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WAN PIPEL (1976) Cult Epics Blu-ray Review

June 14, 2025, 3:52 pm
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WAN PIPEL (1976) 

Label: Cult Epics
Region Code: Region-Free 
Rating: Unrated 
Duration: 111 Minutes 46 Seconds 
Audio: Dutch PCM 2.0 Stereo with Optional English Subtitles 
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.66:1) 
Director: Pim de la Parra 
Cast: Willeke van Ammelrooy, 
Borger Breeveld, Diana Gangaram Panday

Wan Piel (1976), directed by Pim de la Parra (Obsession), would be the last film produced by Scorpio Films after the film went over-budget and under performed at the box office upon it's initial release. The film also has the distinction of being the first film shot in the newly independent country of Suriname, which had previously been a colony of the Kingdom of the Netherland for over three centuries. 

It's a dramatic love story, wherein Afro-Surinamese man Roy (Borger Breeveld), who is studying abroad in Holland, living with his Dutch girlfriend Karina (Willeke van Ammelrooy), receives word that his mother (Ro Jackson-Breeveld) is gravely ill, and that he must return to Suriname immediately, to his hometown of Paramaribo. Unable to pay for the flight home his loving girlfriend pays for ticket home, where he gets to see his mother briefly before she passes soon after. While home he suffers a bit of a short lived malaise, grieving for his mother, but he also rediscovers his love of his homeland, and he unexpectedly falls for an attractive Indo-Surinamese Hindu nurse named Rubia (Diana Gangaram Panday), and this Roy finds himself struggling with the decision to return to Holland with Karina to finish school, or stay in his homeland with newfound love interest Rubia.  

The thoughtful story addresses issues of self-identity, and multicultural relationships that are taboo in their individual communities, with both Roy's disapproving father (Emanuel van Gonter) and Rubia's father (Sieuwpal Soekhlall) conspiring, with the help of a translator, to make sure that Roy heads back to Holland sooner than later, as his taboo love with Rubia is disrupting the community. Things heat up considerably once Karina flies to Suriname to retrieve her errant boyfriend, meeting her Karina, forcing Roy to make a decision. I thought the performances were quite good. I did not find Roy a particularly sympathetic character, the loss of his mother is certainly affecting, but he comes across as quite a selfish fellow, with his indecisiveness about which girl and destiny to follow, but that's all part of the dramatic drive that fuels the story. The country of Suriname, which I honestly had never heard of before, is a beautiful backdrop to the story of Roy's journey of love and self-discovery following the death of his mother. 

Audio/Video: Wan Pipel (1976) makes its worldwide Blu-ray debut on a region-free disc from Cult Epics, newly restored in 2K, framed in 1.66:1 widescreen. The source looks terrific maintaining the filmic grain and inherent textures. The images of  the Surinamese locations and markets looks quite nice, good color saturation throughout, looking inherently soft in spots, but this appears accurate tot he original filming. Audio comes by way of either DTS-HD MA or LPCM 2.0 dual-mono Dutch, with various exchanges in Sranan Tongo, and Hindustani. The track is clean and well-balanced, a bit narrow when it comes to range perhaps, but dialogue is well prioritized and the rhythmic score by Hugo van Ams sounds terrific, as do the sounds of the marketplace, the natural jungle sounds, and moments of celebration and mourning.  

The disc is well-stocked with extras, starting off with an Audio Commentary by film historian Lex Veerkamp and Bodil de la Parra; an Introduction by Pim de la Parra (2020); the 25-min The Making of Wan Pipel (1976); a 38-min Interview with Willeke van Ammelrooy (2025) by Guido Franken; and a 27-min Bonus short film Aah… Tamara (1965). We also get a Photo Gallery and a selection of Scorpio Films Trailers: Wan Pipel, Dakota, Frank & Eva, My Nights with Susan, Sandra, Olga & Julie, Obsessions, Blue Movie, Pastoral (1943). 

The single-disc Blu-ray release arrives in a clear keepcase with Reversible Sleeve with both original poster artwork and a new design by Juan Esteban R. , plus a Limited Edition Slipcover with the Juan Esteban R. artwork. 

Special Features: 
- New Restored 2K Transfer
- Audio Commentary by film historian Lex Veerkamp and Bodil de la Parra
- Introduction by Pim de la Parra (2020)
- The Making of Wan Pipel (1976) (24:30)
- Interview with Willeke van Ammelrooy (2025) by Guido Franken (38:04) 
- Bonus short film Aah… Tamara (1965) (26:57) 
- Photo Gallery 
- Scorpio Films Trailers: Wan Pipel, Dakota, Frank & Eva, My Nights with Susan, Sandra, Olga & Julie, Obsessions, Blue Movie, Pastoral 1943
- Limited Edition Slipcase with New artwork design by Juan Esteban R.
- Reversible Sleeve with new and original poster art

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A MOMENT OF ROMANCE (1990) Radiance Films Blu-ray Review + Screenshots

June 16, 2025, 6:35 pm
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A MOMENT OF ROMANCE (1990) 
Standard Blu-ray Version 

Label: Radiance Films 
Region Code: A,B
Rating: Unrated 
Duration: 92 Minutes 17 Seconds 
Audio: Japanese PCM 2.0 with Optional English Subtitles 
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1) 
Director: Benny Chan, Johnnie To
Cast: Aaron Kwok, Andy Lau, Jacklyn Wu, Kwong Leung Wong, Ng Man-tat

A Moment of Romance (1990), directed by Benny Chan, is a star-crossed romance film channeled through the a bloody Honk Kong action flick, concerning small-time triad hood  Wah Dee (Andy Lau, Infernal Affairs) who is enlisted by Triad boss Trumpet (Tommy Wong, The Killer) as the getaway driver for a daring jewelry store heist. The heist doesn't go quite as planned when the cops unexpectedly stumble upon the robbery in progress, but the quick thinking Wah Dee distracts the cops so his pals can get away, and to evade capture himself when cornered he ends up taking a sweet and naive teenager named Jo Jo (Jacklyn Chien-Lien Wu, The Barefooted Kid) hostage, However, when he shows up at the rendezvous point the boss orders her to be killed, no witnesses, but Dee refuses. What transpires is a star-crossed forbidden relationship between hood and the well-off ten, the predicament they find themselves in making a target  of not only the triad, but the cops, who are looking to pin the jewelry heist on Wah Dee and Trumpet, the pair evading the cops but also the bloodthirsty Trumpet. 

Produced by Johnnie To (Throwdown) and Ringo Lam (City on Fire) the film is directed by Benny Chan, who is making was feature film directorial debut here, and what a debut it is. It's action packed, raw but pretty slick looking, packed with action on the neon lit streets of Hong Kong with plenty of HK slow-motion sequences, vehicular carnage and street racing, shocking moments of up close and personal violence and a nihilistic finale that will leave you breathless by the end.  


Audio/Video: A Moment of Romance arrives on blu-ray from Radiance Film in 1080p HD, framed in 1.85:1 widescreen,advertised as being sourced from a 4K restoration of the film from the original camera negative. It looks solid, there's some rough edges to the original lensing, but generally this is looks terrific. The source is in wonderful shape, colors looks accurate and skin tones fare well. There's slight brown lean to the image, but overall, no issues, and there's plenty of texture and detail to the image. Audio comes by way of Cantonese PCM 2.0 with optional English subtitles. The track sounds fine, it's not overly dynamic, but the score, soundtrack, dialogue and moments of action all fare well in the mix, and its clean without any age-related wear or tear that I detected.

This release includes a solid set bonus content, we get the 26-min In Love and Danger: HK Cinema Through A Moment of Romance - A new visual essay by critic and Asian cinema expert David Desser on the genre tropes in A Moment of Romance and their use in Hong Kong cinema (2023); another terrific Audio commentary by Asian cinema expert Frank Djeng who is animated, fact-filled, and entertaining. He gets into the production, how this is Chan;s directorial debut, how the film was meant to be a sort of retirement fund for director Wong Tim-Lam, and of course, loaded with anecdotes about the film, cast and crew. We also get a 22-min Archival audio interview with Benny Chan who discusses his start in the industry, A Moment of Romance, and his collaborators on the film (2016), plus a 4-min Trailer. 

The single-disc standard edition release arrives in a clear keepcase with a two-sided, non-reversible sleeve of artwork, the reverse side featuring an advert for Radiance Films. The film is also available from radiance Films as a Limited Edition of 3000 pieces release, which also includes a Reversible Wrap, Booklet and Removable Obi-Strip, but the same A/V and disc extras. 

Special Features: 
- In Love and Danger: HK Cinema Through A Moment of Romance - A new visual essay by critic and Asian cinema expert David Desser on the genre tropes in A Moment of Romance and their use in Hong Kong cinema (2023) (25:59) 
- Audio commentary by Asian cinema expert Frank Djeng
- Trailer (4:10) 
- Archival audio interview with Benny Chan who discusses his start in the industry, A Moment of Romance, and his collaborators on the film (2016) (21:22) 


Screenshots from the Radiance Films Blu-ray: 






































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Second Sight Films announces Demián Rugna’s When Evil Lurks is set for release on Dual Limited Edition and Standard Editions 4K/UHD and Blu-ray on 7/28

June 18, 2025, 5:33 am
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WHEN EVIL LURKS


Beware, When Evil Lurks is set to stake its claim on your shelf forever, as Second Sight Films announces that the shockingly disturbing film is the latest cult horror gem to get the Limited Edition treatment.

Demián Rugna’s devastatingly terrifying Argentinian horror had everyone talking on its World premiere and has garnered awards galore including Best Film at Sitges Film Festival, Best International Film at Fangoria Chainsaw Awards and a double win at Gérardmer Film Festival – the Audience Award and Critics Award.

When Evil Lurks certainly lurked in the minds of critics and audiences alike too,  with Dumdums stating it’s ‘One of the most disturbing movies you'll EVER see’ and The Geek Show declared it ‘A powerhouse of a possession film, cementing Demián Rugna further as an absolute master of horror in the making’ and praise continued from The Cosmic Circus who said it ‘Defiantly crosses several lines even the most twisted of films in the genre wouldn’t dare step over… has the makings of a new high-mark for horror, for those who can stomach it at least’.

The wicked When Evil Lurks Limited Edition is now set for release on 28 July 2025 and is presented in a stunning rigid slipcase with brand new artwork and is presented in dual format edition including both UHD and Blu-ray with main feature and bonus features on both discs and a slew of special features including brand-new interviews, a new commentary and a new video essay and more please see full listing on attached. Separate Standard Edition 4K/UHD and Blu-ray versions will also be available on the same date.

Dare you pay a visit to the small Argentinian town plagued by a demon that’s possessing the locals and causing unimaginable fear and destruction wherever it goes?

The dark and chilling gorefest follows a devastating trail of terror, wreaked by a malevolent force on course to destroy a whole town. Two brothers – played in jaw-dropping performances by Ezequiel Rodríguez and Demián Salomón – accidently become embroiled with a possessed local man and are sucked headlong in to a fearsome fight against evil that knows no bounds. They are prepared to risk everything to try and stop this evil, beyond their wildest fears, from destroying those they love and humanity itself.

When Evil Lurks Limited Edition 4K/UHD and Blu-ray Box set is a brilliant, brutal, boundary-breaking horror you’re guaranteed to want in your possession.


Special Features
• Dual format edition including both UHD and Blu-ray with main feature and bonus features 
on both discs
• UHD presented in HDR with Dolby Vision produced by Second Sight Films 
• New audio commentary by Gabriel Eljaiek-Rodriguez
• It Was Always There: a new interview with director Demián Rugna
• Tragedy is Inevitable: a new interview with actor Ezequiel Rodríguez
• We Made a Movie: a new interview with actor Demián Salomón
• Stripped to the Bone: a new interview with actor Virginia Garófalo
• Terror and the Unknown in When Evil Lurks: a video essay by Mike Muncer
Limited Edition Contents
• Rigid slipcase with new artwork by Chris Berning
• 120-page book with new essays by Anton Bitel, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, Meagan Navarro, 
Dan Schindel, Rocco Thompson and Heather Wixson
• Behind the scenes gallery and storyboard comparisons
• Six collectors' art cards

Title: When Evil Lurks Limited Edition 4K/UHD Blu-ray 
Release Date: 28 July 2025
Cat.No.: 2NDBR4254 
Running Time: 100 mins 
Cert: 18 
Region: Free

Title: When Evil Lurks Standard Blu-ray 
Release Date: 28 July 2025
Cat.No.: 2NDBR4255 
Running Time: 100 mins
Cert: 18 
Region: Free

Title: When Evil Lurks Standard 4K UHD 
Release Date: 28 July 2025
Cat.No.: 2NDBR4256 
Running Time: 100 mins
Cert: 18 
Region: Free

 


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SEVERIN FILMS New June Releases: Classic Quartet of Italian Gothic Horror Films

June 20, 2025, 10:44 am
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SEVERIN UNVEILS NEW QUARTET OF ITALIAN GOTHIC HORROR CLASSICS WITH DANZA MACABRA VOLUME FOUR ON UHD & BLU-RAY

Release Showcases 4 Uncut/Uncensored Worldwide UHD Premieres, 

Plus 12+ Combined Hours of Special Features, Soundtrack CD & More

Severin Films conjures candelabras, crypts and cobwebs – and again summons definitive presentations of four Italian Gothic Horror classics – with DANZA MACABRA VOLUME FOUR: THE ITALIAN GOTHIC COLLECTION featuring TERROR-CREATURES FROM THE GRAVE, NIGHT OF THE DAMNED, THE DEVIL’S WEDDING NIGHT and BABA YAGA, available in both an 11-disc UHD or 7-disc Blu-ray collection.

Queen of Italian Horror Barbara Steele stars in Massimo Pupillo’s grisly TERROR-CREATURES FROM THE GRAVE, presented in both its U.S. and Italian versions. Director Filippo Walter Ratti melds classic gothic tropes with explicit ‘70s sexuality in NIGHT OF THE DAMNED. Mark Damon and Rosalba Neri consummate the ultimate Satanic mayhem in THE DEVIL’S WEDDING NIGHT from director Luigi Batzella and cinematographer/2nd unit director Joe D’Amato. And Hollywood legend Carroll Baker stars in Corrado Farina’s pop art erotic shocker BABA YAGA that includes the first-ever CD release of a Piero Umiliani soundtrack compilation. All four films have been scanned in 4K from their original camera negatives with more than 12 hours of new & archival Special Features curated exclusively for this collection.

Pre-orders for both the UHD and Blu-ray box sets of DANZA MACABRA VOLUME FOUR begin today at www.SeverinFilms.com


TERROR-CREATURES FROM THE GRAVE

“AN ITALIAN GOTHIC TREAT…

This thriller has all the right ingredients: atmospheric locations, severed crawling hands and Barbara Steele in a bathtub.”
- Horror News   

WORLDWIDE UHD PREMIERE 

After decades of murky transfers and cut prints, this “scary” (At the Mansion of Madness), “impressive” (Rock! Shock! Pop!) and “haunting” (Surgeons of Horror) favorite starring The Queen of Italian Horror Barbara Steele comes to UHD and Blu-ray fully uncut for the first time ever: Deep within the cursed villa of a dead spiritualist, the legacy of the Black Plague will unleash a torrent of madness, murder and the vengeance of the undead. Walter Brandi (SLAUGHTER OF THE VAMPIRES), Riccardo Garrone (LA DOLCE VITA) and Luciano Pigozzi (CASTLE OF THE LIVING DEAD) co-star in this “damn creepy and surprisingly brutal” (Scream Magazine) chiller directed by Massimo Pupillo (BLOODY PIT OF HORROR) – in both its U.S. and Italian versions featuring multiple different death scenes – newly scanned in 4K from the original camera negative with nearly 3 hours of Special Features including a selected scene commentary with Ms. Steele.

Special Features for TERROR-CREATURES FROM THE GRAVE:
Disc 1: UHD (Film + Special Features)
·  Audio Commentary With Rod Barnett Of NaschyCast And The Bloody Pit, And Dr. Adrian Smith, Co-Author Of Norman J. Warren: Gentleman of Terror
·  Trailer
Disc 2: Blu-ray (Film + Special Features)
·  Audio Commentary With Rod Barnett Of NaschyCast And The Bloody Pit, And Dr. Adrian Smith, Co-Author Of Norman J. Warren: Gentleman of Terror
Disc 3: Blu-ray (Special Features)
·  Grave Secrets – Featurette With Director Massimo Pupillo, Actor Riccardo Garrone And Film Historian Fabio Melelli
·  Selected Scene Commentary With Actress Barbara Steele And Barbara Steele Archivist Russ Lanier
·  Grave Influence – Video Essay By Matt Rogerson, Author Of The Vatican Versus Horror Movies
·  The Original Boutique Video Label – Film Critic Alan Jones On Vampix
·  Italian Trailer
·  U.S. Trailer

Feature Specs for TERROR-CREATURES FROM THE GRAVE:
Runtime: 90 mins (Italian Cut), 85 mins (U.S. Cut)
Audio: Italian Cut: Italian Mono, Partial English Mono / English Subtitles, Closed Captions
U.S. Cut: English Mono / Closed Captions
Region: Region Free
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
UHD: HDR10 

NIGHT OF THE DAMNED

“A MACABRE MELD OF SEX AND DEATH…

‘70s Italian gothic horror that hits the right notes when it comes to style and mood.”
- At the Mansion of Madness

WORLDWIDE UHD & BLU-RAY PREMIERE

One of the most obscure – and badly bootlegged – shockers of the Italian gothic genre is now restored uncut and uncensored in UHD and Blu-ray for the first time ever: When a mystery-solving journalist (Pierre Brice of MILL OF THE STONE WOMEN) and his wife (Patrizia Viotti of AMUCK!) are summoned to the creepy castle of a dying friend, they’ll find themselves trapped in a nightmare of ancestral curses, modern witchcraft and demonic sapphic carnage, much of which proved too extreme even for Italian censors. Angela De Leo (JULIETTE DE SADE) co-stars in this “memorably bizarre” (Euro Fever) blend of classic gothic tropes and ‘70s sexual insanity directed by Filippo Walter Ratti (MONDO EROTICO), scanned in 4K from the original camera negative with 2+ hours of Special Features that include newly discovered Satanic Orgy Outtakes. 

Special Features for NIGHT OF THE DAMNED:
Disc 4: UHD (Film + Special Features)
·  Audio Commentary With Rod Barnett And Troy Guinn, Film Historians/Co-Hosts Of NaschyCast
·  Trailer

Disc 5: Blu-ray (Film + Special Features)
·  Audio Commentary With Rod Barnett And Troy Guinn, Film Historians/Co-Hosts Of NaschyCast
·  In The Castle Of Saint Lambert – Interview With Film Historian Fabio Melelli
·  The Desired And The Damned – Video Essay By Matt Rogerson, Author Of The Vatican Versus Horror Movies
·  Satanic Orgy Outtakes
·  Trailer

Feature Specs for NIGHT OF THE DAMNED:
Runtime: 87 mins
Audio: English Mono, Italian Mono / Closed Captions, English Subtitles
Region: Region Free
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
UHD: HDR


THE DEVIL’S WEDDING NIGHT

“A PERFECT GOTHIC HORROR EXPERIENCE…

Just about every gothic hallmark fans revere is here, and they are executed exquisitely.”
- At the Mansion of Madness

WORLDWIDE UHD PREMIERE

An over-the-top performance by co-writer/star Mark Damon (BLACK SABBATH) in a dual role. A career-best Rosalba Neri (LADY FRANKENSTEIN) as a bisexual vampire queen. Lurid direction by Luigi Batzella (THE BEAST IN HEAT) with startling imagery by cinematographer/second unit director Joe D’Amato (BEYOND THE DARKNESS). A “truly trippy cult favorite” (DVD Drive-In) with “a bounty of babes and blood” (10K Bullets) restored uncut and uncensored on UHD and Blu-ray for the first time ever: When an 18th century scholar (Damon) discovers the location of a mythical ring, he and his rogue twin (also Damon) race to Dracula’s castle where they are seduced by a depraved Countess (Neri). But who will survive her ultimate ceremony of the damned? Xiro Papas (FRANKENSTEIN’S CASTLE OF FREAKS) co-stars in this “Italian exploitation horror classic” (DVD Beaver), now scanned in 4K from the original camera negative with 2+ hours of Special Features.

Special Features for THE DEVIL’S WEDDING NIGHT: 
Disc 6: UHD (Film + Special Features)
·  Audio Commentary With Martyn Conterio, Author Of Black Sunday, And Kat Ellinger, Author Of Daughters Of Darkness
·  Italian Trailer
·  U.S. Trailer


Disc 7: Blu-ray (Film + Special Features)
·  Audio Commentary With Martyn Conterio, Author Of Black Sunday, And Kat Ellinger, Author Of Daughters Of Darkness
·  Countess Rosalba – Interview With Star Rosalba Neri
·  The Wedding Guest – Interview With Cinematographer Aristide Massaccesi (aka Joe D'Amato)
·  The Wedding Tale – Interview With Producer Franco Gaudenzi
·  An Open Letter To Rosalba Neri's T*ts – Video Essay By Dr. Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, Author Of 1000 Women In Horror, 1895-2018
·  Italian Trailer
·  U.S. Trailer

Feature Specs for THE DEVIL’S WEDDING NIGHT: 
Runtime: 84 mins
Audio: English Mono, Italian Mono / Closed Captions, English Subtitles
Region: Region Free
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
UHD: HDR10 


BABA YAGA

“WILD ITALIAN SEX/HORROR MADNESS…

A groovy mood piece that mixes gothic horror and glossy S&M for an experience unlike any other.”
- Mondo Digital

WORLDWIDE UHD PREMIERE

It’s been called “achingly beautiful” (DVD Talk), “twisted and trippy” (Rock! Shock! Pop!) and “an unforgettable, joyous ride” (Sex Gore Mutants). Now the gothic erotic classic from writer/director Corrado Farina (THEY HAVE CHANGED THEIR FACE) based on the S&M fumetto by Guido Crepax is presented in UHD for the first time ever: Academy Award® nominee Carroll Baker (BABY DOLL, ORGASMO) stars as the titular witch who seduces a swinging photographer (French model/singer Isabelle De Funès) into a maelstrom of sexual obsession, pop art perversity, and some of the most uniquely unnerving images in the entire genre. Luigi Montefiori (ANTHROPOPHAGOUS) co-stars in “the sexy ‘70s film that attacks a dozen major fetishes in 83 minutes” (Screen Anarchy) newly scanned in 4K from the original camera negative, with the first-ever release of a soundtrack compilation by Piero Umiliani plus over 4 hours of revealing audio commentaries, interviews, short films and more.

Special Features for BABA YAGA: 
Disc 8: UHD (Film + Special Features)
·  Audio Commentary With Emma Westwood, Editor Of Bride Of Frankenstein, And Film Scholar Sally Christie
·  Trailer

Disc 9: Blu-ray (Film + Special Features)
·  Audio Commentary With Emma Westwood, Editor Of Bride Of Frankenstein, And Film Scholar Sally Christie
·  Farina And Valentina – Interview With Director Corrado Farina
·  Valentina, BABA YAGA And Dad – Interview With Film Critic Alberto Farina, Son Of Corrado Farina
·  The Milan Witch Project – Interview With Actor Luigi Montefiori
·  A Filmmaking Friendship – Interview With Editor/Co-Screenwriter Giulio Berruti
·  Trailer

Disc 10: Blu-ray (Special Features)
·  The Gaze Bewitched – Video Essay By Dr. Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, Author Of The Cinema Coven: Witches, Witchcraft And Women's Filmmaking
·  Short Village Magazine Interview With Corrado Farina And Alberto Farina
·  Alternate/Extended Scenes
·  Photo Gallery
·  Comic Book Comparisons
Corrado Farina Short Films
·  FREUD IN COLOR (1970)
·  SCIENCE FICTION IS US (1970)
·  IT WAS CALLED EARTH (1963)

Disc 11: Quattro Di Umiliani Soundtrack Compilation CD

Feature Specs for BABA YAGA: 
Runtime: 83 mins
Audio: English Mono, Italian Mono / Closed Captions, English Subtitles
Region: Region Free
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
UHD: HDR10






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THE EPITAPH VOL. 99 - BRIEF REMEMBRANCES THE RECENTLY RELEASED - STUDIO BACK CATALOG EDITION!

June 21, 2025, 6:52 am
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THE EPITAPH VOL. 99

LA VIE EN ROSE (2007) - LEAN ON ME (1989) - MYSTERY STREET (1959) - RHAPSODY IN BLUE (1945) - THREE COMRADES (1938) - LOVER COME BACK (1961) - THE PUSHER (1960) - FATAL BEAUTY (1987) 


LA VIE EN ROSE (2007) - Extended Version Blu-ray 

Label: Warner Archive 
Region Code: Region-Free 
Rating: PG-13
Duration: 140 Minutes 39 Seconds 
Audio: French DTS-HD MA 2.0 Dual-Mono with Optional English Subtitles 
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (2.39:1) 
Director: Olivier Dahan
Cast: Marion Cotillard, Emmanuelle Seigner, Gerard Depardieu

A lush, bleak and nonlinear biopic of the legendary French singer Édith Piaf, played by Marion Cotillard (A Very Long Engagement) is a devastating and quite dour accounting of the immortal French singer, an unflinching true story that tracks her tragic life from the tough streets of being raised in a brothel by her grandmother, early career as a cabaret singer, and her rise to stardom, a life and career marked my personal tragedy, love lost, and crippling alcohol and morphine addiction. It's a wonderful film, bt also deeply sad and tragic, punctuated by professional high and persona lows. The lensing is stunning, the Oscar-winning make-up effects used to age Cotillard for Piaf;s later life are stunning, and the warsta dn all approach to the biopic is enthralling, if deeply, deeply saddening. This comes highly recommended, the Blu-ray looks and sounds wonderful, and while the extras are archival-only slim, the presentation alone is worth a purchase. 

Special Features: 
- Featurette: Stepping Into Character (7:18) 
- Theatrical Trailer (2:04) 
- Song Selection 

Buy it!
Physical Media Land - use code: MOVIEDEAL at checkout to get 5% off your entire order! 


LEAN ON ME (1989) 
Blu-ray 

Label: Warner Archive
Region Code: Region-Free 
Rating: R
Duration: 108 Minutes 54 Seconds 
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 2.0 Dual-Mono with Optional English Subtitles 
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1) 
Director: John G. Avildsen
Cast: Morgan Freeman, Beverly Todd, Robert Guillaume

Lean on Me (`989) is the true story of high school principal Joe Clark (Morgan Freeman, Se7en) who after being tasked with cleaning-up the drug-addled and graffiti covered Eastdale High in Paterson, New Jersey. While he's brought in to save the school, he takes some hard-line and tyrannical approach to get it dione, tossing out those he deems incorrigible, chained the doors to keep troublemakers out, and carrying around a Louisville Slugger, dubbing himself "The Bat-Man". his unorthodox and bullying approach doesn't exactly win everyone over, but the results speak for themselves, with one irate parent, Leona Barett (Lynne Thigpen, The Warriors), making it her mission to bring him down. Horror fans take note, we get Candyman's Tony Todd as Clark's no-nonsense Dean of Security William Wright, Dean of Security - it's a smaller role, but it is always great to see the great-late Tony Todd, especially one that's pre-Candyman! It took forever for this one to get a Blu-ray, but warner Archive have delivered a stellar A/V presentation, too bad we only get a Trailer, and no other extras. 

Special Features: 
- Original Theatrical Trailer (1:28) 

Buy it!
Physical Media Land - use code: MOVIEDEAL at checkout to get 5% off your entire order! 


MYSTERY STREET (1950) 
Blu-ray 

Label: Warner Archive 
Region Code: Region-Free 
Rating: Unrated 
Duration: 93 Minutes 13 Seconds 
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 2.0 Dual-Mono with Optional English Subtitles 
Video: 1080p HD Fullscreen (1.37:1) 
Director: John Sturgess 
Cast: Ricardo Montalban, Sally Forrest, Jan Sterling, Bruce Bennett

In the John Sturgess (Bad Day at Black Rock) directed noit-tinged thriller  Mystery Street (1950) floozy lounge-singer Vivian Heldon (Jan Sterling, Caged!) picks up a very drunk Henry Shanway (Marshall Thompson, It! The Terror from Beyond Space) and asks for a ride in his car. She ends up driving sixty miles outside of town and when he demands that she return tot he city she dumps him on the side of the road and stealing his car, continuing in to meet her sugar-daddy James Harkley (Edmond Ryan, Storm Warning) on a secluded stretch of road, where he shoots her dead, buying her in the sand dunes and dumping Henry's car in the river.  Months later Vivian;s skeletonized remains are found in the desert by a birdwatcher, Lt. Peter Morales (Ricardo Montalban, Border Incident), a Boston police detective is assigned to the case, and he seeks the help of Harvard forensic scientist Dr. McAdoo (Bruce Bennett, The Alligator People) to help identify the remains, which he does by superimposing images of people reported missing over images of the deceased woman. he also says that smaller bones found with her skeleton indicate she was preggers at the time she was killed. When the car soon after discovered in the river it doesn't take long before Morales puts two and two together, Henry was the last one seen with the dead woman, and now he's the main suspect in her death, circumstantial though it may be. Meanwhile Vivian;s nos landlady  Mrs. Smerrling (Elsa Lanchester, The Bride of Frankenstein) figures out who the real killer is and puts forth an ill-fated  blackmail attempt. This is a top-notch thriller, ightly directed by legendary Sturgess and lensed with some nice shadowy noir vibes by cinematographer John Alton (The Amazing Mr. X), this is a gem that will please fans of crime thrillers, murder mysteries and noir, and I loved the melodrama of it all and the seemingly early crime forensics of it all. As usual Warner Archive knock it out of the park with a gorgeous monochromatic 4K restoration sourced from the best available preservation elements, that looks and sounds terrific, and we get some solid archival extras, especially the Audio Commentary by Alain Silver and Elizabeth Ward. 

Special Features: 
- Audio Commentary by Alain Silver and Elizabeth Ward
- Featurette Murder At Harvard (4:54) 
- Classic MGM Cartoons: Little Quacker (7:11)  and Tom and Jerry in the Hollywood Bowl (7:26) 
 - Original Theatrical Trailer (2:24) 

Buy it!
Physical Media Land - use code: MOVIEDEAL at checkout to get 5% off your entire order! 

RHAPSODY IN BLUE 
(1945) Blu-ray 

Label: Warner Archive 
Region Code: Region-Free 
Rating: Unrated 
Duration: 161 Minutes 21 Seconds 
Audio:  English DTS-HD MA 2.0 Dual-Mono with Optional English Subtitles 
Video: 1080p HD Fullscreen (1.37:1) 
Director: Irving Rapper
Cast:  Robert Alda, Alexis Smith, Joan Leslie, Oscar Levant

The epic and somewhat fictionalized George Gershwin biopic Rhapsody in Blue (1945) stars Robert Alda (The Beast with Five Fingers) as one of the all-time American great composers. tracking his life from his humble beginning, a young man obsessed with music, and who finds success in his teens after penning his first big hit "Swanee," after it caught the ear of introduced Al Jolson (playing himself) who brings it to Broadway where it becomes a smash hit. Gershwin collaborates with hsi  lyricist brother, Ira (Herbert Rudley), and the two make hit after hit, but he's always looking for some new avenues of musical expression, and had a yearning to compose something more artistic and less pop, which he eventually achieves with "Rhapsody in Blue,"  in 1924. it's a terrific biopic, a bit long, they try to cram in a lot and even still gloss over quite a bit, but at the end of the day this is an engaging music biopic. The film has been lovingly remastered from 4K scans of nitrate materials, restoring over 12 minutes of footage never-before-seen by the general public, and the overture of Gershwin melodies which only accompanied the film during its New York and Hollywood premiere engagements. The only extras are a Trailer and the ability to jump to certain songs, but the restoration is quite lovely and the film is wonderful. 

Special Features: 
- Original Theatrical Trailer (2:19) 
- Song Selection 

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Physical Media Land - use code: MOVIEDEAL at checkout to get 5% off your entire order! 


THREE COMRADES (1938) 
Blu-ray 

Label: Warner Archive 
Region Code: Region-Free 
Rating: Unrated 
Duration: 98 Minutes 55 Seconds 
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 2.0 Dual-Mono with Optional English Subtitles 
Video: 1080p HD Fullscreen (1.37:1) 
Director: Frank Borzage
Cast: Robert Taylor, Margaret Sullavan, Franchot Tone, Robert Young

At the end of WWI German soldiers Erich Lohkamp (Robert Taylor, The Night Walker), Otto Koster (Franchot Tone, Mutiny on the Bounty), and Gottfried Lenz (Robert Young, The Mortal Storm) return to their hometown to star-up a mechanic's shop. They meet the lovely Pat Hollmann (Margaret Sullavan, The Shining Hour), a former aristocrat turned pauper, while she is in the company of the wealthy businessman Franz Breuer (Lionel Atwill,Doctor X), and once it's noted that she is not dating him, she and Erich strike up a lovely romance, and they marry. Pat keeps from him that she had tuberculosis, and while on their honeymoon her illness comes on heavy, and she is told she must rest and convalesce in a sanitarium, and that her condition is life threatening. A very character driven flick with plenty of melorama around Erich feelings of societal inadequacy, and Pat's frail health. The three brothers all clearly love Pat, but not in a a sexual way, for two of them anyway, but they are all drawn to her radiant personality, and the film sort of centers around her. There's also a subplot involving 
Gottfried joining a pacifist anti-nationalist group which puts him at odds with the growing nationalist movement, which result in tragedy, and two of the brothers embarking on a revenge mission, which sort of feels slightly at odds with the rest of the film to be honest. Nonetheless, and engaging melodrama that still works it's magic, I had some tears in my eyes during the final minutes of this one. The one real slight against might be the American actors make not attempt to feign a German accent even, and the end result is that it does not feel very German, heck they don't even mention the Nazimovement which is in the background, but still, as a tragic melodrama this delivered the good. 

Special Features: 
- MGM Shorts: How To Raise A Baby (3:02) and The Face Behind the Mask (10:46) 
- Original Theatrical Trailer(3:26) 

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Physical Media Land - use code: MOVIEDEAL at checkout to get 5% off your entire order! 

LOVER COME BACK 
(1961)

Label: Universal Pictures 
Region Code: Region-Free 
Rating: Unrated 
Duration: 106 Minutes 52 Seconds 
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 2.0 Dual-Mono with Optional English Subtitles 
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1) 
Director: Delbert Mann 
Cast: Rock Hudson, Doris Day, Tony Randall, Edie Adams, Jack Oakie

You will never be disappointed by a rom-com team-up of Rock Hudson and Doris Day, and the Delbert Mann (Marty) directed comedy Lover Come Back (1961) is an absolute delight. Here we have Jerry Webster (Rock Hudson, Pillow Talk) and Carol Templeton (Doris Day, Send Me Know Flowers) are rival Madison Avenue advertising executives, he's skirt-chasing boozer with charm to spare while she;s a very straight-laced and driven modern gal with principals, and when he steals a client out from under her she sets out to infiltrate his mysterious new product campaign, something called "VIP", and steal away the scientist behind the product, but it's a phony product, and the story behind that is a comedy into itself. Never having seen Webster before she mistakes him for the scientist Linus Tyler and sets out to woo him away, and he plays along, and much rom-com hilarity ensues. The film also co-stars the always delightful Tony Randall (The Odd Couple) as the owner of the ad agency that Webster works for. This is the best sort of farcical rom-com fluff, and it still has plenty of charm, and I love the risqué humor and double-innuendo of it all. Additionally, it looks gorgeous, it was shot in Eastmancolor and it looks dazzling on Blu-ray from MGM. 

Special Features:
- Theatrical Trailer (2:32) 

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Physical Media Land - use code: MOVIEDEAL at checkout to get 5% off your entire order! 

THE PUSHER 
(1960) 

Label: MGM 
Region Code: Region-Free 
Rating: Unrated 
Duration: 82 Minutes 14 Seconds 
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 2.0 Dual-Mono with Optional English Subtitles 
Video: 1080p HD Fullscreen (1.85:1) 
Director: Gene Milford
Cast: Kathy Carlyle, Douglas F. Rodgers, Felice Orlandi, Robert Lansing, Sara Aman, Sloan Simpson, Beatrice Pons, Jim Boles, Ernesto Gonzalez, John Fostini

The Pusher (1960), adapted from Ed McBain’s 1956 novel, is a seedy crime thriller directed by Gene Milford (Wait Until Dark), wherein a hard-boiled New York City detective Lieutenant Peter Byrne (Douglas Rodgers, Never love A Stranger) and his partner, Detective Steve Carella (Robert Lansing, The Nest) investigate the overdose of young Puerto Rican man, which is made to look like a suicide by hanging but turns out to be a murder objected to a drug-dealing hood named "Gonzo” (Felice Orlandi, Killer's Kiss), and things hit close to home for both detectives, as  Byrne's daughter Laura (Kathy Carlyle, When Hell broke Loose), who is engaged to Carella, is a secret heroin-junkie who gets her smack from Gonzo. A terrifically seedy film that gives us a tour of the low-rent areas of Bronx-area NYC, the streets are filthy, the people are shady, and the drugs are easy to get. Not as stylish or hard shadowed as a earlier true noirs, but still a striking and engaging crime flick full of seedy atmosphere and grit, and a smarmy and deadly street-smart villain that really made the film for me. The MGM Blu-ray looks excellent and sounds great, sadly no extras, but a solid catalog release of a surprisingly frank drug flick for this era, Laura's withdrawal scenes are pretty edgy for it;s time. 

Special Features:
- None

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FATAL BEAUTY (1987) 

Label: MGM 
Region Code: Region-Free 
Rating: R
Duration: 104 Minutes 15 Seconds 
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 2.0 Stereo with Optional English Subtitles 
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1)
Director: Tom Holland 
Cast: Whoopi Goldberg, Sam Elliott, Ruben Blades, Harris Yulin, Jennifer Warren

Fatal beauty (1987), directed by Tom Holland (Fright Night) is an action-comedy very much in the vein of Beverly Hills Cop, wherein Whoopi Goldberg (The Color Purple) plays L.A.P.D. detective Rita Rizzoli, who is trying to clean the street of drugs, and a new synthetic drug called "Lethal Beauty" has hit the streets of Los Angeles, with deadly results. The drug kingpin behind it is Conrad Kroll (Harris Yulin, Night Moves), but he's a high-powered figure and she's already in hot-water with her her superior Lieutenant Kellerman (John P. Ryan,It's Alive) after having botched a previous bust. She's aided by her partner Detective Carl Jimenez (Rubén Blades, Predator 2) and finds an unlikely ally and semi love-interest by way of Kroll's bodyguard Mike Marshak (Sam Elliott, The Legacy) who teams-up with her to take out rival drug dealers who have stolen a tainted batch of Kroll's new drug. The mix of humor and cop grit don't always mix well, Beverly Hills Cop blended it better, but this is still an entertaining action-comedy, Goldberg gives a solid turn her, she's funny and acerbic, but also gets some surprisingly emotional sequences, and her chemistry with Elliot is enjoyable. The flick was previously issued on blu-ray by olive Films, this MGM Blu-ray is barebones, not even carrying over the trailer from the Olive release, but it looks solid and the action sequences sound pretty dang robust.   

Special Features:
- None

Buy it!
Physical Media Land - use code: MOVIEDEAL at checkout to get 5% off your entire order! 

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GATE OF FLESH (1988) 88 Films Blu-ray Screenshots

June 22, 2025, 10:07 am
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GATE OF FLESH (1988) 
Label: 88 Films
Region Code: A,B
Rating: Unrated 
Duration: 118 Minutes 58 Seconds 
Audio: Japanese PCM 2.0 Dual-Mono with Optional English Subtitles 
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1) 
Director: Hideo Gosha
Cast: Rino Katase, Yuko Natori, Tsunehiko Watase, Miyuki Kano, Jinpachi Nezu, Kazuyo Matsui, Senri Yamazaki, Shinsuke Ashida, Seizo Fukumoto, Mach Fumiake, Masataka Naruse, Masaru Shiga, Akira Shioji, Jeremy Blaustein

In the shell-shocked, rubble-strewn wasteland of postwar Tokyo during the Allied Occupation, a group of prostitutes band to together to form a makeshift guild with the aim of pooling their resources to build a dancehall called Paradise. As their independent existence becomes threatened by the hawkish parade of gangsters, black marketeers and would-be pimps all looking for a cut from their flesh-peddling, the discovery of an unexploded bomb in the cavernous burned-out building where they ply their trade throws their dreams into further jeopardy.

Hideo Gosha (Yakuza Wives, Violent Streets) brings a fresh eye to this oft-filmed story by Taijiro Tamura, best known from its 1964 adaptation by Seijun Suzuki, resulting in a powerful and compelling drama making its home premiere for the very first time outside of Japan courtesy of 88 Films.

Audio/Video: REVIEW COMING SOON!


Special Features: 
- Audio Commentary by Amber T. and Jasper Sharp 
- Brand New Filmed Introduction by Earl Jackson (22:09) 
- Exclusive Interview with Toei Tattoo Artist Seiji Mouri (11:33) 
- Trailer (1:53)  
- Teaser (0:52) 
- Stills Gallery (3:20) 
- Original and Newly Commissioned Artwork by Ilan Sheady 
- Limited Edition Booklet 
- Limited edition Individually Numbered Obi Strip 

Sales Points
- From Japanese New Wave maestro, Hideo Gosha (THREE OUTLAW SAMURAI, THE WOLVES, ONIMASA)
- First time on Blu-ray
- The Japanese 'Pink Film' is a breakout genre similar to Italian Gialli and this is one of the best
- Classic Japanese Erotic Thriller for fans of IN THE REALM OF THE SENSES and HENRY AND JUNE

Screenshots from the 88 Films Blu-ray: 






























































Extras: 











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TWO DEFA SCI-FI FILMS BY GOTTFRIED KOLDITZ - SIGNALS: A SPACE ADVENTURE (SIGNALE - EIN WELTRAUMABENTEUER) (1970) + IN THE DUST OF THE STARS (1976) Deaf Crocodile Blu-ray Screenshots

June 26, 2025, 6:12 am
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TWO DEFA SCI-FI FILMS BY GOTTFRIED KOLDITZ - 
SIGNALS: A SPACE ADVENTURE (SIGNALE - EIN WELTRAUMABENTEUER) (1970)  
+ IN THE DUST OF THE STARS (1976) 
2-Disc Blu-ray Set 

SIGNALS: A SPACE ADVENTURE (SIGNALE - EIN WELTRAUMABENTEUER) (1970)  

Label: Deaf Crocodile 
Region Code: A
Rating: Unrated 
Duration: 92 Minutes 6 Seconds 
Audio: German DTS-HD MA 5.1 Surround with Optional English Subtitles 
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen 
Director: Gottfried Kolditz
Cast: Piotr Pawlowski, Gojko Mitic, Karin Ugowski, Alfred Muller, Jana Brejchova, Alfred Struwe, Ekkehard Schall, Regina Heintze


The first and most ambitious of two epic space operas that East German genre director Gottfried Kolditz (1922-1982) made for the state-run DEFA film studios, SIGNALS was DEFA's cheeky attempt to outdo Kubrick's 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY behind the Iron Curtain. The film used many of the same tricks: expansive, visually stunning shots of the cosmos ... gorgeous Futurist space-design with ergonomic chairs, IBM lookalike computers, Mod mini-dresses and "STAR TREK" space uniforms ... even a copycat free-floating in tunnel sequence with a wild electronic Perry-Kingsley type score. The real star here is the breathtaking 70mm cinematography, recently restored in 6K by the Univ. of Massachusetts Amherst / DEFA Film Library for its first-ever world Blu-ray release by Deaf Crocodile. 

Special Features: 
- New aaudio Commentary by film historian - and comics artist (Swamp Thing) Stephen R. Bissette.
- “Other worlds, strange dreams: the East German space operas of director Gottfried Kolditz” - new video essay by film historian Evan Chester. (17:29) 
- Original 1970 Theatrical Trailer (3:15) 

IN THE DUST OF THE STARS (IM STAUB DER STERNE) (1976) 

Label: Deaf Crocodile 
Region Code: A
Rating: Unrated 
Duration: 100 Minutes 7 Seconds 
Audio: German DTS-HD MA 5.1 Surround with Optional English Subtitles 
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.66:1) 
Director: Gottfried Kolditz
Cast: Piotr Pawlowski, Gojko Mitic, Karin Ugowski, Alfred Muller, Jana Brejchova, Alfred Struwe, Ekkehard Schall, Regina Heintze

Who could possibly resist an insanely groovy mid-1970s East German space opera with an Ennio Morricone-like theme song, a nonstop underground disco where partygoers spritz hallucinogenic mouth-spray, scantily clad super-models voguing in an abstract sculpture garden, tons of silver glam-rock boots and glittery eyeshadow and red leather space-suits, and dialogue like "Thob, I'll upload them to the Lambda channel" and "The Temians are fun people - fun and a little crazy"?! Director Gottfried Kolditz's delirious gem of Socialist eye-candy is set in the future where a team of cosmonauts on Spaceship Cynro 19/4 crash land on planet Tem and are forced to have a really good time against their Communist principles boogying down with the local aliens (who are funding their nonstop Studio 54 action by enslaving the planet's Turi workers in underground mines.) Visually, this ranks alongside Mario Bava's PLANET OF THE VAMPIRES as one of the most eye-popping genre treats of the era, with generous helpings of ZARDOZ, "SPACE: 1999," and LOGAN'S RUN thrown in for good measure.

Audio/Video: REVIEW COMING SOON! 

Special Features: 
- New commentary by film historian - and comics artist (Swamp Thing) Stephen R. Bissette.
- Original DEFA trailers for both films.
- Blu-ray authoring by David Mackenzie of Fidelity In Motion.
- New art by Beth Morris.

Sales Points
- For fans of 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, LOGAN'S RUN, SILENT RUNNING, and LIFEFORCE
- First-ever U.S. Blu-ray release for both films.
- Scarcely seen 1970s Euro sci-fi films fresh from Festival Release

Screenshots from the Deaf Crocodile Blu-ray: 

SIGNALS:


































IN THE DUST OF THE STARS 













































Extras: 


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PALINDROMES (2004) Radiance Films Limited Edition Blu-ray Screenshots

June 26, 2025, 6:14 am
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PALINDROMES (2004)
Limited Edition 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray 

Label: Radiance Films
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: Unrated 
Duration: 100 Minutes 26 Seconds 
Audio:  English PCM with Optional English Subtitles 
Video: 2160p Ultra HD Widescreen (1.85:1), 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1) 
Director: Todd Solondz
Cast: Ellen Barkin
Actor: Jennifer Jason Leigh, Alexander Brickel, Matthew Faber, Stephen Adly Guirgis, Angela Pietropinto, Bill Buell, Emani Sledge, Valerie Shusterov, Richard Masur, Hillary B. Smith, Danton Stone, Robert Agri, Hannah Freiman, Stephen Singer, Rachel Corr, Will Denton, Sharon Wilkins, Debra Monk, Walter Bobbie, Tyler Maynard, Sydney Matuszak, David Castro

Ever since she was small, Aviva has desperately wanted a baby. Now a teenager - with thoughts and feelings her well-meaning parents Joyce (Ellen Barkin, Drop Dead Gorgeous) and Steve (Richard Masur, The Thing) don't quite know how to handle - she'll stop at nothing to make that dream a reality. Played by a cast of rotating actors, including Jennifer Jason Leigh (The Hateful Eight) and Sharon Wilkins, Aviva's journey towards motherhood never would run smooth. Bringing his trademark dry wit to another series of taboos, Todd Solondz's portrait of middle-American girlhood interrogates the naivety and hypocrisy of the post-9/11 psyche that continues to shape US public life and policy.

Audio/Video: REVIEW COMING SOON!

Special Features: 
- 4K restoration from the original negative by the Museum of Modern Art approved by writer-director Todd Solondz
- New interview with Todd Solondz by critic Hannah Strong (2025) (26:17) 
- Todd Solondz and His Cinema of Cruelty, a new video essay by critic Lillian Crawford (2025) (11:58)
- Trailer
- Reversible sleeve featuring designs based on original posters
- Limited edition booklet featuring new writing by Bence Bardos, extracts from the original press book, plus archival interviews with Solondz and composer Nathan Larson

Sales Points
- For fans of SORRY TO BOTHER YOU, POOR THINGS, BUT I'M A CHEERLEADER, and IGBY GOES DOWN
- From the director of WELCOME TO THE DOLLHOUSE, WEINER-DOG, and HAPPINESS
- Special Edition packed with newly created bonus features & extensive booklet
- First time on Blu-ray and 4K, newly restored

Screenshots from the Radiance Films Blu-ray: 



































    Extras: 





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THE CATHEDTRAL OF NEW EMOTIONS (2006) Deaf Crocodile Blu-ray Screenshots

June 26, 2025, 6:15 am
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THE CATHEDTRAL OF NEW EMOTIONS (2006) 

Label: Deaf Crocodile
Region Code: A
Rating: Unrated 
Duration: 60 Minutes 37 Seconds 
Audio: German DTS-HD MA 5.1 Surround with Optional English Subtitles 
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.78:1) 
Director: Helmut Herbst

On a shortlist with BELLADONNA OF SADNESS and FANTASTIC PLANET as one of the most surreal, psychedelic and truly cosmic animated features ever made, German director Helmut Herbst's THE CATHEDRAL OF NEW EMOTIONS follows a commune of Berlin stoners and intellectuals who get set adrift in space in 1972 in a packing container clutched in a giant flying hand. Various space flotsam smashes into the windshield - enormous insects, Mighty Mouse, a Bird Man from "Flash Gordon" - while hypnotic Krautrock drones in the background moaning "Where am I??", and a naked man bounces up and down off a massive red pepper. So begins our descent down the psychotic rabbit hole of CATHEDRAL, a true hallucinogenic Space Freakout if there ever was one: imagine Ralph Bakshi animating an R-rated version of John Carpenter's DARK STAR, or the cartoon equivalent of Can's "Ege Bamyasi." The crew spend their days staring into the pulsating light of the fusion reactor wondering about the outcome of the Vietnam War, or bemoaning their sexual inertia. Their descent into moral and political lethargy is interrupted by the arrival of a very attractive young man, Mulligan, who's discovered in their monthly supply shipment from the discount store. Eventually this screwy crew of seriously baked stoners find themselves searching for the enigmatic Matthew Madson, a Yeti-like wild man who may be the mysterious astronaut who first convinced them to embark on their deranged odyssey. Visually the film is like no other, filled with characters morphing into gray fleshy blobs every time they pass a Black Hole, constantly disrobing and attempting to seduce each other (and despite the random nudity, the crewmembers are weirdly androgynous as if genders are meaningless.) One of the rarest tiles in world animation and never before officially released on physical media, CATHEDRAL has been newly restored from the original camera negative and sound elements by Deaf Crocodile. In German with English subtitles.

Audio/Video: REVIEW COMING SOON!

Special Features: 
- Rare animated short film 'Container Interstellar' by Helmut Herbst (2001) (7:20) 
- German TV documentary “Werkinterview Filmkunst: Helmut Herbst” (2013, 25 min., dir. Anja Ellenberger) on Herbst's career as a filmmaker
- New Audo Commentary track by film historian Rolf Giesen
- New video essay by experimental filmmaker and film scholar Stephen Broomer (18:12) 
- Blu-ray authoring by David Mackenzie of Fidelity In Motion
- New art by Beth Morris

Sales Points
- First-ever North American Release
- For fans of FANTASTIC PLANET, DARK STAR and BELLADONNA OF SADNESS
- Newly remastered by Deaf Crocodile Films

Screenshots from the Deaf Crocodile Blu-ray: 
























































Extras: 



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On September 30, 2025, the heart-stopping horror classic Raw Meat (aka Death Line) rides home on 4K UHD + Bluray from Blue Underground!

June 26, 2025, 10:27 am
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RAW MEAT (aka DEATH LINE)

When a prominent politician and a beautiful young woman vanish inside a London subway station, Scotland Yard’s Inspector Calhoun (Donald Pleasence of HALLOWEEN) investigates and makes a horrifying discovery. Not only did a group of 19th century tunnel workers survive a cave-in, but they lived for years in a secret underground enclave by consuming the flesh of their own dead. Now the lone descendant of this grisly tribe has surfaced, prowling the streets for fresh victims… and a new mate.

Norman Rossington (A HARD DAY’S NIGHT), David Ladd (THE WILD GEESE), Sharon Gurney (CRUCIBLE OF HORROR), and the legendary Christopher Lee (HORROR OF DRACULA) also star in this heart-stopping horror classic co-written and directed by Gary Sherman (DEAD & BURIED). Blue Underground is thrilled to present RAW MEAT (also known as DEATH LINE) in a brand-new restoration, scanned in 4K 16-bit from the original uncensored camera negative, with Dolby Vision HDR and a new Dolby Atmos audio mix!

• WORLD PREMIERE! Brand-new 2025 4K restoration from the original uncensored camera negative, presented in Dolby Vision & HDR10 on UHD
• Audio: English Dolby Atmos, 5.1 DTS-HD MA, 1.0 DTS-HD MA; French: 1.0 DTS-HD MA
• Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
• Region Free
• Limited Edition embossed, foil-highlighted slipcover [PICTURED BELOW] and reversible sleeve with alternate DEATH LINE artwork (First Pressing Only)

Disc 1 (4K UHD) Feature Film + Extras:
• Audio Commentary #1 with Co-Writer/Director Gary Sherman, Producer Paul Maslansky, and Assistant Director Lewis More O’Ferrall
• NEW! Audio Commentary #2 with Film Historians Nathaniel Thompson and Troy Howarth 
• Trailers
• TV Spots
• Radio Spots

Disc 2 (Blu-ray) Feature Film + Extras:
• Audio Commentary #1 with Co-Writer/Director Gary Sherman, Producer Paul Maslansky, and Assistant Director Lewis More O’Ferrall
• NEW! Audio Commentary #2 with Film Historians Nathaniel Thompson and Troy Howarth 
• Tales From The Tube – Interview with Co-Writer/Director Gary Sherman and Executive Producers Jay Kanter & Alan Ladd Jr.
• From The Depths – Interview with Star David Ladd and Producer P Paul Maslansky
• Mind The Doors – Interview with Star Hugh Armstrong
• Trailers
• TV Spots
• Radio Spots
• NEWLY EXPANDED! Poster & Still Gallery

Pre-Orders Coming Soon...

RAW MEAT (aka DEATH LINE) Blu-ray and DVD also available on September 30th!






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TERMINUS (1987) MVD Rewind Collector's Edition Blu-ray Screenshots

June 26, 2025, 10:40 am
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TERMINUS (1987) 
Collector's Edition 

Label: MVD Rewind Collection
Region Code: Region-Free 
Rating: Unrated 
Duration: 83 Minutes 44 Seconds (U.S. Version), 105 Minutes 33 Seconds (French Version) 
Audio: English PCM 2.0 (U.S. Version), French PCM 2.O (French Version) with Optional English Subtitles 
Video: U.S. Version - 1080p HD Widescreen (1.78:1), - Extended French Version- 1080p HD Widescreen (1.66:1)  
Director: Pierre-William Glenn
Cast: Karen Allen, Jürgen Prochnow, Johnny Hallyday, Gabriel Damon, Julie Glenn

In the year 2037, the future is in the hands of a genetically engineered boy: Mati (Gabriel Damon, RoboCop 2) a child-genius with a brain programmed by a brilliant and evil doctor (Jürgen Prochnow, Dune... in three deliciously crazy roles). Mati is the master of a sadistic cross-country rally (with a 100 million dollar prize that no one has ever won), controlling "Monster", a gigantic A.I. operated storm truck that rumbles across the continent, while being pursued by a squad of rebels determined to stop "Monster" before it reaches the "End of the Line".

Karen Allen (Raiders of the Lost Ark), Julie Glenn (Betty Fisher) and the legendary Johnny Hallyday (the French rock-n-roll singer famously known as the "French Elvis") are all along for the ride in this fast-paced, action-packed "Mad Max" inspired futuristic adventure!

Audio/Video: REVIEW COMING SOON! 

Special Features:
- US version of the “Terminus” (83 mins) presented in 1080p HD in 1.78:1 aspect ratio with English LPCM 2.0 Stereo Audio and optional English Subtitles
- Extended French version of “Terminus” (115 mins) presented in 1080p HD in 2.35:1 aspect ratio with French 2.0 Stereo Audio and Optional English Subtitles
- NEW! Interview with star Jürgen Prochnow (HD, 15:55)
- NEW! “We All Descend – The Making of Terminus ” (incl. interviews w/ Vincent Glenn (son of director Pierre-William Glenn), star Julie Glenn (daughter of Pierre-William Glenn) & archival interviews w/ Pierre-William Glenn (HD, 49:30) (In French w/ Eng Subs
- Photo Gallery (3:04)
 - MVD Teailers: Tunnel Vision (2:57), Terminus (1:14), One Tough Cop  (2:29), Nemesis (2:26)  Swamp Thing (1:31), Knock Off (1:54), 
- Reversible Artwork
- Collectible Mini-Poster
- Original Theatrical Trailer
Limited Edition Slipcover (First Pressing Only)

Sales Points
- First time ever on home video in North America on Blu-ray & DVD! (and never released on VHS!)
- OFFICIAL SELECTION – 1987 Avoriaz Fantastic Film Festival
Features the original song 'End of the Line' written and sung by Wall of Voodoo's Stan Ridgway during the end credits
- Recommended to fans of the ‘Max Max’ franchise, ‘Waterworld’, ‘Snowpiercer’, ‘The Road’, ‘Turbo Kid’ and ‘Death Race 2000’
- Johnny Hallyday (famously known as the “French Elvis”) is credited with bringing rock-n-roll to France. - During his 57 year career, he released 79 LPs & sold more than 110 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling artists in the world.
- Stars Johnny Hallyday (The Pink Panther 2), Jürgen Prochnow (The English Patient), Karen Allen (Raiders of the Lost Ark) and Gabriel Damon (Robocop 2)
Directed by Pierre-William Glenn (legendary cinematographer for François Truffaut’s “Day for Night” & “Small Change”)

Press Quotes
One of the campiest classics you're ever likely to come across... the filmmakers put in a great deal of effort and it shows...the visual effects are spectacular and the movie is just pure fun.
     —Zebradelic, Blogspot.com

I'm delighted that I got to see Terminus... Terminus is so 1980's sci-fi it hurts... a hilariously bad - but nonetheless enjoyable in its awfulness - movie. I'm still deliriously happy to have it now in my collection.
     —HeropressTwo, Blogspot.com

            Screenshots from the MVD Rewind Collection Blu-ray: 





































Extras: 
















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THE EPITAPH VOL. 100 - 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + CD Edition!

June 28, 2025, 3:43 pm
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THE EPITAPH VOL. 100 
BRIEF REMEMBRANCES OF THE RECENTLY RELEASED

4K ULTRA HD + BLU-RAY + CD EDITION!  

DROP (2025) - LETHAL WEAPON (1987) - FIELDS OF NEPHILIM - BURNING THE FIELDS (1984)- THE RESIDENTS - AMERICAN COMPOSER'S SERIES (1982-1987) - RAVINE - CHAOS AND CATASTROPHES (2025) - THE BIKINI CARWASH COMPANY (1992/THE BIKINI CARWASH COMPANY II (1993)  - ST. ELMO'S FIRE (1985) 


DROP (2025)
4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital 

Label: Universal Pictures Home Entertainment 
Region Code: Region-Free 
Rating: PG-13
Duration: 95 Minutes 26 Seconds 
Audio: English Dolby ATMOS (TrueHD 7.1) with Optional English Subtitles 
Video: Dolby Vision HDR10 2160p Ultra HD Widescreen (2.39:1), 1080p HD Widescreen (2.39:1) 
Director: Christopher Landon 
Cast: Meghann Fahy, Violett Beane, Jeffery Self

Blumhouse thriller Drop (2025) is a pretty cool thriller from director Christopher Landon (Happy Death Day), wherein widowed single-mom Violet (Meghann Fahy, The White Lotus) goes on her first date in years with a seemingly quite charming photographer named Henry (Brandon Sklenar). While at an upscale restaurant together she starts receiving anonymous airdrops on her phone showing a masked intruder has entering her home and that if she wants them to loves she has to follow a series of instructions. After a series of bizarre prompts it becomes evident that the anonymous airdropper tormenting her wants her to kill someone. I went into this not expecting to get much out of it but I have to say,  it was quite a banger! Well-crafted, handsomely made, and the cast was terrific. This brought to mind the Larry Cohen scripted single-location thriller Phone Booth by way of Hitchcock's Rear Window, at just 95 minutes and change it had me from the get-go and kept me rapt right up till the frenzied and deliriously unhinged finale that begets plausibility for sure, but as a amped-up potboiler this was a terrific watch. If you're  fan of brisk thrillers you should check this one out. 
 
Special Features: 
- A Recipe for Thriller: Making Drop (6:43) 
- A Palate for Panic (4:32)
- Killer Chemistry -(3:36) 
- Audio Commentary with Director Christopher Landon 
- Slipcover
- Digital Copy 

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LETHAL WEAPON (1987) 
4K Ultra + Digital 

Label: Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment 
Region Code: Region-Free 
Rating: R
Duration: Theatrical Version - 109  Minutes 31 Seconds - Director’s Cut - 117 Minutes 2 Seconds 
Audio: English Dolby Atmos (True Had 7.1) with Optional English Subtitles (Theatrical Version & Director's Cuts), English DTS-HD MA 2.0 Stereo with Optional English Subtitles (Theatrical Version)
Video: HDR10 2160p Ultra HD Widescreen (1.85:1)  
Director: Richard Donner 
Cast: Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Gary Busey, Tom Atkins

The Richard Donner (Superman) buddy-cop classic Lethal Weapon (1987) gets terrific 4K restoration from Warner Bros.. Written by Shane Black and stars Mel Gibson (Mad Max) as the erratic and potentially suicidal Detective Martins Riggs, the new partner of and Danny Glover's (Predator 2) seasoned and level-headed Detective Roger Murtaugh. When Murtaugh's old Vietnam War buddy Michael Hunsaker's (Tom Atkins, Halloween III: Season of the Witch) daughter takes a nose-five high on dope from her high-rise apartment the duo investigate the suicide only for them to stumble upon a heroin connection that involves Hunsaker and some shady former military and CIA operatives by way of Gen.+ Peter McAllister (Mitchell Ryan, Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers) and his demented henchman Mr. Joshua (Gary Busey, Silver Bullet), putting the detectives and their loved ones in harms way. This flick is a stone-cold classic, so many terrific scenes, the opening scene of the drug-addled nose-dive, Riggs saving a suicidal jumper from a rooftop and his Christmas tree lot drug-bust, his final battle with Busey, all the interaction between Riggs and Murtaugh as they are feeling each other out, rubbing each other the wrong way, but still bonding over these life and death situations that Riggs seems to attract, and the darkness that Riggs finds himself enveloped in, having recently lost his wife, I often forget just how dark this one goes, especially in the longer director's cut. The 4K Ultra HD looks fantastic, grain seems sort of thin for the era, but it's present and fine detail and textures are on-point. The HDR plumps primaries a bit, skin tones looks wonderful. We get both the Theatrical and Director's versions, I prefer the longer director's cut myself, both get the Dolby Atmos upgrade, plus the Theatrical version gets the original stereo track via DTS-HD MA 2.0. As for extras, we only get two brief archival featurettes, nothing new. 

Special Features:
-  A Legacy of Inspiration: Remembering Richard Donner (7:00) 
- “I’m Too Old for This…” (6:06) 
- Slipcover
- Digital Copy 

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FIELDS OF NEPHILIM - BURNING THE FIELDS 2xCD

Label: Jungle Records
Duration: 85 Minutes

Debut EPs remastered, first CD reissue for 2 decades. Bonus disc of remixes and demos. New notes by gothic commentator Mick Mercer.

Fields of Nephilim - Burning the Fields 2xCD from Jungle Records collects the Stevenage, Hertfordshire Goth-Gods still sounding very much like Sisters of Mercy on this debut effort, via the 'Burning the Fields' EP (1985) together with their 'Returning to Gehenna' EP (1985), all remastered, plus we get a bonus disc containing the potent remixes of 1986 tracks, three 1985 demos, and a 1997 aborted reunion demo. The first Ep is still a banger, opening with an all-timer tune "Trees Come Down", moody and atmospheric, that deep-vein bass, the surprisingly buoyant drumming, Carl McCoy's supreme goth-laden vocal delivery, and closing with the upbeat goth-rocker "Laura". The second Ep opens with another all-timer, "Power", a galloping goth banger and closing with returning to Gehenna, a new version of the first EP's "Back to Gehenna", love the saxophone on this one, I was a fan of this early period of Nephilim  when they had a sax player, it just added something to their sound that I still dig to this day. The second disc is a collection of remixes and some 1997 reunion demos, the latter of which are more interesting curios, but the remixes are terrific, especially the two remixed for "Power" which amp up an already fantastic track. This 2-disc CD set arrives tri-fold cardboard digisleeve, with liner notes by noted  gothic commentator Mick Mercer, repackaged in the original red sleeve design.

Tracklist: 
Burning the Fields EP (1985) 
1. Trees Come Down (6:27) 
2. Back In Gehenna (4:13) 
3. Darkcell (6:47) 
4. Laura (4:00) 
Returning to Gehenna EP (1986) 
5. Power (4:10) 
6. Laura (New Version) (5:30) 
7. Secrets (3:37) 
8. The Tower (5:42) 
9. Returning to Gehenna (New Version) (4:25) 
Remixes
10. Power (Powered Up) (4:38) 
11. Secrets (Cloak & Dagger Mix) (3:55) 
12. The Tower (O'Higgins Mix) (5:37) 
13. Power (Power Surge Mix) (3:50) 
1997 Reunion Demos
14. Dawnrazor (Demo) (6:15) 
15. Secrets (Demo) (3:29) 
15. Power (Demo) (3:53) 
17. Deeper (Deepest Dub) (9:25) 

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THE RESIDENTS - AMERICAN COMPOSER'S SERIES (1982-1987) 3xCD Preserved Edition 

Label: Cryptic Corp
Duration: 232 Minutes 

The Residents have been around for fifty years, so I am a bit ashamed to say that this is the first time I am sitting down with an album of there's, Sure, I've heard the occasional song here and there, but somehow the mad genius of this band has eluded me. I don't know if this 3-disc set was a good place to dive-in, but wow, what a trip! The first two discs are dedicated to 1980s 'American Composers Series', and features The Resident deconstructing songs originally recorded by James Brown, George Gershwin, Hank Williams, and John Philip Sousa while the third disc, chock full of rarities, some of which have never been released, with the Residents slicing into  Ray Charles,  Sun Ra, Lou Christie, and  Buddy Holly. Apparently the three Sun Ra cover versions were originally intended for the abandoned volume Volume 3 of the series. Jumping in we get three George Gershwin tunes, starting off with his signature "Rhapsody In Blue:, all three have a melancholic funeral procession vibe, and the night I listened to them I dreamed I walked into a 80s arcade at night and secretly witnessed the arcade game mourning the death of one of the arcade games that was out of order, That same vibe sort of carries over to their cover of the A-side of James brown's Live at the Apollo album,  after an intro we get straight into "I'll Go Crazy" and :Try Me", notable for the oddball exhaust sucking vocals. Some of the bonus track on this first disc include "KB@45" which seems to be to be all of the James brown tracks sped up from 33 to 45, which certainly gives it a new vibe, though I still preferred the exhaust sucking originals. Also present are no less than three versions of "It's A Man's World" with wildly different vocal takes including a female vocal version. Onto disc two we get Residentified version of songs by Hank Williams, and John Philip Sousa. The highlight of the Hank covers is easily "Kaw-Liga", they turn it into a dance-hall tune that is a total earworm. Meanwhile the Sousa compositions come by way of "Sousaside", a 22-min that seems to play like someone recorded audio during a nightmarish parade where the marching band from Hell plays a medley of Sousa's compositions. These were my least favored tracks on this set. Onto disc three we get some hot rarities, most notably a among them  fur spacey songs by Sun Ra, we get "Satellites Are Spinning", "Rocket #9", and "Daydream In Space", which combined with Hank's "Kaw-Liga" are worth the price f admission alone, everything else is just a demented trip through the avant-garde world of The Residents as they gleefully deconstruct and Resident-ify tunes by classic American composers. I would be hard-pressed to give this is broad recommendation, but if you like your music weird it rarely had gotten weirder than this. The three disc set arrives in a triple gatefold digisleeve/digifile combo construction, housing the three discs and  a booklet with terrific liner notes detailing the American Composer Series as well as contextualizing the releases amongst The Residents output during this era. 

Track Listing
Disc 1:
1. Rhapsody In Blue
2. I Got Rhythm
3. Summertime
4. Apollo Intro
5. I'll Go Crazy
6. Try Me
7. Think
8. I Don't Mind
9. Lost Someone
10. Please, Please, Please
11. Night Train
12. JB@45
13. This Is A Man's Man's Man's World
14. Man's World (Australian Version)
15. I Got Rhythm (13th Anniversary Tokyo)
16. Mans World (Fillmore)
17. Man's World (Icky Flix)
Disc 2:
18. Hey Good Lookin'
19. Six More Miles (To The Graveyard)
20. Kaw-Liga
21. Ramblin' Man
22. Jambalaya
23. Sousaside: Nobles Of The Mystic Shrine, The Stars And Stripes Forever, The Thunderer, The Liberty Bell, Semper Fidelis, The Washington Post
24. I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry
25. Pictures Of Life's Other Side
26. Dear Brother
27. I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry (Take One)*
28. Six More Miles (Accapella)*
29. Ramblin' Man (Vocal Reference Mix)*
30. Kaw-Liga (Single Mix)
31. Kaw-Liga (Horror Mix)
32. Jambalaya (Warfield)*
34. Kaw-LIVE-GA (Warfield)*
35. Stars N Stripes (Icky)
Disc 3:
36. Jailhouse Rock
37. The Stars And Stripes (Single Mix)
38. Space Is The Place
39. Satellites Are Spinning
40. Rocket #9
41. Daydream In Space
42. That'll Be The Day (Demo)
43. Lightning Strikes*
44. Burning With Desire
45. Kaw-Liga (Prarie Mix)
46. Jailhouse Rock (Australia)
47. Hit The Road Jack (7" Version)
49. Hit The Road Jack (Special Almost Dance Mix)
49. Poor Kaw-Liga’s Pain
50. Jambalaya (Dog Stab/ Larvik)*
51. Jambalaya 4
52. Be Kind To U-Web Footed Friends
* Previously Unreleased 

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RAVINE - CHAOS AND CATASTROPHES 
(2025)  CD

Label: Ripple Music
Duration: 47 Minutes 

As heavy and crushingly good this album is wide turns out into the stratosphere are taken. Great stuff!
Ravine - Chaos And Catastrophes

Portland, Oregon's heavy riff sludgers Ravine's full-length debut Chaos and Catastrophe is probably one of my favorite heavy music discoveries of the year, this album has been in my car's CD player for two weeks straight on heavy rotation. Doomy, heavy as Hell, full throated Southern-fried vocals that recall Glenn Danzig by way of Tom G. Warrior of Celtic Frost, and a total feast of riffs, bringing to mind Black Sabbath, Eyehategod, and the Melvins, with some nice spacey interludes and some tasty blues licks thrown in, but all of it is sludgy heavy and wonderfully gluey, those Sabbath-worshipping riffs on steroids just stick with me. The Ripple Music CD arrives with Digipack packaging with lyrics printed on the inside cover. If you dig doomy sounding, sludgy stoner-rock that hits you in the face like a brick check out Ravine. 

Track Listing: 
1. Deliver (7:22) 
2. Conjure (10:10) 
3. Ennui (10:52)
4. Prophecy (9:41) 
5. Contagion (9:50) 

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THE BIKINI CARWASH COMPANY (1992) + THE BIKINI CARWASH COMPANY II (1993) Blu-ray 

Label: MVD Rewind Collection 
Region Code: Region-Free 
Rating: Unrated  
Duration: 81 Minutes 19 Seconds / 93 Minutes 19 Seconds 
Audio: English PCM
 2.0 Dual-Mono with Optional English Subtitles 
Video: 1080p HD Fullscreen (1.33:1)
Director: Ed Hansen/Gary Orona 
Cast: Kristi Ducati, Joe Dusic, Suzanne Browne, Neriah Napaul

The Bikini Carwash Company (1992) and The Bikini Carwash Company II (1993) were a pair of early 90's softcore romps, basically we have sexy and very sudsy variation on the 70s/80s 'let's save the (insert place we hangout and/or work here)' comedies likeJoysticks and Starhops, only in the first film here  foxy business major Melissa Reeves (Kristi Ducati, Intimate Obsession) and her group of sexy gal pals are helping Midwesterner Jack McGowan's (Joe Dusic), newly arrives in L.A. to take over his uncle's car wash, to turn the business into a lucrative operation, and what netter way than to have a staff of buxom young women nearly nude, and often nude, covered in suds? That's about as much plot as you get, this is mostly a fun series of vignettes that allow for plenty of nudity and sudsy shenanigans. The sequel is more of the same.  These were originally shot and produced on standard definition videotape, both feature films have been up-converted, re-mastered and upgraded from their original standard definition 480p resolution to high definition 1080p resolution using the latest advanced up-conversion AI models and presented in their 1.33:1 original aspect ratios. We also get the untampered with SD versions of the film, which to my eyes was more pleasing than the AI conversion. If you're a fan of '80s/'90s softcore cheese and silliness and have a fondness for beautiful women and breasts this slice of shot-on-video T&A should be an absolute delight. The single-disc release includes a Slipcover and Fold-Out Poster. 

Special Features: 
- MVD Trailers: Joysticks, Ski Patrol, The Last American Virgin, Dirty Laundry
- 
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ST. ELMO'S FIRE (1985) 
40th Anniversary 4K UHD + Digital 

Label: Sony
Region Code: Region-Free 
Rating: R
Duration: 108 Minutes 10 Seconds 
Audio: English Dolby Atmos (TrueHD 7.1), English DTS-HD MA 5.1; English DTS-HD MA 2.0 with Optional English Subtitles 
Video: 2160p Ultra HD Widescreen (2.39:1)  
Director: Joel Schumacher
Cast: Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe, Andrew McCarthy, Demi Moore, Judd Nelson, Ally Sheedy, Mare Winningham

Joel Schumacher's St. Elmo's Fire (1985) tells the tale of  
seven friends who have all recently graduated from college, each struggling in their own way to find themselves in a post-college world. We have artist Leslie (Ally Sheedy, The Breakfast Club) dating her classmate and aspiring politician Alec (Judd Nelson, The Breakfast Club), Wendy (Mare Winningham, The Outsider), a virgin with a crush on former classmate Billy (Rob Lowe, The Outsiders), who himself a  philandering husband and father, with little direction, aspiring writer Kevin (Andrew McCarthy, Pretty in Pink) who is secretly in love with Leslie, and law student Kirbo (Emilio Estevez, Men At Work) who finds himself completely and unhealthily obsessed with med-intern Dale Biberman (Andie MacDowell). The last of the friends is the neurotic Jules (Demi Moore, The Substance), who works at a bank and is addicted to cocaine and sleeping with her married boss. 
When I first saw this as a kid I was not a fan, I loved the 80's teen comedies and coming of age flicks from John Hughes and others, but this was perhaps a bit too advanced for me when I first saw it, as it was a different coming of age story, the transition from college to career and adulthood, navigating the world of responsibility and adulting, which certainly did not interest me when I was 12 ort 13 when I first saw this. Having revisited it several time since its a film that I respond to a bit more with each successive watch, relating more and more, themes of selling out your beliefs for money, adultery, addiction, obsession, having experienced it first hand or observed it, it just hits a little different as an adult with some life under my bed. That said, still not totally in love with it, but as a fan of the Brat Pack I still gets some thrills watching this every decade or so. The new 4K UHD looks and sounds stellar with the Dolby Vision/Atmos upgrades, all the extras are archival, but they are at least plentiful.  

Special Features:
- Audio Commentary with Director Joel Schumacher
- Joel Schumacher Remembers 'St. Elmo's Fire' Featurette (14:21) 
- 12 Deleted Scenes (16:18) 
- Original Making-of Featurette (8:42) 
- "Man in Motion" Music Video (4:14) 
- Theatrical Trailer (1:31) 
- Digital Copy
- Slipcover 

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BOHACHI BUSHIDO: CODE OF THE FORGOTTEN EIGHT (1972) Mondo Macabro Blu-ray Review + Screenshots

June 29, 2025, 5:14 pm
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BOHACHI BUSHIDO: CODE OF THE FORGOTTEN EIGHT (1972) 

Label: Mondo Macabro 
Region Code: A
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 81 Minutes 12 Seconds 
Audio: Japanese DTS-HD MA 2.0 with English subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (2.35:1)
Director: Teruo Ishii
Cast: Tetsurō Tamba, Gorō Ibuki, Yuriko Hishimi, Tatsuo Endō

The Teruo Ishii (Blind Woman's Curse) directed Bohachi Bushido: Code of the Forgotten Eight (1972) stars Tetsuro Tanba (Violent Streets) as the assassin-swordsman Shinô Ashita. The film opens with a very striking and highly stylized sequence of him battling samurai on a bridge over a river, vastly outnumbered he slices his way through many of them, limbs are severed and the blood streams in torrents, but having grown weary of the samurai code he relents, noting that “To die is hell, but to live, is also hell”, choosing to throw himself off the bridge into the icy river below in a suicide attempt. His would-be suicide is thwarted when the Bohachi clan, a vicious gang who have forsaken any semblance of honor, abandoning the eight virtues of humanity: godliness, loyalty, respect for your elders, trust, modesty, justice, conscience, and shame, who are lead by Shirobei Daimon (Tatsuo Endô, Sex and Fury), manage to retrieve his unconscious body from the river and nurse him back to health, warming his body with the warm flesh naked women. Hid current state of mind pairs well with their ideology, and they successfully recruit him to take out their flesh-peddling brothel competitors in the village, offering him protection from the law in return, which he accepts. 

The film has some pretty awesome stylized sequences with garish lighting, the sword fights are bloody as Hell and action-packed, and the nudity come fast and furious throughout -  the sheer amount of breasts seen here is quite breathtaking. The final set piece is a another huge battle with Shiro taking on another horde of sword-wilding attackers, this time he's drug-addled with opium, The scene having a hallucinatory quality to it that is both bloody and surreal with plenty of slicing and dicing, making for a wonderfully surreal and quite sleazy exploitation spectacle, chock full of nihilism, eroticism and bloody sword violence.  

Audio/Video: Bohachi Bushido: Code of the Forgotten Eight (1972) makes it's worldwide Blu-ray debut from Mondo Macabro, advertised as a 4K scan of the original negative, framed in 2.35:1 widescreen, in 1080p HD. The source looks terrific, grain structures are intact, fine detail and textures are pleasing, and the skin tones, and there's a lot of skin on display here, looks warm and supple. The heavily stylized sequences are look quite wonderful, great use of colors and they look great. Some shots are softer than others due to source limitations, but generally this is a very pleasing presentation. Audio comes by way of English DTS-HD MA 2.0 dual-mono with optional English subtitles. Dialogue exchanges are delivered without issue, no age-related wear and tear to speak of, sequences of violence and clanging swords have oomph, and the score by  Hajime Kaburagi’s (Eighteen Years in Prison) has heft. It's vintage mono and lacks depth but still has solid fidelity for what it is. 

Extras kick off with a new Audio Commentary with Japanese film expert Tom Mes who gives his usual well-informed and researched input, getting into the decline of Japanese cinema in the 60s and the rise of the pinky violence films, and analyzing the film itself and it's handling of the edo-era. We also get Archival Audio Commentary with Japanese film makers  J-Taro Sugisaku and Takao Nakano, in Japanese with subtitles. There's also a 42-sec Introducing the Commentators that establishes the archival commentator's bona fides. We also get a 18-min Interview with director Shinya Tsukamoto about working with Bohachi Bushido  director Teruo Ishii, plus a 21-min Archival interview with actress Yuriko Hishimi; and a 16-min Archival interview “What is Pinky Violence?”. Disc extras are buttoned-up with a 3-mn Theatrical Trailer. The single-disc standard version Blu-ray edition arrives in standard keepcase with a single-sided sleeve of artwork featuring a terrific looking Justin Coffee illustration that nicety captures the tone of the film. 

Special Features:
- Interview with director Shinya Tsukamoto about working with BOHACHI BUSHIDO director Teruo Ishii (17:44) 
- Archival interview with actress Yuriko Hishimi (21:04) 
- Archival interview “What is Pinky Violence?” (15:33) 
- Audio Commentary with Japanese film expert Tom Mes.
- Archival Audio Commentary with Japanese film makers  J-Taro Sugisaku and Takao Nakano
- Introducing the Commentators (0:42) 
- Theatrical Trailer (3:11) 

Screenshots from the Mondo Macabro Blu-ray: 























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EXPERIMENT IN TERROR (1962) Sony Blu-ray Review + Screenshots

June 30, 2025, 6:04 pm
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EXPERIMENT IN TERROR (1962) 

Label: Sony
Region Code: A
Rating: Unrated 
Duration: 123 Minutes 20 Seconds 
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1, 2.0 with Optional English Subtitles 
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1)
Director: Blake Edward's 
Cast: Glenn Ford, Lee Remick, Stefanie Powers

In director Blake Edwards (The Pink Panther) noir-tinged psychological thriller Experiment in Terror (1962) San Francisco bank teller Kelly Sherwood (Lee Remick, The Omen) arrives home and is attached by a mysterious wheezing black-gloved madman (Ross Martin, The Colossus of New York) in her car garage, he threatens her life and that of her younger sister Toby (Stefanie Powers, Fanatic) if she doesn't help him steal $100,000 from the bank she works at. Scared witless she attempts to call the FBI right away, making contact with FBI Agent John Ripley (Glenn Ford, The Big Heat), but the madman comes back to check on her and throws her to the ground, putting his shoe against the back of her, warning her not to play anymore games or her and her sister are both gonna get hurt. Despite the warning Kelly continues to work with Rip, who puts his all into the case, but the mysterious wheezer is a hard man to identify and track down. At one point a young woman comes forward to Red and says she has valuable information, but before she can spill the beans the wheezer strangles her to death at her apartment. He also proves quite resourceful in communicating with Kelly and even dresses in drag to corner her in a restaurant bathroom, proving he can get to her and her sister quite easily, increasing the threat level. 

This was a first time watch for me, and coming from Blake Edwards who I mostly know from comedies, I was rather stunned how cruel and dark it was. A neo-noir without any humor or light-hearted reprieve, just tension on tension, steeped in suspense, with a wild finale that takes place at a baseball game at Candlestick Park! The cast is terrific, Remick is gorgeous and plays terrified quite well, her expressive, vulnerable eyes light up the screen, and Ross Martin as the wheezing madman is absolutely terrifying in the role, his voice gave me goosebumps, he's largely not fully seen early on, obscured by shadows, but the performance is something quite special. 

Audio/Video: Experiment in Terror (1962) gets a Blu-ray from Sony Pictures, presented in 1080p HD widescreen (1.85:1), likely sourced from the same 4K restoration utilized by Imprint Films for their region-free Blu-ray from eight years ago. It's a wonderful black and white presentation, the source looks immaculate, grain looks well-defined and lush, fine texture and detail abound in faces and period wardrobe, and we gets excellent contrast, deep blacks and fine-tuned grayscale. Audio comes by way of English DTS-HD MA 2.0 dual-mono or 5.1 surround. I preferred the original mono mux myself, but the autoharp rich score by Henry Mancini (Wait Until dark) certainly does benefit from the extra channels! Dialogue is crisp and clean, no age related audio defects were detectable during my viewings, a terrific track. 
 

The only extra is the 3-min Theatrical Trailer. This has also been previously issued on region-free Blu-ray from Imprint Films with a commentary, 2017 interview with Stephanie Powers, and an isolated score, so if you don't mind spending a bit more I would recommend it, but if you just want the movie at a good price this Blu-ray from Sony looks and sounds terrific. The single-disc release arrives in a standard keepcase with a single-sided sleeve of artwork. 

Special Features:
- Theatrical Trailer (2:48) 

Screenshots from the Sony Blu-ray: 





















































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NOTHING UNDERNEATH (1985) (Sotto Il Vestito Niente) Rustblade Blu-ray Review + Screenshots

July 4, 2025, 9:08 am
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NOTHING UNDERNEATH (1985) 
 aka Sotto Il Vestito Niente
 40th Anniversary Edition

Label: Rustblade
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: Unrated 
Duration: 94 Minutes 10 Seconds 
Audio: Italian DTS-HD MA 2.0 Dual-Mono or English DTS-HD MA 2.0 Stereo with Optional English Subtitles 
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1) 
Director: Cario Vanzina
Cast:  Tom Schanley, Donald Pleasence, Star Renée Simonsen, Catherine Nayes, Marie McDonald, Nicolas Perring

Nothing Underneath (1985) is a later era giallo directed by Cario Vanzina, very much in the mold of Dario Argento or Brian De Palma, and in the vein of classic fashion-world set thrillers like Mario Bava's Blood and Black Lace, this one concerning a black-gloved killer in Italy that is murdering fashion models with a pair of gnarly looking scissors. It actually starts off in the U.S., in Wyoming where Yellowstone Park Ranger Bob Crane (Tom Schanley, Get the Gringo) is going about his daily routine, we get some terrific location shooting with gorgeous, rugged terrain and mountain vistas. While on a trail he is overcome by disorienting visions and pain, we learn that he has a psychic connection with his twin sister Jessica (Nicola Perring, Duet for One), who is a rising fashion model working in Italy, and he sees vision of her being attacked by a black-gloved killer with a pair of huge scissors. Unable to reach her by phone het hops the next plane for Italy, arriving at her hotel, finding that she has disappeared without a trace. He contacts the police via the soon to retire Commissioner Danesi  (Donald Pleasence, Halloween), who doesn't quite buy the psychic-twins connection, but does believe that something has happened to his sister, and gets involved. 

A lot of the film is Brian questioning models, photographers and fashion agency staff trying to get to the bottom of his sister's disappearance, only to find that the fashion industry is pretty tight-lipped and chock full of addicts, weirdos and perverts, though one model, the gorgeous Barbara (Danish supermodel Renée Simonsen, who adorns Roxy Music's Atlantic Years album artwork), takes a liking to him, and eventually he does gets to the shocking truth about what happened to his twin sister and who is behind the scissor-killings. 

It's a stylish flick, very glossy in it's construction, chock full of gorgeous women, striking locations, and decent, but not great kills, though I do love the killers choice of weapon! The supernatural elements of the psychic-twin is interesting bit not well-developed, and a bit half-baked - for starter's, if he's psychically connected to his sister why does he see her death from her killer's POV? Its not a deal breaker though, the whodunnit/amateur sleuth elements are solid, even if I don't think Donald Pleasance had all that much to do, but I always love seeing pleasance in anything, plus we get to see him dining with Brian at what looks to be the long-discontinued SuperBuffet spread at Wendy's. The Brian de Palma influence is pretty string, and never more so than when the killer wields a electric drill as a weapon via Body Double, the de Palma flavor furthered by a tasty score from Pino Donaggio, reworking some familiar themes to wonderful effect. The way the finale plays out is quite terrific, we get the driller-killer aspect, the revenge-killing motif is exposed, and there's a fun breaking glass slow-mo to freeze-frame finale that was perfection. 

Audio/Video: Nothing Underneath (1985) arrives on region-free Blu-ray from Rustblade, presented in 1080p HD widescreen (1.85:1). The film was previously issued on Blu-ray from Vinegar Syndrome and Nucleus Films, neither of which I own, so I cannot compare it to, but the image here is quite pleasing, Colors are vivid, the image is sharp and textured, skin tones look warm and natural, and the sepia tone flashback looks terrific. Audio comes by way of English or Italian DTS-HD MA 2.0 with optional English subtitles. I preferred the English track, this being one of the rare mid-8-s post-sync sound Italian productions. There's some minor sibilance issues that are source related, but generally it's quite pleasing with some solid stereo panning effects, and the Pino Donaggio score, and soundtrack selections like  Murray Head's "One Night in Bangkok" fare well in the mix. 

Onto the extras, from what I can tell none of the Vinegar Syndrome/Nucleus Films extras are ported over, these appear to be newly commissioned interviews and visuals essays. First up is the 21-min Interview with Enrico Vanzina who discusses coming off a series of comedies and wanting to branch into other genres, the influence of Brian De Palma
We also get a brief 4-min Interview with Pino Donaggio, the composer addresses the similarities between his score for Body Doble and Nothing Underneath, noting the similarities and basically attributing the similarities to being a signature style.  There's also a 7-min visual essay Approfodimento de Francesco Lombuscio who dives into the influences evidenced by the film. Disc extras are finished-up with the 2-min American Trailer, 2-min Italian Trailer, 5-min of 
American Opening & Closing Titles, plus a 2-min Gallery. 

The single-disc release arrives in an oversized clear keepcase with a 2-sided, non-reversible wrap, offering both the English and Italian titles on the front cover and spine. 

Special Features: 
- Interview with Enrico Vanzina - in Italian with English subtitles (21:21) 
- Interview with Pino Donaggio  in Italian with English subtitles (4:11) 
- American Trailer (2:02) 
- Italian Trailer  (1:58)
- American Titles (5:26) 
- Approfodimento de Francesco Lombuscio (7:24) 
- Gallery (2:10) 

I would give this a high recommend, a solid fashion-world set giallo-slasher that is surprisingly well-made for it's late in the genre vintage, especially if you love the Dario Argento and Brian De Palma entries oft his era. The supernatural element is interesting but a bit of a let down, and even thought the kills, while bloody, are not all that well-staged, I loved the black-gloved killer elements, the killer's choice of scissors as preferred weapon is very cool. Well-directed, terrific score, and some wild twist and turns that really turned me on, not to mention some gorgeous women and plenty of nudity.  

Screenshots from the Rustblade Bu-ray: 




























































Extras: 













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GIRL SLAVES OF MORGANA LE FAY (1971) Mondo Macabro Blu-ray Review

July 4, 2025, 4:03 pm
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GIRL SLAVES OF MORGANA LE FAY (1971) 

Label: Mondo Macabro 
Region Code: Region-Free 
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 86 Minutes 29 
Audio: French DTS-HD MA 2.0 Stereo with English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.66:1)
Director: Bruno Gantillon
Cast: Dominique Delpierre, Alfred Baillou, Mireille Saunin, Régine Motte, Ursule Pauly

In the fantastical erotic French-horror tales The Girl Slaves of Morgana La Fay, directed by Bruno Gantillon, two attractive young women, Francoise (Mireille Saunin) and Anna (Michele Perello, The Blood Rose), arriving in their car through the French countryside when their car runs out of gas. They end up spending the night in a barn, where they make love, 'natch. The next morning Anna has disappeared and Francoise ventures into the forest to find her, where she encounter the diminutive dwarf Gurth (Alfred Baillou, Fun For Three), wearing a purple smoking jacket as well as eyeshadow and eyeliner, who says he can lead her Anna. She follows him to the edge of lake, board a driverless boat, and is taken to an island castle, trapped in a magical kingdom of Avalon, a place ruled by the gorgeous Morgana, Queen of Witches (Dominique Delpierre, The Sicilian Clan), a seductive lesbian witch who maintains her youthful looks by offering young women eternal youth and beauty in exchange for their mortal souls. Those who betray or refuse the offer are tossed into a dungeon as they age into old hags. 

She finds her gal pal Anna, who has already accepted Morgana's offer of eternal youth, but Francoise is set on leaving, plotting with the dwarf Gurth, who secretly years to usurp Morgana, to escape, but first she must gather three items; a magical necklace, an invisibility tunic, and 
a topaz globe, all three combined will enable her to escape the island.  

It's a nicely realized slice of erotic-fantastic, gorgeous often nude women everywhere, kinky lesbian sex, and some fine look period locations, set pieces and wardrobe, and I rather adored the fantastical elements - it does excellent work bringing them altogether into a pretty coherent and quite pleasing erotic fantasy romp with an exquisite dreamy atmosphere that's totally hypnotic.

Audio/Video: Girl Slaves of Morgana La Fay (1971) arrives on region-free Blu-ray from Mondo Macabro, presented in 1080p HD framed in 1.66:1 widescreen, with the Morgana et ses Nymphes (Morgana and Her Nymphs) title card. This is advertised as being "uncut, fully restored and in a brand news 4k scan from the film’s original negative", and it looks terrific. The  source looks wonderful, colors are strong, the purple smoking jacket of the dwarf and the gowns of the girl slaves fare particularly well, and there's plenty of filmic texture and detail to the image, and while there is some inherent softness due to the aesthetic choices, it's inherent to the source. Audio comes by way of French DTS-HD MA 2.0 dual-mono with optional English subtitles. Dialogue is nicely prioritized, fidelity is strong, and the score by  François de Roubaix’s (Daughters of Darkness) with it's mix of psychedelia and medieval instrumentation sounds appropriately fantastical and atmospheric.  

Mondo Macabro offers a well-stocked edition, loaded with extras, we get a 13-min Short Film by Bruno Gantillon from 1970  - An Artistic Couple, 42-min of brand new interviews with director Bruno Gantillon by way of the Bruno Gantillon Holds Up the Ceiling Part 1 & Part 2; a 45-min Brand new interview with Dominique Delpierre that spans her entire career, 11-min Archive interview with Bruno Gantillon, 1-min Deleted Scene, and an Audio commentary with Bruno Gantillon and film expert Lucas Balbo, plus a 5-min Publicity Parade Video featuring stills and posters, and finishing up with a 3-min Theatrical Trailer. 
The single-disc release arrives in a standard keepcase with a wrap featuring new artwork by Symeoni. 

Special Features:
- Brand new 4k transfer from film negative, digitally restored.
- An Artistic Couple – short film by Bruno Gantillon from 1970 (13:12) 
- Two brand new interviews with director Bruno Gantillon: Bruno Gantillon Holds Up the Ceiling Part 1 (26:28) & Part 2 (16:41) 
- Brand new interview with Dominique Delpierre (45:43) 
- Archive interview with Bruno Gantillon (10:57) 
- Deleted Scene (0:48) 
- Audio commentary with Bruno Gantillon and film expert Lucas Balbo.
- Publicity parade video featuring stills and posters (5:00) 
- Theatrical Trailer (2:39) 

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Ti West's 'The Innkeepers' gets Second Sight Film Limited Dual Edition 4K UHD/Blu-ray on 25 August 2025

July 7, 2025, 8:38 am
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Second Sight Films is ready to take your booking for its latest horror classic to get the Limited Edition treatment – The Innkeepers. The critically acclaimed, award-winning early work from horror auteur Ti West, one of the most prominent horror filmmakers of his generation, gets a major makeover in a newly restored 4K version, approved by the director himself, this Summer.

Described by View London as ‘unmissable and one of the best films of the year - 5 stars’ and ‘an old-fashioned ghost story, made the more piquant by Paxton’s sympathetic, funny, vulnerable lead performance’ by Screen Daily, The Innkeepers Limited Dual Edition 4K UHD/Blu-ray arrives 25 August 2025, alongside Standard versions.

The Limited Edition Box Set is presented in a stunning rigid slipcase with new artwork by Nick Charge with a fascinating 120-page book with new essays. All versions come complete with a slew of special features including brand new interviews with the director, cast, cinematographer and much more.

Be sure to make your reservation with The Innkeepers Limited Edition, for a hauntingly chilling journey  beyond your wildest nightmares.

Special Features
▪ New Second Sight Films 4K restoration approved by director Ti West
▪ Dual format edition including both UHD and Blu-ray with main feature and bonus features 
on both discs
▪ UHD presented in HDR with Dolby Vision
▪ Audio commentary with writer/director/Editor Ti West, producers Larry Fessenden and 
Peter Phok, and Sound Designer Graham Reznick
▪ Audio commentary with Ti West and actors Sara Paxton and Pat Healy
▪ A Lasting Memory: a new interview with Ti West
▪ Let's Make This Good a new interview with Pat Healy
▪ Our Dysfunctional World: a new interview with Larry Fessenden
▪ Living in the Process: a new interview with cinematographer Eliot Rockett
▪ Cast a Wide Net: a new interview with composer Jeff Grace
▪ A Validating Moment: a new interview with line producer Jacob Jaffke
▪ The Innkeepers: Behind the Scenes
▪ Trailer

Limited Edition Contents
▪ Rigid slipcase with new artwork by Nick Charge
▪ 120-page book with new essays by Becky Darke, Barry Forshaw, Prince Jackson, Craig Ian 
Mann, Rebecca Sayce and Heather Wixson
▪ Six collectors' art cards

Title: The Innkeepers Limited Edition Dual 4K UHD/Blu-ray Release Date: 25 August 2025
Cat.No.: 2NDBR4257 
Run Time: 101 mins 
Cert: 15 
Region: Free

Title: The Innkeepers Standard Blu-ray 
Release Date: 25 August 2025
Cat.No.: 2NDBR4258 
Run Time: 101 mins 
Cert: 15 
Region: Free

Title: The Innkeepers Standard 4K UHD 
Release Date: 25 August 2025
Cat.No.: 2NDBR4259 
Run Time: 101 mins 
Cert: 15 
Region: Free 

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Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment Announces The Conjuring on 4K UHD on August 26

July 8, 2025, 9:06 am
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THE CONJURING

THE SUPERNATURAL HORROR FILM FROM JAMES WAN THAT SPAWNED A FRANCHISE WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR THE FIRST TIME ON DICS IN 4K RESOLUTION WITH HIGH DYNAMIC RANGE (HDR)

AVAILABLE ON DIGITAL NOW AND 4K UHD DISC ON AUGUST 26, 2025

 
The Conjuring, the 2013 New Line Cinema supernatural horror film from filmmaker James Wan is available now for purchase Digitally in 4K Ultra HD and on 4K UHD Blu-ray Disc on August 26.

The Conjuring launched the highest grossing horror franchise to date with more than $2.2 billion at the worldwide box office. 

Before there was Amityville, there was Harrisville.  Based on the true-life story, The Conjuring tells the tale of how world-renowned paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren were called upon to help a family terrorized by a dark presence in a secluded farmhouse. 

Forced to confront a powerful demonic entity, the Warrens find themselves caught in the most horrifying case of their lives.

From New Line Cinema comes a feature film drawn from the case files of married demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren.  The Conjuring stars Academy Award® nominee Vera Farmiga (Up in the Air) and Patrick Wilson (Insidious) as the Warrens, and Ron Livingston and Lili Taylor as Roger and Carolyn Perron, residents of the house.

Joey King, Shanley Caswell, Hayley McFarland, Mackenzie Foy and Kyla Deaver play the Perrons’ five daughters, and Sterling Jerins is the Warrens’ little girl, Judy.  Rounding out the cast are Marion Guyot as Judy’s grandmother; Steve Coulter as Father Gordan; Shannon Kook as the Warren’s investigative assistant, Drew; and John Brotherton as the local law enforcement official skeptical of the Perrons’ claims and the Warrens’ tactics.

James Wan (Saw, Insidious) directs from a screenplay by Chad Hayes & Carey W. Hayes (The Reaping).  The film is produced by Tony DeRosa-Grund, Peter Safran and Rob Cowan, with Walter Hamada and Dave Neustadter serving as executive producers.  Reuniting with the director are members of his Insidious creative team, director of photography John R. Leonetti, editor Kirk Morri, costume designer Kristin M. Burke, composer Joseph Bishara and his Saw production designer, Julie Berghoff. 

New Line Cinema presents a Safran Company / Evergreen Media Group Production of a James Wan Film, The Conjuring. The film is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures.

The Conjuring will be available to purchase on Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc online and in-store at major retailers and available for purchase Digitally from Amazon Prime Video, AppleTV, Google Play, Fandango at Home and more.

Before there was Amityville, there was Harrisville. The Conjuring tells the horrifying true story of Ed and Lorraine Warren, world renowned paranormal investigators, who were called to help a family terrorized by a dark presence in a secluded farmhouse. Forced to confront a powerful demonic entity, the Warrens find themselves caught in the most terrifying case of their lives. Oscar® nominee Vera Farmiga and Golden Globe nominee Patrick Wilson play the investigators while Golden Globe nominee Ron Livingston and Emmy® nominee Lili Taylor play the Perron family plagued by sinister spirits in this dark chiller from the writers of The Reaping and the creator of the Saw films.

The Conjuring Digital release and Ultra HD Blu-ray disc contains the following new and previously released special features:
- Scariest of Them All (NEW)​
- The cast and creators of The Conjuring take a look back at some of the greatest scares of the series, uncovering what made these films so iconic.​
- Reflections on the Conjuring (NEW)​ More than a decade after the release of the original film, the cast and crew of The Conjuring reflect on their experiences creating one of the most legendary horror series in history.​
- The Conjuring: Face-to-Face with Terror​- Relive the real-life horror as the Perron family comes together to reflect back on the farmhouse they shared with diabolical spirits for nearly a decade.
- A Life in Demonology​
The real demonologist and paranormal experts from The Conjuring take you inside their life’s work and into their personal occult cellar, where they keep haunted and unholy relics from their many cases.​- Scaring the “@$*%” Out of You​ - Director James Wan (Saw, Insidious) welcomes you into his world and gives an inside look at the at the scenes that scare the “@$*%” out of moviegoers time and time again.​

The Conjuring
Ultra HD Blu-ray Languages: English, Spanish, Parisian & Canadian French
Ultra HD Blu-ray Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, Parisian French
Run Time: 112 minutes
Rating: R for sequences of disturbing violence and terror
Digital Street Date: Available now.  New EC available on August 26, 2025
Physical Street Date: August 26, 2025

 
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CONSUMED (2024) Brainstorm Media Blu-ray Screenshots

July 9, 2025, 6:12 pm
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CONSUMED (2024) 

Label: Brainstorm Media
Region Code: A
Rating: Unrated 
Duration: 89 Minutes 28 Seconds 
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1 Surround with Optional English Subtitles 
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (2.35:1) 
Director: Mitchell Altieri
Cast: Devon Sawa, Mark Famiglietti, Courtney Halverson

Synopsis: Trapped between a madman and a skin-stealing monster, a married couple must fight to make it out of the woods alive.

Audio/Video: GUEST REVIEW COMING SOON TO WWW.ROCKSHOCKPOP.COM

Special Features: 
- Audio Commentary with Director Mitchell Altieri and Writer David Calbert
- Video Interview with Jim Ojala, creator of the creature effects in the film (16:57) 
- Behind the Scenes footage (37:23)
- SFX footage (31:36)
- SFX still gallery (3:07) 
- Theatrical Trailer (1:45) 
- 16-Page Illustrated Booklet with new essay by film critic Don Lewis

Screenshots from the Brainstorm media Blu-ray: 











































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'The Walking Dead: Dead City’ Season 2 sees Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Lauren Cohan return in ‘Hugely fun spin-off’ – on physical and digital Sept. 29, 2025 from Acorn Media International

July 10, 2025, 5:42 am
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THE UNDEAD are back, and this time they’re not the only ones raising hell in Manhattan, as The Walking Dead: Dead City returns for a gritty, gore-filled journey into the heart of post-apocalyptic New York with fan favorites Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Watchmen, Supernatural, The Boys) as Negan and Lauren Cohan (The Boy, The Vampire Diaries) as Maggie at the helm. The second season plunges us deeper into the twisted relationship between the battle worn pair, as they navigate a city crawling not just with walkers but power-hungry enemies both old and new.  

After the resounding success of the first season and hot on the heels of its transmission on Sky Max, The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 2 arrives on Blu-ray, DVD and digital on 29 September 2025, alongside the Seasons 1 & 2 Box Set, courtesy of Acorn Media International. The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 2 Blu-ray and DVD also feature a fantastic reversible sleeve making it the perfect addition to any fan’s collection. 
 
Picking up where the action-packed first season left off, we see our uneasy allies thrown into opposite sides of a brutal turf war that threatens to consume what’s left of civilisation. New alliances are formed and old loyalties are tested as the shadowy New Babylon Federation steps in, bringing with it a whole new set of dangers and political intrigue. With factions at war, vicious new enemies emerging and the walkers more ruthless than ever, Maggie (Cohan) and Negan (Morgan) must decide whether survival means standing together… or apart.  
 
The first season introduces us to a broken Manhattan, overrun with the undead and ruled by chaos. Maggie, now a hardened leader, joins forces with former nemesis Negan to rescue her kidnapped son, Herhsel (Logan Kim – Ghostbusters), from the clutches of the sadistic Croat (Željko Ivanek – Seven Psychopaths, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri). Joined by mysterious newcomer Ginny (Mahina Napoleon – NCIS: Hawai’i) and pursued by merciless marshals, the pair journey through New York’s crumbling skyline where horrors lurk around every corner and not just the flesh-eating kind.  
 
With a gripping narrative, electric performances and jaw-dropping set pieces – and let’s not forget kick-ass zombie action – this is a must-own for any fan of The Walking Dead. For shocking twists, dangerous turns and uneasy alliances step into The Walking Dead: Dead City. The city is more dangerous than ever… return if you dare.

Seasons 1 & 2 Box Set SPECIAL FEATURES include:
• 2023 Wondercon Panel
• Episode Insiders
• Show Me More

Season 2 SPECIAL FEATURES include:
• Episode Insiders
• Show Me More
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BLAXPLOITATION CLASSICS VOL. 2 - The 12-Disc Collection Arrives on 4K UHD + Blu-Ray on August 19

July 10, 2025, 11:34 am
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SHOUT! STUDIOS AND SHOUT! SELECT PRESENTS

BLAXPLOITATION CLASSICS VOL. 2

SIX FABULOUS GENRE-DEFINING FILMS MAKE THEIR 4K DEBUT IN A MUST-HAVE 12-DISC SET FOR FILM COLLECTORS ON AUGUST 19, 2025

A STAR-STUDDED COLLECTION OF ‘70S CLASSICS FEATURING PAM GRIER, FRED WILLIAMSON AND MORE NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER

BIGGER AND BADDER! … Over 50 years since the Blaxploitation subgenre dominated the 1970s film scene, Shout! Studios is excited to release even more hallmarks of the genre in 4K Ultra High Definition for the first time with Blaxploitation Classics Vol. 2, available August 19th through the Shout! Select line. This new collection, a follow up to the spring release of Blaxploitation Classics Vol. 1, includes the colorful and campy megahits Foxy Brown, Friday Foster, Cotton Comes To Harlem, Bucktown, Slaughter and Slaughter’s Big Rip-Off.

This gritty, glamorous and gun-slinging collection comes in a 12-disc set containing newly restored 4K scans from the original camera negative, making these films shine like never before. The box set also packs a multitude of bonus features, including the new “The Cost To Be The Boss” The Blaxploitation Films Of A.I.P., Part Two, an in-depth documentary featuring new and archival interviews with Blaxploitation film producers and historians.

The iconic Blaxploitation-dominated film era celebrated over-the-top action, comedy and fashion in culturally rich filmmaking, and brought Black filmmakers, stories and foxy prowess to spotlights of historically significant heights. Film collectors and fans celebrating the genre can pre-order their set now on ShoutFactory.com, and receive an exclusive 18”x24” double-sided poster featuring the original Foxy Brown (1974) theatrical poster on one side, and all six theatrical posters for the films on the reverse side when they order online. 

Blaxploitation Classics Vol. 2 | Synopsis

It's time to hit the streets again with the explosive second volume of Shout Factory's Blaxploitation Classics! These six high-impact action movies shed further light on the '70s subgenre whose themes and stars still burn brightly today. Feast your eyes on fiery performances from Pam Grier, Jim Brown, Fred Williamson, Yaphet Kotto, and Godfrey Cambridge as well as unforgettable supporting turns from Eartha Kitt, Redd Foxx, Ed McMahon, Jim Backus, and Cameron Mitchell. Shout Select is once again proud to present a special selection of these highly influential and entertaining films on both Blu-ray and 4K Ultra High Definition.

FOXY BROWN
The legendary Pam Grier is pure unadulterated cool in the electrifying revenge thriller, Foxy Brown. Foxy has found her soulmate in an undercover narcotics investigator – but when he's brutally murdered, she swears vengeance against the crime ring responsible. Posing as a call girl to gain access to the criminals, Foxy discovers just how high the corruption goes – igniting a blistering war that takes her from the city streets to a remote drug lab to a mid-air battle behind the controls of a plane! But the most startling confrontations are yet to come, as Foxy plots her ultimate scheme to bring down her boyfriend's killers once and for all.

DISC ONE: FOXY BROWN (1974 – 4K UHD):
- NEW 4K Scan/Restoration From The Original Camera Negative
 Presented In Dolby Vision (HDR-10 Compatible)
- Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
- Audio Commentary With Director Jack Hill

DISC TWO: FOXY BROWN (1974 – BLU-RAY):
- NEW 4K Scan/Restoration From The Original Camera Negative
- Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
- Audio Commentary With Director Jack Hill
- “From Black And White To Blaxploitation” – An Interview With Actor Sid Haig
 - “A Not So Minor Influence” – An Interview With Actor Bob Minor
- “Back To Black” – An Interview With Actors Fred Williamson, Austin Stoker, And Rosanne Katon
- Theatrical Trailer
 - Image Gallery
 
FRIDAY FOSTER
The Final Boss of Blaxploitation Cinema, Pam Grier, leads an incredible cast, including Yaphet Kotto (Live And Let Die), Eartha Kitt (The Emperor's New Groove), Carl Weathers (Rocky), Scatman Crothers (The Shining), Ted Lange (The Love Boat), Jim Backus (Gilligan's Island), and Godfrey Cambridge (Cotton Comes To Harlem) in this ultra-hip action classic.

When photographer Friday Foster (Grier) uncovers a white supremacist plot to assassinate the country's top black leaders, she and her free-wheeling, trouble-dealing P.I. friend Hawkins (Kotto) go on a mission to stomp the killers' scheme. From the backstage murders at an oh-so-seventies fashion show to a pedal-to-the-metal car chase in a hearse, Friday will do whatever it takes to expose the corruption – but this time, she won't be shooting with just a camera.

DISC THREE: FRIDAY FOSTER (1975 – 4K UHD):
- NEW 4K Scan/Restoration From The Original Camera Negative
Presented In Dolby Vision (HDR-10 Compatible)
- Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio Mono

DISC FOUR: FRIDAY FOSTER (1975 – BLU-RAY):
- NEW 4K Scan/Restoration From The Original Camera Negative
- Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
- Theatrical Trailer
- Image Gallery
 
COTTON COMES TO HARLEM
Detectives 'Grave Digger' Jones (Godfrey Cambridge, Watermelon Man) and 'Coffin Ed' Johnson (Raymond St. Jacques, The Green Berets) are on the case and in everyone's face when they investigate the crooked Reverend Deke O'Malley (Calvin Lockhart, Uptown Saturday Night). But when $87,000 of O'Malley's freshly laundered cash gets stashed in a bale of cotton, Grave Digger and Coffin find they're not the only dudes with an interest in cotton futures! Trailing the bale all over Harlem, they come up against the mob, the cops, and more in an all-out dash for the cash.

DISC FIVE: COTTON COMES TO HARLEM (1970 – 4K UHD):
- NEW 4K Scan/Restoration From The Original Camera Negative
Presented In Dolby Vision (HDR-10 Compatible)
- Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio Mono

DISC SIX: COTTON COMES TO HARLEM (1970 – BLU-RAY):
- NEW 4K Scan/Restoration From The Original Camera Negative
- Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
 Theatrical Trailer

BUCKTOWN
It's a match made in Soul Cinema Heaven when Fred Williamson (Black Caesar) and Pam Grier (Jackie Brown) team up to heat up the streets – and the sheets – in this action-packed flick about a city ripped apart by prejudice and greed.

Duke Johnson (Williamson) arrives in Bucktown to bury his murdered brother. Taking over his brother's bar, he crosses paths with a foxy local woman (Grier) and runs afoul of the local police force, who are as corrupt as they come. Proving he can't be pushed, Johnson calls in his friends from the big city to help him set things straight. But when the smoke clears, Johnson discovers that his vicious cohorts are just as bad as the bigoted cops they took down – and now he must rid Bucktown of his violent friends ... by any means necessary!

DISC SEVEN: BUCKTOWN (1975 – 4K UHD):
- NEW 4K Scan/Restoration From The Original Camera Negative
Presented In Dolby Vision (HDR-10 Compatible)
- Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio Mono

DISC EIGHT: BUCKTOWN (1975 – BLU-RAY):
 NEW 4K Scan/Restoration From The Original Camera Negative
Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
- Theatrical Trailer

SLAUGHTER
The great Jim Brown is cleaning up the streets one mobster at a time in Slaughter! A former Green Beret, Slaughter (Brown) sets out to get the mafia man who blew up his folks' car ... with them still in it! But when he blows up a planeload of mob henchmen, he finds himself the pawn of the feds who were also on their trail. Ordered to tail the gangsters to South America, Slaughter uses any means possible to get his man!

Stella Stevens (The Poseidon Adventure), Rip Torn (Freddy Got Fingered), and Cameron Mitchell (Deadly Prey) co-star in this thrill-a-minute actioner. Get ready for the Slaughter!

DISC NINE: SLAUGHTER (1972 – 4K UHD):
- NEW 4K Scan/Restoration From The Original Camera Negative
Presented In Dolby Vision (HDR-10 Compatible)
- Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio Mono

DISC TEN: SLAUGHTER (1972 – BLU-RAY):
- NEW 4K Scan/Restoration From The Original Camera Negative
Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
- Theatrical Trailer
 
SLAUGHTER’S BIG RIP-OFF
Slaughter is back – and the mob's out to get him! Jim Brown (The Dirty Dozen, Mars Attacks!) returns as the ex-Green Beret who takes on the job of scorching the mob in this spectacular action flick!

When a gunman tries to take down Slaughter, he knows his battle with the mob – and corrupt cops – is far from over. Helped by an honest detective and a pimp with a heart of gold, Slaughter goes on a mission to expose every politician and policeman on the take. But getting the incriminating list of names won't be easy. It's in the safe of the big man himself (Ed McMahon, The Tonight Show), and he'll do anything to keep it out of Slaughter's hands!


DISC ELEVEN: SLAUGHTER'S BIG RIP-OFF (1973 – 4K UHD):
- NEW 4K Scan/Restoration From The Original Camera Negative
Presented In Dolby Vision (HDR-10 Compatible)
- Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio Mono

DISC TWELVE: SLAUGHTER'S BIG RIP-OFF (1973 – BLU-RAY):
- NEW 4K Scan/Restoration From The Original Camera Negative
Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
- NEW "The Cost To Be The Boss” The Blaxploitation Films Of A.I.P., Part Two – An In-Depth Documentary Featuring New And Archival Interviews With Film Producer And Son Of AIP Film Producer Samuel Z. Arkoff – Lou Arkoff, Film Historian Nathaniel Thompson, “Truck Turner” Director Jonathan Kaplan, Film Critic And Author Odie Henderson, “Coffy” Director Jack Hill, Associate Professor And Author Dr. Yvonne D. Sims, Film Critic And Author Quatoyiah Murry, Post-Production Supervisor At AIP – James L. Honore, Afrocentric Film Scholar Dr. Michelle B. Taylor, And Author And Film Historian Chris Poggiali.
- Theatrical Trailer

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BLOOD QUANTUM (2019) Shudder Blu-ray Screenshots

July 11, 2025, 10:57 am
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BLOOD QUANTUM (2019) 

Label: Shudder
Region Code: A
Rating: Unrated 
Duration: 98 Minutes 2 Seconds 
Audio: English, Micmac DTS-HD MA 5.1 Surround with Optional English Subtitles 3
Video: 1080p HD  Widescreen (2.39:1)
Director: Jeff Barnaby
Cast: Michael Greyeyes, Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers

Synopsis: Called “one of the best streaming services in the world” by RogerEbert.com and described by Thrillist as “pretty much everything a horror fan could want,” Shudder is a premium streaming service offering the best selection of horror, thriller and supernatural movies, series and specials.

The dead are coming back to life outside. But in the isolated Mi'gmaq reserve of Red Crow, the indigenous inhabitants are immune to the zombie plague. Traylor, the tribal sheriff, must protect his son's pregnant girlfriend, apocalyptic refugees and reserve riffraff from the hordes of walking white corpses.

Audio/Video: Guest review coming soon to www.rockshockpop.com

Special Features: 
- New Audio Commentary with film critic Scout Tafoya
- Behind the Scenes Footage (12:54)
- File Under Miscellaneous - short film by Jeff Barnaby (7:1 
- Stills Gallery (7:42) 
- Green Band Trailer (1:44) 
- Red Band Trailer (1:44) 
- 20-Page Illustrated Booklet with new writing by film critic Mo Moshaty

Screenshots from the Shudder Blu-ray: 



































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BREAKING GLASS (1980) Fun City Editions Blu-ray Review + Screenshots

July 11, 2025, 2:10 pm
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BREAKING GLASS (1980) 

Label: Fun City Editions
Region Code: Region-Free
Duration: 104 Minutes 48 Seconds 
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 2.0 with Optional English Subtitles 
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (2.35:1) 
Director: Brian Gibson 
Cast: Hazel O'Connor, Phil Daniels, Jon Finch, Jonathan Pryce, Mark Wingett, Peter-Hugo Daly

Post-punk classic Breaking Glass (1980), directed by Brian Gibson (Poltergeist II: The Other Side) is a punk rock rags to riches story, at the center of it is rebellious singer-songwriter Kate Crowley (Hazel O'Connor, Double Exposure), the lead singer of scrappy punk group Breaking Glass. They don't do much gigging and when they do it's usually shitty hole-in-the-wall dive bars, where her anarchic lyrics full of social commentary rubs the skinheads the wrong way. One day while plastering posters on the street she encounters wannabe-manager Danny (Phil Daniels, Quadrophenia), a bit of hustler who sees the promise in her, and self-appoints himself as her manager. First thing he does is fire her shitty back-up band, immediately holding auditions in her apartment, and we get a fun assortment of colorful and talentless weirdoes, including an appearance by Rat Scabies, drummer of goth-punk legend The Damned - who auditions as a guitarist (he's shit 'natch). In the end the band is comprised of Kate on vocals/synth, guitarist Tony (Mark Wingett, TV's Eastenders), bassist Dave (Gary Tibbs, musician/bassist known for playing with Adam Ant as well as The Vibrations), drummer Mick (Peter-Hugo Daly, Oxford Blues), and the partially-deaf junkie Ken (Jonathan Pryce, Brazil) on saxophone. The band struggles to make the scene, but after cutting a quick demo get notice from promoters, which leads to successful tours, and eventually signing with a record label. 

Kate's initially quite an idealist and non-conformist, but once she fins herself entrenched in the chew 'em up and spit 'em out music industry her anarchic message is co-opted by big business, she agrees to soften her edge a bit, first changing her lyrics, and then slowly but surely losing her self identity as her star rises, falling under the influence of a big-wig music producer Bob Woods (Jon Finch, The Vampire Lovers), which causes friction with her manager turned lover Danny. 

Set during the Winter of Discontent in Britain the film has a down and depressed aesthetic that seeps depression and poverty. It makes for a terrific backdrop for the film, issues with skinheads, the harassment of Kate at early gigs, witnessing a murder at protest-concert that causes a nervous breakdown she never quite recovers from, and some sunning punk rock performances that are electrifying. The music starts off as more abrasive and non-conformist, but it evolves, the film culminating with a sold-out show, pumped full of drugs, performing a Dystopian slice of synth-drenched sci-fi pop number "Eight Day", her and the band dressed-up in proto-Tron reflective outfits - it's quite a number! 

This release offers up the Blu-ray debut of the longer UK cut of the film, the U.S. ends on a freeze frame after this concert performance, but the longer UK cut continues on with a much more interesting examination of her mental state, fleeing the concert hall and having a nervous breakdown on the train where she hallucinates being groped lookalike fans and visions of people from her past, including the kid who dies at the concert, before ending up at a sanitarium. It's much darker and down-turned, as where the US cut was sort of ambiguous, I found this ending much more impactful and resonating. 

A real highlight of the film are the songs, which were written and performed by star Hazel O'Connor, the tracks were produced by longtime David Bowie collaborator Tony Visconti, and the soundtrack album appears to have done quite well, a couple of the songs scoring on the single chart in the UK. I have the CD soundtrack and its authentically a terrific album, and I say that as someone who heard the music long before I finally saw the film, so I think it stands up quite well on it's own

If you're a fan of punk rock cinema likeLadies and Gentleman... the Fabulous Stains, The Smithereens or even any of the numerous rags to riches (but at what cost!) music bios this should play well for you, particularly if your a fan of post-punk and new wave music of this era. Hazel O'Connor gives an electrifying turn as the punk rocker who struggles to find an audience, and when she does find success finds that her idealistic value crumble under the pressures of a corrupt and callous music industry. 

Audio/Video: The longer UK cut of Breaking Glass arrives in Blu-ray from Fun City Editions in 1080p HD framed in 2.35:1 widescreen, sourced from  a 4K restoration of archival elements. It looks very filmic with authentic levels of grain, nice texturing throughout, colors pop nicely wen called upon, black levels are solid. Some small remanent of source related damage do remain, but I found them quite minor. Audio comes by way of English DTS-HD MA 2.0 with optional English subtitles. The track is cleaned and free of hiss or distortion, dialogue is well prioritized, coming through clean, the sonics of punk performances in small bars and clubs performances and the new-wavier later performances in larger venues sounds authentic and vibrant. 

Onto the extras, we get a new Audio commentary by Marc Edward Heuck, the one-time 'The Movie Geek' on the Comedy Central game show Beat the Geeks, and New Bev projectionist, offers a lively assessment of the post-punk flick, comparing the two cuts, the cast, and the film's legacy. 

Then onto the 18-min"A Movie People Will Ralk About" - New video interview with producer Davina Belling, she discusses starting in theater before turning to film, starting out with Clive Parsons as development finance producers before financing their own project with Inserts, wanting to make provocative films, being director driven in their focus, working with up and coming talent, and then into the development of Breaking Glass with director Brian Gibson, which she describes as the New Wave A Star Is Born,  going to clubs to capture and authentic new wave vibe, the casting of Hazel O'Connor, Tony Visconti's involvement, the daily shooting process and making days, cinematographer Stephen Goldblatt, actor Jonathan Pryce, shooting scenes with punk extras, it's reception in UK and U.S, screenings resulted in re-edits of the ending, 

The 16-min "The Experience is Shartering" - New video essay by Chris O'Neill gets into the tense time in UK during the Winter of Discontent, how that backdrop of disillusionment sets the tone for this cynical take on the record business, shot over 11 weeks during Margaret Thatcher's dire turn as Prime Minister, he also gets into the technical aspects and aesthetic choices, the turn from Hazel O'Connor, that anchors the film. 

We also get 12-min of Alternate US Ending + Additional Scenes that we're re-edited for US release for the sake of comparison, plus an extensive  18-min Image gallery. 

The single-disc Blu-ray release arrives in a clear keepcase with a Double-sided wrap with legacy artworks, the a-sde wrap is actually my least favorite of the three, I even like the spine better in the reverse side, so I appreciate the options. inside there's a 12-Page Illustrated Booklet with new essay by Margaret Barton-Fumo, available with the first pressing only, the summarizes the film and places in context of this turbulent time in British culture. 

Special Features: 
- Audio commentary by Marc Edward Heuck
- "A Movie People Will Talk About" - New video interview with producer Davina Belling (18:33) 
- "The Experience is Shartering" - New video essay by Chris O'Neill
- Alternate US ending + additional scenes re-edited for US release (12:55) 
- Image gallery (18:26) 
- Double-sided wrap with legacy artwork
- 12-Page Illustrated Booklet with new essay by Margaret Barton-Fumo (first pressing only)

Screenshots from the Fun City Editions Blu-ray: 









































































Extras: 















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ICED EARTH - CD in Luxurious Triple 7 inch Vinyl Gatefold Editions

July 13, 2025, 10:20 am
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ICED EARTH 
CD in Luxurious Triple 7 Inch Vinyl Gatefold Editions! 

ICED EARTH - ICED EARTH  (1990)
ICED EARTH - NIGHT OF THE STORMRIDER (1991) 
ICED EARTH - BURNT OFFERINGS (1995) 
ICED EARTH - THE DARK SAGA (1996) 

Seven Mater have released legendary heavy metallers Iced Earth's first five album on CD, licensed from Century Media, for of which I was able to get my hands on. These arrive in cool-looking limited edition triple gatefold sleeves with a mix of original and reimagined artwork, which look terrific on a larger format. The gatefold a 7-inch formats are limited to 1,000 copies each, opening them up the CD slips into a pocket on the second panel, with the CD booklet slipping into the third panel. 

I personally have ever been the most enthusiastic fan of Iced Earth, early on they had vocalist that didn't strike me from the get-go which was always a deal-breaker for me, and they had multiple line-up changes that made it hard for me to give to follow them. The music itself was always pretty solid, galloping riffs from John Schaffer, tasty leads from Randall Shawver, offering a mix of thrash and power metal, and some fairly sophisticated song structures. That debut self-titled album was marred by less than stellar vocals from Gene Adam, who only lasted one album with the band. Regardless the galloping riffs and songwriting are notable, beginning with the opening track "Iced earth", which is a beast, as are "Colors' and "Curse the Sky". John Greely took over vocals on the band's second album, Night of the Stormrider (1991), certainly an improvement there, but still not to my taste. Singers are like artwork n comics for me, the story might be awesome, but if I cannot get into the artwork I just have trouble enjoying the comic, that's how  am with vocalists. The production is tighter this time around, some of the more delicate acoustic intros and interludes like on "Before I fall" and "Reaching the End" add textures and break-up the harder-edge stuff, and "Desert Rain" brings the melodic touch with some searing leads, but I still prefer the tighter thrashier songs like "The Path I Choose" and the album closer "Travel in Stygian". 

The third album Burnt Offering (1995) saw yet another vocalist, this time it was Matthew Barlow, the album is heavier and more downbeat for the most part, the riffs are heavy but I feel the leadwork suffers a bit, sacrificing the tasty leadwork for a beefier, heavier vibe. The opening title track having some horror film keyboards and a menacing riffs, great opener. Again, the vocals don't do it for me, which has always been my issue with Iced Earth, that, and the fact that I am just not a huge power metal guy to be fair, so I enjoy the thrashier riffs for sure, but it's hard for me to "get into it" properly. The fourth album, Dark Saga (1996), again with Matthew Barlow on vocals, was a concept album based on the Spawn comic, is my least favorite of the four. While the previous album was heavier this one seems to me going more for a melodic mid-paced, I missed the galloping staccato rhythms and thrashier moments. This was the album I sort of signed off on Iced Earth back in the day, I never listened to another record after it.  


ICED EARTH - ICED EARTH  (1990)

CD in Luxurious Triple 7 Inch Vinyl Gatefold 

Synopsis: The guitar work, driven by Schaffer's signature galloping riffs, is the undisputed heart of the record. Songs like "Colors" and "Funeral" are pure adrenaline, showcasing the band's ability to shift between pummeling aggression and intricate harmonies. Meanwhile, vocalist Gene Adam delivers a raw, unpolished performance that, while divisive among fans, adds an urgent, primal energy to the mix. One standout track, "When the Night Falls" hints at the epic storytelling and compositional ambition that would define Iced Earth's later works. Clocking in at over nine minutes, it's a sprawling journey of haunting melodies, relentless rhythms, and dynamic shifts that keeps listeners enthralled from start to finish. The production, while not as polished as future releases, perfectly captures the gritty essence of the early '90s underground metal scene. It's an unfiltered window into the band's burgeoning talent and ambition, making the album feel as much like a historical artifact as a sonic powerhouse. For fans of thrash metal, power metal, or anyone craving unrelenting energy with a touch of dark drama, Iced Earth is an essential listen. It's not just the start of a band's career; it's the birth of a legend. 

Track Listing:
1. Iced Earth
2. Written On The Walls
3. Colors
4. Curse The Sky
5. Life And Death
6. Solitude
7. Funeral
8. When The Night Falls

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ICED EARTH - NIGHT OF THE STORMRIDER (1991) 
 
CD in Luxurious Triple 7 inch Vinyl Gatefold

Synopsis: The album chronicles the spiritual descent of a betrayed protagonist who makes a Faustian pact, becoming a vessel of vengeance and destruction. It's epic, dark, and laced with an emotional intensity that rivals Greek tragedy. The band's signature mix of intricate thrash riffs, galloping rhythms, and soaring melodies is on full display. Tracks like "Angels Holocaust" and "Travel in Stygian" are as thunderous and technically dazzling as ever, while the melodic grandeur of "Desert Rain" reveals Jon Schaffer's knack for crafting haunting atmospheres. Vocally, John Greely's fiery performance delivers the apocalyptic drama with raw power and theatrical flair. 

Track Listing: 
1. Angels Holocaust
2. Stormrider
3. The Path I Choose
4. Before The Vision
5. Mystical End
6. Desert Rain
7. Pure Evil
8. Reaching The End
9. Travel In Stygian

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ICED EARTH - BURNT OFFERINGS (1995) 

CD in Luxurious Triple 7 Inch Vinyl Gatefold

Label: The Circle Music/Seven Mater 

This reissue preserves the raw energy of the original recording while offering a soundscape that feels more expansive and polished. 

Track Listing: 
1. Burnt Offerings
2. Last December
3. Diary
4. Brainwashed
5. Burning Oasis
6. Creator Failure
7. The Pierced Spirit
8. Dante’s Inferno

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ICED EARTH - THE DARK SAGA (1996) 

CD in Luxurious Triple 7 Inch Vinyl Gatefold

Synopsis: Tracks like "I Died for You" and "The Hunter" highlight Iced Earth's knack for blending storytelling with unforgettable choruses, while the galloping rhythms of "Vengeance is Mine" and "Scarred" remind us why Schaffer's rhythm guitar work is legendary in the power metal world. This deluxe reissue takes the experience of The Dark Saga to new heights. The lavish packaging is a visual and tactile delight, with stunning artwork that pays homage to McFarlane's iconic Spawn imagery. The tri-fold design features additional liner notes and alternate artwork, enhancing the immersion into Iced Earth's dark and fantastical world. The sound remastering is crisp and dynamic, bringing out new layers of depth in tracks you thought you already knew by heart. 

Track Listing: 
1. Dark Saga
2. I Died For You
3. Violate
4. The Hunter
5. The Last Laugh
6. Depths Of Hell
7. Vengeance Is Mine
8. Scarred
9. Slave To The Dark
10. A Question Of Heaven

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KILL THE MOONLIGHT (1994) Factory 25 Blu-ray Screenshots

July 13, 2025, 2:54 pm
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KILL THE MOONLIGHT (1994) 

Label: Factory 25
Region Code: Region-Free 
Rating: Unrated 
Duration: 75 Minutes 39 Seconds 
Audio: English Dolby Digital 2.0 with Optional English Subtitles 
Video: 1080i HD Fullscreen (1.33:1) 
Director: Steve Hanft
Cast: Thomas Hendrix, Maria Hassabi, Ross Harris, Richmond Arquette, Jaime Colindrez, Beata Henrichs, Ralston Regan, Eddie Ruscha

Synopsis: A stock car racer blows a rod and his car catches fire. To raise money to get back into the game he works as fish hatchery worker, toxic waste cleaner, drug peddler and thief. As the film unfolds, the main character starts to unravel in strange ways when he is contaminated by toxic waste. At the same time, the plot of the film disintegrates and scenes start to go out of sync, and the picture goes upside down and backwards at times. Kill the Moonlight is a 16mm feature film completed in 1991 and was sampled in Beck's long Loser.

Audio/Video: Guest review coming soon over at www.rochshockpop.com

Special Features:
- Director Interview (12:51) 
- Trailer (1:20) 
- 24-Page Illustrated Booklet with an interview with director Steve Hanft by Factory 25's Matt Grady


Screenshots from the Factory 25 Blu-ray: 




















































Extras/Menus: 




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