I first became aware of Jeff Burr the same way many fans did, noticing his name pop up time and again as the unofficial “king of horror sequels.” Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III. Stepfather II. Puppetmaster 4. Puppetmaster 5. Pumpkinhead II. But if you cast your gaze (and IMDb browser) back to the beginning, you will arrive at a curious little item known as From a Whisper to a Screamaka The Offspring (1987), which represents Burr’s first official feature, co-written with C. Courtney Joyner (Prison, Class of 1999) and producer Darin Scott (Tales from the Hood, Menace II Society). It’s a charmingly twisted anthology piece about a charmingly twisted Tennessee burg – with a wraparound featuring Susan Tyrrell and the Crown Prince of Horror Himself, Vincent Price – making its Blu-ray debut this week courtesy of Shout! Factory.


The film is an entertaining enough slice of cheese in its own right, with four macabre tales centered around Oldfield, the accursed town in question. In addition to Price and Tyrrell, the first-time filmmakers managed to land a stellar cast to populate the quartet of stories, including Cameron Mitchell, Clu Gulager, Angelo Rossitto, Lawrence Tierney, Martine Beswick, Harry Caesar, Rosalind Cash, and Terry Kiser, with impressively bloody practical effects by Rob Burman.


But the real prizes lie in the supplements that Shout! Factory and Ballyhoo Productions have brought to the party, which include two new commentary tracks, a two-hour making-of documentary, Return to Oldfield, another feature-length documentary about Burr and his pals making Super-8 movies as kids (A Decade Under the Innocence), and a wealth of rare on-set photos and stills. It’s a veritable treasure trove for any fans of the film, and may make fans of those who weren’t already.


Burr, who I had the pleasure of meeting several years ago at a HorrorHound Weekend in Indianapolis (which he was attending just as a FAN, since he was shooting a TV-film nearby), was kind enough to spare an hour to chat via phone from his home in Dalton, Georgia, where From a Whisper to a Scream was shot three decades ago. What follows is but a fraction of our conversation, as we indulged in many a sidebar, diversion, and tangent along the way. Incredibly intelligent, versed in all manner of cinema, and a heck of a nice guy, here is someone who deserves to be better known by the current generation of genre aficionados and who horror convention promoters would do well to book early and often. Boils and ghouls, I give you . . . Jeff Burr.


Aaron Christensen: How is it looking back 30 years later and seeing From a Whisper to a Scream, your first feature film, receiving the Blu-ray treatment?

Jeff Burr: It’s mind-blowing. Hard to believe it was 30 years ago we shot the movie, although it’s easy to believe when I look in the mirror! That film is so wrapped up in my life, my career, just everything. It’s always going to be the film that is closest to my heart on some level. It was such an amazing experience to make and I’m incredibly grateful that Scream Factory is putting it out and that we got to do the really comprehensive extras that we wanted to do. You pick up this disc and you’ll know pretty much all there is to know about Jeff Burr’s creative life up until that point.

AC: It really was gratifying to see a two-hour making-of doc for a relatively . . . I don’t want to say “obscure” anthology flick, but . . .

JB: No, no, say obscure! It’s true, it’s true!


AC: Well, I had heard about it years ago, and eventually picked up an old VHS copy of it from some video store (which I still have). It’s really wonderful that these older films can now be re-examined and/or discovered by a new generation of genre fans, as well as all of the context and hindsight via these terrific supplements.

JB: Exactly right. The context is what the documentaries and the commentaries provide for a 21st century viewer, showing what the world of independent filmmaking was like at that point in time and what we went through to pull it off. I want to mention a specific word of thanks to Daniel Griffith of Ballyhoo Productions – he’s the one that really shepherded this along. We had great cooperation from Scream Factory, specifically Jeff Nelson and Cliff MacMillian, but in terms of the heavy lifting, Daniel did all of that. I wanted to work with someone on it because it was so close to me, such a personal thing, I wanted to be able to have a little perspective, since I basically have none! Even looking back 30 years, it’s like I made it yesterday. I’m a little myopic in that regard, so it was great to have Daniel there. Plus, and this is not to be underestimated, but he made it entertaining – to me, the documentary is as entertaining if not more so than the movie itself!


AC: They really do make for great companion pieces. After watching the doc, I wanted to immediately go back and watch the movie again.

JB: I think the problem with a lot of the behind-the-scenes stuff is that you’re at the mercy of what is available in terms of archival materials or how honest and open the participants choose to be. We were fortunate in that not only was I willing to be open, but everyone who worked on it was equally so. The legal department at MGM was very good to us as well. There were some things that they said we couldn’t do, such as showing images that weren’t directly related to From a Whisper to a Scream if we were talking about a specific actor. For Terry Kiser, for instance, we couldn’t show the poster for Weekend at Bernie’s. But anything I had collected over the years, scrapbook stuff, all that was fair game. I think that’s what makes the documentary unique because I’m the kind of guy who doesn’t throw anything out. I may not organize it, but it’s in some bag somewhere. (laughs) So I had so much stuff from that movie and also because it was shot in my hometown and my company produced it,  we were privy to more material than my other movies.


AC: Well, I can see how you would hang onto a lot of that stuff anyway, purely for sentimental reasons.

JB: Except the stuff that I ended up saving wasn’t sentimental, it was more just nuts and bolts stuff. It wasn’t like, “Oh, here’s a cool prop,” it was more just the real making-of stuff. But it’s just so gratifying to me for so many reasons that now anyone who’s interested can buy/rent this Blu-ray and know what really went into making the movie, and who those people were.


AC: That is something that the young filmmakers of today have the benefit of; these supplements are kind of like their home version of film school.

JB: I absolutely agree. I would have killed for this kind of background information or making-of materials for a film that I loved, say, back in the 1970s. It’s another reason why Daniel and I really wanted to make this so complete and comprehensive for the fans of this movie, whoever they may be or how many ever of them there may be. We wanted to be able to give them a cinematic orgasm – any fan of this movie will be in heaven.


AC: I also think that it raises the bar for future releases of under-the-radar gems. How great would it be to see every low-budget horror film being given the gold-star treatment? Fans have been dying for these kinds of comprehensive looks at these films that they thought, “Oh, I’m the only one who likes this or even knows about it.” Even if a film never reaches “legendary” status, that doesn’t mean it’s not important to someone.

JB: That’s a good point. I used to have a phrase – I don’t know if it’s true now, since there are so many movies out there – but I used to say, “Every movie is somebody’s favorite movie.” Even nowadays, I think it’s more true than not. It’s about honoring those fans and, equally so, honoring those who worked on the films who are no longer here.


AC: Who came up with the idea for the big bottle-cap magnifying eyeglass lenses for Clu's character in his segment?

JB: Clu and I had discussed it in L.A., but he was the one who found the pair of glasses that you see in the film. He found them at a prop house, I think. He arrived in Dalton, I start talking to him, he asks me to turn around, and then turn back when he says "ok." I do, I hear him say "ok," and I turn back around to see Clu in the glasses, looking at me and saying, "Grace, I love you." That is the moment that Stanley Burnside was born, and Clu ran with it until we wrapped!


AC: For Whisper to a Scream, you were essentially making five different films; same crew, different casts.

JB: Every episode, for me and the crew, felt like we were making a new movie, and then when that movie was over, a whole bunch of new actors came into town and we changed locations. It wasn’t like where you’re shooting on the same soundstage for 20 days; every week was a different thing, which energized people but at the same time it was a long slog. It was shoving 20 pounds of movie into a 10 pound bag. My cinematic eyes are always bigger than my stomach. It was a real mix of honest-to-God, “We really want to make this movie,” and the reality of “Well, we need to make it under these specific conditions.”


AC: Well, you did come out of the Roger Corman school of filmmaking, right?

JB: (laughs) That is kind of true, but really, I was working for Jim Wynorski who was working for Roger back in 1982 and ’83 in the advertising department. A couple years later, when it was clear we were going to get Vincent, I called up Roger and had a meeting with him, just wanting to know, “Tell me about directing Vincent Price, anything I should know, anything you know that nobody else does that will help me direct him,” etc. Roger was incredibly gracious, and basically said Vincent was an amazing guy, and you’ll love him.

He even came down when we were shooting – completely coincidentally, we were shooting in his studio in Venice, California – and stopped by to see Vincent and they had a great reunion. That’s a huge regret I have: That I didn’t just jump in the middle and get a picture with the two of them! However, I did get to see the moment where Roger walked onto the stage and saw Vincent – he just lit up, went over, and gave him a big handshake and a hug. That was great to witness, just this incredible respect between the two of them.


AC: I won’t steal any of the documentary’s fire by asking you to tell it here, but, wow, the story of you landing Vincent Price for the movie is pretty great.

JB: I couldn’t even begin to tell it without telling the whole thing! (laughs) And it’s a long story! But I will say this to any aspiring filmmaker: Aim high. Set that bar high in terms of who you REALLY want to cast and do everything you can to get them, exhaust every possibility and resource. Sometimes that means working in non-traditional ways, going around corners, running the risk of pissing people off, but sometimes that tenacity pays off as it did with us. My brother was incredibly tenacious in trying to get the money for this movie and he really was the linchpin behind how we got it made. Vincent being in the movie was a combination of a little luck, a little fate, and a lot of tenacity, being unwilling to accept no for an answer.


AC: I want people to pick up the disc if only to hear that story. It’s entertaining and inspiring as well. There’s also the flip side, which is the story of the distributor changing the title to The Offspring and not really marketing the fact that you had, oh, actually gotten Vincent Price.

JB: It’s probably not the only reason, but it’s certainly one of the reasons it’s become a relatively obscure movie. All the publicity we had was always under the original From a Whisper to a Scream title, and then the distributor changed the title and sent it around the country to varying degrees of success. It got a fairly decent video release, but after the initial video release, it disappeared for many years because it really didn’t play on television; in fact, I don’t think it played on regular, non-cable television until very recently with the HD sub-channels like Dish TV and Me-TV.



AC: Late-night TV was where horror fans of a certain age discovered a lot of great stuff.

JB: Right. It never got a chance to build up a following in that respect, and that always frustrated me because, like the movie or not, it shouldn’t ever have been obscure with that cast! That always floored me. Even scholarly publications . . . I remember reading in Film Comment, this was probably 1990, where there was an article on Vincent and the last footnote of the article was, “There were rumors he did a film called From a Whisper to a Scream, but we can’t substantiate them!” Again, it’s been a very obscure movie for 25 years, which is why this new Blu-ray release is so exciting on several levels. It’s almost like it’s being released for the first time, and with these special features, it’s exactly what I wanted it to be.


AC: The fact that each separate segment is given its time in the spotlight is fantastic. It’s as though each of the segments is getting its own documentary, even more so than some full-length features are given for their releases.

JB: It really was the only way to do it. Each shoot had its own personality, and that’s why I have fond memories of each one.


AC: Stepfather II was the next project you did afterwards. Were there other projects on the burner as well?

JB: I was hired to do a few things that didn’t get made, and up for things I didn’t get, and I was writing scripts, etc. I got hired to do a movie for Empire Pictures called The Vault, which was going to be shot in Italy, but it was right at the end of Empire’s heyday, so that kind of collapsed. It was a combination of Charlie [Band]’s mismanagement of funds and the Italian lira vs. the dollar and the exchange rate and the banks pulling the funding. I was there for probably four months, but it was wrong place, wrong time.

So, yes, to answer your question, Stepfather II ended up being the next project and that was a direct result of From a Whisper to a Scream. We had showed it around to several distributors and one of the people we screened it for foreign distribution was ITC, and their rep, Lawrence Garrett, thought that while it wasn’t right for ITC to pick up, it stuck in his head that we had made this ambitious movie for very little money. Nine months go by and ITC, much like Dimension was for Miramax, decided they wanted to create a division for genre movies, and they would start with sequels to genre films that they owned. The first two in line were Stepfather II and Zapped Again!.


AC: Ah, yes, the classic Zapped! with Scott Baio and Willy Aames.

JB: Right. So Lawrence Garrett remembers us and I get a call out of the blue and he asked if my brother and Darin and I, as a team, would be interested in doing a sequel to The Stepfather. And, after all the interview process, etc. we got the job. The funny thing is that Stepfather II was made for video, but then Miramax bought it and it got a theatrical release – a better theatrical release than The Offspring– and the irony was that Stepfather II and The Offspring played as a double bill in Atlanta at the drive-in!


AC: The first Jeff Burr film festival! You touched on your relationship with Charles Band just a minute ago, but you also took the reins of the Puppetmaster series for parts 4 and 5, yes?

JB: Guilty as charged. (laughs)

AC: Well, as my friend Gert Verbeeck stated in his retrospective on the series for HorrorHound magazine, “These first five films perfectly epitomize Full Moon’s particular brand of movie magic from their 1989-1995 era heyday. The fifth installment was subtitled The Final Chapter, and that’s what it should have been.” I think that’s a compliment.

JB: I would tend to agree with that, not necessarily because of the job I did, but because Puppetmaster 4 and 5 were, I think, the last two films produced with Paramount’s financial backing. So, even though 4 and 5 were much cheaper than 2 or 3, or even the first one, there was still a level of production value.


AC: I wish we had time to discuss all of your films in greater detail. I applauded Scream Factory’s decision to give you nearly an hour to talk on their recent Pumpkinhead II release about your background and specifically about that film. Another big feather in their cap, as far as I’m concerned.

JB: That was a surprise to me! Some guys from Atlanta came over with questions that Aine Leicht wanted to ask, and I just started talking, like I do, figuring they would eventually trim it down to a 10 or 15-minute featurette or combine it with Greg Nicotero’s piece. But then they used the whole thing! I mean, I can yap about pretty much any film I’ve done. I’ve got a darn near photographic memory about films that I’ve made and the process of making them.


AC: As we were saying earlier, I think fans of these movies are eager to hear that kind of in-depth examination. And for folks who are fans of you, and I count myself among them, it’s a great insight into your creative process. Looking at Pumpkinhead II, it will unfortunately live forever in the shadow of Stan Winston’s original, but taken on its own merits, it’s a really fun monster-on-the-loose, guy-in-a-suit creature feature! I hadn’t seen it before Scream Factory put it out and I was pleasantly surprised.

JB: Exactly. I think if you didn’t know anything about the first movie (and it certainly doesn’t depend on the first movie story-wise), it’s fun. But if you love the original, then I can see why you might dislike the sequel.


AC: Which is a little unfair, since it didn’t even start out as a Pumpkinhead movie, as you explain in the commentary.

JB: Right, that all happened after the fact. There was another movie that the company was developing, and then it was just a sales thing. The head of the company went to a distributor and said, “Hey, what would you say if I could give you Pumpkinhead II, how much money would you give me for it,” and they came up with a figure which in turn dictated how much we could spend on the movie, and how quickly we had to deliver it (which was very quickly).


AC: On the other end of the commercial spectrum, can you tell us a little bit about Straight into Darkness (2004), which is a film that horror fans should definitely make the effort to track down.

JB: Thanks! There’s not a Blu-ray for it yet, but you can find it on DVD on Amazon. I don’t know if it’s streaming on Netflix or anywhere else, but yes, it’s a personal movie and a very strange and dreamlike World War II story. It played a lot of festivals and got some really good reviews, but it was just one of those things where it didn’t have the exposure or star power. Plus it’s a tough, polarizing movie, people like it or they don’t. It was never destined to be a mainstream hit or anything, but no false humility, I do think it’s worth seeking out, especially if you’re a fan of David Warner or war movies or strange mood pieces. Plus, a lot of people who worked on From a Whisper to a Scream worked on that one as well.


AC: Perfect. Well, that kind of takes us back full circle. Here’s hoping people enjoy the new Blu-ray, and thanks again for your time, Jeff!

JB: It really warms my heart that people are still interested in our little movie, and I hope everyone enjoys seeing this particular edition. Thanks for your support!

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From a Whisper to a Scream is available now on Blu-ray from Shout! Factory and can be ordered HERE.

https://www.shoutfactory.com/film/action-adventure/from-a-whisper-to-a-scream


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The Big, The Trouble, and The Little China (2015) d. Meagan Piccochi (USA)

(NOTE: I know I don't usually review stage productions here, and especially since this isn't even technically a horror play, you might be asking, "What the What, AC?" Answer: Just chill, kids. A little cultchah ain't gonna hurtcha. Much.)

Already in prime John Carpenter mode from three, count 'em, three viewings of Escape from New York whilst burning through Shout! Factory's new two-disc Collector's Edition Blu-ray last week, I was delighted when a fellow Windy City thespian reached out to let me know that New Millennium Theatre (purveyors of such manic masterpieces as Hack/Slash: Stagefright, The Texas Chainsaw Musical, Manos: Rock Opera of Fate, and Boomstick) was ready to unleash their latest mash-up of cult classics.


In case you hadn't put it together from the title, director and adapter Meagan Piccochi's conceit is to transplant Carpenter's 1986 romp, Big Trouble in Little China, into a spaghetti western setting while keeping all the characters' names and situations intact, complete with bizarre ancient Chinese curses, thwarted romances, fisticuffs aplenty, and a blustery hotshot lone wolf hero named Jack Burton (Tim C. Moan).

The good news? It all works surprisingly well, and the rustic milieu perfectly suits the minimalism required by the Royal George Theatre's tiny 3rd floor space. A set of swinging saloon doors, couple chairs, one standalone door frame, and a wooden steamer trunk (which doubles and triples as a table, horse trough, and pulpit) is all that is required for viewers' imaginations to envision themselves within multiple dusty locales, and it's a credit to Piccochi's expedient staging and her energetic ensemble that we're able to cover so much ground during the tall tale's zippy 55-minute running time.


A quick primer for the uninitiated: Local restaurant owner Wang Chi (Dwight Sora), distraught after his green-eyed bride-to-be Miao Yin (Pearl Paramadilok) is kidnapped by the nefarious David Lo Pan (David Skvarla), recruits gambling pal Burton to assist in her rescue. Fortified by a few swigs of firewater, the swaggering braggart goes toe-to-toe with Lo Pan and his mystical thugs Thunder (Ben Alvovias), Lightning (Mike Movido), and Rain (Viet Vy), sending weeds a-tumblin' and sparks a-flyin'.

Just to sweeten the pot, the prim Gracie Law (Sam Long) and her rambunctious sidekick Margo Litzenberger (Ali Keirn) are drawn into the madness, while Lo Pan's "Henchstitutes," a deadly and delicious dynamic duo of saloon lasses (Polley Cooney, Sharayah Kay) even the score. Local busybody Ed Shensworth (Adam Rosowicz) - who may be more than he seems - rounds out the colorful cast of eccentrics.


As with any spoof/send-up/tribute, some jokes land square on the jaw while others miss the spittoon and leave a stain, but thanks to the exuberant performances (particularly Skvarla's Dead(wood)-on riff of Ian McShane and McKeirn's unhinged hard-drinking, foul-mouthed scrapperton), there's never a dull moment to be had; we actually welcome the brief respite the scene changes provide. Special notice to Jared Dennis' multitude of snazzy cartoonish brawls, a flurry of feet and fists that dazzle the eye with their inventiveness even as they tickle the funnybone.


The Big, The Trouble, and The Little China opens tonight at the Royal George Theatre, 1641 N Halsted St, Chicago, IL 60614 and runs through May 23rd with shows Thurs - Sat at 8pm, with one 3pm matinee on Sunday, May 3. More details available at the New Millennium website.

http://www.nmtchicago.org/

"Jes' tell 'em Margo sentcha, ya sonsabitches..."

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Just in the nick of time, here is my completely subjective take on the Oscar race.  These are not in any way to be seen as my handicapping, so don’t blame me if you don’t walk off with the office pool.  Who does win is completely out of my control.  Who I feel should win?  That’s another story, and I’ve noted my picks with an asterisk (*).

Richard Linklater, Boyhood











Hmmmmm. There were a whole lot of fffffffwhpt! bullet hits in Sniper, but sci-fi and fantasy usually make for a broader palette. Then again, both Peter Jackson and Christopher Nolan are hugely successful, so no one may feel the need to make it up to them.

Motivational Growth (2013) d. Don Thacker (USA)

Ian Folivor (Adrian DiGiovanni) is a depressive shut-in who, following an ill-fated suicide attempt, finds himself being given life lessons from The Mold, an expanding fungal growth in his bathroom (a superb alliance of puppetry and Jeffrey Combs’ mellifluous vocal performance). Soon, the thesaurus-enhanced smooth-talking goop is large and in charge, leaving Ian desperately trying to maintain sanity in between bouts of channel-surfing on his sometimes-deceased television (named Kent) or keyhole-stalking the comely next-door neighbor (Danielle Doetsch).


Chicago-based writer/director Thacker explodes onto the scene with his debut feature, one that rattles viewers’ synapses with an ever-changing view of reality and dazzles practical effects lovers with a wealth of impressive latex and karo syrup splatter. DiGiovanni is outstanding in the central role; even with all the enjoyably cheesy throwback bells and whistles, the movie wouldn’t survive without his committed, charismatic turn as the luckless loser. Doetsch is all quirky loveliness, a dream girl in more ways than one, while Ken Brown, Pete Giovagnoli, and Hannah Stevenson offer memorable support.


Thacker delivers numerous terrific trick shots of his increasingly ungrounded protagonist floating, flying, and floundering through space and time, whether it be gravity-defying intervals in the commode or popping up in Kent’s TV-show worlds (ranging from public-access aerobic classes to cheesy sci-fi soap operas). All of this is underscored by Alex Mauer’s authentic, ear-blistering Commodore-64 soundtrack, emulating the arcade and home video games of the 1980s.


With its technical expertise, ambitious scope, and original vision, this is a terrific example of microbudget filmmaking, both smart and sloppy in all the right ways.



Motivational Growth is available now on DVD from MVD Entertainment, with trailers, photo gallery, and an audio commentary track featuring Combs, DiGiovanni, and Thacker. Order your copy HERE:

http://mvdb2b.com/s/MotivationalGrowth/MVD6817D


--Aaron Christensen, HorrorHound Magazine


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Digging Up the Marrow (2014) d. Adam Green (USA)

I’m not sure if the Hatchet man was trying to take the piss out of the found footage movement or just too damn busy producing his TV show Holliston to bother getting it right, but his latest offering is lame as lame can be. The former proponent of “old school horror” now jumps aboard the faux-documentary express, playing “writer/director Adam Green,” happily spending his days creating material with his pals and weekends hobnobbing with various genre celebs at conventions. Among the celebs that appear as themselves – stiff, mannered versions of themselves – are Kane Hodder, Tom Holland, Mick Garris, Don Coscarelli, Lloyd Kaufman, and Tony Todd. By now, we’re all thinking, “Wow, that Adam Green is pretty cool,” or at least that’s what I think we’re supposed to be thinking. (I remember when I also thought Adam Green was cool, having met him back in 2007 during the pre-release tour for Hatchet. This was, of course, before I realized I didn’t really like any of his movies.)


Anyway, Green (or “Green”) is approached via email by a fevered fan who claims to have discovered a subterranean rift where honest-to-Golly monsters reside. Sensing an opportunity for a freakshow at worst and a chance to see some real creatures at best, the director and his trusty cameraman Will Barratt meet up with our mystery man ... and that’s where it all falls apart. In his infinite wisdom, Green has cast Leland Palmer himself, Ray Wise, to play his strange hermit, thereby tipping his hand that it’s all a big joke. But he then proceeds to play it straight, as though we’re not supposed to know that it’s Ray frickin' Wise playing a character while everyone else is playing themselves.

"No, just pull your hat down a little more, Ray. No one will know it's you."

I quite literally spent the next 80 minutes wondering what the hell Green was smoking when he thought this was a good idea. If you’re going to cast the imminently recognizable Ray Wise to play your wacko (and hey, I love the guy, so why not), then your wacko needs to be named “genre staple Ray Wise, who may or may not have a screw loose.” But nope, Wise’s character is named “William Dekker” and we’re just expected to go along with it.


I could almost forgive this if Green had anything new or novel to bring to the table ... but he doesn’t. It’s the same old clichéd “Let’s go check this out, plant a few security cameras, catch a few strange images, everyone thinks it’s a joke, we aren’t getting the full story, oh shit, what was that, oh shit, this story is real, but now it’s too late and ... SCENE” that we’ve seen played out a billion times before. Yes, there are a couple of cool latex monsters (based on Alex Pardee's artwork) that oh-so-predictably show up in the final reel, but by then the goodwill train has run out of steam and fallen off the tracks.


The sad thing is that Green’s fans will likely still rally around the film, perpetuating this substandard schlock out of some misguided sense of loyalty. For me, his “one of us, fan-made-good” act has long since lost its luster; I have no trouble believing that the obnoxious, pushy, self-serving onscreen persona we are presented with is pretty close to the real McCoy these days. Not someone I want to spend another 98 minutes with.


Speaking of running times, and just to add insult to injury, the screener link I was “granted permission” to view needed to buffer so often that I ended up clicking over to watch a different (better) film every time it locked up – and ended up finishing the other one first. Movie reviewing – it ain’t all gravy, folks.


--Aaron Christensen, HorrorHound Magazine

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Animal (2014) d. Brett Simmons (USA)

This Chiller-produced creature feature plays like an amalgam of other films – notably Night of the Living Dead, Jurassic Park, and Feast, the latter of which borrowed liberally from Romero’s playbook – but it’s all put together so slickly and with such a knowing tone that it makes for a surprisingly entertaining beer n’ chips Friday Night Fright.


Director Simmons, who brought us the not-bad updating of W.W. Jacobs’ classic The Monkey’s Paw a while back forthe network, is clearly having fun trotting out the clichés and the jump scares, as well as tossing buckets of blood onto the set from just off-camera. The low-wattage cast does serviceable work, with Chasing Amy’s Joey Lauren Adams (older, but still scratchy-voiced fetching as ever) the most recognizable name in the bunch, while Elizabeth Gillies rocks her not-at-all-appropriate-for-hiking boots and skin-tight top like a pro. Thorsten Kaye brings some assured gravitas and macho hunkery to the proceedings, while Amaury Nolasco serves up the most odiously over-the-top villain since Jerry O’Connell’s obnoxious d-bagging in Piranha.


Bursting with clichés and stock characters (jock, sensitive jock, flaming gay guy, black gal, pregnant gal, rugged husband, harried wife, self-serving sociopath), the bar is set comfortably low for the trapped-in-the-woods thrills. While Gary Tunnicliffe’s creations have strong echoes of his toothy terrors from 2005’s Feast and get a little too much close-up screen time in the final reel, they’re still pretty cool practical monsters, with a minimum of CGI.


As with Chiller’s previous releases of Monkey’s Paw and Larry Fessenden’s Jaws-inspired freak fish flick Beneath, Shout! Factory serves things up with a polished hi-def presentation, complete with an audio commentary by Simmons and director of photography Scott Winig. (There are also a few Chiller-produced interview snippets with cast and crew (including a brief appearance by co-screenwriter Thommy Hutson, the writer/producer of the award-winning documentaries Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy, Crystal Lake Memories, and More Brains! A Return to the Living Dead), but they don’t really amount to much more than sizzle pieces, lasting less than five minutes in length.) Said commentary is breezy and fun, with the duo extolling the joys and challenges of low budget filmmaking.


While no instant classic, when approached with low expectations it’s a lot more fun than any derivative and hastily assembled modern day monster movie has any right to be. One gets the feeling that Roger Corman would have been proud.

Now for the real question: Which song does this movie's title have running through your head for days, Pearl Jam or Def Leppard?


Animal is now available now from Shout! Factory and available for direct order HERE.

https://www.shoutfactory.com/film/film-horror/animal


--Aaron Christensen, HorrorHound Magazine

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Starry Eyes (2014) d. Kevin Kolsch / Dennis Widmyer (USA)

Aspiring actress Sarah (Alexandra Essoe) juggles her soul-killing day job at a spud-centric Hooter’s knock-off (Big Taters) while knocking on doors all over Tinseltown. The deceptively simple plot follows her day-to-day trials until her big break comes in the form of a toilet temper tantrum following a botched audition (this happens a lot in the acting world; trust me on this). The casting director hears something “different” behind those thin walls and invites her back for a second, more involved audition, followed by a meeting with the mysterious producer, each step drawing the young artist deeper into the tar-thick mire of immorality. But sin – and fame – comes at a price, with Sarah’s tender spirit and flesh the currency of the day....



Despite showing up on numerous year-end best-of lists following its world premiere at last year’s SXSW and subsequent VOD release in November, this scathing condemnation of Hollywood’s seamy, sinister underbelly has largely flown under mainstream fans’ radar. The notion that one of the strongest and strangest horror titles to emerge in years – a high-impact blend of Rosemary’s Baby, Mulholland Dr., and Eric England’s stomach-churning Contracted – is languishing in the shadows is an out-and-out crying shame.


Filled with expert shade and nuance on every level, Starry Eyes is brave and bold, anchored by one of the most fearless and vanity-free lead performances in recent memory. This is the kind of go-for-broke, challenging effort that should be championed and cheered at the multiplexes, and while I appreciate that Jennifer Kent’s The Babadook found favor with the masses and the mainstream media, I wish the writing/directing team of Kolsch and Widmyer had enjoyed the same acclaim, because they are equally deserving.


But the main attraction, which is saying something considering the level of proficiency of her colleagues before and behind the lens, is Essoe, who is nothing short of a miracle. By turns timid and terrifying, it is only the small-mindedness of her industry compatriots that kept her off the Oscar ballot this year. This is no exaggeration – she’s that good. Sarah’s insecurities dance a constant, wicked boogie along the surface of her fragile features, her ambitions and dreams warring with self-doubt fueled by her roommate Tracy’s (Red, White, and Blue's Amanda Fuller) uber-bitch friend Erin (a hilariously insidious Fabienne Therese) who never misses a chance to dampen Sarah’s inner flame.


The supporting cast do just that, elevating Essoe’s central turn – she couldn’t soar the way she does on her own – and while they aren’t given the same showcase opportunities, all seize the given moments and deliver brilliantly. Alongside Fuller and Therese in Sarah’s social circle are Shane Coffey, Natalie Castillo, and Noah Segen, the last of whom carries a barely concealed torch for the group’s resident wounded bird. On the other side of the casting table are Maria Olsen, Marc Senter, and the splendidly sinister Louis Dezseran as the devilishly charming and charmingly devilish producer who promises his starlet a new life ... and makes good, though it is hardly the life she imagines. Longtime fave Pat Healy puts in a memorable appearance as Sarah’s shifty, put-upon Big Taters manager.


DarkSky’s recent home video release is worthy of the film, packed with delicious supplemental materials that include behind-the-scene goodies, a sharp and wide-eyed audio commentary track by Kolsch and Widmeyer who reveal the struggles and triumphs in bringing their vision to the screen, detailing their successful Kickstarter campaign, and DarkSky’s subsequent involvement on a production level. Even here, however, it is Essoe’s original audition tapes that deliver the most visceral bang for the buck. Imagining being in the room with THAT sends the mind a-reeling.


Starry Eyes is available now on DVD/BR (as well as VOD on Amazon and iTunes) from DarkSky Films and can be ordered HERE.

http://www.amazon.com/Starry-Eyes-Blu-ray-Alex-Essoe/dp/B00PI97QU0


--Aaron Christensen, HorrorHound Magazine

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House of the Long Shadows (1983) d. Pete Walker (UK)

Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Vincent Price, and John Carradine are teamed together, and while the film itself is less than momentous, the horror icons actually get to play off one another (unlike, say, Scream and Scream Again) and seem to be enjoying the opportunity. Desi Arnaz, Jr. might wear out his welcome as a brash young writer who takes his publisher’s bet to pen a new novel – in one night, mind you – while under the titular spookhouse’s roof, but the quartet of aging veterans is clearly having a ball (with Cushing’s lisping quakeboots a distinct highlight) and their enthusiasm is infectious. Longtime Walker fave Shelia Keith lends her distinctive flavor of menace – as well as a few off-key high notes (literally) – to the proceedings.


The broad comedy hijinks marked a distinctive change of pace for the English bad boy director, although there are still some enjoyably gruesome set-pieces involving sharp blades and acid baths. It was to prove his final feature; Walker soon left the industry to focus on movie theater restorations and property investments.


The film marked the end of another era, with Cushing moving into semi-retirement, Carradine only nine films away from that great wooden O in the sky, Price slowing his output considerably (with The Offspring aka From a Whisper to a Scream, Dead Heat, and Edward Scissorhands his final decade’s only significant genre contributions), leaving Lee to headline such winners as Howling II: Your Sister is a Werewolf and Curse III: Blood Sacrifice alone.


Michael Armstrong's vision of the oft-adapted Seven Keys to Baldpate by Earl Derr Biggers works more often than not, and the same could be said of Julie Peasgood's turn as the requisite blonde damsel in distress. Even if it’s unlikely to become your favorite film of any of the players involved (except maybe Arnaz, unless you’re a big fan of his Fantasy Island appearance back in ’78), this is a charming class reunion for a cadre of talent the likes of which we’ll never see again.

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Mad Max (1979) d. George Miller (Australia)

Eager to avenge the death of their fallen comrade, the Nightrider (Vincent Gil), a vicious and bloodthirsty motorcycle gang targets select officers within the battered and bruised police force of the not-too-distant future; soon, war is being waged, with smoking rubber and growling engines the weapons of choice, and civilians and family members the spoils. Leading “the bronze” is Max Rockatansky (Mel Gibson), a young man concerned that he is becoming the very thing he beholds – a murderous, lawless thug. But when the gang’s savage leader The Toecutter (a breathtaking high-wire turn by Hugh Keays-Byrne) sets his sights on Max’s wife Jessie (Joanne Samuel) and their child, the blood-soaked asphalt stage is set for a duel to the death.


The film that launched Gibson and Miller’s careers – the two would team up again for the 1981 and 1985 sequels Mad Max 2 (retitled The Road Warrior for U.S. audiences) and Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome– is a finely tuned piece of Ozploitation that delivers more than its share of “wow” moments and instantly memorable characters. It’s quirky, over-the-top, and melodramatic in the best possible ways, but the sparks of true creative genius are what sets it apart from the scores of pretenders that followed.


From the low-angle/high-velocity tracking camera shots to the larger-than-life heroes and villains that populate the wild roads, everything feels exploded and supercharged, a world that is instantly familiar yet more-than-slightly askew.


35 years later, the blistering high-speed chase that starts the movie remains one of the unrivaled high points of cinematic automotive mayhem; its sheer balls-out momentum carries us through the quieter moments of Max at home with his family and the police’s quibbling with conniving lawyers. These scenes, rather than mere filler between dazzling stunts, are compelling in a different way, allowing Miller to impose his dystopian vision of a world gone slightly, well, mad.


The police station, for example, is a dilapidated crumbling structure, mirroring the integrity of the officers that populate it. Sergeant Fifi (Roger Ward, bald and broad) struts about speaking of “today’s heroes,” but it’s clear that he knows the score.


Max’s partner Goose (Steve Bisley) is a hothead who still believes in justice, even if it must be meted out behind the wheel as opposed to the jury bench.


The Toecutter’s gang is comprised of brilliantly batty blokes for whom anarchy is an understatement. They defy all rules of sexual conduct and social niceties, screeching and bellowing from their dark hearts to satisfy a never-ending thirst for destruction. Johnny the Boy (Tim Burns) holds a special place in Toecutter’s favor, even as the others openly despise the lad’s erratic behavior and lack of moral code.


Johnny's arrest – and subsequent release – following a brutal rape and assault on a young couple is the catalyst for all manner of vehicular mayhem, and it is Johnny who will share the film’s final nihilistic moments with the unhinged Max.


Special notice must also be given to prolific Ozzie composer Brian May, whose blaring horns and somber, foreboding tones perfectly complement first-time cinematographer David Eggby’s daring and over-and-undercranked compositions.


Shout Factory’s Collector’s Edition Blu-ray carries over the original Australian English audio, as well as the much-maligned U.S. English dubbed audio which distributor AIP instituted fearing that American audiences either wouldn’t take to or, more insultingly, couldn’t understand the actors’ twangy tones. (In hindsight, the dub job isn’t bad, just unnecessary.)


They’ve also ported over the enthusiastic and informed audio commentary featuring Eggby, art director Jon Dowding, and special effects artist Chris Murray, which could also serve as a dandy drinking game any time someone says “graphic.”


Likewise present from MGM’s 2001 DVD release are the featurettes “Mel Gibson: The Birth of a Superstar” and “Mad Max: The Film Phenomenon,” both hilariously narrated in gravelly gravitas by ubiquitous voiceover artist George del Hoyo. (Trust me, you’ll know him when you hear him.) We learn of Gibson’s humble beginnings at drama school where everyone “knew he was going places,” and of the movie’s importance in launching the dust-blown, high-octane vision of the apocalypse. Theatrical trailers, TV spots, and photo galleries from the previous edition are included as well.


Probably the biggest selling point of this new high-def release is Reed Kaplan’s featurette, sporting interviews with Samuel, Eggby, and the mad man himself, Mr. Gibson, who conjures the charming superstar of his 80s/90s glory (as opposed to the racist and slightly bonkers tabloid sensation post-Passion of the Christ). He’s extremely likeable here, and I, for one, give him a lot of credit for answering the invite.


For her part, Samuel relates the story of how she won the part after original actress Rosie Bailey was badly injured on the first day of shooting, while Eggby explains how many of the mind-blowing stunts were accomplished (including the cringe-inducing motorcycle-meets-helmeted-skull in slow-mo). It’s only a 20-minute piece, but between it and the convivial craftsmen commentary, fans will likely come away with all questions answered and curiosities satisfied.


Mad Max is available now from Shout! Factory on Blu-ray and can be ordered HERE:

https://www.shoutfactory.com/film/action-adventure/mad-max-collector-s-edition


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Extraterrestrial (2014) d. The Vicious Brothers (Canada)

Tasked with taking a few snapshots to put her parents’ summer cabin on the market, April (Brittany Allen) is surprised to learn that her boyfriend Kyle (Freddie Stroma) has invited a group of his friends (Melanie Papalia, Jesse Moss, Anja Savcic) to join them for a weekend bash. Their bacchanal is interrupted by a blazing streak of fire in the sky which explodes in the woods nearby. The group venture out to the crash site where they discover the remnants of an honest-to-Scully U.F.O. … and the big-eyed, spindly-limbed former occupants haven’t exactly come in peace or seeking Reese’s Pieces.


The writing/directing/editing team of Colin Minihan and Stuart Ortiz won over more than a few followers with their 2011 Ghost Hunters-riff on low-budget found-footage haunted house scares, Grave Encounters and its sequel (which they wrote, with directing chores falling to fellow Canuck John Poliquin). They’ve graduated to a slightly higher budget and ditched the first-person format for an X-Files homage that looks great, but is sadly formulaic and devoid of any characters worth caring about.


The tone is of concern as well, because while they clearly want to deliver some “fun” moments of gore and alien chicanery, the overall mood is one of doom and gloom (unless that’s supposed to be a put-on as well), and the sniggering sense of glib nihilism that pervades the final reel is particularly annoying.


The digital effects by Waterproof Studios (many of which later augmented by the “Brothers” themselves) are actually pretty snazzy, with depictions of the alien craft and its deadly effects on humans exceeding expectations. The body count is substantial, with several offings evoking an appreciative “ooooooh” from the crowd. Unfortunately, it takes almost 40 minutes to get past the soul-crushing introductory scenes where we slowly but systematically grow to despise all of our main characters.


The exceptions lie in the more recognizable names, but being as they are credited toward the bottom of the cast list, you know they won’t be in the film long enough to save it being. These include Gil Bellows’ determined law officer, Emily Perkins’ traumatized abductee, and Michael Ironside’s gleefully gruff turn as a pot-growing, conspiracy-spouting Vietnam vet. The rest of the time, we’re saddled with a photogenic quintet of college-age partyhounds screeching at one another – you’d be forgiven if you lose patience halfway through, invoking the “Life’s too short” clause.




However, should you (wisely) choose to simply skip past the first few chapters, here’s all you need to know: Kyle proposes to April, she turns him down, he gets bummed out. Cue up the flying saucer crash landing and you’re good to go. Once the alien baddies show up on the scene, things brighten up considerably, but even so, you’re better off switching off the caterwauling in favor of the audio commentary with Minihan, Ortiz, Allen, and Papalia. It has the combined effect of preserving the ears while learning which scenes the filmmakers digitally tinkered with and why. Trust me, you’re not missing anything in terms of “story” or “character” or “plot” – this is the kind of flick that goes down better when people are talking over it.


I could go on, but you get the picture. There are aliens, impressive low-budget digital effects, annoying twentysomethings, no nudity, some digital gore, and a few low-tier star cameos. If this sounds like your cuppa joe, have at it. Otherwise, you’re not missing much.


Extraterrestrial is available now on Blu-ray from IFC Midnight and Shout! Factory, features the aforementioned commentary track and a making-of segment, and can be ordered HERE.

https://www.shoutfactory.com/film/film-horror/extraterrestrial


--Aaron Christensen, HorrorHound Magazine


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Stigmata (1999) d. Rupert Wainwright (USA)

When a statue of the Virgin Mary begins to cry tears of warm, red blood following a Brazilian priest’s death, Vatican investigator Father Andrew Kiernan (Gabriel Byrne) is assigned to validate the miracle. When the priest’s rosary beads find their way into the possession of sexy, young (and atheist) urbanite Frankie Paige (Patricia Arquette), she begins to exhibit the first of the Five Wounds of Christ, bleeding from her wrists, ankles, and forehead. Problem is, only the most devout capital-B Believers are supposed to possess the stigmata, so Kiernan is sent to Pittsburgh to “investigate” (i.e. disprove) the incidents.


This flashy, ultra-slick religious mystery owes obvious debts to The Exorcist, but without wielding a fraction of that film’s power or gravitas. Director Wainwright amply demonstrates his music video background (M.C. Hammer’s “U Can’t Touch This” and “Pray” among them), combining zippy visuals and rampant symbolism with fit-inducing flash editing.


Even as these assaults stimulate the senses, they detract from the story’s weight, reducing a potentially moving modern-day fable of faith and doubt to a jazzed-up possession flick, although screenwriters Tom Lazarus and Rick Ramage earn points for the novelty of a story where a rogue spirit occupies a body with benevolent intentions.


The rushed final reel regrettably loses steam as it spirals into less-than-divine conspiracy theories and special effects, emerging as shallow as Jonathan Pryce’s villainously corrupt Vatican official. (The attempt at a romantic subplot between the two leads is equally unnecessary and bogus.) Even so, the scenes of bloodletting are powerful, with the memorable subway train sequence earning full marks for showmanship.


The charmingly snaggletoothed Arquette commits fully to her underwritten role, tendering a physically impressive and vanity-free performance, while Byrne’s unflagging sense of purpose grounds the more fanciful sequences. (Byrne also played the Devil the same year in the apocalyptic Arnold Schwarzenegger vehicle End of Days.) The gorgeous Nia Long has a thankless role as Arquette’s best pal, rising star Portia de Rossi makes an impression as their tattooed co-worker, and the inimitable Rade Serbedzija delivers the exposition goods in his defrocked priest cameo.


Having tested the waters three years prior, contributing heavily to Ron Howard’s Ransom, Smashing Pumpkins front man Billy Corgan offers up his first fully accredited soundtrack, though it is punctuated by a myriad of thumping pop tunes from assorted artists.


Many of the extras from Shout! Factory’s recent Blu-ray upgrade are ported over from MGM’s original DVD release, but they add a few that sweeten the package considerably. Not only do we get an articulate and informed audio commentary from Wainwright, there are two featurettes on the subject matter itself. The first, “Divine Rights: The Story of Stigmata,” is more promotional in nature, mixing interviews with the director and his stars with talking head experts on the physical/spiritual phenomenon.


The second, however, “Stigmata: Marked for Life,” which originally aired on the History Channel’s Incredible But True? program in 2002, offers a comprehensive examination, covering pretty much anything the viewer could want to know (while demonstrating that Wainwright, Lazarus, and Ramage clearly did their research).


Other extras include a number of deleted scenes, alternate ending, a Natalie Imbruglia music video (“Identify”), and the film’s theatrical trailer. NOTE: The running time of 91 minutes as listed on the Blu-ray packaging is incorrect - the film runs 102 minutes.


Stigmata is available May 19 from Shout! Factory and can be pre-ordered HERE:

https://www.shoutfactory.com/film/film-horror/stigmata


--Aaron Christensen, HorrorHound Magazine


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Society (1989) d. Brian Yuzna (USA)

Despite being one of the most popular kids in school and from one of the most affluent families in Beverly Hills, Bill (Billy Warlock) never feels like he fits in. His parents (Charles Lucia, Connie Danese), his sister Jenny (Patrice Jennings), his hot cheerleader girlfriend Shauna (Heidi Kozak), and his shrink (Ben Slack) all assure him he’s perfectly normal, but after Jenny’s ex-boyfriend (Tim Bartell) shows up with a mysterious audio recording of Bill’s family discussing abnormal practices in association with her upcoming "coming-out" ceremony, suspicions escalate. As resident teenage dream Clarissa (Devin DeVasquez) zeroes in on Bill, intent on luring him into her web, the situation grows more tangled, culminating in a climax quite literally beyond anyone’s imagination.


In 2012, Time Out London published their “100 Best Horror Films” list, which sported a trio of titles that I had not yet encountered firsthand: Mick Jackson’s apocalyptic cautionary tale Threads(1984); Come and See (1985), Elem Klimov’s potent condemnation of WWII; and Society, the oft-discussed but rarely seen directing debut of Re-Animator producer Yuzna. Of these, the latter was the most intriguing to my terror-loving mindset and, of course, proved to be the most elusive, prohibitively priced online due to its out-of-print status and not on the shelves of any of my local horror pals’ collections.


I finally succumbed to the siren call of YouTube in order to satisfy my curiosity and rampant completism gene; 10-minute chapter-by-10-minute chapter (this was 2012, remember, when full-length movies violated the ’Tube’s content restrictions), the satirical spin of hedonistic creatures inhabiting the rich bitches of humanity streamed before my wondering eyes. The social commentary by screenwriters Rick Fry and Woody Keith definitely made an impression, as did the oh-so-’80s fashion and dialogue, but it was the great Japanese effects artist Screaming Mad George’s surreal and grue-tastic final reel special effects that clinched the deal.


When super-fan Scott LeBrun suggested it as his entry for Hidden Horror, I gave him the thumbs up in record time, suiting as it did our “celebrating underrated and overlooked fright flicks” mission statement to perfection. I won’t say that his superlative essay is the only reason for Arrow Video’s upcoming slam-dunk Blu-ray home video presentation, but neither would I be surprised to learn it played a small part in bringing this unsung gem to the masses.


In fashioning his satirical vision, Yuzna adopted many of the aesthetics and characteristics of the stereotypical ’80s youth comedy, down to the lighting and wardrobe choices, in order to subvert the familiar. At the other end of the spectrum, Screaming Mad George [hereafter SMG] concocted a climactic assault and/or feast for the eyeballs (or food fight, to complete the metaphor) by borrowing imagery from Salvador Dali and other surrealist artists. A potent taboo-shattering combination of cannibalism, incest, and murder, draped in an extra-thick layer of ooze and latex, this is body horror the likes of which Cronenberg would be envious.


While there isn’t much traditional terror material in the scenes leading up to the grand “shunting” bonanza of bodies, flesh, and ultraslime, Yuzna & SMG conjure numerous striking images along the way (Jenny in the shower, Clarissa on the bed). In place of jump scares, a strong sense of paranoia permeates throughout, the conspiracy of the Society members, the untouchable rich. The discomfiting incestuous subplot is even more pronounced by the fact that Bill’s blonde girlfriend strongly resembles his blonde kid sister, and bizarre flourishes abound, such as Clarissa’s hermaphroditic mother, ever-present sex dolls, and murders foul and faux. The appealing performances (and Warlock’s post-Baywatch popularity) and the effects extravaganza alone should have earned it a fervent following ... had they been able to see it.


It’s still curious that Society didn’t find a warmer place in horror fans’ hearts, even as a cult item, but much of this can be attributed to genuine ignorance of its existence as opposed to matters of taste. Somewhere, somehow, the blame must be laid at the feet of distributor Wild Street and their ill-fated campaign and platform. It’s easy to ascribe the movie’s wrongful obscurity to its cool box office received upon its U.S. release (after being shelved for nearly three years) and the fact that the horror genre of 1992 was a much different beast than 1989. But then again, Society enjoyed success overseas, and Peter Jackson’s splatterpiece Braindead was released to much acclaim the same year, so it can’t simply be said, “Oh, it was all about the post-Silence of the Lambs thriller wave.” Other flicks that had struggled theatrically eventually found their audience on pay-TV channels like HBO and Showtime cable, so we can assume program directors weren’t going out of their way to champion Yuzna’s debut via endless cable cycles.


As such, the newly remastered, 2K digitally transferred appearance of Society on the home video market is reason enough for rejoicing, allowing the film to be rediscovered by a new, more adventurous generation. But the supplemental bounty that Arrow has served up makes the wait almost feels worth it. Yuzna is the hero of the day, appearing in the 2014 Severin-produced featurette “Governor of Society,” a vintage 1989 interview from the world premiere, a Q&A session following a 2014 revival screening at Celluloid Screams Festival, and finally offering an eloquent and articulate audio commentary alongside the always welcome expertise of David Gregory.


The creative force behind a bevy of classic fare, Yuzna is extremely forthright regarding his love for the horror genre and the practical reasons behind his desire to get into the director’s chair. (“I had several projects fall through because the directors walked away. I knew I wouldn’t walk away.”) He’s also not shy about pointing up things that he likes (performances, simple gags), those he’s not wild about (Blanchard’s dodgy blue van, assorted set decoration, some of SMG’s rushed effects), and taking the rap himself when he feels it is deserved. Having recently sat through a number of substandard commentary tracks, it’s a real pleasure to enjoy such an informed, personal, and engaging track. In fact, the only downside is that some of the material covered in the other segments consequently becomes redundant (a mild complaint at best).


The other extras include “Masters of the Hunt,” a collection of interviews with cast members Warlock, DeVasquez, Bartell, and Ben Meyerson (who plays Warlock’s bullying teen nemesis), chatting about how they came to be involved with the film, their universal trepidation upon reading Fry and Keith’s script, their further trepidations once they got on set (and in slime), and their retrospective thoughts on the completed product. 25 years on, all of the actors exude the distinct qualities that made them so effective in their respective roles. (They have also aged very well; fans of Warlock and DeVasquez will not be disappointed.)


The “Champion of the Shunt” segment sits down with SMG and his able assistants David Grasso and Nick Benson, both of whom were just starting off when they tumbled headlong into this “insane, twisted” project. As with Dick Smith, Rick Baker, and Tom Savini, it’s wonderful to peek behind the curtain and find a quiet, eloquent, creative soul behind the monsters and Karo syrup. This is absolutely the case here, and while SMG may look a little haggard with his guyliner and wild shock of hair, he’s still clearly ready to rock and roll, still bursting with energy and imagination.


Arrow’s Limited Edition DigiPak packaging showcases newly commissioned artwork by Nick Percival, and the Collector’s booklet features a new essay on the film by Alan Jones, illustrated by original archive stills and posters.

Society is available on Blu-ray and DVD from Arrow Video beginning June 9, 2015, and can be pre-ordered HERE:

http://mvdb2b.com/s/SocietyBluRayDVD/MVD7364BR

--Aaron Christensen, HorrorHound Magazine


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The Food of the Gods (1976) d. Bert I. Gordon (USA)

Following an avalanche of late ’50s films featuring oversized beasties – six in two years, including Beginning of the End, The Cyclops, The Amazing Colossal Man, and Earth vs. the Spider– writer-producer-director-special effects artist Gordon (aka “Mr. B.I.G.”) moved away from the subgenre he had helped create, expanding his oeuvre to include ghost stories, action thrillers, and sex comedies. But the 1970s’ ecological horror boom combined with the Jaws-inspired “animals attack” movement proved too alluring to pass up; when longtime producer and American International honcho Samuel Z. Arkoff approached in 1975, inquiring if he had any new projects, Gordon thought immediately of a certain book by H.G. Wells, one upon which he had already riffed with his 1965 romp, Village of the Giants. As he says on Shout! Factory’s new Blu-ray release, “I remembered the giant rats in The Food of the Gods and instantly I knew we had a picture.”


Purists be warned: a faithful adaptation of Wells’ novel this is not. (Note the credit: “Based on a portion of the novel by....”) Rather than the lab-created Herakleophorbia IV, here the titular vittles bubble straight up out of the ground, resembling a particularly viscous batch of creamed-corn soup. Almost the entirety of the action takes place on a remote island (Gordon shot all his principal photography at Cowan’s Point on Bowen Island, British Columbia, returning to Los Angeles to complete the special effects on miniature sets). The character of Bensington is changed from a bald, benevolent scientist to a scurrilous flim-flam artist (played to perfection by burly Ralph Meeker). And our main hero is a horseback-riding, shotgun-shooting, football-playing ideal of liberal pragmatism named Morgan (Marjoe Gortner), who kicks things off with a narrated reminiscence of his father prophesying, “One of these days the Earth will get even with Man for messing her up with his garbage.”


While subtlety is not the first (or fifth) item on Gordon’s priority list, he and his committed ensemble take the opening speech’s portentous tone to heart, playing every scene to the hilt without an ounce of camp as they are besieged by humongous rodents, wasps, grub worms, and chickens. Gortner (Earthquake, Starcrash, Mausoleum), with his curly blonde hair and Heston-sized teeth, is a terrific brains-and-brawn man of action, as comfortable setting a giant wasp nest ablaze as he is constructing a makeshift electric fence. He is matched ably by genre legend Pamela Franklin (The Innocents, The Legend of Hell House, Gordon’s 1972 feature Necromancy) as Lorna Scott, a sharp and attractive heroine who describes herself as a “female bacteriologist” (which, of course, begs the question whether she’s a bacteriologist who is female or someone who studies female bacteria). Franklin is saddled with some of the clunkiest dialogue, but she sells it as best she can, even the notorious scene where she confesses to Morgan, “I want you to make love to me,” during a brief lull in the rat attacks.


Ida Lupino, star of such classics as High Sierra and “classics” like The Devil’s Rain, and a trailblazing director in her own right, brings an enormous amount of humanity to her penultimate screen role of Mrs. Skinner, the simple God-fearing woman who discovers the mysterious substance and, since “it weren’t no oil,” mixes it with chicken feed, thereby setting the hideous chain of events in motion. (She stores excess portions of the tasty mixture in mason jars, helpfully labeled “F.O.T.G.” in case anyone forgot the title of the movie.) Belinda Balaski (The Howling, Piranha, Gremlins) and Tom Stovall round out the main cast as an unmarried pregnant couple caught up in the voluminous vermin’s wake.


One can only guess that Gordon assumed people wouldn’t mind seeing Volkswagen-sized rats being shot by red paint pellets. After all, they’re rats, right? Even so, members of PETA would be well-advised to steer clear, as it’s impossible not to have a modicum of sympathy for our four-legged thespians getting blasted in the face, blown up, and/or held underwater by their tails. While Gordon insists that the ASPCA was in contact at all times, there’s no doubt that animals were definitely harmed during the making of this film. (The director also asserts on the commentary track that – at the actor’s request – it is none other than Gortner laying down the crimson fire on his rodent nemeses.)


Thankfully, the rats are the only real-life creatures to take a beating onscreen, and FX wunderkind Tom Burman lightens the load with his large bucktoothed puppet heads and chicken beaks savagely attacking from just out of frame and giant latex wasps strapped to people’s backs. The Oscar-nominated artist also provided the copious amounts of red blood dashed about – this is easily Gordon’s goriest film to date – and the nasty makeup job on an unfortunate venom victim.


Editor Corky Ehlers, veteran of everything from the blaxploitation Exorcist rip-off Abby and Jaws 3D to Civil War prestige projects Gettysburg and Gods and Generals, does a fine job of cutting between the miniature sets and live action. (I’m also going to credit him with the opening title sequence’s artistic freeze-frame images, bringing to mind several 1970s political thrillers.) But not all of Gordon’s trick shots stick, the biggest offenders being the optically printed see-through wasps. Franklin and Lupino’s looks of disbelief and awe from the farmhouse window are textbook examples of “no acting required”; watching Meeker swinging wildly away at the air with a shovel, you can almost hear them thinking, “What is he doing? What are we doing? How did we end up here...?”


English-born Canadian cinematographer Reginald Morris, Bob Clark’s DP of choice (Black Christmas, A Christmas Story, Murder by Decree) delivers the overcranked goods, slowing the “giant” beasts’ actions so as to convey enormous heft and weight. Meanwhile, Graeme Murray, who would later win multiple art direction Emmys for The X-Files, gets his big break, crafting the dilapidated barns and underground tunnels lovingly accented by claw and teeth marks. (Erik Von Buelow handled the miniature design chores.) Considering the impact that composer Elliot Kaplan’s lively music has in fueling the proceedings, it’s somewhat surprising to find a handful of Fantasy Island episodes remain his biggest claim to fame.


Paired with Frogs, another vintage slice of “Nature Strikes Back” cinema, the announcement of Shout! Factory’s high-def upgrade was cause for much celebrating in the Doc’s office, being a sentimental favorite from my misspent youth. Sadly, the commentary track with Gordon, which should have been regarded as a time capsule moment (the guy is 93 years old, folks, he’s not going to be around forever) is a completely squandered opportunity. I don’t want to lay all the blame at moderator Kevin Sean Michaels’ feet; he is clearly doing his best to engage his subject, but the tight-lipped Gordon is uncooperative from the get-go, grumpily offering one-word answers and/or silence.


Sadly, it quickly becomes clear that Michaels hasn’t done much research, resorting to glib observations on the screen action and laughing at his own (unfunny) jokes. He also makes the HUGE mistake of shutting Gordon down when he starts to prematurely discuss the rats, stupidly saying, “We haven’t seen that yet, so don’t talk about that.” GAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. It’s a commentary track, Kev! We’ve seen the movie!!! And have you noticed that Mr. B.I.G. hasn’t been the ideal chatterbox thus far? If he’s ready to talk about something, ANYTHING, the floor is open. That’s just Commentary 101.


As a huge fan of FOTG, it makes me genuinely sad that this commentary will likely stand as the film’s final testament for generations to come. Shout! Factory would have done well to hire someone who had bothered to read up on the subject and could provide a worthy verbal essay under any circumstances. I’m also sorely disappointed in Gordon’s failure to step up to the plate; sure, he might be tired of talking about a 40-year-old movie, but that was his assignment for the day and, outside of a few tidbits, he fails miserably. (Though he does manage to plug his new feature, Secrets of a Psychopath, several times.)


Happily, the other extra on hand (other than theatrical trailers for Food, Empire of the Ants, and Frogs) is Walter Olsen’s “Rita and the Rats” featurette with the marvelous Balaski, who reveals more in 10 minutes than Gordon and Michaels do in close to 90. She opens up about taking Lamaze classes to be authentic (and then having her director tell her to lay down anyway because it was “better for the shot”), the snowstorm, Gortner’s enormous energy and generosity (the two had already performed together in the same year’s Bobbi Jo and the Outlaw), the challenges of acting opposite Burman’s giant creations, and Lupino’s hilarious decision to kill off her own character so she could go back home to Los Angeles. It’s a delightful segment from start to finish, leaving one wishing she’d had been tapped to do the commentary herself! Ah well.


The Food of the Gods will be released from Shout! Factory on May 26 and can be pre-ordered HERE.

https://www.shoutfactory.com/film/film-horror/the-food-of-the-gods-frogs-double-feature

--Aaron Christensen, HorrorHound Magazine


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Frogs (1972) d. George McCowan (USA)

From American International’s executive-producing team of Samuel Z. Arkoff and James H. Nicholson comes this highly entertaining low-budget schlockfest, raiding the entire reptile house (in addition to the titular croakers) to provide the creepy crawly chills. Riding on the earth-friendly movement of the early ’70s, screenwriters Robert Blees and Robert Hutchison whip up a tongue-in-cheek cautionary tale of embittered critters rising up against grouchy millionaire Jason Crockett’s (Ray Milland) pesticide-ridden swampy island estate. When rugged environmentalist photographer Pickett Smith (Sam Elliott, in an early, mustache-free film appearance) stumbles into Grampa Crockett’s annual Fourth of July family celebration, the stage is set for a muggy, buggy good time.


While watching the various obnoxious guests besieged by frogs, snakes, geckos, gators, spiders, turtles, leeches (and in one side-splitting sequence, killer moss) is certainly the film’s raison d’etre, there is equal joy to be gained from the sultry soap opera scenarios and robust scenery chewing. Former Oscar-winner Milland’s obvious bitterness at having sunk to this level of dreck suits his cantankerous character brilliantly. (As if to rub salt in the wound, the even more ridiculous The Thing with Two Heads was released only three months later.)


Imagining director McCowan’s expression when handed the impossible task of making docile amphibians appear menacing is as amusing as the end result. The game plan appears to have been: Instruct various critter handlers to “Put the ________ there,” get everyone out of frame, then yell “ACTION!”, whereupon the human cast members dutifully stroll past the quadruped menace of the moment.

Boo.

There is one impressive sequence where actor George Skaff (or his stunt double doppelganger) is actually wrestling with a full-size alligator, and several of the ensemble, including Adam Roarke, Judy Pace, Joan Van Ark, David Gillam, and low-rent Bette Davis-type Holly Irving, have the cojones to let the creepy crawlies creepy-crawl right over them.




Since the whole enterprise is as patently ridiculous as the same year’s bunnies-on-the-rampage epic, Night of the Lepus, it’s probably giving McCowan and screenwriters Robert Hutchison and Robert Blees too much credit to say that legitimate attempts are made at social and environmental commentary. I mean, it’s there, but it’s so on-the-nose that the final result is as perfunctory as the frequent close-ups of flicking tongues, puffing throats, and amphibiatic lawn-hopping.


Nonetheless, it is nice to see characters of color not only on hand, but exhibiting the most sense of any of those assembled. They are the first to say, “Um, maybe we should get out of here?” when the creatures start to move in, and when their wheelchair-bound employer threatens them for their flagging loyalty, they pack up their gear and leave! (Whether this course of action ensures their safety is left open to interpretation.)


Shot in Eden Park, Historical Museum, Florida, the endless parade of wildlife endlessly hissing, oozing, and croaking is more inclined to induce boredom and/or laughter than anything else; the word “horror” doesn’t exactly leap to mind. Still, it’s all grand, goofy summer fun, sporting one of the great taglines of all time: “Today – the Pond! Tomorrow – the World!” (Be sure to stay through the final credits for the “stinger” – an animated version of the film’s memorable poster art.)


Shout! Factory has given this schlock classic the hi-def upgrade, pairing it with the more energetic and entertaining The Food of the Gods. Barring the photo gallery, radio spot, and trailer, the sole new extra is a 10-minute interview with Van Ark, who is clearly game to chat about her film debut, even revealing that she used to bury the credit along with that other goofball gem The Last Dinosaur.


The Knots Landing star has nothing but smiles and fond remembrances of her co-stars (“Sam Elliott – whatta hunk!”), and the piece is dedicated to late co-star Lynn Borden, for which Van Ark claims she still receives mistaken fan mail. (“Thank you for your kind words, but I didn’t play that part....”)


Frogs is available on Blu-ray from Shout! Factory May 26, and can be pre-ordered HERE:

https://www.shoutfactory.com/film/film-horror/the-food-of-the-gods-frogs-double-feature


--Aaron Christensen, HorrorHound Magazine


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Empire of the Ants (1977) d. Bert I. Gordon (USA)

A random batch of civilians charters a short boat trip to investigate and potentially invest in time-shares for Dreamland Estates, a soon-to-be-opening beachside resort. Meanwhile, just up the shore, a discarded but clearly labeled barrel of RADIOACTIVE WASTE (heedlessly cast overboard during the opening credits) has washed up and been picnicked upon by the titular insects, causing them to balloon to enormous size. Seizing their moment, the giant bugs lay waste to their former antagonists as payback for all the stomping and magnifying stunts throughout the ages....


Hot off the financial success of the previous year’s The Food of the Gods, AIP’s Samuel Z. Arkoff recruited filmmaker Gordon to once again work his gigantism exploitation magic with another H.G. Wells “adaptation.” But, warning to high school students everywhere: should the original Wells story show up on the syllabus, don’t think you’ll be able to fake your way through that pop quiz by watching the movie. This giant brick of mozzarella is so far removed from its source material that only the title and the animal species remain intact. Rather than “Mr. B.I.G.” tackling the task himself, as he did with Food, television writer Jack Turley was recruited to spin out the details of Gordon’s screen story, which basically amounted to “Ants get big, attack people, try to take over world.” (The ants get smart, but not big, in the Wells story.)


The real film’s real coup lies in its casting of Joan Collins as cold-blooded real estate tycoon Marilyn Fryser, pitching worthless Florida swampland to the suckers with a bitchy smile whilst chastising her charter’s taciturn captain Dan (Robert Lansing) and her lover/assistant Charlie (Edward Power) in the same breath. Collins seems wildly inappropriate for such schlock, which gives the fanciful premise a surprising amount of juice; the awkwardness of seeing Dynasty’s future Alexis Carrington Colby splashing around in mucky waters and river scum is more tense and discomforting than any shoddy optically printed effects. Even if her American accent comes and goes, we forgive, because she’s just too much fun to watch.


Ah, yes, let us discuss the effects, which range from fake to obscenely fake. The blown-up shots of insect menace – shot in an Panama hotel room against a blue-screen and then crudely matted onto the live-action scenes with the human actors – are painfully obvious, although it's on the rare occasions where a single bug crawls toward its "prey" that the real magic takes place. Enter the silver-eyed ant puppets, which mercilessly, hilariously attack the victim in question. These antennaed props are so ridiculous that DP Reginald Morris (back again) and Gordon elect to wildly swing the camera around with abandon such that we never get a good look. (Strangely enough, there is no screen credit given to the creator, although IMDb lists Dave Ayres as “creature lab - uncredited”).


The ear-shattering ant screeching and omnipresent insectal purr – courtesy of Angel Editorial – provides some compensatory measure of frisson, as does the multi-lensed “Ant-Vision,” lifted wholesale from Kurt Neumann’s 1958 The Fly. The evocative electronic score is by Dana Kaproff, who delivered the excellent tones for When a Stranger Calls two years later (as well as arguably inspiring the THX-logo theme in the process) before immersing himself in a lucrative career within the network television grind. But veteran editor (and Robert Aldrich’s go-to cutter) Michael Luciano doesn’t fare as well in trying to match the shoddy optical effects to the shoddier physical effects. There are a lot of times where there are clearly no ants nearby and then suddenly there are dozens of them RIGHT THERE next to the actors. One can only imagine the heavy drinking that took place behind the Moviola in the spring of ’77.


Outside of Collins and taciturn character man Lansing (The 4D Man, The Nest), this is not as star-studded an affair as Gordon’s previous effort, with Jack Palance’s daughter Brooke playing the unhappily married wife of Robert Pine (father of future Star Trek captain, Chris Pine). Fourth-billed Albert Salmi shows up for a glorified cameo in the third act as a duplicitous lawman, and everyone’s favorite hot time hot tub poster girl from Halloween II (1981), Pamela Susan Shoop, handily wins both the wet T-shirt and “Best Screamer” awards.


I’ve already duly expressed my disappointment in the audio commentary for Shout! Factory’s recent Blu-ray presentation of Food of the Gods, so it should come as no surprise that the track here, once again featuring the oil-and-water comedy team of Gordon and Kevin Sean Michaels, will be winning no end-of-year awards either. After listening to both attempts, it’s clear that these two personalities do not work well together, and that the blame lies equally with both participants. Gordon keeps giving one-word responses (although he does at least liven up to reveal how he charmed Orson Welles for 1972’s Necromancy) and Michaels keeps making stupid, obvious comments regarding the onscreen action and Collins, then laughing at them himself.


The director’s no-nonsense attitude seems wildly at odds with the fantastic scenarios he is famous for, and where the table is set for colorful anecdotes aplenty, he simply shrugs off opportunity after opportunity. Truth be told, it’s just as likely the 93-year-old veteran simply can’t remember anything - of interest or otherwise; obviously hard of hearing and tired, one can’t help but sense that he wishes the whole thing was over just as badly as we do.


I’ll give Michaels credit for trying harder this time (I’m assuming both commentaries were recorded the same day) with his reluctant subject. He asks a lot of the right questions (and a lot of the wrong ones as well), but his booth partner just isn’t giving him anything to work with. He does persist and wheedles out a few answers, even if the responses are occasionally dubious in content. (For example, Gordon states that he shot the opening scene in northern California, even though the film is obviously set and shot in Florida. Is this true? Who knows? Michaels never bothers to find out.) Even so, the constant “joke” about whether Collins’ character can "still close the real estate deal" is just as unfunny the 10th time as it is the first. Likewise, his tactic of asking, “So, what’s going on here in this scene?” is lame, considering we already know that Gordon is not going to roll out some great story. Michaels would have been better off just taking the lead and telling us the stories himself (or giving us info about the actors, or the crew, or anything....)


Case in point: Gordon teases us early on with the famous anecdote of how Collins was unwilling to get out of the boat and into the alligator-infested waters for a river scene, and then says he’ll tell us the full tale once we get to the scene in question. Now, I’ve read the B.I.G. man’s autobiography, as well as his recent Rue Morgue interview with Preston Fassel (RM #153), so I know how the story goes. (After Collins adamantly refused to get in the water, Bert surreptitiously told the cameraman to roll, then dumped the boat so that the reluctant actress toppled into the water. Pro that she was, she stayed in character, swam to shore, and waited for Gordon to yell “Cut” before letting him have it loud and long.) Michaels, unfortunately, does not. So, when Gordon neglects to finish the story at the moment of truth, Michaels has no way of helping, and his clumsy attempts to get the director to recount it later go unrequited.


Oddly enough, there is a strange, almost imperceptible break in the commentary just after the hour mark, just after Michaels asks “So, what about Joan and the alligators?” for the umpteenth time. The track resumes and they are suddenly talking, much more animatedly, about Gordon’s new book on filmmaking. I have to wonder if someone in the studio didn’t call a time out, walk in, and slap ’em both around a little, because things definitely pick up and Gordon seems much more awake and lively... for a while at least.


It’s another missed opportunity, and it makes me sad for future generations looking to find out a little something more about the flick. And, unlike S!F's Food of the Gods release, there is no redeeming interview with one of the stars. (Was Pamela Susan Shoop busy or something??) While the movie remains as cheesily entertaining as always, the supplements leave a bad taste in the mouth, like the silver paint foisted upon the unsuspecting ants in the opening scenes.


Empire of the Ants is available on Blu-ray May 26 – paired with the joyoussssssssly zany snake attack flick Jaws of Satan– from Shout! Factory and can be pre-ordered HERE:

https://www.shoutfactory.com/film/film-horror/empire-of-the-ants-jaws-of-satan-double-feature


--Aaron Christensen, HorrorHound Magazine


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Jaws of Satan (1981) d. Bob Claver (USA)

By the late '70s, there wasn’t a movie fan around who hadn’t seen the two “instant classic” horror flicks Jaws and The Exorcist. Similarly, there wasn’t a thriving and/or conniving independent film producer who hadn’t contemplated cutting off a slice of that sweet, sweet exploitation gold, as countless "animals attack" and "demonic possession" flicks followed the suit (and, quite often, the script) of their Oscar-winning Hollywood forerunners. But what screenwriter Gerry Holland (working from a story idea by James Callaway) came up with was nothing short of pure genius: Why not combine the two into a killer creature feature where the beasts are driven to murder by The Beast Himself!


A small Alabama town, struggling to keep up with the times, decides to open an exotic new source of revenue: a brand new greyhound racing track. I know, exciting stuff, right? Wouldn’t you know it, the week before the gala ribbon-cutting ceremony, the divine moment when all the hayseeds finally get a chance to lose their hard-earned dough is threatened when a possessed King Cobra busts out of its circus train car and starts mind-controlling its fellow belly-gliding brethren to chow down on the local homo sapien populace.


Dr. Maggie Sheridan (Gretchen Corbett) tries to persuade the town elders to call in the National Guard to deal with the forked-tongue peril, but they shut her down quick, not wanting to spoil the canine cash cow. (I kept waiting for the mayor to say, “You keep those beaches, er, dog track betting windows open, y’hear?”) Her only ally is pragmatic snake expert Paul Hendricks (charisma-free John Korkes); together, the two race against the clock to save their burg from the venomous villains.


Of course, Science is no match for the Dark One, so it’s up to boozy priest Father Tom Farrow (Fritz Weaver), who apparently descends from a particularly strict religious line that stamped out a family of Druids a century ago. However, Farrow is struggling with his faith, so a few unfortunates have to be head-butted in the face by our unfriendly neighborhood reptilian ne’er-do-wells (solid special makeup effects by Ron Figuly) before the collared one springs into action, falls into an open grave, then springs back into action.


Jaws of Satan, making its Blu-ray debut courtesy of Shout! Factory, isn’t the best known of the 70s/80s eco-terror movies, but it’s got plenty of cheesy entertainment value, courtesy of Eoin Sprott’s impressive “mechanical snake effects” and a boatload of unintentional comedy. The performances range from not-bad to pretty terrible, with a special qualifier for screen vet Weaver (Creepshow, Demon Seed) who manages to get through the proceedings with a straight face.


Corbett (Let’s Scare Jessica to Death) falls squarely into the not-bad category, while her onscreen love interest Korkes does a passable attempt at human behavior without ever quite succeeding. Every line, every gesture feels just a little bit off, and that’s not even talking about the “romantic” scenes. The film also marks the screen debut of little Christina Applegate (Married with Children) as the rambunctious child of the town’s main moneybags tycoon (Bob Hannah).


Roger Kellaway, tunesmith for such flicks as Evilspeak, Silent Scream, and The Dark, provides the horns and strings here, and none other than Dean Cundey, John Carpenter’s go-to DP at the time, brings the moody light and serpentine shadows.


Television mainstay (including exec-producing The Partridge Family) Claver and Holland do their best to pad things out with extended shots of planes and helicopters landing and taking off, a mysterious motorcyclist hit man, and lots of wriggling inserts. We also get to spend an abundant amount of time in the company of the Mayberry-ready law enforcement team of John McCurry and Jordan Williams. All of which builds up to a Weaver/Satan showdown in a damp cave on the outskirts of town, where the limbless wonder has somehow constructed an altar to himself and laid Corbett out as his sacrifice.


No classic (which might account for the lack of supplemental material), but fans of this type of cinema will not be disappointed.


Jaws of Satan– paired with Bert I. Gordon’s Empire of the Ants– is available on Blu-ray May 26 from Shout! Factory and can be pre-ordered HERE:

https://www.shoutfactory.com/film/film-horror/empire-of-the-ants-jaws-of-satan-double-feature


--Aaron Christensen, HorrorHound Magazine


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The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Miss Osbourne (1981) d. Walerian Borowczyk (France/West Germany)

A young girl is violently bludgeoned to death in a dead-end alley. A few blocks away, the opulent festivities surrounding the engagement of rebellious scientist Dr. Henry Jekyll (Udo Kier) and vibrant debutante Fanny Osbourne (Marino Pierro) are in full swing. In attendance are a decorated war hero (Patrick Magee), his intemperate daughter, the esteemed Dr. Lanyon (Howard Vernon), and the betrothed’s respective and respected mothers. Religion also has a place at the table, in the form of Reverend Guest (Clement Harari), who vocally opposes Jekyll’s notions of “transcendental medicine.” The news of the murdered youth casts a pall upon the happy occasion, but soon the bloodshed touches the moneyed inhabitants inside, sweeping through the upper crust like (and often with) a sharp blade, and always when the young doc just happens to be out of the room….


A visually sumptuous and brazenly sexploitative take on the classic Robert Louis Stevenson story of duality and societal condemnation of base desires. Polish filmmaker Borowczyk (La Bete, Immoral Tales) applies his painterly hand from the start, with blazing blue gels bathing the outdoor street scenes while amber warms the decadent interiors and rich texture.


The explicit emphasis on sex is probably the most distinctive element of Borowczyk’s vision. Even as polite society frowns upon open displays of passion, the undercurrent of lust pervades throughout. The crimes that the nefarious Mr. Hyde commits are violently sexual in nature, and we learn that the killer uses his manhood as a literal weapon, puncturing his victims’ internal organs with his long, thick, pointed shaft. (I mean, wow. And … ouch.) The camera’s (and subsequently our own) gaze leers around corners and indecorously close to the female cast members’ privates. Breasts, buttocks, vaginas, and (prosthetic) penises are on unabashed display within an art-house atmosphere of soft light and opulent production design.


The second-most notable element is the fact that, bucking years of cinematic tradition, the roles of Jekyll and Hyde are not utilized as a thesping showcase for a single actor. Kier ably plays the ambitious doctor dabbling in things best left to the gods while Gérard Zalcberg, sporting a close-cropped Caesar cut in contrast to his counterpart’s curly locks, handles the darker side of matters. As such, there are surprises and rewards to be had, most notably in the transformation scene which takes place in what appears to be a single, stunning unbroken take in a bathtub. (Rather than a drinkable potion, here Kier immerses himself to enact the change, with Zalcberg emerging from beneath the surface.)


The heightened performances will take some getting used to, especially for those new to the realm of Euro-horror, and that’s not even taking into account the obviously dubbed vocals for most of the cast (some of whom are clearly not speaking English). But after an appropriate adjustment period, Kier and lusty busty Pierro seem well matched as the eager and ripe couple, barely restraining their desire for one another. The legendary Magee, nearing the end of his varied and prolific career, emerges with his distinctive vocal quality and cadences intact, and he gives it his all, whether we ask for it or not. Zalcburg is villainously robust in what is primarily a physical performance, and the scene between he, Magee, and the general's sinful offspring is memorably kinky.


It’s safe to assume that most viewers are neither familiar with Dr. Jekyll and Miss Osbourne in particular or Borowczky in general, but Arrow Video’s jam-packed Blu-ray presentation is bound to make new fans for both. The brand new 2K restoration from the original camera negative was supervised by the film’s cinematographer Noel Very, allowing viewers to appreciate the carefully cultivated visuals for the first time since its theatrical release three decades ago. The feature-length audio commentary is comprised of archival interviews with Borowczyk, Kier, Pierro, and producer Robert Kuperberg spliced in with new remembrances by Very, editor Khadicha Bariha, and assistant Michael Levy. While you may need to brush up on your French and Italian to follow along (the track is not subtitled), trivia tidbits about. For example: Fanny Osbourne was the name of Robert Louis Stevenson’s real-life wife and the bathtub transformation is nothing but a good old fashioned camera trick from the time of Melies.


Film historian Michael Brooke, who co-produced the Blu-ray with Daniel Bird, provides a brilliant and personal 30-minute overview of the filmmaker, who began his career as a fine artist before progressing to animated short films and ultimately the erotic art-house offerings he became known for. For his part, Bird is responsible for producing most of the featurettes, providing the archive materials and rare stills that illustrate the disc’s booklet, and authoring the essay therein.


There are a trio of featurettes in addition to Brooke’s intro, the headiest of which being Adrian Martin and Cristina Alvarez Lopez’s video essay “Phantasmagoria of the Interior” which uses the film’s Vermeer painting as a means of connecting Borowczyk’s obsession with objects to the repressed world of his female characters. “Eyes That Listen” is a breathtaking and ear-opening look at Borowczyk’s collaborations with electro-acoustic (aka musique concrete) composer Bernard Parmegiani. Equally fascinating is an discussion with Sarah Mallinson, wife of Hungarian artist/animator Peter Foldes, about her husband’s relationship with Borowczyk as his contemporary, and their creation of the short-lived artistic collective MovArt.


A similar bounty exists in the disc’s four interviews. Regarding his second film with Borowczyk (the first being the previous year’s Lulu where he played Jack the Ripper), Kier reveals some minor bemusement over not getting to play both parts, and recalls a particularly trying day where he had to be rushed to the hospital to have the brown Hyde contact lenses removed after they had adhered to his eyes. Self-described muse Pierro discusses her first collaboration with the director, Beyond Convent Walls (1978), and their instant affinity for one another. She also expresses Borowczyk’s anger at the distributors’ various retitlings: Dr. Jekyll and His Women (France), The Blood of Dr. Jekyll (England), and In the Abyss of Delirium (Italy). Her artist/filmmaker son Alessio discusses their short tribute film, Himorogi, described as a cinematic haiku (17 minutes for the 17 syllables) which employs various costume pieces and props used in Borowczyk’s films (the veil from Love Rites, the necklace from Dr. Jekyll, etc.).


The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Miss Osbourne is available now on Blu-ray and DVD from Arrow Video (through MVD Entertainment) and can be ordered HERE:

http://mvdb2b.com/s/StrangeCaseOfDrJekyllAndMissOsbourneTheDualFormatBluRayDVD/MVD7208BR


--Aaron Christensen, HorrorHound Magazine


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Long Weekend (1978) d. Colin Eggleston (Australia)

“A bickering young couple’s weekend at an isolated beach resort turns into a nightmarish struggle between Man and Nature.” With that description, and considering the time-stamp and the genre, one might be forgiven for expecting another run-of-the-mill “When Animals Attack” flick, full of egregiously over-the-top warnings of how the human species has run its course as top of the food chain, thanks to centuries of ecological abuse and neglect. While American ex-pat screenwriter Everett de Roche (Patrick, Razorback) isn’t adverse to hammering home the point on occasion through scenes of reckless use of weaponry and thoughtless littering, the casually caustic behavior seems somehow more authentic than, say, Frogs’ opening credits shots of beer cans floating in the Florida swamps. Rather than broadly drawn clichés, with our top-billed hero providing the requisite liberal voice of reason, Roche’s bipedal characters are fragile, careless, bullying, insecure, and genuinely confused as to how their choices led them here. In other words, human.


One of the hallmarks of the Ozploitation wave of the 1970s and early 1980s was its channeling of an eerie and elemental undertone that enabled filmmakers to explore a strange new/old world laced with apocalyptic dread, primeval fear, and unpredictable weather. Nic Roeg’s Walkabout, Peter Weir’s Picnic at Hanging Rock and The Last Wave, even George Miller’s Mad Max were films that kept the focus on displaced and disoriented characters rather than explicit horror.


Producer/director Eggleston’s low-budget, supernaturally-tinged effort sits squarely in this tradition, and yet manages to demonstrate the visceral values of a genre thriller. Chair-jumping scares are still present, but the majority of the running time is a slow-burn nightmare, watching the couple’s sanity and resolve wither away under the assault of Mother Nature and each other.




Of course, this sort of psychological warfare wouldn’t work without solid actors, and that’s where Long Weekend delivers the goods. The only human characters – not counting a few one-line roles – are Peter (John Hargreaves) and Marcia (London-born Briony Behets), whose bitterness towards one another snowballs as they are sent in circles, trying desperately to escape the Hell of their own making, all while antagonized by elements of the natural world and haunted by the carcass of an unfortunate manatee.


Even for non-fans of “animals attack” offerings, this is a HIGHLY RECOMMENDED slice of Down Under cinema.


Synapse Films, who brought Eggleston’s masterpiece to DVD almost 10 years ago (which is where I and many other horror fans discovered it for the first time), serves up a Blu-ray presentation worthy of the upgrade, including a new, personally supervised high definition 1080p transfer of the 2:35:1 anamorphic widescreen imagery and a remastered DTS-HD MA 5.1 Surround Soundtrack.


It’s no lie to say that the film has never looked or sounded better, with the ever-present ambient sounds of wildlife encroaching without respite and the vivid beachside colors popping off the screen. (They’ve also improved slightly upon the ho-hum DVD cover artwork, but for my money, a single stark image would have suited the tone better than the current pseudo-paint job.)


The extras, ported over from the 2005 release are no less potent than they were a decade ago, with exec-producer Richard Brennan and cinematographer Vincent Monton handling the audio commentary chores with aplomb. They speak with great memory and fondness of cast and crew members no longer with them (Eggleston passed away in 2002, Hargreaves in 1996), and both seem genuinely grateful that their film is being given a second (or third, as the case may be) chance for rediscovery by a new generation.


Brennan points up how certain illusions were accomplished, as well as assuring listeners that no animals were ever in danger or distress. Our late leading man Hargreaves manages to make an appearance via an audio interview about his career in general and the film in particular, with production stills projected throughout. A theatrical trailer caps off the supplemental materials.


Long Weekend is available now on Blu-ray from Synapse Films and can be ordered HERE:

http://synapse-films.com/synapse-films/long-weekend-blu-ray/


--Aaron Christensen, HorrorHound Magazine


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Island of Death (1976) d. Nico Mastorakis (Greece)

This glorious masterpiece of prurient behavior gleefully dances across every line of good taste laid out by polite society, then goes further. Incest, public telephone booth sex, adultery, homosexuality, murder, rape, bestiality... and that’s just in the first 20 minutes! For another 80, we follow the exploits of a sociopathic American Christopher (Robert Behling) and his Brit “wife” Celia(Jane Lyle) as they work their way through the populace of the small Greek isle of Mykonos, doling out their own special brand of morality and punishment. Mastorakis juxtaposes jaw-dropping onscreen events with gorgeous locales, all set to a groovy soundtrack courtesy of Nikos Lavranos and repeatedly punctuated by the catchy vocal tunes “Do You Love Me Like I Love You” and “Destination”. With golden showers, drug use, and death by makeshift blowtorch, samurai sword, bulldozer blades, and DIY crucifixion, it's a parade of sleaze well worth the time for fans who’ve seen it all.


For such a notorious flick (it was among the 39 titles on the official BBFC Video Nasties list), Island of Death has had a fairly robust distribution history. According to Nathaniel Thompson, editor/author of the DVD Delirium book series, a cut version was released in the UK by Vipco followed by Arrow Video's uncut version, with Mastorakis releasing his own uncut version through his Omega Pictures distribution company in the interim. (This version was the one picked up by Image and then released in the U.S. in 2008.)


There is some debate about the 1:33:1 aspect ratio, which seems to be the only version available, despite the writer/director reportedly having claimed during Arrow’s 2011 DVD audio commentary that it should be shown in 1:85:1. Nevertheless, Arrow's recent Blu-ray edition maintains the 1:33:1 ratio (and also doesn’t include the commentary in question, interestingly enough), but the full-frame doesn't distract in the slightest.


The supplements are just as generous and enlightening as the film is bizarre and shocking, the first being “Exploring Island of Death,” Nightmare U.S.A.'s Stephen Thrower's excellent overview of Island's checkered past and Mastorakis' career, which clocks in at nearly 40 minutes. “Return to the Island of Death” revisits the exotic and picturesque locations - sort of a "Horror's Hallowed Grounds" minus the hair gel.


Mastorakis tenders a lengthy interview from 2002 where he reveals his intentions to create an exploitation film that would ride the coattails of Last House on the Left and Texas Chain Saw Massacre - not out of any deep-seated admiration for Craven or Hooper's work or desire to generate notoriety, but purely hoping to make a film that would make money. He also takes pains to assure us that the infamous goat deflowering sequence was well and truly faked, which is a pretty darn funny story.


The Films of Nico Mastorakis is fairly self-explanatory, and considering that most horror fans are only familiar with this title, it may open some eyes and minds to the Greek auteur's other offerings. Alternate title sequences, of which there are many, include Devils in Mykonos, A Craving for Lust, Diamonds on Her Naked Flesh, Cruel Destination, Psychic Killer II, and Isle of Perversion, which alternate between music and the camera clicking noise that accompanies the original title (shown in the feature presentation). Speaking of music, there are five soundtrack songs showcased in “Island Songs,” and the disc wraps up with a half hour of trailers of the director's oeuvre.


Island of Death is available now from Arrow Video on Blu-ray and DVD (through MVD Entertainment) and can be ordered HERE:

http://mvdb2b.com/s/IslandOfDeathBluRayDVD/MVD7365BR


--Aaron Christensen, HorrorHound Magazine


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Late Phases (2014) d. Adrian Garcia Bogliano (USA)

Retired Vietnam War veteran Ambrose McKinley (Nick Damici) has a disability and a problem. The disability? He’s blind. The problem? He’s been “reassigned” to a retirement community, or, in less politically correct parlance, an old folks’ neighborhood. As Ambrose puts it, “This isn’t where you go to live, it’s where you go to die.” Unfortunately, a bigger problem lies within the first, issuing forth once a month like a wolf in human’s clothing. Yes, Crescent Bay has become the favorite feeding spot of an insatiable lycanthrope, and the old soldier’s new neighbors are being picked off like so many sheep, quite possibly by one of their own. Will he be able to pick out/pick off the shapeshifter in time, or will the cycle of death and mutilation continue?


Ever since exploding onto the indie horror scene in Jim Mickle’s Mulberry St. and Stake Land, Damici has become one of my favorite onscreen presences, a modern-day ’70s tough guy in the vein of Lee Marvin or Charles Bronson with the cool gravitas and taciturn charisma to match. As such, it was with no small amount of anticipation that I approached his teaming with Bogliano, hot off the success of 2013’s Here Comes the Devil, making his English-language debut courtesy of a script by Eric Stolze (Under the Bed). There was the added bonus that all of the effects were promised to be practical in nature, i.e., no craptastic CGI. It finally seemed that, over a decade since Neil Marshall’s Dog Soldiers, we finally had another werewolf classic in the making.


Late Phases (excessively subtitled – in larger font, no less – Night of the Lone Wolf for DarkSky Films’ home video release) fares somewhat better than other recent hairy scary efforts. But outside of Damici’s excellent central performance, it never quite realizes its fully potential, which is slightly disappointing. The transformed beasts are well articulated, but the designs by Robert Kurtzman are pretty ho-hum and/or silly, lacking the long-snouted menace of, say, Rob Bottin’s memorable efforts from The Howling or the aforementioned Dog Soldiers, courtesy of Bob Keen. There’s also the problematic central premise: Every month an old person gets devoured by a wild animal prowling the neighborhood and no one ever does anything about it or makes a connection between the moon’s cycle and the attacks? It’s a stretch, Mr. Stolze, and a big one at that.


The supporting cast is fine, and occasionally more so, as in the case with genre stalwart Tom Noonan (Manhunter, House of the Devil), who puts in a welcome appearance as a priest with attitude and a secret, and former Last Starfighter Lance Guest. But it is Damici, with his unblinking gaze, old-age makeup, and no-bullshit attitude, who makes it all worthwhile. Here is a guy who’s been through hell and back again, emerging with his sight gone and his heart hardened.


With a son (Ethan Embry, excellent as usual) with whom he can’t or won’t connect and a wife in the ground, his only true companion is a faithful German Shepherd, and while he’s not entirely averse to making friends (he comments to his new female neighbor that she “smells beautiful”), he doesn’t cotton much to welcome wagons, such as the one headed up by Rutanya Alda (Amityville II, The Dark Half) and Tina Louise (yes, Ginger from Gilligan’s Island). And even blind, he’s still handy with a military-issue pistol and a dead shot, a worthy skill when besieged by werewolves.


DarkSky Films recent Blu-ray release doesn’t match the deluxe treatment given their previous issue, Starry Eyes, but with a couple of featurettes and an audio commentary by Bogliano, they’re aren’t exactly skimping either. The 15-minute making-of segment offers up interviews with Damici, Bogliano, and producers Larry Fessenden and Brent Kunkle, providing a fair amount of context about how the various players came aboard, with equal attention given to the production design and practical effects. There’s also a funny little anecdote about how Damici prepared for the role using a blindfold, but after continuously burning himself with coffee and cigarettes, he opted for a “peripheral vision” approach. “It’s just technical, you know. It’s no big, deep thing. All those people who act like playing blind is great acting, it’s just bullshit. (laughs) It’s a trick.”


Next is a less-polished but lengthier FX featurette with lots of handheld shots in Kurtzman Creature Corps allowing us a fly-on-the-wall vantage point of the technicians doing their thing with clay and latex and fur. (It’s kind of fun and refreshing to see an equal number of men and women working alongside one another in a field that is often considered a boy’s club.) While a little more narration and/or signposting would have been welcome in terms of talking us through the various processes being undertaken before us, we still get a pretty good idea of what’s happening most of the time. Watching main suit performer David Greathouse working in the fully realized get-up on set is also quite the treat. (Prolific FX veterans Brian Spears and Pete Gerner, responsible for the film’s splattery blood effects as well as Damici’s aged appearance are unfortunately absent from the proceedings, though they are given a brief spotlight in the making-of segment.)


The audio commentary is worth a listen, especially for fans of the director’s previous work, who might be pleasantly surprised at Bogliano’s nimble phrasing and facility for articulate discourse. (I confess, I had mild language barrier concerns prior to interviewing him regarding Here Comes the Devil for HorrorHound last year. Would that all U.S. natives could speak so well.) Bogliano discusses with great eagerness how Stolze’s script came his way, the challenges of doing an effects-heavy monster movie, and the great respect he holds for his star. (I couldn’t help but wonder how hands-off Damici was with Stolze’s script, considering his own considerable skill behind the keyboard, but not much mention is made of the actor’s contributions or lack thereof.) Bogliano also speaks openly of being inspired by Joe R. Lansdale's Bubba Ho-Tep (another tale of the elderly resisting supernatural forces) and expresses his happiness that the Texas-based writer was present at Late Phases’ world premiere at SXSW “and he liked it!”


As a whole (or a howl), this is a worthwhile werewolf film if not the modern classic it could have been with a few script tweaks and another round of monster designs. As much a (heavy-handed) commentary on the younger generation’s disregard for the old as an old fashioned creature feature, it’s a terrific showcase for Damici who still deserves a higher profile along the lines of, say, Stephen McHattie. But Pontypool this ain’t, so we’ll just keep our fingers crossed for his and Mickle’s next project, which is as yet unannounced. (This is probably a good a place as any to express my concerns that Damici’s roles in his creative partner’s directorial efforts are falling more and more in the supporting categories – witness We Are What We Are and Cold in July– as opposed to the spotlight. Do us all a favor, Jim and Nick: write yourself bigger, better parts and tell the studios to suck it.)


Late Phases is available now from DarkSky Films on VOD (iTunes or Amazon) and can be ordered on Blu-ray or DVD HERE:

http://www.amazon.com/Late-Phases-Night-Lone-Blu-ray/dp/B00R2J5V60


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