Art Of The Dead (2019*)/Bliss (2019*)/Chain Of Death (2019**)/Get Gone (2019**)/Kiss Of The Tarantula (1976 aka Shudders/VCI Blu-ray w/DVD***)/Ladyworld (2019/**all Cleopatra DVDs/***All MVD)/Twin: The Complete First Season (2019/*all Umbrella PAL import DVDs)

Picture: B-/B-/B-/B-/B & B-/B-/C+ Sound: B-/B-/B-/B-/B & B-/B-/C+ Extras: D/D/C/C/C+/C/D Main Programs: C+/C/C/C/C/C+/C

PLEASE NOTE: The Art Of The Dead, Bliss and Twin Import DVDs are now only available from our friends at Umbrella Entertainment in Australia, can only play on DVD, 4K and Blu-ray players that can handle PAL DVDs and can be ordered from the links below.

This group of thrillers, usually in the horror genre, are releases you might not have heard of, but show the B-movie spirit remains alive...

Art Of The Dead (2019) is a fun independent horror film about a recently deceased painter that crafted seven pieces of possessed art that each feature the seven deadly sins known as the 'Sin-sation Collection' and each features animals in grotesque creations. When a rich family wins them at an art show for a hefty price, the paintings end up leaving a blood bath in their midst as each of the victims commit one of these deadly sins of greed, envy, gluttony, lust, sloth, pride, and wrath. Soon, a rich mansion in LA becomes a house full of literal sin.

The film stars Tara Reid, Richard Grieco, Jessica Morris, Lukas Hassel, and Sarah French.

Art of the Dead is presented in anamorphically enhanced, standard definition with a widescreen aspect ratio of 2.35:1 and a lossy 5.1 Dolby Digital audio mix, both of which are up to par for the format. The film is shot nicely and doesn't have any glaring issues.

This should have gotten more buzz than it got initially as it actually isn't too bad of a film. It could have been a bit stronger with some bigger names attached, but it at least attempts to tell a semi-original story. There are some realistic looking special effects in the film, namely one scene where a woman is skinned and her back is cut open. Gross! There are some bad effects in the film too, like the laughable Satanic goat demon that's obviously a guy in a costume that's screen use is a bit gratuitous.

Unfortunately, Dorian Wild, who is the anti-villain artist character that created these paintings, is a bit over the top and would have been more effective with better (or veteran genre movie star) casting. Still it is definitely inspired by '80s horror movie cinema and you can tell is made by people who have an appreciation for genre B movies. All in all, Art of the Dead isn't too bad for a modern low budget horror film, but inarguably could have been better.

No extras.

Joe Begos' Bliss (2019) is a wild and weird vampire film that isn't what you would usually expect from the genre. The film centers around a starving artist named Dizzy (Dora Madison Burge) who is low on cash and inspiration. She then goes to a party and has a wild sex and drug driven night. The next day, she wakes up seeing several bizarre hallucinations and a sudden craving for blood. With only a few days left to finish an important art piece for a show, Dizzy must work through her addictions to finish her work... if she can.

The film also stars Tru Collins, Rhys Wakefield, Susan Slaughter, Jeremy Gardner, and Abraham Benrubi.

The film is presented in an anamorphically enhanced 2.35:1 widescreen aspect ratio and a lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 mix. The film is compressed on standard definition DVD but has a wide color palette and interesting cinematography. The soundtrack is appropriately grungy and experimental and matches the film's surreal style.

No special features.

Bliss has a typical vampire story mixed with drugs, sex, and dizzying camerawork. At times the film is interesting and at other times feels like its trying a bit too hard to be freaky.

David Martin-Porras' horror film, Chain of Death (2019) is an hateful indie that centers around a man named Mike, (John Patrick Amedori) who joins a bizarre cult after hearing of contracting a neurological disease. Hoping for an 'assisted suicide', he instead finds out that he is has to kill someone on his own to qualify. He descends into madness and ends up a maniac killer.

The film stars Madeline Zima, Jamie Clayton, Ray Wise, Neus Asensi, and Adrienne Barbeau.

Chain of Death is presented in anamorphically enhanced standard definition on DVD disc with a widescreen aspect ratio of 2.35:1 and a lossy 5.1 Dolby Digital mix. The film is nicely photographed but is presented here with compression issues evident to the format.

Special Features include:

Deleted Scenes

Theatrical Trailer

and an Image Slideshow

Chain of Death is a silly movie that tries hard to be scary with lackluster results.

The ultra low budget horror film, Get Gone (2019), lands on DVD courtesy of MVD and Cleopatra entertainment. In the same vein as the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise, the film revolves around a redneck crazy family (to which horror film veteran Lin Shaye leads as the mother) who are threatened by the town to foreclose their property. As the town and others attempt to take back their land, the family murders and slaughters anyone that attempts. Of course, there's a masked maniac in the bunch that loves to hack away. The lack of originality in this film is pretty astounding.

The film stars West Coppola Cage, Bailey Coppola, Bradley Stryker, and Robert Miano.

Get Gone is presented in anamorphically enhanced standard definition on DVD disc with a widescreen aspect ratio of 2.35:1 and a lossy 5.1 Dolby Digital mix. While the image is quite compressed, as is usual for the format, the film looks and sounds as fine as it can.

Special Features include:

Trailer and Slideshow

and trailers for other MVD/Cleopatra releases.

Get Gone isn't anything original or recommendable. Just a run of the mill low budget slasher flick inspired by stronger genre works.

Chris Munger's Kiss Of The Tarantula (1976 aka Shudders) is a classic B Movie that is a fun time capsule piece that's worth revisiting on Blu-ray from VCI. The story centers around a disturbed young girl who can command her tarantula to attack her enemies. Campy, yet plenty of fun, Kiss of the Tarantula was definitely a drive-in movie on a double bill once upon a time ago. If the sight of real tarantulas freaks you out then this film may not be for you! It definitely made my skin crawl!

The film stars Ernesto Macias, Suzanna Ling, Herman Wallner, Patricia Landon, and Beverly Eddins.

Kiss of the Tarantula is presented in 1080p on Blu-ray disc with a widescreen aspect ratio of 1.85:1 and an English LPCM 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit) mix. Also included is an anamorphically enhanced standard definition DVD with similar, yet compressed specs. The film looks and sounds fine considering its age and the fact that it was a very low budget to begin with.

Special Features include:

Commentary by genre film historians David del Valle and David Decoteau

and Trailers.

Kiss of the Tarantula reminded me a little bit of Cathy's Curse, another '70s lost horror film that is available on disc (from Severin Films). If you're a fan of this then you may want to check that one out too. Either way, Kiss of the Tarantula is fun to listen to along with Riff tracks or to commentate with your friends at home.

Indie Filmmaker Amanda Kramer brings a dark vision to the screen with Ladyworld (2019), a film that did quite well on the festival circuit. Featuring Maya Hawk (Daughter of Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke) who is starting to become a great actor like her parents, shines here in this disturbing and interesting commentary on the horror of modern living.

Eight young women get trapped in a house without electricity and slowly begin to lose their sanity. As they start to run out of basic human resources, they start to resort to a barbaric mentally and become completely unhinged. Going as far as creating new personas for one another under sloppy heavy make-up and a bizarre hierarchy.

The film stars Annalise Basso, Ariela Barer, Odessa Adlon, Ryan Simpkins, Tatsumi Romano, Atheena Frizzel, Noel David Taylor, and Zora Casebere.

Ladyworld is presented in anamorphically enhanced, standard definition on DVD with a 2.35:1 widescreen aspect ratio and a lossy 5.1 Dolby Digital mix, both of which are standard for the format and come across fine here. The film has a weird soundtrack that sounds like women whispering in several intense moments that evolves into moaning. This certainly adds to the unease and tension that the film tries hard to create.

Finally we have Twin: The Complete First Season (2019) offering a premise that might make for a good B movie or a limited TV series, but the makers here have gone whole hog to have a multi-season TV series that has been enough of a hit to allow at least two seasons. Ingrid (Rebekka Nystabakk) is married to Adam, whose brother Erik (both played by Kristofer Hivju) who is a bum and not married, et al. The brothers have not talked for 15 years, but Erik goes to see Adam to continue their quarrel and Ingrid accidentally kills her husband. The solution, so both of them do not look criminally guilty? Have Erik pretend to be Adam and hide the dead body!

Well, that can be intriguing, but a premise I felt had limited possibilities, no one to feel anything for (and that does not make it a Noir by any means) and though the actors are not bad, but this starts to show its troubles by the second and third episode, dragging things out and is not even a mood piece. Maybe you'll be interested or amused, but it just did not work much and is only for the most interested. I'll be surprised if we see a U.S., Aussie or U.K. remake.

The anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image is an HD shoot with some motion blur and detail limits here and there, but color is consistent, though this is stylized to be a little dark, but that gets played out eventually. The lossy Norwegian Dolby Digital 5.1 is also not bad (subtitles are good here), but this is mostly dialogue-based, so only expect so much in the surrounds.

There are no extras.

To order the Umbrella import DVDs The Art Of The Dead, Bliss and/or Twin, go to this link for them and other hard to find titles at:

http://www.umbrellaent.com.au/

- Nicholas Sheffo (Twin) and James Lockhart

https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/