Synapse Films rings in the holiday with SATAN'S LITTLE HELPER (review)

Lonely young Dougie has fallen in love with the video game "Satan's Little Helper" and is determined to be the real thing when he meets a serial killer who may or may not actually be the devil himself in this slasher film from the director of JUST BEFORE DAWN.

REVIEW LINK: Synapse Films (US) Region ALL Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

SATAN'S LITTLE HELPER Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.78:1 Widescreen
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo
• Optional English SDH Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by writer/director Jeff Lieberman
• Archival Behind the Scenes Featurette
• "The Devil and the Details: The Making of SATAN'S LITTLE HELPER" new documentary
• "Mister Satan's Neighborhood" locations visit
• Promotional Trailer
  

Unearthed Films gets caught in EVIL DEAD TRAP 2 (Review)

A lonely and plain projectionist spends her nights stalking and murdering prostitutes, but she is also being haunted by a ghostly child in EVIL DEAD TRAP 2.

REVIEW LINK: Unearthed Films (US) Region ALL Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

EVIL DEAD TRAP 2: HIDEKI Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.85:1 Widescreen
• Japanese LPCM 2.0 Stereo and Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• Photo Gallery
• Theatrical Trailer
• Bonus Trailers
  

Blue Underground wiles away QUIET DAYS IN CLICHY (review)

In this semi-autobiographical account of Henry Miller's life as an American expat in Paris between the wars, aspiring writer Joey and his buddy Carl live hand-to-mouth while pursuing the demands of their libidos.

REVIEW LINK: Blue Underground (US) Region ALL 4K UHD/Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

QUIET DAYS IN CLICHY UHD/Blu-ray specs:

• DISC ONE (UHD):
• 2160p24 HEVC 1.66:1 Widescreen
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 Mono
• Optional English SDH, French, and Spanish subtitles
• Deleted Scene
• Theatrical Traile
• DISC TWO (Blu-ray):
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.66:1 Widescreen
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 Mono
• Optional English SDH, French, and Spanish subtitles
• "Song of Clichy" interview with musician Country Joe McDonald
• "Dirty Books, Dirty Movies: Barney Rosset on Henry Miller" interview with Henry Miller's editor and publisher Barney Rosset
• "Midnight Blue" TV interview with Henry Miller's editor and publisher Barney Rosset 
• Deleted Scene
• Theatrical Trailer
• Poster and Still Gallery
• Book Cover Gallery
• Court Documents Gallery
• First Pressing Slipcover

Vinegar Syndrome is caught up in BLOOD DELIRIUM (review)

A mad artist discovers that human blood is the key to artistic inspiration in the Italian gothic thriller BLOOD DELIRIUM starring John Phillip Law and Gordon Mitchell.

REVIEW LINK: Vinegar Syndrome (US) Region ALL Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

BLOOD DELIRIUM Blu-ray specs: 

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.66:1 Widescreen
• English and Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
• Optional English and English SDH Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by film historians Eugenio Ercolani and Troy Howarth
• "Gerard's Delirium" interview with actor Marco Di Stefano
• "Killer's Muse" interview with actress Brigitte Christensen
• "Once Upon a Time in the Italian Eighties" interview with assistant director Corrado Colombo
• Italian Opening and Closing Credits
• English Export Trailer
• Reversible Cover
• The first 5,000 copies ordered directly from Vinegar Syndrome include a special limited edition embossed and spot gloss slipcover designed by Robert Sammelin.
  

Vinegar Syndrome unwraps DON'T OPEN TILL CHRISTMAS (review)

This Christmas, it's Santa who has to worry about whether he has been naughty or nice when a serial killer targets anyone in a Santa suit in the eighties slasher DON'T OPEN TILL CHRISTMAS.

REVIEW LINK: Vinegar Syndrome (US) Region ALL Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

DON'T OPEN TILL CHRISTMAS 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 historian/author Amanda Reyes and special features producer Ewan Cant 
• "Don't Direct Till Christmas" interview with additional scenes director/writer Alan Birkinshaw
• "Slashing Miss Munro" interview with actress Caroline Munro
• "Purdom Babylonia" interview with Lilan Purdom, daughter of director/star Edmund Purdom
• "Birkinshaw Uncut" career-spanning archival interview with additional scenes director/writer Alan Birkinshaw 
• "The Making of a Horror Film" archival making-of documentary 
• "A Dangerous Place for Santa" locations visit 
• Rough Cut Deleted & Extended Scenes 
• Behind-the-Scenes Still Gallery 
• Theatrical Trailer 
• Reversible Cover 
• The first 5,000 copies ordered directly from Vinegar Syndrome come with a special limited edition embossed and spot gloss slipcover designed by Robert Sammelin.
  

Synapse Films raises THE KINDRED (review)

 

A geneticist discovers that his late mother has continued her own revolutionary experiments in the privacy of their family home and has grown something that is less-than-human and very angry in the eighties creature feature THE KINDRED.

REVIEW LINK: Synapse Films (US) Region ALL Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

THE KINDRED Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.78:1 Widescreen
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and 2.0 Mono
• Optional English SDH Subtitles Audio Commentary by co-writers/co-directors Stephen Carpenter and Jeffrey Obrow
• "Inhuman Experiments: The Making of The Kindred" documentary
• On-Set Footage
• Storyboards
• Still Gallery
• TV Spots
• Video Trailer
• Theatrical Trailer
  

Acorn Media and Shudder see THEY LIVE IN THE GREY (review)

A social worker mourning the loss of her son investigates a case of possible child abuse and begins to suspect that the real perpetrator is a restless and violent spirit in THEY LIVE IN THE GREY.

REVIEW LINK: Acorn Media (UK) Region 0 PAL DVD (DVDCompare)

THEY LIVE IN THE GREY DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 2.40:1 Widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 5.1
• Optional English SDH and Spanish subtitles
• Photo Gallery
  

Acorn Media and Shudder mourn THE TWIN (review)

A couple mourning the death of their son move with his surviving twin to the Finnish countryside where pagan rites are still practiced.  When their son starts claiming to be his dead twin, his mother wonders if her son is possessed by his brother's ghost or something evil.

REVIEW LINK: Acorn Media (UK) Region ALL Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

THE TWIN Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.40:1 Widescreen
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
• Optional English SDH, French, and Spanish subtitles
• "The Making of THE TWIN" promo
  

Universal witnesses MINIONS: THE RISE OF GRU (review)

Witness the rise of super villain Gru as a child when the eleven year old takes on the Vicious 6 in a plan to harness the powers of an ancient Zodiac stone to take over the world.

REVIEW LINK: Universal Pictures (US) Region ALL UHD/Blu-ray Combo (DVDCompare)

MINIONS: THE RISE OF GRU UHD/Blu-ray Combo specs: 

• DISC ONE (UHD):
• 2160p24 HEVC 2.40:1 Widescreen
• English Dolby Atmos, Spanish (Latin) Dolby Digital Plus 7.1, French (Canadian) Dolby Digital 5.1
• Optional English SDH, French (Canadian), and Spanish (Latin) Subtitles
• DISC TWO (Blu-ray):
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.40:1 Widescreen 
• English Dolby Atmos, Spanish (Latin) Dolby Digital Plus 7.1, French (Canadian) Dolby Digital 5.1, English Audio Descriptive Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo 
• Optional English SDH, French (Canadian), and Spanish (Latin) Subtitles
• Mini Movies:
• "Post Modern Minions"
• "Minions and Monsters"
• Extended Scene Outtakes
• Character Profiles 
• "Gru-vy Animation" 
• "Fashion, Food & Funk" 
• "Minion Martial Arts" 
• "How to Draw (& Animate)" 
• "Lair Flair" 
• "Super Style Shop"
  

Second Sight wrestles with the CENSOR: Standard Edition (review)

A young censor driven to protect the viewing public by her own childhood trauma discovers that "you can't edit reality" in the British horror film CENSOR, feature debut of Prano Bailey-Bond.

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

CENSOR Blu-ray specs: 

• Disc One:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.39:1 Widescreen
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
• Optional English HoH Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by director and co-writer Prano Bailey-Bond and executive producer Kim Newman
• Audio Commentary by director and co-writer Prano Bailey-Bond, director of photography Annika Summerson, editor Mark Towns, and sound designer Tim Harrison
• Audio Commentary by film historians Kat Ellinger, Lindasay Hallam, and Miranda Corcoran
• "Nasty" short film by Prano Bailey-Bond
• "The Making of Censor" documentary
• "My Nasty Memories" interview with filmmaker David Gregory
• "Ban the Sadist Videos" two-part documentary by filmmaker David Gregory:
  
• Disc Two:
• "My Own Nasty" interview with co-writer and director Prano Bailey-Bond
• "The Censor" interview with actress Niamh Algar
• "Penning a Nasty" interview with co-writer Anthony Fletcher
• "Nasty Images" interview with director of photography Annika Summerson
• "I'm Cutting It" interview with editor Mark Towns
• "Nasty Sounds" interview with composer Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch
• "Enid's Gaze: Alexandra Heller-Nicholas on Censor" visual essay
• 2021 Screening Q&A with Prano Bailey-Bond and Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch, hosted by Jed Shepherd
• Prano Bailey-Bond in conversation with BBFC compliance Officer David Hyman
• Deleted Scenes
  

Eureka Classics takes on ANGELA MAO in HAPKIDO and LADY WHIRLWIND (review)

Golden Harvest's first female action star Angela Mao is showcased in two of her first features.  In HAPKIDO, Mao and her siblings Sammo Hung and Carter Wong start a kung fu school in China and get into a deadly war with a Japanese karate school.  In LADY WHIRLWIND, Mao is seeking revenge for her seduced and abandoned sister from the very man who needs her help to bring down a drug smuggling empire.

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

ANGELA MAO: HAPKIDO AND LADY WHIRLWIND Blu-ray specs:

• Disc One - Hapkido:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.35:1 Widescreen
• Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 Mono
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (Fortune Star dub)
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 Mono ("Lady Kung Fu" dub)
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 Mono ("Hapkido" dub)
• Optional English Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by Asian film experts Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival) & Michael Worth
• Audio Commentary by Asian film expert Frank Djeng & martial artist/actor Robert “Bobby” Samuels
• "Lady Kung Fu Speaks" interview with actress Angela Mao
• Archival Interviews:
• actress Angela Mao
• actor Carter Wong
• actors Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao
• 1972 Vintage Hapkido Demonstration Promo
• Alternate Opening Credits Sequences
  
• Mandarin Hong Kong Theatrical Trailer
• English Hong Kong Theatrical Trailer
• U.S. Theatrical Trailer
• U.S. TV Spot
• Image Gallery
• Disc Two - Lady Whirlwind:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.35:1 Widescreen
• Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0
• Optional English Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by Asian film experts Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival) & Michael Worth
• Audio Commentary by Asian film expert Frank Djeng & martial artist/actor Robert “Bobby” Samuels
• Audio Commentary by film journalist and author Samm Deighan
• "Lady Whirlwind Speaks" interview with actress Angela Mao
• "Kung Fu Cooking" interview with Angela Mao's son Thomas King
• Alternate English Opening Credits
• Hong Kong Theatrical Trailer
• U.S. Theatrical Trailer
• U.S. Radio Spot
• Image Gallery
• Reversible cover.
• The first pressing of 2,000 copies includes a limited edition O-card slipcase slipcase featuring new artwork by Darren Wheeling, a reversible poster featuring original theatrical poster artwork, and a collector's booklet featuring new writing by James Oliver.
  

Second Run remembers LOVE (review)

While her husband is serving a ten year prison sentance for his political involvment, Luca weaves a world of imagination to prevent her dying mother-in-law from discovering the truth.  Is Luca just protecting her inheritance or is there a more emotionally complex reason?

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

LOVE (SZERELEM) Blu-ray specs: 

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.85:1 Widescreen
• Hungarian/German LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by director Károly Makk, moderated by professor Gábor Gelencsér
• "Károly Makk on LOVE" archival interview
• "LOVE Returns to Cannes" 2016 promotional piece on the film's history and restoration
• 1971 archival newsreel footage of Hungarian film week in Sorrento
• 1971 Theatrical Trailer
• 2016 Restoration Trailer
• Comes with a 20-page booklet with writing on the film by Graeme Hobbs and Agnes Sajti.
  

Second Sight invites THE GUEST (review)

DOWNTON ABBEY's Dan Stevens is THE GUEST who visits a family in mourning claiming to be a friend of their dead son but nothing is really as it seems in this film from the writer and director of YOU'RE NEXT and BLAIR WITCH.

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

THE GUEST Blu-ray specs: 

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.40:1 Widescreen
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
• Optional English HoH Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by director Adam Wingard and writer Simon Barrett (2021)
• Audio Commentary by director Adam Wingard and writer Simon Barrett (2014)
• "The Uninvited Guest" interview with actor Dan Stevens 
• "A Perfect Stranger" interview with actor Maika Monroe
• "By Invitation Only" interview with Adam Wingard and Simon Barrett
• "Producing The Guest" interview with producers Keith Calder and Jess Wu Calder
• "Light and Fog" interview with director of photography Robby Baumgartner
• "Lightning Strikes" interview with production designer Tom Hammock
• "The Sounds of The Guest" interview with composer Steven Moore
• Deleted/Alternate Scenes & Outtake Gag (with optional commentary by Adam Wingard and Simon Barrett)