The Burning - Scream Factory Blu-ray/DVD Combo Review

Director: Tony Maylam

Writers: Peter Lawrence, Bob Weinstein

Stars: Jason "I'm An Eggplant!" Alexander, Holly Hunter, Fisher Stevens

Music: Rick Wakeman
Studio: Scream Factory
Region: A
Buy it on Amazon

Tony Maylam's The Burning was first released by Miramax on May 8th, 1981. This was a great month for slasher fans, not only did they get The Burning, a week earlier saw the release of Friday the 13th Part 2 and Graduation Day, and the week after they got Happy Birthday to Me. Three solid slashers, and one fun piece of crap, I would've lived at the theater for that whole month, had I been born. Right year, just a few months late.

The Burning's plot couldn't be simpler. Several boys at Camp Blackfoot decide to pull a prank on abusive, alcoholic campground caretaker Cropsy (Lou David). Now, this isn't a good spirited prank like the classic gag where you put Saran Wrap on the toilet bowl so the person you're pranking shits on his balls.  This is a particularly dangerous prank involving a maggot covered human skull with a lit candle stuffed in it's mouth being placed two feet away from the bed of a sleeping man. As with all slasher movie pranks, it quickly goes horribly, horribly wrong. Cropsy wakes up, and due to a combination of being half asleep and being half shit-blitzed on cheap whiskey he makes the questionable decision to swat at the flaming skull, knocking it onto himself. He's completely engulfed, almost immediately toasted like a marshmallow. Fortunately for Cropsy he isn't killed in the fire. Unfortunately for Cropsy he's amazingly, spectacularly charred and disfigured, barbequed beyond belief.

New Releases 4/30

Here's a few new releases we (me) at the Morgue recommend you pick up today.

Finally, Scream Factory's long awaited release of The Vampire Lovers hits stores. Be sure to read my review here. Buy it from Shout by clicking the image above.

Night of the Scarecrow - not to be confused with Dark Night of the Scarecrow, Night of the Scarecrow is a film from Leatherface director Jeff Burr from 1995. Check it out at Amazon.

Also out today, a pair of Full Moon Blu-ray releases from Stuart Gordon (Re-Animator, From Beyond), the not so great Castle Freak and the actually really awesome The Pit and the Pendulum.


Another title to look for today, coming to DVD from Dark Sky, Astron 6's Manborg. I actually have this on the way to my house, so look for a review for that soon. Until then, those interested can pick it for the only $9.99 at Amazon.

Digital Download (aka Texas Chainsaw Unrated Digital Download Rant)

Here's something that's going to cause a lot of piracy. The awesomely stupid Texas Chainsaw is coming to digital download today, but the Blu-ray/DVD won't be out until May 14th. That's weird, but whatever, I can wait a couple weeks. But in a decision that has pissed the horror community right off, Lionsgate announced their digital download will be Unrated, while the Blu-ray will be the R-Rated theatrical cut only. Isn't that a kick in the cunt. How does this make sense to anyone at Lionsgate? All this is going to do is cause a whole bunch of people to illegally download the movie, then by the time the Blu-ray comes out nobody is going to care enough to buy it. There's no way this won't lose them money.

Like a lot of people, I don't like paying for digital content. If I want to buy an album and I can get the MP3s for $8, or the CD for $12, I'll pay more for the CD to actually own a physical copy. I am a notoriously cheap bastard, but even I will pay more for an actual copy of something. So Lionsgate screwing the fans who pay more for the Blu-ray by only providing them with the shorter cut of the movie is an absolute dick move. I actually liked the theatrical cut of Texas Chainsaw just fine, so I still plan on buying the Blu-ray when it's out, but I'm certainly not going to pay for the digital copy too, I'll wait and hope an Unrated Blu-ray comes out later, and rent it with a coupon. I wonder if the Blu-ray will at least have a code for the unrated digital download, but I'm sure they'll probably dick us on that too. This is a very confusing, questionable decision.

Do your thing, cuz.

Hands Of The Ripper - Synapse Blu-ray Coming July 9th

Finally a release date for the long awaited Hammer classic. I've yet to see a Hammer film I didn't like (true story) so I'm excited to check this one out.

Another landmark title in Synapse Films' Hammer Films Collection! Peter Sasdy's HANDS OF THE RIPPER!

An infant girl watches in horror as her father, the infamous “Jack the Ripper,” brutally murders her mother. Years later, the damaged young Anna (Angharad Rees) is now under the care of a fake psychic and has been forced into a career of prostitution.  At the end of a séance one evening, a woman is mysteriously killed. Dr. John Pritchard (Eric Porter) suspects Anna is the murderer but cannot understand how she could perform this unspeakable act.  Using new Freudian psychoanalysis techniques, Pritchard experiments on Anna and discovers a shocking secret: the spirit of the “Ripper” is alive and well, and might well be possessing his own daughter!  Can this evil be stopped before it’s too late?

Completely restored in high-definition and released uncut for the first time on Blu-ray in the U.S., HANDS OF THE RIPPER is a film widely recognized as one of the most gruesome Hammer horror films ever made.

 Special Features:

• THE DEVIL’S BLOODY PLAYTHING: POSSESSED BY HANDS OF THE RIPPER – Featurette
• SLAUGHTER OF INNOCENCE: THE EVOLUTION OF HAMMER GORE – Motion Still Gallery
• U.S. Television Introduction
• Original Theatrical Trailer and TV Spots
• HANDS OF THE RIPPER Motion Still Gallery
• Isolated Music & Effects Audio Track

Disc Info:

Directed by:  Peter Sasdy

Starring:  Eric Porter, Angharad Rees, Jane Merrow, Keith Bell
Run Time:  85 minutes
Release Date:  July 9, 2013
Language:  English
Subtitles:  English
Aspect Ratio:  Widescreen 1.66:1
Format:  Blu-ray / DVD Combo
Region:  1 / A
UPC:  654930315293
SRP:  $29.95

Synapse Films

Coming Soon From Vinegar Syndrome

New banner from Vinegar Syndrome showcasing their next several releases. I'm very excited to see what they do with Doll Squad and Night Train To Terror. I'm working on reviews for the May titles, so look for those soon.

Arrow Films Bava Blu-rays - Baron Blood 4/29, Black Sabbath 5/13

DUAL FORMAT UK DVD & BLU-RAY DELUXE EDITIONS

BARON BLOOD RELEASE DATE: MONDAY 29TH APRIL
BLACK SABBATH RELEASE DATE: MONDAY 13TH MAY

Arrow Video are pleased to announce two exciting and never-before-seen Blu-ray & DVD premieres from the one and only godfather of Italian horror, MARIO BAVA.
Set for release on Monday 29th April and Monday 13th May respectively, the Bava classics BARON BLOOD and BLACK SABBATH and have both been given the ‘Arrow treatment’. The forthcoming dual format Blu-ray & DVD deluxe editions include brand new versions of each film, a wealth of special features and bonus material (cast, director and expert interviews, introductions, deleted scenes, trailers, audio commentaries, photo galleries, collector’s booklets). If that wasn’t enough, both releases will also include an exclusive reversible sleeve, featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Graham Humphreys.
Originally scheduled for release on April 29th, BLACK SABBATH was delayed by 2 weeks due to further picture and audio restoration requirements. By way of an apology, and to further whet fans’ appetites for what is one of the most anticipated horror releases of 2013, Arrow have uploaded an extract from one of the newly produced special features included on the release. The below clip, entitled “Twice The Fear” is part of a brand new 30-minute exploration into the differences between the Italian and American versions of the film...
Arrow’s decision to delay this release further demonstrates their ethos and commitment to quality. Allowing their team of experts additional time to complete the job to the high standards their fans have come to expect, rather than rushing through an inferior product just to make a deadline, ensures their reputation as one of the world’s #1 cult film distributors remains fully intact.

Baron Blood

This marks the VERY FIRST TIME that these two staples of Italian cult cinema will be available on Blu-ray & DVD in the UK. Ever since Arrow released “Black Sunday” and “Lisa & The Devil” in February 2013, horror fans the world over have been crying out for more Bava releases to be delivered in such high quality.

Arrow Video pride themselves on going the extra mile in order to give their loyal fans something to savour. These fantastic deluxe editions of BARON BLOOD and BLACK SABBATH are certain to live up to such high expectations.

Black Sabbath

MARIO BAVA is widely credited as the man who kick-started the golden age of Italian horror. Never before had international audiences witnessed such slick, stylised production combined with brutal and supernatural imagery.

One of Bava’s most successful films, BARON BLOOD returns to the all-stops-out Gothic atmosphere, and the central theme of a witch’s curse, that fuelled his breakthrough film “Black Sunday” twelve years earlier.
This time, the curse was placed on Baron Otto von Kleist, Austria’s legendarily murderous ‘Baron Blood’, whose corpse is inadvertently revived when an ancient incantation is read out as a joke by a descendant and his girlfriend.  Naturally, the Baron decides to carry on where he originally left off, with the help of an entire vault of elaborate torture devices.

Joseph Cotten (Citizen Kane, The Third Man) has a whale of a time as the deceptively charming Baron, and is given sterling support from Elke Sommer (Lisa and the Devil), who is chased through fog-shrouded alleyways in one of Bava’s most memorably atmospheric set-pieces. 

 The deluxe Blu-ray & DVD edition of BARON BLOOD includes the following special features:
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentation of three versions of the film: Bava’s original version Gli orrori del castello di Norimberga with Italian audio, The European Export Version of Baron Bloodwith English audio, and, on home video for the first time, the re-edited and re-dubbed AIP Version of Baron Blood with alternate score by Les Baxter.
- Three audio versions: Optional Italian, European English and AIP English re-dub and re-score.
- English SDH subtitles for both English versions and a new English subtitle translation of the Italian audio.
- Audio Commentary with Bava biographer and expert Tim Lucas.
- Introduction to Baron Blood by author and critic Alan Jones.
- “Delirium Italian-style” – Ruggero Deodato on Mario Bava and the golden age of Italian genre films.
- “Mario Bava at work” – a photo gallery of Bava behind the scenes on his films.
- Trailers and Radio Spots.
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Graham Humphreys.
- Collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by critic James Oliver, illustrated with original archive stills and posters.

The aforementioned “Black Sunday” was such a huge hit that a follow-up was swiftly demanded. Mario Bava duly devised BLACK SABBATH – a three-part horror anthology, blending modern and period stories. 

In the giallo-style ‘The Telephone’, a woman is terrorised by her former pimp after his escape from prison, and tries to escape him with the help of her lesbian lover, who has a dark secret of her own.  In the Victorian-era ‘The Drop of Water’, a nurse steals a ring from the corpse of a dead spiritualist, which naturally tries to get it back.  But it’s the 19th-century Russian story ‘The Wurdalak’ that comes closest to Bava’s earlier classic, with the great Boris Karloff as a much-loved paterfamilias who might not be entirely what he seems.

Bava’s direction is as stylish as ever, and BLACK SABBATH is almost a compendium of his favourite themes.

BLACK SABBATH, the film, has had a huge influence on popular culture, not just as a stand-out piece of Italian horror cinema, but as the name-sake of the inventors of heavy metal music. Beginning a life-long allegiance between horror fans and heavy metal enthusiasts, it is said that the 4 original members of the band BLACK SABBATH, then known as Earth, came across the name after seeing horror fans queuing outside their local picture house to see the movie.  They then set about trying to create the musical equivalent of what horror fans saw and loved in scary movies.
 
The deluxe Blu-ray & DVD edition of BLACK SABBATH includes the following special features:

- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentation of two versions of the film; ‘I tre volti della paura’ – the European version with score by Roberto Nicolosi and ‘Black Sabbath’ – the re-edited and re-dubbed AIP version with Les Baxter score, on home video for the first time.
- English SDH subtitles for English Audio and a new subtitle translation of the Italian audio.
- Audio Commentary with Bava biographer and expert Tim Lucas.
- Introduction to the film by author and critic Alan Jones.
- “A Life In Film” – An Interview with star Mark Damon.
- “Twice the Fear” – A new featurette examining the differences between the two versions of the film.
- International Trailer.
- US Trailer.
- Italian Trailer.
- TV and Radio Spots.
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Graham Humphreys.
- Collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by critic David Cairns, a comparison of the versions of the film by Tim Lucas, and a substantial interview with AIP Producer Samuel Z. Arkoff on his experiences of working with Bava, illustrated with original stills and posters.

BARON BLOOD DELUXE EDITION - PRODUCT INFORMATION

Release Date	Monday 29th April 2013
Director	Mario Brava
Catalogue Number	FCD777
Barcode	5027035009452
Language	English / Italian
Running Time	98 minutes
Number of Discs	3
Region	2 / B
Certificate	15

BLACK SABBATH DELUXE EDITION - PRODUCT INFORMATION

Release Date	Monday 13th May 2013
Director	Mario Brava
Catalogue Number	FCD778
Barcode	5027035009469
Language	Italian / English
Running Time	96 minutes
Number of Discs	3
Region	2 / B
Certificate	15

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Motel Hell Blu-ray Premiere From Arrow Video

WORLDWIDE BLU-RAY PREMIERE!
MONDAY 13th MAY 2013

Arrow Video are pleased to announce the long-awaited UK Blu-ray & DVD release of Kevin Connor’s horror-comedy masterpiece MOTEL HELL on Monday May 13th 2013.
Fully restored and finally available on Blu-ray for the very first time (anywhere in the world), MOTEL HELL is a prime cut of 1980’s cult cinema. Directed by Englishman Kevin Connor and starring a host of drive-in movie legends, it’s a bloody, gruesome and horrific barrel of laughs.

As with previous critically acclaimed releases, including George A. Romero’s “Knightriders”, Mario Bava’s “Baron Blood” and Lucio Fulci’s “Zombie Flesh Eaters”, MOTEL HELL has been given the “Arrow treatment”. In addition to the beautiful high-def restoration, this deluxe Blu-ray & DVD dual format edition will come complete with a wealth of special features and bonus material, including director’s audio commentary and filmed interviews with cast members, three brand new and exclusive featurettes, original trailers and promotional material, and a collectors booklet featuring new writing on the film by renowned critic Kim Newman alongside extracts from MOTEL HELL the comic book.
Even the packaging is a collector’s item; it features a reversible sleeve with both original and newly commissioned artwork by the fantastic Jeff Zornow.

“It takes all kinds of critters to make Farmer Vincent fritters” cackle Vincent and Ida Smith, the brother-and-sister team behind the finest smoked meats in the county. 
Set in a fictitious town in the Deep South, people come from far and wide to sample Vincent's distinctively flavoured produce, but one might well ask why so few of them decide to stay at the near-by motel the family also runs.


Affectionately named “Motel Hello” (although the ‘o’ in the neon sign frequently goes on the blink), passers-by do occasionally check-in... but they NEVER check-out! Something to do with Farmer Vincent’s secret ingredient perhaps, the thing that makes his fritters taste so darn good?
Western veteran Rory Calhoun gives a lipsmackingly demented performance as Farmer Vincent, whose twinkling bonhomie conceals a deeply depraved secret...


The special features and bonus material is as follows:

- High Def Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentation of the film.
- Uncompressed original 2.0 Stereo PCM audio [Blu-ray].
- Optional English SDH subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing.
- Audio commentary with director Kevin Connor moderated by Calum Waddell.
- “Another Head on the Chopping Block” - Interview with star Paul Linke.
- “From Glamour to Gore” - Interview with co-star, and former Playboy Playmate, Rosanne Katon
- “Ida, Be Thy Name” - A look back at Motel Hell’s frightful female protagonist Ida Smith and the secrets of creating a convincing slasher siren, with Scream Queens Elissa Dowling and Chantelle Albers, genre commentator Staci Layne Wilson and critic Shelagh Rowan-Legg.
- “Back to the Backwoods” - Director Dave Parker (The Hills Run Red) speaks about the importance of Motel Hell.
- Original Trailer
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Jeff Zornow.
- Collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Kim Newman, illustrated with original archive stills and posters, plus Motel Hell comic book extracts and exclusive interview with artist Chris Moreno.

‘MOTEL HELL’ - BLU-RAY & DVD DELUXE EDITION - PRODUCT INFO

Release Date	Monday 13th May 2013
Aspect Ratio	1.85:1 (16x9)
Audio	2.0 Stereo PCM
Running Time	TBC
Language	English
Subtitles	English SDH
Catalogue No	FCD790
Region	2 / B
Certificate	18

---

V/H/S 2 - The VHSening

 

New poster for V/H/S 2, coming this July. V/H/S was an odd viewing experience for me. I suffer from motion sickness a lot, as little as 10 seconds of watching someone play Call of Duty can make me dizzy enough to necessitate an hour or two of lying down for me to recover. I don't quite have vertigo, but it's pretty close, I like to call it "Almost Vertigo". I know, I'm clever. The weird thing is that not everything triggers it. I can watch really shaky cam heavy stuff like the Bourne movies and be fine, but then a 3D viewing of Underworld Awakening last year (which wasn't very shaky at all) nearly led to me coating the theater floor with vomit. 

V/H/S unfortunately did end up getting to me, in fact I got dizzy enough that I had to split the viewing into two parts. Overall though I did enjoy the movie despite the fact that almost none of the segments being included on a VHS tape made any sense. Ti West's segment could've been something found on a VHS tape, but why would a Skype session be on a VHS tape? Or the segment with the date-rape-party-guy with the camera recording digitally through his glasses? How'd that get on a V/H/S tape? The first segment started out very rocky, but once the horror part kicked in I kinda loved it. I also really liked the final segment with the house "party". I found myself pretty indifferent to the middle two segments, in fact I'm having trouble remembering anything other than the basic plots for those two, but none of them were outright terrible. I liked it, but I don't feel the need to own a copy.

Anyway, what I'm getting at is that I'm in for V/H/S 2, though I'll probably need to pop a Ginger Root tablet to combat the motion sickness. The main selling point for me is seeing Jason Eisener's name on the poster. His output has been way too light since Hobo With A Shotgun. I love the visual style he instills in his work, but the only thing I've seen from him since Hobo was the Y is for Youngbuck segment from The ABC's of Death - which was one of the better entries in that film. So I'm really anxious to see what he's come up with for V/H/S 2. All I know so far is that it's called Alien Abduction Slumber Party, and that sounds like it pretty much can't not be awesome.

Scream Factory to Release Vincent Price Blu-rays This Fall

Another exciting announcement from Scream Factory:


"If you love VINCENT PRICE like we do then you're gonna love love LOVE this exciting news! We will be releasing a blu-ray collection box set before Halloween that showcases some of the legendary horror film star's greatest films which include:

- FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER
- THE HAUNTED PALACE
- THE MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH
- THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM
- WITCHFINDER GENERAL- and its alternate U.S. version of the film, THE CONQUEROR WORM
- THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES

More details (artwork, exact street date, pricing, extras, etc.) to be revealed in June-July so stay tuned you "Screamers"--as one of fans affectionately put it. "

Man, these guys need to pace themselves, they're going to run out of movies to release!

Entertaintment Weekly Scores Exclusive Hatchet III Trailer

So exclusive in fact that I can't even embed the trailer here, those interested in the further intestine splattering adventures of Victor Crowley, head over to EW.com. Not sure EW readers are the target audience for a Hatchet movie, but whatever, just glad to check out the trailer. Also, enjoy a fairly lackluster poster for the film. The poster isn't bad, it's just 'eh'.

You know what, since it's such an uneventful poster here's Danielle Harris in her underwear:

 

50 Free Digital Comics From Dark Horse

To celebrate the 2-year anniversary of their webstore Dark Horse Comics is offering up a free 50-comic bundle for the next day and a half. The bundle consists of approximately 1363 pages of comic book goodness with a list price $168.50. Click here to download the entire bundle. 

"Celebrate Dark Horse Digital's 2 year anniversary with 50 free #1s! Get all 50 issues in one simple bundle. This bundle includes our most popular titles like Mike Mignolla's Hellboy: Seed of Destruction #1, Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8 #1 and Star Wars Legacy #1. Get a sample of our hot new series like Brian Wood's The Massive and Matt Kindt's Mind MGMT! Plus much, much more! Act now though, this is a very limited time offer. Comics purchased on our web store sync with your Apple or Android app."

Two New Nikkatsu Erotic Titles Coming from Impulse Pictures May 7th

IMPULSE PICTURES PRESENTS TWO NEW THRILLERS IN THE NIKKATSU EROTIC FILMS COLLECTION! SHE CAT and FEMALE TEACHER HUNTING JAPANESE EROTIC DELIGHTS — WITH AN EDGE! ------------------------------------------------ SHE CAT scratches and prowls! Dr. “Cat” Kagami was hoping to leave her torrid past behind, but a failed assassination attempt has now put her square in the crosshairs of a team of brutal killers.  Now no one is safe, including her lesbian co-worker and a mysterious woman with a terrible secret that could bring down an entire Japanese company.  Cat must take the law into her own hands and enact her own special kind of revenge! She Cat, directed by Shingo Yamashiro, is not only one of the more intricately plotted features in the Nikkatsu Erotic Films Collection, but it’s also one of the longest and sexiest entries.  Expert direction, the amazingly “ample” assets of lead actress Ai Saotome, steamy lesbian shower-sex scenes and an action-packed gun fight finale make this film a must see for all Japanese erotic film fans! In FEMALE TEACHER HUNTING, a moonlight skinny-dipping session between two carefree high schoolers leads to a young boy being accused of a violent assault on his female classmate.  After throwing a teacher to the ground, he stomps out of the school gates and spends his summer break roaming a beachside town.  Falling down a rabbit hole into a dark, oppressive world of sex and violence, he is taken in by a bar-owner and his libidinous mistress. Meanwhile, the teacher he assaulted hunkers down in a rented villa in the same coastal resort, awaiting a secret tryst with her married lover.  What happens when student and teacher meet again? A moody and dramatic from, with shocking scenes of sex and violence, FEMALE TEACHER HUNTING is deftly directed by one of the strongest of the final wave of Nikkatsu erotic film helmers, Junichi Suzuki.  SHE CAT (1983) Disc Info: Director: Shingo Yamashiro Starring: Ai Saotome, Koichi Iwaki, Yoshie Otsuka Run Time: 87 minutes Release Date: May 7, 2013 Language: Japanese Subtitles: English Aspect Ratio: Widescreen 1.85:1 Format: DVD Region: Region 1 Price: $19.95 UPC Code: 654930103999 FEMALE TEACHER HUNTING (1982) Disc Info: Director: Junichi Suzuki Starring: Yuki Kazamatsuri, Yoko Azusa, Kyoko Ito Run Time: 66 minutes Release Date: May 7, 2013 Language: Japanese Subtitles: English Aspect Ratio: Widescreen 1.85:1 Format: DVD Region: Region 1 Price: $19.95 UPC Code: 654930103890 Synapse Films

Blu-ray/DVD Releases 4/23

Not a huge amount of stuff coming out today, there are a few notable releases I recommend picking up. On Blu-ray, a couple of my favorites from Jean Rollin, The Grapes of Death and Night of the Hunted.

The Grapes of Death
• Mastered in HD from the original 35mm negative
• Introduction by Jean Rollin
• Interview with Jean Rollin, by Patrick Lambert and Frederick Durand (2007, 49 min.), in which Rollin discusses his varied literary influences
• 16-page booklet with an essay by Tim Lucas, editor of Video Watchdog
• Original theatrical trailer
• Original trailers of other Rollin films

Night of the Hunted
• Mastered in HD from the original 35mm negative
• Introduction by Jean Rollin
• Two deleted sex scenes (8 min.)
• Excerpt of an interview with Jean Rollin by Joshua T. Gravel
• 16-page booklet with an essay by Tim Lucas, editor of Video Watchdog
• Original theatrical trailer
• Original trailers of other Rollin films


On the DVD only front, Shout's release of the truly excellent slasher sequel Cold Prey II. See my review here.

COLD PREY II

A Film by Mats Stenberg,

Starring Ingrid Bolsø Berdal, Marthe Snorresdotter Rovik, Kim Wifladt, Fridtjov Såheim, Johanna Mørck and Mats Eldøen.

On April 23, 2013, Shout! Factory will unleash Norwegian blockbuster thriller hit COLD PREY II DVD on home entertainment shelves everywhere. Starring popular international actress Ingrid Bolsø Berdal (Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters) and directed by Mats Stenberg, COLD PREY II continues the tension from the original smash hit COLD PREY, and delivers spine-tingling suspense and blood-curdling terror sure to appeal to horror fans and world cinema enthusiasts. This much anticipated thriller debuts for the first time in North America and is priced to own with a suggested retail price of $19.97. Available in stores nationwide on April 23, pre-order is now available at ShoutFactory.com and Amazon.com.

Own it:

http://www.amazon.com/Cold-Prey-Ingrid-Bolso-Berdal/dp/B00AWHDEM2/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1360268190&sr=1-1&keywords=cold+prey+2

If you order from DeepDiscount today you can use code RAINYDAY to save 20%, that brings the Rollins down to about $16, and Cold Prey to around $13.

Chrissy Amphlett (Divinyls) - October 25, 1959 - April 22, 2013

From Huffington Post:

"SYDNEY — Chrissy Amphlett, the raunchy lead singer of the Australian rock band Divinyls whose hit "I Touch Myself" brought her international fame in the early 1990s, died at her home in New York City on Sunday. She was 53 years old.

"Christine Joy Amphlett succumbed to the effects of breast cancer and multiple sclerosis, diseases she vigorously fought with exceptional bravery and dignity," her musician husband Charley Drayton said in a statement.

"Chrissy's light burns so very brightly. Hers was a life of passion and creativity. She always lived it to the fullest. With her force of character and vocal strength, she paved the way for strong, sexy, outspoken women," he said."

So, so sad to hear this. I didn't know a lot of their music but I loved this woman's voice. In her honor, here's my personal favorite Divinyls song Back To The Wall, which was featured on the Elm Street 4 soundtrack.

Mars Attacks Strikes Back in October

The remake trend seems to have hit the trading card industry, Topp's is set to bring out an all new set of Mars Attacks! trading cards this October.

Official Press Release:

"New York – (April 15) Riding the momentum of the 50th Anniversary of their best-selling franchise, Topps is proud to announce the first all-new MARS ATTACKS story-based trading cards in more than half a century! While paying homage to the infamous card set that first shocked parents and delighted children in 1962, Mars Attacks: Invasion will be a bold revival, and will take the property into exciting new territory.

“Last year’s Heritage re-issue was a smash hit with fans,” says Topps’ Adam Levine, who has overseen the recent resurgence of MARS ATTACKS, “and this brand-new series is what we’ve been building to. It will be a fresh re-imagining of the original series and will stay faithful to MARS ATTACKS’ pulpy, classic sci-fi roots. This means all-new, traditionally hand-painted cards illustrated by a group of artists carefully selected to carry forward creator Norm Saunders’ legacy.”

The set will boast an impressive roster of talent, from living legend Earl Norem and master illustrator Joe Jusko, to renowned painters Ed Repka, Glen Orbik, Gregory Staples and more to be announced. Artists contributing to the 63-card story-based portion of the set will each illustrate multiple cards, with the set being divided into themed subsets that combine to tell the story of an alien apocalypse unlike any other. “Topps hasn’t done a set like this in more than twenty years,” says series editor David Waldeck. “It’s a return to the days when trading cards hooked audiences with incredible imagery and imaginative storytelling. We’ve loaded the set with everything fans know and love about MARS ATTACKS: giant insects, flying saucers, ray guns, robots, damsels and death rays!”

Topps will also provide fans with the opportunity to find original 1962 MARS ATTACKS trading cards randomly inserted into packs! These vintage trading cards from the most valuable non-sport trading card set in history have been certified by Topps in 2013 and will be available as rare chase cards in Mars Attacks: Invasion!

Additional chase subsets and valuable collector-driven inserts will be detailed in the coming months. Filled with high levels of sci-fi action and excessive amounts of bone-chilling gore, this all-new series will surely thrill long-time fans and legions of new ones in equal measure.

Mars Attacks: Invasion is scheduled for release in October 2013."

Those of you who can't wait until October, head over to my post featuring the entire set of the similarly themed Dinosaurs Attack! Sure, there are no Martians involved, but they're still incredibly gore-soaked and hilarious.

Scream Factory's The Fog + Incredible Melting Man Full Release Details

Scream Factory™ PRESENTS

A Film by John Carpenter

THE FOG

Starring Adrienne Barbeau, Jamie Lee Curtis, Janet Leigh,

Tom Atkins, John Houseman, Hal Holbrook

COLLECTOR’S EDITION BLU-RAY™ and DVD

Also Available on the Same Day

THE INCREDIBLE MELTING MAN BLU-RAY™

ROLLING IN AND OOZING EVERYWHERE

ON JULY 30, 2013 FROM SHOUT! FACTORY

PRE-ORDER THESE DEFINITIVE SCREAM FACTORY COLLECTIONS TODAY!

This summer, blood-curdling terror awaits loyal fans and movie collectors as SCREAM FACTORY™ is proud to present the iconic 1980 supernatural thriller THE FOG Collector’s Edition Blu-ray™ and DVD on July 30, 2013. Directed by legendary filmmaker John Carpenter (Halloween, The Thing), this spooky and atmospheric tale of a Northern California coastal town under siege by dead souls back for revenge is highly regarded by both fans and critics as one of the true classics of the horror genre. Boasting an all-star cast that includes Adrienne Barbeau (Creepshow), Jamie Lee Curtis (True Lies), Janet Leigh (Psycho), Tom Atkins (Halloween III), John Houseman (The Paper Chase), and Hal Holbrook (Lincoln), THE FOG is a nail-biting ghost story experience that you will never forget!

For the first time on Blu-ray, this definitive collector’s edition home entertainment release of THE FOG features a new transfer of the film supervised by Oscar®-nominated cinematographer Dean Cundey (Jurassic Park, Back to the Future). Presented in anamorphic widescreen, THE FOG Collector’s Edition is packed with bonus content, a collectible cover featuring newly rendered retro-style artwork and a reversible wrap with original theatrical key art! THE FOG Collector’s Edition Blu-ray has a suggested retail price of $29.93 and $19.93 for the DVD. 

***Avid fans and collectors please take note: those who order THE FOG Collector’s Edition from Scream Factory will receive the exclusive 18”x24” poster featuring the newly commissioned artwork! Only 500 posters will be printed, so these are only available while supplies last.***

Also adding to SCREAM FACTORY™’s killer summer slate, SCREAM FACTORY invites collectors to dive into 70s gooey cult classic THE INCREDIBLE MELTING MAN, debuting on Blu-ray for the first time on July 30, 2013. Featuring “excellent makeup effects” (Leonard Maltin) from six-time Best Makeup Oscar® winner Rick Baker (An American Werewolf In London, Ed Wood, Men In Black) and written and directed by William Sachs (Galaxina, Exterminator 2), The Incredible Melting Man delivers the gelatinous goods while humanizing a character rapidly losing his humanity. In short: it’s bloody good! The Blu-ray is priced to own at $19.97 SRP.

Fans and collectors can pre-order these must-have SCREAM FACTORY™ collections now!
Blu-ray:

The Fog [Collector#39;s Edition] with Exclusive Poster!

Also available at Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Fog-Collectors-Edition-Blu-ray/dp/B00C7E3EFU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1366643740&sr=8-1&keywords=the+fog+collector%27s+edition+blu+ray

DVD Edition:

The Fog [Collector#39;s Edition] with Exclusive Poster!

Also available at Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Fog-Collectors-Adrienne-Barbeau/dp/B00C7E3ELE/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1366643772&sr=1-1&keywords=the+fog+collector%27s+edition

THE INCREDIBLE MELTING MAN Blu-ray™

http://www.amazon.com/Incredible-Melting-Man-Blu-ray/dp/B00C7E3EDW/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1366643820&sr=1-1&keywords=the+incredible+melting+man

THE FOG Collector’s Edition Blu-ray™ and DVD

A weather beaten old fisherman tells an ancient tale of betrayal and death to fascinated children as they huddle together by their campfire. As a piece of driftwood in a child’s hands glows with spectral light an eerie fog envelops the bay and from it’s midst emerge dripping demonic victims of a century old shipwreck… seeking revenge.

THE FOG Collector’s Edition bonus features

NEW SCREAM FACTORY EXTRAS:

·         New HD transfer of the film supervised by Director of Photography Dean Cundey
·          Exclusive interview with Actress Jamie Lee Curtis discussing The Fog and covering her legendary early 80s “Scream Queen” career.
·         Audio commentary featuring Actress Adrienne Barbeau, Actor Tom Atkins and Production Designer Tommy Lee Wallace
·         Retrospective interview with Director of Photography Dean Cundey about his many legendary collaborations with John Carpenter
·         Horror’s Hallowed Grounds – A Look At The Film’s Locations with host Sean Clark

Extras from the MGM prior release include:

·         Tales From The Mist: Inside The Fog Featurette
·         Fear On Film: Inside The Fog Featurette
·         The Fog: Storyboard To Film Featurette
·         Outtakes
·         Theatrical Trailers & TV Spots
·         Photo Gallery and Storyboards
·         Audio Commentary With Writer/Director John Carpenter And Writer/Producer Debra Hill

THE INCREDIBLE MELTING MAN Blu-ray™

SYNOPSIS:

He was once the hero… now he’s the hunted!

Colonel Steve West has just returned from an incredible history-making flight to Saturn when he is hospitalized with an ailment that baffles the entire medical community. His flesh is melting and to stay alive he must consume human flesh and blood. The infected Colonel West escapes from the doctors’ supervision and hides in the surrounding community where he begins to hunt for human flesh. Who can stop the Incredible Melting Man?

1080p High-Definition Widescreen (1.78:1)/DTS-HD Master Audio Mono/1977/Color/84 minutes

MAX J. ROSENBERG Presents

A ROSENBERG-GELFMAN Production

“THE INCREDIBLE MELTING MAN”

Starring ALEX REBAR  MICHAEL ALLREDGE

Music by ARLON OBER

Produced by SAMUEL W. GELFMAN

Written and Directed by WILLIAM SACHS

An AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL Release

THE INCREDIBLE MELTING MAN Special Features

• Special note – Bonus Features for this Blu-ray are in development and a final list will be announced at a later date.

Bleeding Skull!: A 1980s Trash-Horror Odyssey - The Book Coming September 5th

At long last the Bleeding Skull! book (based on the website Bleeding Skull! by Joseph A. Ziemba) has a release date. The book, officially titled Bleeding Skull!: A 1980s Trash-Horror Odyssey is set to come out September 5th. You can preorder it now from Amazon. I don't think I've been this excited about a book since.... ever, I've already put in my order.

Bleeding Skull is one of my absolute favorite sites, and their unconventional writing style has been one of my inspirations in my own writing. Of course, their writing is amazing and hilarious where mine could still use a lot of work, but they're an inspiration nonetheless. Also, without Bleeding Skull I might never have seen Ogroff the Mad Mutilator, simultaneously the best and worst movie I've ever experienced.

Phantasm II - Scream Factory Blu-ray/DVD Combo Review

Director: Don Coscarelli
Writer: Don Coscarelli
Starring: Reggie Bannister, James LeGros, Paula Irvine, Samantha Phillips, and Angus Scrimm

Current classic-horror champion Scream Factory have recently released the Blu-ray premiere of Don Coscarelli's Phantasm II, the 1988 sequel to his 1979 classic.

Released after seven years in a mental hospital, Mike convinces his old pal Reggie to join forces with him to hunt down and destroy The Tall Man once and for all. Mike’s visions lead the two to a quiet little town where a horde of flying killer balls aim to slice and dice their gruesome way through everyone. Exploding with special effects, unparalleled thrills, horror and suspense, Phantasm II climaxes with a blood-curdling conclusion that you have to see to believe.

Characters

Reggie: Folk Singing Ice Cream Man turned Asskicking Asskicker

Mike: Fresh off of a 7-year asylum stint, ready to find his hot telepath girlfriend and destroy The Tall Man

Liz: Mike's telepathic girlfriend. She has a hard time in this movie, attacked by dwarfed version of her dead grandmother, thrown around a mausoleum by Angus, and nearly rolled face first into a creamatorium.

Alchemy: Mysterious hitchhiker/bald fetishist

Tall Man: Towering otherworldly mortician, leader of an army of demonic dwarfs

Before getting this new Scream Factory Blu-ray release I hadn't seen Phantasm II in probably a decade and I wasn't sure how it would hold up. I'm happy to report that the film holds up very well, and is even better than I had remembered. The pacing is incredibly tight with very few unnecessary scenes weighing the movie down. Pretty much every scene here serves it's purpose to keep the plot moving swiftly along. It helps that the plot is really rather straight forward for a film about an evil mortician from another dimension shrinking corpses down into dwarfs and reanimating them. Because of this there's very little time for useless little subplots to pop up and slow things down.

Late Night Classics Presents Gorilla!

Canadian Writer/Director Dave Shaw (host of TV series Condensed Classics with Dave Shaw) is putting the finishing touches on his upcoming throwback to 50's monster movies simply titled Gorilla! The film stars beautiful newcomer Sara Duplancic, Francis Fisk, director Shaw as Riggs Deardon and Penu Chalykoff as the Gorilla.

A comedic salute to 1950's "Monster on the Loose" B-Movies (with modern twists). "Late Night Classics presents GORILLA!" tells the story of Anna, a young woman who discovers that an escaped gorilla is killing her friends and family. Her only hope to stop the beast is booze-hound former TV show host Riggs Deardon, who once tussled with a gorilla 20 years previously. Anna enlists the help of her logical yet sarcastic boyfriend Stephen, Riggs' lost in the 60's ex-wife Mimsy, and not quite with it cop Officer Landis to stop the beast before it kills again.

More info available here.



 

Zombieland Series Pilot - Watch it Now

Amazon has put up their pilot of the potential Zombieland series, you can catch all 28 minutes of it here. If you enjoy it and want to see more episodes made be sure to leave feedback.

I for one really enjoyed Zombieland back in 2009. It's not a movie with a lot of replay value for me, but I do think it's a fun movie with great performances from Woody and Jesse. I'm going to watch this pilot because it was directed by Eli Craig (who also did Tucker and Dale vs. Evil), but I don't know if a series needs to be made, especially now and especially not without any Zombieland cast members. Zombies are hugely popular right now, so I guess it does make sense to make another show about them, but speaking as a big zombie fan this current pop culture obsession of all things zombie has made me absolutely sick of them. I think we need like a two-year moratorium on all zombie related media. Fucking zombies.

Fun fact: I'm possibly the only person who likes both Jesse Eisenberg and Michael Cera, and can tell the difference between the two.

Science Team - Upcoming Film From The Creator of The Taint

Drew Bolduc, director of Morgue Favorite The Taint is set to direct his next film Science Team this June. To help better the production they've set up a fundraising page over at Indiegogo, which is like Kickstarter, only indie-er. You know the deal, make a donation, help a film get made, get cool prizes and shit in return. Donations start at $10, which gets you the soundtrack. I'm thinking about throwing in $75 to get the soundtrack, sticker, poster, DVD and T-shirt. Not sure if I can swing that though. I might start a fundraiser to raise funds for me to fund Drew Bolduc's fundraiser.

The goal is $15,000, 25 days left to raise a bit over $13,00. Together we can make Science Team a reality.

Join Science Team: 

We are Science Team. We need your help. We have lasers.

Science Team is a national organization whose main purpose is to maintain interstellar peace and protect America from the many alien threats that seek to destroy us.

We need your help to recruit more members to fight alongside us. We must build a super scientific alliance and raise funds to combat a giant sessile alien menace with telepathic powers capable of doing this:

Science Team must eliminate this evil extraterrestrial threat at all costs. We must proceed with extreme caution. People will die horrible and disgusting deaths. Inner and extraterrestrial demons will be engaged. Cool-looking technology will be used. People's minds will be blown out of their heads. 

Remember to bring your mind protectors.