Hitting Shelves 8.6

Here are some of the finer things that will be hitting shelves today at your local...online retailer. At least, that's where I have to buy most of my movies. Some of you might be lucky enough to have a local source where you can buy Scorpion or even Scream Factory releases. Not me. The best movie source I've got anywhere near me is Best Buy, and Best Buy kind of sucks.

"World War IV has ravaged Earth, and its survivors must battle for food, shelter and companionship in a post-atomic  wasteland.  This classic sci-fi tale follows the exploits of a young man, Vic (Don Johnson), and his telepathic dog, Blood, as they struggle through the barren wilderness. In the midst of their meager existence, foraging for scraps of food and battling ruthless gangs, Vic and Blood encounter a young woman who lures them into a surreal city deep beneath the earth’s surface.

Based on the award-winning novella by acclaimed science-fiction author Harlan Ellison, A Boy and His Dog is a dark, twisted and sometimes comical trip through a post-apocalyptic reality in the not-too-distant future."

Grab it now from Shout! or Amazon.

Alex Winter's hilarious goofball take on Dr. Moreau has finally hit Blu-ray from Anchor Bay, who are kind of giving us a bit of a shaft job with this release, it seems to be lacking approximately 100% of the bonus features that appeared on the 2-disc DVD. So if you have the DVD you're gonna want to hang onto it.

"Alex Winter (of BILL & TED'S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE) stars as Ricky Coogin, an arrogant former child star who becomes the celebrity spokesman for toxic fertilizer Zygrot-24. But when Ricky is taken prisoner by demented sideshow impresario Elijah C. Skuggs (Randy Quaid), he is transformed into a hideous mutant freak to join the likes of The Bearded Lady (Mr. T), Sockhead (Bobcat Goldthwait), a human worm, a giant nose, and their fearless leader, Ortiz The Dog Boy (an uncredited - and unforgettable - performance by Keanu Reeves). Can a hack actor-turned-genetic nightmare now survive an evil conspiracy of corporate sleazebags, desperate milkmen, Rastafarian eyeballs, canned cheese and most horrifying of all, Brooke Shields? It's time to get FREAKED!"

If you haven't seen it, it's kind of like Basket Case 3 meets The Island of Lost Souls. In other words, it's awesome. If you're like me and you think jokes about a guy with a nose so huge it enables him to "smell the future" are funny, this is definitely a movie you'll want in your collection. Grab it from Amazon.

Wes Craven's backwoods bad guy basher flick Swamp Thing hits Blu-ray today from Scream Factory. I think Swamp Thing is a decently fun time at the movies, but am I alone in finding it inferior to Jim Wynorski's much more entertaining Return of the Swamp Thing? I mean, from a technical standpoint Craven's gonna beat Wynorski every time, but in terms of entertainment I found Return way more rewarding than this original. I don't know, maybe that's just me. Either way, I actually didn't get a review copy of this one, but according to Gary at The Beav fans of the film should be pleased with this very nice package Scream has put together.

"Science Made Him A Monster!

Swamp Thing is the perfect blend of thrills, chills and "winsome humor" (Robert Ebert) from master of horror Wes Craven (A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Last House on the Left, The Hills Have Eyes).

Deep in the Florida everglades, a brilliant scientist, Dr. Alec Holland (Ray Wise), and a sexy government agent, Alice Cable (Adrienne Barbeau, The Fog), have developed a secret formula that could end world hunger. Little do they know, however, that their arch nemesis, Arcane (Louis Jourdan, Octopussy), is plotting to steal the serum for his own selfish schemes. Looting the lab and kidnapping Cable, Arcane douses Holland with the chemicals and leaves him for dead. Mutated by his own formula, Holland becomes "Swamp Thing" - a half-human/half-plant superhero who will stop at nothing to rescue Cable and defeat Arcane...even if it costs him his life!"


Just a heads up, Shout was only able to release the PG rated "No Tits" version, so if you're desperate for a peek at Adrienne's Barbeaus you'll need to seek out that original recalled MGM DVD. You can grab the Blu-ray directly from Shout Factory.

Bill "Code Red" Olsen's less eccentric brother Walter's label Scorpion Releasing steps into the world of Blu-ray with Jim O'Connolly's 1972 film Tower of Evil.

"From horror producer Richard Gordon (Inseminoid, First Man into Space, Fiend Without a Face, Horror Hospital) comes one of the most brutal and mysterious stories ever to be released on BluRay. Tower of Evil is a haunting tale set in & around a deserted lighthouse on fog-shrouded Snape Island.

The terror begins when a nude, crazed woman slaughters a sailor who visits the island. When she is taken back to civilization and an ancient relic is discovered, an expedition is mounted to solve the mystery of the island which leads to a series of psycho-sexual murders. Starring Jill Haworth (It!), Bryant Haliday (Devil Doll), Dennis Price (Theather of Blood), George Coulouris (Blood from the Mummy's Tomb) and Candice Glendenning (Satan's Slave) now witness the horror from a brand new HD master"

Grab it now from Amazon.

Joining Tower of Evil in Scorpion's jump to Blu-ray is the 1985 comedy Tomboy. I've never seen Tomboy so I don't have much to say about the film, but high def Betsy Russell boobs have gotta be worth the price of admission, right?

Tomasina "Tommy" Boyd (Betsy Russell, PRIVATE SCHOOL, AVENGING ANGEL, the SAW films) has always been a tomboy. She'd rather tinker with cars and play baseball than dress up dolls. She tried to be the son her father always wanted. Now all grown up, Tommy works as a mechanic at Chester's garage. While working on racecars for racing entrepreneur Junior Leeds, she meets race car driver Randy Star. She is attracted to Randy and hopes for a romantic relationship when her race car driving skills are spotted by Junior and his partner. They offer Tommy a job racing against her new love, Randy. Who will win, and will the competition move this new romance across the finish line? Now see it from a brand new HD master on Blu Ray!

Includes a Brand New interview with Betsy Russell! And hosted by Katarina Leigh Waters. Get it from Amazon.

The Initiation - Arrow Video (Region 2 DVD)

Here's to being young... staying young... and dying young.

Like any blossoming all-American gal, Kelly is looking forward to her sorority initiation with a mixture of excitement and apprehension. And she s got every reason to be anxious considering the prank her sorority sisters have tasked her with a late-night break-in of her father s department store. At first, it seems pretty straightforward and everything goes to plan, but once inside the labyrinthian mall, Kelly and her fellow pledges finds themselves locked in, and they re not alone...

Who is the stranger stalking Kelly and her randy teen friends through the department s stores shadowy corridors? And how is this unseen assailant connected with Kelly's terrible recurring nightmares of a man burning in agony....?

ALSO INCLUDES A TRAILER + BOOKLET BY CRITIC CALUM WADDELL!

Those of you on Clu Gulager alert will be happy to know Clu does in fact appear in The Initiation. Grab it now from Arrow.

I actually have a screener copy of this one, so I will be reviewing it soon. We still haven't gotten a temporary house since the fire (which was 3 weeks ago now) so I'm still stuck in a room without a TV which makes reviewing movies difficult, I might have to watch this and my Scream August releases on my laptop if we don't have a house in the next couple of days.