FANGS, MUMMIES, MONSTERS, DEL TORO, DREAM
WARRIORS AND THE GODFATHER OF GORE,
THIS WEEK ON THE WALL…
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We get excited for Shout! Factory releases. This year they have released multiple titles that we dug; DAMNATION ALLEY and BATTLE BEYOND THE STARS to name a few. They have also unloaded a massive haul of Corman sets that have been full on money (though we want to see more of those on Blu). THE WOMEN IN CAGES COLLECTION and THE SWORD AND SORCERY COLLECTION have been a couple of our favorites and we have a new one to add to the list: VAMPIRES, MUMMIES, & MONSTERS 2 DISC COLLECTION.
This set is a four-movie collection: LADY FRANKENSTEIN (1971), THE VELVET VAMPIRE (1971), TIME WALKER (1982), and GROTESQUE (1988). While the extras are light the ones that are on here pack a punch. You get an audio commentary with VELVET VAMPIRE and an extended cut of LADY FRANKENSTEIN, trailers, and more.
LADY FRANKENSTEIN: Baron Frankenstein is killed by his creation, his daughter Tania (played by the delicious Sarah Bay) creates her own creature using the brain of her assistant and the body of her idiot servant. She then her monster to after her father’s killer (aka good ol’ revenge!). This is clearly trying to go for the Hammer vibe of gothic sets and popping color which are all impressive, but the story, as simple as it is, seems to be too much for director Mel Welles (a Corman protégé). Still, it’s fun as hell and worth a watch, just not sure it is going to hit the level of repeat viewings. Who knew Dr. Frankenstein’s daughter was hot and had a thing for dead guys? Sarah Bay can dig around my skull any day of the week.
THE VELVET VAMPIRE: This is hands down my favorite flick in the set. A couple accepts an invitation from Diane LeFanu (Celeste Yarnall, THE MECHANIC) to visit her in her desert estate… her secluded, creepy, sex den of a desert estate. Ms. LeFanu is actually a vampire and begins to seduce the couple (see: giggity). She starts with the dude then moves on to his girlfriend (see: giggity giggity). This is a really methodical film. It takes its time unraveling the story which although basic for the genre is told in an interesting way. This is going to have re-watch for me like the other 2 films on this set.
TIME WALKER: We need at least one good shit-fest film that you can unload some MST3K musings on right? This is the “mummy” portion of the set. The plot is a bit too much for the $750,000 budget they had to work with which is why this thing turned out the way it did. Still, this movie as bad as it may be, has moments where it actually works. Not sure why, I could watch this thing on a loop.
GROTESQUE: Now, TIME WALKER is a pretty famous episode of MST3k but GROTESQUE may be even worse. This is a genre mash-up that rarely makes any fucking sense and I loved the hell out of it. It has false starts, terrible acting, and worse effects, everything us bastards love in a flick. Trust me: Watch this thing first, it is a classic!
This set is awesome! It’s not to the level of the WOMEN IN CAGES, or SWORD AND SORCERY collections but the films are fun as hell. Grab the beer, grab your crew, and pull an all-nighter on this bad boy.
This is still one of my favorite del Toro films. I love CRONOS, THE DEVIL’S BACKBONE, PAN’s LABRYNTH, shit I love just about everything that dude does but this flick is just all kinds of badass. This is del Toro’s idea of a monster film, and I can’t wait to see what the director’s cut looks like. Full review coming soon!
If there is an excuse for a chick to be naked, TORSO uses it. It doesn’t “crackle with suspense” as the quote on the cover suggests but it delivers the goods. Martino was never a Bava or Argento, but this is a solid flick.
The third installment though of the Elm Street series is a classic and easily the best of the sequels. DREAM WARRIORS has some of my favorite moments, inventive writing, and I don’t think Englund has ever been as good as Freddy than he is here.
P.s. DOKKEN can go fuck themselves for writing a closing credit song that will be stuck in your brain for the next 3 weeks.
FINALLY! Something Weird is now releasing Blu-ray titles. Fuck that is going to be weird watching this for the first time in 1080p, really anxious to see what the transfer is like. BASKET CASE is a partially aborted mess of evil and stop-motion badass. This is a Frank Henenlotter masterpiece and one of the best horror films to come out of the 80?s.. We get another Henenlotter epic on Blu-ray November 8: FRANKENHOOKER!
Herschell Gordon Lewis + 1080p + three classics = BUY THIS FUCKER RIGHT NOW!
This documentary has been long overdue. It features interviews with John Waters, Joe Bob Briggs and is directed by Frank Henenlotter (BASKET CASE, FRANKENHOOKER). This is a deep dive into a storied career. Long live HGL!
S’more Entertainment gave us A BIG BOX OF ZOMBIES a few weeks back, now the fangy bastards are up next. These are public domain films all packaged up into one box, some of the titles are better than others. From Amazon: Atom Age Vampire (1960, b/w, 87 min.), Condemned To Live (1935, b/w, 67 min.), Dead Men Walk (1943, b/w, 64 min.), Fangs Of The Living Dead (1968, color, 85 min.), The Nude Vampire (1970, color, 85 min.), Spooks Run Wild (1941, b/w, 65 min.), Vampyr (1932, b/w, 75 min.), and Last Man On Earth (1964, b/w, 86 min.).
VAMPYR and LAST MAN ON EARTH are the obvious stand-outs there.
This isn’t a perfect flick, but for what it is it’s fun as shit. This is kind of a cross between SNATCH and FROM DUSK TILL DAWN minus the witty dialogue that those films had. It’s always a bad idea to build your nightclub on the burial ground of a 500 year old vampire. Just never works out.
Outside of knowing that Doug Liman produced this flick, I know shit about it but the trailer just kicked my ass. I MUST SEE THIS!
Three of the best Kaiju flicks ever made make it to Blu-ray this week. Gamera the giant super turtle, who starred in a campy series of monster bashes in the late 1960s, was given an overhaul in the mid 1990s and featured in a series of dark and well produced films that were both critical and financial successes. Highly recommended for monster fans, the flicks showcase intelligent plots and power house special effects sequences that overshadow even Godzilla himself. The third film in the series, GAMERA 3: REVENGE OF IRIS, is considered by some fans to be the best Kaiju film produced since the original GOJIRA. Pick this one up! – Poe
Though Harryhausen’s THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME is also included on this set (making it a triple feature), he had nothing to do with the two films featured here from a production standpoint. He was heavily involved though in the colorization and restoration process. This thing is full of interviews with the master so if you’re a Harryhausen completist, then you should grab this.
Last but not least (though some would think so) a title that is going cause a stir…
I know Michael Bay may be second only to Uwe Boll on the punching bag list but I dug the hell outta this film. Sometimes you need your vegies and sometimes you want a fucking milkshake and fries and this is a XL shake and the greasiest fries you can imagine. This is a more restrained Bay, he used Jim Cameron’s 3D crew from AVATAR to shoot this movie and it looks like that calmed him down a bit; gone are the fast cuts and hyper-shots, in their place we have a camera that follows the action and lets the viewer actually see the fights without breaking down into a seizure. This is essentially a modern day monster movie with a giant 40 minute takedown of Chicago that is fucking epic. Take my advice, see this! If you hate it then you hate it, but don’t dismiss this out of hand… you may like that shake.
THAT’S IT FOR THIS WEEK BASTARDS…
Next week we have a whole lot of cool coming on Blu: PULP FICTION, JACKIE BROWN, DEAD ALIVE, PEE-WEE’S BIG ADVENTURE, HARAKIRI, WALKING DEAD SEASON 1, AMER, and more.
Until then…
HERE’S TO GOOD WATCHING THIS WEEK…
SALUTE!
SEE YOU ON FORTY DEUCE,
G
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