WORM (2013) Special Edition DVD

WORM (2013) 

Label: Synapse Films 
Rating: Unrated 

Duration: 94 minutes
Region Code: region FREE

Audio: English Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo 
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen (2.35:1)

Director: Doug Mallette
Starring: John Ferguson, Shane O'Brien, Jes Mercer

SPOILER AHEAD FOR WORM. DO NOT READ IF YOU DO NOT WANT THE FILM SPOILED - WATCH IT FIRST - YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. 

Synapse as a brand for me is defined by classic horror and cult films renewed with superior PQ and new extras - from classic Hammer Horror to vintage slasher and exploitation classics. Don May and the crew always do a superb job bringing new life to cult-classics. Occasionally Synapse will stray from the familiar and offer something fresh and slightly askew into the mix. A few that come to mind are the French sci-fi film Resonnances (2006) and the surreal revenger South of Heaven (2008) and now we can add Worm (2013) from Nashville filmmaker Doug Mallette to the list of new and askew. 

In this science fiction thriller we are introduced to a wold bereft of dreams - we have somehow been deprived of this mental escape and things just don't seem the same, somethings missing. All that changes with the introduction of Fantasites - a genetically engineered parasite-worm that allows you to once again experience dreams when you. All you gotta to do is drop one of the creepy-crawlies into your ear at night just before bed and next thing you know you're living out your nocturnal fantasies! This new dream-aid is a huge success from the start - garnering both accolades and opposition. 

Enter a socially awkward young man named Charles (John Ferguson) the son of a maintenance man at an apartment complex. Charles has zero friends and not much charisma to speak of - a bit of a weird kid. He tries to buddy-up with one of the tenants named Reed (Shane O'Brien) but fails desperately and miserable. Reed's girlfriend June (Jes Mercer) takes pity of the poor guy and arranges for a play date of sorts much to her boyfriend's chagrin. 
When Charles discovers that Reed and June are taking a nightly dose of the wriggly dream aid he follows suit hoping that the Fantasites somehow make his dull existence just a little more interesting - and they do. 

He begins hanging out with June and an attraction develops between the two and just when things seem great they get complicated. For starters the Government outlaws the use of Fantasites when they discover just how addictive the worms are - and that they feed on the brain. Soon enough the only way to find 'em is through illicit means and both Charles and Reed are seriously jonesing for a worm-fix this becoming entangled in the burgeoning  underground drug culture - their involvement spirals out of control as they set about cracking open the skulls to extract the worms for their own use. 

Worm starts off strong with a unique idea - dream inducing worms. Watching it you can see that it was obviously shot for a dime but the digital cinematography and strong production values go a long way - now we have a unique concept and precision execution. The science fiction elements here do not require a lot of resources - night crawlers are about $2.49 a dozen at the local bait shop. Also enhancing the story is decent amount of peripheral world building by way of TV news casts and commercials which drop the necessary expository stuff plus the bonus of a catchy jingle for a puppy adoption agency. 

The entire cast turn in acceptable performances with some decent exchanges between the characters - especially from the three main characters - who have to deal with a love triangle, addiction and awkward situations. So what we have is a great concept deftly executed by a young cast of filmmakers - there's a lot to like here. Watching this I was reminded a bit of the no-budget science fiction film Nothing (2003) from Canadian filmmaker Vincenzo Natali which did a lot with a little and then you throw in some fun Cronenberg-esque body horror on top of it. 
At the end of the day I didn't love the film but I did enjoy it and respect it for being unique - which is something quite rare and should be applauded. Looking forward to what comes next from director Doug Mallette.

Special Features:
- WORM – Original Short Film (8 minutes)
- Deleted Scenes (11 minutes)
- Audio Commentary Featuring Jeremy Pearce, Julian Herrera, Jennifer Bonior and Doug Mallette
- Original Trailers (4 minutes) 

THE QUIET ONES (2012)

THE QUIET ONES (2012) 

Label: Lionsgate 

Rating: PG13

Duration: 98 Minutes 

Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1

Video: 1080p Widescreen (1.78;1) 

Director: John Pogue

Cast: Jared Harris, Sam Claflin, Olivia Cook, Erin Richards

The Quiet Ones starts off with some promise as Oxford Professor Joseph (Jared Harris) sets out to prove that the seemingly supernaturall manifestations observed in young mental patient Jane (Olivia Cooke) are manifestations of the mind - and not of supernatural origin. Along for the ride are three of his students - we have the cameraman Brian McNeil (Sam Claflin), and the professor's two assistants - the catty sex-kitten Krissi (Erin Richards) and her lover Harry (Rory Fleck-Byrne). The experiments are conducted at an isolated house off campus and are designed to draw the negative energy from Jane and direct it into a doll in an attempt to "cure" her. Methods range from talking sessions to seance-styled gatherings around the table right up to depriving her of sleep by blasting Slade and T.Rex tunes into her room - none of this seems very scientific and is pretty inhumane.

Jane says that her manifestations are from en entity known as Evie and her outbursts become increasingly aggressive as an invisible force slams doors, knocks out the power, boils water and blisters skin. The experiments continue just the same and nice guy cameraman Brian begins to have feelings for the young woman but things quickly escalate when it is discovered that Evie was the victim of a devil-worshiping cult. 

The film is set in the 1974 and tries to combine elements of supernatural haunt films with the found-footage aesthetic as it stitches together 16mm footage shot by Brian - the effect proves to be distracting to say the least. The film looks great with some moody cinematography but the shaky-cam effect does not suit the supernatural themed film in my opinion. There's some nice Gothic elements and some decent eerie sequences but when it goes found-footage I just found it irritating. 

That said I'm hanging with the film despite that quibble until the final third of the film when the film just goes off the rails and lost me completely. It's not a total loss, I do like the set-up and the story idea but the execution is seriously flawed - it needed to settle on a specific tone and see it through. 

The cast is strong, we have Jared Harris who is a fantastic actor but is seriously slumming it here in my opinion. Then we have Olivia Cooke from Bates Motel as the troubled mental patient who turns in a decent if not stunning performance, sort of felt she was wasted here - the material is just too one note for anyone to really do anything with it. 

The Blu-ray looks great as you would expect of a modern HD films - the non 16mm cinematography looks great - the drab Oxford scenery and muted color scheme suite the story just fine - how the films looks was never an issue. The 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio does the job nicely - the title The Quiet Ones is pretty funny when you realize just how much screaming fills the running time. 

Extras include a 30-minute making of documentary, audio commentary, a featurette about the opening credit sequence, deleted scenes and a gag reel. . 

Special Features:
- Audio Commentary with Director John Pogue andProducer Tobin Armbrust
- Welcome to the Experiment: The Making of The Quiet Ones Documentary 

- Manifesting Evil: Visual Effects Featurette 

- Deleted Scenes
- Gag Reel

I didn't love The Quiet Ones but it's a decent enough watch with some typical haunted house jump scares - worth a watch but I can't see re watching this one again which is a sad shame as I've been loving the string of chillers we've seen from the new Hammer Films prior to this. If this sounds like something you wanna watch it arrives on Blu-ray and DVD August 19th from Lionsgate. 2.5 Outta 5 

PUMPKINHEAD (1988) Collector's Edition Blu-ray

PUMPKINHEAD (1988) 

Label: Scream Factory

Region Code: A

Rating: R

Duration: 86 Minutes

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

Video: 1080p Widescreen (1.85:1)

Director: Stan Winston

Cast: Lance Henriksen, John D'Aquino, Kerry Remsen, Jeff East, Cynthia Baine, Joel Hoffman, Brian Bremer

Ed Harley (Lance Henriksen, Millennium) is the shop keeper of a small country store, nothing much happens in this neck of the woods but that all changes when six city kids arrive on the scene for camping and dirt biking. They're not a a bad bunch of kids but things turn deadly when one of them accidentally kills Ed's young son Billy. Joel (John D'Aquino) is one who kills the kid and in the heat of the moment makes a poor choice based on fear but soon enough he and his friends will regret that decision. 

When Ed finds his son's lifeless body laying on the ground he's none to pleased. Carrying his son's corpse deep into the swamps he finds the witch Haggis (Florence Schauffe) who casts a curse the kids - summoning the demon Pumpkinhead - a spirit of vengeance - on behalf of the grieving father. As the old saying goes - when you set off on a path on vengeance dig two graves... one for you and about a half a dozen for the others who die at the hands of Pumpkinhead! 

You can see every penny of this low-budget horror onscreen in the set design and special effects. The Pumpkinhead creature a thing of beauty and to my eyes has more than a bit of the elongated H.R. Geiger Alien design to it but with a more demonic twist - the fact that it is rendered practically with a man-in-a-suit makes a world of difference - you can feel it in each seen and it's scary. These days it would be a digital effect and would not work as well - this is from a golden age of practical effects. 

The set design adds a lot to the film creating a certain eerie Southern atmosphere - the witches house in the swamp is super creepy - there's a lot of fog-drenched night scenery to enjoy - has an old horror feel to it. Haggis the witch is one of the creepier swamp witches of cinema in my opinion. The film also benefits from very nice cinematography and lighting as it's bathed midnight blue and amber hues. Once of my favorite set pieces is when Ed is sent to a macabre cemetery to unearth the Pumpkinhead fetus - a very effective scene steeped in fog with a creepy burial mound in the middle of a pumpkin patch. 

Henriksen is wonderful as always as the grieving father and it was fun spotting Buck Flowers (They Live) as - what else - a country bumpkin. Jeff East who played the younger version of Clark Kent in Richard Donner's Superman (1978) appears as one of the decent teens and Cynthia Baine as the heroine is damn decent though I must say that not all the teens turned in great performances - but just having Henriksen in the film makes up for it. . 

The film didn't get a lot of love upon it's very limited theatrical release but did garner quite a following on home video which is where I caught up with it. Watching it again for the first time in decades I liked it quite a bit more than I remembered - this is a very tight horror film with no filler - very well directed by the late Stan Winston.  

Pumpkinhead arrives on Blu-ray for the first-time from from Scream Factory in the original widescreen aspect ratio with a very nice AVC encoded image. The source material is in great shape with very few blemishes, a bit of white speckling and dirt here and there but that's it. Skin tones are natural looking and the color reproduction is accurate looking. Black levels are decent - the darker scenes can be a bit soft and some noise does creep in but overall the presentation is impressive.

Audio options include choice of DTS-HD Master Audio Stereo or 5.1 Surround - the surround was pretty decent but not a lot of surround action - mostly Richard Stone's score with some effects - not the most active. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided. 

Onto the extras Scream have licensed the the excellent hour-long documentary from MGM's 20th Anniversary Collector's Edition DVD plus the commentary track by co-screenwriter Gary Gerani and Creature and FX Creators Tom Woodruff, Jr. and Alec Gillis moderated by Scott Spiegel - director of Intruder and a huge fan of the film. The commentary is fun and never gets dull, these guys are clearly having a blast reminiscing about the film . 

This being a Scream Factory Collector's Edition Blu-ray we get some new exclusive stuff including a 50 minute tribute to Stan Winston with actors Lance Henriksen and Brian Bremer, special effects artists Alec Gillis, Tom Woodruff Jr. and Shannon Shea plus brand new interviews with producer Richard Weinman, John D'Aquino and child star Mathew Hurley in addition to behind-the-scenes video, a gallery and a theatrical trailer. 

Special Features: 

- NEW - REMEMBERING THE MONSTER KID: A TRIBUTE TO STAN WINSTON featuring new interviews with actors Lance Henriksen and Brian Bremer, special effects artists Alec Gillis, Tom Woodruff Jr. and Shannon Shea (49 minutes)
- NEW interviews with producer Richard Weinman (6 minutes) 
- NEW Interview with John D’Aquino (14 minutes) 
- NEW Interview with Matthew Hurley (15 minutes)
- Audio Commentary by Co-screenwriter Gary Gerani and Creature and FX Creators Tom Woodruff, Jr. and Alec Gillismoderated by Scott Spiegel
- PUMPKINHEAD UNEARTHED (now in HD) featuring Evolution of a Demon, The Cursed and the Damned, The Torture Soul of Ed Harley, Constructing Vengeance, Razorback Holler (64 minutes)
- Featurette: Demonic Toys (5 minutes)
- Behind-the-Scenes Footage
- Still Gallery (14 minutes, 102 images)
- Theatrical Trailer (2 minutes) 
- Scream Factory Trailers (6 minutes) 

Pumpkinhead is a damn decent backwoods horror entry with some occult elements and an awesome creature. I love how simple the story is with it's own mythology and how deftly executed it is.  It's great to see it get the deluxe treatment on Blu-ray from Scream Factory - hopefully this dark chiller is re discovered by a new generation of horror fans. This disc comes out on September 8th with the sequel Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings coming to Blu-ray on October 21st also from Scream Factory  3.5 Outta 5 

PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE (1974) (Scream Factory Blu-ray Review)

PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE (1974) 

Label: Scream Factory 

Region Code: A
Rating: PG

Duration: 92 Minutes 

Video: 1080p Widescreen (1.85:1) 

Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, DTS-HD Master Audio Stereo with Optional English SDH Subtitles
Cast: Paul Williams, William Finley, Jessica Harper, Gerrit Graham, Harold Oblong, George Memmoli, Archie Hann, Jeffrey Comanor

Director: Brian De Palma

Rock n' roll musicals just don't get any better than Brian De Palma's cult-classic Phantom of the Paradise (1974) starring William Finley (The Funhouse) as awkward composer Winslow Leach. A gifted songwriter who's Faustian rock opera is stolen by the sinister music producer Swan (played Paul Williams) . 

The  composer assumes this theft is just a misunderstanding and arrives at the producer's mansion to straighten things out.  While there he meets the sweet-voiced singer Phoenix (Jessica Harper, Suspiria)  whom he falls for right away after hearing her sing one of his songs. Moments later Leach is beaten by Swan's goons and toss him out of the mansion and he's framed for drug possession. Now in the slammer Winslow's teeth are extracted and replaced with metal chompers (don't ask why) while Swan plans to use pilfered songs to open his new music club, the Paradise. When Leach learns that Swan's bubble-gum band the Juicy Fruits have recorded his song he snaps and manages to escapes the prison in a fun vaudevillian scene. In an effort to stop the music from being released he breaks into Swan's record pressing plant to destroy the album before it can see the light of day. But destroying the albums Leach clumsily falls into the record press and the LP's grooves are seared in his flesh destroying his face and voice. 

Deformed and desperate Leach throws himself into the river and is presumed dead though his body is not recovered. Very much alive the scarred songwriter is bent on revenge, gaining access to the Paradise he dons a bird-of-prey styled helmet and haunts the club where he causes the death of the Juicy Fruits in a fiery explosion during a video shoot. Somehow Swan convinces Leach to work for him, promising that only Phoenix will sings his songs from now on. Once again the producer betrays him by hiring a new shock-rock singer named Beef played with delicious flamboyance by Gerrit Graham (Used Cars) who steals every scene as he struts around the stage like glam rock diva. Once Leach discovers this new betrayal he sets out to exact revenge on beef beginning with a shower attack with a plunger! . 

Phantom of the Paradise is dripping with camp and perfectly overacted with a fantastic set of songs - which are truly fantastic and subversive. William Finley as the nerdy Leach is a sympathetic character and you want to see him have his revenge against the sleazy producer, he to convey a lot of pain through that one-eyed mask. Paul Williams is pretty great as the pint-sized producer who may just be the Devil incarnate, sinister and smooth. Jessica Harper is also quite good as the ingenue Phoenix, her voice is surprisingly strong when she belts out a few numbers which sound great, I definitely picked up a Karen Carpenter vibe from her performance.. 

Love that De Palma satirizes the crooked music industry scenarios through the filter of Faust and Phantom of the Opera with some fun commentary about artists rights but it's not too on the nose, this is a great satire. De Palma's fingerprints are all over this with his particular wink at the audience and the visual style you've come to expect including extensive use of the split-screen. Visually Phantom of the Paradise is one of De Palma finest films, great set pieces scenery and an amazing set of songs. 

A lot of great touches fill the screen, back-up singer auditions quickly turn into orgies, the fun send-up of corporate rock, the sleaziness of the music industry and some memorable musical performances. When the Juicy Fruits sing "Goodbye, Eddie, Goodbye" is a fun time, love it when the singer mimes shooting heroin into his arm. Then there's the amazing shock rock concert with the band ripping body parts from the audience members which they stitch together the create singer Beef - it's quite an fun time and Beef's exit is a memorable one. Jessica Harper's performances of "Special to Me" and "Old Souls" are soulful and sincere moments, the latter song reminding me a bit of the Carpenter's "Superstar", gave me goose bumps. . 

The Screams Factory transfer has a natural layer of film grain and a fair amount of fine detail with a pleasing amount of depth  and clarity. Skin tones are accurate and the color reproduction is great - the colors really pop. Audio options include both a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and Stereo 2.0 with Paul Williams musical numbers sounding superb, dialogue and effects are nicely balanced. Unfortunately there is not an option to listen to the isolated score as found on the Arrow UK Blu-ray. 

Disc one features brand new interviews with director Brian De Palma, Make-up effects wizard Tom Burman  and songwriter Paul Williams.Tthe music genius speaks at length about the process creating music for the film and the freedom of crafting satirical versions of songs in the style of the Beach Boys and glam rock excesses. Mentioning that the legacy of Phantom of the Paradise  continues to  give him gifts, including  the collaboration with Guillermo del Toro on Pan's Labyrinth and teaming-up with Daft Punk. 

Make-up Effects wizard Tom Burman speaks very briefly about the design of the Phantom's helmet design and then we get a brand new interview with director Brian De Palma who touches on his unique shooting style, Hitchcock influences, locations used during the shoot and his view of television versus cinema. He also goes into the lawsuits over the Swan Song logo and what a pain in the as that was - this is a great interview. 

There are two brand new audio commentaries to accompany the film. The first with stars Jessica Harper, Gerrit Graham and the Juicy Fruits (Archie Hahn, Jeffrey Comanor and Harold Oblong aka Peter Eibling). The commentary is actually three separate commentaries that are scene specific stitched together for the duration of the film. We begin with a fun video introduction from the Juicy Fruits and then into the commentary which is a lot of fun - a real fun bunch of guys who speak about filming the scenes and working with Paul Williams and how they came to the project. Harper speaks about getting the part and really flying by the seat of her pants as it was her first film though thankfully she had William Finley to guide her along. Gerrit Graham also chimes in from time to time with a few Beef-centric anecdotes. 

 The second commentary is from is Production Designer Jack Fisk who's work on this film is amazing - the sets and design are visually dazzling - especially love the backdrops for the musical performances. Fisk who did work on David Lynch's Mulholland Drive (2001) and Paul Thomas Anderson's There Will Be Blood (2007) offers up a scene specific commentary pointing out specifics of the production design and the inspiration for the Death Records. At the time of filming Fisk was dating actress Sissy Spacek, star of Badlands (1973) and whom would go onto star in De Palma's adaptation of Stephen King's Carrie (1976) a few short years later, apparently she did a lot of painting on the sets of Phantom. 

Then onto 26 minutes of alternate and extended scene from the film  - my favorite is Jessica Harper belting out "Special to Me" from the audition scene and Beef's shower attack scene - these are presented with split screen comparisons of the final film and the alternate take or extended sequence. We also get an 8-minute featurette chronicling the Swan Song fiasco. Just before the release of the film one Led Zeppelin's manager created Swan Song Records and threatened litigation if all references to Winslow's Swan Song Production company were not removed. It chronicles the many changes that had to made to the final film to mask the Swan Song logo with a split screen presentation of the original and final scenes.  The last extra on disc one is a still gallery of poster art and promotional stills, the press book and program. 

Onto the second disc - a standard def DVD - we begins with the 50-minute documentary Paradise Regained which has been available on at least two foreign releases including Arrow's Blu-ray. This makes it no less interesting - the doc featuring interviews with director Brian De Palma, producer Edward R. Pressman, the late star William Finley, star and composer Paul Williams, co-stars Jessica Harper and Gerrit Graham among others. Truly a feast for fans of the film and Brian De Palma's the cast and crew peel of anecdotes about the making of the film. Graham conducts some of his interview in French and he seems like a wonderful weirdo while Finley speaks about nearly having his head crushed for real in the record pressing scene. 

Carried over from the Arrow Video release is a 70-minute interview with actor Paul Williams conducted by director Guillermo DE Toro with the musician/actor discussing his career, being offered the role of Winslow and working with De Palma plus his own addiction and recovery. The two jovially discuss the songs and lyrics of the film and del Toro's fan boy enthusiasm is infectious. 

Scream Factory once again go the extra mile here adding 40-minutes of new interviews with Rosanna Norton (10 minutes), producer Edward R. Pressman (15 minutes) and drummer Gary Mallaber (15 minutes) plus the featurette Alvin's Art Technique (15 Minutes) with the artist John Avin's  widow speaking about her late husband's airbrush style and his creative process, it. Alvins also created the iconic posters for Blazing Saddles, The Color Purple and Blade Runner among others. A very cool extra is the Phantom of the Paradise Biography by Gerrit Graham - 1974 Publicity Sheet written by and read by Graham (10 minutes) who is such a fun guy. At the time of the films release Graham was allowed to write the biography for the press kit and here he reads it - a very nice extra for fans. 

The extras on disc 2 are finished-up with a short segment of William Finley showing off a Phantom action-figure plus the usual array of theatrical trailers, TV spots, radio spots and another still gallery with poster art, promotional stills, and the press book for the film. 

Additionally the set comes with a slipcover with a new illustration by Justin Osbourne and a reversible sleeve of artwork. Scream Factory have pulled out all the stops in an effort to give fans the definitive version of this film and the definitely have achieved that goal - this release is a love letter to the film on every level - there are over eight and a half hours of bonus content on this 2-disc set!  If I were to nitpick I would have enjoyed an isolated score or a three disc set that included a CD of the soundtrack but that's just nitpicking - I love this set. 

Special Features:

DISC ONE (BLU-RAY)

NEW Audio Commentary with Jessica Harper, Gerrit Graham and the Juicy Fruits (Archie Hahn, Jeffrey Comanor and Harold Oblong aka Peter Eibling)

NEW Audio Commentary with Production Designer Jack Fisk

NEW Interview with director Brian DePalma (36 minutes)

NEW Interview with Paul Williams talking about the music of PHANTOM (35 minutes)

NEW Interview with Make-up Effects wizard Tom Burman discussing the Phantom Helmet (4 minutes) 

Alternate Takes (26 minutes)

Swan Song Outtake Footage (7 minutes)

Still Galley (13 Minutes)

DISC TWO (DVD):

Paradise Regained – documentary on the making of the film featuring director Brian DePalma, Producer Edward R. Pressman, William Finley, Paul Williams, Jessica Harper, Gerrit Graham and more… (50 minutes)

Interview with Paul Williams moderated by Guillermo Del Toro (72 minutes)

Interview with costume designer Rosanna Norton (10 minutes)

NEW Interview with producer Edward R. Pressman (15 minutes)

NEW Interview with drummer Gary Mallaber (15 minutes)

NEW Alvin’s Art and Technique – a look at the neon poster (15 minutes)

NEW Phantom of the Paradise Biography by Gerrit Graham - 1974 Publicity Sheet written by and read by Graham (10 minutes)

William Finley and Toy (1 minute) 

Radio Spots (2 minutes) 

TV Spots (5 minutes) 

Theatrical Trailers (5 minutes) 

Still Gallery (52 images) 

Phantom of the Paradise (1974) is a rock n' roll cult-classic that's immensely entertaining.  A fun retelling of Faust with elements of the Phantom of the Opera infused with satire and memorable musical numbers, this is a rock n' roll fantasy that you need to own and Scream Factory's 2-disc Blu-ray is the one to own. 

MOTEL HELL (1980) (Scream Factory Blu-ray Review)

MOTEL HELL (1980)

Label: Scream Factory

Region Code: A

Rating: R

Duration: 101 Minutes

Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio Stereo

Video: 1080p Widescreen (1.85:1) 

Cast: Rory Calhoun, Nancy Parson, Nina Axelrod, Wolfman Jack

Director: Kevin Connor

MOTEL HELL may just be one of the strangest slasher entries of the nineteen eighties. We have a cannibal farmer named Vincent (Rory Calhoun, The Red House) and his portly sister Ida (Nancy Parsons, Porky's) who run the welcoming Motel Hello just off a country road in the middle of nowhere. The duo sell a tasty variety of smoked meats to tourist under the name of Farmer Vincent's Fritters. They're motto is "It takes all kinds of critters to make Farmer Vincent's fritters!", some of these critters just happen to be of the human variety.

That fun premise alone would be just odd enough but the producers of Motel Hell take it to even weirder places. Farmer Vincent is portrayed with straight-faced comedic perfection by Rory Calhoun who sets up elaborate traps on the roadways to ensnare fresh meat. My favorite scenario involves luring would-be swingers to the hotel under false pretense and a series of cows decoys - this is just fun stuff. But wait, it gets weirder! Vincent doesn't put his meat to the grinder right away - no sir! He plants them in a secret garden buried up to their necks with a burlap sack covering their heads. He then cuts their vocal chords and are fed cream corn through a series of funnels until they are ripe for slaughter. Now they're entranced by a psychedelic translucent pinwheel and plucked like a carrot from the ground. Vincent's strange gardening activities are shared by his demented sister Ida played by Nancy Parsons who is simply exquisite with her dry delivery and strange mannerisms. It's a damn shame we didn't to see more of her in these types of roles because she is a blast. 

Apparently not all tourists are destined for the smokehouse when Farmer Vincent develops a crush on a pretty young gal named Terry (Nina Axelrod, Remote Control). Scooping her up off the road following and accident he caused he brings her back to the motel after planting her boyfriend in his special garden. When she wakes Vincent explains that her boyfriend Bo (Everett Creach, Howard the Duck) was killed in the motorcycle accident, with nowhere else to go Terry decides to stay on at the motel. Vincent and Ida set about teaching Terry how to properly smoke a sausage... if you know what I mean. Over time Terry quite improbably agrees to marry the much older Vincent to the dismay of his distrusting sister. When Vincent's dimwitted brother Bruce (Paul Linke, TV's CHiPS) develops his own amorous feelings for Terry things turn sour - even more so when he discovers that big brother is turning tourists into breakfast sausages. 

When it is revealed to Bruce that his demented brother is stuffing his sausage with more than just pork products we are treated to a classic chainsaw vs. chainsaw battle that pre-dates Tobe Hooper's The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986) with farmer Vincent wearing a pig's head! Motel Hell is a strange and wonderful slasher with lots of quirk and black humor -  the wit is wry and the happenings are bizarre. The film has left an indelible mark on horror cinema - it's influence can  be seen in the indie film Porkchop (2010) with a pig-faced killer to Robert Rodriguez's Planet Terror featuring a chef doubting his choices just before expiring. 

Motel Hell is a true cult-classic that just gets better with each subsequent viewing. This is one of my favorite movies and it comes highly recommended. It might be interesting to note that Tobe Hooper was originally tapped to direct this film but jumped ship to direct the carnival-slasher The Funhouse (1981). Watching it one cannot help but notice the similarities with The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986) which shares not just a weird sense of humor but the dueling chainsaw battle.     

Blu-ray: Having picked-up the Arrow Video Blu-ray last year I was still pretty damn excited to see this bizarre entry get a US release from none other than Scream Factory who are just on fire with a string of quality titles. Just in the past few months we've seen the first-ever DVD/BD releases of The Final Terror (1983) and Without Warning (1980) and jam-packed editions of genre favorites. From what I can see comparing the UK disc with this it's the same HD transfer and is a significant improvement over the previous MGM DVD with very nice colors reproduction, clarity and moments of fine detail. Some of the darker scenes can be a bit grainy but I've never been one to complain about a little grain - just glad it's not rampant with digital noise or marred by excessive DNR. Staying true to the original exhibition we have a DTS-HD Master Audio Stereo Audio is nice if unremarkable. The dialogue, Lance Rubin's score and effects come through crisp and clean with no distortion. 

Onto the extras lets begin with a few High Rising Productions produced extras carried over from the Arrow Blu-ray. Co-star Paul Linke gets a video interview with Another Head on the Chopping Block (14:50) as does former Playboy Playmate, Rosanne Katon with From Glamour to Gore (11:26). Porky's alum Nancy Parsons gets her own retrospective in Ida, Be Thy Name (18:07) with interviews from Scream Queens Elissa Dowling and Chantelle Albers, genre commentator Staci Layne Wilson and critic Shelagh Rowan-Legg.

We don't get the director commentary from the Arrow version but instead get a brand new audio commentary from the director moderated by Dave Parker - the director of The Hills Run Red. The new making of doc It Takes All Kinds: The Making of MOTEL HELL (24:33) is exclusive to this release with new interviews from director Kevin Connor and producer Robert and Steven Charles Jaffe plus actor Marc Silver - a fantastic new feature and the one that pushes this one past the Arrow release as the must-own edition of Motel Hell. The other new video feature is Shooting Old School with cinematographer Thomas Del Ruth (15:45).

The Collector's Edition Blu-ray from Scream Factory comes with a limited Edition slipcover featuring new artwork from Nathan Thomas Millner featuring the chainsaw wielding pig-faced killer bathed in that ominous neon-red.Millner who also did the artwork for one of my favorite pieces commissioned by Scream, that being the The Burning Blu-ray. There's also the standard sleeve of reversible art featuring the original theatrical poster art. 

Extras:
- NEW Audio Commentary with director Kevin Connor, moderated by filmmaker Dave Parker
- NEW It Takes All Kinds: The Making of MOTEL HELL featuring interviews with director Kevin Connor, producers/writers Robert Jaffe and Steven Charles Jaffe and actor Marc Silver (24:33)
- NEW Shooting Old School with cinematographer Thomas Del Ruth (15:45)
- Another Head on the Chopping Block: An interview with actor Paul Linke (14:51)
- From Glamour to Gore: An interview with actress Rosanne Katon
- Ida, Be Thy Name: A look back at MOTEL HELL’s frightful female protagonist Ida Smith (18:09)
- Original Theatrical Trailer (2:40)
- Behind the Scenes Gallery (19 Images) 
-  Poster and Production Gallery (73 Images) 
- Scream Factory Trailer (7:05) 

Verdict: A strange and quirky slasher entry with an awkward balance of skewed humor and straight faced horror which makes for an odd but awesome viewing experience that just gets better with every viewing.  I love me some Motel Hell and can safely say that this is the definitive edition of the film - a must own slice of offbeat slasher cinema.

FILTH (2013)

FILTH (2013) 

Label: Magnolia Home Entertainment 

Region Code: A

Rating: R

Duration: 98 Minutes

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

Video: 1080p Widescreen 

Cast: James McAvoy, Jamie Bell, Eddie Marsan, Jim Broadbent, Imogen Poots

Director: Jon S. Baird

I went into this one completely cold and walked-away totally wowed - this was a delirious good time from start to finish. James McAvoy (X-MEN:FIRST CLASS) completely owns this biting black comedy as the unhinged Scottish Detective Sergeant Bruce Robertson. A young buck on the force plotting his ascension to the position of Detective Inspector at the expense of everyone around him. The drug-addled Robertson is a rather vile individual but through the charismatic performance of McAvoy manages to gain a few sympathy points along the way. 

Robertson's an unsavory character not above violently shagging his fellow officer's wives and using his position to coerce a blow job from the underage daughter of a local magistrate when she's caught in a  awkward situation - he's a pretty scummy guy and that I felt sympathetic for him probably says something dark about me - but it must be said he is not a totally despicable person and does have a few redeeming moments throughout but they are far and few between. 

His road to making Detective Inspector seems assured if he can solve the murder of a Japanese student whom was beaten to death by a group of violent street teens. He sets himself up to come up on top but things begins to shift as Robertson is besieged by surreal, nightmarish visions and prone to strange and violent outbursts. This is a epic losing your grip on reality film with a damn fine unhinged performance from James McAvoy (X-MEN: FIRST CLASS) and some fun supporting roles from Jamie Bell (SNOWPIERCER) as the coke-snorting rookie, Eddie Marsan (AT WORLD'S END) as a four-eyed friend, Jim Broadbent (HOT FUZZ) as a demented psychiatrist and Imogen Poots (28 WEEKS LATER) as perhaps the lone voice of reason.

A stylish and warped piece of cinema that is both grotesque, bitterly funny and extremely dark which makes for one Hell of a fun watch from start to finish. This one goes places you won't expect and I can pretty much guarantee fans of TRAINSPOTTING and A CLOCKWORK ORANGE will find much to enjoy here - additionally this one seems like it would continue to entertain upon repeat viewing - definitely a film I could gush over for awhile. James McAvoy continues to impress me a little more with each film.  

The disc from Magnolia looks great with a sweet HD presentation that's sharp, crisp and oozing with color - the more surreal scenes are fantastic to watch and really pop with vibrancy and clarity. A nice selection of extras including a commentary from director John S. Baird and author Irvine Welsh plus outtakes, deleted and extended scenes and a few  behind-the-scene featurettes. 

BRANDED TO KILL (1967)

BRANDED TO KILL (1967) 

Label: Arrow Video 

Release Date: 18th August 2014
Region Code: B
Rating: 18 Certificate 
Duration: 91 Minutes 
Language: Japanese LPCM Mono with Optional  English Subtitles 
Video: 1080p Widescreen (2.35:1)
Cast: Jô Shishido, Kôji Nanbara, Isao Tamagawa
Director: Seijun Suzuki

BRANDED TO KILL (1967) is the this story of the rice-sniffing Yakuza assassin Hanada and his strange rise and fall within that organization. Director Seijun Suzuki manages to create both a stylish and kinky piece of cinema shot in gorgeous monochrome with a slightly surreal tonality about it. 

Our protagonist is the number three ranked Yakuza assassin Goro Hanada- played by the chipmunk-cheeked Jô Shishido. Hanada had been recruited by Yakuza boss Michihiko Yabuhara (Isao Tamagawa) to escort a man with a price on his head. Unfortunately he is teamed-up with with fellow assassin Kasuga (Hiroshi Minami) a washed-up hit man with a drinking problem. They are ambushed en route to the drop-off point and we get some sweet shoot-out and foot-chase sequences. Kasuga proves to be quite a nut and somehow manages to kill the number four-ranked assassin before dying. Meanwhile Hanada sets the second-ranked hit man on fire and thus becomes the second-ranked Yakuza assassin just beneaththe mysterious Number One Killer (Koji Nanbara). 

These opening action sequences are pretty awesome and start the film with a lot of madcap energy. In the aftermath Hanada finds himself without a car but is picked-up by an exotic femme fatale Misako (Annu Mari) who drives him to safety. Back at his pad Hanada and his wife have a LOT of sex fueled by the assassin's bizarre  fetish for the smell of boiled rice - more than once we find our guy face first in a bowl of rice - the Japanese are certainly no strangers to odd fetishes and this doesn't even make the top 10 for them. 

Hanada accepts a new mission and we have a great montage of creative kills including one that Jim Jarmusch cribbed for his films GHOST DOG - it was a blast seeing the original set-up here. The next contract kill goes horribly wrong when a butterfly ruins the shot - the errant bullet kills an innocent and as punishment for his failure Hanada is hunted down by the phantom number one killer - who it turns out is not such a stranger after all. 

On top of having a price on his head Hanada must deal with his treacherous wife who tries to kill him (and sets fire to his sweet pad) and a new love interest - the death obsessed Misako. The final third has a great shoot out and a series of psychological tortures which push Hanada to the brink of sanity right up to a delirious and tragic end. This is one of the more offbeat Yakuza movies I've watched - not that I've seen many - and it's dripping with sexuality - the screen capture above is just a taste. BRANDED TO KILL is a stylish Yakuza crime thriller with gorgeous monochrome cinematography and some great action set-pieces mixed in with some surreal weirdness.

Special Features:
- Interview with director Seijun Suzuki (7:08)
- Interview with star Jo Shishido by critic and author Koshi Ueno (6:41)
- Trapped in Lust [Aiyoku no wana] (1973) A delirious roman porno re-imagining of Branded to Kill from Atsushi Yamatoya, one of Branded to Kill s screenwriters and Suzuki s regular collaborators (1:13:33)
- Original Trailers for Branded to Kill (3:10) and Trap of Lust (2:07)
- Reversible sleeve with original and newly commissioned artwork by Ian MacEwan
- Booklet by Japanese film expert Jasper Sharp, illustrated with original stills and new artwork by Ian MacEwan

The Blu-ray from Arrow Video is gorgeous with some sweet monochrome cinematography - proof positive that a gorgeous black and white film is just as stunning as color when presented correctly in HD! On top of the excellent audio and video presentation we have interviews with the director and star plus the Nikkatsu Roman Porno re-imagining TRAPPED IN LUST (1973) as a very cool bonus feature, not up to par with the original but a fun watch just the same. 3.5 Outta 5