COLD WAR CREATURES: FOUR FILMS FROM SAM KATZMAN (1955-1957) (Arrow Video Blu-ray Review)

COLD WAR CREATURES:

FOUR FILMS FROM SAM KATZMAN (1955-1957)

Label: Arrow Video 

Region Code: Region-FREE
Rating: Unrated 
Duration: 293 Minutes 
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 1.0 Mono with Optional English Subtitles
Video: Black & White 1080p HD Widescreen (1.78:1) / (1.85:1)

Directors: Edward L. Cahn, Fred F. Sears

With Arrow offering up premium box sets worshipping delicious drive-in trash from regional filmmakers like Bill Rebane and William Grefé it was only a matter of time till they got to the sci-fi and horror films of producer Sam Katzman who pumped out hundreds of low-budget b-movies over the course of his storied forty year career, but his most notorious and cherished films are this quartet of z-grade terrors made for Columbia during the atomic-age era. This fantastic set collects Creature with the Atom Brain (1955), The Werewolf (1956), Zombies of Mora Tau (1947), and the legendary The Giant Claw (1957)! 

If you grew up in the 70's and 80's like me and watched the monster-movie matiness on TV channels like WPIX you probably saw these cheese-tastic terror films, and love them or not, you probable have not forgotten about them. In Creature with the Atom Brain (1955) a fallen mob boss recruits an ex-Nazi scientist to reanimate his dead thugs to have his revenge on those who double-crossed him. It's a fun mad scientist romp starring Richard Denning (Creature from the Black Lagoon) with cool super strong zombies mixed with a crime thriller. The flick even inspired a kick-ass song with the same name by rocker Roky Erickson. In The Werewolf (1956) an auto-accident survivor with amnesia (Steve Ritch, City of Fear) is experimented upon to create a vaccine for nuclear fall-out, but with the unfortunate side effect of turn into a werewolf! A fun atom-age spin on the lycanthropic tale that takes it in a new direction, and Ritch is a sympathetic character and the vintage time-lapse dissolve transformations are fun, plus the werewolf looks fantastic in my opinion. In Zombies of More Tau (1957), directed by Edward L. Cahn (It! The Terror from Beyond Space), a group of treasure hunters in search of sunken ship full of diamonds must face-off against the pesky swimming-undead who are cursed to guard the treasure. The flick stars Gregg Palmer (From Hell It Came) and Morris Ankrum (Earth vs. The Flying Saucers), and while this one is kind of a snoozer but I love the "underwater" shot scenes, which are shot on a smoke-filled stage with the very dry actors moving in slow-motion, and the cherry on top is scene of the scuba divers blowing soap bubbles to emulate escaping oxygen bubbles! The showstopper here is The Giant Claw (1957), wherein an enormous super-sonic bird from outer-space terrorizes the world. The puppeteered terror bird actually looks mighty impressive when you get beyond how goody it looks. This one stars Mara Corday (Tarantula!) and Jeff Morrow (This Island Earth) one is filled with a lot of stock footage but if you're a fan of creature-terrors like Tarantula! (1956) and The Deadly Mantis (1957) and can stomach a much cheaper produced derivative this is a fun one. 

Audio/Video: It doesn't looks like Arrow created new HD masters for these but the black and white looks solid in 1080p HD with good looking grayscale and contrast that easily bests the 2007 4-disc DVD set from Sony Pictures. Grain can be a bit funky at times but the increased resolution keeps things appropriately sharp and well contrasted. The uncompressed 1.0 mono audio also sounds quite nice, it's vintage and flat sounding, but it's clean and well preserved. 

The extras are delightful, each film gets a new introduction by UK film critic Kim Newman which are all over ten minutes each.  Creature with the Atom Brain gets a new commentary from Russell Dyball, and a new 73-minute Sam Katzman: Before and Beyond the Cold War Creatures illustrated presentation on the life, career and films of Sam Katzman by historian and critic Stephen R, plus we get a condensed Super 8mm version of the film, plus a Theatrical Trailer and Image Gallery.

The Werewolf gets a new audio commentary by critic Lee Gambin, the Beyond Window Dressing visual essay by historian and critic Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, a condensed Super 8mm version of the film, a Theatrical Trailer

and Image Gallery.

The Zombies of Mora Tau features a brand-new audio commentary by critic Kat Ellinger, visual essay 

Atomic Terror: Genre in Transformationby critic Josh Hurtado, Theatrical Trailer and Image Gallery.

The Giant Claw  also gets an audio commentary by critics Emma Westwood and Cerise Howard, plus visual essay Family Endangered! by critic Mike White, a condensed Super 8mm version, Theatrical Trailer and Image Gallery. 

Special Features: 
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentations of all 4 films
- Original uncompressed mono audio for all films
 -Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Fully illustrated 60-page collector’s book featuring extensive new writing by Laura Drazin Boyes, Neil Mitchell, Barry Forshaw, Jon Towlson and Jackson Cooper
- 80-page collector’s art book featuring reproduction stills and artwork from each film and new writing by historian and critic Stephen R. Bissette
- 2 double-sided posters featuring newly commissioned artwork by Matt Griffin
- Reversible sleeves featuring original and newly commissioned artwork for each film by Matt Griffin

Disc 1 - Creature with the Atom Brain (1955) (69 Minutes) 
- Brand-new introduction by historian and critic Kim Newman
- Brand-new audio commentary by critic Russell Dyball
- Sam Katzman: Before and Beyond the Cold War Creatures, a brand-new feature-length illustrated presentation on the life, career and films of Sam Katzman by historian and critic Stephen R. Bissette
- Condensed Super 8mm version of Creature with the Atom Brain, produced for home cinema viewing
- Theatrical Trailer
- Image Gallery

Disc 2 - The Werewolf (1956) (79 minutes) 
- Brand-new introduction by critic Kim Newman
- Brand-new audio commentary by critic Lee Gambin
- Beyond Window Dressing, a brand-new visual essay exploring the oft-overlooked role of women in the films of Sam Katzman by historian and critic Alexandra Heller-Nicholas
- Condensed Super 8mm version of The Werewolf, produced for home cinema viewing
- Theatrical Trailer
- Image Gallery

Disc 3 - The Zombies of Mora Tau (1957) (70 Minutes) 
- Brand-new introduction by critic Kim Newman
- Brand-new audio commentary by critic Kat Ellinger
- Atomic Terror: Genre in Transformation, a brand-new visual essay ex
ploring the intersection of mythical horror creatures and the rational world of science in the films of Sam Katzman by critic Josh Hurtado
- Theatrical Trailer
- Image Gallery

Disc 4 - The Giant Claw (1953) (75 minutes) 
- Brand-new introduction by critic Kim Newman
- Brand-new audio commentary by critics Emma Westwood and Cerise Howard
- Family Endangered!, a brand-new visual essay examining the theme of Cold War paranoia in Sam Katzman monster movies, by critic Mike White
- Condensed Super 8mm version of The Giant Claw, produced for home cinema viewing
- Theatrical Trailer
- Image Gallery

It's another knock-out limited edition set from Arrow Video who are killing it these days, big time. As with many of Arrow's specialty sets I don't think these cornball atomic-age b-flicks will appeal to general horror audiences, but if you're that special someone with youthful nostalgia for cheese-tastic sci-fi and monster mayhem this is gonna scratch that monster kid itch. 

CHILDREN OF THE CORN (1984) (Arrow Video 4K UHD Review)

CHILDREN OF THE CORN (1984)

Label: Arrow Video
Region Code: Region-FREE
Duration: 82 Minutes
Rating: R
Audio: English LPCM 2.0 Stereo, English DTS-HD MA 5.1 Surround with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 2160p UHD Widescreen (1.85:1)
Director: Fritz Kiersch
Cast: Peter Horton, Linda Hamilton, R.G. Armstrong, Julie Maddalena, John Philbin, John Franklin, Courtney Gains

Eighties killer-kiddie classic Children of the Corn (1984) scared the living Hell out of me when I caught it in my pre-teens on good ol' VHS. I grew up in a very rural area in Upstate New York with plenty of corn fields throughout the area, so the idea of a dark Lovecraftian force known as "He Who Walks Behind the Rows" who spurred children to slaughter all the adults in their town really burrowed down into my psyche and dark imagination in a big, bad way. Even as a kid I found the idea of kids killing all the adults rather frightening, and while the movie affects me differently now thirty-five plus years later I think this one holds up mighty finely when back-up by some youthful nostalgia.

The film opens on a Sunday morning in the small town of Gatlin, Texas. The adults are gathered at the local diner for their usual post-sermon coffee and breakfast when the kids suddenly rise up and poison/massacre every last one them, all the while the creepy kid cult-leader Isaac (John Franklin, The Addam's Family) peers through the window with a smile. We get some decent carnage as the kids poison the coffee pot, hacking and slashing the adults and slicing off the proprietor of the diner's hand with a meat slicer! Now, the carnage is mostly relegated to splashes of blood but I love it when the kid with the milkshake mustache catches a face full of the red stuff!

Three years later young couple Vicky (Linda Hamilton, Terminator) and her boyfriend Burt (Peter Horton, TV's Thirtysomething) are travelling through rural Nebraska when a young boy emerges from the corn field right into the path of their car. They put him in the car and drive into the nearby town of Gatlin, which at first seems deserted, but soon enough they discover the kiddie-only inhabitants are nothing to be trifled with, as creepy cult-leader Isaac and his evil-ginger sidekick Malachi (Courtney Joiner, The 'Burbs) capture Vicky and put her on a crucifix made of corn, to be sacrificed to their Lovecraftian lord, He who Walks Behind the Rows.

Based on the Stephen King short story "Disciples of the Crow," this is probably the first King adaptation I saw as a kid, it was chilling to me as a kid, though now I can see it for the somewhat problematic thing that it is, padded for time to stretch the short-subject source material, adding a young girl with clairvoyant visions, but that the creepy kid cult-leader as played by John Franklin (who was 24 when he made this!) still manages to make my skin crawl with his eerie sermons and odd demeanor. Then we have his sidekick Malachi, whom develops a feud with Isaac over the proper way to worship their dark Lord, culminating in some treachery.

The finale is fun piece of work, both frantic, frightful and field-burning, but the visual effects might be a bit problematic for those who weren't raised on this vintage slice of horror - they do not really stand-up to the test of time, but the scenes of He Who Walks Behind The Rows burrowing beneath the surface of the ground and the way it displaces the dirt looks very cool, and the fireball is wonderful. To this day I cannot pass a corn field and think of this film, it's left it's mark on me for sure, a testament to the iconic nature of this one.

Audio/Video: The Children of the Corn (1984) arrives on 4K UHD from Arrow Video befitting from a new 4K restoration from the original 35mm camera negative. This looks great, easily surpassing the already great looking  2017 Blu-ray Arrow released. The UHD benefits from a Dolby Vision HDR10 color grading that is used with a light touch; the increased resolution better resolves film grain and looks tighter, but it still has some noisy looking grain in the earlier and darker scenes. Colors are more nuanced with better contrast, the warm Midwestern sunlight bathes it, with deep blacks and nicely detailed textures throughout. No Dolby Atmos upgrade on this one but audio on the disc comes by way of uncompressed English LPCM 2.0 or DTS-HD MA 5.1. I still prefer the stereo track, which has a nice presence to it, though the surround does open up the sound stage and with the score bleeding into the surrounds, optional English subtitles are provided.

Arrow Video carry over all the extras from their 2017 Blu-ray beginning with an audio commentary from with John Sullivan of www.childrenofthecornmovie.com and horror journalist Justin Beahm, and Sullivan shows up again for a 16-min location revisit showcasing the filming locations current day.

Screenwriter George Goldsmith is interviewed and gets into his early career as a small town investigative reporter before dropping that for screenwriting, working on Master of Kung Fu TV series and Force Five, and adapting the work of Stephen King. another cool extra is the short film Disciples of the Crow (1983), which is one of the infamous "dollar baby" King adaptations, this one coming out a year before the feature length movie. There are also over fifty minutes of interviews with actors Julie Maddalena and John Philbin (Return of the Living Dead), all in you're looking at over three hours of extras and that's before you get two the two feature length audio commentaries!

Special Features:

- Brand new 4K restoration from the original camera negative by Arrow Films

- 4K Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)

- Original lossless stereo and 5.1 Audio Options

- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing

- Audio commentary with John Sullivan of www.childrenofthecornmovie.com and horror journalist Justin Beahm
- Return to Gatlin - A brand new featurette revisiting the film's original Iowa shooting locations with John Sullivan of www.childrenofthecornmovie.com (16 min)
- A Field of Nightmare - A brand New interview with Screenwriter George Goldsmith (17 min) HD
-  ...And The Corn Shall Lead Them - A Brand new interview with Actors Julie Maddalena and John Philbin (52 min) HD
- Stephen King on a Shoestring - an interview with producer Donald Borchers (11 min) HD
- Audio commentary with director Fritz Kiersch, producer Terrence Kirby and actors John Franklin and Courtney Gains
- Harvesting Horror - The Making of Children of the Corn - retrospective piece featuring interviews with director Fritz Kiersch and actors John Franklin and Courtney Gains (61 min)
- It Was the Eighties! - an interview with actress Linda Hamilton (14 min)
- Welcome to Gatlin - The Sights and Sounds of Children of the Corn, an interview with production designer Craig Stearns and composer Jonathan Elias (15 min)
- Cut From the Corn - an interview with the actor who played "The Blue Man" in the fabled excised sequence (6 min)
- Theatrical Trailer (1 min) HD
- Storyboard Gallery (6 min) HD
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Gary Pullin
- Short Film: Disciples of the Crow (1983): Originally shot as Children of the Corn, this short film adaptation of the eponymous Stephen King Story was made one year before the 1984 feature version of the version (19 Minutes) HD

Children of the Corn (1984) still works it's 80s killer-kids magic all these years later, a testament to both Stephen King's original story and to the direction of Fritz Kiersch, this is a film that will be scaring audiences for years to come. Arrow Video's 4K UHD release looks great and has some fantastic extras, sadly no Atmos upgrade, but this is the definitive release of the film on home video and well-worth the upgrade if your set up for 4K UHD. 

SCREAM FACTORY PRESENTS ELVIRA’S HAUNTED HILLS COLLECTOR’S EDITION ON BLU-RAY OCTOBER 5th, 2021

ELVIRA’S HAUNTED HILLS

COLLECTOR’S EDITION BLU-RAY

 

“Severed Heads, Premature Burial, Carnality. This is the Bust-Out Movie of the Year!"– Rob Zombie

Elvira’s back and she’s fabulous! On October 5th,  2021, Scream Factory proudly presents the camp classic Elvira’s Haunted Hills from the iconic horror host in a Collector’s Edition Blu-ray release. The Blu-ray features a brand-new 4K scan of the original camera negative and comes loaded with bonus features including a new introduction by Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, all housed within limited-edition collectible slipcase packaging, while supplies last.

 

Fans who order their copies from shoutfactory.com will also receive an exclusive poster featuring brand-new artwork, while supplies last.  

 

With her voluptuous figure, voluminous black hair and hilarious one-liners, the essence of camp oozes from her pores. Elvira’s Haunted Hills culls its outrageousness from the classic Vincent Price/Edgar Allan Poe/Roger Corman films of the early 60s, along with a little Rocky Horror Picture Show and Fearless Vampire Killers.

 

The tale begins in 1851, when Elvira and her maid Zou Zou are en route to perform in the Parisian Revue “Yes I Can Can,” but inadvertently end up at the sinister Lord Vladimere Hellsubus’ medieval castle. Bearing an uncanny resemblance to Vladimere’s long-dead wife, Elvira learns of the Hellsubus curse and finds her life in danger. Will she escape the family curse and the evil Vladimere? And can she keep her hands off of the stable hand long enough to save the day?

 

Special Features:

- NEW Restoration from a 4K Scan of the Original Camera Negative

- NEW Introduction by Elvira, Mistress Of The Dark

- Audio Commentary with Actors Cassandra Peterson, Mary Scheer, Mary Jo Smith And Scott Atkinson, and Director Sam Irvin

- Making-Of Featurette

“Transylvania Or Bust” Featurette

- Elvira in Romania Featurette

- Interview with Actor Richard O’Brien

- Outtakes

- Photo Gallery

SILIP: DAUGHTERS OF EVE (1986) (Mondo Macabro Blu-ray Review)

SILIP: DAUGHTERS OF EVE (1986) 

Label: Mondo Macabro

Region Code: A

Rating: Unrated

Duration: 125 Minutes

Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1)

Audio: English-dubbed and Tagalog DTS-HD MA 2.0 Stereo with Optional English subtitles

Director:  Elwood Perez

Cast:  Maria Isabel Lopez, Sarsi Emmanuelle, Mark Joseph, Myra Manibog, Pia Zabale

This surreal, softcore Filipino exploitation flick Silip: Daughters of Eve (1986) opens in the remote seaside village of Hocos Norte where the town butcher Simon (Mark Joseph) bludgeons a bull to death with a hammer on a sand dune before slicing it's throat open and slaughtering the beast in front of a group on small children who are horrified by the spectacle, especially a young boy named Tiago (Arwin Rogelio). It's a stomach-jolting sight that brought to mind similar animal killings in Cannibal Holocaust, and as the children protest the cruelty the butcher matter-of-factly explains to them the harsh reality of life and the food chain in their village. As he finishes up his speech a young girl named Pia (Pia Zabale) begins to menstruate down her leg, its a weird opening but it adequately sets the stage for this wild slice of Filipino exploitation, establishing a weird and violent atmosphere that sticks with this one right on through to the end.

We then turn to a young woman named Tonya (former Miss Philippines Ma. Isabel Lopez, Dune Warriors) who has been charged with teaching the village children after a priest has fallen ill. Her teachings are moralistic to the extreme, bordering on insanity, telling the young girls she teaches that men hide the Devil's horn between their legs! Her bizarre teachings have begun to catch the ear of the villagers elders, some of whom disapprove of her twisted religious views, and the village is further shaken up by the arrival of Selda (Sarsi Emmanuelle, Snake Sisters), Tonya's sister, who left for life in the big city five years previously. Selda arrives along her idiotic American boyfriend Ronnie (Daren Craig Johnson), and we learn that her sister harbors quite a bit of resentment against her because she five years ago she slept with the village butcher Simon, whom Tonya had a crush on. Tonya has long harbored a secret lust for the butcher, and while he's a womanizer who flirts with her often, her chaste religious beliefs prevent her from acting on her urges, despite the fact that she clearly has a raging libido. When Tonya gets sexually excited she'll masturbates but then freaks out and literally rubs hot sand and salt onto her burnin' love pussy to extinguish the sinful desires! 

Selda's presence also seems to cause the tension within the village, it doesn't help that she hops into bed with the butcher, much to the chagrin of his girlfriend Mona (Myra Manibog, Snake Sisters), whom they tie up and make her watch. When Ronnie catches Selda in the act of cheating he fights the butcher, but after being beaten by him he attempt to mouth rape Tonya to soothe his ego, but she is saved by her virginity-protecting grandmother!

With the forces of sexual repression, adultery and lust tearing the village apart things quickly begin to spiral out of control, the tipping point turns out to be when Tonya punishes Pia over her budding sexuality and attraction for the boy Tiago (Arwin Rogelio), throwing burning hot sand onto the girl's vagina in the process! Eventually this mix of lust, adulatory, religious repression and envy boil over into a village wide orgy of sexual assault and violence the likes of which you will never forget!

While the movie runs over two hours it is never dull, not even for a moment, it's a fascinating exploration of the effects sex sex, violence and religion repression on this tiny seaside village, including the effect is has on young people coming of age who have been exposed to the warped ideas that fester there. The acting seems quite strong to me; I am not being a Tagalog speaker but I found the performances quite compelling, particularly that of out two attractive leads, though a few supporting characters might turn in slightly overwrought performances, but none of it is ruinous. It also has a very interesting setting, the volcanic sandy beaches and dunes of the Philippine location look great on camera, as do the bamboo and thatched roof structures. It feels like a very primitive film, so it was a bit surprising when a tour bus comes rolling through at one point, it was a bit jarring, but it made for intriguing entrance for Selda and her American boyfriend, who like the arrival of the seemingly anachronistic bus, singled a change. 

The weird tone of this arthouse bit of sleaze is punctuated by some gruesome violence; we have a number of sexual assaults (including a gang rape), bloody genitalia, animal slaughter, and a blood-spewing beheading - but the real horror show is socio-political politics inside the village and how religion, envy and lust provide fuel for the savage mob violence we see happen in the final leg of the film.  

Audio/Video: Silip: Daughters of Eve (1986) arrives on Blu-ray from Mondo Macabro uncut and restored from the film negative in 1080p HD framed in 1.85:1 widescreen. I never saw the DVD to compare it to but it's seems obvious that the elements were not exactly stored in optional conditions. There are faint vertical lines and scratches visible throughout, and a weird smudge near center of the screen during a few scenes that looks like a oil smear on the lens, but you can tell MM put some love into the restoration to get it to where it is. It's a pretty grainy looking film with a thick film like appearance, and with healthy skin tones and colors. There's main color scheme seems to be various shades of brown and beige, but at times bit of red and blue clothing shine through and break up the color-monotony.  

Audio comes by way of both English-dub and Tagalog DTS-HD MA 2.0 stereo with optional English subtitles. The English dub is not great, it's poorly done and the music cues are different, I suggest sticking with the Tagalog audio option which has the best dialogue delivery and score, sounding more natural and organic. 

Extras include a brand new commentary with author Andrew Leavold that I quite enjoyed, as I am not familiar with a lot of Filipino exploitation films so I enjoyed his dissection of the various sub-genres of Filipino sexploitation and roughies like the "bomba". He also gets into the political climate of the era at the end of the Marcos regime, government censorship and how filmmakers skirted it, and where this film sits alongside other contemporary Filipino exploitation flicks, as well as some cool tidbits about the making of this film and the cast and director. 

We also get some great carry-overs extras from the previous 2-disc DVD edition, these include  a 19-minute interview with director Elwood Perez, an 8-minute interview with art director Andrew Leavold, a 14-minute interview with actress Maria Isabel Lopez, and a 46-minute interview with actress Sarsi Emmanuelle, plus a 14-minute Mondo Macabro preview reel. The single-disc release arrives in a standard keepcase with a single-sided sleeve of artwork featuring a new illustration by Justin Coffee.

Special Features:

- Interview with director Elwood Perez (19 min)

- Interview with art director Andrew Leavold (8 min)

- Interview with actress Maria Isabel Lopez (14 min)

- Interview with actress Sarsi Emmanuelle (46 min) 

- Audio Commentary with Andrew Leavold

- New cover artwork from Justin Coffee

- Mondo Macabro Previews (14 min) 

Silip: Daughters of Eve lived up to the hype, it's a shocking, unsettling slice of Filipino sexploitation that has a lot happening under the surface, and the terrific Blu-ray from Mondo Macabro is top-notch and recommended for lovers of fucked-up foreign cinema.  

Screenshots from the Mondo Macabro Blu-ray: 

Extras: