Unearthed Films gets fitted for a COLLAR (review)

Rookie cop Dana is in for a night of hell during her first night on the beat when she stumbles upon the lair of Satanic derelict Massive who not only kills but also eats his victims (particularly women).  Dana finds little help from onlookers including a couple fame-happy bum fight cameramen and a hooker who is out to avenge herself against the derelict.  Gory, gritty, and brutal terror from Ryan Nicholson, director of HANGER.


REVIEW LINK: Unearthed Films/MVD Visual (US) Region 0 NTSC DVD (DVDCompare)

COLLAR DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 1.78:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo
• Stills Gallery
• Trailer
• Unearthed Films Trailers

Film Movement sunbathes with APACHES (review)

Eager to impress a girl, Aziz takes her and some friends to the Corsican vacation villa where he and his father do the grounds keeping.  Unbeknownst to him, his "guests" steal a pair of engraved guns and the owners are the friends of a local gangster.  Aziz tries to contact his friends to get the guns back, but it's every man for himself and they are just as concerned about silencing him before he can rat them out.

REVIEW LINK: Film Movement (US) Region 1 NTSC DVD (DVDBeaver)

APACHES DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 1.37:1 widescreen
• French Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 stereo
• Optional English subtitles and Closed Captioning
• Director's Biography
• Theatrical Trailer
• Short Film "Margerita"
• Film Movement Trailers

More Film Movement reviews at Update the Tags: Film Movement.

Film Movement ponders TO KILL A MAN (review)

When a local thug Kalule bullies mild-mannered forestry worker Jorge and steals his diabetic test kit, his son Jorgito goes after the man and ends up getting shot.  When Kalule gets out of jail after a two year plea bargain sentence, he starts terrorizing the family despite a restraining order.  When the police and the district attorney prove ineffectual, Jorge begins his own campaign of terror against the brute, only to discover that it takes more than firepower TO KILL A MAN in this response to DEATH WISH which examines the conscience of the vigilante.

REVIEW LINK: Film Movement (US) Region 1 NTSC DVD (DVDBeaver)

TO KILL A MAN DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 2.35:1 widescreen
• Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 stereo
• Optional English subtitles and Closed Captioning
• Interview with director Alejandro Fernandez Almendras
• Deleted Scenes
• Biographies
• Theatrical Trailer
• Short Film "Our Blood"
• Film Movement Trailers

More Film Movement reviews at Update the Tags: Film Movement.

Film Movement looks at A LIFE IN DIRTY MOVIES (review)

The life and works of the late "Ingmar Bergman of Porn" Joe Sarno and his wife/collaborator Peggy Sarno are appreciated in A LIFE IN DIRTY MOVIES with contributions from Sarno and his wife, porn stars Annie Sprinkle and Jamie Gillis, filmmaker John Waters, film historians Michael Bowen and Linda Williams, producer Michael Raso and more.

REVIEW LINK: Film Movement (US) Region 1 NTSC DVD (DVDBeaver)

A LIFE IN DIRTY MOVIES DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 1.78:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 stereo
• English Closed Captioning
• Featurettes:
• "Young Playthings" segment
• "Fäbojantan" segment
• Interviews:
• actor Tod Moore
• actress Annie Sprinkle
• actor Jamie Gillis
• actress Katinka
• actress Sarah Denby
• Biographies for director Wiktor Ericsson and filmmakers Joe and Peggy Sarno
• Trailer
• Film Movement Trailers
• About Film Movement

More Film Movement reviews at Update the Tags: Film Movement.

88 Films is mesmerized by TRANCERS (review)

Tim Thomerson and Helen Hunt kick ass in Charles Band's iconic Empire Pictures production TRANCERS.  Lost Angels cop Jack Deth must travel back into the past when powerful psychic villain Whistler and his Trancer zombies go after the ancestors of the city's council in order to erase them from history.  From the writers of THE ROCKETEER and ZONE TROOPERS.

REVIEW LINK: 88 Films (US) Region ALL Blu-ray (DVDBeaver)

TRANCERS Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.78:1 widescreen
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and 2.0 stereo
• Audio Commentary by Director Charles Band and star Tim Thomerson
• TRANCERS: CITY OF LOST ANGELS "Pulse Pounders" episode believe lost for 25 years and now finally restored and completed
• "Flashback Weekend TRANCERS: CITY OF LOST ANGELS" Premiere Documentary
• "Pulse Pounders" Show West Promo
• "Cybercrime: The Making Of TRANCERS" documentary featuring director Charles Band, actor Tim Thomerson, and writers Danny Bilson and Paul de Meo
• Rare archival interviews with Tim Thomerson, Megan Ward and Helen Hunt
• High Definition Stills Gallery
• Preview for DUNGEONMASTER Sequel
• TRANCERS series trailers
• 88 Films Trailer Reel
• Booklet Notes by Dr. Calum Waddell
• Newly commissioned artwork by Rick Melton
• Reversible Sleeve Incorporating Original Artwork

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

Big World Pictures is IN BLOOM (review)

Growing up in war-torn Georgia, timid Eka and outgoing Natia respond differently to the bullying and harassment they experience in their daily lives.  When her boyfriend gives her a gun before going to Moscow, Natia forces it on Eka to defend herself but Eka just hides it.  When Natia is abducted by a neighbor and forced into marriage however, Eka starts to find her voice and to rebel against the wrongs she sees around her.


REVIEW LINK: Big World Pictures (US) Region 1 NTSC DVD (DVDBeaver)

IN BLOOM DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 2.35:1 widescreen
• Georgian Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
• Burnt-in English subtitles
• Theatrical Trailer
• Big World Pictures Trailers

88 Films presents THE KILLJOY COLLECTION (review)

Full Moon's killer clown Killjoy merrily slaughters his victims in this four film collection from 88 Films.  In KILLJOY, we learn the legend of the demon as a social outcast calls upon him before being killed.  The demon takes vengeance upon his killers but with a price.  In KILLJOY II, a group of troubled youths lost in the woods unwittingly summons up the demon and pay the price.  In KILLJOY III, a mysterious mirror is left at the home of a professor.  Too bad his housesitting student and her friends decide to check it out without knowing that it is the gateway to Killjoy's world.  In KILLJOY GOES TO HELL, the clown himself is on trial in hell for not being evil enough and must summon his only survivor from the real world to plead his case.

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

THE KILLJOY COLLECTION DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 1.78:1 widescreen presentations of all four films
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo
• Making-of segments
• Trailers

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

Vinegar Syndrome decks the halls with CHRISTMAS EVIL (review)

Deck the holidays with blood with the Blu-ray/DVD combo of CHRISTMAS EVIL.  Ever since he saw mommy kissing Santa Claus as a child, toymaker Harry has had some strict ideas about what it means to be naughty or nice.  This year, a shortage of "good will toward men" causes Harry to don his gay apparel, handmade toys, and an axe to give the naughty more than a lump of coal on Christmas Eve.

REVIEW LINK: Vinegar Syndrome (US) Region ALL Blu-ray/DVD combo (DVD Drive-in)

CHRISTMAS EVIL Blu-ray/DVD combo:

• Blu-ray:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.78:1 widescreen
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 mono
• DVD:
• 16:9 anamorphic 1.78:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 1.0 mono
• Audio Commentary by director Lewis Jackson
• Audio Commentary by director Lewis Jackson and filmmaker John Waters
• Audio Commentary by director Lewis Jackson and actor Brandon Maggart
• Storyboards
• Comment Cards
• Theatrical Trailer
• Deleted Scenes (DVD only)
• Audition Tapes (DVD only)

More Vinegar Syndrome reviews at Update the Tags: Vinegar Syndrome.

Intervision Picture Corp. goes MONDO IN THE LAND OF THE CANNIBALS (review)

In this back-to-back CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST rip-off duo from the late, great Bruno Mattei, a team of sensationalist news reporters head to the Amazon in search of cannibal tribes.  When they can't find news, they make it, angering the vengeful tribes that lurk in the jungle of MONDO CANNIBAL.  A rescue squad of soldiers of fortune parachute into the jungle in search of a senator's missing daughter IN THE LAND OF THE CANNIBALS.

REVIEW LINK: Intervision Picture Corp. (US) Region 0 NTSC DVD (DVD Drive-in)

MONDO CANNIBAL DVD specs:

• 4:3 non-anamorphic 1.33:1 fullscreen
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo
• Trailer

IN THE LAND OF THE CANNIBALS DVD specs:

• 4:3 non-anamorphic 1.33:1 fullscreen
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo
• Trailer

Blue Underground dives into SHOCK WAVES (Review)

Dive into the deep end of horror with SHOCK WAVES when a tour boat crashes into a "ghost ship" and the survivors take shelter in a derelict hotel on an uncharted island.  The only other person on the island is a German recluse who warns them to leave as soon as possible since something far more horrifying has risen from the depths of the ocean alongside the shipwreck in this scary Nazi zombie film from Ken Wiederhorn (EYES OF THE STRANGER, KING FRAT).

REVIEW LINK: Blue Underground (US) Region ALL Blu-ray (DVDBeaver)

SHOCK WAVES Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.85:1 widescreen
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono
• English, French, and Spanish subtitles
• Audio Commentary by director Ken Wiederhorn, make-up designer Alan Ormsby, and filmmaker Fred Olen Ray
• Interviews with actor Luke Halpin, actress Brooke Adams, and producer/cinematographer Ruben Trane
• Theatrical Trailer
• TV Spot
• Radio Spots
• Production and Stills Gallery

Arrow Films investigates INSPECTOR NARDONE (review)

Transferred from Naples after punching out his boss, Inspector Nardone begins anew in a Milan that is undergoing changes in its criminal underworld.  Assembling a squad of police misfits and sly informers, Nardone balances high profile murders and robberies with trying to tie other crimes to a powerful citizen and an ambitious future crime boss while he and his squad balance their complex personal lives, loves, and tragedies spanning in a series of adventures spanning 1949 to 1959.

REVIEW LINK: Arrow Films (UK) Region 2 PAL (DVDBeaver)

INSPECTOR NARDONE: THE SERIES DVD specs:

• Twelve episodes on four dual-layer DVDs
• 16:9 anamorphic 1.78:1 widescreen
• Italian Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo
• Optional English subtitles
• Start-up Trailers

More Arrow Films reviews at Review Archive: Arrow Films.

Strand Releasing investigates the ABUSE OF WEAKNESS (review)

Catherine Breillat's latest film turns autobiographical as it tells the story of a female filmmaker who has a stroke.  As she recovers, she takes interest in a handsome conman and contacts him about developing a film project for him.  He repeatedly borrows money for her and she signs over the checks, but who is really dependent on whom?


REVIEW LINK: Strand Releasing (US) Region 1 NTSC DVD (DVDBeaver)

ABUSE OF WEAKNESS DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 1.85:1 widescreen
• French Dolby Digital 5.1
• Optional English subtitles
• Short Film "The Future of Cinema"
• Interview with director Catherine Breillat
• Theatrical Trailer
• Catherine Breillat Trailers
• Strand Releasing Trailers

More Strand Releasing reviews at Update the Tags: Strand Releasing.

Vinegar Syndrome has a FANTASTIC CHAMPAGNE ORGY (review)

In this double billing from Carlos Tobalina, vixen Iris Media wants to get into adult filmmaking but she's too horny go point he camera straight to capture the FANTASTIC ORGY.  In CHAMPAGNE ORGY, Carlos Tobalina himself throws a wrap party for his latest film.  Things get sexy when the waitress spikes the punch and the cameraman is always ready.

REVIEW LINK: Vinegar Syndrome (US) Region 0 NTSC DVD (DVD Drive-in)

FANTASTIC ORGY/CHAMPAGNE ORGY DVD specs:

• Mastered from 2K scans of the 35mm camera negatives
• 16:9 anamorphic 1.78:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 1.0 mono
• Trailers for both films

More Vinegar Syndrome reviews at Update the Tags: Vinegar Syndrome.

Vinegar Syndrome plucks PRETTY PEACHES (review)

In Alex de Renzy's classic PRETTY PEACHES, Peaches (Desiree Costeau) leaves her daddy's wedding in a huff only to get in a car accident.  Waking up without a memory, she accepts the help of two schemers who offer to help her but get her into a series of incidents where strange people repeatedly take advantage of her, culminating in an oil-slicked orgy.

REVIEW LINK: Vinegar Syndrome (US) Region ALL Blu-ray/DVD combo (DVD Drive-in)

PRETTY PEACHES Blu-ray/DVD combo specs:

• Blu-ray:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.78:1 widescreen
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 mono
• DVD:
• 16:9 anamorphic 1.78:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 1.0 mono
• Interview with Alex de Renzy
• Interview with Dr. Ted McIvenna
• Alex de Renzy Theatrical Trailers
• "Pretty Peaches 2"
• "Baby Face 2"
• "Femmes de Sade"
• Limited Edition of 1,500 Copies

More Vinegar Syndrome reviews at Update the Tags: Vinegar Syndrome.

Vinegar Syndrome goes direct with HOT SUMMER IN THE CITY (review)

HOT SUMMER IN THE CITY (1976)

Director: Gail Palmer (as "The Hare")

VS Direct (Vinegar Syndrome)

Besides their Blu-ray and DVD releases of exploitation obscurities, Vinegar Syndrome has also provided free high definition digital downloads in their Gratis section of otherwise unavailable titles (with the exception of THE NIGHT HUSTLERS which they subsequently released on DVD in SD and SILENT NIGHT BLOODY NIGHT whose master was used by Film Chest for their DVD edition).  Vinegar Syndrome have now introduced VS Direct, a streaming/download service available freely for two months at a time with each purchase from the site.  They are launching VS Direct with a high definition transfer of Gail Palmer's incendiary HOT SUMMER IN THE CITY (1976) which actually uses The Lovin' Spoonful's song for the main titles.

Wanting to remain a virgin until after marriage, Debbie (Playboy Playmate Lisa Baker) rebuffs her fiancé's overtures in favor of turning in early. She comes home to find her mother (Linda Hoffman) not sleeping off all she had to drink at dinner but being double-teamed by her fiancé's father (Bill Murphy) and a family friend (Dan Timens). The fact all three have visible herpes scabs suggests this is not a new development. An upset Debbie runs out into the night only to be abducted by a car full of stereotypical jive-talking black militants : leader Duke (Duke Johnson), interchangeable beta males Shorty (Shorty Roberts) and Coke (Coke Cain), and developmentally-disabled Stitch (Stitch Jones). They have their way with her in the car, take her back to their cabin, rough her up some more, and then put her to work as cook and maid. They further degrade Debbie by betting her body over a poker game. Shorty wins, but Duke doesn't want her marked; so Shorty has to wait until Duke goes to sleep before he can whip Debbie. Stitch tries to get in the action, but is once again shoved away and left to masturbate on his own.

The next morning, a sleazy white businessman – billed as "The Man" (Tony Rizzi) shows up along with Duke's girl Jody (Black Orchid) who takes an instant dislike to Debbie. For all out militants talk about civil rights and how their rape of Debbie is the closest she has come to "racial integration", it turns out that their violent act of revolution involving Molotov cocktails and gunning down policemen is just a front for "The Man" to collect on insurance when his business is set alight in the fracas. When a jealous Jody attacks Debbie, Duke punishes her by giving her to Shorty, who also lets Stitch have a go on her. Meanwhile, Duke takes Debbie to the bedroom for a more tender encounter that has her inexplicably falling for him. She still tries to escape, but is caught and tied up in Duke's room. Duke has to attend to some business with "The Man", leaving a bound Debbie at the mercy of a horny Stitch and a vengeful Jody.

A thoroughly ugly "roughie" with hardcore sex and an offensively racial (if not racist) angle – all of the black performers are credited with pseudonyms and who could blame them for not wanting to achieve motion picture immortality with this film – HOT SUMMER IN THE CITY is pretty much indefensible. Its sexualized violence and extreme characterizations seem less like pandering to rain-coaters with a rape fetish than galvanized to reactionary white audience members who really do think black men are out to get their women and that civil rights demonstrations are just an excuse for criminal behavior (even with the twist of the quartet working for "The Man" and Duke having qualms about their plan when "The Man" says some black onlookers will inevitably be hurt or killed as collateral damage). This one is either best forgotten or watched once and struck off the list (and it's availability as a streaming download from VS Direct makes that much easier) as it offers no guilty pleasures or anything particularly insightful about adult film history. Set in 1967, the soundtrack also includes the unauthorized use of The Doors' "Light My Fire", The Shangri-Las "Leader of the Pack" (while Duke is establishing his dominance over Debbie), The Four Tops' "Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch" (with the "can't help myself" refrain accompanying a penetration insert), The Beach Boys' "Good Vibrations", and Robert Knight's "Everlasting Love".

Vinegar Syndrome's high definition MPEG-4 AVC 1.33:1 (16:9 pillar-boxed) transfer of HOT SUMMER IN THE CITY without doubt looks better than the film has ever looked before on bootleg video, but it probably also looks as good as it can in high definition given the original photography (I have no problem believing this might actually have been made by Gail Palmer unlike the slicker Bob Chinn efforts she is credited with helming). Colors are bold, the shag carpeting is as well-delineated as the strands of seventies hair, all skin blemishes stand out in sharp relief, while the night scenes are grainier. There are a couple of mid-frame splices, but no apparent missing footage (at 68 minutes, it's ten minutes longer than IMDb's listed running time). The AAC 2.0 mono audio has a layer of hiss but the music and dialogue comes as well as the mono mix allows. On my computer (using the Firefox browser) the film streamed in 720p24 with HD on and in 360p24 with HD off, but this may be a limitation of the browser. VS Direct members can also also download the file as a 5.25 GB 1080p24 file via a BitTorrent link.

More Vinegar Syndrome reviews at Update the Tags: Vinegar Syndrome.

Vinegar Syndrome goes below the belt when DRACULA SUCKS (review)

Vinegar Syndrome brings to DVD the late Phillip Marshak's hardcore vampire homage DRACULA SUCKS.  Dracula has risen from the grave and sexually terrorizes the residents of a remote mental hospital.  Only Van Helsing may be able to stop the vampire menace before he can claim his bride.  Jamie Gillis, John Leslie, Annette Haven, Serena, Seka, Mike Ranger, John Holmes, William Margold, and Reggie Nalder star.

REVIEW LINK: Vinegar Syndrome (US) Region 0 NTSC DVD (DVD Drive-in)

DRACULA SUCKS DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 1.78:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 1.0 mono
• Audio Commentary by writer/co-star William Margold
• "Lust at First Bite" alternate cut (74 minutes)
• Theatrical Trailer
• "Return to Castle Ranch" featurette
• German Artwork Slideshow

More Vinegar Syndrome reviews at Update the Tags: Vinegar Syndrome.

Whacked Movies flays SKINLESS (review)

From Dustin Wayde Mills, the director of BATH SALT ZOMBIES, comes this grisly tale of medical experimentation gone bad.  When a young doctor decides to use himself as the test subject for a genetically-engineered microbe derived from a flesh-eating parasite, his cancer cure is initially a success.  When he begins undergoing a horrible transformation from the inside out, he seeks out unwilling test subjects to find a cure.

REVIEW LINK: Whacked Movies/MVD Visual (US) Region 0 NTSC DVD (DVDCompare)

SKINLESS DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 2.35:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo
• Audio Commentary byd irector Dustn Wayde Mills
• Production Diaries

Mondo Macabro conducts THE DEVIL'S BUSINESS (review)

Two hit men break into the estate of a man who has run afoul of their boss and discover a Satanic altar and other horrors.  Is their target just a freak into the sick and weird, or is he really conducting THE DEVIL'S BUSINESS?

REVIEW LINK: Mondo Macabro (US) Region ALL Blu-ray/Region 0 NTSC DVD (DVD Drive-in)

THE DEVIL'S BUSINESS Blu-ray/DVD combo:

• Blu-ray:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.35:1 widescreen
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo
• DVD:
• 16:9 anamorphic 2.35:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 5.1
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo
• Audio Commentary with director Sean Hogan and producer Jennifer Handorf
• Electronic Press Kit
• Interviews:
• actor Billy Clarke
• writer/director Sean Hogan
• producer Jennifer Handorf
• composer Justin Greaves
• Music Videos:
• "Laying Traps" by Crippled Black Phoenix
• "Northern Comfort" by Crippled Black Phoenix
• "Chasing Changes" by Se Delan
• Outtake Footage
• More from Mondo Macabro

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

Leomark welcomes in THE THING ON THE DOORSTEP (review)

In this updating of the classic H.P. Lovecraft story, Daniel Upton's relationship with longtime friend Edward Derby is upset when the younger man becomes involved with alluring hypnotist Asenath Waite whose family has a history of madness and black magic.

REVIEW LINK: Leomark/MVD Visual (US) Region 1 NTSC DVD (DVDCompare)

THE THING ON THE DOORSTEP DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 1.78:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo
• Trailer

Film Movement proclaims I AM YOURS (review)

Struggling actress Mina tries to have a fulfilling love life while being a single mother and contending with the complaints of her traditional and socially conscious Pakistani parents.  She thinks she has found the one in a Swedish filmmaker, but how much will she neglect and sacrifice for love?

REVIEW LINK: Film Movement (US) Region 1 NTSC DVD (DVDBeaver)

I AM YOURS DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 1.78:1 widescreen
• Norwegian/Swedish/Urdu Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo
• Burnt-in English subtitles
• Theatrical Trailer
• Cast and Crew Biographies
• Short Film "The Amber Amulet"
• Film Movement Trailers

More Film Movement reviews at Update the Tags: Film Movement.

Image Entertainment rises with the DAY OF THE MUMMY (review)

Danny Glover (LETHAL WEAPON) and William McNamara (COPYCAT) star in this Egyptian adventure.  A billionaire collector hires an unscrupulous archaeologist to join an expedition to find the crypt of a cursed king who was buried with a precious diamond.  The team discover that the diamond's owner has woken up on the wrong side of the bed and is hungry for sacrifices.

REVIEW LINK: Image Entertainment/RLJ Entertainment (UK) Region 2 PAL DVD (DVDBeaver)

DAY OF THE MUMMY DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 1.78:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 stereo
• Start-up Trailers 

Synapse Films buys a ticket to DEMONS and DEMONS 2 (review)

Dario Argento presents Lamberto Bava's drooling, growling, clawing fiends come to DVD from Synapse Films in individual releases of DEMONS and DEMONS 2.  In DEMONS, the patrons of a movie theater find themselves trapped inside when a demonic outbreak bursts forth from the screen.  Urbano Barberini, Natasha Hovey, Bobby Rhodes, Geretta-Geretta, Fabiola Toledo, and Michele Soavi star.  Music by Claudio Simonetti with songs by Accept, Pretty Maids, Motley Crue, Saxon, Go West, and The Adventures.  In DEMONS 2, the residents of a high rise apartment must survive against a horde of demons who come out of the television set.  Coralina Cataldi Tassoni, Asia Argento, Bobby Rhodes, and David Knight star.  Music by Simon Boswell with songs by The Smiths, Dead Can Dance, Gene Love Jezebel, Peter Murphy, The Art of Noise, and The Cult.  Special effects by Sergio Stivaletti.

REVIEW LINK: Synapse Films (US) Region 1 NTSC DVD (DVD Drive-in)

DEMONS DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 1.66:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo (international mix) and mono (U.S. theatrical)
• Optional English SDH subtitles for both tracks
• Theatrical Trailer

DEMONS 2 DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 1.66:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo (international mix)
• Optional English SDH subtitles
• Theatrical Trailer

More Synapse reviews at Review Archive: Synapse Films.

Film Movement follows the LINES OF WELLINGTON (review)

In this Napoleonic war epic, the French have invaded Portugal but the Anglo-Portuguese soldiers under General Wellington have secretly prepared fortifications to prevent them from reaching Lisbon and the sea.  As the French advance, Portuguese and British soldiers, as well as nobles, the poor, and deserters flee the villages and make for the Lines of Torres Vedras for a final showdown with the enemy.  Original director Raoul Ruiz died in pre-production and the film was taken over by his widow Valeria Sarmiento.

REVIEW LINK: Film Movement (US) Region 1 NTSC DVD (DVDBeaver)

LINES OF WELLINGTON DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 2.40:1 widescreen
• English/Portuguese/French Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 stereo
• Optional English subtitles (and closed captioning)
• Making "Lines of Wellington" featurette
• Biographies
• Theatrical Trailer
• Bonus Short Film "Two Laps"
• Film Movement Trailers
• About Film Movement

More Film Movement reviews at Update the Tags: Film Movement.

Canteen Outlaws scales FLOATING SKYSCRAPERS (review)

Sexually-confused champion swimmer Kuba lives under the roof of his doting mother with his equally doting girlfriend, but he has begun a secret relationship with college student Michal.  His attempts to juggle the two relationships have tragic consequences in a post-communist Poland in which even the "traditional" family dynamic is terribly dysfunctional in this award-winning Polish film.

REVIEW LINK: Canteen Outlaws/TLA Releasing (US) Region 1 NTSC DVD (DVDCompare)

FLOATING SKYSCRAPERS DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 2.35:1 widescreen
• Polish Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo
• Burnt-in English subtitles
• Theatrical Trailer
• Canteen Outlaws Trailers

MVD Visual unleashes ISIS RISING: CURSE OF THE LADY MUMMY (review)

Six obnoxious students, a horny professor, and an intense Egyptologist are trapped in a museum when the goddess Isis is resurrected from eternal unrest in order to resurrect her love Osiris.  Unfortunately for the living, she requires spare parts from them to provide a vessel for the spirit.  Priya Rai stars.

REVIEW LINK: MVD Visual (US) Region 1 NTSC DVD (DVDCompare)

ISIS RISING: CURSE OF THE LADY MUMMY DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 1.78:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo
• Trailer

Arrow Films peers through FOG AND CRIMES: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON (review)

CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST's Luca Barbareschi stars as Chief Inspector Soneri, newly transferred to the Emila-Romagna region of Italy and butting heads with his chief and public prosecutors alike as he tries to get at the truth in a series of cases that expose the dirty laundry of respected citizens and reveal the police force's precarious control over widespread criminal activity in the area.

REVIEW LINK: Arrow Films (UK) Region 2 PAL DVD (DVDBeaver)

FOG AND CRIMES: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON DVD specs:

• 4:3 non-anamorphic 1.67:1 widescreen
• Italian Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo
• Optional English subtitles
• Four 90 minute episodes on two dual-layer DVDs.

More Arrow Films reviews at Review Archive: Arrow Films.

Scream Factory carves up PUMPKINHEAD II: BLOOD WINGS (review)

From Jeff Burr, the director of LEATHERFACE: TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE III, comes the nineties sequel to Stan Winston's PUMPKINHEAD.  When teenagers mess with the occult and resurrect the dead, a vengeful witch puts a curse on them.  Soon, Pumpkinhead is out and about terrorizing the residents of Ferren Woods but he has his own score to settle before getting to the increasingly terrified teens.  Andrew Robinson (HELLRAISER), Ami Dolenz (WITCHBOARD 2), J. Trevor Edmond (RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD 3), Soleil Moon Frye (PUNKY BREWSTER), Gloria Hendry (BLACK CAESAR), Kane Hodder (FRIDAY THE 13TH), Joe Unger (A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET), R.A. Mihailoff (LEATHERFACE), and Linnea Quigley (NIGHT OF THE DEMONS) star.

REVIEW LINK: Scream Factory/Shout! Factory (US) Region A Blu-ray (DVD Drive-in)

PUMPKINHEAD II: BLOOD WINGS Blu-ray specs

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.85:1 widescreen
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo
• Audio Commentary by director Jeff Burr
• Interview with director Jeff Burr
• "Recreating the Monster" interview with special effects artists Greg Nicotero, Gino Crognale, and actor Mark McCracken
• Behind the Scenes Footage

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Kino Lorber bids TO ALL A GOODNIGHT (review)

'Twas the night before Christmas, and a Santa-suited killer is hacking and slashing his way through the class of 1980 at the Calvin Finishing School for Girls.  With the headmistress out of town and the house mother tucked away in bed with a strong sedative, the girls and their boyfriends think they have nothing to worry about.  When they start disappearing two-by-two, it may not matter whether they've been naughty or nice.  Directed by LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT's David A. Hess.

REVIEW LINK: Kino Lorber (US) Region A Blu-ray (DVD Drive-in)

TO ALL A GOODNIGHT Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.85:1 widescreen
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono
• Interviews:
• actress Jennifer Runyon
• actress Katherine Herrington
• writer Alex Rebar
• Theatrical Trailer