Maniac Cop 2 + Maniac Cop 3 On Blu-ray From Blue Underground

Coming soon to Blu-ray from Blue Underground are Maniac Cop 2 and 3.

"We are pleased to finally announce the Collector's Edition Blu-ray + DVD Combo Pack releases of MANIAC COP 2 & MANIAC COP 3: BADGE OF SILENCE. Here's a look at the cover art. Additional details and release date will be revealed soon..."

I finally got around to seeing Maniac Cop a year or two ago and had a very "that's it?" reaction to it. Certainly not terrible, but I'd heard a lot of good things and it didn't live up to any of the hype. I've heard from people (or a guy on the HorrorDVDs forum at least) that Maniac Cop 2 is a lot of fun, so I'll probably check that one out when it gets released.

Bradwick J McGinty's Guts of a Mogwai

I can't tell you how much I love these Mogwai and Gremlin anatomy mini-posters. You can pick them up for $25 a piece with free shipping over at Brad J McGinty's shop.

Print Specs:

Print is 9×12 (including border)
Printed on Borden & Riley Rough finish 98 gram “Craft” paper
With Epson Durabrite inks
Signed and numbered
Limited edition of 50

If you think the posters are awesome, the t-shirts are awesomer:

Eisener's V/H/S 2 'Slumber Party Alien Abduction' Segment Poster

Curse of Chucky September 24th

Looks like Chucky, sounds like a Child's Play movie:

“Nica (Fiona Dourif) is grieving over the gruesome suicide of her mother when her domineering older sister Barb (Danielle Bisutti) arrives with her young family in tow to help settle their mother’s affairs. As the sisters butt heads over Nica’s plans for the future, Barb’s young daughter comforts herself with a grinning, red-haired talking doll named Chucky (voiced again by Brad Dourif) that recently arrived mysteriously in the mail. But as a string of brutal murders begins to terrorize the household, Nica suspects the doll may hold the key to the bloodshed. What she doesn’t know is that Chucky has a personal score to settle. He’s determined to finish a job he started more than 20 years earlier, and this time he’s going to see it through to the bloody and shocking end.”

This could be pretty interesting having Brad Dourif terrorize his daughter Fiona as Chucky. I'm not a huge Child's Play fan, but apart from Seed I've found all of them worth a watch. True story, Part 3 is actually one of my all-time most watched movies. My family went through a rough patch around 1992 and for a while we had no cable and the only movies I had were copies of Boyz in he Hood and Child's Play 3 that we didn't return to Erol's. I probably watched Child's Play 3 around 30 times in a 3-month period. That's a lot of viewings for a movie that kinda sucks. 

Back to Curse of Chucky, it's been confirmed for a September 24th Blu-ray/DVD release. Hopefully a poster and trailer hit soon.

Hilarious Movie Title Translation of the Day - According to the IMDB, in Portugal Child's Play is called Chucky, o Boneco Diabólico, which seems to translate to Chucky, The Evil Snowman.

 

A Surprise Hidden on Vinegar Syndrome's Facebook Page

I posted the release info and trailer for Miss Wyckoff earlier today, but even if you've already watched it you're going to want to head over to the Vinegar Syndrome Facebook page and watch it again. The trailer on their page is a little bit longer and a great little surprise (coupon code) is waiting for everyone at around the 1:34 mark.

Good Luck, Miss Wyckoff - Blu-ray/DVD/CD Combo Pack From Vinegar Syndrome

Coming this August from Vinegar Syndrome is Good Luck, Miss Wyckoff from Emmy winning director Marvin J. Chomsky.

 NOTE: Pre-orders will start shortly. Release date = August 13, 2013.
Set in the small town of Freedom, Kansas in 1954, GOOD LUCK, MISS WYCKOFF stars Anne Heywood as Evelyn Wyckoff, a virginal high-school teacher who learns that she has started early menopause. Feeling hopeless and isolated, she is advised by her doctor (Robert Vaughn) and psychiatrist (Donald Pleasance) to find a lover, which results in a series of brutal and horrifying events.
Based on a novel by Pulitzer Prize winning playwright William Inge (Picnic, Splendor in the Grass), GOOD LUCK, MISS WYCKOFF is a haunting story of ill-fated lust and sexual repression set against a backdrop of American racism.

Directed by Marvin Chomsky (Roots, Holocaust), written by Academy Award nominee Polly Platt (Targets, Pretty Baby), with a score by Oscar winning composer Ernest Gold (Exodus), and featuring Dorothy Malone. Ronee Blakley, Carolyn Jones and the feature film debut of John Lafayette, GOOD LUCK, MISS WYCKOFF is being presented uncut for the first time on home video.
Directed by Marvin Chomsky
1978 / USA / 106 minutes + extras / 1.85:1 / Color

Bonus Features:
+ Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Combo Pack | Region Free | 1.85:1 AR | MONO
+ Restored in 2K from 35mm original camera negative
+ Soundtrack CD (Composer, Ernest Gold)
+ Re-issue cut “THE SIN” (DVD only)
+ Theatrical trailers (DVD only)
+ Television spots (DVD only)
+ Still gallery (DVD only)
+ “Thoughts on William Inge” video interview with Academy Award nominated actress Shirley Knight. (DVD only)
+ English subtitles 

The Sexualist + Wendy's Palace From Vinegar Syndrome

Just announced by Vinegar Syndrome for release this August is their next Drive-In Collection DVD. An adults-only double feature from director Kemal Horulu featuring The Sexualist: A Voyage to the World of Forbidden Love and Wendy's Palace.

NOTE: Pre-orders will begin shortly. DVD release date = August 13, 2013.
Two lusty sagas resurrected from the seediest depths of 42nd street!

The Sexualist (1973)
A tongue-in-cheek examination of sex films as a beautiful starlet learns the ins and outs of show business, the HARD way! Featuring the incomparable beauties, Tina Russell and Jennifer Welles.
Director: Kemal Horulu
89 minutes / Color / AR: 1.85:1

Wendy’s Palace (1971)
A sordid tale of a small town girl who comes to the big city seeking fame and fortune only to be lured into the world’s oldest profession, and loving it!
Director: Kemal Horulu
72 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 original camera negatives
+ Original trailers for both films
+ Outtakes for THE SEXUALIST

Malaysian Zombies Get Kung Fued - KL Zombi Trailer

 

I'm a bit zombied out lately - these fuckers are everywhere, I know a guy whose 12 year old daughter got a zombie necklace from Claire's, a cheap jewelry aimed at 12 year old girls. Zombied out or not, this one looks to be a pretty cool mix of kung fu and zombies. I also like the nice minimalist approach they've taken with the poster ar.

Lifeforce - Scream Factory Blu-ray/DVD Combo Review

Lifeforce
With an insatiable hunger, they are coming...

Director: Tobe Hooper

Writer: Dan O'Bannon, Don Jakoby

Stars: Steve Railsback, Mathilda May, Peter Firth, Frank Finlay, Michael Gothard

Year: 1985

Running Time: Theatrical 106 Minutes, Director's Cut 116 Minutes

Studio: Scream Factory

Region: A
Buy it on: Amazon

Tobe Hooper's space vampire epic Lifeforce hits Blu-ray courtesy of Scream Factory in a Collector's Edition Combo Pack. This review only covers the longer director approved cut of the film. The Blu-ray disc does include the shorter cut of the film though.

After allegedly* directing Poltergeist Tobe Hooper signed a 3-picture deal with Cannon which resulted in the films Lifeforce, Invaders From Mars and my personal favorite Hooper film Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2. Hooper was given a budget of $25 Million for Lifeforce which was a massive fortune for Cannon to spend on a movie. Teamed with Alien writer Dan O'Bannon (whose film Return of the Living Dead would also release in 1985) and Don Jakoby Hooper got to work on what Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus hoped would be a sci-fi spectacular that would rake in some Star Wars money. Unfortunately Lifeforce opened against and got it's ass completely kicked by Ron Howard's Cocoon and Lifeforce ended up being a bit of a flop, earning back less than half of it's budget.

Watch Wes Benscoter's Short Film Hold Your Fire

I found this over at Twitch, Hold Your Fire a short from legendary metal cover artist Wes Benscoter that won Best Live Action Short at Fantasia back in 2009. The film has it all; gas masks, cartoons and amputee zombies. Check it out. And if you enjoy the film and want a copy of your own, you can pick up the DVD here.

Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie - September 3rd

It's been officially announced. This is going to be the most expensive movie buying Fall in years.

EVERY YEAR HOLLYWOOD RELEASES HUNDREDS OF COLLECTOR’S EDITION BLU-RAYS. THIS IS ONE OF THEM.

"After six seasons of sublime, nerdy fun on television, the cult comedy series Mystery Science Theater 3000 took to the big screen in 1996 for its deliriously funny takedown of the 1955 alien invasion epic This Island Earth.

Evil scientist Dr. Clayton Forrester explains the premise at the start: in his quest for world domination, he devises a scheme to subject the human race to the worst movies ever made.  He tests his plan on Mike Nelson, the sole human aboard an Earth-orbiting space station known as the Satellite of Love.  But our hero and his two robot sidekicks turn a lemon into a much funnier lemon by showering This Island Earth with wisecracks, ridicule and general silliness.  The human race may never be rid of cheesy movies, but when the critics are this nutty, who cares?"

Extras listed over at Satellite News:

* There may be more extras, but these are the extras that are definite:
– The Making of Mystery Science Theater 3000 The Movie (the EPK that fans have probably seen around)
– Two new docs from Ballyhoo: “Mystery Science Theater 3000 The Movie: The Motion Picture Odyssey” (including new interviews with cast and crew and never-before-seen behind the scenes footage) and “This Island Earth: 2 1/2 Years In the Making.”
– Original trailer.

Frankenstein's Army - UK Quad Poster

Everything I'm seeing from this movie looks great so far. What's the deal with the that hammerhead shark looking dude on the right though?

Manchester Morgue on Facebook, For Real This Time

Well, this is awkward. As I mentioned before the Facebook page I set up got screwed up, so I've had just kill that one and start over. So I'm asking those of you who liked the last page, please take a second to visit what is the new and hopefully real Manchester Morgue Facebook page and like it again.

Warner Brothers to Release The Complete Works of Jason Vorhees on Blu-ray

The good news is that Warner is finally getting off their asses about putting the rest of the Friday the 13ths out on Blu-ray. Not just the first 8, all 12 movies featuring Jason. The bad news is that I have to own a copy of Freddy vs. Jason. That one wasn't great to begin with, but it's held up way worse than any other Friday the 13th movie. Still a small price to pay for such an amazing box set. Below is a look at the set from Shock Till You Drop:

"On September 13th, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment will provide plenty of blood-curdling thrills when Friday The 13th: The Complete Collection debuts on Blu-ray. For the first time, all twelve Friday the 13th films will be packaged together, (with seven of them making Blu-ray debuts) as a result of a strategic distribution alliance between Paramount and Warner announced last fall, granting Warner exclusive video distribution rights to over 600 Paramount titles. The set also includes a Friday The 13th Killer Extras Bonus DVD.

This intense 'slasher' series is one of the longest-running and most successful horror franchises in film history, surpassing the domestic theatrical box-office grosses of such legendary series as A Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The film that turned psycho killer Jason Voorhees and his infamous hockey mask into a pop culture icon has also bested the horror competition as the #1 home entertainment seller, with total sales of $119.7M to date.

The 10-disc collection ($129.95 SRP) includes the twelve films on nine Blu-ray discs, as well as a killer DVD bonus disc full of special features on the making of the famous franchise. The must-own set will be presented in a collectible tin case with 11 hours of previously released special features and a 40-page soft cover book. The book is excerpted from Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday The 13th, a fan-favorite volume that's viewed as the ultimate memoir of the series, and highlights some of the 200 interviews, 600 photos, storyboards, concept art and more. Also included is a brand new, official Camp Crystal Lake embroidered Counselor Patch.

Friday The 13th: The Complete Collection also includes digital versions of all 12 films with UltraViolet, allowing viewers to download and instantly stream the films to a wide range of devices from computers and compatible tablets to smartphones, game consoles, Internet-connected TVs and Blu-ray players.

One of the most frightening franchises in film history, Friday The 13th focuses primarily on the character of Jason Voorhees, who drowned as a young child at Camp Crystal Lake due to the inattentiveness of camp counselors. Many years later, the camp becomes the scene of a number of murders - all of which are either committed or motivated by the avenging Jason, who forever lurks at Crystal Lake with his finely-honed machete.

Films in The Collection include:
· Disc 1 - Friday the 13th (1980)
· Disc 2 - Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981)
· Disc 3 - Friday the 13th Part 3 in 3D (1982)
· Disc 4 - Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984) NEW TO BLU-RAY
· Disc 5 - Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning (1985) / Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986) NEW TO BLU-RAY
· Disc 6 - Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988) / Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989) NEW TO BLU- RAY
· Disc 7 - Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993) / Jason X (2002) NEW TO BLU-RAY
· Disc 8 - Freddy vs. Jason (2003)
· Disc 9 - Friday the 13th (2009) (Theatrical Version and "Killer Cut" Extended Version)
· Disc 10 - Killer Bonus DVD Disc

Friday The 13th: The Complete Collection (BD)
Street Date: September 13, 2013
Order Due Date: August 9, 2013
Rating: R
Pricing: $129.95 SRP
Cat. #: 100040897"

Hitting Shelves 6/11

Not a tremendous amount of essential new releases this week, but here are a few I consider must haves (plus one that I've never seen, but has a really nice package and a rather low price).

Blu-ray

Ninja III: The Domination - Sam Firstenberg's cheese classic about an aerobics instructing telephone repair girl who becomes possessed by the spirit of an evil ninja. Read my review here. Order it directly from Scream Factory, or get it from Amazon.

Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters - I've not seen this, and it's gotten very mixed reviews, but if anyone is interested I just wanted to point out that Target's exclusive Digibook Blu-ray is on sale this week for $13, which is an incredible price for a new release Blu-ray, especially with the digibook packaging.



On DVD Only

A Labor of Love - From Vinegar Syndrome. A documentary about an inexperienced film crew who must include hardcore sex scenes in their art film or lose their funding. As you'd expect, it's kind of a disaster. All of the actors hate each other, and nobody can maintain an erection. Surprisingly hilarious, read my review. Grab it from VS directly, or get it from Amazon.

Also, out yesterday from Arrow Video is their latest Arrowdrome release, James Hong's 1989 winery zombie film The Vineyard. I've got a screener copy of this, so look for a review for that very soon. Order it today directly from Arrow, or Amazon.co.uk.

The Haunting/In The Mouth Of Madness/TCM: The Beginning on Blu-ray this October

All 3 are out October 15th, just in time for Halloween. I'm personally not too big on In The Mouth of Madness or Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning, but The Haunting is fantastic. No features announced for either title yet, but here are the announcements I swiped from Blu-ray.com:

The Haunting

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has announced the Blu-ray release of director Robert Wise and screenwriter Nelson Gidding's The Haunting. The 1963 horror classic stars Julie Harris, Claire Bloom, Richard Johnson and Russ Tamblyn, and streets on October 15th.

Official Synopsis: No one lives in the 90-year-old Hill House. Or so it seems. But come in. Even if you don't believe in ghosts, there's no denying the terror of The Haunting. Wise, whose started his directorial career with The Curse of the Cat People (1944), made his return to psychological horror for this first screen adaptation of Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House. Four people (Harris, Bloom, Johnson and Tamblyn) come to the house to study its supernatural phenomena. Or has the house drawn at least one of them to it?


Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment is bringing director Jonathan Liebesman's The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning to Blu-ray this Fall. The twisted prequel to the 2003 remake of Tobe Hooper's horror classic stars Jordana Brewster, Taylor Handley, Matt Bomer, Diora Baird, Andrew Bryniarski and R. Lee Ermey, and streets on October 15th.

Synopsis: 1969. The conflict in Vietnam has exploded to immeasurable proportions, and 18-year-old Dean Hill's (Handley) number is up. Dean's brother Eric (Bomer), who has already seen his share of combat, plans to take Dean to enlist in his beloved Marine Corps in hopes of keeping an eye on him rather than letting him take his chances at the local induction center. But Dean plans to confront Eric about dodging the draft after the boys and their respective girlfriends, Bailey (Baird) and Chrissie (Brewster), head across Texas for a final fling of serious fun. Soon after their journey begins, the foursome are spooked by a menacing pair of bikers, who causes a car accident and then attempts to rob the injured trio. However, Sheriff Hoyt (Ermey) arrives and turns the tables on their would-be assassin, before ordering Dean, Eric and Bailey into the back of the patrol car.

Unbeknownst to Chrissie, who watches everything happen from hiding, Hoyt is headed to the Hewitt family home where a man named Thomas (Bryniarski) is being groomed to become the terrifying monster known as Leatherface, and the rest of the Hewitt clan await. Chrissie attempts to convince Holden to help her, but he is on a one man rampage to avenge his girlfriend's death. As Chrissie witnesses the horrors inflicted by the Hewitt family upon the people she loves, she realizes she is their only hope of survival.

In The Mouth of Madness

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has announced the Blu-ray release of director John Carpenter's In the Mouth of Madness, which stars Sam Neill, Julie Carmen, Jurgen Prochnow, David Warner, John Glover, Bernie Casey, Charlton Heston, Frances Bay and a young Hayden Christensen. The Lovecraftian cult classic arrives on Blu-ray in time for Halloween, on October 15th.

Synopsis: Best-selling author and Stephen King contemporary Sutter Cane's newest novel is literally driving his readers insane. When the author inexplicably vanishes, an insurance investigator named John Trent (Sam Neill) is hired by Arcane Publishing director Jackson Harglow (Charlton Heston) to track the author down. But Trent, along with Cane's editor Linda Styles (Julie Carmen), soon finds himself crossing the barrier between fact and fiction, and entering a terrifying world of evil and madness from which there is no escape.

The Beast From Twenty Zillion Years Ago - A Short Film by Ryan Lengyel

Attention stop motion monster fans, if you've got seven minutes to kill I can't think of a better way to kill them than by taking a peek at this prehistoric Play-doh masterpiece from artist Ryan Lengyel.

A Labor of Love - Vinegar Syndrome DVD Review

 A Labor of Love

Directors: Robert Flaxman, Daniel Goldman

Stars: Henri Charbakshi, Betty Thomas, Debbie Dan

Year: 1975

Running Time: 67 Minutes

Studio: Vinegar Syndrome
Release Date: 06/11/13

A Labor of Love is a 67-minute documentary about a disastrous art film turned porn film shoot that is cringe-inducing enough that it might make any aspiring filmmakers want to rethink their career paths. Iranian born director Henri Charbakshi set out to make a nice little pretentious art film call The Last Affair, but producers wouldn't fund the film unless Charbakshi were to include hardcore sex scenes. The 70's were weird, demanding more sex in a film? Henri was completely against this, but it was hardcore scenes or no money, so he chose hardcore scenes.

An acquaintance of Herni named Robert Flaxman caught wind of this group of non-pornographers being forced to include hardcore scenes in their film and thought it would be a fascinating subject for a documentary. And he was 100% correct. A Labor of Love is a heartbreaking and awkwardly hysterical documentary that is endlessly fascinating.

Manchester Morgue Monday Movie Trailer Roundup

Tons of interesting new trailers have popped up on the internets today. I've checked out several sites and weeded through dozens of trailers (okay, more like 10) to bring you the best of what I found.

Up first is a very quick teaser for 'Amer' directors Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani's 'The Strange Color of Your Body's Tears'. Very Giallo title, but I'm not sure what it's actually about. This teaser doesn't really show anything, and the plot summary is only slightly less vague:

“A woman vanishes.
Her husband inquires into the strange circumstances of her disappearance.
Did she leave him? Is she dead?
As he goes along searching, he plunges into a world of nightmare and violence… ”



Next up The Underneath - a spelunking thriller starring a guy named Holt Boggs

And now for Spook Central, an unauthorized Ghostbusters documentary from some guy who is reading way too much in to a movie about a group of scientists and a random black guy who vacuum up ghosts. Okay, really it actually just kinda seems like a few smartasses decided to make a super serious fake documentary about a comedy:

And now time for a little Truth or Dare, for those of you who like your horror a little torturey. You have to be over 18 to watch this trailer, if you're not over 18, there's nothing you can do. Unless you, I don't know, just fill in the boxes below with a random date that was more than 18 years ago.


I've saved the most exciting for last, a thrilling look at director Joko Anwar's Ritual, formerly known as Modus Anomali. I have no idea what's going on, but whatever it is looks intense.

Vinegar Syndrome Titles 25% Off At Deep Discount

Deep Discount's bi-annual 25% Off Sale is in full swing until June 14th. I started to post about this back when the sale started, but I ultimately didn't post about it because I wasn't able to find much worth buying from this sale. Turns out I missed a few things with some pretty excellent prices, these are the cheapest prices I've seen so far on the current Vinegar Syndrome releases, so if  you haven't had a chance to pick up any of their releases yet, this is a cheap way to grab them all.

DUNGEON OF HARROW / DEATH BY INVITATION - $8.92
THE SUCKERS / THE LOVE GARDEN - $8.96
ANATOMY OF A PSYCHO / THE LONELY SEX - $8.96
EXPECTATIONS / CONFESSIONS - $9.10
MASSAGE PARLOR MURDERS - $10.76
LOST FILMS OF HERSCHELL GORDON LEWIS -$13.30

This sale is going on until the 14th and Vinegar Syndrome's A Labor of Love comes out on the 11th, so Deep Discount should have a great price on that this Tuesday.