By: Sean Brickley
We’ve got a whole bunch of fun stuff this week. Up first are the Blu-ray releases of classics Bloody Birthday, Bloody Moon, and The Baby. After that there are some creature features in the Godzilla Stomp Box and the Lake Placid collector’s edition. Also, always be sure to check out the collections section – you never know what you might find.
Altogether, there are 13 movies and 4 collections in this week’s round up. No matter what you watch, it will be plenty more frightful than Benji: The Hunted. Pleasant viewing, fiends.
Movies:
Art Of Darkness (2012)
Format(s):
DVD
Notable Names:
Ryan Elliott, Martin Laurence, Adrian Annis
DVD Link:
Synopsis:
Sarah is a hard working, caring and determined young woman who works as an accountant in central London. She lives with her husband Kurt Hatcher in a smart flat near the Docklands.
Their lives are perfect, in love, happy, planning for the future when one dark neon lit night – they are attacked by unknown assailants. Kurt is brutally beaten up. Sarah is taken. We follow their story.
The Baby (1973)
Format(s):
Blu-ray
Notable Names:
Anjanette Comer, Ruth Roman, David Mooney
Blu-ray Link:
Synopsis:
An A-list director. A jaw-dropping storyline. And depraved depictions of suburban violence, 70s fashions and sick love. The result remains one of the most disturbing movies in Hollywood history: Anjanette Comer (The Loved One) stars as an idealistic L.A. County social worker who investigates the case of Mrs. Wadsworth (former 50s starlet Ruth Roman of Strangers On A Train fame), her two buxom daughters, and son Baby, a mentally-disabled man who sleeps in a crib, eats in a high-chair, crawls, bawls and wears diapers. But what secrets of unnatural attachment and sexual obsession are all of these women hiding? Marianna Hill (The Godfather Part II) and Michael Pataki (Grave Of The Vampire) co-star in this psychotic stunner from director Ted Post (Magnum Force, Beneath The Planet Of The Apes), restored from the original film negative for the first time ever on Blu-Ray.
Special Features:
Audio Interview With Director Ted Post
Audio Interview With Star David Mooney
Theatrical Trailer
The Backpacker (2011)
Format(s):
DVD
Notable Names:
Vincent Stone, Laura Andersen, Nathan Waring, Aiden Brown
DVD Link:
Synopsis:
On the lonely outback roads of Australia a deadly secret awaits returning soldier Sergeant Ben Cross. Vincent Malek, a cruel and maniacal killer forces Ben to play his deadly game. Relentlessly hunted through unforgiving terrain, Ben must draw on all his strength to survive, and unravel the truth along the way in a deadly game of cat and mouse, leading to one crucial question; how far will you go for revenge…
Banana Motherf*ck*r (2010)
Format(s):
DVD
Notable Names:
Fernando Alle
DVD Link:
Synopsis:
Loaded with shorts from up and coming director Fernando Alle. Including the international sensation Banana Motherf*ck*r, as well as Trust Game, Papa Wrestler, and Metal Creepers!
Special Features:
Behind The Scenes
Slide Show
Trailer
Bloody Birthday (1981)
Format(s):
Blu-ray
Notable Names:
K.C. Martel, Joe Penny, Michael Dudikoff
Blu-ray Link:
Synopsis:
Get ready for the rarely seen slasher classic from the 80s that may also be the most disturbing killer kids movies in grindhouse history: Three babies are simultaneously born in the same hospital at the peak of a full solar eclipse. Ten years later, these adorable youngsters suddenly begin a kiddie killing spree of stranglings, shootings, stabbings, beatings and beyond. Can the town’s grown-ups stop these pint-sized serial killers before their blood-soaked birthday bash? K.C. Martel (E.T., Growing Pains), Joe Penny (Jake And The Fat Man), Michael Dudikoff (American Ninja), screen legends Susan Strasberg and José Ferrer, and MTV vixen Julie Brown whose nude bedroom dance remains a landmark of celebrity skin star in this still-controversial shocker from director Ed Hunt (The Brain, Diary Of A Sinner), featuring an HD transfer from the original vault elements.
Special Features:
Audio Interview with Director Ed Hunt
Don’t Eat The Cake! Interview With Star Lori Lethin
A Brief History Of Slasher Films Featurette
Bloody Moon (1981)
Format(s):
Blu-ray
Notable Names:
Olivia Pascal, Christopher Moosbrugger, Nadja Gerganoff
Blu-ray Link:
Synopsis:
As the body-count genre stabbed its way into audiences hearts in the early 80s, EuroTrash auteur Jess Franco (Sadomania, Mansion Of The Living Dead) was asked to create his own saga of slaughtered schoolgirls complete with gratuitous nudity, graphic violence, and gory set pieces. But just when you thought you’d seen it all, Franco shocked the world by delivering surprising style, genuine suspense and a cavalcade of depravity that includes incest, voyeurism and roller disco. The luscious Olivia Pascal of Vanessa fame stars in this twisted thriller that was banned in England yet is now presented uncut and uncensored including the complete stone mill power saw sequence -for the first time ever on Blu-ray!
Special Features:
Franco Moon- Interview with Director Jess Franco
Theatrical Trailer
Favor (2013)
Format(s):
DVD
Notable Names:
Patrick Day, Blayne Weaver
DVD Link:
Synopsis:
Kip’s perfect life is put in jeopardy when the waitress with whom he’s having a casual fling is accidentally killed in their motel room. Desperate, he turns to childhood friend and loser, Marvin, to help get rid of the body. Marvin agrees which begins the unraveling of their friendship and ultimately leads both to murderous acts they never thought themselves capable of.
Hunting the Legend (2014)
Format(s):
DVD
Notable Names:
Christopher Copeland, Hannah Wallace, Jeff Causey, Justin Steeley, Alex Ballaw
DVD Link:
Synopsis:
Five years ago, a deer hunter vanished in the Alabama woods, leaving behind only a rifle, bloodstains and an enormous footprint from a species unknown to science. Now, the hunter’s son Chris, his two best friends and a documentary film crew set out to learn the truth… and seek vengeance. Their search leads them deep into rugged terrain rumored to hide the huge, man-like beast known as Sasquatch. As they close in on their prey, they learn the horrifying consequences of Hunting the Legend.
Lake Placid (Collector’s Edition) (1999)
Format(s):
Blu-ray
Notable Names:
Bill Pullman, Bridget Fonda, Oliver Platt, Brendan Gleeson, Betty White
Blu-ray Link:
Synopsis:
Bill Pullman (Independence Day, The Grudge), Bridget Fonda (Jackie Brown), Brendan Gleeson (In Bruges) and Oliver Platt (X-Men: First Class) share an appetite for sheer adventure when a tranquil New England lakefront erupts into an action-packed den of destruction in this monster of a hit!
Special Features:
The Making of Lake Placid featuring new interviews with director Steve Miner, actor Bill Pullman, director of photography Daryn Okada, editor Marshall Harvey, Production Designer John Willett, Effects supervisor Nick Marra and Puppeteer Toby Lindala
Vintage Featurette featuring interviews with actors Bridget Fonda, Bill Pullman, Oliver Platt, Brendon Gleason, Bette White and director Steve Miner
Behind the Scenes Still Gallery
Animatronic Croc Test Footage
TV Spots
Theatrical Trailer
Rigor Mortis (2013)
Format(s):
DVD, Blu-ray
Notable Names:
Anthony Chan, Richard Ng, Chin Siu-Ho, Kara Wai, Nina Paw
DVD Link:
Blu-ray Link:
Synopsis:
In this eerie and chilling, contemporary, action/special effects laden homage to the classic Chinese vampire movies of the 1980’s, writer-director-producer, Juno Mak makes his feature directorial debut. Co-produced by J-Horror icon Takashi Shimizu, and reuniting some of the original cast members of the classic Mr. Vampire series, Rigor Mortis is set in a creepy and moody Hong Kong public housing tower whose occupants we soon discover, run the gamut from the living to the dead, to the undead, along with ghosts, vampires and zombies.
Serial Killer Culture (2014)
Format(s):
DVD
Notable Names:
Joe Coleman, John Borowski, Rick Staton, Hart Fisher, Joe Hiles
DVD Link:
Synopsis:
Serial Killer Culture examines the reasons why artists and collectors are fascinated by serial killers. Through music, painting, filmmaking, writing, and collecting, thirteen individuals are interviewed about creating art and searching for murderous artifacts.
Stage Fright (2014)
Format(s):
DVD, Blu-ray
Notable Names:
Minnie Driver, Meat Loaf, Allie MacDonald
DVD Link:
Blu-ray Link:
Synopsis:
In this genre-bending Glee-meets-Rocky Horror musical comedy a starry-eyed teenager (Allie MacDonald) wants to follow in her mother’s (Minnie Driver) footsteps and become a Broadway diva; but instead, she’s stuck working in the kitchen of her step-father’s (Meat Loaf Aday) snobby performing arts camp. Determined to change her destiny, she sneaks in to audition for the summer showcase landing the lead role. However, just as rehearsals begin, blood starts to spill, and Camilla finds herself terrorized by a homicidal masked killer.
Thirty Proof Coil (2010)
Format(s):
DVD
Notable Names:
Calico Cooper, Tate McCullough
DVD Link:
Synopsis:
A young woman is kidnapped by a mysterious stranger and chained in an eerie, dilapidated barn. Unwilling to play the victim, she plots a daring escape. With thirst and hunger bearing down, her grip on reality loosens. Can she free herself from the chain and the haunting visions? Why is she here? Is that strange presence outside the barn her imagination or the reason for her capture? Thirty Proof Coil, despite its modest budget, leverages brilliant acting, a dramatic location and unabashed enthusiasm to punch viewers right in the nose.
Collections:
5 Movie Maneater Collection
Format(s):
DVD
Notable Names:
Michael Madsen, Peter Tuinstra, Sherry Phungprasert, Gary Busey, Erik Estrada
DVD Link:
Movies:
Croc: Godzilla of the Swamp
Jack, the owner of a crocodile farm, falls under intense scrutiny when a giant, man-eating croc sinks its teeth into the locals of a coastal Thailand town. Now Jack must hunt this killer in order to prove his innocence. Starring Michael Madsen.
Grizzly Rage
Four freshly-graduated friends are ready to celebrate with a little trip out of the city. As they off-road their way into a no trespassing area of the woods, they hit and kill a grizzly bear cub. Now their vehicle is dead and so are they…if they can’t escape the furious mama bear hot on their trail.
Maneater
While investigating the source of a series of vicious attacks, small town sheriff Grady Barnes (Gary Busey) learns that the monstrous paw prints found near the crime scenes could only belong to one animal—a blood-thirsty tiger.
Chupacabra vs. The Alamo
When murder victims are discovered with every drop of blood siphoned from their bodies, Erik Estrada must take on a deadly pack of Chupacabras loose in the Texas desert.
Dire Wolf
Sheriff Parker is dealing with a big problem…a problem much bigger than the rural community he patrols. Loose in the woods is a genetically-modified creature—part dire wolf, part human—with a serious appetite.
8 Horror Movies
Format(s):
DVD
Notable Names:
Hailee Hirsh, Linda Hamilton, Tom Sizemore, Jackson Rathbone, Candace Cameron Bure
DVD Link:
Movies:
Bad Behavior
Zoe is an experienced babysitter, new to this family, but not to the trade. When it came to bad behavior, she thought she’d seen it all—then she met Jack.
Sparrow
A ranger with a machete takes out his aggression on a group of campers vacationing in his woods.
Nobody Can Cool
Susan and David believe they are about to spend a quiet weekend away, but end up as hostages in their cabin instead.
Vanished
The mother of a murdered boy kidnaps and tortures the woman she feels is responsible for the crime.
Visible Scars
Stacy heads for the mountains to escape her abusive boyfriend, but instead ends up in a backwoods bloodbath campaigned by a set of disturbed twin girls.
The Cellar Door
Herman seeks girl-next-door types to capture, torture and kill in his basement. But his latest victim, Rudy, has other plans.
Hurt
Helen Coltrane, at her husband’s last request, fosters a young girl whose evil she mistakes for innocence.
Night Scream
Driven by unexplainable nightmares, Drew Summers arrives in the small town of Steveston, Oregon, on the first anniversary of Laura Fairgate’s mysterious death.
Godzilla Stomp Box
Format(s):
DVD
Notable Names:
Kubo Akira, Jun Tazaki
DVD Link:
Movies:
Godzilla Vs. Megalon, Destroy All Monsters
Movie Rule #219: Beware What Lurks in the Woods
Format(s):
DVD
Notable Names:
Glenn Plummer, Neal Bledsoe, Cathy Baron, Maxwell Caulfield, Larry Joe Campbell
DVD Link:
Movies:
The Eves
Headed to the beach for spring break, car trouble in the boondocks means a killing spree for a group of friends.
Monsters in the Woods
A horror movie shoot in the woods turns deadly when real-life monsters attack the cast and crew.
The Ridge
A group of young adults head off to a vacation home in the mountains where they are joined by a legendary murderer known as The Ridge Runner.
Dire Wolf
A genetically-modified creature—part dire wolf, part human—is on the prowl in a rural community.
Another Kind
Four friends journey into the snowy Catskills where they encounter not only deadly terrain, but also enemies from another world.
Night Drive
A night drive through the African bush becomes a fight for survival when human poachers hunt down a group of tourists.
The Lonely Ones
Vicious creatures, lurking in the shadows outside of a remote cabin, force a group of friends to fight for their lives.
Pelt
A group of friends trespass on private property in order to hike a hard-to-access trail…but now they’re deep in the woods where no one can save them from a maniacal killer.
Dogman
A vicious, bacteria-ridden creature stalks its prey in the woods of a rural Michigan community.
