN GRAY is a 70's Euro-Cult film from Massimo Dallamano, the director of WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO SOLANGE? (1972), a film thats long been on my to-see list but sadly haven't gotten around to, yet. The film is based on Oscar Wilde's 1890 novel The Portrait of Dorian Gray, a novel I've always meant to get to.... are you sensing a pattern here?

The film opens in 1960's London as the title character Dorian Gray washes blood from his hands, having just murdered someone who lies dead in another room. Afterwards he stares into the flames of a fireplace contemplating the events that have lead him to this point as we are transported back in time to what I believe is the year 1953, based on a newspaper headline reading 'Is Stalin Dead?'.

Dorian Gray (Helmut Berger, THE GARDEN OF THE FINZI-CONTINI) is a swinging Londoner at a drag cabaret performance with his friends. Afterwards he ventures out on his own and wanders into a theatre where he meets the aspiring stage actress Sybil Vane (Marie Lijedahl, EUGENIE... THE STORY OF HER JOURNEY INTO PERVERSION). The chance encounter blossoms into whirlwind romance. Sybil's a positive influence on the vain, self-obsessed Dorian, keeping him centered and discouraging his lesser qualities. All is going well for the young couple until Basil (Richard Rohm, ASYLUM), a painter friend, offers to paint Dorian's portrait. After seeing the striking image Dorian is so enamoured with the portrait of himself that he buys it. He ponders aloud why should it be that he will age while the painting stays young forever, he wishes it were the other way around and offers his soul to make it so. These words uttered in a moment of supreme vainess set in motion a series of events that lead Dorian down a dark path of eternal youth, debauchery, regret and damnation.
 

Dorian befriends a wealthy socialite named Henry (Herbert Lom, MARK OF THE DEVIL) and his sister Gwendolyn (Margaret Lee, THE BLOODY JUDGE) and invites them to attend a theatre production starring Sybil but he becomes utterly embarrassed by her atrocious performance, it is explained that her passion for acting has waned as her love for Dorian has grown. Appalled and embarrassed Dorian abruptly ends the relationship. Sybil, out of her mind with grief, is struck dead by a car almost immediately afterwards. Unaware of the fatality Dorian spends a night of passion with the seductive Gwendolyn. The next morning, feeling remorseful over the break-up, he intends to reconcile with the starlet only to discover she's dead.


Soon after Dorian comes to realizes that his soul surrendering wish for eternal youth has come to fruition. Seeing the portrait age with each sinful act he commits unsettles the self-centered young man, so distressed by the supernatural aging of the portrait that he keeps it hidden away in the attic where it continues to age through the years becoming a ghastly caricature of the once gorgeous young man. Dorian, left to his own libidinous devices without Sybil, throws himself headlong into a melee of meaningless promiscuous sexual excess, there is of course the pre-requisite 70's lesbian sex scene, and pretty overt hints of a his bisexual nature. The snake in the garden of eternal youth, Henry, caresses Dorian in the shower and he soon after finds himself cruising bath houses for attractive young men. While the film is seeping with sexuality and a never ending parade of nubile flesh it never seems to get too sleazy for it's own good. I'm sure this was a scandalous theatrical experience 40 years ago but it seems somewhat tame by current standards, if still slightly risque.

The final moments of the film feature Dorian's ever youthful appearance gaining notice as he is ever-more-so haunted by what his cursed youth has wrought. He's overcome by remembrances of his betrayals, debauchery and the loss of his one true love, Sybil. It all come to a head as he faces his portrait, once a monument to his beauty, now a reflection of his grotesque inner-self.


The film has a lot going for it, foremost Helmut Berger who is cast to perfection as the impossibly attractive Dorian Gray. Great performances from everyone, it's a great supporting cast with nary a bad apple in the bunch. There's gorgeous cinematography with fluid camera movements courtesy of Otella Spilla (THE INGLORIOUS BASTARDS) which I would assume were enhanced by the experiences of director Dallamano, a former DP, who lensed both A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS and FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE for Sergio Leone. The icing on the cake is a sweet fuzzed-out, psychedelic guitar score by Giuseppe De Luca as well as some sweeping, tender love themes, great stuff. Complaints are pretty few and far between, the one nagging at me the most was the passage of time, I just didn't feel it and I was confused to some degree by how much time was supposed to have transpired. It's not ruinous to the film, just something that struck me, more striking are those outlandish 70's fashion, whoa. Not having read the novel the film seemed to follow what I know of Oscar Wilde's source material but with a stylish Euro-cult update, the 60's/70's sex vibe suits the story perfectly.


DVD: Never before available in the US the film gets a very sweet release from RaroVideo that includes a new HD digital transfer sourced from the original negative and it looks pretty great. The film is presented in anamorphic widescreen (1.66:1) with rich colors, good black levels and a crisp image. It's a sharp presentation with precious few instances of print damage and a fine layer of film grain. The RaroVideo DVD contains the international cut of the film as well as footage from the US cut making this the longest cut of the film available.

Audio options include Italian and English language Dolby Digital Mono 2.0 with optional English subtitles featuring a new and improved translation. The English audio sounds quite good, dialogue is well balanced and the score sounds awesome. It's lacking any noticeable crackle or hiss, good stuff.The Italian audio doesn't fare so well, apparently RaroVideo had trouble locating a valid Italian soundtrack and resorted to using a low-quality master and the results are really quite poor with an abundance of background noise and distortions throughout. 

Special features include an illustrated 4pg. booklet with writings on the film and the DVD transfer plus a filmography. The sole non-text feature is a video interview with assistant director Maurizio Tanfani (30:59) presented in Italian with English subtitles. It's a fun listen as Tanfani, who worked with Leon Klimovsky (VENGEANCE OF THE ZOMBIES), and Bruno Mattei (ZOMBIE 3), speaks of Franco Nero (DJANGO) being considered to play the role of Dorian Gray and actor Herbert Lom's extensive time in the make-up chair to cover a nose defect of some sort. Tanfani also discusses making spaghetti westerns and sword n' sandals films with various Italian directors, the tragic life of Anna Maria Pierangeli (IN THE FOLDS OF THE FLESH), a disgraced former MGM studio actress with a fatal pill and alcohol addiction, and working with star Helmut Berger, whom he speaks of quite fondly though probably not as fondly as the male costume designer he recalls working on set whom would stuff his pockets with Berger's dirty underwear after each costume change, fun stuff and a nice career retrospective.

As with LIVE LIKE A COP DIE LIKE A MAN RaroVideo have given THE SECRET OF DORIAN GRAY a fantastic release with a fine transfer and while the supplemental are not numerous the interview with Tanfani is quite interesting and will surely will please any fan of Euro-cult cinema.

SPECIAL FEATURES:
- Interview with the assistant director Maurizio Tanfani (30:51) 4:3
- A fully illustrated booklet containing critical analysis.
- New Digital Transfer from Original 35mm Negative Print.
- Digitally Restored and Remastered.
- New and Improved English subtitle translation.


VERDICT: Yet another awesome 70's Euro-cult goodie given a sweet restored presentation from RaroVideo. A high recommend to lovers of Euro-cult and Italian cinema.

SCREEN GRABS 

FRIDAY THE 13th - The Ultimate Collection Details

Paramount Home Entertainment have announced the October 4th 2011 release of  FRIDAY THE 13TH - THE ULTIMATE COLLECTION 8-Disc DVD Set. The set collects all eight of the Deluxe Editions of FRIDAY THE 13th thru FRIDAY THE 13th PART VII: THE NEW BLOOD. Very excited for this one as Friday the 13th is my favorite slasher film franchises of all time, more so than HALLOWEEN or NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET Jason Voorhees continued to entertain through the years with one bloody kill after the other. While a few of the sequels are imbued with some unintentional cheese I find myself revisiting the films annually without fail.

Through the years I've purchased each edition of the films, including the FRIDAY THE 13th - FROM CRYSTAL LAKE TO MANHATTAN boxset and I own about half of the deluxe edition collected here but for $40 it's cheaper to buy this set, an easy buy for me. No word if a Blu-ray set will follow, you may recall that the first three films did get 1080p deluxe editions, it would be great to see the entire series get the HD upgrade, too.

Paramount Home Entertainment Press Release:

31 YEARS OF THE 13TH IN ONE KILLER BOX SET

THE ULTIMATE COLLECTION

Eight Feature Films Plus Hours of Special Features Debut in Limited Edition DVD Set October 4, 2011 with Collectible Hockey Mask

Take a ride down memory lane with everyone’s favorite psychotic killer Jason Voorhees in the to-die-for DVD set FRIDAY THE 13TH THE ULTIMATE COLLECTION arriving just in time for Halloween on October 4, 2011 from Paramount Home Entertainment. When the original Friday The 13th debuted in 1980, it captured audiences’ imaginations and permeated our collective psyche. 31 years later, the iconic machete-wielding killer continues to haunt, fascinate and terrify a new generation. This comprehensive set includes every murderous moment from Friday The 13th - Uncut Deluxe Edition, Friday The 13th Part 2 Deluxe Edition, Friday The 13th Part 3-3D Deluxe Edition (with two pairs of 3D glasses), Friday The 13th - The Final Chapter Deluxe Edition, Friday The 13th Part V: A New Beginning Deluxe Edition, Friday The 13th Part VI: Jason Lives Deluxe Edition, Friday The 13th Part VII: The New Blood Deluxe Edition and Friday The 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan Deluxe Edition.

This extraordinary collection, which will be released in a Limited Edition of only 50,000 numbered units worldwide, includes a replica of Jason’s hockey mask, an 8-page Collector’s Booklet and hours of special features including slashed scenes, making of featurettes, killer commentaries and much, much more.

FRIDAY THE 13TH -  THE ULTIMATE COLLECTION will be available for the suggested retail price of just $39.99 U.S./$42.00 Canada.

The FRIDAY THE 13th - Uncut Deluxe Edition DVD is presented in widescreen enhanced for 16:9 televisions with Dolby Digital English 5.1 Surround and English, French and Spanish Mono along with English, French and Spanish subtitles.

Bonus material includes:
• Commentary by director Sean S. Cunningham with cast and crew
• Fresh Cuts: New Tales from Friday the 13th
• The Man Behind the Legacy: Sean S. Cunningham
• Friday the 13th Reunion
• Lost Tales From Camp Blood – Part 1
• Theatrical Trailer

The FRIDAY THE 13th Part 2 Deluxe Edition DVD is presented in widescreen enhanced for 16:9 televisions with Dolby Digital English 5.1 Surround and English, French and Spanish Mono along with English, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles.

Bonus material includes:
• Inside “Crystal Lake Memories”
• Friday’s Legacy: Horror Conventions
• Lost Tales from Camp Blood – Part 2
• Jason Forever
• Theatrical Trailer

The FRIDAY THE 13th Part 3 - 3D Deluxe Edition DVD is presented in widescreen enhanced for 16:9 televisions with Dolby Digital English 5.1 Surround and English, French and Spanish Mono along with English, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles.

Bonus materials includes:
• 3D Version of the film (includes 3D glasses)
• Theatrical Trailer

The FRIDAY THE 13th THE FINAL CHAPTER Deluxe Edition DVD is presented in widescreen enhanced for 16:9 televisions with Dolby Digital English 5.1 Surround and English, French and Spanish Mono along with English, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles.

Bonus material includes:
• Commentary by director Joe Zito, screenwriter Barney Cohen and editor Joel Goodman
• Fan commentary by Adam Green and Joe Lynch
• Lost Tales from Camp Blood – Part 4
• Slashed Scenes
• Jason’s Unlucky Day: 25 Years After Friday the 13th The Final Chapter
• The Lost Ending
• The Crystal Lake Massacres Revisited Part I
• Jimmy’s Dead Dance Moves
• Theatrical Trailer

The FRIDAY THE 13th PART V: A NEW BEGINNING Deluxe Edition DVD is presented in widescreen enhanced for 16:9 televisions with Dolby Digital English 5.1 Surround and English, French and Spanish Mono along with English, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles.

Bonus material includes:
• Commentary by director/co-screenwriter Danny Steinmann with cast and crew
• Lost Tales from Camp Blood – Part 5
• The Crystal Lake Massacres Revisited Part II
• New Beginnings: The Making of Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning
• Theatrical Trailer

The FRIDAY THE 13th PART VI: JASON LIVES Deluxe Edition DVD is presented in widescreen enhanced for 16:9 televisions with Dolby Digital English 5.1 Surround, English 2.0 Surround and French and Spanish Mono along with English, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles.

Bonus material includes:
• Commentary by director Tom McLoughlin with cast and crew
• Lost Tales from Camp Blood – Part 6
• The Crystal Lake Massacres Revisited Part III
• Jason Lives: The Making of Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives
• Meeting Mr. Voorhees
• Slashed Scenes
• Theatrical Trailer

The FRIDAY THE 13th PART VII: THE NEW BLOOD Deluxe Edition DVD is presented in widescreen enhanced for 16:9 televisions with Dolby Digital English 5.1 Surround, English 2.0 Surround, French Mono and Spanish Mono along with English, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles.

Bonus material includes:
• Killer Commentary by director John Carl Buechler and actors Lar Park Lincoln and Kane Hodder
• Jason’s Destroyer: The Making of Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood
• Mind Over Matter: The Truth About Telekinesis
• Makeover by Maddy: Need a Little Touch-Up Work, My Ass
• Slashed Scenes Intro
• Slashed Scenes

The FRIDAY THE 13th PART VIII: JASON TAKES MANHATTAN Deluxe Edition DVD is presented in widescreen enhanced for 16:9 televisions with Dolby Digital English 5.1 Surround, English 2.0 Surround, French 2.0 Surround and Spanish 2.0 Surround along with English, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles.

Bonus material includes:
• Killer Commentary by actors Scott Reeves, Jensen Daggett and Kane Hodder
• New York Has a New Problem: The Making of Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan
• Gag Reel
• Slashed Scenes

Blu-ray Review: CINEMA PARADISO (1989)

CINEMA PARADISO (1989) Blu-ray

LABEL: Umbrella Entertainment

REGION CODE: ABC, Region FREE
RATING: PG
DURATON: 124 mins
VIDEO: Anamoprhic Widescreen (1.77:1) 1080p
AUDIO: Italian DTS-HD MA Master Audio 5.1
DIRECTOR: Giuseppe Tornatore
CAST: Philippe Noiret, Salvatore Cascio, Marco Leonardi, Jacques Perrin, Antonella Attili, Pupella Maggio, Agnese Nano, Leopoldo Trieste
TAGLINE: A celebration of youth, friendship, and the everlasting magic of the movies.

Giuseppe Tornatore's 1988 Italian film NUOVO CINEMA PARADISO was originally released in an 155 mins theatrical cut but was trimmed to a more manageable and better received 124 mins for it's international release under the title CINEMA PARADISO. It was this cut that I caught a 35mm screening of in the early 90's while living in Ithaca, NY. The screening was at the small Cinemapolis theatre on the Ithaca Commons. Not yet in my twenties, and coming off a decade of 80's horror devotion, this screening gave birth to my love of arthouse and foreign cinema which at this point weren't part of my cinematic vocabulary. My new found interest was fed all that year by the aforementioned Cinemaoplis and Fall Creek Pictures who were not only my entry point to Tornatore's CINEMA PARADISO, but Marc Caro and Jean-Pierre Jeunet's DELICATESSAN, Jaco Van Dormael's TOTO LE HEROS (1991), Gabriele Salvatores' MEDITERRANEO and Krzysztof Kieslokowski's THE DOUBLE LIFE OF VERONIQUE (1991) plus an American indie film that remarkably still has no DVD release 20 years later, KAFKA (1991), Steven Soderbergh's follow-up to SEX LIES AND VIDEOTAPE (1989). Apparently '91 was a banner year for indie and arthouse cinema in addition to alternative music. At the time I was heavily into Nirvana, the Seattle scene and all things Sub Pop having not been weaned from the teet of metal but definitely having my horizons expanded.

CINEMA PARADISO opens in Italy sometime in the 1980's. Film director Salvatore De Vita (Jacques Perrin, BROTHERHOOD OF THE WOLF) returns home and is informed that his mother telephoned with news that someone named Alfredo has passed away. Salvatore, who has not returned to the village of his birth for 30 years, flashes back to his childhood during WWII and recalls the formative years of his life and a friendship with an crusty, though kind-hearted, theatre projectionist named Alfredo who imparted to him a love of cinema.

We are then transported to 1940's Sicily via flashbacks as only the magic of cinema can. We meet Salvatore at the age of six, he's a precocious little scamp who keeps his mother on her toes, he definitely a handful of mischievous energy. Consumed by an interest in film he spends most of his time at the Cinema Paradiso, a theatre at the heart of the town square. It is here that he befriends the projectionist Alfredo (Philippe Noiret, Fellini's THREE BROTHERS) who begrudgingly lets the boy hang out in the projection booth with him. Through a series of montages we are introduced to the townsfolk who gather nightly to watch the moving images and they are a colorful cast of small town characters. Father Adelfio (Salvatore Cascio, THE WHITE SHEIK) dutifully approves each film before public viewing at weekly screenings in which he censors scenes of intimacy that he deems immoral, he does so by sounding a bell which cues Alfredo to mark the scenes and cut them from the reel, the decades of naughty nitrate litter the projection booth. During viewings of the film the townsfolk can be heard to register complaints, one man objecting, "I've been going to the movies for twenty years and I never saw a kiss!". The entire village is enraptured by the moving images, it's an idealized cinephile vision of small town life and while the film is sometimes critiqued for being overly sentimental and emotionally manipulative I thinks it's rather quite wonderful.

At first Alfredo's disposition towards the Salvatore is one of annoyance but he recognizes his love of cinema and takes him under his wing teaching him to operate the projector, edit and splice film and change reels. The two form a father-son relationship, it's a wonderful portrayal. In a tragic turn of events the highly flammable nitrate film catches fire and a blast of flame from the projector cruelly takes Alfredo's sight. The theatre is a complete loss but it is given a new lease on life when a man named Ciccio, who recently won the lottery, resurrects the theatre as Nouvo Cinema Paradiso. In an admittedly unlikely turn of events Ciccio hires the adolescent Salvatore as the theatre's new projectionist. With the introduction of non-combustible film stock a few years later Alfredo ponders "progress, always comes late."

Alfredo and Toto's friendship continues through the years and as Salvatore matures into a young man, now played by Marco Leonardi (LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE), he finds himself coming to Alfredo for advice when he loses his heart to a young beauty by the name of Elena (Agnese Nano), the daughter of a wealthy banker who frowns upon a peasant boy courting his daughter of privilege. At the height of their romance Salvatore is required to serve his compulsory military service and the two lose touch when Elena's family settles elsewhere. Returning to the Sicily following his service Alfredo urges the young man to leave the village, to return to Rome where he can pursue his dreams. Salvatore is hesitant to do so but Alfredo make him swear to never return, to not look back and not give in to sentimentality. Alfredo tells Salvatore "Whatever you end up doing, love it. The way you loved the projection booth when you were a little squirt". It's a promise he keeps but upon returning to the village 30 years laterSalvatore is overcome with regret at the decision.

During the funeral procession Salvatore sees so many familiar faces from his youth, he's overcome with feelings of nostalgia and regret. Later Alfredo's widow tells Salvatore how proud her late husband was of him, that following his career as a film director was a source of great pride for the elderly man. She gives him a box, inside it a film reel. Upon returning to Rome Salvatore screens the reel to discover that Alfredo has spliced together a compendium of what amounts to the greatest romance scenes of cinema cut from films over the years at the behest of Father Adelfio. He watches as tears of bittersweet joy stream from his face, basking in the glory of cinema and overwhelmed by emotion.

As a teen I found this film so incredibly moving, it was overwhelming. Neer had I seen a film that carried with it so much love for the  cinema or such passion for filmmaking. Revisiting it again 20 years later it still carries that same weight and then some. With a few years under my belt, a family of my own and my love for film grown, the film resonates deeper and stronger than ever. Much like director Giuseppe Tornatore's nostalgia for the cinema of his youth I find it difficult not to similarly gush over CINEMA PARADISO - it is simply a thing beauty.

In the longer theatrical version of the film the relationship between the younger Salvatore and Elena is fleshed out a bit more. When he returns to Sicily 30 years later he encounters a young girl whom bares an uncanny resemblance to his lost love. Through her he is reunited with Elena and attempts to rekindle their romance. The reunion scenes add some extra depth and poignancy to the proceedings plus there's a revelation involving Alfredo's involvement in their break-up which adds yet another level of bittersweetness to the film's finale. Without disavowing the international cut I would definitely recommend a viewing of the theatrical cut.

BLU-RAY: Umbrella Entertainment's Blu-ray of CINEMA PARADISO is a joy to behold even if not exactly reference material. The blacks levels could be better and it's not the sharpest image on Blu but it's significantly better than the previous DVD editions and worth an upgrade sight unseen. The only audio option is the Italian language 5.1 audio with optional English subtitles. Dialogue and effects are crisp and clearly audible and while it's center channel heavy Ennio Morricone's transportative score sounds quite brilliant and never better. Note that this Blu-ray is Region FREE and playable worldwide.

SPECIAL FEATURES: None, but the film is it's own delight even without the benefit of supplemental material, not that it wouldn't have been appreciated.

VERDICT: CINEMA PARADISO is a gorgeous love letter to a bygone era of cinema and to the glory of independent movie house that's swollen to perfection with nostalgia and sentimentality. A powerful film that nurtured my own passion for cinema at a particularly influential period in my life. I give this the highest recommendation possible and would easily place it alongside CHINATOWN, BLUE VELVET, THE THIRD MAN and TOUCH OF EVIL as my most treasured films. Seeing it projected in 35mm was one of my greatest cinema going moments and Umbrella Entertainment's Blu-ray is the closet I've come to reliving that experience since. 

DVD Review: CAMILLE 2000 - Extended Version (1969)

CAMILLE 2000 (1969)

Extended Version DVD

LABEL: Cult Epics
DURATION: 131Minutes
REGION CODE: ALL
RATING: Unrated
VIDEO: Anamorphic Widescreen (2.35:1)
AUDIO: English Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
DIRECTOR: Radley Metzger
CAST: Daniele Gaubert, Nino Castelnuovo, Eleonora Rossi Drago
TAGLINE: The "NOW" Child

In CAMILLE 2000 the gorgeous French actress (Daniel Gaubert, SNOW JOB) portrays Marguerite, a promiscuous libertine kept in riches by a wealthy man. She's well-known for having multiple lovers and hosting a string of orgiastic parties in her luxurious villa. Her promiscuous lifestyle however falls into disarray when she finds herself smitten with a handsome bachelor named Armand (Nino Castelnuova, STRIP NUDE FOR YOUR KILLER), who insists on fidelity in their relationship. Despite her feelings for Armand the tart finds it difficult to maintain her fidelity, at the same time Armand's meddling father disapproves of the relationship and throws a wrench into the love works which threatens to destroy the lovers.

Of what I've seen of Radley Metzger films the director in my eyes is the undisputed master of the erotic arthouse cinema. A director who could have effortlessly infiltrated the mainstream cinema had it been his inclination. His cinematic style, while at times experimental and arthouse, seems compatible with the late-60's and early-70's sex comedies, thrillers and romantic dramas and never more so than with his adaptation of Alexandre Dumas Fils' novel Lady of the Camellias, CAMILLE 2000. More a sensuous melodrama than lusty erotica, at it's heart this a tale of doomed lovers set against late-60's high society and wealthy libertines with a most excellent lounge-lizard score from composer Peiro Piccioni. The film is the most stylish and visually lavish Metzger production I've seen, courtesy of Enrico Sabbatini's stylish art decoration and some sweet lensing from cinematographer Ennio Guarnieri (THE GARDEN OF THE FINZI CONTINI).

I came to know Metzger's films through the erotically charged SCORE (1974) and sadomasochistic luridness of THE IMAGE (1975) and I was a bit perplexed by the comparative lack of sexual voracity found here. It's likely that I'm just a pervert but this is not what I've come to expect from Metzger. CAMILLE 2000 is much more refined, more classical in it's approach, though skewed by eroticism. There is sex, but it's lacking charisma and the languid pace and relative chasteness of the film left me wanting. Perhaps this is indicative of the extended cut of this film or symptomatic of Metzger's earlier films which I've not been able to explore as of yet.

Much in the way that Dario Argento is criticized for his style over substance approach to filmmaking I think the same could be applied to CAMILLE 2000. French femme Gaubert is stunning, a true beauty, but I found both her and co-star Castelnuovo coldly detached in their performances, there's no sense of real intimacy and the characters felt distant to me. The film is dubbed so I guess that could be a symptom of the process, I'm not sure. Whatever the reason the passion of the film didn't connect with me but on a purely visual level the film is quite attractive. Metzger and Sabbatini are meticulous in their set decoration, art direction and shot composition, it's captivating stuff and it looks great, but the two leads, though alluring, do not  exactly burn down the screen with passionate performances. 


DVD: Cult Epics 2011 transfer of CAMILLE 2000 was made using the original 35mm negative with additional scenes being sourced from a 35mm interposit print. Sound and image have been restored to remove scratches and splice marks though according to the restoration featurette no noise reduction or edge enhancement was applied to the film in order to maintain it's film-like qualities, as such there is a good amount of grain in the image as well as white specks. Noise reduction has been applied to the audio which was sourced from a 35mm optical print to remove hiss, crackle and pops.

The film is presented in it's original scope aspect ratio of 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen. Audio options include the English Dolby Digital mono audio and a commentary track, there are no subtitle options. This marks my first home viewing of Metzger's films on standard definition DVD, previous films were screened on Blu-ray and this presentation   certainly lacks the clarity and depth of a 1080p presentation but it fares quite well, particularly when compared to the pre-restoration demo shots. The colors are strong, the film's grain structure is nicely intact (which I love) and the black levels are quite good. Likewise the mono audio while lacking depth is free of snap, crackle and pop. The dialogue is clear and consistent while the 60's lounge score sounds fantastic.

Cult Epics have given this release a wonderful selection of special features beginning with an audio commentary from Metzger and film historian Michael Bowen. It's a pleasant listen with loads of production notes and anecdotal bits as the director discusses his place in cinema, working abroad and the critical reception of his films. On the Set of Camille 2000 (20:05) is comprised of film clips and hand-held behind-the-scenes footage, it's an informative watch as Metzger's narration supplies a steady stream of trivia, and includes footage from the film's wrap-party plus a few shots of a scene between Marguerite and Armand's father on a beach, the weather not cooperating that day the scene was scrapped. I love these kind of intimate and voyeuristic featurettes, very cool. Restoration of Camille 2000 (6:24) is a before and after restoration demo of the film, it speaks for itself and to the integrity of the restoration. Sylviane's Bare Striptease Scene (2:48) features a completely off-the-wall striptease cut from the film and shot hand-held, odd and awesome. Finishing off the disc are a subdued alternate take of the 'Cube Love Scene' and anamorphic trailers for Metzger's SCORE, LICKERISH QUARTET and CAMILLE 2000. A great selection of supplemental materials that compliment the viewing of the film, good stuff all around.  The film is available from Cult Epics in separate edition of both the theatrical and extended versions on DVD and Blu-ray. Oddly, the Blu-ray does not offer both versions on the same disc via seamless branching, which would have been fantastic.  

Before/After Restoration demo Screen Grabs

SPECIAL FEATURES:
- On the Set of Camille 2000 (20:35) 16x9
- Restoration of Camille 2000 (6:24) 16x9
- Sylviane's Bare Striptease Scene (2:48) 16x9
- Cube Love Scene (1:52) 16x9
- Audio Commentary with Radley Metzger and film historian Daniel Bowen
- Trailers: SCORE (3:38) 16x9, THE LICKERISH QUARTET (2:46) 16x9, CAMILLE 2000 (2:17) 16x9


VERDICT: Honestly when I come to a Radley Metzger film I'm looking for some arty erotica and I found that the lustier elements of CAMILLE 2000 had been overtaken by some admittedly spectacular art design. Perhaps a bit disappointing on that pervy level but still a sensual viewing experience with Metzger's distinct arthouse stamp. A recommend with the caveat that I wouldn't pass up THE IMAGE or SCORE if it came down to a choice amongst the three. Either way, a must-have for Metzger completest, it's been a fantastic year with no less than four of his titles coming to Blu-ray in remastered editions.