DVD Review: FROM BEYOND (1986)

FROM BEYOND (1986) 

Label: Second Sight Films 
Release Date: February 25th 2013
Rating: Cert: 18
Duration: 82 Minutes
Region Code: 2 PAL 
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen (1.85:1) 1080p
Audio: English Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo, 4.0 with Optional English Subtitles 
Director: Stuart Gordon
Cast: Jeffrey Combs, Ted Sorel, Kenneth Foree, Barbara Crampton

Synopsis: An obsessive scientist Dr. Pretorius (Ted Sorel) and his assistant (Jeffrey Combs) have invented ‘The Resonator’, a device designed to stimulate the brain’s pineal gland and expand the powers of the mind. The machine gives them more than they bargained for however when a parallel universe inhabited by slimy creatures ready to prey on humans reveals itself. Pretorious meets a sticky end, returns as a grotesque, deformed being and all manner of depravity ensues.

This is a title I saw at the local VHS rental shop as a kid of about 14 and I just couldn't watch it fast enough, it lured me in with pretty much everything a horny gore-hound could want -  gore, boobs and slime a plenty. Pretty sure this is the flick that introduced me tothe films of Stuart Gordon and actor Jeffrey Combs, plus the teen masturbation fantasy that was Barbara Crampton. The only familiar face was Ken Foree from George A. Romero's Dawn of the Dead (1978) which was a favorite rental of mine,  at the time watching it at least on a monthly basis.

Renowned physicist Dr. Pretorious (Ted Sorel) and his assistant Tillinghast (Jeffrey Combs) are hard at work on an invention called The Resonator, a machine that stimulates the pineal gland located in the human brain through resonant vibrations. A unforeseen side of effect of this pineal stimulation is that those affected are able to perceive another dimension separate from our own reality. It's Tillinghast who first makes this discovery while making adjustments to the Resonator, turning it on he sees creatures resembling moray eels floating in the air, after being bitten by one them he turns it off, panicked he notifies Pretorious who turns on the machine and is overwhelmed with a powerful sensation and the need to see beyond normal human perception, it's almost orgasmic the way he delights in it. Tillinghast implores the scientist to turn off the machine but he refuses, the scene ends with the assistant feeling the house as Pretoprious's corpse lies on the ground next to the resonator, his now missing head having been twisted-off in a grotesque fashion. Arrested for murder the seemingly mad Tillinghast ends up in the loony bin under the care of a Nurse Ratched type character named Dr. Bloch (Carolyn Purdy-Gordon, Dolls).

Arriving at the psychiatric hospital to study the case is Dr. Katherine McMichaels (Barbara Crampton, Re-Animator), after some tests reveal that Tillinghast's pineal gland is larger than normal she becomes convinced that Pretorious's experiments were successful and that his discovery could benefit the science of schizophrenia, and isn't that where the trouble always begins - the road to Hell is paved with good intentions and this road is slimy, too. 

McMichaels checks Tillinghast out from the psychiatric ward under her care against Bloch's wishes and is accompanied back to the scene of the experiments under the watchful eye of Detective Bubba Brownie (Ken Foree, Dawn of the Dead) with the intention of rebuilding and re-creating Pretorous's resonator experiments. That's pretty much it in a nutshell, the story is pretty simplistic but with a great cast and some inventive special effects director Stuart Gordon created of my favorite mid-80's science fiction horrors.

Soon enough, against, the better judgement of Tillinghast, the Resonator is turned-on yet again and it's not long before all three not only bare witness to the strange other dimensional creature from beyond, but also to the transformed Pretorious, now a grotesque, slime covered version of his former self, the lustful doc attacks McMichaels and she only just barely escapes with her brain intact when Tillinghast and Bubba manage to get past a toothy sandworm-esque creature in the basement to uncouple the power from the machine. The encounter leaves Tillinghast completely bald, the continued exposure to the Resonator prompts his pineal gland to emerge from his skull as a fleshy stalk and he's cursed with a new-found hunger for human brain-matter.

There's some great atmosphere in the film, the fantastic otherworldly score combined with the neon pink and blue hues combine to great effect onscreen. Crampton's character as the Dr. driven by ambition and overcome by lustful desires thrilled me as a teen and still does today. The role is a sweet reversal of what we saw in Re-Animator where she played victim to Comb's maniacal Herbert West, it's a delicious twist. The entire film is wonderfully twisted, perversely sexual and grotesquely slimy, there's a lot to love. The effects team does great work here, not all of it holds-up equally but overall the film was ahead of it's time, ambitious stuff. It's not on the level of John Carpenter's The Thing (1982) but the two are kindred in spirit in ooze and creativity. The Pretorious transformations are particularly fantastic, unsettling stuff which gave me night-sweats as a kid and still manages to sends shivers down my spine today. 

DVD: Second Sight's DVD presents the film in it's original widescreen (1.85:1) aspect ratio. I gather it's sourced  from the same master as the MGM's 2007 Unrated Director's Cut and it looks fantastic. There's some nice film grain left intact and there's precious few instances of dirt or grime, it's been treated right. The film's neon pink and blue hues really pop, it still packs a visual wallop recalling the use of color in films from Dario Argento and Lamberto Bava in the 70's and 80's. The print has been restored, painstakingly so, there's a great featurette on the disc explaining the difficulties incorporating previously cut scenes back into the film, the restoration demo is a revelation.

The audio options include English language Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo and 4.0 and it's quite good if not exactly fantastic, there's just not a lot of channel separation or use of he surrounds. While I am not one to demand newly created 5.1 Surround mixes for older films I think this sci-fi horror could have benefited from a sonic upgrade, during The Resonator scenes I could almost hear what could have been. That said, the dialogue, effects and great Richard Band score are presented clear, crisp and  well-balanced. Optional English subtitles are included, too. 

The supplemental material is flourishing on this release beginning with over a minute of restored footage that was excised due to an MPAA "castration". The restoration is fantastic and documented in the previously mentioned The Editing Room – Lost and Found (4:55) containing interviews with the restoration team and Stuart Gordon, the restoration demo is probably my favorite feature, tales of cut films restored to their original, and in this case, gorier glory have always brought a smile to my face. 

The Audio Commentary with Stuart Gordon, producer Brian Yuzna and cast members Barbara Crampton and Jeffrey Combs is quite entertaining. The foursome have blast reflecting on the film and their time in Italy, lots of fun anecdotes and behind-the-scenes stuff, a  lot of this you will hear repeated to some degree during the other special features but it's a commentary definitely worth a listen. 

Now onto four supplements not found on the previous MGM DVD, we get over an hour of featurettes produced by Severin films beginning with Stuart Gordon on From Beyond (19:44) features the director talking about how this is the movie where he started murdering his wife, so to speak. He also discusses how the stunning pink hue of the film is based on Lovecraft writings and how cinematographer Mac Ahlberg brought that vision to life. Gordon also discusses discovering the writings of H.P. Lovecraft  originally wanting to make Dagon his second feature but when Charles Band shot the idea down decided to go with From Beyond, even borrowing some of the Pretorious creature elements from Lovecraft's The Mouths of Madness. Topics discussed are the principle cast, shooting in Rome, the influence of John Carpenter's The Thing, a scene he cut himself (which is lost and not included here) and being scolded by the MPAA for the film's grotesque imagery and subject matter.

Gothic Adaptation (15:22) which is not included on the MGM edition features screenwriter Dennis Paoli discussing finding Lovecraft powerfully weird prose through science fiction rather than horror, his meeting and longtime collaboration with Gordon, the Organic Theater Company, the challenges of adapting Lovecraft's Re-Animator, what he considers collaboration versus adaptation, unshot scenes and theories about the pineal gland.

Monsters and Slime – The FX of From Beyond (19:53) for fans of effects and gore is a true delight containing interviews effects creators John Naulin, Anthony Dublin and Greg Bartalos. This was an effects heavy extravaganza and Greg Bartalos (Frankenhooker) whom all talk about what they brought to the film, Naulin has a pretty fantastic story about losing two of his fingers on-set during a freak accident, fun stuff. 

The Doctor Is In – An interview with Barbara Crampton (13:53) is a 2007 interview with star Crampton, who might I just say is still quite a gorgeous woman. She speaks a bit about being the daughter of a carnie barker, getting the part in Gordon's Re-Animator (1985) and then From Beyond (1986) and her experiences working with Combs and Gordon.

Director’s Perspective (8:53) features director Gordon talking about his three picture deal with Empire and thinking Dagon would be his next feature until Charles Band balked at the idea, which is how he ended up coming to From Beyond. He also speaks to the role reversal of the Combs/Crampton characters whom appeared in Re-Animator, the connection between horror and sex in cinema and a fun story about battling the MPAA for an R rating, including a stiff scolding by a librarian in regard to the infamous eye-sucking scene, going on to discuss the origin and assembling of this director's cut of the film.

The last of the major supplementals is Interview with the Composer (4:33) featuring composer (and brother of Charles) Richard Band whom speaks to exploring the film's inherent horror and sexuality through the score, composed by a 40 piece string orchestra with some assistance from synthesizer. The DVD is rounded out by a cool Photo Montage (4:45) set to Richard Band's score, a the Storyboard to Film comparison (1:23). The only thing missing would be some trailers, but what we get is a goldmine of awesomeness. 

Cool Main Menu, love the artwork. 

Special Features:
• Stuart Gordon on From Beyond (19:44)*
• Gothic Adaptation – An interview with writer Dennis Paoli (15:22)*
• The Doctor Is In – An interview with Barbara Crampton (13:53)*
• Monsters and Slime – The FX of From Beyond (19:53)*
• Director’s Perspective (8:53)
• The Editing Room – Lost and Found (4:55)
• Interview with the Composer (4:33)
• Commentary with Stuart Gordon, Brian Yuzna and Jeffrey Combs
• Photo Montage (4:45)
• Storyboard to film comparison (1:23)
• Includes English subtitles for hard of hearing
* - Not on the R1 MGM Unrated Director's Cut 

Verdict: A fantastic mid-80's sci-fi horror classic dripping with grotesque creatures and slime from director Stuart Gordon's classic period, fantastic stuff. Gordon doesn't get enough praise in my opinion and if you haven't check out his 80's and early 90's oeuvre you are missing out on some true cult-classics. Sure, every one's seen Re-Animator (1985) but definitely check out Dolls (1987), The Pit and the Pendulum (1991) and Castle Freak (1995). Much the same way Roger Corman had his classic Edgar Allen Poe cycle of films Stuart Gordon executed a fantastic series of H.P. Lovecraft adaptations including Dagon (2001), the aforementioned trio of films, plus  two episode's of the Masters of Horror TV series Dreams in the Witch-House (2005) and The Black Cat (2007). I recommend them all enthusiastically. Second Sight's  DVD edition matches the R1 2007 MGM Unrated Director's Cut edition of the film, includes all of the MGM produced extras and throws in sixty-nine minutes of additional Severin produced featurettes. This is a top notch release, a fantastic edition of a frightfully fun film that's also available on a region B locked Blu-ray. 4 Outta 5  

http://www.secondsightfilms.co.uk/

DVD Review: CHERRY TREE LANE (2010)

CHERRY TREE LANE  (2010) 

Label: Image Entertainment

Rating: Not Rated
Duration: 77 Minutes

Video: 16:9:Widescreen (2.35:1)
Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1

Cast: Rachel Blake , Tom Butcher, Jumayn Hunter
Director: Paul Andrew Williams

Synopsis: A young family is pushed to the very edge of terror and brutality in Paul Andrew Williams' (London to Brighton, The Cottage) horror-thriller, Cherry Tree Lane. Mike, Christine and their son Sebastian have always felt safe in their peaceful suburban neighborhood, but a savage home invasion changes everything, pushing the family into a hellish fight for survival. As their nightmare unfolds, they learn the shocking cruelty that strangers can inflict… and what they'll have to do to save themselves.

Threw this on today, seemed like a good Sunday watch with the wife, a home invasion thriller from the UK from the director of The Cottage, Paul Andrew Williams. Christine (Rachael Blake) and Michael (Tom Butcher) are a quarrelsome couple setting down for dinner, there's some  tension between 'em, some jealousy on the part of Mike for sure, it's pretty typical marital dysfunction. They're awaiting the arrival of their son Sebastian (Tom Kane) when the doorbell rings. Answering the door the couple are brutalized, incapacitated and duct taped by a trio of violent street toughs. It seems they're son has wronged these three in some way severe enough that they feel the need to mead out some form of violent retribution, that's pretty much the gist of the film, there's not much here on paper but Williams does quite a bit with very little, one of the first scenes quite literally informs you this is gonna be a potboiler and sure enough it is. 

I live in an area where home invasions are not uncommon, the wrought iron on the entries provide some comfort but the very notion that it could happen menaces me. One minute your at home sipping pinot noir while eating a bit of dinner and a ring at the door sets the world on it's skull. Beaten down and tied up, your loved ones just out of reach and subjected to a beating, rape or maybe worse. All the while you're powerless to do anything about it, outnumbered and impotent - it's truly the stuff of nightmares.

Williams film is punctuated by some nice lensing, slow camera push-ins and static shots, not at all what I was expecting with a home invasion film, it's surprisingly quiet and peppered with moments of frustration and violence, it's powerful stuff, think Funny Games (2007) by way of Gus Van Sant.  

There's some good atmosphere and tension being built-up throughout, which is great but now for the not so great. While the acting is across the board quite good overall the portrayal of the underclass youths just didn't seem to give me much in the way of the something to grab onto, and our captive couple definitely don't get much in the way of characterization either, what there is doesn't give you much to side with other than this maritally challenged couple are victims, which is unfortunate, but they are never more than unfortunate characters, the situation is awful but we never get a feel for anyone here except for maybe one of the street toughs whom apparently has a heart and prattles on while stoned about the good life and how Chris shouldn't worry so much about what might be happening to his wife in the next room. The most over-the-top performance comes from the lead thug who's just this side of ridiculous but it's not ruinous, just a bit much. Another befuddling element is the inexplicably late arrival of three other guests who do little to service the story. 

The film running just under seventy-eight minutes is a bit short on characterization but I still give Cherry Tree Lane a recommend, it lacks the exploitation elements of say something like House on the Edge of the Park with the sexual violence happening off-screen but it does nicely tap into middle class fears of urban violence, something done considerably better with Eden Lake (2008) but this well-paced thriller though soft on character is plenty full of tense and uneasy moments. 3 Outta 5 

 

ARROW VIDEO Q2 Titles Announced!

Arrow Video have announced a slew of 2013 titles and it's some pretty exciting stuff. First up in February are a double-dose of Mario Bava with BLACK SUNDAY (1960) and LISA AND THE DEVIL (1974) - the former of which presents ‘The Mask of Satan’ – the European version with score by Roberto Nicolosi and ‘Black Sunday’ – the re-edited and re-dubbed AIP version with Les Baxter score, on home video for the first time, very cool! In April we get Bava's BARON BLOOD (1972) with three versions of the film including for the first time on home video, the AIP version with alternate score by Les Baxter. Also on the docket are a trio of sexy titles from Tinto Brass - fans of exotic and erotic tastes should rejoice following Arrow's recent 1080p version of three Radley Metzger titles. Blaxploitation classic FOXY BROWN (1974)  is getting her 1080p justoce with cool featurettes and a Jack Hill commentary. We get more Jack Hill cult classics with his film SPIDER BABY (1968) starring Lon Chaney Jr. and Sid Haig - a real weird one, too. Last and probably my own most anticipated titles are George A. Romero's cult classic about jousting motorcyclists KNIGHTRIDERS (1981) comes to Blu-ray as does the fantastically odd MOTEL HELL (1980) with a host of special features and brand new commentary. The final entry is Brian De Palma's classic John Travolta / Nancy Allen thriller BLOW OUT (1981) which features the same transfer as the Criterion edition and a few new interviews, you may recall Arrow previously released Brian De Palma's fantastic OBSESSION (1976) on Blu-ray, looking forward to their Blow-Out disc.  All the artwork, details and special features can be found below along with Amazon pre-orders....

BLACK SUNDAY (1960)  Blu-ray + DVD Combo  Release Date: February 4th 2013 Cast: Barbara Steele, John Richardson and Andrea Checchi Director: Mario Bava Rating: 15 Region: B/2 Overview: Limited Edition Slipbox Edition - only 1000 copies! Available exclusively from the Arrow store. STARE INTO THESE EYES... discover deep within them the unspeakable terrifying secret of BLACK SUNDAY... it will paralyze you with fright! Legendary Scream Queen Barbara Steele (Shivers, Caged Heat) stars in this classic slice of gothic terror from the father of fantastic Italian cinema Mario Bava (Lisa & the Devil). A beautiful witch is sentenced to death for her evil deeds by her own brother, condemned to die by having a metal mask hammered onto her face before being burnt at the stake. As she passes, she puts a terrible curse on all her future descendants as the spikes of the death mask pierce her flesh... But when two unwitting travelers discover her final resting place and worse, drip blood on her resting corpse, they unleash her once again in all her stunningly beautiful, terrifying glory.... Banned in the UK on its release, Black Sunday is a groundbreaking film that opened the door for Spaghetti horror in all its gory glory. Special Features: - Limited Edition Slipbox Edition with 4 panel reversible sleeve featuring 4 artworks including 3 original posters and a newly commissioned artwork by Graham Humphreys - High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentation of two versions of the film; ‘The Mask of Satan’ – the European version with score by Roberto Nicolosi and ‘Black Sunday’ – the re-edited and re-dubbed AIP version with Les Baxter score, on home video for the first time - Three audio versions: Optional Italian, European English and AIP English re-dub and re-score - English SDH subtitles for both English versions and a new English subtitle translation of the Italian audio - Audio Commentary with Bava biographer and expert Tim Lucas - Introduction to the film by author and critic Alan Jones - Interview with star and horror icon Barbara Steele - Deleted Scene from the Italian version with notes by Tim Lucas - International Trailer - US Trailer - Italian Trailer - TV Spot - I Vampiri (1956) – Italy’s first sound horror film directed by Riccardo Freda and Mario Bava - US I Vampiri Trailer ‘The Devil’s Commandment’ - Trailer reel – trailers of all the major works by Mario Bava - Collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the films by Matt Bailey and Alan Jones, illustrated with original archive stills and posters LISA AND THE DEVIL / THE HOUSE OF EXORCISM (1974)  DVD + Blu-ray Combo  Release Date: February 4th 2013 Cast: Telly Savalas, Elke Sommer and Sylva Koscina Director: Mario Bava Rating: 18 Region: B/3 Overview: EVERY CORNER OF THE SOUL IS LOST TO THE ICY CLUTCH OF THE SUPERNATURAL! From the father of Italian Horror Mario Bava (Black Sunday, The Whip and the Body) comes a tale of nightmarish surrealism and supernatural suspense. Lisa (Elke Sommer) - an American tourist travelling in Spain - loses her tour party and seeks refuge in the tumbledown mansion of a blind countess after being guided there by the distinctly satanic butler of the house, Leandro (Telly Savalas – Horror Express, Kojak). The Son of the Countess notices Lisa’s striking resemblance to his dead lover and pursues her as a night of murder, strange eroticism and dark hallucinations begins. Re-cut in the US to cash in on the popularity of William Friedkin’s The Exorcist and released as The House of Exorcism (included in this special edition) the original Lisa & the Devil is Bava at his abstract and delirious best, delivering a 70s horror classic and a masterclass in cinema as feverish nightmare. Special Features: - High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentation of both versions of the film: ‘Lisa and the Devil’ and ‘The House of Exorcism’ producer’s cut - Optional English and Italian audio on ‘Lisa and the Devil’ - English SDH subtitles on both features and a new English subtitle translation of the Italian Audio of ‘Lisa and the Devil’ - Audio Commentary on ‘Lisa and the Devil’ by Bava biographer and expert Tim Lucas - Audio Commentary on ‘The House of Exorcism’ by producer Alfredo Leone and star Elke Sommer - Introductions to both films by author and critic Alan Jones - The Exorcism of Lisa – Assistant Director Lamberto Bava, screenwriter Roberto Natale, Roy Bava and Alberto Pezzotta discuss the making of both versions of the film - Deleted Scene - Original trailers - Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Graham Humphreys - Collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by critic and author Stephen Thrower illustrated with original stills and archive posters FOXY BROWN (1974) Blu-ray  When Foxy Brown’s undercover-agent boyfriend is gunned down on the orders of evil drug kingpins, she stops at nothing to exact a thrillingly brutal revenge. This is one of the all-time great blaxploitation films, pulling out all the stops at a time long before anyone thought of inventing political correctness. Pam Grier was given the role of a lifetime as the street-smart yet intensely sexy Foxy, modelling a stupendously varied range of Seventies threads while righteously kicking villainous white butt at every opportunity. She’s also given sterling support from Antonio ‘Huggy Bear’ Fargas as her no-good younger brother and a memorably funky soundtrack. It’s clear that Quentin Tarantino is a huge fan: he cast Grier in the title role of his direct homage Jackie Brown, while the one-woman revenge scenario that fuelled the Kill Bill films didn’t just come from the Far East. Special Features: - Restored High Definition Blu-ray presentation (1080p) - Optional English SDH subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing - Audio commentary with director Jack Hill - From Black and White to Blaxploitation – Actor Sid Haig speaks about his long and influential friendship with Jack Hill - A Not So Minor Influence – An Interview with Bob Minor, the first African-American member of the Stuntman’s Association, and co-star of Foxy Brown - Back to Black – Legendary actors Fred “The Hammer” Williamson (Black Caesar) and Austin Stoker (Sheba Baby, Assault on Precinct 13), alongside Rosanne Katon (Ebony, Ivory, and Jade) and film scholar Howard S. Berger speak about the enduring popularity of the Blaxploitation film - Photo gallery of behind-the-scenes and publicity images - Original Theatrical Trailer - Trailer Reel – Trailers for all the major works by Jack Hill including Foxy Brown, Coffy and Switchblade Sisters - Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by The Red Dress - Collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Josiah Howard, author of Blaxploitation Cinema: The Essential Reference Guide, a new interview with Pam Grier by Jack Hill biographer Calum Waddell, illustrated with original archive stills and posters Region B BLOW OUT (1981) Blu-ray  Release Date: May 27th 2013 One of Brian De Palma’s most acclaimed films, this brilliant fusion of the obsessive sleuthing of Blow-up and The Conversation with themes drawn from real-life political scandals (the JFK assassination, Chappaquiddick, Watergate) starts with sound technician Jack Terry (John Travolta) accidentally recording what might be explosive evidence of a deadly conspiracy. Brilliantly shot by the then recent Oscar-winner Vilmos Zsigmond, this terrifically stylish thriller co-stars Nancy Allen as the eyewitness who becomes the unwitting target of John Lithgow’s serial killer as he ruthlessly attempts to bury all the evidence. It’s also a film about the filmmaking process: Terry is originally hired to work on the low-budget slasher film Coed Frenzy, and later turns his technical skills to much more serious use as he tries to reconstruct a political assassination on film in a way that will stand up in court. Special Features: - Limited Edition SteelBook packaging - New, restored digital transfer, supervised and approved by director Brian De Palma - Original Dolby 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio - Optional English SDH subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing - Black and White in Colour: An Interview with cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond - Rag Doll Memories: Nancy Allen on Blow Out - Return to Philadelphia: An interview with Producer George Litto - A gallery of on-set photos by photographer Louis Goldman - Original Theatrical Trailer - Collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Michael Atkinson, a conversation between Quentin Tarantino and Brian De Palma and more to be confirmed! Region B ALL LADIES DO IT (1992)  DVD+ Blu-ray Combo Release Date: May 20th 2013 Diana (Claudia Koll) and Paolo (Paolo Lanza) are happily married despite her much greater sexual appetite: he’s content to simply listen to the stories of her various adventures. But when she has an affair that’s much too close to home, he throws her out, and she moves into a Venetian flat to embark upon an erotic voyage of discovery, while at the same time trying to win him back. Loosely inspired by the Mozart opera Così fan tutte (the title is a direct translation), the film tackles a crucial question: why shouldn’t women enjoy the same sexual freedom that they’ve long had to tolerate in their men? Especially when they have such shapely and inviting rears? Once again, Tinto Brass proves his unmatched skill at balancing eroticism and humour in this lively and beautifully photographed comedy, both wittier and more sexually explicit than the average softcore romp. Special Features: - High Definition Blu-ray and Standard Definition DVD Presentation of the film in widescreen for the first time! - Optional English and Italian audio - Newly translated English subtitles for the Italian audio - Featurette on the film with director Tinto Brass - Original Trailer - Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly illustrated artwork by The Red Dress - Collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by critic David Flint, illustrated with rare production stills Region B/2 MOTEL HELL (1980)  DVD + Blu-ray Combo Release Date: May 13th 2013 “It takes all kinds of critters to make Farmer Vincent fritters!” cackle the brother-and-sister team behind the finest smoked meats in the county. They also run the friendly Motel Hello (the ‘o’ in the neon sign sometimes goes on the blink), and no matter how many times you’ve seen Psycho or The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, you can be sure that everything will be perfectly above board here as Vincent’s brother Bruce is the local sheriff. Western veteran Rory Calhoun gives a lipsmackingly demented performance as Farmer Vincent, whose twinkling bonhomie conceals a deeply depraved secret. Directed by Kevin Connor (maker of much-loved British genre classics The Land That Time Forgot and Warlords of Atlantis) and with legendary DJ Wolfman Jack as a fire-and-brimstone TV preacher, this is a gleefully twisted horror-comedy that climaxes with a showstopping chainsaw duel. Special Features: - High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentation of the film - Optional English SDH subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing - Audio commentary with director Kevin Connor moderated by Calum Waddell - Another Head on the Chopping Block: Interview with star Paul Linke - From Glamour to Gore: Interview with co-star, and former Playboy Playmate, Rosanne Katon - Ida, Be Thy Name: A look back at Motel Hell’s frightful female protagonist Ida Smith – and the secrets of creating a convincing slasher siren, with Scream Queens Elissa Dowling and Chantelle Albers, genre commentator Staci Layne Wilson and critic Shelagh Rowan-Legg - Back to the Backwoods: Director Dave Parker (The Hills Run Red) speaks about the importance of Motel Hell - Original Trailer - Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Jeff Zornow - Collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Kim Newman, illustrated with original archive stills and posters Region B/2 BARON BLOOD (1972)  Blu-ray + DVD Release Date: April 29th 2013 One of horror giant Mario Bava’s biggest hits, Baron Blood returns to the all-stops-out Gothic atmosphere and the central theme of a witch’s curse that fuelled his breakthrough film Black Sunday twelve years earlier. This time, the curse was placed on Baron Otto von Kleist, Austria’s legendarily murderous ‘Baron Blood’, whose corpse is inadvertently revived when an ancient incantation is read out as a joke by a descendant and his girlfriend. Naturally, the Baron decides to carry on where he originally left off, with the help of an entire vault of elaborate torture devices. Joseph Cotten (Citizen Kane, The Third Man) has a whale of a time as the deceptively charming Baron, and is given sterling support from Elke Sommer (Lisa and the Devil), who is chased through fog-shrouded alleyways in one of Bava’s most memorably atmospheric set-pieces. Special Features: - High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentation of three versions of the film: Gli orrori del castello di Norimberga with Italian opening and closing titles and Baron Blood with English opening and closing titles and the European English export version audio, and for the first time on home video, the AIP version with alternate score by Les Baxter - Three audio versions: Optional Italian, European English and AIP English re-dub and re-score - English SDH subtitles and a new English subtitle translation of the Italian audio - Audio Commentary with Bava biographer and expert Tim Lucas - Introduction to Baron Blood by author and critic Alan Jones - Trailers for Baron Blood - Baron Blood Radio Spots - Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Graham Humphreys - Collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Oliver James, illustrated with original archive stills and posters Region B/2 THE KEY (1983)  Tinto Brass’s first major film since the notorious Caligula stars Frank Finlay as a man who is terrified of losing his voluptuous wife Teresa (Stefania Sandrelli) because he is unable to satisfy her sexually. He arranges for her to have an affair, by taking erotic photographs of her and asking her would-be lover to develop them. Meanwhile, he keeps abreast of her burgeoning relationship by reading her diary, in the full knowledge that she in turn is reading his... One of Brass’s most critically acclaimed films, The Key is also one of his most elegant, with wintry Venetian locations, a beautiful Ennio Morricone score and a strong sense of period - it’s set in 1940, just before Mussolini’s Italy entered World War II. However, it also unmistakably shows the path that Brass would eventually follow, with startlingly graphic sex scenes for a supposedly ‘respectable’ film cast with serious actors. Special Features: - High Definition Blu-ray and Standard Definition DVD Presentation of the film in widescreen for the first time! - Optional English and Italian audio - Newly translated English subtitles for the Italian audio - Original Trailer - Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly illustrated artwork by The Red Dress - Collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Tinto Brass scholar Alexander Tuschinski, illustrated with rare production stills Region B/2 KNIGHTRIDERS  (1981)  Blu-ray + DVD Release Date: April 29th 2013 Made after the zombie classic Dawn of the Dead, George A. Romero’s Knightriders is both clearly the work of the same director (there are lots of familiar faces from his other films) and a marked change of tone. There’s still plenty of action, but it takes the form of jousting by people wearing full medieval armour... while riding motorbikes. Ed Harris, soon to become a major star, is the leader of a troupe of travelling entertainers trying to live their lives according to the ideals of King Arthur - no easy feat in Reagan’s America, where the outside world and its financial realities constantly encroach on their dreams. With a memorably eccentric cast of characters (including make-up effects genius Tom Savini in a major role, and a cameo from novelist Stephen King) and a complex, nuanced script, Knightriders is Romero’s warmest and most personal film to date. Special Features: - High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentation - Optional English SDH subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing - Audio commentary with George Romero, Tom Savini, John Amplas and Christine Romero - The Genesis of a Legend – Star Ed Harris remembers his first leading role - A Date with Destiny – Co-star Tom Savini reflects on Knightriders - Medieval Maiden – An interview with actress Patricia Tallman - Theatrical Trailer - TV Spots - Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Nat Marsh - Collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by author and critic Brad Stevens, an archival interview with Romero and a new interview with composer Donald Rubinstein, illustrated with original archive stills and posters Region B/2 SPIDER BABY (1968)  Release Date: June 24th 2013 The credits dub this “the maddest story ever told”, a promise that’s well on the way to being fulfilled in the opening scene alone, when Virginia traps and kills a hapless deliveryman in her makeshift web. She’s one of three siblings who suffer from a unique genetic disorder that causes them to regress back to childhood, while retaining the physical strength and sexual maturity of adults. Lon Chaney Jr gave one of his most memorable late performances as Bruno, their guardian and protector, who has managed to cover up their crimes until two distant relatives lay claim to their house. When they insist on moving in, Bruno has to cross his fingers and hope that the ‘children’ behave towards their new guests... This was the first solo feature by Jack Hill, whom Quentin Tarantino dubbed “the Howard Hawks of exploitation filmmaking”, and it remains one of his wildest and weirdest. Special Features: - High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentation of the main feature, available in the UK for the first time - High Definition transfer of the feature approved by director Jack Hill - Isolated Music and Effects track - English SDH subtitles for deaf and hearing impaired - Audio commentary featuring Jack Hill and star Sid Haig - The Hatching of Spider Baby – Interviews with Jack Hill, Sid Haig, star Mary Mitchel, fan Joe Dante and more on the making of the film - Spider Stravinsky: The Cinema Sounds of Ronald Stein – The composer of ‘The Terror’ and ‘Attack of the 50 Foot Woman’ among others is remembered by Harlene Stein, Jack Hill, American Cinematheque’s Chris D. and others - The Merrye House Revisited – Jack Hill revisits the original house that was used as the main location in the film - Alternate opening title sequence - Extended scene - Gallery of behind-the-scenes images - The Host (1960) – Jack Hill’s early short film featuring Sid Haig in his first starring role [30 mins] - Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Graham Humpreys - Collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by artist and writer Stephen R. Bissette, and more to be confirmed! Region B/2 BONUS! Check out the two very cool Steelbook variants!

DVD Review: SCREAM THEATER VOL. 4 - THE CITY OF THE DEAD/LEGEND OF THE WITCHES

SCREAM THEATER VOL. 4 

THE CITY OF THE DEAD (1960) + LEGEND OF THE WITCHES (1696) 

Label: VCI Entertainment
Region Code: 0 NTSC

Rating: Unrated 

Duration: 78 Minutes / 72 Minutes 

Video: 16x9  (1.66:1) /  4x3 (1.33:1) 

Audio: English Dolby Digital Mono
Cast: Christopher Lee, Dennis Lotis, Betta St John, Patricia Jessel, Venetia Stevenson

Director: John Moxey / Malcolm Leigh

John Moxley's Gothic  chiller City of the Dead (1960) opens with a fantastic post-credit sequence featuring a witch hunt and burning at the stake in a deeply fog-drenched forest, the witch Elizabeth Selwyn is taken and burned at the stake, before her demise she makes a pact with Lucifer for her soul. Years later a young college student Nan Barlow (Venetia Stevenson) travels to the village of Whitewood in Massachusetts over winter break on the recommendation of her professor Alan Driscoll  (Christopher Lee) to do research for a paper on witchcraft. Once there she takes up residence at the Raven's Inn run by Mrs. Newlis. Nan finds the hotel occupied by some strange occupants indeed, namely the reincarnation of the infamous witch Elizabeth Selwyn (Patricia Jessel) who was burned at the stake in the 17th century. The blonde cutey has unknowingly found herself marked for sacrifice by a coven of the witch's followers. While poor Nan goes the way of Psycho's Janet Leigh her brother Dick (Dennis Lotis), friend Lottie (Ann Beach) and boyfriend  Bill (Tom Naylor) descend upon Whitewood in hopes of finding what has become of her.

That's the set-up, it's simple and effective. This is a first rate British chiller steeped in fog, cobwebs and creepy atmosphere. It hearkens back to a time when horror was creepy and not so steeped in visceral gore and blood-letting, as such those with preconceived notions of something a bit more gruesome may be turned off. Those in the mood for a well-paced atmospheric chiller are in for a treat. We have a small rural village, a cast of creepy characters, the old dark hotel, stony walled catacombs laden in cobwebs and a great cast. Christopher Lee's Prof. Driscoll is of course more involved that it would first appear, Patricia Jessel as the virgin murdering witch fantastic - the stand-out performance and Venetia Stevensen as the smartly naive Nan draws you in right from the beginning. All this creepy build-up pays off at the end with a great finale, this is a top notch chiller, a definite high recommend.

The second feature on this double bill appropriately enough is director Malcolm Leigh's documentary Legend of the Witches (1969). It traces the historical origins of witchcraft in moon-worship and the witches’ legend of creation, it also traces some of these pagan rites to their eventual adoption by Christianity. On paper this seemed like a great double bill but I just found this documentary a bit too dry for me to sink my teeth into at one point tuning it out completely and listening to Black Sabbath's Masters of Reality album with the TV muted, which made for some great imagery in the background which was altogether more interesting to me than watching the doc itself.

The Scream Theater double feature is bare-bones meaning you lose out on the features from VCI's single-disc editions which is not too insignificant, The City of the Dead edition comes with a feature length Commentary with actor Christopher Lee, a 45-minute Interview with Christopher Lee plus the Legend of the Witches contained a trailer, the latter of which is not a problematic but that commentary and interview with icon Christopher Lee is missed! This is a great set at a bargain price but if extras are a concern I say skip the dry Legend of the Witches and snag the stand alone City of the Dead DVD from VCI and let's hope at some point for a Blu-ray, this is an attractive feature and I would love to see it pop in 1080p. 

Both films look fantastic in black white presented in their proper aspect ratio. The City of the Dead look particularly fantastic, a Gothic chiller steeped in fog and cobwebbed creepiness that has been painstakingly restored by VCI (with the cooperation of the British Film Institute) and is presented fully uncut; containing more than 2 blasphemous minutes of additional footage cut from the U.S. version, titled Horror Hotel. 3.5 Outta 5