Radiance Films explores the shadow world of PLANET OF THE VAMPIRES (review)

Before ALIEN, Mario Bava's PLANET OF THE VAMPIRES was the original "haunted house in space" as two ships land on a strange planet to answer a distress call only to confront a supernatural entity intent on taking over their bodies one by one.

REVIEW LINK: Radiance Films (UK) Region ALL Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

PLANET OF THE VAMPIRES Blu-ray specs:

• Italian Version:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.85:1 Widescreen
• Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• English Version with Original Score by Gino Marinuzzi Jr.:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.85:1 Widescreen
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
• Optional English SDH Subtitles
• Audio Commentary on the English Versions by Video Watchdog's Tim Lucas
• English Version with Home Video Score by Kendall Schmidt:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.85:1 Widescreen 
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono 
• Optional English SDH Subtitles
• "Transmissions from a Haunted World: Mario Bava and the Space Gothic" documentary 
• "Shadow World" interview with assistant director Lamberto Bava 
• Recreated German Super 8 Version (in English or Italian with optional English subtitles) 
• "Trailers from Hell" introduction by filmmaker Joe Dante 
• "Trailers from Hell" introduction by filmmaker Josh Olson 
• U.S. Theatrical Trailer 
• Image Gallery 
• Limited edition of 5,000 copies. 4K scan of the film from the original negative under the supervision of Lamberto Bava and carried out at Fotocinema in Rome in collaboration with CSC Cineteca Nazionale. 
• Comes with: 
• a reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Time Tomorrow; 
• an 80-page book featuring new writing by Kyle Anderson, Martyn Conterio, Barry Forshaw, George Daniel Lea and Jerome Reuter; 
• a 20-page booklet featuring a new translation of Renato Pestriniero’s original short story; 
• and a collection of six exclusive postcards featuring promotional material. 
• Presented in rigid box and full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings.

Eureka votes for CHINA O'BRIEN (review)

Cynthia Rothrock made her name as an action star in Hong Kong before being introduced in her homeland with the duo CHINA O'BRIEN and its sequel as a martial artist and cop who attempts to restore order to her home town when her sheriff father is murdered.  Richard Norton and Keith Cooke also star.

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

CHINA O'BRIEN 1 and 2 Blu-ray specs:

• Disc One - China O'Brien:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.85:1 Widescreen 
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono 
• Optional English SDH Subtitles 
• Audio Commentary by action cinema experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema 
• Select-scene Commentary by actress and martial artist Cynthia Rothrock and Asian cinema expert Frank Djeng, NY Asian Film Festival 
• "Made in China" interview with actress and martial artist Cynthia Rothrock 
• Interview with actor and martial artist Richard Norton by A.J. Richardi and Gavin Kelley of The Martial Arts Mania Podcast 
• "Leon Hunt on China O'Brien" interview with the author of "Kung Fu Cult Masters: From Bruce Lee to Crouching Tiger" 
• Theatrical Trailer
• Disc Two - China O'Brien II:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.85:1 Widescreen 
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo 
• Optional English SDH Subtitles 
• Audio Commentary by action cinema experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema 
• Audio Commentary by Asian cinema expert Frank Djeng, NY Asian Film Festival 
• Select-scene Commentary by actress Cynthia Rothrock and Asian cinema expert Frank Djeng, NY Asian Film Festival 
• "Enter Dakota" interview with actor and martial artist Keith Cooke 
• "James Mudge on China O'Brien" interview with filmmaker and critic James Mudge 
• Theatrical Trailer
• The first pressing of 2,000 copies includes an O-card slipcase featuring new artwork by Grégory Sacré, a reversible poster, and a collector’s booklet featuring new essays by James Oliver and film scholar Eddie Falvey.
  

88 Films and THE INSPECTOR WEARS SKIRTS 2 (review)

The all-female Banshee Squad is back and pranking newbies while fighting and flirting with the all-male Tiger Squad before they have to band together to take on terrorists in the POLICE ACADEMY-inspired THE INSPECTOR WEARS SKIRTS 2.

REVIEW LINK: 88 Films (US/UK) Region A/B Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

THE INSPECTOR WEARS SKIRTS 2 Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.85:1 Widescreen
• Cantonese and English LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by Asian film expert Frank Djeng 
• "Leading the Top Squad" interview with director Wellson Chin 
• Interview with stuntman Go Shut Fung 
• Interview with stuntman Mars 
• Hong Kong Theatrical Trailer 
• Stills Gallery 
• Comes with a reversible cover with new artwork by Sean Longmore and original HK poster art. 
• The first pressing includes a double-walled O-ring slipcover featuring new artwork by Sean Longmore and a double-sided foldout poster featuring new and classic poster art.

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Cult Epics gets cheeky with FRIVOLOUS LOLA (review)

In Tinto Brass' FRIVOLOUS LOLA, young Lola is on the verge of getting married when she starts to wonder what delights she might be wishing if she does not get rid of her innocence before the wedding day.

REVIEW LINK: Cult Epics (US) Region ALL 4K UltraHD/Blu-ray Combo (DVDCompare)

FRIVOLOUS LOLA 4K UltraHD/Blu-ray Combo specs: 

• Disc One (4K UltraHD):
• 2160p24 HEVC 1.85:1 Widescreen (HDR10) 
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and 2.0 Stereo 
• Italian DTS-HD Master Audio and 2.0 Stereo 
• Optional English Subtitles 
• Audio Commentary by film historians Eugenio Ercolani and Nathaniel Thompson 
• Tinto Brass Trailers
• Disc Two (Blu-ray):
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.85:1 Widescreen 
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and 2.0 Stereo 
• Italian DTS-HD Master Audio and 2.0 Stereo 
• Optional English Subtitles 
• Audio Commentary by film historians Eugenio Ercolani and Nathaniel Thompson 
• 2004 interview with director Tinto Brass 
• Photo Gallery 
• Tinto Brass Trailers
• The first pressing comes in a slipcover with a reversible cover, four Italian lobby card reproductions (UHD combo only), and 20-page booklet by Eugenio Ercolani and Domenico Monetti.

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Eureka Classics and Joseph Kuo's THE SWORDMEN OF ALL SWORDSMEN solves THE MYSTERY OF CHESS BOXING (review)

In Joseph Kuo's first martial arts film THE SWORDSMAN OF ALL SWORDSMEN, a boy grows into adulthood training to avenge the murders of his family by five men.  Also included is THE MYSTERY OF CHESS BOXING, the film that inspired Wu Tang Clan and the rappers Ghostface Killah and Ol' Dirty Bastard!

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

THE SWORDSMAN OF ALL SWORDSMEN Blu-ray specs: 

• Disc One - The Swordsman of All Swordsman:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.39:1 Widescreen 
• Mandarin and English LPCM 2.0 Mono 
• Optional English Subtitles 
• Audio Commentary by Asian film expert Frank Djeng and film writer John Charles 
• "The Return of the Master" archival interview with director Joseph Kuo
• Disc Two (Bonus Blu-ray) - The Mystery of Chess Boxing:
• Only surviving 35mm print 
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.32:1 Widescreen 
• Mandarin, Cantonese, and English LPCM 2.0 Mono 
• Burnt-in Chinese and English Subtitles 
• Audio Commentary by Asian film expert Frank Djeng and martial artist/filmmaker Michael Worth 
• Audio Commentary by action cinema experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema
• Limited edition of 2,000 copies comes with bonus disc, O-Card slipcase featuring new artwork by Grégory Sacré (Gokaiju), collector’s booklet featuring new writing on both films by James Oliver, set of facsimile lobby cards and Double-sided poster featuring original release posters, and reversible artwork by Darren Wheeling.

Film Masters is TORMENTED (review)

Richard Carlson (CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON) stars as a man TORMENTED by the ghost of an old flame before his wedding in this supernatural thriller from Bert I. Gordon (FOOD OF THE GODS).  Also stars Lugene Sanders, Susan Gordon, Juli Reding, and Joe Turkel.

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

TORMENTED Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.85:1 Widescreen
• English DTS-HD Master Audio and Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
• Optional English SDH Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by film historian/writer/filmmaker Gary Don Rhodes 
• "Untold Ghost Stories" unaired TV pilot of FAMOUS GHOST STORIES, made by Bert I. Gordon and hosted by Vincent Price 
• "Bert I. Gordon in the 1950s & 1960s: Bigger Than Life" 2024 documentary by filmmaker C. Courtney Joyner 
• "The Spirit Is Willing: CineMagic and Social Discord in Bert I. Gordon's TORMENTED" visual essay by The Flying Maciste Brothers 
• "Bert I. Gordon: The Amazing Colossal Filmmaker" archival interview with writer/producer/director Bert I. Gordon 
• "Mystery Science Theater 3000" episode of TORMENTED from 1992 
• Original Trailer 
• 2024 Recut Trailer 
• Includes a 24-page booklet with an essay titled by film historian Tom Weaver and "The Boy and His Film Favorite" by novelist-filmmaker John Wooley on TORMENTED star Susan Gordon.

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MVD Visual tugs on JOYSTICKS (review)

When a conservative businessman wants to shut down the local video arcade, the geeks, the girls, and the jocks must band together against his nefarious schemes in the eighties sex comedy JOYSTICKS.

REVIEW LINK: MVD Visual (US) Region ALL Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

JOYSTICKS Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.78:1 Widescreen
• English LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Optional English SDH Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by MVD Rewind Collection's Eric D. Wilkinson, Cereal at Midnight host Heath Holland and Diabolik DVD's Jesse Nelson
• Audio Commentary by director Greydon Clark 
• Interview with director Greydon Clark 
• "Coin Slots" – Faux "Trailer" short written and directed by Newt Wallen and starring Mr. Lobo and Eric D. Wilkinson 
• Theatrical Trailer 
• Bonus Trailers 
• Comes with a reversible cover, two-sided foldout poster, and slipcover (first pressing only). 

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Severin Films gets lost in THE SPIDER LABYRINTH (review)

A young professor becomes entangled in a supernatural conspiracy when he travels to Budapest in search of a colleague studying an ancient religion that may not have entirely died out in this eighties Italian horror film with special effects by Sergio Stivaletti.

REVIEW LINK: Severin Films (US) Region ALL 4K UltraHD/Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

THE SPIDER LABYRINTH 4K UltraHD/Blu-ray specs: 

• Disc One (4K UltraHD):
• 2160p24 HEVC 1.85:1 Widescreen 
• English and Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono 
• Optional English SDH Subtitles 
• Audio Commentary by Dr. Will Dodson, Professor of Rhetoric and Media Studies, and Ryan Verrill, host of The Disc Connected 
• International Trailer
• Disc Two (Blu-ray):
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.85:1 Widescreen 
• English and Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono 
• Optional English SDH Subtitles 
• Audio Commentary by Dr. Will Dodson, Professor of Rhetoric and Media Studies, and Ryan Verrill, host of The Disc Connected 
• "Caught in a Web" interview with director Gianfranco Giagni 
• "Arachne" interview with screenwriter Gianfranco Manfredi 
• "All the Colors of a Spider" interview with cinematographer Nino Celeste 
• "Smile of the Spider Woman" interview with actress Paola Rinaldi 
• "Death in Stop Motion" interview with special make-up effects artist Sergio Stivaletti 
• "Web of the Weird: Placing Spider Labyrinth in the Weird Genre" discussion with Dr. Will Dodson, Ryan Verrill and Erica Shultz, author of "The Sweetest Taboo: An Unapologetic Guide to Child Kills in Film" 
• International Trailer

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Grindhouse Releasing gives in to IMPULSE (review)

William Shatner plays a gigolo and con man whose traumatic childhood expresses itself in violent psychotic rages in the William Grefé thriller IMPULSE.

REVIEW LINK: Grindhouse Releasing (US) Region ALL Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

IMPULSE Blu-ray specs:

• Disc One - The Film:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.85:1 Widescreen 
• English and French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono 
• Optional English SDH Subtitles 
• Audio Commentary by director William Grefé 
• "The Making of IMPULSE" documentary 
• "Shatner Saves Sakata" 16mm behind the scenes clip with audio commentaries by director William Grefé and actor William Shatner 
• 40th Anniversary Screening: Tampa Theater, Nov. 7, 2015 
• Theatrical Trailers 
• Bonus Features: 
• THE DEVIL'S SISTERS (1966):
• 16:9 anamorphic 1.66:1 Widescreen (480i MPEG-2) 
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono 
• Audio Commentary by director William Grefé 
• "THE DEVIL'S SISTERS Resurrected" introduction by director William Grefé 
• "THE DEVIL'S SISTERS Revisited" interview with director William Grefé 
• "Bill Grefé and THE DEVIL'S SISTERS" new interview 
• 1968 Reissue Radio Spot 
• Photo Gallery 
• THE GODMOTHERS (1973):
• 16:9 anamorphic 1.33:1 Pillarboxed Fullscreen (480i MPEG-2) 
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono 
• Introduction by director William Grefé 
• Easter Eggs
• Disc Two - Extras:
• Interviews: 
• "Between the Treks: Shatner in the 1970s" interview with filmmaker C. Courtney Joyner 
• "Kingdom of the Shatner: William Shatner Live in Santa Monica Oct. 9, 2022" 
• "Doug Hobart: The Corpse Speaks" 
• "Bill Grefé is Furious" 
• "Bill's Miami Stories" 
• "Bill's Sea Stories" 
• Bill Grefé 2011 interview 
• "LIVE AND LET DIE News Report" 
• "Legend Award" 
• Filmmaking Seminars – Bill Grefé's Seminars on Independent Film-making 
• Bill Grefé Industrials: 
• "Bacardi & Shatner" (1978) 
• "Fame with William Shatner" (1987) 
• "Investing in Movies with Lauren Bacall" 
• Bill Grefé Short Films
• Extensive Still Galleries 
• Grindhouse Releasing Prevues 
• Disc Production Credits 
• Easter Eggs
• Comes in a slipcase with a reversible cover, a booklet by underground filmmaker Jacques Boyreau, and a mini-poster of Wililam Shatner.

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Cult Epics exposes ALL LADIES DO IT! (review)

Happily-married Diana has her eyes and thighs opened up to the wonders of "happy banging" in Tinto Brass' erotica classic.

REVIEW LINK: Cult Epics (US) Region ALL 4K UltraHD/Blu-ray Combo (DVDCompare)

ALL LADIES DO IT 4K UltraHD/Blu-ray Combo specs:

• Disc One (4K UltraHD):
• 2160p24 HEVC 1.85:1 Widescreen (HDR10) 
• English and Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo and Mono Tracks 
• Optional English Subtitles 
• Audio Commentary by critics Eugenio Ercolani and Troy Howarth Tinto Brass 
• Trailers: 
• "All Ladies Do It" 
• "Frivolous Lola"
• Disc Two (Blu-ray):
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.85:1 Widescreen 
• English and Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo and Mono Tracks 
• Optional English Subtitles 
• Audio Commentary by critics Eugenio Ercolani and Troy Howarth 
• 2001 interview with director Tinto Brass 
• Outtakes 
• Still Gallery 
• Tinto Brass Trailers: 
• "All Ladies Do It" 
• "Frivolous Lola" 
• "Paprika" 
• "P.O. Box Tinto Brass" 
• "IsTintoBrass"
• Comes with a reversible cover, slipcover, 20-page illustrated booklet featuring Eugenio Ercolani and Domenico Monetti's essay "From Demon to Saint: The Career of Claudia Koll" and credits, and four collectible lobby cards.

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Blue Underground stalks the NIGHT OF THE BLOOD MONSTER (review)

Christopher Lee strikes terror as the "Bloody Judge" putting to death supposed traitors to the Crown and burning witches at the stake in Jess Franco's horrific, erotic, historical drama NIGHT OF THE BLOOD MONSTER (aka THE BLOODY JUDGE aka THE WITCH-KILLER OF BLACKMOOR).

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

NIGHT OF THE BLOOD MONSTER 4K UltraHD/Blu-ray specs:

• Disc One (4K UltraHD):
• 2160p24 HEVC 2.35:1 Widescreen (Dolby Vision/HDR10) 
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 Mono 
• Optional English SDH, French, and Spanish Subtitles 
• Audio Commentary by critics Troy Howarth and Nathaniel Thompson 
• Audio Commentary by film historians Kim Newman and Barry Forshaw 
• Audio Commentary by film historians David Flint and Adrian Smith
• Disc Two (Blu-ray):
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.35:1 Widescreen 
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 Mono 
• Optional English SDH, French, and Spanish Subtitles 
• Audio Commentary by critics Troy Howarth and Nathaniel Thompson 
• Audio Commentary by film historians Kim Newman and Barry Forshaw 
• Audio Commentary by film historians David Flint and Adrian Smith 
• "Bloody Jess" interview with director Jess Franco and actor Christopher Lee 
• "Judgement Day" interview with Stephen Thrower, author of "Murderous Passions: The Delirious Cinema of Jess Franco" 
• "In The Shadows" interview with filmmaker Alan Birkinshaw and author Stephen Thrower on producer Harry Alan Towers 
• Deleted and Alternate Scenes 
• Trailers and TV Spot 
• Still Galleries
• Reversible Cover
• Slipcover 

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Vinegar Syndrome Labs deals 5 CARD STUD (review)

Dean Martin is a poker player who must discover who is targeting the members of a card game who strung up a card sharp in the whodunit western 5 CARD STUD from Henry Hathaway (TRUE GRIT).

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

5 CARD STUD Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.85:1 Widescreen
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
• Optional English SDH Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by author and film historian Brian Hannan 
• "Jack of All Trades" interview with film critic Walter Chaw on the films of Henry Hathaway 
• "A Woman of True Grit" interview with filmmaker Lizzie Francke on screenwriter Marguerite Roberts' legacy 
• Comes with a reversible cover and a 16-page booklet with an essay by Jim Healy. 
• A limited edition of 4,000 copies ordered directly from Vinegar Syndrome includes a spot gloss slipcover designed by Tony Stella.

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Acorn Media and Shudder go analog with V/H/S/85 (review)

The latest of Shudder's V/H/S short horror collections features a strange child who is the subject of a scientific experiment gone wrong, an ill-advised visit to an eerie lake by a group of college students, an earthquake that unearths an ancient evil, a performance artist who invokes the "God of Technology" into corporeal form, a strange and deadly family gathering, and a detective who receives videos of murders before they happen.

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

V/H/S/85 Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.78:1/1.33:1 Widescreen
• English/Spanish DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
• Optional English SDH Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by producer Josh Goldbloom, directors David Bruckner, Mike P. Nelson, Gigi Saul Guerrero, and Natasha Kermani, and writers Zoe Cooper, Evan Dickson and C. Robert Cargill, moderated by Bloody Disgusting's "Boo Crew" podcast
• Uncut Super 8 "Dreamkill" Footage 
• Uninterrupted "Total Copy" 
• Uninterrupted "No Wake/Ambrosia"
   

Second Sight says a final prayer in THE BORDERLANDS (review)

When a Vatican team is sent to investigate paranormal activity in an medieval church in the English countryside, they discover not a miracle but an ancient and deadly force in this creepy found footage horror film released in the United States as FINAL PRAYER.

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

THE BORDERLANDS Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.78:1 Widescreen
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
• Optional English SDH Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by actors Robin Hill and Gordon Kennedy, producer Jennifer Handorf and special effects artist Dan Martin 
• "Dressed the Part" interview with actors Robin Hill and Gordon Kennedy 
• "Losing Faith" interview with producer Jennifer Handorf 
• "Monster Goo" interview with special effects designer Dan Martin Behind the Scenes 
• Comes in a rigid slipcase with new artwork by Christopher Shy, a seventy-page book with new essays by Tim Coleman, Martyn Conterio, Shellie McMurdo and Johnny Walker, as well as six collectors' art cards
   

Full Moon Features plants SEEDPEOPLE (Review)

Meteor hunters who go into the orchards of Comet Valley come out changed in strange and deadly ways in Full Moon's "body snatcher" tale from the nineties with creature effects by John Carl Buechler.

REVIEW LINK: Full Moon Features (US) Region ALL Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

SEEDPEOPLE Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.78:1 Widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 Stereo
• Optional English SDH Subtitles
• VideoZone Making-of
• Full Moon Trailers