Up first, three great new releases from Severin.
BLOODY BIRTHDAY- Get ready for the rarely seen slasher classic from the '80s that may also be the most disturbing 'killer kids' movies in grindhouse history: Three babies are simultaneously born in the same hospital at the peak of a full solar eclipse. Ten years later, these adorable youngsters suddenly begin a kiddie killing spree of stranglings, shootings, stabbings, beatings and beyond. Can the town's grown-ups stop these pint-sized serial killers before their blood-soaked birthday bash? K.C. Martel (E.T., Growing Pains), Joe Penny (Jake And The Fat Man), Michael Dudikoff (American Ninja), screen legends Susan Strasberg and Jose Ferrer, and MTV vixen Julie Brown - whose nude bedroom dance remains a landmark of celebrity skin - star in this still-controversial shocker from director Ed Hunt (The Brain, Diary Of A Sinner), now featuring an all-new HD transfer from the original vault elements.
THE BABY- An A-list director. A jaw-dropping storyline. And depraved depictions of suburban violence, 70s fashions and 'sick love'. The result remains one of the most disturbing movies in Hollywood history: Anjanette Comer (The Loved One) stars as an idealistic L.A. County social worker who investigates the case of Mrs. Wadsworth (former '50s starlet Ruth Roman of Strangers On A Train fame), her two buxom daughters, and son 'Baby', a mentally-disabled man who sleeps in a crib, eats in a high-chair, crawls, bawls and wears diapers. But what secrets of unnatural attachment - and sexual obsession - are all of these women hiding? Marianna Hill (The Godfather Part II) and Michael Pataki (Grave Of The Vampire) co-star in this psychotic stunner from director Ted Post (Magnum Force, Beneath The Planet Of The Apes), now fully restored from the original film negative for the first time on Blu-ray.
BLOODY MOON- As the 'body-count' genre stabbed its way into audiences' hearts in the early '80s, EuroTrash auteur Jess Franco (Sadomania, Mansion Of The Living Dead) was asked to create his own saga of slaughtered schoolgirls complete with gratuitous nudity, graphic violence, and gory set pieces. But just when you thought you'd seen it all, Franco shocked the world by delivering surprising style, genuine suspense and a cavalcade of depravity that includes incest, voyeurism and roller disco. The luscious Olivia Pascal of Vanessa fame stars in this twisted thriller that was banned in England yet is now presented uncut and uncensored - including the complete 'stone mill power saw' sequence - for the first time ever on Blu-ray!
You can pick them up directly from Severin for $25 a piece, or you can grab this bundle of all three titles for just $50.
Also, I'm not sure exactly how new this release is, but Severin currently has this amazing Nasties & Nazis bundle available for $70. The bundle includes the 3-disc Video Naties: The Definitive Guide, Deported Women of the SS, and Gestapo's Last Orgy, plus a Gestapo's Last Orgy replica VHS and a signed postcard.
Deported Women of the SS
One of the first Italian 'Nazisploitation' shockers is also one of the strangest: John Steiner (CALIGULA, TENEBRAE) stars as the depraved Commandant of a camp where beautiful women are brutalized, degraded, forced to submit to female officers, and trained to be prostitutes for the Reich. But will a mass escape attempt unleash the most sadistic tortures of all? Lina Polito (ALL SCREWED UP), Erna Schurer (SCREAM OF THE DEMON LOVER), Sara Sperati (SALON KITTY) and Solvi Stubing (STRIP NUDE FOR YOUR KILLER) co-star in this rancid slab of uber-sleaze from writer/director Rino Di Silvestro (HANNA D, WEREWOLF WOMAN), now presented totally uncensored including the notorious 'cork & razor' scene!
Gestapo's Last Orgy
In the tradition of THE NIGHT PORTER, SALON KITTY and SALO - only far more depraved - comes perhaps the most notorious 'Nazisploitation' epic of them all: Daniela Levy (aka Italian TV presenter and future UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Daniela Poggi) stars as a beautiful young death camp prisoner forced into a nightmare of brutality, torment and sexual degradation. But will a Commandant's vilest urge trigger her ultimate vengeance? Marc Loud (aka Adriano Micantoni of TOMB OF TORTURE) co-stars in this fetid slice of filth-strudel - also known as LAST ORGY OF THE THIRD REICH and CALIGULA REINCARNATED AS HITLER - now presented totally uncut and uncensored, including the infamous 'dinner scene' that still has the film banned in the UK!
Video Nasties: The Definitive Guide
Every Video Nasty critiqued and explored, followed by the original trailers, for the first time ever on DVD in America!
Prepare to be corrupted and depraved once more with this definitive guide to the Video Nasties phenomenon - one of the most extraordinary and scandalous eras in the history of British film. For the first time ever on DVD, TRAILERS to all 72 films that fell foul of the Director of Public Prosecutions are featured with specially filmed intros for each title in a lavish three-disc collector's edition box-set, alongside a brand new documentary - VIDEO NASTIES: MORAL PANIC, CENSORSHIP AND VIDEOTAPE.
Disc One The era-defining and critically acclaimed documentary VIDEO NASTIES: MORAL PANIC, CENSORSHIP AND VIDEOTAPE directed by Jake (Doghouse) West and produced by Marc Morris features interviews with filmmakers Neil Marshall ('The Descent', 'Doomsday'), Christopher Smith ('Severance', 'Black Death') and MP Graham Bright as well as rare archive footage featuring James Ferman (director of the BBFC 1975-1999) & Mary Whitehouse. Taking in the explosion of home video, the erosion of civil liberties, the introduction of draconian censorship measures, hysterical press campaigns and the birth of many careers born in blood and videotape, West's documentary also reflects on the influence this peculiar era still exerts on us today.
Disc Two presents the 39 titles that were successfully prosecuted in UK courts and deemed liable to deprave and corrupt. These included: 'Absurd', 'Cannibal Holocaust', 'The Driller Killer', 'I Spit on Your Grave', 'Nightmares in a Damaged Brain', 'Snuff' & 'Zombie Flesh-Eaters'.
Disc Three presents the 33 titles that were initially banned, but then subsequently acquitted and removed from the DPP's list. These included: 'Death Trap', 'Deep River Savages', 'The Evil Dead', 'Human Experiments', 'The Toolbox Murders' & Zombie Creeping Flesh.
Discs 2 & 3 can be viewed either as a non-stop trailer show, or with newly-filmed introductions from a wide range of acclaimed media academics and notable genre journalists. Each disc is preceded by a brief introduction by cult horror presenter Emily Booth.
From Scream Factory this week is the hi-def debut of Lake Placid, Steve Miner's horror comedy from 1999. There is definitely more emphasis on the comedy than the horror here. In fact, outside of a doozy of a death in the opening scene Lake Placid is pretty light on gore, but the fantastically effective animatronic crocodile more than makes up for the limited display of gory shocks. The script is just a lot of fun and the cast seems to be having a hell of a time, which really adds to the enjoyment in my opinion.
"Bill Pullman (Independence Day, The Grudge), Bridget Fonda (Jackie Brown), Brendan Gleeson (In Bruges) and Oliver Platt (X-Men: First Class)
share an appetite for sheer adventure when a tranquil New England
lakefront erupts into an action-packed den of destruction in this
monster of a hit!
An investigative team, armed with state-of-the-art equipment, high-powered weaponry and a biting sense of sarcasm, must work together to defeat Black Lake’s most ferocious resident: a 30-foot prehistoric crocodile! Written by David E. Kelley (Ally Mcbeal, Boston Legal), directed by Steve Miner (Halloween H20, Friday The 13th Part 2), and co-starring Betty White as the cantankerous Mrs. Bickerman, this terrifying tale of survival ’combines humor and thrills with remarkable deftness’ (New York Post)."
An investigative team, armed with state-of-the-art equipment, high-powered weaponry and a biting sense of sarcasm, must work together to defeat Black Lake’s most ferocious resident: a 30-foot prehistoric crocodile! Written by David E. Kelley (Ally Mcbeal, Boston Legal), directed by Steve Miner (Halloween H20, Friday The 13th Part 2), and co-starring Betty White as the cantankerous Mrs. Bickerman, this terrifying tale of survival ’combines humor and thrills with remarkable deftness’ (New York Post)."
• The Making of LAKE PLACID featuring new interviews with director Steve
Miner, actor Bill Pullman, director of photography Daryn Okada, editor
Marshall Harvey, Production Designer John Willett, Effects supervisor
Nick Marra and Puppeteer Toby Lindala
• Vintage Featurette featuring interviews with actors Bridget Fonda, Bill Pullman, Oliver Platt, Brendon Gleason, Bette White and director Steve Miner
• Behind the Scenes Still Gallery
• Animatronic Croc Test Footage
• TV Spots
• Theatrical Trailer
• Vintage Featurette featuring interviews with actors Bridget Fonda, Bill Pullman, Oliver Platt, Brendon Gleason, Bette White and director Steve Miner
• Behind the Scenes Still Gallery
• Animatronic Croc Test Footage
• TV Spots
• Theatrical Trailer
Grab it from Amazon
And from Shout Factory comes Southern Comfort:
From the director of The Warriors and 48 Hrs. comes this
gut-wrenching tale of backwoods terror that ’draws you into the eerily
beautiful Louisiana bayou...then has you running for your life’ (Pauline
Kael, New Yorker)! Keith Carradine (The Duellists) and Powers Boothe (Sin City, Deadwood) lead a ’first-rate ensemble’ (Newsweek) in this ’exciting, arresting and tautly told suspenser’ (Variety).
Nine National Guardsmen enter the Louisiana swamp for routine training, but an error in judgment by one of the team incites an all-out war with some angry Cajuns who know the territory like the backs of their hands. Armed with a precious few bullets, and confused by the dimly lit, moss-covered maze into which they’ve stumbled, the guardsmen know they’ll be picked off one by one, until they come up with a solution using the only resources they have left...their wits.
Also starring Fred Ward (Tremors, 2 Guns), T.K. Carter (The Thing), Peter Coyote (Jagged Edge) and Brion James (Blade Runner).
Nine National Guardsmen enter the Louisiana swamp for routine training, but an error in judgment by one of the team incites an all-out war with some angry Cajuns who know the territory like the backs of their hands. Armed with a precious few bullets, and confused by the dimly lit, moss-covered maze into which they’ve stumbled, the guardsmen know they’ll be picked off one by one, until they come up with a solution using the only resources they have left...their wits.
Also starring Fred Ward (Tremors, 2 Guns), T.K. Carter (The Thing), Peter Coyote (Jagged Edge) and Brion James (Blade Runner).
Grab it today
"Following immediately after the events of THE RAID, Rama (Iko
Uwais) is forced to reinvent himself as an undercover cop in order to
provide protection for his wife and child. Working for the
anti-corruption taskforce led by the one person he can trust, Bunawar,
he is given a mission to engage himself as an enforcer for a local mob
boss, Bangun. Finding a way in through Bangun's son Uco, Rama must hunt
for information linking Bangun with police force corruption. All the
while, he harbors a dangerous and personal vendetta for revenge and
justice that threatens to consume him - and bring both this mission and
the organized crime syndicates crashing down."
I actually caught this one in the theater the one week it was playing, and I was totally blown away. It received some mixed reviews upon its release, but I think apart from a bit of a bloated running time this was every bit as entertaining than the original, if not more so. Brutal, intense, gruesome and at times downright insane, The Raid 2 is everything I hope for in a martial arts film. Grab it at Amazon.
Runaway Nightmare is another absurd oddity from Vinegar Syndrome.
This one is somehow even more bizarre than the titles they usually crank out.
The script seems like it was made up on the fly, people frequently refer to a helicopter as "the plane", there's a vampire for no reason, the ending doesn't make
any sense and despite being an exploitation film loaded with impossibly
attractive women Runaway Nightmare has a staggeringly low naked boob
count. That's zero naked boobs, for those of you keeping score at home. There's also a good 45 minute stretch in the middle where the
movie seems to forget it sort of has a plot, and just focuses on random
nonsense, like exploding gun fights, and nudity free fornication, and
yet somehow this is all still amazingly watchable. Certainly well worth a look, you might very well hate it, but you've never seen anything like it before.
"Our second in a series of limited-edition Blu-ray combos, this hand-numbered release is limited to just 1,000 units. This release will be exclusively available at DiabolikDVD.com, here on our website and at select conventions until they are sold out. We’ll be at Cinema Wasteland, Rock and Shock and a few others TBD. Note: if you miss out on this limited Blu-ray, RUNAWAY NIGHTMARE will always be available as a regular edition DVD.
After discovering a woman buried alive, two Death Valley worm farmers are kidnapped by an all-female cult of gun runners who, after making the men into their sex slaves, force them to assist in a plan to steal a suitcase full of platinum from the mafia. Combining black comedy with elements of horror, action, thriller, and surrealist cinema, director/writer/producer/editor/star Mike Cartel’s (Pets, Bitter Heritage) RUNAWAY NIGHTMARE stands as one of the most fiercely unique works of outsider/cult cinema to emerge from the 1970s and 80s. Also featuring a co-starring performance from Georgia Durante, author of The Company She Keeps and crewed by Rowdy Harrington (director of Road House) and Daryn Okada (cinematographer of Mean Girls)."
Director: Mike Cartel
94 minutes / 1982 / Color / 1.85:1
Features Include:
+ Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack | Region Free | 16:9 Anamorphic | DTS-HD Mono
+ Scanned and Restored in 4k from 35mm original negatives
+ Commentary track with director Mike Cartel and co-star Mari Cartel
+ Alternate VHS scenes
I think most of the Limited copies are gone, but there are still some left so order now while you still can. If the Blu-ray/DVD combo sells out, it's also available as a DVD only version.
"Our second in a series of limited-edition Blu-ray combos, this hand-numbered release is limited to just 1,000 units. This release will be exclusively available at DiabolikDVD.com, here on our website and at select conventions until they are sold out. We’ll be at Cinema Wasteland, Rock and Shock and a few others TBD. Note: if you miss out on this limited Blu-ray, RUNAWAY NIGHTMARE will always be available as a regular edition DVD.
After discovering a woman buried alive, two Death Valley worm farmers are kidnapped by an all-female cult of gun runners who, after making the men into their sex slaves, force them to assist in a plan to steal a suitcase full of platinum from the mafia. Combining black comedy with elements of horror, action, thriller, and surrealist cinema, director/writer/producer/editor/star Mike Cartel’s (Pets, Bitter Heritage) RUNAWAY NIGHTMARE stands as one of the most fiercely unique works of outsider/cult cinema to emerge from the 1970s and 80s. Also featuring a co-starring performance from Georgia Durante, author of The Company She Keeps and crewed by Rowdy Harrington (director of Road House) and Daryn Okada (cinematographer of Mean Girls)."
Director: Mike Cartel
94 minutes / 1982 / Color / 1.85:1
Features Include:
+ Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack | Region Free | 16:9 Anamorphic | DTS-HD Mono
+ Scanned and Restored in 4k from 35mm original negatives
+ Commentary track with director Mike Cartel and co-star Mari Cartel
+ Alternate VHS scenes
I think most of the Limited copies are gone, but there are still some left so order now while you still can. If the Blu-ray/DVD combo sells out, it's also available as a DVD only version.
"In this genre-bending "Glee"-meets-Rocky Horror musical comedy a
starry-eyed teenager (Allie MacDonald) wants to follow in her mother's
(Minnie Driver) footsteps and become a Broadway diva; but instead, she's
stuck working in the kitchen of her step-father's (Meat Loaf Aday)
snobby performing arts camp. Determined to change her destiny, she
sneaks in to audition for the summer showcase landing the lead role.
However, just as rehearsals begin, blood starts to spill, and Camilla
finds herself terrorized by a homicidal masked killer."
If you're interested in this one, I recommend picking it up from Best Buy where it's currently only $18. Much better than the $27 they have it for on Amazon.
And finally, one I've been dying to see. From Well Go USA is Juno Mak's Chinese vampire film Rigor Mortis:
"In this eerie and chilling, contemporary, action/special effects laden
homage to the classic Chinese vampire movies of the 1980 s,
writer-director-producer, Juno Mak makes his feature directorial debut.
Co-produced by J-Horror icon Takashi Shimizu, and reuniting some of the
original cast members of the classic Mr. Vampire series, RIGOR MORTIS is
set in a creepy and moody Hong Kong public housing tower whose
occupants we soon discover, run the gamut from the living to the dead,
to the undead, along with ghosts, vampires and zombies."
