FELICITY (1978) (Blu-ray Review)

FELICITY (1978) 

Label: Severin Film 
Release Date: March 29th 2016 
Rating: Unrated 
Region Code: Region-FREE
Duration: 94 Minutes
Audio: English DTS-HD MA Mono 2.0 
Video: 080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1) 
Director: John D. Lamond
Cast: Glory Annen, Chris Milne, Joni Flynn, Jody Hansen, Marilyn Rogers, John Michael Howson, Gordon Charles

Synopsis: She ain’t mama’s little girl no more! The luscious Glory Annen stars as Felicity Robinson, a sheltered teen who surrenders her blossoming body to a world of bold sexual adventure. From her forbidden pleasures at an all-girl school in England to wanton hungers in the exotic underground of Hong Kong, Felicity finds herself deflowered, defiled and ultimately delighted by the shame and ecstasy of a libido unleashed. Penthouse model Joni Flynn co-stars in this notorious erotic odyssey that defined a generation of horny young men… and quite a few women, too!

When I was a young kid my folks would retire to their room for the evening around nine or so and I would stealthily make my way to the family room where I would stand directly in front of the TV with the volume turned WAY down, obscuring it from view in such a way that if my parents caught me by surprise I could snap the TV off (with my free hand natch) without them seeing what naughty act of self discovery might have been transpiring. Our home didn't have the cool premium cable channels but I was somehow able to hear (not clearly see mind you) the adult programming on skinemax and other adult channels by holding down several buttons on the cable box in tandem. The image would appear a scrambled but occasionally the screen would reveal a delightful nipple or some other delicate part of a woman's anatomy -- the stiff of adolescent masturbation fantasies. Writing this now this I understand how this all sounds perfectly pathetic, but that is the way of the unstoppable drive of adolescent sexual curiosity for you. Not coincidentally it was around this time that I discovered the answer to Rusty Griswold's question to his cousin in National Lampoon's Vacation (1983), "How do you use a magazine?"....  

My nightly exploration of scrambled cable softcore-cinema came and went but during a brief period of my adolescence after one too many close encounters threatened to catch me red-handed. Shortly after I was more enraptured by the cycle of early 80's slashers and the supernatural terrors of horror cinema which offered both gore and nude women, which was the truly best of both worlds. Afterward I was never too deep into dirty movies, that was until I started blogging about movies and I came across a copy of Radley Metzger's Score (1972), a very fine slice of pant-swelling erotic cinema, the movie offered stylish adult fare that was erotic but somehow far less sleazy than a typical porno. Likewise there was Felicity (1979) directed by Aussie sexploitation pioneer John D. Lamond whom began his film career with a pair of fun and kinky shockumentaries 'The ABC of Sex' and Love and Sex' (1977) and 'Australia After Dark (1975)' -- both of which are included on this disc as sweet bonus features. His approach to erotica comes from a place of humor, sensuality and sexiness -  not just hardcore fucking for the sake of coming, which of course has a place, but this is something more than just that, this is a fun and kinky slice of coming of age. 

Felicity tells the tale of the gorgeous young woman named Felicity (Glory Annen) who's coming of age in a private Catholic school where she's been quietly developing a strong sexual curiosity, and whom on occasion has acted on these curiosities with her equally libidinous roommate. When school lets out for Summer break Felicity travels to Hong Kong where she stays with friends of her family. It's here that she befriends a beautiful local girl named Me Ling (Joni Flynn, Octopussy) and begins to explore her overflowing sexual curiosity with her and numerous partners until she meets a fun photographer named Miles (Christopher Milne, Thirst). The story is equal parts erotic fairytale, Orient travelogue and a sensual coming of age story with no shortage of pants-tightening tension, it is also a surprisingly tender film in terms of sexuality and love making. Lamond is a stylish director and the film is beautifully composed, particularly the shots of Hong Kong, good stuff indeed. I enjoyed the fairytale atmosphere which is enhanced the story, plus Glory Annen's classic beauty and the loads of onscreen sex didn't hurt either. That said, this is not merely a male sex fantasy and is very much geared towards portraying Felicity as a sexually empowered young woman. 

Audio/Video: The unrated director's cut of Felicity arrives on Blu-ray from Severin Films framed (1.85:1) widescreen in sweet 1080p HD. The source used for the HD transfer is in remarkably good shape with very few instances of print damage. The English DTS-HD MA Mono does the job nicely, dialogue, soft sex cooing and the score are nicely balanced and clean, it will also firmly implant the saccharine sweetness of the main theme song "Mama's Little Girl No More" into your skull for weeks. 

Severin have packed this sucker full of awesome bonus content, including two of John D. Lamond's earlier movies; The ABCs of Love And Sex and Australia After Dark, both which feature  audio commentary by Producer/Director John D. Lamond and Director Mark Hartley (Not Quite Hollywood). Both movies are presented in standard-def and have been previously issued on DVD by Intervision Picture Corp. There's also a commentary for the main feature Felicity with Lamond and Annen which covers a lot of ground about the making of it, their views on hardcore and softcore cinema, censorship and the locations used in the movie. 

Additionally there's about an hour's worth of outtakes from Hal Hartley's Not Quite Hollywood doc, featuring interviews with Glory Annen, director John D. Lamond and Cinematographer Garry Wapshott. Lamond is always a character and here he's interviewed while a young woman works a stripper pole in the background. Star Glory Annen appears and shares stories of how she landed the role, working with Lamond and watching this movie in the cinema with her mom and grandmother!  The disc also features a John D. Lamond trailer reel including his movies Nightmares, The ABCs of Love and Sex, Felicity, Pacific Banana, Breakfast in Paris, and Sky Pirates.

Special Features: 
- Bonus Feature Film! 'The ABCs of Love and Sex' (1978) (85 Mins) with audio commentary by Producer/Director John D. Lamond and director Mark Hartley (Not Quite Hollywood) 
- Bonus Feature Film! 'Australia After Dark' (1975) (82 Mins) with audio commentary by Producer/Director John D. Lamond and director Mark Hartley (Not Quite Hollywood) 
- Audio commentary on 'Felicity' with Director John D. Lamond and star Glory Annen. A nice commentary as the two reminisce about their experiences on the set of the film, plenty of interesting factoids. It's a lighthearted commentary and both are in good spirits and fondly recall the film. 
- Not Quite Hollywood Out-takes with Actress Glory Annen, Director John d. Lamond and Cinematographer Garry Wapshott (59 Mins) 
- John D. Lamond Trailer Reel (18 Mins) 

Verdict: John D. Lamond's Felicity (1978) is a fantastic example of the late-70's erotic cinema. that manages to be a turn-on, light-hearted, witty and nearly every frame is filled with gorgeous scenery and the perky beauty of star Glory Annen. A high recommend for those exploring sensual cinema, Severin new Blu-ray is the definitive version of the movie and packed with great bonus content. 4/5

MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE (1971) / THE DUNWICH HORROR (1970) (Blu-ray Review)

MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE (1971) / THE DUNWICH HORROR (1970) 

MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE (1971) 

Label: Scream Factory
Region Code: A
Rating: R
Duration: 99 Minutes
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 1.0 with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.78:1) 
Director: Gordon Hessler 
Cast: Christine Kaufmann, Herbert Lom, Jason Robards, Lilli Palmer, Maria Perschy, Michael Dunn, Adolfo Celi

Synopsis: Your first frightening film is 1971's Murders in the Rue Morgue. In early 20th-century Paris, a theatrical company with a specialty in Grand Guignol undertakes their most gruesome production yet. But when a madman with an axe to grind arrives on the scene, the stage is set for real mayhem and murder most foul. Will the backstage bloodshed be quelled – or is it curtains for the cast? Jason Robards and Herbert Lom star in this marvelously macabre mystery.

To say that this adaptation is loosely based on Edgar Allen Poe's Murders in the Rue Morgue is a bit like saying that Donnie Darko is loosely based on The Evil Dead because the movie appears within it. The movie takes place during the Victorian era in Paris where members of a theatre troupe lead by director Cesar Charron (Jason Robards, Something Wicked This Way Comes) begin to die off in a series of acid murders. The crimes would seem to indicate the culprit is a dead man, stage actor Rene Marot (Herbert Lom, Mark of the Devil) who died years earlier after being disfigured during a production of Edgar Allen Poe's Murders in the Rue Morgue after being doused with sulfuric acid. 

At the same time Charron's wife Madeline (Christine Kaufmann) is plagued by nightmares of an axe-murderer, in reality her own mother was killed by an ax murder, a death which has been attributed to Marot, who returns as a disfigured ghost of vengeance throughout the movie, which seems to owe more to The Phantom of the Opera than to Edgar Allen Poe's original short story, which is only featured in the fringes of the movie, though those scenes are some of my favorites. 

This one has always proven very hard for me to make it through, which I attribute to the underplayed performance from Jason Robards, a fine actor but just not right for the role of Charron, the man has no chemistry with his love interest whatsoever. Originally Vincent Price was slated in the role and I can only imagine that Price would have more suited to the role in my opinion, there wasn't much that Price couldn't make better. In my opinion the best parts of this movie are the Grand Guignol stage performances of Murders in the Rue Morgue, and Madeline's surreal ax-murderer nightmares, but this one is still a bit of a snoozer. 

Murders in the Rue Morgue arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Scream Factory, the sub par movie benefits from the HD bump with nicely managed grain, transferred from a good source with only the most minor of film flaws. The DTS-HD MA Mono 1.0 audio sounds good, with everything nicely balanced and clean. Scream have brought over the Stage Tricks and Screen Frights Featurette with director Gordon Hesseler and trailer from the MGM disc plus added an informative commentary from  author and film historian Steve Haberman.

Special Features: 
- NEW Audio Commentary With Author And Film Historian Steve Haberman
- Stage Tricks and Screen Frights Featurette (12 Mins) 
- Theatrical Trailer (3 Mins) 

THE DUNWICH HORROR (1970) 

Label: Scream Factory
Region Code: A
Rating: R
Duration: 88 Minutes
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 1.0 with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.78:1) 
Director: Daniel Haller 
Cast: Dean Stockwell, Ed Begley, Lloyd Bochner, Sam Jaffe, Sandra Dee, Talia Shire

Synopsis: From the City of Lights (and frights), our tour of terror moves on to a small New England town in 1970's The Dunwich Horror. When a beautiful student named Nancy catches the eye of the weird Wilbur Whateley, it's up to her professor, the good doctor and occult expert Dr. Henry Armitage, to warn her that no good will come of it. But as Armitage digs deeper into the Whateley family history, he uncovers a buried secret – and a plot intended to call forth an evil beyond imagination. A cult favorite that proves that The Old Ones are good ones, The Dunwich Horror stars Dean Stockwell, Ed Begley, and Sandra Dee.

The Dunwich Horror stars a very young Dean Stockwell (Blue Velvet) as the odd Wilbur Whateley, the descendant of a man who once tried to summon The Old Ones into this world. The elder Whateley was accused of sacrificing a young local girl during a pagan ritual at the time and was hanged afterward during an act of vigilante justice by local villagers. 


We meet Wilbur while he is attending a lecture at Miskatonic University in Arkham, Massachusetts where Dr. Henry Armitage (Ed Begley) has spoken about some weird local history, including the Whateley family. In his possession is the ancient book of the dead, the infamous Necronomicon, which after the lecture he gives to his student Nancy Wagner (Sandra Dee) to return to the school museum. Wilbur follows Nancy to the museum and introduces himself, asking to have a closer look at the ancient book, which she reluctantly obliges. He is interrupted by Dr. Armitage who puts the book away, afterward Wilbur and Nancy get to chatting with Nancy offering to give weirdo Wilbur a ride home to his home in Dunwich. 

Nancy and Wilbur strike up a friendly flirtation and he convinces her to stay the weekend at the Whateley home, the two become close, but Dr. Armitage begins to worry about her safety and drives out to the country to check on her, despite his warning to stay away from Wilbur she stays on. Of course Wilbur is up to no good, he has been drugging Nancy's tea, and it seems that he has plans to continue his grandfather's pagan rituals, to bring forth The Old Ones, through a ceremony that calls for human sacrifice, which is where young naive Nancy comes into play. 

The story strays quite a bit from the source material with numerous changes in character and story, but the main arc of it remains intact. Dean Stockwell is super creepy with his corduroy jacket, moustache and tight perm, plus he has the crazy eyes, as if he is a magician attempting to hypnotize you - which is equal parts funny and eerie. Sandra Dee is decent as the naive Nancy who falls under the spell of Wilbur, only to be put on the altar of sacrifice during the final moments, raped by  some creature kept in the closet for the duration of the movie, which is a thing of b-movie nuttiness. Sandra also experiences some hallucinogenic nightmares which are fun stuff, AIP were definitely gong for a bit of a drug-movie with this one I think, forgoing the usual acid trips for weird Lovecraftian nightmares achieved through cheap optical effects. .

The Dunwich Horror arrives on Blu-ray from Scream Factory looking appropriately grainy, maybe a bit thick at times but a definite improvement over the MGM Midnite Movies disc, offering the usual advancement in fine detail, sharpness and clarity. The source material does have some minor white speckling but that is about all I can complain about. The English DTS-HD MA Mono 1.0 audio does the job quite nicely, the dialogue is clean and clear, the awesome Les Baxter score comes through quite nicely, this is one Baxter's AIP scores I would love to own. Extras on the disc include a new commentary from author and film Historian Steve Haberman, plus a theatrical trailer, not a lot of bonus material but the commentary is top notch. 

Special Features: 
- NEW Audio Commentary With Author And Film Historian Steve Haberman
- Theatrical Trailer

Scream Factory have once again raided the MGM vaults to plunder more of these American International Pictures  b-movie goodies from the seventies, this time emerging with a double fisted helping of H.P. Lovecraft and Edgar Allen Poe, the results are varied but this double-feature is worth a watch for fans of '70 horror who don't mind scraping near and around the bottom of the cinema barrel, for semi-tasty morsels of cinema fromage . 3/5

MY SUMMER STORY (1994) (Blu-ray Review)

MY SUMMER STORY (1994) 

Label: Olive Films
Release Date: March 22, 2016
Region Code: A
Duration: 85 Minutes
Rating: PG
Audio: English DTS-HD MA Stereo 2.0 
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1)
Director: Bob Clark
Cast: Mary Steenburgen, Charles Grodin, Kieran Culkin

Synopsis: The laughs are hardier and the adventures more adventurous as Ralphie Parker (Kieran Culkin, Father of the Bride) goes in search of the perfect spinning top in order to beat his arch rival and school bully Scut Farcus (Chris Owen, American Pie), while Mrs. Parker (Steenburgen) and Mr. Parker (Grodin) cope with the boisterous neighbors, among other summer pursuits. Bob Clark (A Christmas Story) directs My Summer Story from a screenplay by Jean Shepherd, Leigh Brown and Clark based on the novel by Shepherd.

Until My Summer Story appeared on DVD from MGM a few years ago I had no idea that there was a sequel to the beloved holiday classic A Christmas Story, which may have had something to do with the fact that the movie studio opted to change the name of the movie shortly before it was released into theater under the name It Runs In The Family back in '94. Bob Clark returned to direct the sequel along with humorist/author Jean Shepherd who wrote the source material and narrates both movies. Unfortunately our beloved Darren McGavin and Peter Billingsly who portrayed the old man Mr. Parker and Ralphie are nowhere to be found this time around, in fact the only returning cast member aside from narrator Jean Shepherd is Tedde Moore, the memorable school teacher Miss Shields, which is sort of a bummer as the first movies longevity is based largely on the presence of both McGavin and Billingsly.

However, having Bob Clark and Jean Shepherd on board does offer some sweet nostalgia for me, with Shepherd's slice of Americana narration setting the stage for the movie and Clark's direction does harken back to the first movie. In place of McGavin we have Charles Grodin who seems to be doing a very rough impersonation of of the former and it feels shallow, Grodin has always played cynics and he doesn't even come close to filling the shoes of the old man. As young Ralphie is the woefully miscast Kieran Culkin  who I love in Igby Goes Down and Dangerous Loves of Altar Boys, but he doesn't in any way capture the charm and wild-eyed wonder of the character we have loved for thirty-plus years, these are huge nostalgic shoes he has to fill, and while he is not awful,  as a continuation of a beloved character his image and portrayal are all wrong. Mary Steenburgen however does turn in a decent performance as the mom this time around. 

In A Christmas Story young Ralphie was obsessed with the Red Ryder Carbine Action 200-shot Range Model air rifle with a compass in the stock and "this thing which tells time", this one which takes place the following summer is more episodic in nature, which can be said of the original as well, with young Ralphie looking to find the ultimate spinning top toy so he can beat his nemesis, the demented looking brace-face Lug (Whit Hertford), at a game of "killer" whein two tops battle for supremacy. Poor Scut Farkus and Flick from A Christmas Story have been downgraded to sidekicks for Lug. Meanwhile old man Parker continues his war with the hillbilly neighbors the Bumpuses, who are given a bit too much screen time in my opinion. Even Mrs. Parker gets her own storyline as she endeavors to win a Ronald Colman gravy boat at the local cinema, a storyline that did absolutely nothing for me. 

The movie definitely falls flat when compared to the original movie, but I must admit I do have a soft spot for it beyond reason. A lot of this goodwill has do do with seeing more of humorist Jean Shepherd's vision onscreen in the hands of Bob Clark, which makes me happy, even if it doesn't rise to the high standard of the original movie. There's are a few scenes of Ralphie fishing for crappie with his father at the local lake, these scenes reminded me of my own trips to the lake with my father, and this is where the nostalgia for the original story and my own familiar nostalgia cross paths and kick this one up a notch or two. It may not be one of Bob Clark's best movies, but it is certainly not his worst, and it is not the straight-up cash grab that A Christmas Story 2 was, which might be a bit of a backhanded compliment.


My summer story arrives on Blu-ray from Olive Films with a healthy looking 1080p HD image, sporting a nice layer of fine film grain with some modest fine detail, depth and clarity. The English DTS-HD MA Stereo 2.0 audio sounds good, some good depth and separation for a stereo channel track, and the Pauil Zaza (My Bloody Valentine) score sounds great. 

While researching the movie I discovered that PBS made a series of TV movies based on the Parker family for American Playhouse, 'Ollie Hopnoodle's Haven of Bliss', 'The Great American Fourth of July and Other Disasters', and 'The Phantom of the Open Hearth', not sure who owns those rights but I would be down drop some cash to see them on home video. 3/5.

CHILDREN SHOULDN'T PLAY WITH DEAD THINGS (1972) (Blu-ray Review)

CHILDREN SHOULDN'T PLAY WITH DEAD THINGS (1972) 

Label: VCI Entertainment 

Duration: 87 Minutes

Region Code: Region-FREE

Rating: PG

Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1)

Audio: English PCM Stereo 2.0 with Optional English Subtitles 

Director: Bob Clark

Cast: Alan Ormsby, Valerie Mamches, Jeffrey Gillen, Anya Ormsby, Paul Cronin, Jane Daly, Roy Engleman, Robert Philip, Bruce Solomon, Seth Sklarey, Alecs Baird

Bob Clark's seminal horror-comedy Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things begins with a young theater troupe lead by douche-nozzle Alan (Alan Ormsby) travelling by boat to an small island off the coast of Miami where the criminally insane have been buried for years. They arrive on the fog-drenched island and make their way through the canopy of overgrowth and crumbling headstones to a dilapidated shack where Alan dons a purple wizard's gown and informs the crew as to why they are o the island this eerie night... to perform a Satanic ritual meant to bring back the dead! 

The crew dig up the grave of the recently dead Orville Dunworth and prop him up on a cross-shaped headstone, as the performers look on Alan recites an over-the-top incantation meant to bring about the undead. Bitchy Val (Valerie Mamches) has had about enough of Alan's spooky shenanigans for the night when the ceremony does absolutely nothing, she pushes him aside and performs her own sarcastic incantation ...and the damn thing works, the dead to begin to crawl up from out of their graves!  Now our group of performers make their way back to the run down shack as hordes of flesh-hungry undead lay siege upon the crew with terrifying results. 

Not certain when I first saw Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things, but I am sure it was on broadcast TV back in the '80s during one of those awesome horror matinees I loved so damn much, and I do remember it scared me quite a bit. The movie has a very slow build-up, and can be a bit of a slog for some, but I enjoyed it a bunch and the payoff of the zombie uprising is pretty damn great, erasing any issues I may have had with the pace up to that point 

The character of Alan is such an arrogant and unapologetic asshole, and I sort of love it that about him, he is one of those characters you absolutely love to hate. I also love how Val throws insults right back at him, she has a lot of spunk and is the only one among the group to stand-up to the jerk. There's also a hippy dippy type character named Anya (Anya Ormsby) who is a seemingly spirit-sensitive young woman who has a meltdown, not unlike someone on a very bad acid trip. You also have to love those groovy early seventies fashions, dig this vertical striped pants on Ormsby! The movie also has an awesome Scooby-Doo style about it, the colorful clothing worn by the troupe seem straight out of a Scooby cartoon, the vibrant wardrobe stands out against the pitch black scenes in the dark.

The movies goes to some weird places, for instance they hold a wedding ceremony for Alan and the corpse of Orville, with Alan taking an unnatural liking to his new found corpse friend, but this friendship will definitely come back to bite him on his arrogant ass, just you watch. The movie is oozing with atmosphere, the fog-drenched island location is creepy stuff as are the zombie designs, with Alan Ormsby doing double duty creating many of the undead make-up for the movie. This is low-budget stuff but the applications are effective, the standout being the undead star Orville, a flaky white-skinned cadaver with a lot of presence about him.

Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things is a fun cult-classic, it was the first movie for director Bob Clark who would go onto director horror the 'Nam horror-nightmare Deathdream and the stalk and slash classic Black Christmas before making the seminal teen boner-comedy Porky's and the beloved holiday favorite A Christmas Story. It is great to see this one arrive on HD looking better than ever in an attractive package. 

Audio/Video: Children shouldn't Play with Dead Things arrives on Blu-ray from VCI Entertainment looking significantly improved over the 35th Anniversary Exhumed Edition from 2010. The movie has been afforded a new digital restoration and a 2K scan and the results are very pleasing with colors looking more vibrant and saturated. There's some modest depth and clarity to the image, but don't get your hopes too high, this low-budget zombie film from the early '70s was made on the cheap, was poorly lit and was made by amateurs - it is ever only to look so good. Certain scenes seem to have been cleaned-up quite a bit with some judicious DNR applied to remove grit and grain, but does not seem to have been over-scrubbed. Black levels are greatly improved, but there is some noticeable black crush, but nothing too distracting. 

Audio comes by way of a lossless linear PCM 2.0 which does a good job with dialogue, and the Carl Zittrer (Black Christmas, Porky's, Deranged) electronic score, which at times can be very eerie, particularly during a few of the slow-motions shots, not an iconic score by any means but it does the job. Optional English subtitles are included on the disc. I have read on certain HD threads that there are audio-sync issues with this release, but I didn't catch that during my viewings of the Blu-ray. 

VCI have brought over all the notable extras from the 35th Anniversary Exhumed Edition beginning with the very good audio commentary Alan Ormsby, Jane Daly and Anya Cronin which is moderated by David Gregory of Severin Films, this is a track that should please fans of the movie. Memories of Bob Clark: A tribute to the late Director (10 Mins) also features the commentary participants Alan Ormsby, Jane Daly and Anya Cronin reflecting on the legacy of Clark, this is an audio only segment. There's the 2007 Grindhouse Q/A (11 Mins) which took place during a double-feature screening of Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things and Deathdream featuring the participation of Ormsby, composer Carl Zittrer, and set decorator Albert Fisher. Confessions of a Grave Digger: Interview with Ken Goch (9 Mins) who worked as part of the art department on the movie, and was promoted to A.D. while shooting Deranged. He speaks about working on the movie, offering insights about his close friend Bob Clark and swallowing lit joints to avoid being arrested.There's also Photo Gallery (5 Mins) HD, two music video from the trash rock band The Deadthings, a brief tribute video, and the original theatrical trailer. There are also a selection of radio spots which play over a series of images from the movie with a text trivia track, which also goes into Alan Ormsby's seminal Movie Monsters book and his Hug: Man with a 100 Faces toy. 

New to the Blu-ray is the inclusion of the abbreviated U.K. version (78 Mins) of the movie, presented in interlaced 480i looking quite a bit worse than the newly restored HD version. The shorter UK version seems to mostly trims out dialogue from the run time. The faded and worse for the wear print is PAL sped-up but does feature a second audio commentary with Alan Ormbsy, again moderated by Gregory of Severin Films. As a fan and a collector I love having both versions of the movie and the audio commentaries packaged onto one release.

Separate from the disc extras VCI offer what may be a first for them, a clear Blu-ray keep case with a cool sleeve of reversible artwork featuring the original one-sheet artwork, plus a booklet with new writing on the cult-classic from Mike Kenny of Mike’s Pop Culture Playhouse, the 4-page booklet includes images from movie and artwork. VCI have done a bang-up job with this Blu-ray and with new Blu-rays on the way for City of the Dead and Ruby from VCI I am pretty excited to see what they have in store for us. 

Special Features: 

- Liner Notes written by Mike Kenny, Mike’s Pop Culture Playhouse
- Reversible Sleeve of rtwork with Optional Fan-Inspired 3rd Cover Art
- Commentary Track with Alan Ormsby, Jane Daly and Anya Cronin: accompanies the HD feature
- Complete alternate U.K. version (78 Mins), with commentary by Alan Ormsby hosted by David Gregory, Severin Films
- Memories of Bob Clark: A tribute to the late Director (10 Mins)
- 2007 Grindhouse Q/A (11 Mins)
- Confessions of a Grave Digger: Interview with Ken Goch (9 Mins)
- Photo Gallery (5 Mins) HD
- “Dead Girls Don’t Say No” Music video by The Deadthings (4 Mins)
- “Cemetery Mary” Music video by The Deadthings (4 Mins)
- Tribute Video (2 Mins) HD 

- Radio spots (4 Mins) HD
- Original Theatrical Trailer (3 Mins) HD 

The VCI Blu-ray of Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things is easily the definitive version of the movie to own, not perfect, but worth the upgrade for the new 2K scan, the wealth of extras and the cool packaging. With recent Blu-ray releases of Bob Clark's Black Christmas and My Summer Story in addition to this I hope the powers that be see fit to push his Sherlock Holmes tale Murder By Decree and Deathdream onto HD in the very near future. 4/5

DISTURBING BEHAVIOR (1998) (Blu-ray Review)

DISTURBING BEHAVIOR (1998) 

Label: Scream Factory

Release Date: March 22nd 2016 
Region Code: A
Rating: R
Audio: English DTS-HD MA Surround 5.1, 2Stereo .0 with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1)
Director: David Nutter
Cast: Bruce Greenwood, Ethan Embry, Katharine Isabelle, Katie Holmes, Nick Stahl, Steve Railsback, James Marsden, William Sadler

Synopsis: In the halls of Cradle Bay High School, something sinister is happening… something dark… something disturbing. Sure, the "Blue Ribbons" – the clique that's at the top of the food chain at Cradle Bay – appear perfect in every way. But underneath their clean-cut, well-mannered facades lurks a shocking secret – one that a group of Cradle Bay High's outsiders and rebels must uncover in order to save their school, their town... and their own lives.

Not sure why but I always thought this movie was an erotic thriller of some sort along the lines of Wild Things so I just never made time to watch it, but since it landed on my doorstep I decided to give it a watch. I am pleased to see that I was wrong about what sort of movie this is,  what it is is a teen sci-fi thriller not too dissimilar from something akin to The Faculty, wherein teens at the local school begin to change is dramatic way, assimilating to a certain preppie way of thinking, but the origins this time out are not alien in nature, but this turns out to be a decent '90s teen riff on something along the lines of The Stepford Wives, as burnouts are transformed into straight-a student who go a little nuts when they get turned on. 


A year after the death of his brother teen Steve Clark (James Marsden, X-Men) and his family move to the island community of Cradle Bay, a nice place with a good school, the sort of place where the usual clicks apply. Case in point we have the "Blue Ribbons", a group of A-students who are popular, the usual array of jocks and pom-pom shakers who look down and frown upon the alternative culture kids at school. If you're a stoner, burnout or grunge-afflicted teen you are cannon-fodder for the true blue bullies who love to give the alternative kids a lot of grief, These burnouts and waste-oids are the ones that new-kid Steve finds himself hanging with, namely a trio of losers named Strick (Nick Stahl, Sin City), U.V. (Chad E. Donella, The Final Destination), and Rachel Wagner (Katie Holmes, The Ice Storm). Stahl is pretty great as the would-be leader of the misfits teens, his character offers a memorable monologue as he gives Steve a verbal tour of the class system at the school. His sidekick U.V. is slightly less memorable, but a young Katie Holmes gives off some serious sexual heat as the bad girl, I've never thought much of Holmes but damn if she didn't stir me up a bit, but those stoner-grunge girls of the '90s always did it for me. Also notable is the appearance of a pre Ginger Snaps (2000) Katharine Isabelle as the younger sister of Marsden's character.


I have always heard this movie described as an extended version of an X-Files episode and that's not too far removed from the truth, shot up North in the Land of Maple Syrup the film shares an aesthetic that was popular on TV and in teen movies of the time, plus director David Nutter was a veteran of the X-Files himself having directed several episodes. The science fiction element comes by way of the school psychologist, Dr. Caldicott (Bruce Greenwood, Steve from Cincinnati) who runs the Blue Ribbon program at the school, a program that somehow turns burnouts into icy A-student preppies overnight, and with that revelation things begins to smell rotten in the village of Cradle Bay. Dr. Caldicott  is surgically molding the Cradle Bay teens into perfect students, but aside from the usual teen-asshole behavior one might associate with the over privileged and elite the students begin succumb to homicidal tendencies when they become aroused by the opposite sex. The fat that an aroused teen is a dangerous things is certainly no shocker, but these horny kids take it a bit too far, though the gore is kept in the shadows, there's not much here for a gore hound.

Disturbing Behavior holds up pretty swell for a late-nineties teen thriller, helped by a strong cast of young Hollywood hopefuls who have since gone onto varying degrees of success, spearheaded by a young James Marsden, someone I like but don't think he ever landed the right role, at least not the one that would propel him to stardom. I don't exactly love his turn as Cyclops in Bryan Singer's X-Men movies, but I do sort of love him in The Box. This might be my favorite Nick Stahl Role, too. Well-written and funny, but neutered to a degree when the movie studio took the film away from director Nutter and re-edited it, but his performance shines through the hackneyed edit. Holmes as the dark teen cutey makes for a good love interest, she doesn't get a lot to chew on but her top-shelf talent shines through just the same. The movie also has appearances from William Sadler (Tales from the Crypt Presents: Demon Knight) as a school janitor, the village idiot who is aware of the dark side if Cradle Bay and is doing something about it, and keep an eye out for Steve Railsback (Lifeforce) as the local sheriff who turns a blind eye to the carnage the Blue Bloods inflict on the burnout teens, his role doesn't add up to much, but it is always a blast to see Railsback onscreen, even in a nothing role.

Disturbing Behavior arrived on Blu-ray from Scream Factory in the original 1.85 aspect ratio with a new 1080p HD transfer looking pretty good all the way around, it is not the most skin-pore porn high definition image but it is decently clear with some modest depth and the skin tones look accurate It comes with choice of English language DTS-HD MA Stereo 2.0 and Surround 5.1 with some good atmospheric use of the surrounds, the '90s alternative-rock soundtrack . Special features include an audio commentary from director David Nutter, a half-hour of deleted scenes and the original theatrical trailer for the movie.

Special Features
- Audio Commentary By Director David Nutter
- Deleted Scenes and Alternate Ending with Optional Director Commentary (25 Mins) 
- Theatrical Trailer (3 Mins) 

If you enjoyed the teen sci-fi thriller The Faculty there's bound to be something here for you to love, a fun if slightly stilted teen riff on The Stepford Wives with some good sci-fi thrills wrapped-up inside a clever script with a very nineties-centric soundtrack highlighted by the inclusion of Harvey Danger's "Flagpole Sitta", which was a song you could escape on '90s alternative radio. The movie is horribly dated by the ninetis fashions and music, but just as I am nostalgic for '80s horror there are probably a lot of '90s horror fans who love this movie more than I ever could, but this was still a fun watch and the new Blu-ray from Scream Factory is sure to please fans of the movie, and maybe win over a few newcomers. 2.5/5

CHERRY FALLS (2000) (Blu-ray review)

CHERRY FALLS (2000)

Label: Scream Factory

Release Date: March 29th 2016
Region Code: A

Rating: R

Duration: 92 Minutes

Audio: English DTS-HD MA Stereo 2.0. DTS-HD MA Surround 5.1 with Optional English Subtitles

Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1)

Director: Geoffrey Wright

Cast: Brittany Murphy, Gabriel Mann, Jay Mohr, Jesse Bradford, Michael Biehn

Cherry Falls (2000) starts off strong with a scene of two teen virgins fumbling their way through an awkward make out session inside a car when a car pulls up behind them. The young man gets out of the car to confront what he thinks may be his friends giving the young lovers a hard time, but is instead murdered by a gaunt woman with a shaggy head of hair and fishnets, who slices and dices him with a set of knives, before going after his virginal girlfriend in the car. The next day the bodies of the teen virgins are found, with the boy thrown face down in the lake, the young woman is found nailed to a tree where she was left to bleed to death from her numerous knife wounds. Th gruesome crime is investigated by Sheriff Markin (Michael Beihn, Terminator) and Deputy Mina (Amanda Anka), and it soon becomes clear that a killer is targeting high school virgins, which is a fun switch up of the usual slasher tradition wherein the sexually promiscuous usually themselves on the chopping block, in this one the virgins are on the menu.

Directed by Australian director Geoffrey Wright (Romper Stomper) the movie is clearly influenced by a post-Scream world minus the self aware humor. The premise of a killer targeting virgins is fun stuff, especially when the teens conspire to throw a hymen holocaust orgy, if the killer is targeting virgin teens these kids plan to be deflowered by the rise of the sun the next day. With that inspired set-up this should have lead to all sorts of fun and teen-nudity, but instead we end up with a '00 slasher with a lot of promise, but what ends up onscreen is a neutered teen slasher that you can feel in your bones should have been awesome. 

The late Brittany Murphy (Sin City) stars as teen heroine Jody, the daughter of Sheriff Marken. Murphy always had a weird awkward charm about her and she's no different here, she a sympathetic but also strong protagonist and makes for a compelling lead. When her father realizes that the killer is targeting virgins he has the most awkward father-daughter talk I think I may have ever seen, asking her how far she has gone with her boyfriend, and if would she be willing to go all the way, in order to protect herself. It's a fun and inspired moment, and it also made my skin crawl a bit as father of a teen. When it comes to the surface that the virgin murders may be linked to a rapey incident from her father's past Jody turns away from the protection of her father and straight into the arms of her dipshit boyfriend Kenny (Gabriel Mann), and the two head off to the cherry-popping party, where as you can imagine thing go South for the teens.

The movie does have a decent twist that brought to mind Brian De Palma's thriller Raising Cain, the reveal did not surprise me all that much, I saw it coming from quite a distance away, but I am alright with that. What irked me is how neutered each of the murders are, each softened with flash-cut editing obscuring the gore and violence, which was horrendous. I am not too familiar with the production of the movie but I gleaned from the extras was that this was bogged down by the MPAA for both nudity and violence, and this R-rated cut is missing a lot of both. Funnily enough the movie never made it to cinemas here in the US and it debuted on the USA Network of all places. The previous DVD, a double bill with Terror Tract, is long out of print and mighty expensive, so fans should enjoy this HD upgrade with new extras from Scream Factory, even if they could not locate the deleted scenes for the movie, the new extras are pretty great and shed some light on the making of the movie.

Special Features:

- NEW Audio Commentary With Director Geoffrey Wright
- NEW Lose It Or Die: The Untold Story Of Cherry Falls – Interviews With Writer And Co-Executive Producer Ken Selden And Producer Marshall Persinger (25 Mins) HD
- NEW Cherry Falls Deputy Mina – An Interview With Amanda Anka (8 Mins) HD
- Vintage Interviews With Brittany Murphy, Michael Biehn, Jay Mohr And Director Geoffrey Wright (6 Mins) HD
- Behind-The-Scenes Footage (5 Mins) HD
- Original Script (BD-ROM)
- Theatrical Trailer (2 Mins) HD 

Cherry Falls (2000) is a decent post-Scream slasher entry from the '00s, unfortunately it doesn't live up to its promised potential, though it does has a fun retro slasher vibe that brought to mind some of the '80s stuff I love. It suffers mostly from a lack of visceral edge, the gore is almost non-existent. I give it points for the doing something different by putting virgins of the chopping block, for some nice clever moments, and for a truly unhinged final third that made me laugh quite a bit, but this should have been awesome, as it is it is just okay. 2.5/5