Masters of Cinema conjures up VIY (review)

A student monk is sent to read prayers over the body of a landowner's murdered daughter only to discover that she is an evil witch who raises all the power of hell to steal his soul.  Best known to Westerners as the source story for Mario Bava's BLACK SUNDAY, VIY got a more faithful adaptation in its native Russia with stunning visual effects by Aleksandr Petushko.

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

VIY Blu-ray specs:

• DISC ONE: The Viy (1967)
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.37:1 Pillarboxed Fullscreen
• Russian and English LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by film historian Michael Brooke
• "Samuel Goff on Nikolai Gogol" audio essay
• "Remembering Nikolai Gogol" 1939 documentary
• Russian Silent Film Fragments:
• "Satan Exultant"
• "The Queen of Spades"
• "The Portrait"
• Theatrical Trailer
  
• DISC TWO: Limited Bonus Disc of A Holy Place (1990)
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.37:1 Pillarboxed Fullscreen
• Serbo-Croat LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• "Djordje Kadijevic on A HOLY PLACE" director interview
  
• Limited pressing of 3,000 copies that includes an exclusive O-Card slipcase, bonus disc, and a 31-page booklet featuring "Aleksandr Ptushko: Honest Tales of Bygone Days" by Tim Lucas, "A Holy Place" by Dejan Ognjanović, viewing notes, and Blu-ray credits
  

Mondo Macabro palpitates with PANIC BEATS (review)

A middle-aged couple retreat to the husband's country estate for some relaxation, but the ghost of a brutally murderous ancestal knight turns up for some ghoulish gore in Paul Naschy's semi-follow-up to HORROR RISES FROM THE TOMB.

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

PANIC BEATS Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.66:1 Widescreen
• Spanish
• Optional English Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by Rod Barnett and Troy Guinn of Naschycast
• "Paul Naschy on...His Life in Cinema" 2005 interview
• 1997 interview with actor/director Paul Naschy
• More from Mondo Macabro 

 

Vinegar Syndrome spills SATAN'S BLOOD (Review)

A young couple are invited by an older couple to dinner at a remote country house where they are then drawn into a Satanic orgy, the aftermath of which spirals into a nightmarish whirlpool of murder and suicide.  A sexy, gory Spanish horror film produced by the director of SLUGS and PIECES.

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

SATAN'S BLOOD Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.66:1 Widescreen
• Spanish DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 and Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 and Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
• Audio Commentary by film historians Kat Ellinger and Samm Deighan
• "Satan's Blood: Recuerdos de Escalofrío" documentary with director Carlos Puerto, actress Sandra Alberti, and editor Pedro del Rey
• Still Gallery
• Reversible Cover
• The first 4,000 copies ordered directly from <b><A href="https://vinegarsyndrome.com/collections/vinegar-syndrome/products/satans-blood">Vinegar Syndrome</a></b> include an embossed slipcover designed by Earl Kessler Jr.

 

Severin Films visits PLAGUE TOWN (review)

A dysfunctional family seeking out their Irish roots get lost deep in the countryside and discover some unfriendly, and possibly cannibalistic, locals.

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

PLAGUE TOWN Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.78:1 Widescreen
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
• Optional English SDH Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by co-writer/director David Gregory and producer Derek Curl 
• "White Lace and Button Eyes: The Making of Plague Town" documentary by Howard S. Berger (86 mins)
• "A Visit to Plague Town" original making-of
• "The Sounds of Plague Town" interview with composer Mark Raskin
• "Scathed" 1995 short film by David Gregory
• "Till Death" short film by David Gregory
• Theatrical Trailer
• Easter Eggs

 

Second Run time travels with TOMORROW I'LL WAKE UP AND SCALD MYSELF WITH TEA (review)

A Nazi plot to go back in time and win World War II goes awry by way of a stale bread roll in the Czech science fiction comedy TOMORROW I'LL WAKE UP AND SCALD MYSELF WITH TEA from the director of IKARIE XB 1.

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

TOMORROW I'LL WAKE UP AND SCALD MYSELF WITH TEA Blu-ray specs: 

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.37:1 Pillarboxed Fullscreen
• Czech LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by The Projection Booth Podcast (Kat Ellinger, Jonathan Owen, and Mike White)
• Theatrical Trailer
• 15-page booklet featuring a new essay by writer and filmmaker Graham Williamson
  

Kino Lorber peeks into the DIARY OF A MAD HOUSEWIFE (review)

Relentlessly picked at by her narcisstic husband and bratty children, Manhattan housewife Tina is a woman on the verge until she falls into bed with an arrogant writer who continues what her husband started in Frank Perry's uncompromising DIARY OF A MAD HOUSEWIFE.  Richard Benjamin, Frank Langella, and Carrie Snodgress star.

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

DIARY OF A MAD HOUSEWIFE Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.85:1 Widescreen
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by screenwriter Larry Karaszewski with critics Howard S. Berger and Steve Mitchell
• Theatrical Trailer
• Bonus Trailers

 

Mondo Macabro courts QUEENS OF EVIL (review)

A hippie learns that there is a high price to pay for abandoning his ideals when he is tempted by three beautiful women in the horror-tinged fantasy QUEENS OF EVIL starring Ray Lovelock, Evelyn Stewart, Silvia Monti, and Haydée Politoff.

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

QUEENS OF EVIL Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.85:1 Widescreen
• English and Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by film historians Kat Ellinger and Samm Deighan
• Interview with actor Ray Lovelock
• Italian Theatrical Trailer
• Alternative Scenes
• More From Mondo Macabro