THE 88 ITALIAN LINE SERVES UP MORE SPAGHETTI CINEMA SICKIES!

More sweet Eurocult goodness on the way from 88 FILMS in the UK with the announcements of NIGHT TRAIN MURDERS, BLOODSTAINED SHADOW and SPASMO following recent announcements of shockers ZOMBIE HOLOCAUST and BURIAL GROUND!

THREE TASTY ITALIAN TERROR TREATS

THE 88 ITALIAN LINE SERVES UP MORE SPAGHETTI CINEMA SICKIES!

AN EX-VIDEO NASTY AND TWO GIALLO GEMS MAKE THEIR UK HD BOW!

Horror has a home at 88 Films.

This is why we launched our ‘Slasher Classics Collection’ and our ’88 Italian’ lines – to make sure that shock-cinema buffs could anticipate some masterfully macabre motion picture pot-boilers filleting their way onto UK Blu-ray in genre-specific packaging. And we are thrilled, following our announcement of ZOMBI HOLOCAUST and BURIAL GROUND, to confirm that 88 Italian just gets bigger and better with the acquisition of a trio of fresh fear-flick favourites!

First up is NIGHT TRAIN MURDERS!

Originally banned in the UK as a 'video nasty', under its VHS-era title of DON'T RIDE ON LATE NIGHT TRAINS, this tense thriller is a malevolent mix of hair-raising Hitchcockian suspense and contemporary splatter movie shocks. Released in 1975 to a suitably disorientated audience, NIGHT TRAIN MURDERS tells of two young female travellers, including Irene Miracle from INFERNO, who are kidnapped and tormented by a gang of thugs (led by an older matriarch with murderous desires). Indeed, the horror and humiliation which takes place during their journey is the stuff of nightmares... but a final twist leads the criminals into the hands of one girl's pistol-packing parents! Also inspired by Wes Craven's legendary masterpiece, THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT, and directed by giallo expert Aldo Lado (THE SHORT NIGHT OF THE GLASS DOLLS), this gritty and garish stomach-churner - which includes an iconic Ennio Morricone soundtrack - is finally unleashed in the UK in all of its HD gory glory!

Also debuting on 88 Italian is an underrated outing from the ever-stylish Antonio Bido (WATCH ME WHEN I KILL) - with 1978's BLOODSTAINED SHADOW making its worldwide BluRay debut courtesy of 88 Films. Never before released in the UK, this magnificent mystery-horror stars SUSPIRIA's Stefania Casini as an unassuming, and alluring, antiques dealer who gets caught up in a series of slasher-killings that may or may not point a finger towards someone she already knows. Beautifully shot, and as colourfully produced as any of the finest examples of the genre, this cat-and-mouse creeper is an underrated Italian classic that is packed full of inventive splatter set pieces, erotic allure and atmospheric intensity. Zip up your black gloves and groove to this prime HD presentation of a seventies Euro-shock sizzler!

Finally, we give you… SPASMO! Only the legendary Umberto Lenzi (CANNIBAL FEROX/ THE MAN FROM DEEP RIVER) could have made a giallo as intriguing, and esoteric, as this mind-boggling, avant-garde, continental curio! With a cast bursting at the seams with genre legends - including Suzy Kendall (THIS BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE/ TORSO) and the late, great Ivan Rassimov (LAST CANNIBAL WORLD) - SPASMO is an unfortunately under-seen, but nonetheless highly regarded, giallo jaunt that cranks up the psychological terror and aims for a more sophisticated arthouse vibe. More akin to the early work of Dario Argento and Mario Bava, than Lenzi's later gut-crunching gore-fests, SPASMO contains one of Ennio Morricone's most menacing soundtrack scores, whilst its plot - of sex, corpses and a surreal mystery involving a killer with a fetish for mannequin dolls - is the sort of trippy-hippy brilliance that only ‘alternative’ Italian cinema in the seventies could achieve!

Making its UK bow, in a stunning BluRay remaster, SPASMO is a must-have for fans of Italian cult, and Lenzi's vast cinematic CV, alike!

All three new additions to the 88 Films family will come with their original Italian language track, English subtitles, and – of course – English language versions too! Thrilled by the new 88 Italian announcements? Spread the word and support our love for classic grindhouse greats!

SUGAR COOKIES (1971)

SUGAR COOKIES (1971) 

Label: Vinegar Syndrome

Region: Region-FREE

Rating: Unrated
Duration: 91 Minutes

Audio: 

Video: 1080p Widescreen (1.85:1) 

Director: Theodore Gershuny

Cast: George Shannon, Mary Woronov, Lynn Lowrey, Daniel Sadurs, Jennifer Welles

Here we have a film co-written by Troma's own Lloyd Kaufman and directed by Theodore Gershuny and starring the lovely duo of Mary Woronov (THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL) and Lynn Lowry (SHIVERS). The film opens with adult film director Max (George Shannon) playing a twisted sex game with his porn star lover Alta (Lynn Lowry) that ends with him shooting her in the head. Max's other lover, porn producer Camilla (Mary Woronov), provides the director with an alibi and Alta's death is widely reported as a tragic suicide. 

Soon after Camilla begins auditioning actresses to fill the void left by the death of Alta. we soon discover that Alta was also Camilla's lover in addition to Max, which makes for a fun triangular dynamic. The producer meets with several actresses before coming across a young woman named Julie (played by Lynn Lowry) who is the spitting image of the late Alta. Promising her a future in film Camilla sets about molding the young starlet into a version of Alta through a series of kinky seduction and cruel mind games which lead-up to a finale that mirrors the opening scene with a nice serving of revenge. 

While the title invokes images of a lighthearted softcore sex film but it rarely strays into the realm true softcore perversion or offering much comedy. There is an off-kilter sub plot involving Max's chubby nephew Gus and his quest to lose his virginity. It's such a weird detour and feels shoe-horned into the film.  A scene of Gus popping his cherry in drag while screaming the name of his uyncle left me scratching my head, as did a pair of panty-sniffing detectives - none of which plays into anything whatsoever.  

Not played for laughs but definitely weird I found the strange sex rituals and mind games  intriguing but desperately disjointed. It's the onscreen pairing of the seductive Lynn Lowry and Mary Woronov that carried the film for me. While I have never found Woronov to be a woman who stirred me there's something about her I found so damn appealing in this film. 

Lowry is decent in the dual-role of seductive adult film star and the more naive Julie who finds herself manipulated by the twisted duo Max and Camilla, she has a presence you cannot deny. Lowry and Woronov engage in some sapphic love scenes throughout but the film is not an x-rated sleaze fest, this is more a trashy erotic thriller with some off-kilter detours and arthouse leanings. .

BLU-RAY:
The brand new 4K scan of the film from the original 35mm negative looks truly fantastic, the film grain is managed quite nicely throughout with some excellent fine detail and clarity. It's an impressive image front to back with solid color reproduction and skin tones, minor instances of speckling and print damage from time to time but I cannot imagine this film looking any better than this. 

The DTS-HD MA 1.0 Mono audio track is decent, it can be a bit flat and boxy at times and is marred by some audio hiss, which is probably due to poor sound recording during filming or poor sound elements. 

The extras are spread across the two disc set beginning with a new interview with star Lynn Lowry entitled "Making Sugar Cookies with Lynn Lowry" with the star discussing her first meeting with Lloyd Kaufman and landing the role going onto discuss her hesitation to do nudity onscreen at first. Her contract stipulated know full frontal but during the interview admits that there is a "hint of bush" in a few scenes. Going on to discuss director Ted Gershuny, the duality of her role in the film and working with Woronov who she thought was a bit intimidating. Having just re watched the film Lowry offers up some fun anecdotes and seems genuinely fond of the film which she rightfully recalls as more of an art film that an x-rated sexploitation entry, this is a pretty dandy interview. The Blu-ray disc is rounded out with a scratchy widescreen theatrical trailer for the film. 

Onto the standard definition second disc we have the same feature presentation of the film plus the Lynn Lowry interview plus two additional interviews with producer Lloyd Kaufman and star Mary Woronov, "Remembering Sugar Cookies with Lloyd Kaufman" features the animated impresario remembering his time on the film and discovering star Lynn Lowry which he cast in several films. The man is an encyclopedia of knowledge and the half hour featurette is pretty dense with info and humor. 

Also carried over from the original Troma release is the interview with Mary Woronov conducted by Lloyd Kaufman. She recalls being shocked that director Theodore Gershunuy, whom she was married to at the time, not only cast her in a lesbian role but also inserted himself into the film in a softcore sex scene. 

A decent set of extras, both Kaufman and Lowry are very forthcoming about their experiences on the film while Woronov  seems a bit more reserved or maybe just slightly annoyed by Lloyd Kaufman whom insists that Woronov was a lesbian in real life at one point during the interview. 

SPECIAL FEATURES:
- BD/DVD Combo Pack
- New 4K Restoration from the 35mm Camera Negative 
- New video interview with Writer/Producer, Lloyd Kaufman (34 Minutes) SD
- New video interview with Star Lynn Lowry (14 Minutes) HD
- Interview with Star Mary Woronov (5 Minutes) SD
- Original Theatrical Trailer (2 Minutes) HD/SD
- Alt Theatrical Trailer (3 Minutes) SD

VERDICT:
SUGAR COOKIES (1971) definitely has some strange appeal, namely the erotic duo of Woronov and Lowry who carry the film through performance and spectacle. At it's core it's a slow tale of manipulative revenge tempered with eroticism but it suffers from odd detours that go nowhere. It's great to see this get such a fine release from Vinegar Syndrome who continue to go above and beyond in their efforts to preserve and  champion obscure cult cinema, a recommend to fans of arty softcore cinema by way of the New York underground.   

THE THING ON THE DOORSTEP (2014)

THE THING ON THE DOORSTEP (2014) 

Label: Leomark Studios
Duration: 89 mins
Region Code: 0 NTSC 

Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
Video: Anamoprhic widescreen

Director: Tom Gliserman
Cast: David Bunce, Susan Cicarelli-Caputo, Mary Jane Hansen

"It is true that I have just sent six bullets through the head of my best friend, and yet I hope to show by this statement that I am not his murderer."... so begins this low-budget adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's THE THING ON THE DOORSTEP from director Tom Gliserman. 

We have Daniel Upton (David Bruce) narrating a story the possible possession or maybe just mental illness of his best friend Edward Derby (Rob Dalton) whom after marrying hypnotist Asenath Waite (Mary Jane Hansen) with whom he moves into a dilapidated mansion and becomes a bit enigmatic. Upton upon noticing these changes in his old friend's behavior he attempts to find out exactly what is happening but cannot begin to imagine what secrets await in the darkness. 

The story stays pretty damn true to the original short story written by Lovecraft in 1933 with only a few subtle changes to the setting and story and it makes for quite a compelling watch for the those who can appreciate a low budget slow-burn such as it is. 

The visual aesthetic appears to be somewhat limited and the filmmaker has opted to go with a slightly soft image favoring green hues and it suits the Lovecraftian tale quite nicely, giving it an eerie quality. Director Tom Gliserman handles editing and director of photography duties on the film and I enjoyed his framing of the scenes, proving low budget does not necessarily mean cheap looking. 

David Bunce does a fine job as Daniel Upton and at times brought to mind Paul Giamatti with his performance anchoring the film for me, at times the dreamy atmosphere could have lost me but his quest to save his friend kept me plugged in from beginning to end even though I had read the source material and new the ending.

Not a groundbreaking film but a damn decent Lovecraft adaptation with some good atmosphere and solid performances. Your mileage may vary depending on your tolerance for low budget filmmaking but I found this to be a compelling and creepy Lovecraft tale. 

IN THE LAND OF THE CANNIBALS (2003)

IN THE LAND OF THE CANNIBALS (2003)

Label: Intervision Picture Corp

Region Code: 1 NTSC

Rating: Unrated

Duration: 91 Minutes

Video: Full Frame (1.33:1 )

Audio: English Dolby Digital Stereo

Director: Bruno Mattei

Cast: Claudio Morales, Lou Randall, Cindy Jelic Matic

Shot back to back with MONDO CANNIBAL in the Philippines this is another cannibal film from Italian sleaze-master Bruno Mattei and largely rips-off CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST yet again. This time around Mattei has created a genre mash-up of Italian cannibal films and the testosterone fueled action films of the 80s - most notably PREDATOR.  

A team of commandos are sent to the South American jungle to rescue the daughter who has fallen prisoner to - you guessed it - a tribe of cannibals. There's just not a lot new under the sun here but as a fun mash-up shot on the cheap there's some fun to be had. Masculine soldiers armed to the teeth up against hordes of cannibal tribesman who aren't quite prepared for what they're about to encounter.

This one is not as gut-churning with the cannibalism as MONDO CANNIBAL and instead is quite action-packed with loads of testosterone fueled gun battles and acts of sweaty machismo pouring off the screen. Thing borrowed from PREDATOR: A group of commandos flown by helicopter to a hostile territory - check. A musclebound white commando - check. A musclebound black commando - check. An indigenous tracker - check. Arm severed while shooting machine gun - check. Scorpion stabbed with survival knife - check. Watching this I laughed to myself at just how much stupid and fun it was turning out to be, while certainly not original or keenly directed there's no denying the pure entertainment value of this genre mash-up.

Claudio Morales from MONDO CANNIBAL reappears here as a morally challenged jungle guide tasked with leading the commandos through the jungle providing a lot of exposition as he explains the strange tribal rituals and cannibal etiquette we witness. Also returning are Cindy Matic as the politician's daughter turned white cannibal queen who dances drugged-up and topless in a few choice scenes. 

Shot in the Philippines which makes for a decent substitute for South America jungle and Mattei makes nice use of the locations squeezing as much production value out of it as he can on a limited budget. The gore is not front and center but we do get some gruesome cannibal corpses and bloodletting throughout - staying true to the cannibal film aesthetic we do get a brief scene of animal cruelty as a snake is killed onscreen and rather needlessly as that so be prepared for that. 

I kept hoping right up till the end that there would be an alien life form thrown into the mix but it didn't happen. No aliens with infrared vision and shoulder-mounted lasers appeared but as a cannibal-action mash-up this is a damn fine piece of trash cinema and a thoroughly entertaining watch. 

MONDO CANNIBAL (2003)

MONDO CANNIBAL (2003) 

Label: Intervision Picture Corp

Region Code: 1

Rating: Unrated

Duration: 90 Minutes

Video: 4:3 Full Frame (1.33:1 )

Audio: English Dolby Digital Stereo

Director: Bruno Mattei

Cast: Claudio Morales, Cindy Matic, Helena Wagner 

Infamous Italian exploitation director Bruno Mattei was making sleazy movies straight up until his death in 2007 at the ripe old age of seventy-six. These later years found the director churning out familiar gut-munching gore and sleaze but on a smaller shot-on-digital budget. Lucky for is Intervision Picture Corp have just released two of his late-era cannibal films for the first-time in the US!

One of these is the sensationally re-titles MONDO CANNIBAL (2003) wherein driven TV reporter Grace Forsyte (Helene Wagner) finds her weekly ratings plummeting in light of competition from more sensational tabloid programs. In a last ditch effort to pull her ratings out of the toilet she enlists the help of a scumbag jungle guide Bob Manson (Claudio Morales) travelling to the jungles of South America to capture the gut-munching exploits of the indigenous people. Along for the ride are a cameraman and a busty blond assistant played by Cindy Matic. 

Once on location in the jungle the crew find that the poor indigenous tribes want nothing to do with cannibalism as the unscrupulous reporter and her scumbag cohorts commit a string of unsavory atrocities upon them. The film quite unashamedly rips-off Deodato's CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST from start to finish, Mattei manages to squeeze in pretty much everything from that film into this shot-on-video cheapie, even the scenes of TV execs back in the US viewing the vile footage captured by the crew That Mattei would shamelessly steal the premise of an entire film should surprise absolutely no one, the man was a one-man copyright menace with a camera crew and he provided a string of pilfered exploitation throughout the 70s and 80s with such films as HELL OF THE LIVING DEAD (1980) and RATS - NIGHTS OF TERROR (1984). Not an original idea in the bunch but they're just so much fun and filmed with a genuine gusto that it's hard not to enjoy.

With this one we have an endless parade of gut-munching, rape, murder and exploitation of the indigenous people.  The crew is willing to set fire to an entire village in the name of capturing a few sensational images to drive viewer ratings. The entire film is really just regurgitating the who-are-the-real-savages question raised by the superior films which came before it. A trashy slice of cannibal fun from dripping with enough guts, gore and nudity to please fans of this particular brand of exploitation cinema. Surprisingly the film really captures the sleazy aesthetic of the cannibal films from the genres glory days, and while he shot-on-digital images won't win any awards for cinematography it fully delivers the cannibal goods from start to finish with some great locations shot in the Philippines. 

The cast is damn decent with Claudio Morales as the guide who begins the film as the moral compass but is quickly drawn into the cynical world of TV personality played by Helena Wagner who turns in a decent performance as the unscrupulous reporter who will do anything to drive her TV ratings. Of course all the performances are cranked-up to ten and I wouldn't have it any other way, cannibal films were never really known for subtlety. Aside from some requisite indigenous nudity both the attractive Helena Wagner and Cindy Matic offer up some bare-chested nudity to enjoy and it was fun to see each of the culprits .

SPECIAL FEATURES: 
- Trailer (2 Minutes) 

VERDICT:
MONDO CANNIBAL (2003) is short on inspiration and long on gut-munching gore making this shot-on-video cannibal entry from Bruno Mattei a bit rough and unsavory - which suits me just fine. Not having been familiar with Mattei's post-80s filmography I went into it not expecting much from such a recent shot-on-video production but I walked away from it thoroughly entertained and surprised just how authentic to the vintage cannibal films this was - loaded with gore, guts and vintage Mattei sleaziness!

A heads-up that in early 2015 Intervision are releasing Bruno Mattei’s zombie swan songs: ZOMBIES – THE BEGINNING and ISLAND OF THE LIVING DEAD plus the women-in-prison film THE JAIL – A WOMEN’S HELL.

THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE (1974) 40TH ANNIVERSARY RESTORATION (Second Sight Blu-ray Review)

THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE (1974) 
2-Disc 40th Anniversary Restoration 

Label: Second Sight Films

Region Code: B

Rating: 18 Certificate

Duration: 8d Minutes

Video: 1080p Widescreen (1.77:1)
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 and 5.1 / PCM Stereo 2.0, PCM Mono 1.0 with Optional English Subtitles
Director: Tobe Hooper

Cast: Marilyn Burns, Gunnar Hansen, Allen Danziger, William Vail, Jim Siedow, Paul A. Partain, Edwin Neal 

When I was just barely in the double digits my parents rented a laser disc player (what's that, right kids) and a few scary movies movies and one of them was THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (1974) and the other was the erotic-demon shocker MAUSOLEUM (1988) starring the demon-boobied Bobbie Bresee. 

From the very first frame it was unsettling and filled me with an unease, the image of the sun baked armadillo dead on the roadside right away gave me the heads-up that I was about to endure something awful. Layer on top of that the macabre images of the disinterred corpses staged at a cemetery and the unsettling flash photography and I was already a bit nauseated.

Enter a group of twenty-somethings travelling cross country in a Volkswagen van, we have Sally Hardesty (Marilyn Burns) and her paraplegic brother, Franklin (Paul A. Partain) travelling across Texas with friends Jerry (Allen Danziger), Kirk (William Vail), and Pam (Teri McMinn), to visit the grave of the Hardestys' grandfather which may have been desecrated following the the macabre acts of vandalism mentioned previously.  

Along the way they have the unfortunate urge to pick-up a very strange Hitchhiker (Edwin Neal) who has an unsightly birth mark on his face. Once inside things go weird when he goes on about the joy of killing cows at the slaughterhouse and how tasty his brother's homemade head cheese is before he takes a pocket knife and slices open his own palm...  watching this for the first time I quickly realized I was seriously in over my head. Now everyone in the van is on edge and panicked when suddenly the but grabs Franklin and slices open his arm before being thrown out the van. Running alongside the van as it speeds off he smears his blood on the van and the group continue on. 


arriving at the cemetery they conform that their grandparents graves have not been disturbed and head off to check out the now abandoned Hardesty house, Before arriving and they realize they are running on fumes and top off at a gas station only to be told they are out of gas and the fuel truck won't arrive until the next day. With the Hardesty farm house just a few miles away and they decide to make the short trip of it and return to the gas station later that night to refuel. 

At the house Kirk and Pam wander off to a swimming hole rumored to be nearby while Sally and Jerry explore the dilapidated house leaving poor wheelchair bound Franklin on his own, unable to navigate the crumbling home. Early on we discover what an annoying whiner Franklin is but he takes it to the next level at the house. Unable to follow his sister he's left on his own to complain while giving disapproving raspberries in his sister's direction. The poor bastard is a cripple and you would think you might have some sympathies for him but he is such an unlikable character who wallows in hos own self pity. 

Pam and Kirk never do find the swimming hole but they do come across a neighboring home after they hear a gas-powered generator humming away in the distance. The curious Kirk enters the home and meets one of the inhabitants with deadly consequences. A hulking figure wearing a dead-skin mask named Leatherface (Gunnar Hanson) smashes his skull with a mallet, the encounter is quick and before you know what's happening Kirk is dead on the floor with his legs creepily twitching away. 

Pam hears the commotion and come inside looking for Kirk whom she assumes is playing a joke on her. Inside she enters a room blanketed in chicken feather and eerie sculptures made from the bone of animals and what appear to be human. Realizing something is very wrong she attempts to leave but Leatherface snatches her up and impales her on a meat hook! While she hangs there helpless and squirming Leatherface starts to carve-up Kirk with a chainsaw. 

As night sets in the group back at the Hardesty homestead begin to worry about Pam and Kirk, Jerry mounts a one-an search party and sets off into the night finding his way to the home not expecting to discover the horrors that await him inside. He hears a noise coming from a freezer and opens it to find Pam still alive just as Leatherface kill hims.

Now completely dark outside Sally and Franklin begin to worry and set off through a brush thicket to find their friends when Leatherface emerges from the darkness chainsawing poor Franklin to death as the hysterical Sally lets loose the first of many marathon screams - it is a supremely effective kill scene to this day, every death onscreen in this move carries a weight to it and that makes it so damn effective - nearly bloodless but brutal. . 

Sally escapes Leatherface and makes her way to the gas station seeking the help of the the proprietor (Jim Siedow) who turns out to be the father of Leatherface and the Hitchhiker, of course. He beats her with a broom before tying her up and placing her in sack. Siedow is truly demented in the role and brings a lot to the character, it's a nightmarish encounter. He throws her in his truck and makes his way back to the farm house where the strange clan sit down for a family dinner with Sally as the main course. They wheel out the desiccated corpse of their Grandpa (John Dugan) who looks mummified until he gets a taste of Sally's blood and then he becomes a bit more animated. Apparently he was quite the killer back at the slaughterhouse and the family want him to do the dirty deed. They kneel the hysterical Sally over a large wash bin at Grandpa's feet as he limply attempts to smash her brains in with a hammer. It's such a nightmare scenario and infused with the crazy energy of the cannibal clan and Marilyn Burn's marathon of screams, her duress is nerve-shattering.

While Grandpa swings away to the cheers of the family Sally somehow manages to get away by leaping through a window pane of glass, sprinting for the main road with both Leatherface and the Hitchiker just behind her. The film ends with a semi truck happening upon the bizarre scene with the Hitchhiker splattered on the road and Sally jumping into the bed of a passing pick-up truck laughing and screaming hysterically as Leatherface spins the chainsaw in the air in anger. 

I remember watching it for the first-time like it was yesterday, my nerves were a wreck. I was shaking and scared out of my mind and for some reason I loved it - it was at that moment I knew I loved to be scared. Subsequent viewing bare witness to the continuing power of THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE, a tightly crafted film with not an excess ounce of filler to it. Everything onscreen carries with it a weight that cannot be denied - a terror classic without equal.

BLU-RAY:

When I first heard there was a brand new 4K remaster of TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE on the way I scoffed at the notion that you could improve this 40 year-old classic shot on 16mm. This had always been a sweaty film with copious amounts of grit and grain galore. Could a new 4K restoration even be worth it, or worse take something away from it? 

Now that I've watched it I must say that the film certainly has never looked better - which is not to say pristine. There's only so much you can do with a 40 year old film shot on the inherently grainy 16mm film stock, let's be real about that. Knowing that the grain structure is intact and appears natural without any wholesale DNR having been applied leaving as much fine detail as the possible onscreen. The colors are solid but this film has always been a bit soft but the fine detail and textures do come through with a deeper clarity and vibrancy - though I would stop short of saying there's a lot of sharpness to the image., it's a sweaty film but this new restoration is worth the double-dip in my opinion. 

We have four audio options including the original PCM Mono 1.0 for the purist and a newly created DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1. Thankful for the inclusion of the original mono but I gotta give it to the new 7.1 surround mix, some great use of the surrounds creating a terrifyingly immersive experience with chainsaw, screams and creepy sound design filtering in from the surrounds with surprising effectiveness. 

SPECIAL FEATURES:
Onto the extras we have almost everything ported over from the Dark sky Films Ultimate Edition Blu-ray with the notable exception of one - that would be the 'Dr. W.E. Barnes Presents"Making Grandpa" (1 Minute) detailing the transformation of the actor from baby-faced youth into the hideous visage of the blood-sucking grandpa character. 

Onto the new extras on disc one we have two brand new commentaries. The first being a commentary with Writer-Producer-Director Tobe Hooper and the second with Editor J. Larry Carroll and Sound Recordist Ted Nicolaou. Between the four commentaries you will know everything you could ever hope to know about this terrifying film.

Onto the jam-packed second disc we have the carried over features plus nearly an hour of new content exclusive to the 40th Anniversary Restoration. A new interview with production manager Ron Bozman, John Dugan the actor who portrayed the blood-sucking grandpa, editor J. Larry Carroll plus new deleted scene and outtakes presented silent in the absence of an audio track. 

Additionally there are 22 minutes of interviews with Tobe Hooper and Kim Henkel which I do not believe are on my Dark Sky Ultimate Edition Blu-ray or the 40th Anniversary version from MPI in the US. 

The MPI release here in the US has courted some controversy regarding a cut to black that was originally a fade to black and Sally's scream/laugh appears to be oddly looped during the finale . Second Sight were aware of the issue and took corrective steps to return the fade to black during the flash photography sequence and the audio glitch, which is appreciated. 

DISC 1
- NEW 40th Anniversary Restoration supervised by Tobe Hooper
- NEW 4k transfer from the original 16mm A/B rolls
- NEW 7.1, 5.1 and stereo mixes as well as the original mono
- NEW audio commentary with Writer-Producer-Director Tobe Hooper
- NEW audio commentary with Cinematographer Daniel Pearl,
- Audio Commentary with Editor J. Larry Carroll, Sound Recordist Ted Nicolaou
- Audio commentary with Writer-Producer-Director Tobe Hooper, Cinematographer Daniel Pearl, Actor Gunnar HansenAudio commentary with Actors Marilyn and Burns, Allen Danziger and Paul A. Partain, and Art Director Robert A. Burns

DISC 2
- ‘Cutting Chain Saw’ with Editor J. Larry Carroll (11 Minutes)
- ‘Granpaw’s Tales’ with Actor John Dugan (16 Minutes)
- Horror’s Hallowed Grounds: TCSM (20 Minutes)
- New Deleted Scenes and Outtakes (15 Minutes)
- ‘The Shocking Truth’ Documentary (73 Minutes)
- 'The Shocking Truth' Outtakes (8 Minutes)
- ‘Flesh Wounds: Seven Stories of The Saw’ (72 Minutes)
- ‘Off The Hook’ with Actor Teri McMinn (17 Minutes)
- ‘The Business of Chain Saw’ – with Production Manager Ron Bozman (16 Minutes)
- ‘House Tour with Actor Gunnar Hansen’ (8 Minutes)
- Tobe Hooper interview (14 Minutes)
- Kim Henkel interview (8 Minutes)
- Deleted Scenes and Outtakes (25 Minutes)
- Bloopers (2 Minutes)
- Trailers and TV Spots (7 Minutes) 
- Radio Spots (1 Minute)
- Stills Gallery (2 Minutes) 
- Trailers (2 Minutes) 

VERDICT:
THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE will always be a terrifying slice of horror and this 2-disc edition from Second Sight in the UK is just fantastic with a brand-new 4K restoration and a sweet new surround mix with a wealth of bonus material clocking-in just shy of the eleven-hour mark, making this about as damn near definitive as we are ever going to see. Not just a high recommend but a must-own release for any red-blooded horror fan. 

SKINLESS (2013)

SKINLESS (2014) 

Label: WHACKED MOVIES
Release Date: November 18th 2014 

Duration: 80 Minutes
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen
Audio: Englisg Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Director: Dustin Mills
Cast: Brandon Salkil, Allison Fitzgerald, Erin R. Ryan, Dave Parker

Since director Dustin Mills arrived on the scene with THE PUPPET MONSTER MASSACRE in 2010 he has pumped out no less than six micro-budgeted horror films shot on a shoestring but dripping with a love of horror and plenty of goo. This time out we have a a medical researcher named Pete (Brandon Salkil) who is searching for nothing less than the cure for cancer from his modest basement laboratory. He is joined by research partner Dr. Alice Cross (Erin R. Ryan). Pete happens upon a breakthrough when he discover an enzyme in the belly of a flesh-eating parasitic worm which he believes he can program to eradicate cancer the cells.

It's an exciting time for the duo until they approach their financier for additional monies to fund the project and move on to the next stage - animal testing. The financier  (Dave Parker) is not so willing to cough up additional funds as he's seen very little progress in the area of research. 

With success so close Pete is crushed by the set-back and reveals to Alicia that he has cancer and has a growth on his shoulder. He suggest that they test the new drug on himself but his research partner is just not having it and wants nothing to do with it. 

Obsessed and driven by self preservation Pete injects himself with the serum and awaken the next day to find the growth has miraculously healed. He calls Alicia and the financier to announce the great news and as he waits he discovers that an unfortunate side effects of the parasitic enzyme is that it dissolves his skin rather quickly. Alicia and the pacifier arrive at his house and find Pete bandaged up and wearing a mask and goggles looking something like DARKMAN. The enzyme not only having affected his skin but also his mind and he has a new hunger for flesh. Things quickly spin out of control as Pete further deteriorates and spirals into madness putting his research partner in harm's way as he fights his new found hunger while his deep-seated amorous feelings for her come to the surface.

Shot on a shoestring budget Mills makes the most of what he has with some truly gory flesh-melting special effects that should please the gore hounds among us, some serious low-budget body horror up on the screen. Some of it can look cheap at times - and it certainly is - but still quite a fun watch loaded with gross visuals. Watching this I was reminded of the awesome film THE INCREDIBLE MELTING MAN, another fun film with a disintegrating protagonist you should check out. 

There's some full frontal nudity throughout which I can certainly appreciate which only serves to further push the body horror elements once things turn south for a few young ladies and if you crave the sight of someone shitting into a bucket SKINLESS has got that fetish covered, too.

The cast is pretty damn good, not exactly a-level acting but just right in there roles, particularly Brandon Salkil as Peter (who is also the co-writer on the film) and Erin R. Ryan as his sympathetic research partner. They had a decent chemistry together and di a fine job. 

To get the full measure of enjoyment from this nasty slice of micro-budget horror I think you need an appreciation for true low-budget cinema. This is a film shot on the cheap with a few thousand dollars and it can be a bit rough at times in both the visual and audio department. The audio on the disc was not the greatest and I found myself adjusting the volume quite a bit during my viewing, not all the audio was clearly discernible and the levels seemed to jump around. The composition of the shot were nicely done with some decent lighting but there were contrast issues and the image just is not very sharp and for those of you jaded by HDTV with razor sharpness this just might be a bit of a chore to sit through. 

Always a pleasure to sit down for a Dustin Mill joint which rarely disappoint. Mills is one of the most entertaining micro-budget directors out there right now and SKINLESS (aka THE BALLAD OF SKINLESS PETE) is a blast from start to finish with copious amounts of gore, and nudity. Was surprised how straight this was payed with very little of the humor I've come to expect from a Dustin Mills production, it doesn't hurt the film and Mills proves he's got what it takes to play it straight with this indie body-horror feature, can't wait to see what's next from the talented Mr. Mills.