Bushwick
(2017/RLJ Blu-ray w/DVD)/Cat's
Eye (1985/MGM-UA/Umbrella
Import Blu-ray)/Children
Of The Corn (1984/MVD
Visual/Arrow Blu-ray)/The
Devil's Rejects
(2005/Lionsgate/Umbrella Import Blu-ray)/Escape
Room (2017/Lionsgsate
DVD)/Fallen
(2016/Sony DVD)/Fox With
The Velvet Tail
(1971/Mondo Macabro Blu-ray)/The
Green Slime
(1968/MGM/Toei/Warner Archive Blu-ray)/Lycan
(2017/MVD Visual DVD)/Murder
By Decree (1978/Umbrella
PAL Import DVD)/Popcorn
(1991/Synapse Blu-ray)/Spider
(1991/Mondo Macabro Blu-ray)/Suffer
Little Children
(1983/InterVision DVD)/Wish
Upon
(2017/Orion/Broadgreen Blu-ray w/DVD)
Picture:
B/B/B+/B+/B/B-/B+/B/B/C+/B+/B/C/B+ & B- Sound:
B/B/B+/B/B/B-/B+/B-/B/C+/B+/B/B/B+ & B- Extras:
C/C+/B/B/C/C+/B/C-/C+/D/B/C+/B/B Films:
B/B/C+/B/C-/D/B/C+/C/B/C+/C/C+/C
PLEASE
NOTE:
The Murder
By Decree
DVD, Cat's
Eye
and Devil's
Rejects
Blu-ray Imports are now only available from our friends at Umbrella
Entertainment in Australia, the DVD can only play on Blu-ray and DVD
players that can handle the PAL DVD and Blu-rays can play on all
players worldwide, while the Green
Slime
is now only available from Warner Bros. through their Warner Archive
series. All can be ordered from the links below.
Here's
a good group of films to get you in the spirit of Trick or Treating
for the Halloween 2017 season...
Bushwick
It
is something that does not happen often enough, but the Cary
Murnion/Jonathan Milott film Bushwick
(2017) is one of the big independent cinema surprises of the year, a
feature that if it had bigger distribution and a big advertising
budget, could have been a big surprise hit.
The
somewhat under-appreciated Dave Bautista (SPECTRE,
the Guardians
Of The Galaxy
franchise) plays a man who seems to know what is going on when
madness greets those suddenly arriving in the New York neighborhood
of the title, but we get there first with a couple arriving to visit
home via the subway. After a big shock, the female half of the
couple (Brittany Snow, who is really good here and is yet another
underrated actress) has to think quick as shootouts turn up nowhere,
gun battles are followed by dead bodies, military helicopters and a
street sense of Kafka hits her instantly. What is going on here? Is
it a terrorist attack, a sudden war? Civil War? Something else?
Alien invasion?
It
is a character study of people and their neighborhood with implied
throughout about society today and the state of the U.S. in
particular, but even without all that considered, it is just a smart
thriller like we rarely see anymore. Bautista co-produced this and
it is yet another smart move in one of the quickest-rising careers in
cinema today. With choices like this, he is the next Vin Diesel and
they ought to work together. I won't say anything else as not to
spoil the fine writing and directing, but the sooner you see this
film the better, because when it finally finds an audience, everyone
will be talking about it.
This
is also as much a horror film as an action film, but best of all, it
is a mystery picture that rarely hits a bad note and reminded me of
Carpenter's best films in the street (They
Live,
Assault
On Precinct 13)
at times in the best way. I will stop there, but if you go out of
your way for it, I don't think you'll be disappointed.
The
1080p 2.35 X 1 digital High Definition image transfer was shot on HD
and is easily one of the best features shot in the format all year
with great camerawork, impressive form and a consistency we do not
see enough today. This is matched by a healthy well-recorded DTS-HD
MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless mix that is also smart and
imaginative.
Extras
include a Photo Gallery, Poster Gallery and an informative Making Of
featurette.
Cat's
Eye
After
the success of the feature film of Stephen King's Creepshow
(1982) and from the director of 1983's Cujo
(who also makes a cameo in the film), Lewis Teague, comes another
King Anthology film, Cat's
Eye
(1985). The suspense thriller's strong cast includes an early
performance by Drew Barrymore only a few years after her breakout
role in Spielberg's E.T.
and co-stars James Woods (Cronenberg's Videodrome,
reviewed elsewhere on this site), Alan King, Kenneth McMillan, and
Robert Hays to name a few. The stories are adapted from King's short
stories Quitters,
Inc.,
The
Ledge,
and The
General.
Following
a stray cat who narrowly survives a deadly encounter with Cujo and
roams from place to place as a wraparound story. The short stories
seen from the cat's perspective include an unusual intervention at a
smoker's clinic, a penthouse ledge, and a mystery surrounding a young
girl (Barrymore) and her bedroom. If you haven't seen this cult
classic in a while, it has aged much over the years and still remains
a fun entry in King's massive filmography.
Presented
in 1080p high definition with a widescreen aspect ratio of 2.40:1
(shot in real anamorphic 35mm J-D-C Scope by legendary Director of
Photography Jack Cardiff) and a nice sounding 2.0 DTS-HD MA (Master
Audio) lossless Stereo track, the film looks fine on Blu-ray disc.
Similar to a current American release of the film on Blu-ray disc,
this version updates the film to HD and brings it to life in more
clarity than previous standard definition releases.
Special
Features include...
Interview
with Actor Robert Hayes and Animal Trainer Teresa Ann Miller
Theatrical
Trailer
Reversible
Cover with alternate Cover Art
This
release is followed by another Stephen King related release Blu-ray
disc this month...
Children
Of The Corn
Based
on the short story of the same name from author Stephen King,
Children
of the Corn
(1984) is a cult classic horror film that is finally getting the
deluxe HD treatment that it deserves thanks to Arrow video. A member
of the same sub-genre as Village
of the Damned
and its sequel Children
of the Damned,
Children
of the Corn
is a franchise that, despite its many direct to video sequels, has
somehow been overlooked for a heavy handed Hollywood reboot (as of
the time of this writing) but this original film is still a favorite
amongst horror fans. Looking back, however, there isn't anything
necessarily groundbreaking in Corn
in terms of its filmmaking, cinematography, and certainly not its
primitive digital effects. Though it's strongest assets are its
creepy story, production design and chilling score.
The
film stars Terminator
star Linda Hamilton, Peter Horton (thirtysomething),
R.G. Armstrong, John Franklin, Courtney Gains, and Robby Kiger. The
film is directed by Fritz Kiersch, who didn't go on to direct
anything else too notable afterwards.
The
film centers around a young couple (Hamilton and Horton) who are
romantically traveling cross-country together, but things go south
when they get stranded in a creepy small town called Gatlin, where a
demonic cult of children holds reign with not a single adult in
sight. Under the possession of Cult Leader Isaac and Malachi, the
couple must fend for their lives in this literal hell on earth!
Presented
in 1080p high definition, the film has never looked better than this
2K HD restoration form the original camera negative. Presented in
its original widescreen aspect ratio of 1.85:1 and a clear, lossless
DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 mix, the film looks and sounds great on
Blu-ray. Some noticeable grain here and there, the low budget film
has been restored nicely in this recommendable release.
Special
Features include...
Brand
new audio commentary with John Sullivan of childrenofthecornmovie.com
and horror journalist Justin Beahm
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
It
Was the Eighties!
interview with actress Linda Hamilton
Return
to Gatlin
- brand new featurette revisiting the film's original Iowa shooting
locations
Stephen
King on a Shoestring
- an interview with producer Donald Borchers
Welcome
to Gatlin: The Sights and Sounds of Children of the Corn
- an interview with production designer Craig Stearns and composer
Jonathan Elias
Feeling
Blue
- an interview with the actor who played "The Blue Man" in
the fabled excised sequence
Theatrical
Trailer
Reversible
sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Gary
Pullin
First
pressing only: Collectors booklet featuring new writing in the film
Double
sided Poster with the original theatrical and the new poster art by
Gary Pullin.
If
you're a fan of the film then you won't want to miss this special
edition Blu-ray that really looks better than previous versions. For
more on the film, here's our coverage of the older, now obsolete
Anchor Bay Blu-ray...
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/9049/Children+Of+The+Corn+(1984/Anchor+Bay+Blu-ray
and
the old DiviMax DVD...
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/1530/Children+Of+The+Corn+(Divimax
The
Devil's Rejects
The
second entry in Rob Zombie's film career and the follow-up to his
debut film House
of 1,000 Corpses,
The
Devil's Rejects
(2005) follows the psychopathic Firefly family who are reunited in a
vast desert landscape. Inspired by the 1970s exploitation genre
that's a signature of Zombie's filmmaking style, Rejects
brings back returning cast members (and horror icons) Bill Moseley
(Texas
Chainsaw Massacre 2)
as Otis, Sheri Moon Zombie (Zombie's 31)
as Baby, and Sid Haig (Spider
Baby)
as mean clown Captain Spaulding.
Also
featured in the film are several other big names in cult cinema
including William Forsythe (Raising
Arizona),
Ken Foree (Romero's Dawn
of the Dead),
Michael Berryman (Craven's The
Hills Have Eyes),
Danny Trejo (Machete),
the late Matthew McGrory (Big
Fish),
P.J. Soles (Halloween),
and Tom Towles (Henry:
Portrait of a Serial Killer)
to name a few.
Umbrella
did a similar Blu-ray release of House
of 1,000 Corpses
earlier in the year (reviewed elsewhere on this site) which, much
like this release, is a tad better looking than the American HD
release. Lionsgate hasn't released an updated version of the film
since its initial release in 2005, which were the early days of the
Blu-ray format. For a film as popular as this one, it's surprising
that a mega-special edition or box set of the film hasn't surfaced.
After
the success of their killing spree in the first film, The Firefly
Family (Moseley, Zombie, Haig) are on the run from the police who are
hot on their trail. Shacking up in an hotel in the center of the
desert, they continue to be their horny, foul-mouthed, devious selves
while taking in a new cast of victims. Little do they know but
Sheriff Wydell (Forsythe) has a plan to take the Firefly family down,
and isn't too far from doing just that.
Presented
in 1080p high definition with a widescreen aspect ratio of 1.77:1 and
an English DTS-HD HR (High Resolution) 6.1 lossy mix, which doesn't
sound too far off from the previous American disc with its lesser,
regular DTS-ES 6.1 discrete lossier mix. As for presentation, the
film looks and sounds up to standards on Blu-ray disc with a great
soundtrack and inventive sound design that creates a fun throwback to
a time where shock movies reigned supreme.
Special
Features...
Bloody
Send-Up
Matthew
McGrory Tribute
Buck
Owens: Satan's Got to Get Along Without Me
Mary
the Monkey Girl Commercial
Captain
Spaulding's Xmas Commercial
Otis'
Home Movies
Deleted
Scenes
Blooper
Reel
Make-Up
Test and The Morris Green Show
These
extras, aside from the Deleted Scenes, are a little different than
the Lionsgate Blu-ray with the commentary track noticeably missing.
Until
a more definitive version of the film comes out, this edition of The
Devil's Rejects
from Umbrella is worth importing for hardcore Rob Zombie enthusiasts.
While a third series in the film has been rumored by Zombie for
years, the feature has yet to come to fruition, including no final
studio so we'll see.
Escape
Room
Having
spent a lot of time in big cities, I can assure you that 'escape
rooms' are a real thing that you can do with a group of your friends
and not a good idea for those who are claustrophobic. You basically
get locked into a tight, unescapable space with only clues that you
and your friends have to discover and solve in order to get out.
Taking
that same formula but mixing it with an angle similar to the Saw
films, is the new horror/thriller Escape
Room
(2017), directed by Will Wenick. Full of pretty unknown faces, the
film isn't gritty or scary enough to make the thrills of the first
Saw
film, or as gory or 'in your face' as any of its lacking predecessors
to consider it a worthy opponent.
Escape
Room
stars Bill Flynn, Evan Williams, Annabelle Stephenson, Elisabeth
Hower, and Dan Johnson.
Tyler
(Williams) turns 30 and his girlfriend Christen (Hower) decides to
get him tickets to a new Escape Room attraction in hopes of spicing
up his celebration, but what began as a innocent birthday girl soon
turns deadly, as this LA hosted Escape Room doesn't allow its losers
to come out the other end... without consequences.
This
isn't too be confused with a Russian horror film that also came out
this year called Escape
Room,
that has a bit more star power with Skeet Urich (Scream),
Sean Young (Blade
Runner)
and directed by Peter Dukes.
Presented
in standard definition with a widescreen aspect ratio of 2.35:1 and a
lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 track, the compressed version of the film
holds up to DVD standards, but lacks the definition it could have in
HD. Some loss of resolution is evident in darker areas of the film
but that also comes with the limitations of the format.
Special
Features include...
Director's
Commentary
Deleted
Scenes
Bloopers
Trailer
Gallery
Fallen
Fallen
(2016) is a essentially a recycled Twilight
with a dash of Harry Potter and it doesn't care to be right out in
the open about it. Constrained by its budget and lack of chemistry
between any of its young model-looking leads, the film is based on a
bestselling young adult fantasy novel of the same name by author
Lauren Kate.
While
I haven't read the novel, some reviewers online have stated that this
adaptation is not too far off from the book, however, the studio must
not have felt this worthy of a $100-200 million budget. A critical
and financial flop, Fallen
is a movie geared to entertain pre-teens than adults but to the rest
of us - a hard watch. Surprisingly, the book came out in 2009 which
was the height of Twilight's
fame, so I'm a little surprised it took this long for a film
adaptation to take place. The film plays out more TV movie than
serious fantasy adaptation with a cast of overly pretty faces and
lacking in creativity and fun.
Fallen
stars Addison Timlin, Jevermy Irvine, Harrison Gilbertson, Daisy
Head, Joely Richardson, and Hermione Corfield to name a few. The
film is directed by Scott Hicks (Hearts
in Atlantis).
Luce
(Timlin) ends up landing in a reform school for misfit and eclectic
teenagers that sure. Living a pseudo high school existence, she gets
the hots for two hunky guys, Daniel and Cam, and can't choose which
one she likes the best. Melodrama ensues as her fragmented memories
spell out a century long love story that involves christianity and
reincarnation.
Presented
in standard definition DVD with an anamorphic widescreen aspect ratio
of 2:40.1 and a lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 track, the film looks fine
for DVD but isn't anything too shockingly impressive in terms of
clarity when comparing to Blu-ray. No digital copy.
Special
Features...
The
Making of Fallen
Lauren
Kate: The Author's Blessing
Meet
the Fallen
Overall,
Fallen
is a film adaptation that's too ambitious or its budget and lacking
in many ways.
Fox
With The Velvet Tail
Beyond
Erotica Director Jose Maria Forque's The
Fox with a Velvet Tail
(1971), which is also known as In
The Eye of The Hurricane,
is a dated but fun murder mystery/giallo film. Thanks to a pristine
4K restoration on Blu-ray disc thanks to Mondo Macabro, the film has
never looked better and is certainly a fun little time capsule piece
for lovers of obscure foreign cinema.
To
no surprise there is no shortage of beautiful scantily-clad women in
this film, but if you're expecting a lot of nudity, then you may be
surprised to find that this film has hardly any. Using the same
framing tricks that the Austin Powers films used, where different
objects in the frame cover up private parts, it's pretty humorous to
the great lengths the filmmakers went to in order to plan these shots
out.
The
Fox with a Velvet Tail
stars AnalĂa Gade, Jean Sorel, Rosanna Yanni, Tony Kendall, Maurizio
Bonuglia, and Julio Pena. This rare Spanish giallo film starring
Italians centers around a recently parted married couple and a series
of bizarre incidents that suspiciously happen to the woman and her
new lover after on a beautiful vacation they talk together. Could
these devious acts be committed by the hands of her broken hearted
ex-husband? Nothing is as it appears in this odd tale of love, lust,
betrayal, and murder.
Presented
in 1080p high definition with a 1.78:1 widescreen aspect ratio and a
great sounding English LPCM Mono track, this is an impressive 4K
transfer from the original 35mm film negative (with no sign of grain
or artifacts!) and a good candidate for the new 4K UHD format down
the line. There's even some interesting underwater photography
during one scene that comes across surprisingly clear. The film
reminds me even a bit of the forgotten Robert Zemeckis' film What
Lies Beneath
(2000) with Michelle Pfieffer and Harrison Ford, in that in the third
act the heroine is one step ahead of her attackers.
Filmed
in the exotic Mediterranean, the film has beautiful locations, a
psychedelic soundtrack, and creative cinematography that comes across
here in stunning clarity. There's two audio options for either the
original Italian language track (with English subs) or the dubbed
English version. Both feature newly created English subtitles.
Special
Features include...
Audio
commentary by Troy Howarth
So
Sweet, So Perverse
documentary
Original
Trailer
Alternate
scenes
New
artwork from Justin Coffee
The
restoration here is commendable and fun for genre fans to revisit,
especially in this nicely produced release. The film is a little on
the long side but has more character development and intelligent than
you may expect. It's bittersweet ending is commendable as well as it
could have gone an easier storytelling route.
Green
Slime
Kinji
Fukasaku's wacky space thriller The
Green Slime
(1968) is not a great film, but is still a fun film, an
unintentionally hilarious film, a film with a great use of color,
ambitious use of models, leaves no stone unturned in creating its
only half-convincing outer space world and goes on form beginning to
end as if it had a bigger budget than 2001,
Forbidden
Planet
or a Star
Wars
sequel.
However,
the Japanese pop culture films of the 1960s just had that energy from
other space film from various studios to their giant monster
pictures. Originally released theatrically by MGM, Warner Archive
issued the film on DVD and it was a hit, one we reviewed a few years
ago at this link...
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/12135/Creepy+Creature+Double+Feature,+Volume+One
While
that DVD was fine for the format, this Blu-ray is spot-on color-wise
and is from a nice (set of?) 35mm print(s, and/or negative(s)) that
really beings out the ambition of the models, sets, production design
and costumes that will make you want to run out to an antiques store
and buy old space toys. Luciana Paluzzi, the villianess in the James
Bond film Thunderball
(1965, reviewed elsewhere on this site) is the female lead, a medical
gal whose talents will soon be very needed when the killer creatures
(as deadly as a cosplay party) show up to kill the crew on a space
station.
Robert
Horton and Richard Jaeckel are a few of the familiar actors amongst a
cast of mostly unknowns with a screenplay co-written by William
Finger, who further evolved Batman after Bob Kane created him.
Charles Fox (whose music includes work on the Linda Carter Wonder
Woman
TV series, et al) co-composed the score here. The result is a fun
romp you can get more into in this much-improved release. If you
like old Godzilla movies or the old, original Ultraman
TV series, this film is for you.
The
1080p 2.35 X 1 digital High Definition image transfer can show the
age of the materials used a little bit with some softness here and
there, but this is far superior a transfer to all previous releases
of the film or clips I've seen of it. Shot in ToeiScope and issued
in MetroColor here in the U.S., the color limits only enhance the
campy charm (Eastman Kodak was more likely used than Fuji, but that
was starting to change by then) and Toel developed the film in their
own lab, so it has a unique look indeed. Nice to see it looking so
good.
The
DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 2.0 Mono lossless mix may show some flaws
and age in the recording, including in the dubbing for this
English-only track, but it is very clear for its age otherwise and is
another pleasant surprise here. An Original Theatrical Trailer is
sadly the only extra, but that's more than the DVD had.
Lycan
Who
doesn't love a new mediocre werewolf movie full of blood and guts?
This low budget horror flick Lycan
(2017) doesn't bring new much new to the genre that hasn't been done
before but isn't without some fun gore. Directed by Bev Land, the
film uses a Blair
Witch-style
formula mixed with the slasher narrative centering around the Talbot
County Werewolf, a Lycan who is stalking the backwoods of Georgia
looking for its next victims.
Lycan
stars Dania Ramirez, Alina Puscau, Gail O'Grady, Vanessa Angel, Kalia
Prescott, Jacke Lockett, and Parker Croft to name a few.
Six
college students sign up for an interesting group project that
involves hunting down the Talbot County Werewolf. While it's all fun
and games at first, they soon get picked off one by one and soon
realize that this werewolf legend is in fact, true.
The
film is presented on standard definition DVD with a 2.35:1 widescreen
aspect ratio and a lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 mix that's fine for the
format. Compressed with colors that would be better displayed in HD,
the film is mixed and looks pretty good for the most part. Its
modern rock soundtrack has a few painful tracks to the ears, but it
adds to the flashy stylized style it's going for. The filmmakers
were smart in using drone shots to make the film feel bigger and add
to the production value, but ultimately has a rocky script with tacky
dialogue that's a bit hard to chew.
Special
Features include...
Interviews
with the Cast
Interview
with Director Bee Land
Interviews
with key crew members
Panel
Discussion with Producers and Writer
Trailer
If
you're itching for some new werewolf action with plenty of pretty
girls to look at, then Lycan
isn't all bad but nothing that will necessarily be remembered by cult
fans in the near future.
Murder
By Decree
If
you ask who are the greatest filmmakers ever to come out of Canada,
the short list should always include David Cronenberg, James Cameron,
the SCTV gang from there and Bob Clark, who could do comedies
(Porky's
and A
Christmas Story
are two of his biggest hits) and has also made some of the greatest
horror films ever including the comical Children
Shouldn't Play With Dead Things,
Deathdream
(finally coming to Blu-ray) and the direct inspiration for
Carpenter's Halloween:
the original Black
Christmas
(1974). So imagine if Clark could do a Jack The Ripper film, or a
Sherlock Holmes film, you'd imagine it would be really good. With
Murder
By Decree
(1978), he did both and managed to land two of the greatest actors of
all time as the detective leads: Christopher Plummer as Holmes and
James Mason as Dr. Watson. Was it a hit, yes, but not as huge as it
could or should have been. I reviewed the film in tis U.S. DVD debut
about 15 years ago as one of this site's first reviews, hoping it
would get rediscovered, as you can see here...
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/23/Murder+By+Decree
Now,
after a serial killer cycle, several horror cycles, more Holmes
revivals and even a nice group of really smart TV shows, it still has
not received its due or rediscovery. I was hoping someone would
issue it on Blu-ray, especially because it looks good and still
authentic to the period about 40 years later and counting. Instead,
Umbrella Entertainment has issued it in an import DVD on the PAL
video format that is sharper than the old U.S. NTSC format and not
only does it look better than the U.S. DVD, but this might just be a
new print with less noise, grain that is just fine and an
anamorphically
enhanced 1.85 X 1 image that reveals details I have not seen in eons.
The
lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono is passable and you can hear the good
music score by Carl Zittrer and Paul Zaza that always rings true and
is not overdone. This also has some suspenseful, smart sound editing
to go with its recordings, meaning a lossless version would sound
better if restored correctly. Donald Sutherland, Susan Clark, David
Hemmings, Anthony Quayle (Strange
Report),
Frank Finlay and Sir John Gielgud round out the ever-remarkable cast
(how much would the equivalent talent cost today? Way more than
you'd think.) and this remains still one of the best Sherlock Holmes
films (not counting all the great Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce films to
give the others more room) ever made. That is why I recommend it as
enthusiastically as I did then.
There
are sadly no extras, but maybe someday.
Popcorn
Definitely
an inspiration to Wes Craven's Scream
films, Popcorn
(1991) is a lesser thought of cult horror film that's a pretty fun
movie to eat literal popcorn too. The film centers around a group of
film students who decide to hold an all-night horror movie marathon
at a theater that is about to be torn down in a last ditch effort to
save their cinema club. Making the show fun, they decide to use
marketing gimmicks from the past like 3D, odor-vision, and elaborate
costumes that play along with the B-Horror Movies on-screen.
They
end up having a huge turn-around thanks to the creative thought and
fun movies. However, as innocent and fun as these film students'
intentions may be, they are soon in fear of their lives as a
psycho-manic, with an odd tie to the theater, emerges from the
shadows. This devious psycho-manic, who also happens to be a
filmmaker known as Lanyard Gates (who made a fictional film called
'The
Possessor'
in the movie), not only haunts Maggie's (Schoeln) dreams but has
returned to seek his revenge. As the Horror Movie Marathon begins,
the bodies start to pile up as nobody is safe from Gates' wrath.
Popcorn
stars Jill Schoelen (The
Stepfather),
Malcolm Danare (Christine),
Dee Wallace (Red
Christmas,
The
Howling,
E.T.
The Extra-Terrestrial)
and Tom Villard (One
Crazy Summer).
The film is directed by Mark Herrier (who worked on Bob Clark's
Porky's,
which isn't surprising considering some of the humor here) and Alan
Ormsby. There's a little bit of Nightmare
on Elm Street's
influence felt in some moments, especially with some of Lanyard's
puns and supernatural acts of murder.
Taking
a page from Darkman,
Laynard Gates steals faces and is somehow able to wear them and pass
as the person he is imitating. Overly cheesy with a subplot
involving the Killer's connection to the Protagonist, there's a few
scenes that are more hammy than scary, especially when revealing his
murderous plot.
This
new 2K scan of the original 35mm camera interpositive is presented in
1080p high definition on Blu-ray disc in its original 1.85:1
widescreen aspect ratio is pretty impressive on Blu-ray disc.
Presented in DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) lossless 7.1 (as supervised by
Synapse films), the sound mix has never been clearer. The soundtrack
of the film dates it severely, with several gut wrenchingly cheesy
tracks. They would have been better off going with just a score.
Overall, the film has never looked better than it does here.
Special
Features include...
Audio
Commentary with Director Mark Herrier, Stars Jill Schoelen, Malcolm
Danare, and Special Makeup Effects Artist Mat Falls
Midnight
Madness: The Making of Popcorn
featuring interviews with Director Mark Herrier, Stars Jill Schoelen,
Derek Rydall, Dee Wallace, Malcolm Danare, Ivette Soler, and Elliott
Hurst,
Special
Makeup Effects Artist Mat Falls, Composer Paul Zaza, and Distributor
Executive Jonathan Wolf (55 mins, HD)
Electric
Memories
- An Interview with Actor Bruce Glover
Original
Theatrical Trailer, Television Trailer and TV Spots
Still
Gallery
Blu-ray
reversible cover art by Chris MacGibbon
There
was a steel book edition of this film with an identical disc that was
only available online through Synapse in a limited edition run and
also included a nice insert booklet with linear notes in it as well.
Hardcore Popcorn fans will want to try to hunt that edition down.
However, this release is fine too.
Popcorn
isn't perfect and shows its age in its music and some of its
filmmaking choices, but it not a bad cult film to revisit, especially
on this nice Blu-ray release from Synapse.
For
more on the film, here's our look at the older DVD...
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/3161/Popcorn+(1991
Spider
Russian
Director Vasili Mass's Spider
(1991) is an experimental horror-thriller with some fantasy elements
used to explore it's psycho-sexual themes. Eloquently shot and
presented for the first time in HD, this artistic feature isn't for
everyone, as it has many surrealistic dream sequences and a mix of
primitive stop motion animation in certain segments. An allegory for
sexual awakening, the film is very visual and literal in some moments
but never short of creativity.
Vita,
a pretty young girl, poses as the Virgin Mary for a controversial
artist for a painting that he is doing. She soon finds herself
hallucinating around his paintings and has a terrible dream about him
becoming a spider that night in her dreams. Exploring some
controversial themes in its storytelling, especially for the time,
Spider
dives into the psyche with a sense of eroticism to accompany its
weirdness.
Remastered
in 4K from its original 35mm film elements to great success, the film
looks stunning in 1080p high definition. The original 1.33:1 full
frame aspect ratio has been preserved and a new LPCM mono track with
new Russian subtitles rounds out a solid presentation. You can tell
that Mondo Macabro spent a lot of time on this restoration as the
image is nearly flawless with even minimal grain.
Special
Features...
In-depth
interview with director Vasili Mass
Archival
footage from the set of the film
Mondo
Macabro previews
Brand
new cover art by Gilles Vranckx
Suffer,
Little Children
InterVision
Corp specializes in digging up horror/exploitation gems of the past
and remastering and retooling them for today's modern audience. This
odd little gem,
Suffer, Little Children
(1983) is a short on video micro budgeted film will plenty of shocks
to keep you up at night. In the safe vein as The
Exorcist,
the film centers around a mute child who arrives at a children's home
and terrorizes and enthralls the other children in the home with her
supernatural (and demonic) abilities.
While
not as charming as Severin's excellent remaster of Cathy's
Curse
(1977) that came out earlier in the year, but certainly in the same
'demonic children' subgenre, Suffer
Little Children
is a fun watch if you like no budget horror movies that don't hold
back despite their limitations.
A
film of this nature doesn't really need a HD release, as it wouldn't
really make much of a difference considering the source material.
The film is presented on standard definition DVD with a 1.66:1 full
frame presentation and a lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 track. The film
doesn't look great, but isn't supposed to, as it's ripe with
compression issues, static, and other artifacts that are common for
shooting on dated video. For what it is and what they had to work
with here, the transfer is fine and almost adds to the effect of the
film.
Special
Features...
School
of Schock
- an interview with Director Alan Briggs
Seducing
the Gullible
- An interview with Legend of UK 'Nasty' Era Fanzine Critique John
Martin
Trailer
If
you pick up this disc, definitely check out the extras as there is an
interesting little story that surrounded the film before it was
released. Due to the way it was marketed, many people were convinced
that the children in the film were actually harmed and their deaths
covered up. After seeing the film, they obviously realized that the
film is obviously a glorified 'school project'.
Wish
Upon
Finally,
we have this new teen angsty version of Wishmaster
(only without the fun characters and cameos) with a mix of The
Ring,
with the similarly-titled Wish
Upon
(2017). This stylish and nicely produced feature is interesting on a
filmmaking level with direction by John R. Leonetti (the first
Annabelle)
but nothing too new or thrilling otherwise. Wish Upon uses the
classic 'genie in a bottle'/ 'be careful what you wish for' formula
that worked for Aladdin with rising star Joey King (Going
in Style,
Independence
Day: Resurgence)
in the lead, who is fine for the role. The film co-stars mostly
unknowns Sherilyn Fenn, Elisabeth Rohm, the return of actor Ryan
Phillippe (54),
and Shannon Purser.
Claire
Shannon (King) is an average girl trying to survive high school.
When her Dad (Phillippe) gives her a weird antique music box,
everything in her life starts to change. She is granted seven wishes
from the music box and she of course ends up getting those wishes
granted... with unusual and supernatural consequences. But what
happens when those wishes run out?
Presented
in 1080p high definition Blu-ray with a widescreen aspect ratio of
2.40:1 and a nicely mixed DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless track
(and Spanish DTS 5.1), both versions of the film look and sound up to
Blu-ray standards. Also included is a standard definition DVD of the
film with a lossy 5.1 Dolby Digital mix. While it's nice to have
both versions of the film in one set, the DVD couldn't hold up
against the Blu-ray, which is miles more impressive and clear.
No
digital UV copy.
Special
Features:
Unrated
(91 min.) and Theatrical (90 min) cuts of the film.
"I
Wish: The Cast Share What They Would Wish"
- Featurette
"Attic
Tour with Joey King"
- Featurette
"Directing
Darkness: John Leonetti and Cast Talk About Developing a Horror Film"
- Featurette
"Motion
Comics: Lu Mei's Curse and Arthur Sands Reveal The Stories Behind The
Previous Owners Of The Box"
- Featurette
To
order either of the
Umbrella import Blu-rays or DVD, go to this link:
http://www.umbrellaent.com.au/
...and
to order The
Green Slime
Warner Archive Blu-ray, go to this link for it and many more great
web-exclusive releases at:
http://www.wbshop.com/
-
James Lockhart & Nicholas
Sheffo (Bushwick,
Slime,
Decree)
https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/