By: Sean Brickley
I’ve got 27 releases to report to you this week, fiends. Probably one of the biggest deals of this week is the Twilight Zone Box Set. This includes both the original 1959-1964 series as well as the 1980s series which Rod Serling was unfortunately unable to participate in. Additionally there are a bunch of Blu-rays coming out this week, including: Monkey Shines, Pumpkinhead 2, Christmas Evil andThe Dark Half. And as if those aren’t old-school enough for you, check out the DVD and Blu-ray releases of 1920’s The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari (try tagging someone from that movie in your Twitter feed). As always I bid you a pleasant viewing.
MOVIES
Bad Vs. Worse (2014)
Starring:
Rick Rodgers, Stephen Velichko, Pablo Andrade
Synopsis:
Deep in debt to the wrong people, Joey persuades his younger brother and a friend into a string of house robberies for quick cash. Unfortunately, they break into the wrong home, and stumble upon a seasoned serial killer in the midst of his latest murder. The cat and mouse game of survival begins as they try to escape while hunted by a master predator.
Purchase:
DVD
The Bubble (1966)
Starring:
Michael Cole, Deborah Walley, Johnny Desmond
Synopsis:
The Bubble is the “eerie and enjoyable” (Los Angeles Times) science-fiction spine-tingler that shocked audiences and revolutionized the cinematic world of 3-D! The eye-popping thrills and chills begin when a plane carrying pregnant Catherine (Deborah Walley) and her husband Mark (Michael Cole) is forced to land in a mysterious remote town. The townspeople are quite strange, indeed: they repeat certain phrases and movements ceaselessly and stagger through the streets like brain-dead automatons. Then there is an even more terrifying discovery – the zombie inhabitants live under an impenetrable dome, trapped like insects in a jar. Can Catherine, Mark and their newborn baby escape The Bubble, or will they become mindless drones trapped in a human zoo?
The Bubble introduced the ground-breaking Space-Vision 3-D system, which pioneered a new way of both shooting and exhibiting 3-D film. These single-strip 35mm stereoscopic techniques were used in almost all major 3-D features for the next thirty years, making The Bubble not only an “”amazing”” (Hollywood Reporter) sci-fi thriller, but also an important milestone in the history of cinema. Now fully restored from the 35mm negatives by the 3-D Film Archive.
Purchase:
Blu-ray
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
Starring:
Werner Krauss, Conrad Veidt, Friedrich Feher
Synopsis:
In 1920, one brilliant movie jolted the postwar masses and catapulted the movement known as German Expressionism into film history. That movie was The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, a plunge into the mind of insanity that severs all ties with the rational world. Director Robert Wiene and a visionary team of designers crafted a nightmare realm in which light, shadow and substance are abstracted, a world in which a demented doctor and a carnival sleepwalker perpetrate a series of ghastly murders in a small community. This authoritative edition of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is a 4K restoration scanned from the (mostly) preserved camera negative at the German Federal Film Archive.
German intertitles with optional English Subtitles
Score performed by the Studio For Film Music at the University of Music, Freiburg
Special Features:
Booklet Essay by Kristin Thompson
Caligari: How Horror Came to the Cinema (Documentary, 52 minutes)
Additional Music Score by Paul D. Miller aka DJ Spooky
Image Gallery
Restoration Demonstration
Purchase:
DVD
Blu-ray
Christmas Evil (1980)
Starring:
Brandon Maggart, Dianne Hull, Jeffrey DeMunne
Synopsis:
When he was a boy, Harry idolized Santa Claus but one Christmas Eve, he witnessed something horrifying that forever shattered his innocent understanding of Santa. Now an adult, Harry wants to embody the pure Santa Claus that he grew up loving. He works at a toy factory and keeps records of who’s been naughty and nice, but the spirit of Christmas isn’t what it used to be and he can’t take it. So, garbed in his red suit, Harry decides that the only thing he can do is to become Santa himself and make all of the naughty townspeople pay…in blood! Vinegar Syndrome is proud to present Lewis Jackson’s cult favorite, Christmas Evil, newly restored in 4k and on Blu-ray for the first time!
Special Features:
New 4K Restoration From 35mm Elements
Three Commentary Track Options With Director Lewis Jackson, Actor Brandon Maggart And Filmmaker John Waters
Archival Video Interviews With Jackson & Maggart
Deleted Scenes
Actor Screen Tests
Storyboards Gallery
Vintage Test Screening Comment Cards
Original Theatrical Trailer
Purchase:
Blu-ray
Collar (2014)
Starring:
Nick Principe, Momona Komagata, Ronald Patrick Thompson, Aidan Dee, Wolfgang Meyer, Mackenzie Murdock
Synopsis:
A rookie cop starts her shift like any other but soon it will all change for the worse. A derelict with a reputation of satanic violence, attacks the officer and collars her with a dog leash which is just the start of his abusive ritual.
Purchase:
DVD
The Crone (2013)
Starring:
Honoka Miki, Shiori Kitayama, Kaoru Goto, Aimi Nakamura, Yoshinori Okada
Synopsis:
From the Producer of Ring, The Grudge and Dark Water comes the macabre tale of three paranormal TV show hostesses Ayane, Nanami and Mayuko. These three girls are put to the test of ultimate fear when they challenge each other to visit an abandoned nursing home in the mountains. Determined to defeat each other, the girls stubbornly remain in the chilling location no matter what happens. Even when they awaken a real ghost. It is too late when the girls realize, this is not just another haunted house. They are facing a ghost who can consume their souls.Will the girls abandon their competitive nature and uncover the truth about this nursing home or will the watch their souls get devoured?
Purchase:
DVD
The Dark Half (1993)
Starring:
Timothy Hutton, Amy Madigan, Michael Rooker
Synopsis:
A Maine professor’s hidden bad side comes alive under his notorious but successful pen name. From the Stephen King novel.
Purchase:
Blu-ray
Final Entries (2012)
Starring:
Various
Synopsis:
This footage, allegedly smuggled out of an Auckland police department in New Zealand, shows the last known video diary entries of Madi Owens, who, along with her friend Jenna Rose Edelman, skipped school one day and boarded a bus in the hopes of house squatting at empty vacation homes in the countryside.
But what at first seems like just a typical teenage girls’ video blog slowly evolves into something more sinister, with the appearance of a fellow squatter and the increasingly strange behavior of Jenna, all captured on video. The salvaged footage has been assembled to create a narrative structure in an attempt to make sense of what happened to these girls.
Both Madi and Jenna are still considered missing persons, and the families of both girls have attempted to legally have this footage restricted or destroyed and have made several public outcries to prevent anyone from seeing exactly what happens in Madi O’s video diary.
Purchase:
DVD
Gravedigger (2014)
Starring:
Keith Collins, Ron Thal, Billy Sample, Gervase Peterson
Synopsis:
Steve Borden a brilliant, young criminal defense attorney. As junior partner in a local, high end law firm, he makes his living defending the indefensible. When a case gone horribly wrong haunts him, Borden’s conscience begins to send him into a guilt-ridden spiral. Police Chief George Orkin is the town’s top cop. With more bodies turning up buried, District Attorney Mike Ruble suspects Orkin’s ties to crime boss Charles Muzzatti may be the answer to the case. Now, Orkin must deal with his own eroding sense of integrity to keep both sides of the law off his back. As paranoia rises and Borden, Orkin, Ruble & Muzzatti try to pin the murders on each other, could another, more sinister force be hunting them? Codes, morals and misguided views of justice collide when the law, the mob and the Gravedigger face off in a bloody battle that will darken the survivor’s souls forever. But will burying the guilty, bury the Gravedigger’s own guilt?
Purchase:
DVD
Housebound (2014)
Starring:
Morgana O’Reilly, Rima Te Wiata, Glen-Paul Waru, Cameron Rhodes, Millen Baird, Ross Harper, Bruce Hopkins
Synopsis:
Kylie Bucknell is forced to return to the house she grew up in when the court places her on home detention. Her punishment is made all the more unbearable by the fact that she has to live with her mother Miriam, who is convinced that the house is haunted. However, when she begins to hear unsettling whispers and strange bumps in the night, she starts to wonder if the house might actually be possessed – and if it is, it seems that the spirit isn’t particularly thrilled about her return.
Purchase:
DVD
Blu-ray
Isis: Rising Curse of the Lady Mummy (2014)
Starring:
Priya Rai, James Bartholet, Seth Gandrud, Randy Oppenheimer
Synopsis:
In ancient Egypt, Isis and Osiris ruled the land. All were happy for the couple except one, Set, a jealous man who killed Osiris in order to take over his kingdom. Isis snuck into Osiris’ tomb and tried to raise him from the dead using her black magic. Set caught Isis in the act and had Osiris cut to pieces, with each piece buried in a different part of the land, so Isis could never again raise her husband. Isis vowed to avenge Osiris’ death and return with him to rule over all the worlds. Now, six college students Kyle, Dustin, Felicia, Jay, Serena and Amy take their last course in archeology in anticipation for graduation. Their last assignment is to uncover and document the museum’s new acquisitions with their teacher, Professor Shields and world-renowned Egyptologist Dr. Nasir. During the night they unwittingly awaken the ancient spirit of Isis and her wrath is unleashed on the group. As students start to disappear one by one, they must band together to stop Isis from raising her dead lover Osiris, his evil army of the dead, and exacting their revenge upon the world.
Purchase:
DVD
Knightmare (2014)
Starring:
Ryan Shank
Synopsis:
A group of former classmates get together over a weekend for a high-school reunion. Putting the reunion together is Rebecca Crane a formerly shy girl that gained some national celebrity status after writing a coming-of-age book about a shy girl in high school. After a dozen or so guests show up, and dozens of drinks are consumed, the party kicks off into full gear: people catch up, bicker, flirt, and eventually begin getting killed off one by one. At first, no one notices, but by Saturday evening the survivors are confronted by the killer – an unlikely former classmate that has harbored a deep grudge against the graduated class.
Purchase:
DVD
Monkey Shines (1988)
Starring:
Jason Beghe, John Pankow, Stephen Root, Stanley Tucci
Synopsis:
A paralyzed young man receives a smart monkey from a mad-scientist friend. Directed by George Romero.
Purchase:
Blu-ray
Moontrap (1989)
Starring:
Walter Koenig, Bruce Campbell
Synopsis:
Space-shuttle astronauts are lured to the moon by alien robots needing human parts.
Purchase:
DVD
Blu-ray
Penance (2012)
Starring:
Kyoko Koizumi, Teruyuki Kagawa, Yu Aoi, Eiko Koike
Synopsis:
Master of Japanese horror Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s eerie, intense psychological thriller Penance (Shokuzai) unfolds on a sleepy small town playground, when a mysterious stranger approaches a group of young friends, then kidnaps and brutally murders one of the girls. Wracked with grief, the victim’s unhinged mother Asako (Kyoko Koizumi) demands that the shaken survivors identify the killer or face a penance of her choosing. Growing up in the shadow of this tragic debt, each of the four girls cultivates a warped survival mechanism – avoidance, desperation, fear, obsession.
A disturbing, sensitively helmed chronicle of post-traumatic stress from a female perspective, Penance offers Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s trademark creepy twists as well as a subtle commentary on Japanese society and gender expectations. This gripping long-form serial drama highlights a new facet of renowned auteur Kurosawa (Pulse, Cure, Charisma) and features absorbing performances from a stellar line-up of award-winning, up-and-coming young actresses.
Purchase:
DVD
Blu-ray
Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings (1993)
Starring:
Ami Dolenz, Andrew Robinson, Kane Hodder, R.A. Mihailoff, George Clinton, Linnea Quigley
Synopsis:
By accident, modern teens unleash the vengeful spirit of a disfigured boy who was murdered by teens in 1958.
Purchase:
Blu-ray
Raw Cut (2013)
Starring:
Christopher Soren Kelly, Daniel Ponickly, C. Ashleigh Caldwell
Synopsis:
A long weekend in the remote Wyoming mountains exposes a group of friends to an evil they never saw coming.
Purchase:
DVD
Resurrection (2010)
Starring:
Jim O’Rear, Kayla Gill, Shay Bakker, Richard Lynch
Synopsis:
A small town in America is suddenly inflicted by a wave of irrational violence. Both scientists and local law enforcement rally to determine the cause of the madness that is sweeping the small town.What they find its the food that is driving everyone crazy and they cannot stop. A college student on his way home for Easter is met by this path of madness and must fight his way through this anarchy in order to survive.
Purchase:
DVD
Santa’s Sickest: Tales of Terror, Torture, Murder and Gore! (2014)
Starring:
Mike O’Mahoney
Synopsis:
Sure there’s Shakes the Clown, but when Santa goes off the deep end and decides it’s time to exact revenge on spoiled brats and forces that impede his agenda, look out because the carnage is like nothing you’ve ever seen. Welcome to Santa’s Sickest, a no holds barred, holiday head bashing anthology like no other to put under that special someone’s tree this year. A Slashing, Slaying, Mutilating, Dismembering Yule tide tribute to old Saint Nick! Sloppy the Psychotic: Mike finds himself without his beloved job as a children’s clown and starts slipping deeper and deeper into the abyss, unleashing a psychopath so insane that even John Wayne Gacy would be shocked. Bout after bout of bad luck finally sends him completely over the edge. IBS: Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Larry is a lonely guy until one day a workplace mishap helps him discover that murder cures what ails him. Hoping for a “normal” life, Larry proceeds to shoot, stab, chainsaw, maim and mutilate his way to happiness but he just can’t get it out of his system. The Experiment: Mary’s life is disintegrating; she’s on the verge of losing everything and desperately needs income to survive. Driven to extremes she responds to an ad in the paper and embarks on a series of home based drug tests that go horribly wrong.
Purchase:
DVD
Skinless (2014)
Starring:
Brandon Salkil, Allison Fitzgerald, Erin R. Ryan, Dave Parker
Synopsis:
A brilliant medical researcher in his prime is stricken with cancer. Dr. Pete Peele formulates a potential yet unconventional cure for his illness but the clock is running out. He fears that he’ll die before clinical trials prove the efficacy of the treatment so he decides to make himself a human guinea pig. He feels he has nothing to lose. Unfortunately the cure he hoped for yields unspeakable results. His terrifying transformation drives him to madness and wreaks bloody havoc on those closest to him.
Purchase:
DVD
The Thing on the Door Step (2014)
Starring:
David Bunce, Susan Cicarelli-Caputo, Mary Jane Hansen
Synopsis:
A new psychological horror film based on the story by H.P. Lovecraft. Daniel Upton’s relationship with his friend Edward Derby is abruptly changed after Edward becomes romantically involved with enigmatic hypnotist, Asenath Waite. As Edward’s behavior becomes more erratic and events unexplainable, Daniel investigates. Is it madness…or something far more terrifying? “It is true that I have just sent six bullets through the head of my best friend, and yet I hope to show by this statement that I am not his murderer.”
Purchase:
DVD
The Turnpike Killer (2009)
Starring:
Bill McLaughlin, Edgar Moye, Lyndsey Brown, Vinny Ward, Alia Lorae, Manoush, Demetri Kallas
Synopsis:
A hulking, vicious homicidal maniac is preying on victims along The New Jersey Turnpike, dumping bodies, keeping people locked indoors and baffling the police. He does all of this at the command of the god-like voices inside his head, telling him to strike night after night. It’s up to a troubled NYPD Homicide Detective to put a stop to this reign of terror.
Purchase:
DVD
Welcome To My Darkside (2009)
Starring:
Adrienne King, Dana Pike, Lynn Lowry
Synopsis:
Females in the horror genre have captivated audiences for decades. From Scream Queens to victims, heroes or killers, women keep horror alive. Welcome to My Darkside explores how women in the horror genre feel, from being in a male dominated world, to why they chose to cover themselves up with blood. What is it about horror that they love? You’ll find out from an array of women including Michelle Tomlinson (The Cellar Door) and Brooke Lewis (Slime City Massacre). Explore how women are treated differently on set with Lynn Lowry (The Crazies) and Adrienne King (Friday the 13th). Also clips from films Directed by Dana Pike and Darla Enlow (The Stitcher), Michelle Fatale (The Cleaner) and many more. Hosted by Miss Misery (Movie Massacre). Get ready to explore the sick and twisted minds of women in the horror genre.
Purchase:
DVD
TELEVISION
Twilight Zone: The 5th Dimension (Box Set)
Starring:
Art Carney, Bill Mumy, Burgess Meredith, Carol Burnett, Charles Bronson
Synopsis:
Rod Serlings groundbreaking TWILIGHT ZONE Original Series and the classic 1980s Series are together for the first time in THE 5th DIMENSION. The 41-DVD set contains over 20 hours of bonus features including a brand-new documentary with never-before-seen interviews, the American Masters documentary Rod Serling: Submitted for Your Approval, numerous Rod Serling interviews, lectures and appearances as well as interviews with original cast and crew. There are also dozens of audio commentaries, a selection of isolated music scores from the Original Series and much more. This Numbered, Limited Edition boxset is a must-have for any fan of THE TWILIGHT ZONE.
Special Features:
Over 20 Hours of Bonus Features including:
New documentary with never-before-seen interviews
American Masters documentary: Rod Serling-Submitted For Your Approval
Numerous interviews with original cast and crew
Rare Rod Serling interviews, lectures and appearances
Dozens of audio commentaries
Original sponsor billboards
Isolated Music Scores
80-page Episode Guide
Collectible Comic Book (one of four possible comics)
Pre-order:
DVD
COLLECTIONS
6 Movie Backwoods Butchers
Starring:
Scott Ash, Dennis Smithers
Movies:
Butchered, Backwoods Bloodbath, Bread Crumbs, A Bothered Conscience, Mother’s Day Massacre, Killerkiller
Purchase:
DVD
Killer 4 Pack
Starring:
Various
Synopsis:
Featuring Four Blood Soaked Killer Horror Films: The Day of the Dead, Jezebeth, Carnage: The Legend of Quiltface and Hellweek the Grindhouse Edition
Movies:
THE DAY OF THE DEAD
Based on true facts, a gang of suburban kids is sport-killing home-less people just for fun in the streets of Chicago. One day, they decide to try a new excitement, by murdering a young Mexican working girl, assuming there would be no consequences since she was illegal. Directed by: Ricardo Islas
JEZEBETH
At war with God, unwittingly discovers a nineteenth century diary that details the summoning of a demon. Jezebeth succeeds in breaking a satanic code inside her hell room which creates for her two realities. Directed by: Damien Dante
CARNAGE: THE LEGEND OF QUILTFACE
Four students set out for the barren Nevada desert on a class photography assignment. They are soon confronted by a machete-wielding maniac known as Quiltface: Directed by: Massimiliano Cerchi
HELLWEEK GRINDHOUSE EDITION
Rush week turns unexpectedly hellish when a band of sadistic, masked, homicidal maniacs holed up in an abandoned warehouse wreak havoc on a bunch of not-so-innocent college kids. Directed by: Eddie Lengyel
Purchase:
DVD
Paranormal Nightmares (2014)
Starring:
Various
Synopsis:
Revenge from Beyond the Grave
When the Myers move into their dream home, they wonder why the price tag is so low. When their daughter discovers the previous owners were murdered there her dream home turns into the house from hell as she is tortured by the evil apparition.
Vampires In Hollywood
Mara must resist the powerful sensual allure of the demons of darkness and focus on her fight to capture a secret serum which holds the promise of immortality before it falls into the wrong hands and threatens to unleash an eternal reign of terror.
The Curse of the Blue Moon Inn
High on the peak of the Moors stands the Blue Moon Inn, where once every century the moon appears to turn blue and all-manner of strange and terrifying events are unleashed. The time has come again and with it a small group arrives unaware of the pure evil that will befall them.
