Mondo Macabro hunts down COUNTESS PERVERSE (review)

Mondo Macabro brings to DVD one of Jess Franco's rarest and most requested titles COUNTESS PERVERSE (Le Comtesse Perverse) starring Alice Arno, Howard Vernon, Robert Woods, Kali Hansa, and Lina Romay.  A pair of decadent aristocrats lure beautiful young women to their island to hunt and kill for sport (culminating in tender and juicy cannibal feasts).  One of Franco's French productions for Robert de Nesle, the film has been long out of official circulation and only available in bastardized French and Italian hardcore variants.  Mondo Macabro presents the film in its original director's cut in a ravishing new transfer with new English subtitles and an interview with actor Robert Woods.

REVIEW LINK: Mondo Macabro (US) Region 0 NTSC DVD (DVD Drive-In)

COUNTESS PERVERSE DVD specs:

• 4:3 non-anamorphic 1.33:1 original aspect ratio
• French Dolby Digital 2.0 mono
• Interview with actor Robert Woods
• Introduction by author Stephen Thrower
• About the Film liner notes essay
• Cast and Crew Profiles
• Mondo Macabro Promo Reel

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MTI releases CHAINED: CODE 207 (review)

After army ranger Mack and his unit bust a human trafficking ring, villainous Savage kidnaps Mack's wife.  The police are no help (and may be in on the deal) so Mack tracks down the ring's hideout and sets about taking them down one by one.

REVIEW LINK: MTI Home Video (US) Region 1 NTSC DVD (DVDBeaver)

CHAINED: CODE 207 DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 1.78:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 5.1 audio
• Trailer
• Trailers for other MTI releases

More MTI reviews at Update the Tags: MTI Home Video.

Mondo Macabro debuts Jess Franco's COUNTESS PERVERSE (review)

Mondo Macabro brings to DVD one of Jess Franco's rarest and most requested titles COUNTESS PERVERSE (Le Comtesse Perverse) starring Alice Arno, Howard Vernon, Robert Woods, Kali Hansa, and Lina Romay.  A pair of decadent aristocrats lure beautiful young women to their island to hunt and kill for sport (culminating in tender and juicy cannibal feasts).  One of Franco's French productions for Robert de Nesle, the film has been long out of official circulation and only available in bastardized French and Italian hardcore variants.  Mondo Macabro presents the film in its original director's cut in a ravishing new transfer with new English subtitles and an interview with actor Robert Woods.

REVIEW LINK: Mondo Macabro (US) Region 0 NTSC DVD (DVDBeaver)

COUNTESS PERVERSE DVD specs:

• 4:3 non-anamorphic 1.33:1 original aspect ratio
• French Dolby Digital 2.0 mono
• Interview with actor Robert Woods
• Introduction by author Stephen Thrower
• About the Film liner notes essay
• Cast and Crew Profiles
• Mondo Macabro Promo Reel

More Mondo Macabro reviews at Update the Tags: Mondo Macabro.

Raro Video hatches a PLOT OF FEAR (review/comparison)

Michele Placido and Tom Skerritt are on the case when two members of the elite (and perverted) "Wildlife Lovers" club are brutally murdered. Seemingly related to the death of a hooker at one of their orgies years before, the murders continue and only model Jeanne (Corinne Clery, THE STORY OF O) seems to have crucial information that could lead to the killer.  John Steiner (TENEBRAE) and Eli Wallach also star.

REVIEW LINK: Raro Video USA (US) Region 0 NTSC DVD (DVDBeaver)

PLOT OF FEAR DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 1.85:1 widescreen
• English and Italian Dolby Digital 2.0 mono
• Optional English subtitles
• Liner Notes by Chris Alexander
• Interview with screenwriter Ernesto Oldoni
• Interview with the director's son Pietro Cavara
• Interview with actor Michele Placido

More Raro Video reviews at Update the Tags: Raro Video.

Momentum Pictures tracks THE SQUAD (review)

A military unit encounters something more deadly than insurgent guerillas in the Argentinian horror film THE SQUAD.  When the base at the mountaintop Knife's Point ceases contact, a dysfunctional unit and its guides head into the fog shrouded forests to find the base empty and a lot of blood splattered on the walls.  The only survivor is a woman prisoner who the missing soldiers believed was a witch that was killing them off one by one.  The woman gets away and the men start to experience sickness, paranoia, and insanity.  A power struggle divides the team and they may destroy each other before whatever lurks in the fog can get to them.

REVIEW LINK: Momentum Pictures (UK) Region 2 PAL DVD (DVDBeaver)

THE SQUAD DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 2.35:1 widescreen
• Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 audio
• Optional English subtitles
• Behind-the-Scenes
• Trailer

More Momentum Pictures reviews at Update the Tags: Momentum Pictures.

Arrow Video parties with DEMONS 2 (review)

The DEMONS have escaped from the theater and into your home entertainment set in Arrow Video's DEMONS 2.  Seemingly attracted by Sally's rocking birthday party, a demon from a TV documentary on the events of the first film escapes the television set and infects the residents of a high-tech apartment building, trapping the human residents with a horde of monsters out for blood.  Asia Argento, Coralina Cataldi Tassoni, and Bobby Rhodes star.  Music by Simon Boswell, The Smiths, Peter Murphy, Art of Noise, Dead Can Dance, Love and Rockets, and many more!

REVIEW LINK: Arrow Video (UK) Region B Blu-Ray (DVDBeaver)

DEMONS 2 Blu-Ray specs:

• 16:9 widescreen 1.66:1 AVC 1080P 23.976
• English LPCM and Italian LPCM audio
• Optional English subtitles
• The audio recollections of director Lamberto Bava, Mechanical Creations & Transformation Artist Sergio Stivaletti and Journalist Loris Curci
• Creating Creature Carnage: Extensive Interview with makeup man Sergio Stivaletti
• Bava to Bava: Luigi Cozzi tracks the history of the Italian horror film; from Riccardo Freda and Mario Bava to the end of the golden age with Michele Soavi and Lamberto Bava as well as considering recent Italian horror films
• Four option reversible sleeve with original poster and video artwork with additional fifth artwork panel featuring all-new Jeff Zornow artwork

More Arrow Video reviews at Update the Tags: Arrow Video.

88 Films and Full Moon present MERIDIAN (review)

TWO MOON JUNCTION's Sherilyn Fenn and PUPPET MASTER II's Charlie Spradling star in Charles Band's MERIDIAN: KISS OF THE BEAST.  A young American woman inherits her family's ancestral Italian castle along with a family curse involving a very beastly lover.  Hilary Mason (DON'T LOOK NOW) and Phil Fondacaro (TROLL) also star.  Make-up effects by Greg Cannom (BRAM STOKER'S DRACULA) and music by Pino Donaggio (BODY DOUBLE).


REVIEW LINK: 88 Films (UK) Region 0 PAL DVD (DVDBeaver)

MERIDIAN (PHANTOMS) DVD specs:

• 1.33:1 non-anamorphic fullscreen
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo
• VIDEOZONE Behind-the-Scenes
• Trailer
• Full Moon Trailer Park

More 88 Films reviews at Update the Tags: 88 Films.

Raro Video USA unleashes a PLOT OF FEAR (review)

Michele Placido and Tom Skerritt are on the case when two members of the elite (and perverted) "Wildlife Lovers" club are brutally murdered. Seemingly related to the death of a hooker at one of their orgies years before, the murders continue and only model Jeanne (Corinne Clery, THE STORY OF O) seems to have crucial information that could lead to the killer.  John Steiner (TENEBRAE) and Eli Wallach also star.

REVIEW LINK: Raro Video USA (US) Region 0 NTSC DVD (DVD Drive-In)

PLOT OF FEAR DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 1.85:1 widescreen
• English and Italian Dolby Digital 2.0 mono
• Optional English subtitles
• Liner Notes by Chris Alexander
• Interview with screenwriter Ernesto Oldoni
• Interview with the director's son Pietro Cavara
• Interview with actor Michele Placido

More Raro Video reviews at Update the Tags: Raro Video.

Arrow Video dances with DEMONS (review)

DEMONS burst through the theater screen into your home entertainment unit in Arrow Video's Blu-Ray (and Blu-Ray steelbook) edition.  I've covered Anchor Bay's two DVD releases and supplied comparison captures for the Blu-Ray review below:

REVIEW LINK: Anchor Bay (US) Region 0 NTSC vs Anchor Bay 16X9 (US) Region 1 NTSC DVD vs Arrow Video (UK) Region FREE Blu-Ray (DVDBeaver)

DEMONS Blu-Ray specs:

• 1080P AVC-encoded 1.66:1 widescreen
• English LPCM mono and Italian LPCM mono*
• Optional English HoH subtitles and English subtitles for the Italian track
• Audio Commentary by Lamberto Bava, Sergio Stivaletti, and journalist Loris Curci
• Audio Commentary by Lamberto Bava, Sergio Stivaletti, and Geretta Geretta
• Dario's Demonic Origins: Interview with Dario Argento
• Defining an Era in Music: Interview with Claudio Simonetti
• Luigi Cozzi's Top Italian Terrors: Interview with Luigi Cozzi
• Double-sided fold-out poster
• Collector’s Booklet featuring brand new writing on Demons by Calum Wadell
• Collector’s Comic: ‘Demons 3’ Part 1 of 2! Not 'The Ogre'. Not 'The Church'. Not even 'Black Demons'! For the first time ever, Arrow Video presents an original sequel to the cult classics.

*DEMONS was mixed in Dolby Stereo (left, center, right, mono rear surround), but Arrow have utilized mono tracks (see Cult Labs' thread on the film for explanations).

More Arrow Video reviews at Update the Tags: Arrow Video.

Fighting Nazi zombies in WAR OF THE DEAD (review)

Andrew Tiernan (300) leads a special unit of American and Finnish soldiers to destroy a Nazi bunker on the Russian border.  Soon the unit find themselves besieged by flesh-eating zombie soldiers, and they must collaborate with the enemy to keep from being swallowed up by the WAR OF THE DEAD.


REVIEW LINK: Momentum Pictures (UK) Region 2 PAL DVD (DVDBeaver)


WAR OF THE DEAD DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 2.35:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 5.1 audio
• Optional English Subtitles
• Making-of featurette
• Trailer

More Momentum Pictures reviews at Update the Tags: Momentum Pictures.

Impulse Pictures files volume 8 of the SCHOOLGIRL REPORT (review)

Impulse Pictures presents Ernst Hofbauer's SCHOOLGIRL REPORT 8 "What Parents Must Never Know", in which a troupe of well-developed schoolgirls head out on a two week trip to a country hostel.  Evi hopes to score with the new biology teacher, Gisela tells her friends how she seduced her family's apprentice gardener, Susanne tells of her affair with her father's boss, Annette confesses her unplanned pregnancy (and her planned clandestine meeting with her boyfriend during the trip), Jutta and Evi describe how they hired a stud to seduce their spinster teacher, Gabi describes how she and her cousin Uschi ran into a horny fisherman while skinnydipping, and Inge has some secrets of her own.

REVIEW LINK: Impulse Pictures (US) Region 0 NTSC DVD (DVDBeaver)

SCHOOLGIRL REPORT VOLUME 8 DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 1.66:1 widescreen
• German Dolby Digital 2.0 mono
• Optional English subtitles

Image Entertainment and Severin Films present THE THEATRE BIZARRE (review)

Udo Keir introduces six GORE-iffic tales directed by six popular horror director.  In Richard Stanley's MOTHER OF TOADS, an anthropologist and his girlfriend encounter pagan superstition in the Pyrranees.  In Tom Savini's "Wet Dreams" a man's nightmares of jealousy and mutilation might be all too true.  In "Buddy Giovinazzo's I Love You" a paranoid man is pushed to his limits by his unfaithful wife.  Douglas Buck's "The Accident" sees death through the eyes of a child who witnesses a road accident.  In Karim Hussain's "Vision Stains" an author experiences the lives of her victims through the fluid in their eyballs.  Finally, in David Gregory's "Sweets" an ill-matched couple take the "joys of mastication" to gory extremes.

REVIEW LINK: Image Entertainment (US) Region 1 NTSC DVD (DVD Drive-In)

THE THEATRE BIZARRE DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 2.35:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 5.1
• Audio Commentary on all episodes except THE ACCIDENT
• Behind the Scenes
• "Shock 'Til You Drop" Director Interviews
• Theatrical Trailer

Joe Don Baker and Bo Svenson are WALKING TALL (review)

Joe Don Baker and then Bo Svenson (in the sequels) are WALKING TALL.  Ex-wrestler Buford Pusser returns to his home town with his family to set up roots only to find its underbelly overrun with gamblers, prostitutes, and bootlegging.  After being beaten and left for dead, Buford takes the law into his own hands when the police prove to be just as corrupt as the criminals who are running the town.  Buford becomes the peoples' hero and is elected as the town's new sheriff; however, that also puts him and his family in the cross-hairs of the Stateline mob.  Shout Factory has given the HD-mastered treatment to all three of films of the original trilogy (forget that sucky "remake" with The Rock).

REVIEW LINK: Shout Factory (US) Region 1 NTSC DVD (DVDBeaver)

WALKING TALL TRILOGY DVD specs:

• 3-disc set
• 16:9 anamorphic 1.78:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono
• TV spots and Trailers
• New Documentary featuring Joe Don Baker, Leif Garrett, Dawn Lyn, Bruce Glover, Members of Buford Pusser's Family, and more
• Final Chapter: Walking Tall vintage featurette

Also Available on Blu-Ray:


More Shout Factory reviews at Update the Tags: Shout Factory.