Tuesday, January 28, 2014

New This Week 1.28.14

Wow, tons of new stuff out there today:


Scream Factory's latest double feature is this pair of of fun prehistoric creature featuress:

The Beast Of Hollow Mountain
Based on an idea by the legendary special effects wizard Willis O’Brien (King Kong, Son Of Kong, The Lost World), The Beast Of Hollow Mountain is a classic creature feature. An American rancher living in Mexico is staying near Hollow Mountain, an impenetrable swamp where, stories have it, dwells a living prehistoric Tyrannosaurus Rex!

The Neanderthal Man
A mad scientist uses his new serum on his housekeeper, turning her into an ape-woman. Like most crazed scientists, he then tries the serum on himself, creating…The Neanderthal Man! Robert Shayne (How To Make A Monster) and Beverly Garland (It Conquered The World, The Alligator People) star in this harrowing creature feature.

Pick it up from Shout!


Finally, at long last the legendary Argento's Dracula makes its US Blu-ray & DVD debut!

Horror maestro Dario Argento (Suspiria) puts his unique stylistic spin on the classic supernatural tale with DRACULA, a visually sumptuous retelling of the legendary myth. It s been 400 years since Count Dracula s (Thomas Kretschmann, Wanted) beloved Dolingen De Gratz passed away, leaving the immortal bloodsucker forever abandoned. But when he discovers that local newlywed Mina Harker (Marta Gastini, The Rite) bears a striking resemblance to Dolingen, his furious yearning is reawakened as he believes Mina to be a reincarnation of his beloved. Luring her husband Jonathan away to his castle with the help of his minion (and Mina s best friend) Lucy (Asia Argento, xXx), Dracula embarks on a bloody quest to reunite with his long lost love and live forever with her in hellish immortality. Only the arrival of vampire expert Abraham Van Helsing (Rutger Hauer, Blade Runner) can put an end to the fiend s unholy plan. Luridly violent and brimming with passionate eroticism, Dario Argento s DRACULA is an all-out assault on the senses from one of horror cinema s most celebrated auteurs.
Read my take here, if that doesn't scare you off, own it here.




Considered by many to be the first great American horror film, John S. Robertson's DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE allowed stage legend John Barrymore to deliver his first virtuoso performance on film. Blending historic charm with grim naturalism, this version of DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE is one of the more faithful of the many screen adaptations of Stevenson's story (though greatly influenced by T.R. Sullivan's popular stage treatment), recounting a visionary scientist's ill-fated attempts to unleash the human mysteries that dwell beneath the shell of the civilized self.

Mastered in HD from a 35mm negative, with a wealth of bonus material, this Kino Classics edition beautifully showcases the dramatic brilliance and gruesome thrills of this influential silent classic.

• Mastered in HD from acrhival 35mm elements
• Musical score compiled by Rodney Sauer, performed by the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde the 1912 Thanhouser version, starring James Cruze (12 min., Courtesy of Film Preservation Associates)
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, a 15-minute cut of the rival 1920 version, starring Sheldon Lewis, produced by Louis B. Mayer
• "Dr. Pyckle and Mr. Pride," a 1925 slapstick parody starring Stan Laurel
• "The Transformation Scene," a rare 1909 audio recording 

Amazon, or from Kino




Also out today on Blu-ray is the latest Hammer release from Millennium, Frankenstein Created Woman:

A tormented girl (Susan Denberg) drowns herself after her lover is framed for her father s murder and guillotined. Baron Frankenstein (Peter Cushing), experimenting with the transfer of souls, places her lover s soul into her body, bringing Christina back to life. With no memories of her past life, she becomes driven by a ghostly revenge and carries out a violent retribution on those responsible for both deaths.

Extra features: Commentary Featuring Derek Fowlds, Robert Morris, Jonathan Rigby; Frankenstein Created Woman Trailer; World of Hammer Episode ‘The Curse of Frankenstein’; World of Hammer Episode ‘Hammer Stars: Peter Cushing’; Brand New Documentary: Hammer Glamour; Animated Stills Gallery; Includes Exclusive Collectable Cards!


Five university friends gather at a house party to ring in the New Year. Unbeknownst to them, an epidemic has erupted outside, causing outbreaks around the world. With nowhere else to turn, they barricade themselves indoors with only their phones, laptops, and other tech devices. They use their devices to research the possible cause of this outbreak. Information and video footage over flow their computers as they descend further into the cause and the ensuing chaos. As the virus spreads, the mood in the house changes from fear to paranoia. Who is safe? Who can they trust? Reality becomes blurred as they slowly discover the source of the virus causing the sickness...and there is no going back. 

The DVD includes a behind the scenes featurette and a commentary from the director - check it out at Amazon.


Scorpion's new Dangerous Beauties line debuts today with this double feature:

First up, MALIBU HIGH! Every teacher wanted to flunk her... but no one dared! As Kim enters her final year at Malibu High School, she has a few problems. Her grades are poor, her boyfriend has dumped her for a snobby rich girl and her financial situation is disastrous. She makes an after hours meeting with a teacher to improve her grade point average and soon, she is working her way through the entire faculty room! But when that isn't enough, Kim turns to murder as danger heats up!. Now see the cuolt classicfrom a brand new 16x9 master in HD from the original camera negatives first time anywhere!

Next up, HUSTLER SQUAD! You pay for the pleasure... the killing is free! An unlikely group of freedom fighters - professional prostitutes - are recruited by the U.S. Army to perform a dangerous, quite unorthodox military mission.! Watch this film in widescreen on DVD, from a brand new master from the vault elements, first time anywhere! 
Whoever did this write-up really likes exclamation points! Buy your copy today at Amazon!


And another Dangerous Beauties release with a write up as enthusiastic as the last:

First up, RUNNING HOT! Acclaimed actor Eric Stoltz (Mask, Pulp Fiction) stars in this volatile tale of star-crossed lovers in a last ditch escape from the law. A stripper (Monica Carrico) watches the trial of a younger man (Stoltz) accused of murdering his father. As she falls in love with his tragic image, she writes love letters to him in prison. When the object of her obsession shows up at her doorstep, having made a bloody escape, she joins him in a perilous, passionate run for their lives from a sadistic cop (Stuart Margolin, TV's Rockford Files). In the tradition of Badlands and True Romance this thrilling 1984 film is a rare gem directed by award winning director Mark Griffiths, and from the producer of the popular TV show The O.C... Now see the cult classic from a brand new 16x9 master in HD from the original camera negatives first time anywhere!

Next up, HOT TARGET! At first glance, Christine Webber (Simone Griffeth, Death Race 2000) would seem to be a woman who has everything. A wife of a successful NZ businessman, she is beautiful, sophisticated, stylish - the perfect wife and mother. But scratch the surface and see that Christine is also a Woman trapped by the very "perfection" of her life.Watch this film in wqidescreen on DVD, from a brand new master from the original IP, first time anywhere!
Get it at Amazon


After a mysterious and bloody massacre in their isolated country house leaves her parents and younger brother dead, 11-year-old Neve is taken by police to friends of the family to be looked after. When Neve tries to explain that an evil force within the house caused her family s deaths, she s met with disbelief from both the authorities and her new family. As the police try to find the crime s real perpetrators, Neve is given a social worker to try to ease her trauma. But before long it becomes apparent that whatever killed her family has followed Neve to her new home, and soon she and all those around her are in mortal danger of the malevolent power that seems to be tied to the innocent girl. A pulse-pounding supernatural thriller, DARK TOUCH weaves the tension of a horror film with the plight of a newly orphaned girl to create a unique examination of the paranormal. Buy the DVD or Digital Download from Amazon.

 
And finally, the Rifftrax release of Umberto Lenzi's 1988 film Ghosthouse (La casa 3) is out from Legend Films. Funnily enough, this movie never received an actual US DVD release, but here it is with Mike and the former bots Rifftraxing it up. According to the cover it has both the Rifftrax and the original audio which is great for Lenzi fans who don't care for Rifftrax. And even greater for people like myself who are fans of both Lenzi and Rifftrax. Get it here.

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