Universal Pictures goes back to DOWNTON ABBEY (Review)

Welcome back to Downton Abbey where the Crawley family and their servants must prepare for a royal visit from the King and Queen of England amidst personal dramas and tragedies.

REVIEW LINK: Universal Pictures (US) Region A Blu-ray/Region 1 NTSC DVD (DVDCompare)

DOWNTON ABBEY: THE MOTION PICTURE Blu-ray/DVD combo specs:

• Blu-ray:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.35:1 Widescreen
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1, French and Spanish DTS 5.1, and English DVS Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
• DVD:
• 16:9 anamorphic 2.35:1 Widescreen
• English, French, and Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1, as well as English DVS Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
• Optional English SDH, French, and Spanish subtitles 
• Audio Commentary by director Michael Engler
• Cast Conversations
• The Royal Visit
• True to the Twenties
• Deleted Scenes
• Welcome to Downton Abbey
• The Brilliance of Julian Fellowes
• Series Recap (Blu-ray exclusive)

Arrow Video is on the EDGE OF THE AXE (review)

An axe-wielding murderer stalks Paddock County in Jose Larraz's America-set/Spain-lensed eighties slasher EDGE OF THE AXE.

REVIEW LINK: Arrow Video USA/MVD Visual (US) Region A/B Blu-ray (DVD Drive-in)

EDGE OF THE AXE Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.85:1 Widescreen
• English and Spanish LPCM 1.0 Mono
• Optional English SDH (for English) and English (for Spanish) subtitles
• Audio Commentary by actor Barton Faulks and former student Matt Rosenblatt
• Audio Commentary by The Hysteria Continues
• “Gerald’s Game” interview with actor Barton Faulks
• “The Actor’s Grind” interview with actor Page Moseley
• “The Pain in Spain“ interview with special effects and make-up artist Colin Arthur
• Image Gallery
• English Theatrical Trailer
• Spanish Theatrical Trailer
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly-commissioned artwork by Justin Osbourn.
• FIRST PRESSING ONLY: collector’s booklet featuring new writing by Amanda Reyes

Scream Factory gender switches DR. JEKYLL AND SISTER HYDE (review)

Dr. Jekyll gets a new perspective on life when his experiments to extend life and preserve youth turn him into a woman in Hammer's DR. JEKYLL AND SISTER HYDE starring Ralph Bates and Martine Beswick.

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

DR. JEKYLL AND SISTER HYDE Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.66:1 Widescreen
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
• Optional English SDH Subtitles
• Audio Commentary with author/film historian Bruce G. Hallenbeck
• Audio Commentary with actress Martine Beswick, director Roy Ward Baker, and writer Brian Clemens; moderated by Hammer Film historian Marcus Hearn
• "Becoming Sister Hyde" interview with actress Martine Beswick
• "Ladykiller: Inside Dr. Jekyll And Sister Hyde" featurette
• Radio Spots
• Theatrical Trailer
• Reversible Cover

Scream Factory pledges TO THE DEVIL... A DAUGHTER (review)

Young Nastassja Kinski is a nun who discovers that she has been pledged to Satan on her eighteenth birthday in the last Hammer horror film TO THE DEVIL... A DAUGHTER.  Christopher Lee and Richard Widmark also star.

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

TO THE DEVIL... A DAUGHTER Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.66:1 Widescreen
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
• Optional English SDH Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by film historians Steve Haberman and Constantine Nasr
• “Dark Arts: Inside To the Devil a Daughter” featurette
• "To The Devil: The Death Of Hammer" featurette
• Theatrical Trailer 
• Reversible Cover

Severin Films conjures VIY (Review)

A young mischievous monk encounters ultimage evil when he is tasked with saying prayers over the body of a beautiful young woman recently dead in VIY, based on the novella that inspired Mario Bava's BLACK SUNDAY.

REVIEW LINK: Severin Films (US) Region ALL Blu-ray (DVD Drive-in)

VIY Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.33:1 fullscreen
• Russian and English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
• Optional English subtitles (for Russian) and English SDH (for English)
• "Viy the Vampire" discussion by filmmaker Richard Stanley
• “The Woods to the Cosmos: John Leman Riley on the History of Soviet Fantasy and Sci-Fi Film”
• Short Silent Films:
• “Satan Exultant”
• “The Queen of Spades”
• “The Portrait”
• Theatrical Trailer (1:53)

Mondo Macabro travels with EMANUELLE IN AMERICA (review)

Laura Gemser is the globe-hopping photojournalist and fashion photographer Emanuelle who goes on a series of adventures documenting a gunrunner's harem, the orgies of an aristocratic art smuggler, a club for wealthy single women in search of young men, a corrupt politician, and a snuff ring (effects by ZOMBIE's Giannetto de Rossi) in EMANUELLE IN AMERICA from Joe D'Amato.

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

EMANUELLE IN AMERICA Blu-ray specs:

• Limited numbered edition of 1,500 copies
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.85:1 widescreen
• English and Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by Cinema Arcana's Bruce Holecheck and Mondo Digital's Nathaniel Thompson
• "Joe D'Amato Totally Uncut: The Erotic Experience" documentary
• "Emmanuelle: From 2 M's to One: The Story of Emmanuelle" video essay by author David Flint
• More from Mondo Macabro

Vinegar Syndrome excavates TAMMY AND THE T-REX (Review)

Denise Richards and Paul Walker made their debuts in this bizarre nineties monster comedy about a girl whose boyfriend's brain winds up in a mechanical dinosaur that goes on a murderous rampage in TAMMY AND THE T-REX.  Released direct to video in a cut-down PG-13 version, the film comes to Blu-ray in its gory R-rated version for the first time ever.

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

TAMMY AND THE T-REX Blu-ray/DVD combo specs:

• Blu-ray:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.85:1 widescreen
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo
• DVD:
• 16:9 anamorphic 1.78:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
• Optional English SDH Subtitles 
• Audio Commentary by director Stewart Raffill and producer Diane Kirman, moderated by Brt Berg of The American Film Genre Archive
• Full-length PG-13 Version of the film
• "Blood, Brains and a Teenage T-Rex" interview with director Stewart Raffill
• "A Blast from the Past" interview with actress Denise Richards
• "Having the Guts" interview with actor Sean Whalen
• "A Testicular Stand-off" interview with actor George Pilgrim
• Reversible Cover

Available directly from Vinegar Syndrome
with a 3D lenticular slipcover designed by Tom Hodge of The Dude Designs limited to 3,000 copies.

Eureka Classics surfaces OPERATION PETTICOAT (review)

Cary Grant is a submarine commander who winds up with playboy Tony Curtis and a bevy of female officers at the bottom of the sea in a pink sub in the Blake Edwards comedy OPERATION PETTICOAT.

REVIEW LINK: Eureka Video (UK) Region B Blu-ray/Region 2 NTSC DVD (DVDCompare)

OPERATION PETTICOAT Blu-ray/DVD combo specs:

• Blu-ray:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.85:1 widescreen
• English LPCM 2.0 Mono
• DVD:
• 16:9 anamorphic 1.85:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
• Optional English HoH Subtitles
• Theatrical Trailer

Unearthed Films starts a FAMINE (review)

20 students, 20 hours, 20 horrible ways to die for the student body of Sloppy Secondary in this Canadian slasher from the late Ryan Nicholson (COLLAR).

REVIEW LINK: Unearthed Films/MVD Visual (US) Region A Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

FAMINE Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.78:1 widescreen
• English DTS 5.1
• Trailer
• Still Gallery
• Bonus Trailers

Eureka croons WHAT'S NEW PUSSYCAT (review)

Peter Sellers, Peter O'Toole, and Woody Allen chase and are chased by a bevy of beauties through Paris in the sixties comedy WHATS NEW PUSSYCAT featuring a theme song by Burt Bacharach and Tom Jones.

REVIEW LINK: Eureka Video (UK) Region B Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

WHATS NEW PUSSYCAT Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.66:1 widescreen
• English LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Optional English HoH Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by film critics Emma Westwood and Sally Christie
• Theatrical Trailer
• Collector's booklet featuring a new essay by Simon Ward

Scream Factory transfuses DRACULA (review)

Dracula is back and sexier than ever when Frank Langella steps off the Broadway stage and onto the screen in the 1979 version of DRACULA directed by SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER's John Badham and co-starring Laurence Olivier.

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

DRACULA Blu-ray specs:

• Disc One (John Badham's Preferred Desaturated Color Timing Version):
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.35:1 widescreen
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo
• Optional English SDH Subtitles
• Audio Commentary with director John Badham
• Introduction by director John Badham
• "King Of My Kind" Interview With John Badham
• "What Sad Music" interview with writer W.D. Richter
• Interview with Editor John Bloom
• Interview with assistant director Anthony Waye
• Interview with production manager Hugh Harlow
• "Dracula's Guest" interview with camera assistant Jim Alloway
• Interview with make-up artist Peter Robb-King
• Interview with hair stylist Colin Jamison (HD, 4:36)
  "The Revamping of Dracula" documentary
• Disc Two (Original Theatrical Color Timing):
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.35:1 Widescreen
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo
• Optional English SDH Subtitles
• Introduction by director John Badham
• Theatrical Trailer
• Still Gallery
• Radio Spots
• Reversible Cover
• Collector's Slipcover

Scream Factory fulfills the PROPHECY (review)

A scientist and his wife travel up to Maine to do an ecological investigation during a land dispute between a logging company and a Native American tribe and discover toxic horrors in John Frankenheimer's monster movie PROPHECY.

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

PROPHECY Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.35:1 widescreen
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo
• Optional English SDH Subtitles
• "All of Our Sins" interview with actress Talia Shire
• "Bearing Up" interview with actor Robert Foxworth
• "Bear and Grin It" interview with screenwriter David Seltzer
• "Hard to Bear" interview with special make-up effects designer Tom Burman
• "Prophecy Prodigy" interview with special make-up effects artist Allan Apone
• "The Man Behind the Mask" interview with mime artist Tom McLoughlin
• Theatrical Trailer
• Radio Spots
• Still Gallery
• Reversible Cover

Scream Factory fires SILVER BULLET (review)

In the Spring of 1975, the small town of Tarker's Mills is beset by a series of brutal murders.  Only paraplegic boy Marty suspects that the killer is actually a werewolf, and he must convince his sister and uncle when the killer (in both human and beast form) targets him.  Corey Haim, Gary Busey, Megan Follows, and Everett McGill star in this Stephen King adaptation.

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

SILVER BULLET Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.35:1 Widescreen
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
• Optional English SDH Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by director Daniel Attias, moderated by Michael Felsher
• Audio Commentary by producer Martha De Laurentiis, moderated by Michael Felsher
• Isolated score selections and audio interview with composer Jay Chattaway 
• "A Littel Private Justice" interview with actor Kent Broadhurst
• "Cutting to the Bone" interview with editor Daniel Lowenthal
• "The Wolf Within" interview with actor Everett McGill
• "Full Moon Fever: The Effects of Silver Bullet" interviews with special effects artists Michael McCracken, Jr. and Matthew Mungle
• Theatrical Trailer
• TV Spot
• Radio Spot
• Image Gallery
• Reversible Cover
• Slipcover 

Film Movement unveils FRITZ LANG'S INDIAN EPIC (review)

A forbidden love triangle between a maharaja, a temple dancer, and a German architect paves the way for tragedy on a grand scale in Fritz Lang's Indian Epic pairing of THE TIGER OF ESCHNAPUR and THE INDIAN TOMB, restored from a 4K master on Blu-ray from Film Movement.


REVIEW LINK: Film Movement (US) Region ALL Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

FRITZ LANG'S INDIAN EPIC Blu-ray specs:

• Disc One - The Tiger of Eschnapur:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.33:1 Pillarboxed Fullscreen
• German LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by film historian David Kalat
• "The Indian Epic" documentary
• Theatrical Trailer
• About Film Movement
• Disc Two - The Indian Tomb:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.33:1 Pillarboxed Fullscreen
• German LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by film historian David Kalat
• "Debra Paget, For Example" documentary by film historian Mark Rappaport
• Theatrical Trailer
• Essay booklet by film scholar Tom Gunning

Second Run interrogates THE EMPEROR'S NAKED ARMY MARCHES ON (review)

Daring documentary filmmaker Kazuo Hara follows the intense quest of political provocateur Kenzo Okuzaki as he endeavors to find out the truth about the two soldiers in New Guinea who were executed several days after Japan surrendered during World War II.

REVIEW LINK: Second Run (UK) Region ALL Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

THE EMPEROR'S NAKED ARMY MARCHES ON Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.55:1 pillarboxed widescreen
• Japanese LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• Interview with director Kazuo Hara
• Kazuo Hara Masterclass
• Booklet with essays by Tony Rayns, Jason Wood, and Abé Mark

Cult Epics rides the DUTCH SEX WAVE COLLECTION (review)

Before Paul Verhoeven's TURKISH DELIGHT and SPETTERS, the Dutch Sex Wave was kicked off by upstart filmmakers Pim de la Parra and Wim Verstappen who turned the stodgy Dutch filmmaking industry and its censors on their sides with a series of taboo-breaking low-budget mainstream dramas and thrillers.  In teh Hitchcockian OBSESSIONS, a young medical student discovers a peephole into the next door apartment and gets entangled in the strange goings-on involving sex, prostitution, and illicit drug use that turns deadly when the watcher becomes the watched. . In FRANK AND EVA, married couple Frank and Eva are "living together apart" in a one-sided open marriage upset by alcoholism, womanizing, betryal, and death.  In BLUE MOVIE, a young man gets out of prison after serving five years for a "social offense" and tries to live a respectable life only to find ennui and sexual distraction in his apartment block where he hits upon a profitable new line of work.  Finally, in MY NIGHTS WITH SUSAN, SANDRA, OLGA AND JULIE, a drifter gets a handyman job on a farm populated by a reclusive model and sex-starved and possibly murderous "family" of runaway girls and a peeping tom lover.

REVIEW LINK: Cult Epics (US) Region ALL Blu-ray (DVD Drive-in)

SCORPIO FILMS: THE DUTCH SEX WAVE COLLECTION Blu-ray specs:

• Disc One - Obsessions:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.33:1 Pillarboxed Fullscreen
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono 
• Introduction by director Pim de la Parra
• Introduction by actor/producer Dieter Geissler
• Interview with actor/producer Dieter Geissler
• Interview with director Pim de la Parra
• Scorpio Films featurette
• Text interview with screenwriter Martin Scorsese conducted by Bor Beekman for Volkskrant
• Original Script Notes by Martin Scorsese
• Still Gallery
• Theatrical Trailer
• Disc Two - Frank and Eva:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.33:1 Pillarboxed Fullscreen
• Dutch DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by director Pim de la Parra
• Introduction by director Pim de la Parra
• "Up Front & Naked: Sex in Dutch Films" video conversation with actress Willeke van Ammelrooy and filmmaker Eddy Terstall
• Photo Gallery
• Sylvia Kristel Film Poster Video Gallery
• Theatrical Trailer
• Bonus Trailer
• Disc Three - Blue Movie:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.33:1 Pillarboxed Fullscreen
• Dutch/German DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• 1971 interview with director Wim Verstappen
• 2018 Cinémathèque Française introduction and interview with producer Pim de la Parra
• 2018 interview with actor's son Hugo Metsers Jr.
• Eye Film Institute featurette
• Poster and Photo Gallery
• Theatrical Trailer
• Scorpio Trailers
• Disc Four - My Nights with Susan, Sandra, Olga and Julie
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.35:1 Widescreen
• Dutch and English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• Introduction by director Pim de a Parra
• Scorpio Short Films:
• "Heart Beat Fresco"
• "Joop"
• "Joop Strikes Again"
• Theatrical Trailer
• Scorpio Films Theatrical Trailers
• Poster & Photo Video Gallery
• 16-Page Booklet "Scorpio Films & The Dutch Sex Wave" with essay by journalist Guido Franken
• Slipcover designed by Gilles Vranckx

Blue Underground spies TWO EVIL EYES: 3-DISC LIMITED EDITION (review)

Masters of horror George A. Romero and Dario Argento tackle the maestro Edgar Allan Poe with a duo of terror tales.  In THE FACTS IN THE CASE OF MR. VALDEMAR, a trophy wife and her husband's doctor scheme to gain her dying husband's fortune but the doctor's experiments with hypnotism take an undead turn.  In THE BLACK CAT, a crime photographer is persecuted by the cat his wife has just adopted and begins to psychologically unravel.  Special effects by Tom Savini.

REVIEW LINK: Blue Underground (US) Region A Blu-ray (DVD Drive-in)

TWO EVIL EYES Blu-ray specs:

• Disc One:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.78:1 widescreen
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 and 2.0 Stereo
• French Dolby Digtial 1.0
• Optional English SDH, French, and Spanish subtitles
• Audio Commentary by film historian Troy Howarth
• Theatrical Trailer
• Disc Two:
• "Two Masters' Eyes" interview with directors Dario Argento and George Romero, special make-up effects supervisor Tom Savini, executive producer Claudio Argento, and actress Asia Argento
• "Savini's EFX" behind the scenes video
• "At Home With Tom Savini" personal tour of Tom Savini's home
• "Adrienne Barbeau on George Romero" interview
• "Before I Wake" interview with actor Ramy Zada
• "Behind the Wall" interview with actress Madeleine Potter
• "One Maestro and Two Masters" interview with composer Pino Donaggio
• "Rewriting Poe" interview with screenwriter Franco Ferrini
• "The Cat Who Wouldn't Die" interview with assistant director Luigi Cozzi
• "Two Evil Brothers" interview with special make-up effects assistant Everett Burrell
• "Working with George" interview with costume designer Barbara Anderson
• Disc There (CD):
• 21-track CD soundtrack by Pino Donaggio
• Booklet by FANGORIA's Michael Gingold
• Reversible Cover
• Holographic Slipcover

Warner Archive warns DON'T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK (review)

Kim Darby moves into her grandmother's creepy old mansion and accidentally unleashes three demons that terrorize her and have everyone else questioning her sanity in this sublimely creepy seventies TV movie (remade by Guillermo del Toro in 2010).

REVIEW LINK: Warner Archive (US) Region ALL Blu-ray (DVD Drive-in)

DON'T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.33:1 pillarboxed fullscreen
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
• Optional English SDH Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by Dread Central's Steve 'Uncle Creepy' Barton, "Final Destination" screenwriter Jeff Reddick, and Fangoria magazine writer Sean Abley
• Audio Commentary by Made for TV Mayhem podcaster Amanda Reyes 

Vinegar Syndrome encounters SPOOKIES (review)

Nine friends are about to become "twisted souls" when they stumble across an abandoned mansion where lurks a sorcerer who uses human sacrifices to resurrect his bride in the eighties creature feature SPOOKIES.

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

SPOOKIES Blu-ray specs:

• Disc One - The Film:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.85:1 Widescreen
• English DTS-HD Master Audio and Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono 
• Optional English SDH Subtitles
• 2015 Alamo Drafthouse Introductions:
• co-director Thomas Doran
• co-writer/producer Frank M. Farel
• Q&A from a 2015 Hudson Horror Show screening with actor Peter Iasillo, actor Anthony Valbiro, and production assistant Tom Sciacca
• Archival Locations featurette with actor Peter Iasillo
• Pinreel Outtakes and Bloopers
• Behind the Scenes Still Gallery
• Theatrical Trailer
• Disc Two - Extras:
• "Twisted Tales: The Unmaking of Spookies" documentary by film historian Michael Gingold and filmmaker Glen Baisley (100 minutes)
• Audio Commentary by film historian Michael Gingold and filmmaker Glen Baisley
• Deleted Scenes
• "VIPCO - The Untold Story" documentary on the notorious UK home video label (132 minutes)
• Extended interview with VIPCO founder Michael Lee
• Trailer
• Reversible Cover
• Limited Slipcover

Vinegar Syndrome enrolls in VICE ACADEMY (review)

Ginger Lynn Allen and Linnea Quigley keep you "up all night" in the late night cable favorites VICE ACADEMY 1-3 in which sexy vice squad graduates take on crime and lust.  From the director of HOBGOBLINS.

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

VICE ACADEMY 1-3 Blu-ray specs:

• Disc One:
• Vice Squad (1989):
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.85:1 Widescreen
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
• Optional English SDH Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by director Rick Sloane
• "Going Undercover" interview with actress Ginger Lynn Allen
• "Head of the Class" interview with actress Linnea Quigley
• Disc Two:
• Vice Squad 2 (1990):
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.85:1 Widescreen
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo
• Audio Comentary by director Rick Sloane
• Vice Squad 3 (1991):
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.85:1 Widescreen
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo
• Optional English SDH Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by director Rick Sloane
• Reversible Cover
• Foldout Poster
• Bottom-loading collector's slipcase

Vinegar Syndrome rises for a SAVAGE DAWN (Review)

Lance Henriksen rides into town and takes on "savage" bikers in the eighties action/sixties biker flic hybrid SAVAGE DAWN.  George Kennedy, Karen Black, William Forsythe, and Claudia Udy also star.

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

SAVAGE DAWN Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.85:1 widescreen
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo
• Optional English SDH Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by director Simon Nuchtern
• Theatrical Trailer
• Reversible Cover
• Foldout Poster
• Bottom-loading collector's slipcase

Arrow Video USA thumbs a ride for a HITCH HIKE TO HELL (Blu-ray)

Runaways are not safe when a killer takes them on a HITCH HIKE TO HELL in this seventies psycho thriller from Box Office International.  Russell Johnson, The Professor from GILLIGAN’S ISLAND, investigates.

REVIEW LINK: Arrow Video USA/MVD Visual (US) Region A/B Blu-ray (DVD Drive-in)

HITCH HIKE TO HELL Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.85:1 widescreen and 1.33:1 pillarboxed fullscreen versions
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 Mono
• Optional English SDH Subtitles
• "Of Monsters and Morality: The Strange Cinema of Irvin Berwick" appreciation by Nightmare USA author Stephen Thrower
• "Road to Nowhere: Hitchhiking Culture Goes to Hell" video essay by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas exploring the dark side of hitch-hiking in the real world and on the screen
• "Nancy Adams on the Road" interview with the singer
• "Lovin' on My Mind" Original Song Version
• "Lovin' on My Mind" Opening Titles witht the original recording
• Theatrical Trailer - 1.33:1 and 1.85:1 Versions
• BD-Rom: Original Pressbook (.pdf)
• Reversible cover featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by The Twins of Evil.
• The first pressing includes a collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by Heather Drain

Severin Films rescues GWENDOLINE (review)

The director of EMMANUELLE and THE STORY OF O goes a little softer for this big screen comic book adventure in which convent girl Gwendoline arrives in Hong Kong in search of her archaeologist father and needs the wiles of her maid Beth and the brawn of hunky smuggler Willard to face a variety of challenges from a jungle tribe to a lost city of warrior women.  Tawny Kitaen, Brent Huff, and Zibou star.

REVIEW LINK: Severin Films (US) Region ALL Blu-ray (DVD Drive-in)

GWENDOLINE Blu-ray specs:

• International Version (104 minutes):
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.35:1 Widescreen
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and 2.0 Stereo
• French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and 2.0 Stereo
• Optional English SDH Subtitles (for the English track) and English Subtitles (for the French track)
• Audio Commentary by director Just Jaeckin
• Audio Commentary by actors Tawny Kitaen and Brent Huff
• U.S. Version (88 minutes)
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.35:1 Widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
• French Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
• Optional English subtitles (for Chinese dialogue on the English track)
• “The Butterfly Effect” 2019 interview with director Just Jaeckin
• “Bondage Paradise” interviews with costume & concept designers & comic book artists François Schuiten and Claude Renard
• “The Perils of Production” interview with executive production Jean-Claude Fleury
• “Gwendoline’s Travels” interview with production designer Françoise Deleu
• Blu-Ray Promos with stars Tawny Kitaen & Brent Huff
• “The Last Temptation of Just” 2006 interview with director Just Jaeckin
• Dr. Kinsey audio interview with John Willie, creator of “Sweet Gwendoline”
• Tawny Kitaen Photospread for French LUI Magazine
• U.S. Theatrical Trailer
• French Theatrical Trailer
• Reversible Cover

Also available directly from Severin Films with a limited edition slipcover (and set of six lobby cards while supplies last) or in The Yik Yak Bundle with slipcover, six lobby cards, T-shirt, and enamel pins, the 100 copy SIGNED Yik Yak Bundle, the 200 copy The Perils Of Gwendoline & The Boys Bundle with slipcover, lobby cards, T-shirt, enamel pins, and Blu-ray of The Boys Next Door, or the Gwendoline/The Boys Next Door Blu-ray Bundle.

Mondo Macabro nets WOMAN CHASING THE BUTTERFLY OF DEATH (review)

A young student develops a death wish when he becomes the unwilling participant in an attempted murder-suicide pact and then becomes embroiled in a series of macabre and unpredictable events involving mysticism, the supernatural, and severed heads in this Korean oddity from the director of THE HOUSEMAID.

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

WOMAN CHASING THE BUTTERFLY OF DEATH Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.35:1 Widescreen
• Korean DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by What's Korean Cinema? podcasters Kenneth Brorsson and Paul Quinn
• Interview with critic Darcy Paquet
• Interview with actress Lee Hwa-si
• Interview with producer Jeong Jim-Woo
• Interview with cinematographer Koo Jong-mo
• More from Mondo Macabro

Masters of Cinema has A FISTFUL OF DYNAMITE (review)

Rod Steiger and James Coburn face the Mexican army with just A FISTFUL OF DYNAMITE in Sergio Leone's fifth and final epic western in which a Mexican bandit and an Irish revolutionary become embroiled in the Mexican Revolution.

REVIEW LINK: Eureka Video (UK) Region B Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

A FISTFUL OF DYNAMITE Blu-ray specs:

• Disc One - MGM Restoration:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.35:1 Widescreen
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 Mono
• Optional English HoH Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by filmmaker Alex Cox
• Audio Commentary by film historian Sir Christopher Frayling
• “Kim Newman on A Fistful of Dynamite” interview
• “Austin Fisher on A Fistful of Dynamite” interview
• “The Myth of Revolution” interview with film historian Sir Christopher Frayling
• “Restoration Italian Style” interview with MGM head archivist John Kirk
• Radio Spots
• Theatrical Trailer
• Disc Two - Cineteca di Bolognia Restoration:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.35:1 Widescreen
• Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo and English DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles for the Italian track and English HoH Subtitles for the English track
• “Sergio Donati Remembers” screenwriter interview
• “Sorting Out the Versions” analysis of the American theatrical cut and restored version
• “Once Upon a Time in Italy” Autry National Center Museum of the American West Sergio Leone Exhibit
• Location Comparisons
• Still Galleries:
• “Filming Giù la testa”
• “Giù la testa Colour Stills”
• “Giù la testa in Pictures”
• “Promoting Giù la testa”
• Limited Edition (3000 Copies) Hardbound Slipcase and 60-page perfect bound collector’s book featuring new writing on the film by Simon Ward and western authority Howard Hughes; a new interview with poster designer Robert E. McGinnis; and a selection of rare archival imagery.

Kino Lorber extends OUR HOSPITALITY (Review)

The feud between the Canfields and the McKays has been long dormant until young Willie McKay comes to town after learning that he has inherited his late father's property.  Not only are the two Canfield brothers trying to kill him, he has fallen in love with their sister in this feature-length comedy from Buster Keaton.

REVIEW LINK: Kino Lorber (US) Region ALL Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

OUR HOSPITALITY Blu-ray specs:

• New 2K restoration from Lobster Films and the Museum of Modern Art
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.37:1 pillarboxed fullscreen
• New Robert Israel score in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo
• Audio Commentary by film historians Farran Smith Nehme and Imogen Sara Smith
• "Un duel à mort [A Duel to the Death]" 1947 short film starring Buster Keaton
• "The Iron Mule" 1925 short film starring Al St. John
• "A Presentation of Our Hospitality" by Serge Bromberg
• "Scoring for Buster" a two-part documentary on the recording of Robert Israel's score
• Reversible cover
• Booklet essay by Jeffrey Vance

Lionsgate bids THE FAREWELL (review)

"Based on an atual lie," THE FAREWELL depicts the emotional turmoil of a Chinese family when one of them is diagnosed with terminal cancer, including the Chinese-American granddaughter who has doubts about the family's decision not to tell her grandmother and instead gather for one last reunion under the guise of a wedding.

REVIEW LINK: Lionsgate (US) Region A Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

THE FAREWELL Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.40:1 Widescreen
• Mandarin/English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
• Optional English SDH and Spanish subtitles
• Audio Commentary by writer/director Lulu Wang and director of photography Anna Franquesa-Solano
• "Nothing But the Truth: Confessions of a Writer/Director" interview with writer/director Lulu Wang
• "Going Home: A Conversation with Awkwafina" interview
• Deleted Scenes

Masters of Cinema sails THE AFRICAN QUEEN (review)

A British missionary and a Canadian tugboat captain brave the African rivers when war breaks out and the German army is on their tail as they concoct a plan to blow up a German gunboat in John Huston's classic THE AFRICAN QUEEN on Blu-ray in a stunning 4K restoration.  Humprhey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn star.

REVIEW LINK: Eureka (UK) Region B Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

THE AFRICAN QUEEN Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.37:1 pillarboxed fullscreen
• English LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Optional English HoH subtitles
• Audio Commentary by cinematographer Jack Cardiff
• Isolated Music & Effects track (In LPCM 2.0 Mono)
• Audio recording of the Guardian interview with John Huston at the National Film Theatre in 1981
• Interview with critic Kim Newman
• Interview with film historian Neil Sinyard
• Audio recording of an on-stage NFT discussion about the film with Anjelica Huston and script supervisor Angela Allen from 2010
• Interview with co-screenwriter Peter Viertel, author of White Hunter, Black Heart, by filmmaker Michael Scheingraber
• "Embracing Chaos: Making The African Queen" documentary
• Lux Radio Theater adaptation from 1952 with Humphrey Bogart and Greer Garson
• Theatrical Trailer
• The first 3,000 copies come with a limited edition hardbound case and a 60-page perfect bound featuring archival writing on the film.
   

Eureka Video paper trains CUJO (review)

E.T.'s Dee Wallace and WHO'S THE BOSS?'s Danny Pintauro face off against a rabid St. Bernard in the screen adaptation of Stephen King's novel CUJO.

REVIEW LINK: Eureka Classics/Eureka Video (UK) Region B Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

CUJO Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.35:1 widescreen
• English LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Optional English HoH Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by film historian Lee Gambin, author of "Nope, Nothing Wrong Here: The Making of Cujo“
• Interviews:
• actress Dee Wallace
• composer Charles Bernstein
• stuntman Gary Morgan
• stuntwoman Jean Coulter
• casting director Marcia Ross
• visual effects artist Kathie Lawrence
• special effects designer Robert Clark
• dog trainer Teresa Miller
• "Dog Days: The Making of Cujo" 2007 documentary
• Theatrical Trailer
• TV Spot #1
• TV Spot #2
  

Scream Factory faces off with THE DEVIL RIDES OUT (review)

A pair of French and American war buddies discover that the son of their late British friend has fallen in with Satanists and is to be inducted into a cult in Black Mass attended by Satan himself.  They pit magic against magic in an attempt to save his soul in this Hammer classic.

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

THE DEVIL RIDES OUT Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.66:1 widescreen transfers of the U.S. version from the Fox interpositive featuring the original visual effects and the U.K. version from the Studio Canal restoration featuring new visual effects
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
• Optional English SDH Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by stars Christopher Lee and Sarah Lawson; moderated by Hammer historian Marcus Hearn
• Audio Commentary by author / film historian Steve Haberman, filmmaker / film historian Constantine Nasr, and author / screenwriter Richard Christian Matheson
• "Satanic Shocks: Kim Newman Recalls The Devil Rides Out" interview
• "Folk Horror Goes Haywire" interview with author / film historian Jonathan Rigby
• "Black Magic: The Making of The Devil Rides Out" documentary
• "Dennis Wheatley at Hammer" featurette
• "The World of Hammer: Hammer" 1990 TV episode
• U.K. and U.S. Theatrical Trailers
• Image Gallery
• Reversible Cover

Vinegar Syndrome gets slashed by UNMASKED PART 25 (review)

After slashing his way through tons of camp counselors in America, disfigured, hockey mask-wearing serial killer Jackson returns to London where he questions the point of killing after meeting a beautiful blind girl.  Her obnoxious friends, however, make it increasingly difficult for him to contain his homicidal urges in this eighties slasher comedy.

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

UNMASKED PART 25 Blu-ray/DVD Combo specs:

• Blu-ray:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.66:1 widescreen
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 Mono
• DVD:
• 16:9 anamorphic 1.66:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 1.0 Mono
• Optional English SDH Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by director Anders Palm, moderated by journalist David Flint
• Audio Commentary by producer Mark Cutforth, moderated by Peter Kuplowsky and Justin Decloux of Laser Blast Film Society
• Stills Gallery
• Theatrical Trailer
• Reversible Cover

The first 2,000 copies ordered directly from
come with a special limited edition embossed slipcover designed by Earl Kessler Jr.

Masters of Cinema reanimates DER GOLEM (review)

Fearing persecution from the Emperor of Prague, Rabbi Loew constructs a humanoid warrior to be brought to life though occult powers in order to defend the Jewish people.  Such supernatural dealings, of course, come with a catch; in this case, a very destructive one in this German Expressionist horror classic.

REVIEW LINK: Eureka Video (UK) Region B Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

DER GOLEM Blu-ray specs:

• German Version (76 minutes):
• Stephen Horne score DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo
  Lukasz "Wudec" Poleszak score DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo
  Admir Shkurtja score DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo 
• English subtitles for German intertitles
• American Version (59 minutes):
• Cordula Heth score DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo
• Audio Commentary on the German Version by film historian Scott Harrison
• "Golem Time" video essay by critic David Cairns and unbilled Anne Billson
• "Where Are the Jewish Horror Films" video essay by filmmaker Jon Spira
• "The Kingdom of Ghosts: Paul Wegener’s The Golem and the Expressionist Tradition" audio essay by film historian R Dixon Smith
• Split-scren restoration comparison between the 1995 and 2018 restorations
• Comes with a collector's booklet featuring reprints of illustrations from the original 1915 novel and essays by Philip Kemp and Scott Harrison
• The first 2,000 copies come with a limited o-card slipcase.

Kino Lorber bets THE QUEEN OF SPADES (review)

A poor Russian soldier learns of a wealthy old countess who sold her soul to learn the secret of the cards to amass great wealth at the gambling table and endeavors to learn the secret even at the cost of his own damnation in this British supernatural classic based on the story by Alexander Pushkin.  Anton Walbrook, Edith Evans, Ronald Howard, and Yvonne Mitchell star.

REVIEW LINK: Kino Lorber (US) Region A Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

THE QUEEN OF SPADES Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.33:1 pillarboxed fullscreen 
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
• Optional English SDH Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by filmmaker Nick Pinkerton
• Introduction by filmmaker Martin Scorsese
• An Analysis by film critic/author Philip Horne
• 1951 Audio Interview with director Thorold Dickinson at the British Federation of Film Societies
• 1968 Audio Screening Introduction by director Thorold Dickinson
• Theatrical Trailer
• Bonus Trailers

Strand Releasing celebrates YOMEDDINE (review)

Having been left at a leper colony thirty years ago as a child when the only treatment was quarantine, lonely Beshay takes to the road with his orphaned apprentice Obama in search of the family who has forgotten him in this Egyptian submission for the 2019 Academy Awards.

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

YOMEDDINE DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 1.78:1 widescreen
• Arabic Dolby Digital 5.1
• Optional English Subtitles
• Interview with director A.B. Shawky and producer Dina Emam
• Theatrical Trailer
• Bonus Trailers

Strand Releasing is expecting with MOM + MOM (review)

In the Italian comic drama MOM + MOM, Karole and Alessia decide they want to have a child together but the difficulties with IVF only bring out the many other resentments and insecurities about their relationship that threaten to tear them apart.

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

MOM + MOM DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 2.35:1 widescreen
• Italian Dolby Digital 5.1
• Optional English Subtitles
• Theatrical Trailer
• Bonus Trailers

Severin Films hunts a WEREWOLF IN A GIRLS' DORMITORY (review)

No girl is safe in a Scottish reformatory school when the moon is full and a furry fanged killer is on the loose in this sixties Italian gothic chiller.

REVIEW LINK: Severin Films (US) Region ALL Blu-ray (DVD Drive-in)

WEREWOLF IN A GIRLS' DORMITORY Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.66:1 widescreen
• English and Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
• Optional English SDH subtitles (for English dub) and English subtitles (for Italian dub)
• Audio Commentary by actor Curt Lowens, moderated by film historian David Del Valle
• "Bad Moon Rising" interview with screenwriter Ernesto Gastaldi
• Alternate U.S. Opening
• Italian Theatrical Trailer
• U.S. Theatrical Trailer
• Bonus Soundtrack CD (14 tracks) 

Vinegar Syndrome ventures BEYOND THE DOOR III (Review)

A group of American high school students sent to Yugoslavia for a field trip nearly become sacrifices in a village festival, but they are in for something worse when they hop a train that is taking them to a rendezvous with Satan in BEYOND THE DOOR III.

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

BEYOND THE DOOR III Blu-ray/DVD combo specs:

• Blu-ray:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.35:1 widescreen
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo
• DVD:
• 16:9 anamorphic 2.35:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
• Optional English SDH Subtitles
• "Running Amok" interview with director Jeff Kwitny
• "A Long Walk to Yugoslavia" interview with actor Bo Svenson
• Interview with cinematographer Adolfo Bartoli
• Reversible Cover

Severin Films gets possessed by BYLETH (Review)

Mark Damon (THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER) is an unhinged aristocrat with an unhealthy attraction to his sister and blackouts that happen whenever a killer of beautiful strikes in the sexy seventies Italian gothic BYLETH.

REVIEW LINK: Severin Films (US) Region ALL Blu-ray (DVD Drive-in)

BYLETH Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.85:1 widescreen
• Italian and German DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
• Optional English subtitles for either Italian or German audio tracks

Vinegar Syndrome roars with BERSERKER (review)

Six camping buddies have more to fear than a marauding bear when they trespass on the stomping grounds of an ancient Norse warrior in the eighties slasher film BERSERKER.

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

BERSEKER Blu-ray/DVD combo specs:

• Blu-ray:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.85:1 widescreen
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 mono
• DVD:
• 16:9 anamorphic 1.85:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 1.0 mono
• Optional English SDH subtitles
• Audio Commentary by Justin Kerswell & Joseph Henson of The Hysteria Continues!
• Optional introduction by director Jefferson Richard
• “A Family Affair” interview with director Jefferson Richard
• "Beware of Bears" interview with actor Joseph Alan Johnson
• “Valley Girl” interview with actress Shannon Engemann
• Audio Interview with actor Mike Riley
• Stills Gallery

Mondo Macabro plays with THE KILLER OF DOLLS (Review)

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Twenty-year-old Paul plays with dolls, but not in a healthy way in this psychosexual Spanish horror flick from the director of GRAVEYARD OF HORROR.

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

THE KILLER OF DOLLS Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.85:1 widescreen
• Spanish DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by Diabolique Magazine editor Kat Ellinger
• Audio Commentary by film historians Robert Monell and Rod Barnett
• "The Doll Killer Speaks" interview with actor David Rocha
• Interview with film historian Dr. Antonio Lázaro-Reboll:
• Part 1 - On Spanish Horror
• Part 2 - On The Killer of Dolls
• Mondo Macabro Reel