Mondo Macabro Lives! How To Seduce A Virgin Oct. 8th

So excited to hear about this release because I was certain Mondo Macabro had thrown in the towel. Their last release was what, Girl in Room 2A back in March 2012? It's been a long time, glad to have these guys back:

How to Seduce a Virgin
DVD
Label: Mondo Macabro
Pre-book: 09/10/13 Streets: 10/08/13 SRP: 24.95
UPC: 843276015398 Cat: MDO153 Region 1
Run Time: 87 Minutes In French. Genre: Horror Color. 1.33:1 full frame Original Ratio.
Director: Jess Franco Stars: Robert Woods, Alice Arno, Lina Romay, Tania Busselier Production year: 1973 Rated: NR

The beautiful Countess Martine de Bressac is released from the expensive asylum where she was incarcerated after castrating her former lover. She returns to her luxurious villa on the coast and goes at once down into her private underground dungeon. It’s here that she indulges herself in the perverse sexual practices that give her life meaning, surrounded by the bizarre human statues of her previous victims. Her husband, Charles, feeds his wife’s sick fantasies, aware that she is his meal ticket to a life of luxury. He announces that he has a new game for her - they will befriend and seduce the young and virginal daughter of a rich neighbor. But things do not go exactly as planned…

Games of decadence and debauchery lead to mayhem and murder. From cult director Jess Franco. His most outrageous film. First ever US release.

Bonus Features include:

Brand new transfer from film negative.

Interview with writer Alain Petit.

Introduction by critic Stephen Thrower.

Newly created optional subtitles.

Extensive production notes.

Mondo Macabro previews

Out Now From Code Red

Code Red has just added four new titles to their (his) Big Cartel page. Again, no horror this time, but expect to see Evilspeak and Curse of the Blue Lights in the next couple of weeks.

The four newly released titles are as follows:

MACE
1987 / 91 MIN/ FULLSCREEN

Ed Marinaro (HILL STREET BLUES) plays tough cop Malcolm "Mace" Douglas, who gained the nickname by shoving mace down a criminal’s mouth! He is a street tough detective who's out for justice - no matter what the cost. While investigating the mysterious suicidal heroin overdoses of four sexy strippers, Mace puts together pieces of a deadly puzzle with his new partner (Darrell Larson, MIKE'S MURDER, OUTSIDE IN). Infiltrating a violent ring of shadowy drug and weapons dealers, Mace methodically tracks down a methodical serial killer. Mace won't stop until he gets some answers. The FBI and the KGB have them, but now they're talking back with bullets! Action packed classic with a good supporting cast including ISAAC HAYES (TRUCK TURNER), Corbin Bernsen (TV's L.A. LAW), Cassandra Gava (CONAN THE BARBARIAN), William Sanderson (BLADE RUNNER), John Hancock (TV's L.A. LAW), Harry Goz (MOMMIE DEAREST), Lynn Whitfield (JOSEPHINE BAKER STORY), Rick Washburn (COMRADES IN ARMS), and William Windom (FOOL'S PARADE). Directed by Willam VanDerKloot.

Audio commentary with director and producer

GOLD OF THE AMAZON WOMEN

1979/100 MIN

Two explorers searching for gold in the Jungles of South America stumble onto hidden treasure of a different sort - a forgotten tribe of wildly attractive Amazon women, including sexy starlet Anita Ekberg as their queen. Donald Pleasence (Bond's arch-rival Blofeld in You Only Live Twice, Fantastic Voyage) and Bo Svenson (Choke Canyon, Butcher Baker Nightmare maker) have their hands full when the man-hungry babes invade Manhattan, and the excitement really starts. The steamy jungle is nothing compared to the throbbing city streets, and these women can't get enough! Directed by Mark L. Lester (Commando, Truck Stop Women) and produced by Alfredo Leone (Baron Blood, Lisa and the Devil), Gold Of The Amazon Women is a wild, bikini-clad adventure that makes Tarzan's exploits look like a trip to the zoo.

Brand New 1.78.1 (16x9) HiDef master
special interview with producer Alfredo Leone 

 

HOW TO SEDUCE A WOMAN

This sex farce stars Angus Duncan (SWEET SUGAR) as a lothario on a mission to sleep with
five very different women! The list of beauties includes Angel Tompkins (THE FARMER), Alexandra Hay
(SKIDOO), and Jo Anne Meredith (PSYCHO LOVER)! To accomplish his quest, he will need help from
his crazy group of friends (Vitto Scotti, Marty Ingels, Hope Holiday). It’s a sexy version of LOVE AMERICAN
STYLE with music by “internet favorite” Stu Phillips. Written & directed by Charles Martin (IF HE
HOLLERS, LET HIM GO, ONE MAN JURY).

RATED R 1.78.1 (16X9)

VIRGINITY

A dramatic and intriguing love story about a Sicilian gentleman who rediscovers his Mediterranean roots when a beautiful young teenager declares her love for him. Antonio Mancuso (Vittoria Gassman, SCENT OF A WOMAN, QUINTET) has changed his name to Anthony M. Wilson and put his Sicilian background behind him to start a new life in London, as a ‘typically British’ owner of a chain of restaurants. For Anthony, life is perfect. He has a luxurious home, expensive cars and an English girlfriend, Vanessa (Madeleine Hinde, THE LAST VALLEY, BLOODSUCKERS), who divides her attentions between Anthony and her fiancé. But things are about to change with the arrival of a remote Sicilian relative, a provocatively attractive teenager called Lucia (Ornella Muti, FLASH GORDON, OSCAR) who presents Anthony with a letter from her uncle requesting that he looks after her and safeguard her virginity. This is no easy task, and in desperation, Anthony employs a detective agency to watch Lucia, only to be shown footage of her in bed with a young man. Relieved to discover that Lucia had resisted the man’s advances, Anthony goes home to find her in his bedroom. Challenged about the film footage, she reveals that the young man was not for her…the man for her is Anthony! Madcap comedy ROMP with international cast of wacky actors like Dudley Sutton (THE DEVILS, THE LEATHER BOYS, TV's LOVEJOY), Graham Stark (A DAY AT THE BEACH) , Lou Castel (MR. MEAN) and the goofy Adolfo Celi (THUNDERBALL). 

Crap guys, I feel like I owe the followers of this place a bit of an apology for the inactivity around here lately. This past week I've been stuck at a friend's house which is overflowing with people, and in addition to the nearly Home Alone sized headcount over there the internet access is very spotty making even a simple cut and paste press release post a massive undertaking. Another huge negative to my living situation is that I don't have access to a private TV to watch the pile of review copies I have accumulating in the corner of the room. I can watch Master Chef or whatever rubbish is playing in the living room all I want but trying to watch and review something like Street Trash or X-Ray in a house this packed with old people and children is kind of impossible.

For the next two days I'll be in a hotel so I can update a bit, but I'll be out of town from Friday until Tuesday so once I get back we should have a house rented which will hopefully mean I'll be able to get this site back in proper action by the end of next week.

I know this isn't a major site or anything, but judging by the page view counts there are a decent amount of people checking Manchester Morgue out on a semi regular basis, so I do want to apologize for kinda letting this place go to shit for the past couple of weeks.

Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 Gets Limited Edition Release From Arrow Video

I left one of the announced Arrow releases off the of the last post because I thought it was righteous and kick ass enough to warrant it's own post. This October 14th Arrow is giving The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 a limited edition 3-disc Blu-ray/DVD release that contains a pair of early Hooper films (Eggshells & The Heisters) and a 100 page book. This is Dennis Hopper's least favorite film he's ever worked on and my favorite film of Tobe Hooper's career, I'll be dropping some money for this one for sure.

If you plan on picking this one up, preorder it now because like the other Arrow titles I posted about any preorders put in before August 12th will be discounted. It's actually a pretty substantial discount for this title, it's currently listed at £19.99 if you order before 8/12, if you order after that it jumps up to £34.99.


Lick this press release, you dog dick!

Starring: Dennis Hopper, Caroline Williams, Jim Siedow
Directed by: Tobe Hooper

Overview: AFTER A DECADE OF SILENCE... THE BUZZZ IS BACK!

In 1974, Tobe Hooper quite literally changed the face of horror with his landmark film The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Although the hulking Leatherface and his trusty power tool left an indelible mark upon the cinematic landscape, it wouldn’t be until 1986 that the buzz came back… in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2!

Relocating the cannibalistic Sawyer clan to a cavernous, labyrinthian dwelling beneath an amusement park, Hooper’s deliciously demented sequel sees Leatherface and Co. continue their murderous exploits afresh. This time around, local DJ Stretch runs afoul of the Sawyers when she gets mixed up in the brutal slaying of two youngsters. Meanwhile, Lieutenant ‘Lefty’ Enright, is hell-bent on avenging the murder of his nephew Franklin in the first movie.

A cult classic in its own right, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 serves up a heady blend of gratuitous gore, socio-political critique and jet-black humour – whilst Dennis Hopper’s unhinged turn as Lefty needs to be seen to be believed! Whichever way you skin it, Leatherface’s second cinematic outing is an uncompromisingly delirious vision from one of horror’s great directors.

3-DISC LIMITED EDITION SET FEATURES:
-High Definition digital transfers of three Tobe Hooper films
-Original uncompressed audio tracks for all films
-Limited Edition Packaging, newly illustrated by Justin Erickson
-Individually Numbered #/10,000 Certificate
-Exclusive Limited Edition Extras

DISC 1 – THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE 2
-High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation from a digital transfer supervised by Director of Photography Richard Kooris
-Optional English SDH subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
-Audio commentary with director and co-writer Tobe Hooper, moderated by David Gregory
-Audio commentary with stars Bill Moseley, Caroline Williams and special-effects legend Tom Savini, moderated by Michael Felsher
-“It Runs in the Family” – A documentary looking at the genesis, making-of and enduring appeal of Hooper’s film. With interviews including star Bill Johnson, co-writer L. M. Kit Carson, Richard Kooris, Bill Moseley, Caroline Williams, Tom Savini, Production Designer Cary White and more!
-Alternate Opening sequence with different musical score
-Deleted scenes
-“Still Feelin' the Buzz” - Interview with horror expert Stephen Thrower, author of Nightmare USA
-Original Trailer

DISC 2 [BLU-RAY] & DISC 3 [DVD] – TOBE HOOPER’S EARLY WORKS – LIMITED EDITION EXCLUSIVE
-High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition (DVD) presentation of two of Tobe Hooper’s early works, available on home video for the first time in the world
-The Heisters (1964) Tobe Hooper’s early short film restored in HD from original elements [10 mins]
-Eggshells (1969) Tobe Hooper’s debut feature restored in HD from original elements [90 mins]
-Audio Commentary on Eggshells by Tobe Hooper
-In Conversation with Tobe Hooper - The legendary horror director speaks about his career from Eggshells to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2.
-Trailer Reel of all the major works by Tobe Hooper

100-PAGE BOOK – LIMITED EDITION EXCLUSIVE
-Exclusive perfect bound book featuring new writing on the film by John Kenneth Muir, an overview of the Chainsaw franchise by Joel Harley and an investigation of Tobe Hooper’s three-picture Cannon deal by Calum Waddell, illustrated with archive stills and posters with more to be announced!

A Medical Dummy, A Bogus Preacher & A Telekinetic - Arrow Video's Fall Releases

Arrow Video has just announced their Fall releases, which are listed below. Arrow is doing special "Early Bird" pricing on these newest releases. You'll get a discounted price on preorders that are done before August 12th, so if any of these interest you then head on over to Arrow and put in your orders now and save yourself some money.

 
Starring: David Hewlett, Cynthia Preston, Terry O'Quinn
Directed by: Sandor Stern

Overview: When close siblings Leon and Ursula lose their parents in a tragic car accident, they inherit the imposing family homestead along with a creepy heirloom – their late father’s medical dummy, “Pin”.

Leon has always treated Pin like a member of the family, but this bizarre relationship starts to take a decidedly sinister turn; and when the dummy starts donning dad’s old suits and terrorising the house-guests, Ursula begins to have serious concerns about her brother’s sanity. After all, Pin is just a dummy… isn’t he?

Starring Lost’s Terry O’Quinn (who genre fans will know best for his gleefully demented star turn in The Stepfather), Pin is a gem of late 80s horror in the tradition of classic dummy fright flicks such as Magic and Dead of Night.

ARROWDROME IS A FLEAPIT SELECTED LIBRARY OF CULT FILMS; VIOLENT, HORRIFIC, SLEAZY, EXPLOITATIVE. TO EXPLORE STEP IN TO THE CULT ARENA! EVERY ARROWDROME RELEASE INCLUDES A REVERSIBLE SLEEVE OF ORIGINAL ARTWORK AND A COLLECTOR’S BOOKLET!

ALSO INCLUDES ORIGINAL THEATRICAL TRAILER AND COLLECTOR’S BOOKLET BY LEE GAMBIN!


RRP £12.99 - Releases October 28th

Starring: Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters, Lillian Gish Directed by: Charles Laughton Overview: This visually ravishing, authentically terrifying Southern Gothic masterpiece is one of the cinema’s great one-offs, not just because it was the only film directed by the actor Charles Laughton. Robert Mitchum gives a career-best performance as Harry Powell, a self-appointed preacher with ‘LOVE’ and ‘HATE’ tattooed on his knuckles who travels to a small town in search of his executed cellmate’s stash of cash, under the impression that his two young children know its whereabouts. But the film’s melodramatic plot plays second fiddle to some of the most extraordinary images ever captured on film. Laughton and cinematographer Stanley Cortez (The Magnificent Ambersons) imbue almost every shot with a luminosity that recalls the great silent masterpieces of F.W. Murnau and Victor Sjöström. A widely misunderstood flop at the time (which put Laughton off ever directing again), it’s now regarded as one of the greatest of all American films. Special Features: -New digital transfer made from 35mm film elements restored by UCLA Film & Television Archive in cooperation with MGM Studios, with funding provided by the Film Foundation and Robert B. Strum -Optional original uncompressed Mono PCM audio & 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio -Isolated Music and Effects Soundtrack -Charles Laughton Directs “The Night of the Hunter” - A two-and-a-half-hour documentary on the making of the film featuring outtakes and behind-the-scenes footage -Archival interview with cinematographer Stanley Cortez -Original theatrical trailer -Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly artwork by Graham Humphreys -Booklet featuring new writing on the film by critic and filmmaker David Thompson with more to be announced! RRP £19.99 Region B - Releases October 7th

Starring: Kirk Douglas, John Cassavetes, Carrie Snodgress
Directed by: Brian De Palma

Overview: Brian De Palma followed the huge success of Carrie with another slice of telekinetic horror, upping the ante by featuring more than one psychic.

John Cassavetes gives his most sinister performance since Rosemary’s Baby as a man who kidnaps the telepathic son of his colleague (Kirk Douglas), aiming to turn him and similarly gifted individuals into human weapons. Meanwhile, Gillian (Amy Irving), is worried enough about the destructive potential of her own powers to agree to be institutionalised - but is the Paragon Institute all that it’s cracked up to be?

De Palma pulls out all the stops with some spectacular set-pieces (including one that will put viewers off fairground rides for life), before a spectacularly explosive climax that unforgettably demonstrates why Gillian is so afraid of her powers. She can trigger nosebleeds without any effort, so how much damage can she do when she’s actually trying to hurt someone?

Special Features:
-Brand new digital transfer of the film from the original camera negative
-Original uncompressed mono 2.0 PCM audio
-Optional English SDH subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
-Blood on the Lens: An interview with Cinematographer Richard H. Kline
-Spinning Tales: Fiona Lewis on starring in The Fury
-The Fury Revisited – An interview with Sam Irvin, intern on The Fury, author of the film’s shooting diary and then correspondent for Cinefantastique magazine
-Original archive interviews from the 1978 promotional tour, featuring Brian De Palma, producer Frank Yablans and stars Carrie Snodgress and Amy Irving
-“Double Negative” [20 mins] – A short film tribute to De Palma by Sam Irvin, starring William Finley
-Gallery of behind-the-scenes production images
-Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Jay Shaw
-Booklet featuring new writing on the film by Chris Dumas, author of Un-American Psycho: Brian De Palma and the Political Invisible, as well as a re-print of a contemporary interview with De Palma, illustrated with original stills and posters, with more to be announced!


RRP £19.99
Region B - Releases October 21st

That Guy's Going Home In A Body Bag

Scream Factory has released the cover art for their upcoming November release of Body Bags. I'm actually not too familiar with this one. I know I've seen a minute or two of the Hair segment with Stacy Keach growing an absurd amount of hair (wasn't that the plot of a Married With Children episode?) but I don't think I've ever seen Body Bags. It's like I turned the movie on halfway through without knowing what it was, saw Stacy Keach with really long hair, said "what in the fuck is going on here?" then changed the channel a minute later to try find something without Stacy Keach wearing hair extensions. From the reviews I've just read it seems like a pretty so-so movie, but I'm still excited to actually see the movie in full this November.

Prince of Darkness - Extra Features Finalized

Scream has finalized the bonus features for their September 24th release of Prince of Darkness. The full press release is listed below:

Get ready for the ultimate presentation of the heart-pounding supernatural thriller by heralded master of horror director John Carpenter (Halloween, The Fog, They Live) as the long-awaited PRINCE OF DARKNESS Collector’s Edition Blu-ray™ and DVD invade home entertainment shelves everywhere on SEPTEMBER 24 from SCREAM FACTORY. Available for the first time on Blu-ray, this collector’s edition is brimming with insightful extras, including new interviews with John Carpenter and Alice Cooper, special audio commentary and much more!

Donald Pleasence (Halloween), Jameson Parker (Simon & Simon), Lisa Blount (Needful Things), rock icon Alice Cooper, Victor Wong and Dennis Dun (both from Carpenter’s Big Trouble In Little China) star in this gripping suspense thriller on the terrifying battle between mankind and the ultimate evil.  A group of graduate students and scientists uncover an ancient canister in an abandoned church. When they open it, they inadvertently unleash a strange liquid and an evil force on all of humanity. As the liquid turns their co-workers into zombies, the remaining members realize they have released the most unspeakable horror of them all. Terror mounts as the team must fight to save the world from a devilish fury that has been contained for over seven million years.

Special Features

Audio Commentary with John Carpenter

Sympathy For The Devil – An all-new Interview with Writer/Director John Carpenter

Alice at the Apocalypse  - An all-new interview with Actor & Rock Legend Alice Cooper

The Messenger – All-new interview with Actor & Special Visual Effects Supervisor Robert Grasmere

Hell On Earth –A look at the film’s score with Co-Composer Alan Howarth

Horror’s Hallowed Grounds with host Sean Clark

Alternate Opening from TV Version

Original Theatrical Trailer

Original artwork fans don't worry, the awkward looking "guy being slimed by spooky building" theatrical poster will be included on the flipside of the cover.

Corruption From Grindhouse This October

Grindhouse Releasing is proud to present the FIRST-EVER U.S. home video release of the wildest, sickest and sleaziest swinging-sixties British horror thriller -CORRUPTION. The legendary Peter Cushing stars as a surgeon driven to murder and madness as he attempts to restore the beauty of his hideously disfigured fashion model wife. Co-starring Sue Lloyd and Hammer Horror beauty Kate O'Mara (THE VAMPIRE LOVERS). This special edition contains shocking scenes of GORE and NUDITY previously deemed too strong for American audiences.


When it comes to bonus features, the guys at Grindhouse aren't messing around:

• 2 DISC SET - Deluxe dual layer Blu-ray Edition + DVD combo
• Spectacular new hi-definition digital restoration of the original uncensored version - PLUS - the "International Version" of the movie with bloody violence and nudity presented for the very first time in America
• Interviews with stars Wendy Varnals, Billy Murray, Jan Waters and Peter Cushing
• Audio commentary by acclaimed UK horror journalist Jonathan Rigby and Peter Cushing biographer David Miller
• Isolated music and effects track
• Liner notes by Allan Bryce, editor of the celebrated British horror magazine THE DARK SIDE
• Extensive still galleries, trailers, TV spots and radio spots
• The original annotated director's shooting script and production notes
• Shocking reversible cover with original art by notorious illustrator Rick Melton
• Grindhouse Releasing prevues of coming attractions
• AND OTHER SURPRISES! 

Out October 8th, preorder it now at Amazon.

Halloween 35th Anniversary Blu-ray September 24th

Anchor Bay is set to put out their 100th release of John Carpenter's Halloween. The 35 Anniversary Blu-ray - which features a brand new transfer supervised by Dean Cundey is due out September 24th. I have to say, I'm probably the only horror fan who doesn't love Halloween or the series that followed, but I really like this cover art. It's pretty unusual, like a clown self portrait or something, but it's quite an interesting design choice. I like it.

"For this very special release, Anchor Bay and Trancas went back to the vaults to present this legendary terror classic as never before, including creating an all-new HD transfer personally supervised by the film’s original cinematographer, Academy-Award® nominee Dean Cundey (Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Apollo 13, the Back to the Future trilogy), a new 7.1 audio mix (as well as the original mono audio), a brand-new feature length audio commentary by writer/director John Carpenter and star Jamie Lee Curtis, an all-new bonus feature with Ms. Curtis, as well as selected legacy bonus features from previous ABE releases. Available in a collectible limited-edition book-style package (available only for the first printing) with 20 pages featuring archival photos, an essay by Halloween historian Stef Hutchinson and specially commissioned cover art by Jay Shaw."

Bonus features on Halloween 35th Anniversary Blu-ray include:
All-new commentary track with writer/director John Carpenter and star Jamie Lee Curtis;
“The Night She Came Home” new featurette with Jamie Lee Curtis (HD);
On Location;
Trailers;
TV & Radio Spots;
Additional Scenes from TV Version

Scream Factory's Comic Con Announcements

This is also news that's a couple of days old now, but in case anyone missed it, here we go.

***MORE TITLES HEADING YOUR WAY!!!***
Here’s the list of upcoming films we literally just announced at Comic-Con tonight:

JOHN CARPENTER’S ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 (Collector’s Edition) – The original classic siege thriller is intensified further with all-new ‘Scream’-produced extras. (Nov 2012)

EVE OF DESTRUCTION – The 1991 Gregory Hines android-gone-amok sci-fi thriller hits Blu and anamorphic widescreen for the first time.

SATURN 3 – This post-Alien 1980 Kirk Douglas and Farrah Fawcett vs. Evil Robot flick gets a considerable upgrade to Blu-ray for the first time. New extras planned. (Dec 2012) 

DARKMAN (Collector’s Edition) – The 1990 Sam Raimi cult classic gets the full on ‘Scream’ treatment with all new extras. (Dec 2012)

SCREAM FACTORY “TV TERRORS” –Two made-for-TV movies - 1978’s THE INITIATION OF SARAH and ARE YOU IN THE HOUSE ALONE? – will be packaged together on DVD for the first time at a good price. Fans have been asking us if we could exploit more of this made-for TV content so consider this an “experiment”. If this sells well, we would love to look into bringing you a “Volume 2”. (Dec 2012)

CAT PEOPLE (Collector’s Edition) – The 1982 feline flick (with Nastassja Kinski, sex, violence and a great David Bowie single) arrives on Blu for the first time with all-new extras (2014.)

We still have more tricks up our sleeves for 2014 and we are working feverishly on trying to close deals so that we can announce more favorites soon!

Curtains and Prom Night Coming Soon From Synapse

This piece of news broke around the time my house was on fire, so it's a couple days old now, but here we go anyway. Synapse is beginning work on 2K scans for one of my absolute favorite lesser known slashers (Curtains) and one of my least favorite of the well know slashers (Prom Night). I've been waiting for even a mediocre proper DVD release of Curtains for years, but a Synapse Blu-ray release? Get out of here. Buying this one the second I can.

Now, I've never been a fan of Prom Night - though I really love Prom Night 2. Prom Night 3 is also a lot of fun. If we get Blu-ray releases of 2 or 3 I'll shit. Prom Night 1 though, never really did much for me. I am however very happy that fans of the film will be getting to see a Blu-ray release from one of the best companies in the business though. I haven't seen a cover for this one yet, but I'll post when it shows up online.

While I'm here, Synapse has posted a couple of 35mm Interpositives from Curtains. You can already tell this is going to look great, I might as well throw out my Echo Bridge Bloody Slashers set with Curtains, Hoboken Hollow, Secrets of the Clown, and Room 33 - whatever the hell those other three movies are.

Manchester Morgue Reopens At New Temporary Location

Okay, so things are still super weird after my house was murdered by lightningey doom, but I'm set up at a hotel room for now, before being moved to a different location so I can update the site now. Hopefully this new location happens in the next day or two because I'm way too paranoid for hotel living. I have the room paid for until at least Monday, but I'm still hiding my shit when I leave and I'm keeping the do not disturb sign on the door so housekeeping won't steal my computer or my Doritos and Coke. 

Anyway, now that I'm able to type on a laptop, here's the story of the time my house caught on fire. It might be a rushed and sloppy story, but I've told this story to a few hundred people now, and I'm hoping this will be the last time.

This past Tuesday at around 7:30PM my house (or my roommate's house, I should say) got struck by lightning. Everyone was home, I was watching TV with his older daughter - we were 2 seconds from Charlie Day on Conan while my roommate and his younger daughter were upstairs. It was raining pretty hard with a bit of thunder here and there - and yes, I know you should turn off electronic devices in a thunderstorm, but it rained here literally every single day for three straight weeks and I guess we just kind of got used to it and forgot to turn anything off.

So, my roommate's daughter is standing about 10 feet from the TV and I'm in the kitchen about to open the refrigerator. Suddenly the house gets hit by lightning, sparks spray out of the sides of the TV and most of the power goes out. A couple of minutes later we smell a little smoke, but we just think it's from the TV. Nope, a minute later the house is filling with smoke. We all run outside even though it's raining and lightning like an absolute motherfucker. I run to the side of the house and see that it is literally ripped open with flames shooting out of the corner of the house. The lightning had struck the gas line, so there was just a steady stream of gas keeping the fire going. The only good thing is that it struck the outer side of the gas line so the gas was shooting out instead of into the house.

Everyone got out in plenty of time, though the older daughter had been in the shower about 15 minutes before the lightning began which still has us a bit shaken up. Apart from that scare, none of us were close to being harmed by the fire or by the smoke from the fire. It took about 10 minutes after calling 911 before the fire was under control. The fire stayed pretty much contained to that one corner, but the firefighters had to rip out most of the ceiling to get into the attic, so the house is done, they need to basically tear it apart and rebuild the whole house. My roommate has good insurance, so we'll have a weird living situation for a few months, but everything will be pretty normal after that.

I, on the other hand, am an idiot and I kept forgetting to add renter's insurance to my stuff. It's almost like the fire knew this because it stopped before it got to my room, which was practically untouched. I think I'm out a really old desktop computer, my Insignia region free Blu-ray player, a hard drive and a PS3 (which I haven't used for games in over a year, it's become a $300 Netflix machine). This was all water damage from being next to an open window that had water being sprayed over top of it. Nothing of mine was actually hurt by fire. All of my movies, my clothes and both of my laptops are fine, just a little smokey. Now I just have to figure out a way to make my things not smell like a barbecue and I'll be all set. The lesson I got from this: Always have as much insurance as possible and always be terrified of the weather.

Manchester Morgue Temporarily Closed Due To Fire

I just wanted to let everyone know I'll be taking a few days off because fucking lightning decided to set my house on fire causing upwards of $300,000 worth of damage. The only bright side is that my room somehow remained almost unscathed, and my movie library is pretty much unharmed. I know that's a small bright side, but still, it's something.

I just need a few days until the insurance guys set us up in temporary housing and I'll be back to posting. I'll discuss it further and include a few gory photos when I return. I'd do it now but I'm  writing this on a tablet which I find amazingly difficult, it took like 10 minutes to write this. Fucking lightning.

Ghost Shark - More Deep Sea Ridiculousness From SyFy

 

SyFy has found to way to make their movies even more low budget - just remove the monster altogether and say it's a "ghost monster". It's kinda genius in a way, though I'm not sure how exciting a shark attack will be to watch without the shark. If you're wondering which former TV stars they've gotten for this one, the answer is Richard "Bull" Moll and Mackenzie "Little girl from 7th Heaven whose character name I don't know because I've never seen 7th Heaven" Rosman. 

Ghost Shark airs on SyFy August 22nd.

Last Fourth of July, teenager Christy Bruce disappeared from a high school beach party. Her severed arm washed ashore a day later. Drunken sea captain Blaise Shaw became a hero to the small seaside community of Harmony after killing the great white shark that was deemed responsible, but the Christy Bruce murder was no shark attack. Blaise turns to ghost hunter Ava Conte, who is skeptical but intrigued by his ghost shark ramblings. With preparations for a massive July 4th celebration rapidly approaching, they soon find themselves embroiled in a conspiracy of sex and murder involving the town's wealthiest and most powerful citizens. Unprepared to contend with a Ghost Shark that can hunt on land, sea, as well as anywhere there is enough water or rain to sustain its phantom form, Blaise and Ava must uncover the truth about the towns dark past or fall victim to the Ghost Shark. 

Hitting Shelves 7.16

Not a ton of stuff out this week, but here are the highlights.

Black Sabbath

My personal favorite from Bava is making it's US Blu-ray debut from Kino.

One of the great horror anthology films, and Bava's personal favorite of his works, BLACK SABBATH solidified the director's reputation as Europe's maestro of the macabre.

In "The Telephone," a woman is haunted by menacing phone calls from a former lover. "The Wurdulak" stars Boris Karloff as a vampire hunter whose family is stalked by the wandering spirit of an undead ghoul. "A Drop of Water" involves a nurse who steals a ring from a corpse-not realizing the curse that is carried with it.

This Kino Classics edition showcases Bava's original European cut of the film (I tre volti della paura, or Three Faces of Fear), before it was re-edited and re-scored for American release.

A heads up about this release, it's pretty much barebones, only featuring a few trailers. The Arrow Blu-ray/DVD release is pretty packed, and is actually on sale for £8.99 for the rest of the month on Arrow's site, which makes it about the same price as the Kino. The only downside to the Arrow is that it's Region B.

Kidnapped

Another Bava from Kino:

A brutal tale of abduction and psychological torment, KIDNAPPED involves a gang of criminals who, when their robbery goes wrong, take a woman, man, and sick child hostage and embark on a tesnion-fueled getaway. In a departure from his more audacious visual style, Bava keeps the action claustrophobic and the tension wound tight, building to an unexpected (and unforgettable) finale.

Shot in the mid 1970s, KIDNAPPED was, for decades, a lost film, having been shut down near the end of production after the death of its principal investor. Years later, producer Alfredo Leone and Mario's son, filmmaker Lamberto Bava, obtained the footage and brought the long-abandoned project to fruition.

Evil Dead

The Evil Dead remake seems to have the internet divided, a lot of people loved it, a lot of people really, really hated it. Like aggressively, angrily hated it, like the movie stole their car and raped their dog or something. Hate a movie all you want, but relax, it's a movie. 

Me, I thought it was pretty great. It's easily the most relentlessly gruesome film I've ever seen in a theater, how this thing passed with an R is beyond me. Sure, they had to cut it down prior to the theatrical release, and I'm sure a lot of fans will be upset we aren't getting that Unrated cut here, but realistically Evil Dead was so gory that it's actually a bit ridiculous as it is, I'm fine with the R rated cut I saw in the theater, which, again, was very gruesome.

There are a few options with this one, you can get the regular ass Blu-ray (or DVD) from Amazon, or most other retailers. If you're into bonus bonus content, Best Buy is offering up a 25-minute bonus disc featuring an interview with Bruce Campbell and an effects featurette. Here's a picture of the cover that I swiped from the Blu-ray.com forum.

Or, if you're like me and value fancy packaging that will spruce up your collection forever over a bonus disc you'll watch once (sorry Bruce), Target has an exclusive Steelbook case (which is also available at Future Shop). If you're interested in the Steelbook, act fast, these things are apparently low in quantity but high in demand. Which of course means eBay people are probably already hitting every Target near them to scoop up the remaining copies to sell for $50 once the supply completely dries up. Luckily I grabbed mine 2 minutes after Target opened, while they were still having that creepy morning meeting they have out on the sales floor. Anyone encounter this thing before? 30 people in a giant circle just inside the entrance, clapping every time a manager finishes a sentence. It's weird and it freaks me out. I don't need an audience while I'm holding five copies of a steelbook in my hands trying to find the one copy with the least amount of defects.

The Car - Arrow UK Region B Release

Not a July 16th title actually, but another release well worth picking up that came out yesterday is Arrow Video's worldwide Blu-ray debut of Elliot Silverstein's The Car, the action packed film about a vehement vehicle from Hell that terrorizes a small town while commiting various automotive atrocities. Arrow's put together a very nice little package for the film, here's a look at the bonus features:

-High Definition presentation (1080p), on Blu-ray for the first time in the world!
-Optional English SDH subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
-Audio commentary with director Elliot Silverstein moderated by Calum Waddell
-Making a Mechanical Monster: Special Effects Artist William Alridge Remembers The Car
-Hitchhike the Hell: Actor John Rubinstein recalls becoming a victim of The Car
-Original Trailer
-Easter Egg
-Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Joe Wilson
-Collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Cullen Gallagher as well as a brand new interview with co-writer Michael Butler conducted by Calum Waddell, illustrated with original archive stills and artwork

I actually have a copy of this already, so look for a review soon. Fans of the film can pick it up now directly from Arrow.

Timeless Horror - Movies 4 You Coming October 1st

Shout! Factory has yet another 4 movie set planned, this one contains 4 classic horror films and is set for an October 1st release. The set contains the following films, two of which were previously released under MGM's Midnite Movies line:

The Face of Marble (1946)
Engrossed in his mission to bring the dead back to life, Dr. Randolph fails to notice his wife Elaine's interest in his young lab associate, Dr. Cochran. However, their old housekeeper Maria does take note and will do anything, including using her voodoo powers, to see to it that Elaine is happy. B&W 72 Min. 

I Bury the Living (1958)
Through a series of chilling coincidences, the newly-elected director of a cemetery (Richard Boone) begins to believe that he can cause the deaths of living owners of burial plots by merely changing the push-pin color from white (living) to black (dead) on a large wall map of the cemetery. B&W, 67 Minutes
The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake (1959)
While attending his brother's funeral Jonathan Drake is shocked to find the head of his sibling is missing. When his brother's skull shows up later in a locked cabinet, Drake realizes an ancient curse placed upon his grandfather by a tribe of South American Indians is still in effect and that he is probably the next victim. B&W, 70 Minutes
The Snake Woman (1961)
A doctor in 1890 England, in order to cure his wife's "sick mind", injects her with snake venom. She later gives birth to a daughter whom the villagers call "The Devil's Baby" and in a fit of fear they end up burning the family's house down. Years later a Scotland Yard detective is sent to the village to investigate a rash of deaths that are caused by snakebite. B&W, 68 Minutes

No cover art has been announced, but I'll post it when I find it. You can preorder the set today at Amazon for less than $7.

Grab a Pair of Horror Classics From Criterion This October

Criterion's October releases have been announced and I was very pleased to see a pair of classic Horror titles on the list. Due out October 15th is Georges Franju's Eyes Without a Face, and out October 22nd is Lewis Allen's The Uninvited. Eyes was released on DVD years ago of course, but seeing as it's one of my top 10 favorite movies of all time I'm thrilled to see it finally getting the Blu-ray treatment.

Eyes without a Face

At his secluded chateau in the French countryside, a brilliant, obsessive doctor (Pierre Brasseur) attempts a radical plastic surgery to restore the beauty of his daughter's disfigured countenance—at a horrifying price. Eyes Without a Face, directed by the supremely talented Georges Franju, is rare in horror cinema for its odd mixture of the ghastly and the lyrical, and it has been a major influence on the genre in the decades since its release. There are images here—of terror, of gore, of inexplicable beauty—that once seen are never forgotten.

Special Features:

• New high-definition digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
• Blood of the Beasts, Georges Franju's 1949 documentary about the slaughterhouses of Paris (new high-definition digital restoration on the Blu-ray edition)
• Archival interviews with Franju on horror, cinema, and the making of Blood of the Beasts
• New interview with actor Edith Scob (Blu-ray only)
• Excerpt from Les Grands-pères du crime, a 1985 documentary about Eyes Without a Face writers Pierre Boileau and Thomas Narcejac
• Trailers
• Stills gallery of rare production photos and promotional material (DVD only)
• Plus: A booklet featuring essays by novelist Patrick McGrath and film historian David Kalat

 The Uninvited

A pair of siblings (Ray Milland and Ruth Hussey) from London purchase a surprisingly affordable, lonely cliff-top house in Cornwall, only to discover that it actually carries a ghostly price; soon they're caught up in a bizarre romantic triangle from beyond the grave. Rich in atmosphere, The Uninvited, directed by Lewis Allen, was groundbreaking for the seriousness with which it treated the haunted-house genre, and it remains an elegant and eerie experience, featuring a classic score by Victor Young. A tragic family past, a mysteriously locked room, cold chills, bumps in the night—this gothic Hollywood classic has it all.

Special Features:

• New 2K digital film restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
• New visual essay by filmmaker Michael Almereyda
• PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by critic Farran Smith Nehme

Hatchet III From Dark Sky August 13th

Dark Sky has just revealed the details for their upcoming Hatchet III Blu-ray & DVD release, which is available August 13th in R-Rated and Unrated versions.

Concluding the saga begun in Adam Green's hit 2006 thriller, HATCHET III follows the vengeful Marybeth (Halloween's Danielle Harris) as she continues seeking out a way to destroy Victor Crowley (Kane Hodder, Friday the 13th), a hulking, seemingly-invincible sociopath rampaging through a sleepy Louisiana swamp. 

While a heavily-armed team of mercenaries takes to the bayou surrounding Crowley's home, Marybeth finds herself begrudgingly teaming up with a local policeman (Gremlins star Zach Galligan) and his ex-wife (Caroline Williams, Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2) - an expert on the maniac who may have uncovered the secret to ending his murderous rampage once and for all. 

• Crew Commentary with: Writer-Producer Adam Green, Director BJ McDonnell, Cinematographer Will Barratta and Make-Up Effects Artist Robert Pendergraft 
• Cast Commentary with: Adam Green, BJ McDonnell and Kane Hodder
• Hatchet III: Behind The Scenes featurette 
• Raising Kane featurette
• Swamp Fun featurette 

Preorder Hatchet III today from Amazon.

Things Get Fishy in Insanely Gruesome Black Sea Trailer

Splatter fans are going to want to take a look at this new trailer from Rodrigo Aragão's latest film Mar Negro (Black Sea for non-Portuguese speakers out there). Aragão is the guy who brought us Mud Zombies and The Night of the Chupacabras and Mar Negro looks just as awesome, filled with more gore in 3 brief minutes than most films contain in their entire running time. Be sure not to watch this thing at work as it contains zombies, bodily dismemberment, and drag queens. I think they were drag queens. Either that, or a couple of very ugly women.

A strange contamination strikes a fisherman's village. When fish and shellfish become evil creatures that transmit death and destruction, the lonely Albino risks his soul for the love of his life, in a desperate fight for survival.

Drive In Collection: Blood Thirst + The Thirsty Dead Coming September 10th

Vinegar Syndrome has just listed another Drive-In Collection release with a September 10th release date; joining the already announced Death Force/Vampire Hookers is this double dose of Filipino terror:

Two blood drinking B-movies made by Americans in Manila!
Blood Thirst (1971)
After a series of brutal killings, an American investigator probes the violent goings on and discovers a horrifying secret.
Director: Newt Arnold
74 minutes / B&W / AR: 1.85:1
The Thirsty Dead (1974)
A sinister cult kidnaps beautiful women to use in their ghastly blood rites. Featuring Jennifer Billingsley and John Considine.
Director: Terry Becker
88 minutes / Color / AR: 1.85:1
Features Include:
+ Dual Layer DVD-9 | Region Free | 16:9 Anamorphic | 1.85:1 AR | MONO
+ 2k scan from 35mm archival elements

On a side note, what are the odds of two unrelated movies made in the Philippines having the word "thirst" in their titles?

Drive-In Ads of the 1970's: Part III The Last Temptation of Toxie

More classic Drive-In ad from Kentucky, this time featuring Vampiric patriarchs, Ginormous grasshoppers, and Canadian thespians who desecrate graves and accidentally raise the dead.

 

 

The Horror Show From Scream This November

Scream has just revealed the cover art for their November release of the 1989 film The Horror Show.
 

"This Lance Herinksen shocker will be released - for the first time on DVD & Blu-ray - in November. No news to report at this time regarding extras and we'll report back with a final list in late Aug/early Sept."

This is a pretty exciting release because this one never even made it to DVD in the US.

The Incredible Melting Man - Scream Factory Blu-ray Review

The Incredible Melting Man
"Ouchka!"




Director: William Sachs
Writer: William Sachs

Stars: Alex Rebar, Burr DeBenning, Myron Healey, Michael Allredge, Ann Sweeny

Year: 1977

Running Time: 84 Minutes

Studio: Scream Factory 
Region: A
Buy it on: Amazon

The film starts off with a trio of astronauts on a space expedition that isn't really explained, but that enables them to "see the sun through the rings of Saturn". An accident (which also isn't really explained) kills two astronauts on board, but a third astronaut named Steve West is lucky enough to survive the crash. Unfortunately for him, he's been exposed to a large amount of radiation, which causes his body to begin to slowly melt, leaving him to wander around the rest of the film with a thick coat of sappy goop covering his body while the occasional ear or eyeball peels off of him. Upon waking up and discovering that he's even uglier than he was before the accident he flips his shit, kills a husky nurse, and heads out to the woods where he kills and eats anyone who crosses his path. Attempting to track the gelatinous monstrosity known as Steve is a highly skilled team of monster hunters headed by Dr. Ted Nelson (Burr DeBenning), and consisting of himself and General Michael Perry (Myron Healey). Okay, so they're not "monster hunters" at all, that just sounded cooler than "a doctor and a general". Together they must stop Steve's rampage before he devours the entire town. Ickiness ensues on the way to a tense and gruesome finale.

Sharknado Premieres in Two Hours

 

Another month, another absurd SyFy film with a ridiculous premise and a pack of D-list actors. I usually can't watch more than 8 minutes of one of these CFI fests, but this one doesn't look as unwatchable as usual. Plus, it's always good to know John Heard is still alive.

It premieres tonight on SyFy @ 9PM, but I suggest everyone interested in this DVR it and head out to a 10PM showing of Pacific Rim instead. I, like most of us really love Guillermo and, while I know some people finding him grating but I'm also a fan of Charlie Day. Grown Ups 2 is pretty much guaranteed to wipe the floor with PacRim this weekend, so I plan to check it out in the next couple of days - surely my $10 will offset some of the damage done by Grown Ups 2. 

When a freak hurricane swamps Los Angeles, thousands of sharks terrorize the waterlogged populace. And when the high-speed winds form tornadoes in the desert, nature's deadliest killer rules water, land, and air.

Chucky: The Complete Collection Art Revealed

Artwork has just been added to the listing for the Chucky: The Complete Collection set coming in a few months from Universal. I was hoping they'd do something similar to my Good Guys box cover idea, or at least something creative like the Killer DVD set from a few years back, but this new cover isn't too bad. Though, really, Child's Play movie covers have always been pretty simplistic, so this actually kinda works very well for the series.

Preorder Maniac For Only $10.96

Franck Khalfoun's Maniac has been getting pretty much universal praise allover the internet - from those who weren't appalled by the level of violence, that is. Cover art and specs are both yet to be announced, but I thought some of you would be interested to know that Amazon currently has the Blu-ray up for preorder at the amazingly low price of $10.96 with an October 15th release date. I'd put in your order now to lock in the price because it will surely jump back up in the $20 range come October 15th.

On a side note - Franck Khalfoun's name might just be the most difficult name to type that I've ever come across. I've misspelled this dude's name about 15 different ways in the 3 or 4 Maniac posts I've done. Franc Kalhoun, Frank Kalhoun, Franck Kalfhoun...it's a very easy name to make a typo on - I recommend he change his name to Frank Kalhoun to make it easier for me.

Save Big On Latest Arrow Releases

Arrow Video is currently having a big sale on what appears to include everything they've released this year. With this sale those of us in the US can manage to grab all four of the recent Bava titles for about $52 shipped, which is substantially cheaper than getting them from Amazon UK. There's no indication of how long the sale lasts, so click here to hurry over and get in on the sale.

Spandau Ballet Bassit Directed Film Stalker Hits DVD Oct. 15

Fangoria has just posted an exclusive look at the cover art and trailer for Martin Kemp's 2010 film Stalker, which will hit DVD this October 15th. Stalker is a remake of the 1975 British Video Nasty Expose (aka The House on Straw Hill, which hits Blu-ray next month from Severin).

When novelist Paula Martin retreats to the seclusion of her family home Crows Hall she hopes to clear her mind and focus on her new book. The arrival of an assistant, Linda, should take the pressure off... but as the bodies pile up, Paula finds herself trapped in a terrifying nightmare of murder and madness.


I can't embed it on this page, but those interested can check out the exclusive trailer by clicking here.

Arrow's Full List of Lifeforce Bonus Material

Arrow Video has just posted the final specs to their September 30th release of Tobe Hooper's Lifeforce. Speaking in terms of bonus features it looks like they've managed to outdo the very loaded Scream release by a couple of extras. US fans should be aware that the Arrow release, like all of their recent releases, is Region B locked. Here's a look at the list of features:

2-Disc Blu-ray Special Edition Special Features:
- Limited Edition SteelBook packaging
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation of both the Theatrical and International Versions, transferred from original elements by MGM with supervision by director Tobe Hooper
- Optional uncompressed 2.0 Stereo PCM and 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio Surround Sound
- Isolated Music and Effects Sound Track
- Optional English SDH subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Audio commentary with Tobe Hooper, moderated by filmmaker Tim Sullivan
- Audio commentary with Academy Award-winning visual effects artist Douglas Smith, moderated by filmmaker and scholar Howard S. Berger
- Audio commentary with make-up effects artist Nick Maley, moderated by filmmaker Michael Felsher
- Cannon Fodder: The Making of Lifeforce - An epic UK-exclusive look at the genesis, production and release of Lifeforce featuring interviews with Hooper, producer Michael J. Kagan, editor John Grover, actors Aubrey Morris and Nicholas Ball, makeup artist Sandra Exelby, screenwriter Michael Armstrong, sound designer Vernon Messenger, artistic designers Tom Adams and Douglas Smith and effects artist John Schoonraad
- Space Vampires in London: An interview with Tobe Hooper
- Dangerous Beauty: An interview with Mathilda May, Lifeforce’s iconic star
- Carlsen’s Curse: Star Steve Railsback looks back on Lifeforce and his career
- Original Theatrical Trailer
- Collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by science fiction expert Bill Warren, a new interview with Oscar-winning visual effects artist John Dykstra by Calum Waddell, illustrated with original archive stills and posters


Preorder it from Arrow today.