Eureka ventures INTO THE FOREST: FOLKTALES AT DEFA (review)

East Germany's state DEFA film studio mounted a series of enormously-popular fairy tale adaptations with opulent production values, bizarre quirks, and socialist messaging that have remained entertaining and even attained cult status.  In THE DEVIL FROM MILL MOUNTAIN, an evil miller sabotages his competition but the benevolent spirits of the woods help a young woman expose his bad deeds.  In THE SINGING RINGING TREE, a prince ventures out to obtain a magical tree for a haughty princess but an evil dwarf has other plans for the couple.  In RUMPELSTILTSKIN, a young maiden is entrapped by her lazy, greedy father into the lie of spinning gold from straw for the King, but a magical imp offers to help her for a price.  In LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD, a young girl on her way to her grandmother's house through the woods has more to fear than just a wolf.  In THE DEVIL'S THREE GOLDEN HAIRS, a blacksmith's assistant must venture into Hell to trick the Devil and win the hand of a princess and save his village.

REVIEW LINK: Eureka Entertainment (U.K.) Region B Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

INTO THE FOREST: FOLKTALES AT DEFA Blu-ray specs:

• Disc One:
• The Devil from Mill Mountain:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.37:1 Pillarboxed Fullscreen
• German LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by film historian Michael Brooke
• The Singing Ringing Tree:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.37:1 Pillarboxed Fullscreen
• German LPCM 2.0 Mono
• English (1964 U.K. TV Narration) LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• "Fairytales and Nightmares" interview with writer, broadcaster, and Fortean Times columnist Bob Fischer 
• "Interview with a Princess" interview with actress Christel Bodenstein
• Disc Two:
• Rumpelstiltskin:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.37:1 Pillarboxed Fullscreen
• German LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by Sam Goff, editorial director for Klassiki and host of The Klassiki Kino Club podcast
• Little Red Riding Hood:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.37:1 Pillarboxed Fullscreen
• German LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• "The Wolf and the Seven Little Goats" 1990 cut-out animation by Otto Sacher adapted from the Brothers Grimm story by the DEFA Studio for Animation Film
• Disc Three:
• The Devil's Three Golden Hairs:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.78:1 Widescreen
• German and English LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• "DEFA and the Devil" video essay by film and literature scholar Mary Going 
• "The Magic Scissors" 1956 silhouette animation by Bruno J. Böttge inspired by traditional folktales and produced by the DEFA Studio for Animation Film 
• "Sleeping Beauty Was a Beautiful Child" 1987 short puppet animation by Katja Georgi adapted from Sleeping Beauty by the DEFA Studio for Animation Film
• Limited edition box set of 2,000 copies featuring a hardbound slipcase featuring new artwork by Carly A-F, reversible inner sleeves featuring new artwork for each film by Carly A-F, and 60-page collector’s book featuring a new essay on DEFA’s approach to folktales by East German film historian Sebastian Heiduschke, new notes on each film in this set by DEFA Märchenfilm experts Sonja Fritzsche, Qinna Shen and Elizabeth Ward, plus the Brothers Grimm stories that inspired The Singing Ringing Tree, Rumpelstiltskin, Little Red Riding Hood and The Devil’s Three Golden Hairs. 

88 Films champions Shaolin in a SHAWSCOPE TRIPLE FEATURE (review)

88 Films' SHAWSCOPE TRIPLE FEATURE presents a late entry Chang Cheh "Venom Mob" film in TWO CHAMPIONS OF SHAOLIN as two young monks bent on vengeance get entangled in the intrigues between the Shaolin Temple and a brother sect loyal to the Qing Dynasty.  In Tong Kai's SHAOLIN PRINCE, two princes are separated at birth when their father is slaughtered by a rival lord.  One is raised as a monk unaware of his true identity while the other is raised by a prime minister to retake the throne.  Ti Lung and Derek Yee star.  In Tong Kai's SHAOLIN INTRUDERS, two martial arts heroes believe a female warrior is being framed for the murders of the chiefs of the four big martial arts families.  Derek Yee and Jason Pai Piao star.

REVIEW LINK: 88 Films (U.K.) Region B Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

SHAWSCOPE TRIPLE FEATURE Blu-ray specs:

• Disc One - Two Champions of Shaolin:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.35:1 Widescreen
• Mandarin and English LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by Asian film expert Frank Djeng and filmmaker Michael Worth
• Theatrical Trailer
• Image Gallery
• Disc Two - Shaolin Prince:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.35:1 Widescreen
• Cantonese and English LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• "The Shaw Legacy - Derek Yee on Acting and Directing" interview
• Image Gallery
• Disc Three - Shaolin Intruders:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.35:1 Widescreen
• Mandarin and English LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• "Mystery in the Monastery - Ricky Baker on Shaolin Intruders"
• Image Gallery
• Theatrical Trailer
• Comes in a limited edition slipcase with artwork by "Kung Fu Bob" O'Brien and double-sided posters for each film. 

Visual Vengeance goes Gothic with LAURIN (review)

A child murder stalks a German village at the turn of the century and an imaginative little girl who just lost her mother may or may not know who it is.  The killer certainly knows who she is and is after her in SCHOOL'S OUT director Robert Sigl's gothic feature debut.

REVIEW LINK: Wild Eye Releasing (U.S.) Region ALL Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

LAURIN Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.85:1 Widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono with optional English SDH Subtitles
• German Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono with optional English Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by film historian Troy Howarth
• Original VHS Rough Cut with Production Audio in English (101 minutes)
• "Laurin c’est moi" new interview with director Robert Sigl
• Interviews:
• camera operator Nyika Jancsó
• actress Dóra Szinetár
• actor Barnabás Tóth
• film historian Jonathan Rigby
• "The Making of Laurin" documentary 
• 1988 Robert Sigl Bavarian Film Awards Presentation
• Robert Sigl Short Films:
• "The Christmas Tree [Der Weihnachtsbaum]" (1983)
• "Coronoia 21: It Comes with the Snow" (2021)
• Image Galleries:
• B&W Stills and Behind the Scenes
• Pressbook
• Postcards
• Technical Screenplay
• "The Christmas Tree" Gallery
• "The Christmas Tree" Polaroid Gallery
• Lost Short "Die Hutte" Gallery
• 1988 Bavarian Film Festival Awards
• Theatrical Trailer
• Visual Vengeance Trailer
• Comes with a collectible mini-poster. 
• The first pressing includes a limited edition O-card slipcover designed by Justin Coons, a limited edition mini-postcard set reproduced from German promotional materials, and a ‘Stick your own’ VHS sticker sheet.

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Shudder hires THE MORTUARY ASSISTANT (review)

New mortuary assistant Rebecca must take the night shift and encounters unusual demon-infested corpses in this video game adaptation from Shudder and Dread.

REVIEW LINK: Acorn Media (U.K.) Region ALL Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

THE MORTUARY ASSISTANT Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.40:1 Widescreen
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
• Optional English SDH and French Subtitles
• Behind the Scenes
• Shudder Start-up Promo 

Unearthed Films resurrects the LEGION OF THE DEAD (review)

A pair of idiots, two bumbling brother hit men, and a waitress face become involved with a fallen angel's attempt to take over the world with an army of the dead in Olaf Ittenbach's LEGION OF THE DEAD.

REVIEW LINK: Unearthed Films (U.S.) Region ALL Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

LEGION OF THE DEAD Blu-ray specs:

• Disc One - Producer's Cut:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.85:1 Widescreen
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and LPCM 2.0 Stereo
• Optional English SDH Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by director Olaf Ittenbach and composer Mel Lewis
• Making-of
• Deleted Scenes
• Outtakes
• Festival Premieres
• Photo Gallery
• Video Trailer
• Alternate Trailer
• U.S. Video Trailer 
• Disc Two - Director's Cut:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.78:1 Widescreen
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and LPCM 2.0 Stereo (with German audio for restored scenes)
• Optional English Subtitles (for German scenes only) or full English SDH Subtitles 
• Reversible cover
• First pressing slipcover. 

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Kimstim explores SANATORIUM UNDER THE SIGN OF THE HOURGLASS (review)

Christopher Nolan presents the Quay Brothers' return to feature filmmaking with this live action/puppetry hybrid adaptation of the fictionalized biographical stories of Bruno Schulz whose protagonist travels deep into the Carpathian Mountains where his dead father is staying at an asylum that does not obey the laws of time provoking a journey into his own unconscious.

REVIEW LINK: Kimstim (U.S.) Region A Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

SANATORIUM UNDER THE SIGN OF THE HOURGLASS Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.85:1 Widescreen
• Polish DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
• English Subtitles
• "The Art Teacher from Drohobycz - Bruno Schulz by the Quay Brothers (Polish Cultural Institute in London)" documentary
• Quay Brothers Q&A on stop motion animation (Courtesy Garden Cinema London)
• Image Gallery
• Theatrical Introduction

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Second Run studies THE CRIMINAL LIFE OF ARCHIBALDO DE LA CRUZ (review)

A man tries to give into to his murderous impulses with frustrating results in Luis Buñuel's blackly comic study of a madman.

REVIEW LINK: Second Run (U.K.) Region ALL Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

THE CRIMINAL LIFE OF ARCHIBALDO DE LA CRUZ Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.37:1 Pillarboxed Fullscreen
• Spanish LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• "Surreal Vision" three-part video essay by writer and filmmaker Cristina Álvarez
• Video essay by critic David Wilt
• BD-ROM: Luis Buñuel’s annotated personal script of the film
• 24-page booklet featuring writing by film scholar and Buñuel expert Jordi Xifra, and also Cristina Álvarez López.