Aftermath
(1982/MVD Visual/VCI Blu-ray w/DVD)/Fair
Game (1986/Umbrella
Region Free Import Blu-ray)/Gruesome
Twosome/A Taste Of Blood
(1967/MVD Visual/Arrow Blu-ray)/Night
Visitor (1971/MVD
Visual/VCI Blu-ray)/The
Sect (1991/Argento/Music
Box Blu-ray)/Scalpel
(1977/MVD Visual/Arrow Blu-ray)
Picture:
B & C+/B/B/B/B/B+ Sound: B & C+/B/B/B/B/B Extras:
C+/B/B/C/C+/B Films: C+/C+/C+ & C/C/C/B
PLEASE
NOTE:
The Fair
Game
Import Blu-ray is now only available from our friends at Umbrella
Entertainment in Australia, can only play on all Blu-ray players and
can be ordered from the link below.
Here's
a solid group of new horror/thriller releases you'll want to know
about...
The
1982 B-Movie The
Aftermath
lands on Blu-ray w/DVD thanks to VCI and MVD. Wearing its
inspirations proudly (such as Planet
of the Apes
and others), the low budget film centers around a spaceship and its
pilot (played by Steve Barkett, who also directed the film) that
returns to Earth, only to find out that the post apocalypse has
happened. Now run by mutant cannibals and a evil baddie (played by a
young Sid Haig, later of House
of 1,000 Corpses
fame), its up to the pilot to save the world! The film also stars
Lynee Margulies.
There
are two versions of the film in this edition, the 1080p Blu-ray disc
with a 1.85:1 widescreen aspect ratio and an English: LPCM 2.0
(48kHz, 24-bit) track, both of which update the film to high def in
grand fashion. Also included is the standard definition edition on
DVD with similar, yet compressed specs, that don't do the film any
favors. Despite its low budget, there's a lot of love put into this
production that can't help but be admired.
Special
Features...
Laserdisc
Extras
HD
Trailer
Original
Soundtrack
Empire
of the Dark Promo
While
not completely original, there's a lot of fun to be had in this low
budget (yet dated) romp.
If
you're a fan of Ozploitation and/or Cannon Films, then you won't want
to miss Fair
Game
(1986) - an R-rated cat and mouse thriller that's pretty fun and not
for the weak hearted!
Directed
by Mario Andreacchio, the film centers around a the lovely Cassandra
Delaney, who runs a small petting zoo in the Australian outback.
What first starts as a semi-innocent encounter with three kangaroo
hunters (Garry Who, David Sanford, and Peter Ford) turns into an all
out war. Fighting for her life every step of the way, Casandra
teaches these boys that she is one chick not to be messed with!
Restored
in 2K 1080p high definition with a 1.78:1 widescreen aspect ratio and
a nice sounding English 2.0 DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) lossless audio
track, the film looks and sounds better than you might expect on the
Blu-ray format. Due to age and condition of the print, some of the
colors in certain scenes are a bit more washed out than others but
that adds to the experience more than distract.
Special
Features include...
Audio
Commentary with Director Mario Andreacchio and Writer Rob George
Extended
interview with Cassandra Delany from Not
Quite Hollywood
on location with Fair
Game
BTS
Featurette
1985
TV Report from NWS9, Action News
Behind
The Scenes with Dean Bennett
Trailer/
Image Gallery/ Storyboards
Mario
Andreacchio Shorts
A
little over the top yet in full canon spirit, feminists should beware
of this one as it could upset some, the film looks as good as it can
on this nice Umbrella release that's worth tracking down!
(See
order link below...)
Two
restored horror features from renowned director of Blood
Feast,
Herschell Gordon Lewis (also known as the Godfather of Gore), are now
available in beautiful HD thanks to the good folks at Arrow in a new
double feature release.
The
Gruesome Twosome
A
perverse comedy (and sort of spin on the
Sweeney Todd
formula), The
Gruesome Twosome
(1967) is the tale of Mrs. Pringle and her unusual Son who both run a
wig shop. The only problem is that Pringle likes human hair for her
wigs... and has come up with an elaborate scheme to get them by
having her son scalp college girls.
A
Taste of Blood
A
contemporary Dracula movie, A
Taste of Blood
(1967) is a fun watch, even if it is a bit dated. Included here as a
bonus feature, I think I liked it more than I liked the Gruesome
Twosome.
A man (William Kerwin) receives a ancient brandy that turns him into
a Vampire... the story unfolds as his wife (Elizabeth Lee) starts to
get suspicious when he isn't acting the way that he's used to. Then
when he up and goes on a trip to London and then things start to
really get weird...
Both
films are presented in a 2K remaster on 1080p high definition with
1.75:1 aspect ratios and 1.0 Mono mixes. While some scenes have
shown a little bit of wear over time, the overall presentation is
pretty spot on and impressive for both features. There's no doubt
these are the best they are going to look considering their age and
budget.
Special
Features include...
Introductions
to the films by H.G. Lewis
Archive
audio commentaries for both films by H.G. Lewis
Peaches
Christ Flips Her Wig!
- San Francisco performer Peaches Christ on The Gruesome Twosome
It
Came from Florida
- filmmaker Fred Olen Ray (Scalps,
The
Alien Dead)
on Florida Filmmaking
H.G.
Lewis vs. the Censors
- H.G. Lewis discusses some of the pitfalls of the blood-and-guts
business including local censorship and angry moviegoers
Trailers
and radio spot
Reversible
sleeve featuring original and newly-commissioned artwork by The Twins
of Evil
H.G.
Lewis fans will want to pick up this release. Both films are pretty
fun to watch and should be on every cult movie fan's list.
Max
Von Sydow is a young axe wielding maniac in The
Night Visitor
(1971), which is a creepy and unsettling family thriller/drama.
After escaping from a mental institution after committing murder, he
sets out for his sister and her husband whom were responsible for the
murder of a farmhand and for his cruel imprisonment in the asylum.
The
film also stars Trevor Howard and Liv Ullmann (Sydow's long time
co-star in so many a Ingmar Bergmann classic film) and is directed by
Laslo Benedek (Death
of a Salesman
and
TV's original The
Outer Limits).
Presented
in 1080p high definition with a widescreen aspect ratio of 1.85:1 and
a English PCM 2.0 Stereo track, the film looks and sounds fine on
Blu-ray disc. Interestingly photographed the film has a cold look
with lots of snow and interiors that are nicely saturated then have
some darkness to them as well. If you're a fan of the film, it's
likely you've never seen it look as good as it does here. The
soundtrack by Henry Mancini (reuniting here with Producer Mel Ferrer
after their great success on Terence Young's great thriller Wait
Until Dark
(1967), reviewed on Blu-ray elsewhere on this site) is front and
center in the mix that's helps aide in some of the film's more
suspenseful moments. Too bad there wasn't a score only track here,
something Mancini fans would have particularly enjoyed.
Special
Features...
Commentary
with Author and Filmmaker Bruce G. Hallenbeck
Trailer
Following
the success of their recent Blu-ray edition of Dario
Argento's Opera
(reviewed elsewhere on this site) comes the Dario Argento production
of The
Sect
(1991, aka The
Devil's Daughter).
While not
directed by the Master himself, the film is directed by Michele Soavi
(Stage
Fright
and
Argento's
The Church,
which is being released by Scorpion next).
Sovai
worked on quite a few Argento productions until he stepped into the
director's chair and the overall tone is similar and in the way the
murders are photographed. The film is a little long and not for
everybody as its pretty dark and bleak.
The
Sect
stars Kelly Curtis, Herbert Lom, Mariangela Giordano, Michel Adatte,
and Carla Cassola to name a few. The film is produced and written by
Argento and Giovanni Romol.
In
Frankfurt, several deaths happen one after another that traces back
to a satanic cult. When a school teachers (Curtis) nearly hits an
old man (Lom) whose in possession of a box, a lot of weird things
start to happen which lead to the Sect. Full of disturbing imagery
and plenty of gore, The
Sect
will
make you fear cults again!
Remastered
in 2K high definition and boasting new color correction, The
Sect
has certainly never looked or sounded better than it does here.
Presented in 1.78:1 widescreen and a newly remastered English PCM 2.0
Stereo track, the film hardly shows any age. Despite some dark
scenes, the signs of noise and grain are minimal and the colors are
nicely saturated.
Special
Features include...
An
interview with Michele Soavi
New
interview with star Tomas Arana
Trailers
of Argento Productions
Under
the radar for most horror fans, The
Sect isn't
perfect but will please Italian horror fans who are a fan of 'killer
cult' movies. It's nice that some of these lesser known titles are
finally getting proper releases.
He
lost the face of the woman he loved... so he gave it to someone else!
Last
but not least is Director John Grissmer's plastic surgery horror film
Scalpel
(1977) in a beautifully new Blu-ray release thanks to Arrow films.
The film almost reminds me a bit of Hitchcock's Vertigo
(1958) in that a man is trying to replicate one woman's image upon
another, but the similarities pretty much end there. Interestingly
photographed and edited with a romantic score that compliments the
often times brutal imagery. I hadn't heard of this film before this
release and ended up enjoying it. I'm surprised someone hasn't
remade this film or that it hasn't gotten more love until now.
The
film stars Robert Lansing (TV's original Star
Trek,
Twilight
Zone),
Judith Chapman (As
the World Turns),
Arien
Dean Snyder, David Scarroll, and Sandy Martin to name a few. Scalpel
was written by Grissmer and Joseph Weintraub.
The
story centers around Dr. Reynolds (Lansing) who is a successful
plastic surgeon with plenty of money but a vicious dark side. After
murdering his daughter's boyfriend, she disappears and leaves with
her a staggering inheritance. When the Doctor comes across a
disfigured young girl whose face has been destroyed, he decides to
give the girl his daughter's face in order to obtain his daughter's
inheritance money. Agreeing to split the money with her, a
complicated relationship forms between the two that has to be seen to
be believed...
There
are two different colorized versions of Scalpel
on this limited edition Blu-ray release. Both showcasing the film in
1080p high definition with a 1.85:1 widescreen aspect ratio and an
original uncompressed PCM Mono audio track. The film has been
remastered in 2K and approved by Director of Photography Edward
Lachman, which is where the different color comes in hand. There's
the Lachman version with a greenish 'southern gothic' tint that has
predominate green and yellow tones and then there's the more natural
Arrow colorized version. The Arrow version looks simply stunning
with normal skin tones and details, while the Lachman version is more
of a novelty.
Special
Features include...
Brand
new audio commentary by film historian Richard Harland Smith
Brand
new crew interviews
Original
Theatrical Trailer
Reversible
sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by The Twins
of Evil
FIRST
PRESSING ONLY: Collector's Booklet with new writing on the film by
Bill Ackerman
That
should be plenty of horror for all until the next batch arrives.
To
order the
Umbrella Fair
Game
import Blu-ray, go to this link for it and other hard-to-find titles:
http://www.umbrellaent.com.au/
-
James Lockhart
https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/