DEATHDREAM - Blue Underground Blu-ray Review

Canada/1974
Directed By: Bob Clark
Written By: Alan Ormsby
Starring: John Marley, Lynn Carlin, Richard Backus
Color/88 Minutes/R
Region FREE
Release Date: November 28, 2017
Blu-ray/DVD

The Film
There's no perfect time to write a review on this film. It is a horror film centered firmly on the horrors of war and what the surviving participants bring back with them. Nobody, on any side, has ever returned from war the same as they departed. Bob Clark very clearly and eloquently describes that in DEATHDREAM.  Earlier titles included The Veteran which is a bit too on the nose for the film's own good but it would certainly work in this story of a soldier returned from the horrors of the Vietnam War, which is something nobody had ever been exposed to before.

Shortly after receiving news of Andy's death in Vietnam, Andy's family is startled by his surprised return home. Thrilled by their son's return and the military's mistake the family writes off his change in demeanor to the casualties of war. Andy who was a bright, energetic and engaging youth has returned as a quiet, reserved and very irritable verteran of war, still coddled, and rightfully so, by his mother. His reintegration into society is very slow and his father is his biggest critic, citing his own time spent in the service as a weakness in Andy, but reacting mostly to his aversion to the family pets that seem to not approve of his new attitude. Andy's sister has set up a date with his old flame to hopefully bring back the old Andy but things go further south as the damaged Andy can no longer pretend to be his old self.

DEATHDREAM is a minimalistic yet totally engulfing horror film. And it is heart wrenching. There is a layer of social commentary within this film that rings as startingly and profoundly true now as it did in 1974 but it never becomes overly intrusive to the enjoyment of the film. It's obvious that Bob Clark understood how to get a message across within a package that mass audiences would appreciate and enjoy on a commercial level. Richard Backus didn't need to turn in an Oscar winning performance to turn this film into an absolute winner but he did manage a great performance and made DEATHDREAM a time tested classic that far outlives the confines of the Vietnam War. Lynn Carlin perfectly exemplifies the grief of a somber and sorrowful mother that will do anything to protect her son and finally his legacy. Andy isn't a bad person and you can't really blame him for his actions as the movie rolls on and his mother loves him and will put herself in the crosshairs for him. He's not well, and his actions are awful but Andy did not return home as the same Andy that left. It's an obvious commentary that sadly couldn't and wouldn't change the world and many war torn vets were left in positions that were at best unsavory.

War is hell and it's unfair to expect a soldier of war to return the same as he left. If anything is clear in DEATHDREAM it is that. DEATHDREAM is filled with enough horror movie moments to make it a classic and a classic it is, through and through. Alan Ormsby's (With a young Tom Savini serving as his assistant) simple special effects are well done and totally believable and add to the horrific nature of this film. There's a level of visual satisfaction along with the emotional impact of this film that has been underrated and overlooked for too long. It's a damn fine horror film that I can't speak of highly enough.

The Audio & Video
Blue Underground has been quietly releasing top notch Blu-ray after top notch Blu-ray and this release of DEATHDREAM is another example of greatness. The disc features a gorgeous 16x9 anamorphic widescreen transfer with a healthy and natural grain structure that reminds you that you're watching a movie shot on film. Without being overly grainy, the film retains that look that digital photography simply cannot reproduce. Colors are warm and natural while skin tones remain healthy and fleshy. Black levels are deep with no compression or blocking issues. Detail level is strong especially in close up shots on faces and textures. The audio features a DTS-HDMA 1.0 Mono mix which keeps the film's original audio mix but presents it in the finest available quality. It's simple but beautifully crisp and clear with no background noise or distorted damage. The score and dialogue mix perfectly and never jocky for position over the other.

Please note: The screen grabs shown in this review are from the DVD copy of the film and in no way reflect the new HD transfer.

The Extras
This release is absolutely stacked with special features which include:

-Audio commentary with Director/Co-Producer Bob Clark
-Audio commentary with Writer/Make-up Artist Alan Ormsby
-A recollection with star Anya Liffey and Writer/Make-up Artist Alan Ormsby
-"Notes For A Homecoming" - Interview with Composer Carl Zittrer
-"Flying Down To Brooksville" - An interview with Production Manager John "Bud" Cardos
-Tom Savini: The Early Years - An interview with legendary make-up artist Tom Savini who served as an assistant to Alan Ormsby on the film
-"Deathdreaming:" - An interview with star Richard Backus
-Alternate Opening Titles
-Theatrical Trailer
-Still Gallery
-Alan Ormsby student film
-Collectable Booklet featuring writings on the film by critic Travis Crawford

The Bottom Line
Even if this release was barebones and didn't feature any special features I would still say this is one of the must own releases of the year because the film is that damn good but since it is packed with special features and sports a fantastic A/V presentation this release of DEATHDREAM is essential viewing.

DEATHDREAM is available HERE

AMSTERDAMNED - Blue Underground Blu-ray Review

Holland/1988
Directed By: Dick Maas
Written By: Dick Maas
Starring: Huub Stapel, Monique Van De Ven, Serge-Henri Valcke
Color/113 Minutes/R
Region FREE
Release Date: August 29, 2017
Blu-ray/DVD

The Film
Amsterdam is the biggest city and capital of The Netherlands, a port city made up of over 25 miles of canals throughout the city. These waterways prove to be the perfect passages for an experienced scuba diver to travel through the city undetected and commit heinous crimes. As the body count rises it is up to detective Eric Visser to track down the murderer and protect the residents of Amsterdam including his new girlfriend.

AMSTERDAMNED was filmed in 1987 and released the following year. It mashes up the slasher film, which was still a big deal even if we were at the tail end of its huge run and action films like Die Hard and Lethal Weapon. The story of the film is based around a killer stalking the waters of Amsterdam first at night before more brazenly killing in the day time with the murky waters concealing him. His weapon of choice is a typically a serrated diver's knife but also makes use of more standard cutlery and spear guns, leaving his victims a bloody, mutilated mess that even surprises the doctors as they note that organs have almost been rearranged during the massacre. The motive is unknown through almost the entire movie, we're dealing with someone that is simply mad, a deranged individual that is totally remorseless. Eric Visser (Huub Stapel) is one of the top detectives on the police force and has been assigned the case and for a large portion of the film he and his colleagues are powerless to stop the killing spree, not for lack of effort. Visser is a likable cop, strong but flawed and relateable. He's a single father to a mouthy but altogether decent teenage girl and doesn't come across as too much of a headstrong, arrogant asshole that so many detective characters in films like this can. As his ability to solve the case is called in to question you begin to root for Visser even harder because you're drawn to him.

The film takes the horror aspect and turns it into a platform for action. AMSTERDAMNED is packed with chase scenes, both on land and on water. The film's best scene is a lengthy speedboat chase through the canals (and through the patio of a cafe) that turns in to a foot pursuit through the sewers. It's goes from incredibly intense high speed action packed with death defying stunts and a giant explosion to a tense, claustrophobic experience that almost plays out like a game of cat and mouse before a face to face encounter between Detective Visser and the killer. There's also a definite giallo influence to AMSTERDAMNED. Visually it doesn't take much imagination to link the black wetsuit and dive mask killer here to the black gloved killers with their razor blades to the Italian murder thrillers from a decade prior. It goes further with the hidden identity of the killer, the investigation of the killer by a citizen involved with the crimes (though that is a much more minor part of AMSTERDAMNED than it would be in a typical giallo), and of course the revelation of the killer's motive which plays as big a role in this film as it does in any giallo. Now I certainly wouldn't consider AMSTERDAMNED a giallo, but the influence is there and it wouldn't be out of place being played along side them.

AMSTERDAMNED is filled with capable actors and Huub Stapel proves to be a more than capable leading man. On top of being relatable and likable he's strong and charismatic without being a caricature of a real person. His chemistry of a smitten, budding relationship with Monique Van De Ven's character Laura comes off as genuine and real. Van De Ven portrays a strong but vulnerable woman that may be all too close to the killer without realizing it. She's a fantastic leading lady. Dick Maas created a film that at the time of filming was the most expensive film ever produced in Holland. And it shows. Maas proves to be a very capable director handling more delicate and intricate scenes with the same ability as he does the elaborate stunt-filled scenes. When the film called for a horror scene he makes it scary and suspenseful and when it calls for a balls to the wall action scene he gets the best work you could imagine out of his stunt coordinator Dickey Beer who had previously worked on films such as Return Of The Jedi and Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom and is still a prominent stunt man in Hollywood today.

If there's anything I disliked about AMSTERDAMNED is that it restrains itself a bit too much at times. The murder sequences are almost all off screen in terms of the graphic violence which is surprising given how action packed and in your face the movie is during the more action movie oriented sequences. It left me feeling a bit cheated and thinking that we can get a five minute boat chase scene that took days to film but we couldn't get a bit of actual on screen special effects for the killings. Though I could argue with myself that the dead hooker hanging from the bridge scene is enough blood to last the whole movie. There's also a small side plot that disappears as fast as it shows up but ends up playing an important role in the grand scheme of things. It doesn't really hinder the movie but it did make me think that it was introduced and tossed away without even the hint of a resolution. It also may have the most out of place theme song for any movie ever, thankfully it only plays over the end credits where it can be enjoyed... somehow.

Those minor gripes aside I love AMSTERDAMNED. Obviously I'm a huge fan of all of its influences and I think Dick Maas put them together to form this movie quite well. He makes damn good use of a truly one of a kind setting that couldn't be recreated on any sound stage and it all results in a wild ride through the canals of Amsterdam.

The Audio & Video
I'll make mention of some controversy and complaints that have made their rounds on the internet in recent days regarding the transfer of this release. There have been complaints of heavy compression issues and blocking from a poor authoring job that Blue Underground is looking in to. I will say that I did notice some intermittent compression issues here and there and there is layer of digital noise that is heavier than it should be but overall the transfer which comes from a new 2K scan and restoration looks quite good and a better authoring job which is not the direct fault of Blue Underground would likely have this release looking nearly pristine. As it stands AMSTERADAMNED looks sharp, and has great detail. It's only a quibble that the natural grain has to compete with digital noise and compression artifacts from time to time. The film features a 5.1 DTS-HD audio track in the film's native Dutch with English subtitles. This track is impeccable. It's crisp and clear that is powerful when need be and let's the synth driven score add a mood to the film when need be. There's no background noise or damage to mention. Also included are Dutch and English 2.0 DTS-HD tracks and optional English, French and Spanish subtitles.

If Blue Underground does issue some sort of updated disc with better authoring I will welcome it with open arms but if they choose not to I'd understand and still be totally satisfied with this release of AMSTERDAMNED as I think it still looks far superior than DVD ever would and I can't imagine any release of this on home video has even approached the image quality shown here.

Please note: The screen grabs do not represent the Blu-ray quality.

The Extras
Blue Underground has compiled a very healthy selection of special features which truly make this the definitive edition of AMSTERDAMNED. The features include:

-Audio Commentary with writer/director Dick Maas and editor Hans Van Dongen
-"The Making Of AMSTERDAMNED" - a vintage 36 minute documentary on the film and its production in and around Amsterdam.
-"Tales From The Canal" - A 9 minute interview with star Huub Stapel as hell tells his memories and stories on a boat ride through some of the canals seen in the film and how the film sticks with him even now in the form of injuries received while filming
-"Damned Stuntwork" - An interview with the stunt coordinator Dickey Beer running 18 minutes.
-Theatrical trailers
-Lois Lane "Amsterdamned" music video
-Poster and still gallery
-Booklet with new writing on the film by Michael Gingold

The Bottom Line
Maybe it's time Blue Underground switch authoring houses as the controversies surrounding many of their recent releases seems to outweighing how good the release is. I don't pretend to know their situation with the team authoring their discs but it is enough of a problem that fans are noticing it and it's a repeat issue. Blue Underground is a company I love and is putting out some great films in great releases but the majority of the discussion about them seems to be about these gripes (and rightfully so to some degree) instead of all the positives about the discs such as how good the transfer really is aside from a botched authoring job, or the great bonus features or the film itself. AMSTERDAMNED is not a perfect release but I have no problem fully and highly recommending it to fans of the film or anyone looking to watch it for the first time. The good vastly outweighs the bad which I've personally found to be a bit exaggerated. If there's any update from Blue Underground on a re-release I will update this review and make mention of it at the Celluloid Terror Facebook page. Until then grab this release and enjoy the damn movie!

AMSTERDAMNED is available HERE

THE STENDHAL SYNDROME (Blue Underground Blu-ray Review)

Italy/1996
Directed By: Dario Argento
Written By: Dario Argento, Franco Ferrini
Starring: Asia Argento, Thomas Kretschmann, Marco Leonardi
Color/119 Minutes/Not Rated
Region FREE
Release Date: July 25, 2017
Blu-ray/2x DVD

The Film
There's no shortage of great films in Dario Argento's filmography. While he did not invent the giallo he is certainly one of the main reasons the genre rose to prominence in Italy during the early to mid 1970s. Half of the maestro's output fits in to the giallo genre and he has made at least one in every decade since he began directing films with the exception of our current decade, though he does have one in the works titled The Sandman. The popularity of gialli began declining in the late 70s giving way to more gore oriented horror films (not that gialli didn't have their fair share of gore) but Argento found ways keep his gialli fresh enough that they worked even when the genre wasn't in vogue. By 1996 horror and what was popular in the genre was very different from when Dario Argento directed his debut feature film The Bird With The Crystal Plumage in 1970 and the giallo was a mostly forgotten part of horror and Italian film history but Argento was able to craft a film centered around a beautiful protagonist who played the tough role of a police detective but who was also quite fragile and flawed and blended psychological horror, bloody violence and the giallo to create one of the best horror films of the 1990s.

Asia Argento stars as Anna Manni, a beautiful police detective on the case of a serial rapist and murderer named Alfredo. She follows a tip that the killer will be at an art museum at a specific time and while there Manni falls victim to the Stendhal Syndrome, a real disorder that causes adverse physical and psychological reactions when viewing pieces of art of great significance. Manni faints, smashing her lip on a ledge and her purse spills out across the floor, including her gun. She's helped to her feet and back to her apartment when she realizes her gun is missing. Soon after Manni is attacked and raped by Alfredo but escapes with her life. Eventually the two encounter each other again as Manni is abducted by Alfredo but is able to turn the tide on his attacks and badly injures him and kicking him into a river. The police believe Alfredo to be dead but Anna begins receiving phone calls from Alfredo when she meets a young French man named Marie who she falls in love with. Anna's world quickly spirals out of control and everyone closer to her including her psychologist and Marie are in grave danger.

THE STENDHAL SYNDROME is a giallo based in the psychological horror and thriller world but also takes cues from the rape/revenge exploitation films such as I Spit On Your Grave and The Last House On The Left at times. Anna's moment of vengeance against Alfredo is a powerful one that will leave you cheering her as she leaves him a bloody mess. This is Anna's first moment of overcoming everything she had taken from her by him earlier in the film. Sadly that isn't to last as the terror starts again and she again has everything ripped away from her. Asia Argento's character is written in three stages. She stats out as a feminine police officer with long hair, a skirt and attractive blouse. It's immediately evident that her confidence and femininity is taken from her after the initial rape as she chops her hair off in the hospital leaving a more masculine look complete with baggy pants and oversized flannel shirts. There comes a moment when you can see that she wants to reinvent herself, she begins wearing a long blonde wig and finding a new interest in art which is how she meets Marie while shopping for art prints. It's no coincidence that art again plays a major role in her transformation as she is still deeply affected by it but now, at least on the surface, she loves it and surrounds herself with it, even creating her own paintings.

Anna Manni was a brave role to take on. Obviously the physicality and mental suffering the character is exposed to will take its toll. A rape scene is never fun to play and being involved in multiple such sequences only multiplies the intensity of the experience. It goes even deeper for Asia Argento who portrays a character that was named for her sister Anna who died in a motorcycle accident shortly before production began on THE STENDHAL SYNDROME. While this probably doesn't affect your on screen performance I can only imagine that it would be a little voice in the back of your head telling you that you have to do your best in a tribute to your sibling and that can be an emotional weight to bear. Thomas Kretschmann co-stars opposite Asia Argento as Alfredo. Kretschmann had previously appeared in La Reine Margot (1994) with Asia Argento and the pair would reunite for Dario again in 2012's Dracula 3D as the infamous Dracula and Lucy. Kretschmann has had a long and successful Hollywood career for good reason - He's a fine actor and he shows it here. He has limited screen time but is effectively menacing and brutalizing. The perfect mix for a nasty serial rapist and murderer.

Dario Argento wrote the majority of the film with only changes in small details such as Manni being a cop instead of a lawyer being made by co-writer Franco Ferrini. Argento's story and script are gripping and have just a touch of that "what the fuck?" aspect that gave so many gialli their identity. The reveal of the killer's identity is bloody and gruesome but also emotional and heartfelt. Argento's style is on display here with locations reminiscent of 1985's Phenomena and using locations across various Italian cities to give a natural cityscape and maze of streets and alleyways. The scene of Anna entering a painting and crossing through a waterfall is a beautiful image that you could read into her washing herself of her previous traumas that is juxtaposed against a film full of intense violence. There's a mix of practical effects which smear bloody reds across the screen numerous times but he also mixes in CGI effects for the first time in his career for effects such as paintings melting, scenes of a pill following the esophageal tract and a bullet penetrating flesh. These effects are badly dated and stick out like a sore thumb. I admire what Argento was going for on two out of the three (I don't see the purpose of the pill swallowing scene) and in 1996 we'd judge these effects much less harshly but bad effects are bad effects. Thankfully Argento doesn't rely too heavily on this new found "toy" and keeps things grounded with practical storytelling techniques.

A discussion on THE STENDHAL SYNDROME would not be complete without mention of the brilliant score done by the legendary Ennio Morricone who has worked with Argento five of his films, most recently 1998's Phantom Of The Opera though it had been nearly 25 years between collaboration for Argento and Morricone who prior to STENDHAL hadn't worked together since Four Flies On Grey Velvet (1971). Morricone's theme on THE STENDHAL SYNDROME elicits an emotional response from the viewer, with a dark and almost sad string movement accompanying a haunting woman's vocal cries of "la la la". It is the perfect piece to pair up to Anna Manni's dark journey.

THE STENDHAL SYNDROME gets lumped in to a period of time where fans have harshly critiqued Argento's output often saying he was on the decline or going as far to say that his films were not good by this point. I have to harshly disagree with both of those opinions. Not only do I feel Argento was still putting out very good films in the 90s (Trauma is vastly underrated, even more than STENDHAL) but I feel THE STENDHAL SYNDROME not only fits right in with the classic giallo films of the 70s but is among the best horror films of the 90s. It blends graphic violence with psychological horror and mystery very well while giving us a lead we can immediately get behind and care about all wrapped up in a stylish package that while flawed at times is really quite well made. It's time to for audiences to stop judging THE STENDHAL SYNDROME on what it isn't and appreciate what it is.

The Audio & Video
Blue Underground has delivered what I consider to be the definitive version of THE STENDHAL SYNDROME on home video. Their brand new 2K restoration from the original camera negative shines in the 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. Colors are crisp and vibrant, while detail levels are high. Skin tones are natural and not waxy. The overall picture is quite sharp and suffers from only the rare imperfection dealing with artifacting. There are several audio options available including a 7.1 DTS-HD mix, a 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround EX mix and a 2.0 DTS-HD mix all in English or Italian with optional English subtitles. French and Spanish subtitles are also available. The sound quality is rich, letting Ennio Morricone's score envelop you while never interfering or overpowering the dialogue. The levels are mixed brilliantly and I didn't find anything in the way of background noise or damage while watching the film. It's an extremely pleasant listening experience. This is a noticeable step up from Blue Undergrounds previous 2008 Blu-ray release of the film.

NOTE: The screen grabs do NOT represent the new 2K restoration picture quality

The Extras
The previous Blu-ray release of THE STENDHAL SYNDROME had a healthy selection of special features but this new limited edition release blows it away by porting over all of the old extras and introducing some brand new material as well spread across two discs.

Disc 1 Special Features:
-Audio commentary with Troy Howarth, author of the giallo film book series So Deadly, So Perverse
-"Three Shades Of Asia" - 20 minute+ interview with Asia Argento
-"Prisoner Of Art" - Interview with co-writer Franco Ferrini
-"Sharp As A Razor" - Interview with special effects artist Franco Casagni
-Theatrical Trailer
-Poster and Still Gallery

Disc 2 Special Features:
-Interview with Director Dario Argento
-Inspiration: Interview with Psychological Consultant Graziella Magherini
-Interview with special effects artist Sergio Stivaletti
-Interview with assistant director Luigi Cozzi
-Interview with Production Designer Massimo Antonello Greleng

Also included is a booklet with a brand new essay by author Michael Gingold

The Bottom Line
THE STENDHAL SYNDROME film is a powerful mix of psychological thriller, horror and giallo and is deserving of being revisited by its harsher critics and there's no better way to watch this later Argento classic than this new Blu-ray from Blue Underground.

THE STENDHAL SYNDROME is available HERE

DEATH LINE (Raw Meat) - Blue Underground Blu-ray Review

UK/1972
Directed By: Gary Sherman
Written By: Gary Sherman, Ceri Jones
Starring: Donald Pleasance, Norman Rossington, David Ladd
Color/87 Minutes/Not Rated
Region FREE
Release Date: June 27, 2017
Blu-ray/DVD

The Film
When a rash of people have disappeared in the London Underground a Scotland Yard Inspector (Donald Pleasance) must investigate the case where he has a suspicious eye toward an American student studying abroad but eventually learns that a group of workers may have survived a tunnel collapse in the 1890s surviving for generations off the flesh of their own dead until now when hunger has driven them to the surface.

From the moment the bassy, baritone groove kicks in over the opening credits you're immediately aware that DEATH LINE isn't going to be a typical horror film. It has a personality all its own from the dark comedy that Donald Pleasance brings in a brilliant performance, to the cold, uninviting subway tunnels and the bellowing calls of "Mind the doors" that are haunting and quite frankly unnerving, DEATH LINE has different tones and vibes that don't always work together, but they come together and compliment each other nicely.

Director Gary Sherman helms an almost entirely British production and makes a film that feels distinctly of its country, surprisingly. It's a bit dry in it's delivery in a way that so many British productions are. That's not a bad thing either. It plays the story straight, with only Pleasance's character and rivalry with Christopher Lee's character who plays a MI5 Intelligence Agent in a lone scene that he plays almost entirely straight to the camera and is incredibly snotty and perfect in it. His backhanded suggestion that Pleasance goes back to planting pot on suspects before he becomes a missing person himself leaves a lasting impression for Lee's lone moment in the film.

Gary Sherman wouldn't return to the directors chair on a feature film for almost a decade after DEATH LINE when he'd return with a film that has a lot of similarities in pacing and delivery, Dead And Buried, which is severely underrated among horror fans. It is the pacing in DEATH LINE that I think stops it from being an a true classic. It is very much a display of Pleasance's antics and snarky attitude through much of the picture with a few horrific moments sprinkled throughout until the climax. Those sparse moments are quite good however and there is a seven minute tracking shot in the tunnels among the dead and dying tunnel dwellers who suffer from plague, emaciation and countless other ailments that is a masterful sequence. The skill that this scene took cannot be overlooked or underestimated. This was years before Steadicam and it is simply perfect in execution and helps bring a sense of humanity and empathy to the tunnel dwellers. Hugh Armstrong portrayed the male tunnel dweller and was both tragic and nightmare fuel.

DEATH LINE was released in the US as RAW MEAT which is what I always knew the film to be. I don't think either title is much better than the other but I think the US artwork is a stroke of maniacal brilliance. It is eye catching, striking and bizarre while the standard artwork that you see pictured on this blu-ray release is more in line with the stark, cold tone of the film. No matter which title or poster is used I believe DEATH LINE has been lost in the shuffle over the years, never quite gaining the popularity or acclaim it is deserving of.

The Audio & Video
Blue Underground has given DEATH LINE  a brand new 2K restoration and transfer which looks fantastic! The 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer has a warm, naturalistic color palette. The picture is sharp with great levels of detail that allows everything from clothing to the special effects makeup look exceptional. The image is clean with virtually no noticeable dirt or debris and skin tones looks lifelike and not at all waxy. An English DTS-HD Mono track is the lone audio option which takes the original mix and brings it to HD quality and it sounds excellent. There's no drop outs, distortions or background noise. The mix allows the dialogue to come through clear while the soundtrack comes in powerful when needed.

Please Note: Screen grabs do NOT represent Blu-ray quality.

The Extras
Blue Underground has put together a nice selection of special features for this release including:

-Audio Commentary with co-writer/director Gary Sherman, producer Paul Maslansky, and assistant director Lewis More O'Ferrall
-"Tales From The Tube" - Interview with Gary Sherman and executive producers Jay Kanter and Alan Ladd Jr.
-"From The Depths" - Interview with star David Ladd and producer Paul Maslansky
-"Mind The Doors" - Interview with star Hugh Armstrong
-Theatrical trailers
-TV and Radio Spots
-Poster and Still gallery
-Booklet with new writing by Michael Gingold and Christopher Gullo

The Bottom Line
DEATH LINE has been a bit overlooked for years but hopefully no longer! This new Blu-ray is the perfect way for new fans to discover the film. If you haven't seen it now is the time to educate yourself with this Blu-ray that has blown me away.

DEATH LINE is available HERE

THE BLOOD OF FU MANCHU/THE CASTLE OF FU MANCHU - Blue Underground Blu-ray Review

Spain, Germany/1968, 1969
Directed By: Jess Franco
Written By: Manfred Barthel, Harry Alan Towers, Jess Franco
Starring: Christopher Lee, Tsai Chin, Richard Greene
Color/
Region FREE
Release Date: May 30, 2017

The Films
Harry Alan Towers brought Fu Manchu back to the silver screen after three decades without the Chinese madman who was hellbent on world domination. He put Christopher Lee in the titular role and five movies later Fu Manchu's legacy is that of a schlocky B-movie franchise that is underloved and overly scrutinized.

Yes, the films are campy and flawed but taken for what they are, globetrotting adventure films with far fetched plot devices and grandiose plans that they could never truly fully realize, they offer plenty of enjoyment and entertainment value. Christopher Lee adds a touch of class to the productions as he was never one to phone it in. He cared about the character even if he was a bit miserable playing him due to the makeup effects done to give him a more Asian appearance. His co-star was Tsai Chin who played his daughter and second in command to his power and leadership. Chin is also quite good and gives the film a nice one two punch of villains. Richard Greene plays Nayland Smith, a Scotland Yard agent who has made a career out of chasing his arch rival and putting a stop to his nefarious plans. Greene is passable in his role but a more charismatic actor would certainly have spiced things up and given the audience more of a hero to grasp on to.

THE BLOOD OF FU MANCHU is the fourth film in the series and the first to be directed by Jess Franco. The film follows Fu Manchu, now hiding in South America, as he attempts world domination once again. This time he has discovered an ancient poison found in snakes that he will transfer to the beautiful women he has captured and imprisoned and unleash on the world slowly. One kiss on the lips from these women will result in blindness, paralysis and ultimately death. If his demands are not met he will unleash the full scale version of and wipe out a large portion of Earth's population.

While BLOOD is an entertaining film, it is ultimately messy and filled with too much fat that could have been trimmed. There are characters that don't fit the film and are present for one of the film's several subplots that don't go anywhere. There are scenes that could have been lifted straight from a comedy spaghetti western.  Lee is unsurprisingly the shining star of the film giving a stoic and centered performance. The film has several signature touches of director Jess Franco, most notably sexy women in prison being tortured in some way. I enjoy THE BLOOD OF FU MANCHU but it could have been a tighter film with some editing or a better script.

Jess Franco returns to the directors chair to wrap up the franchise with THE CASTLE OF FU MANCHU from 1969 where Fu Manchu has developed a plan to freeze the oceans of Earth using special crystals which he demonstrates on a smaller scale in the opening scene that features an ocean liner striking an iceberg and sinking in a scene that is eerily similar to some of the scenes in James Cameron's blockbuster Titanic when it sinks. Cameron is no stranger to genre films so it would not surprise me if he had seen this film and set up a shot or two in his film to match that of Franco's sinking ship shown here as a wink and nod to the type of cult films he cut his teeth on.

Christopher Lee is a bit more animated in his performance here and the film as a whole is more visually appealing. The sets feature more colored lighting and detailed dressing and there's no unnecessary subplots getting in the way. It's odd to me that CASTLE is received less positively than BLOOD from the research I've done prior to this review. I think CASTLE is a better film in almost every way. The film ends similarly to how BLOOD ends but we never get the return that Fu Manchu promises in a voice over before the credits roll.

THE CASTLE OF FU MANCHU may not be the neatly wrapped gift under the tree type conclusion to the series that I would have liked to see happen in perhaps one final movie but it is a step up from the previous installment and if this was how the series was to end at least it ended heading in the right direction and on a positive note. The series deserved at least that much.

The Audio & Video
This double feature from Blue Underground brings the final two Fu Manchu films to high definition for the first time but unfortunately the presentations aren't stellar. Both films feature a 1.66:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. BLOOD is worst of the two films with a soft transfer that mostly fails to impress. While it is an upgrade over standard DVD it is a small one. Colors have little pop to them and the image is overly noisy with digital artifacts. There's a lack of fine detail that makes Blu-ray special and there is a wobble present in a couple of scenes. CASTLE is a bit of an improvement over BLOOD as colors have more life to them and there's a bit more fine detail. The picture is also less hampered by digital noise. Thankfully the audio is great. The DTS-HD Master Audio track features a mono mix, recreating the original English language audio mix in crystal clear HD. There's no issues with crackling, popping or other imperfections or background noise. The sound is crisp and the levels are steady. Dialogue blends well with the score and one never overpowers the other.

The Extras
Special features include "The Rise And Fall Of Fu Manchu" a two part interview totaling half an hour and including footage with Jess Franco, Christopher Lee, Tsai Chin and Shirley Eaton. These interviews are quite an enjoyable listen with plenty of good insights and anecdotes. Also included are original theatrical trailers and a poster and still gallery.

The Bottom Line
These are two entertaining cult films that are underrated and I recommend current fans or anyone with a curiosity towards Fu Manchu pick up this double feature.

THE FU MANCHU DOUBLE FEATURE is available HERE

LOVE CAMP 7 (Blu-Ray Review) - Blue Underground

USA/1969
Directed By: Lee Frost
Written By: Bob Cresse
Starring: Bob Cresse, Maria Lease, Kathy Williams
Color/96 Minutes/Not Rated
Region FREE
Release Date: January 31, 2017
Blu-ray/DVD
Limited Edition

The Film
During WWII two officers of the Women's Army Corps volunteer to go undercover as Jewish prisoners of the SS to infiltrate a Nazi love camp on a rescue mission. Once they arrive they're subjected to beatings, degradations, forced sexual encounters among other tortures that they must try to endure long enough for the Allied Forces to set up their attack on the camp and allow the women to complete their objective and escape with their lives.

Director Lee Frost helps kickstart the Nazisploitation genre that would explode in the 70s with what is perhaps the first sexploitation driven film of the genre. LOVE CAMP 7 is a good example of what to expect from the genre; despicable Nazis, nude women, and various forms of torture. Later films would get sleazier and weirder adding in nastier rape scenes, bestiality and twisted medical experiments as each film tried to outdo the last. Don't sell LOVE CAMP 7 short because it is quite a brutal film that will leave an impression on you and get your blood boiling and ready for the Nazis to get their comeuppance. And that is the driving factor behind these films. We endure, perhaps not completely out of disgust because exploitation films remain entertaining even when they're not the prettiest thing in the world, but we can justify the horrors and atrocities our victims go through to watch them get their revenge.

Similar to the films that would follow, LOVE CAMP 7 has a thin plot that is little more than a silver platter to serve up scenes of torture, nudity and violence. The difference with LOVE CAMP 7 is that it really is a quality production. Lee Frost's direction is solid and at times stylishly gritty, getting right into the face of the brutality. The film largely takes place in only the Commandant's office and the girl's dorm room but Frost makes the film feel bigger than it really is by constantly moving around these two areas and using different angles on them for different scenes. The finale in the Commandant's office is especially well done and makes that particular room feel doubled in size. Frost also benefits from a more than capable cast that bravely puts themselves through embarrassing scenes and moments while giving performances that I never once questioned the validity of. Maria Lease and Kathy Williams are both gold as the undercover officers and get my utmost respect and praise.

If there's a fault in the film it's that the attack on the camp and the escape are low rent and obviously hampered by a small budget. The attack is little more than a few soliders hiding in bushes and firing towards the camera through some barbed wire. We never see anything approaching a big or grandiose battle which would have not only added that extra level of excitement but would have also been another way that Lee Frost made the film look and feel bigger than it really is. Does it hurt the film? Perhaps, but it certainly doesn't make it a failure. Not even close. LOVE CAMP 7 is a really good exploitation film and it's easy to see why other producers and directors took this film and ran with the concept in creating what we think of today when talking about the nazisploitation genre.

The Audio & Video
Blue Underground has given LOVE CAMP 7 a new 4K restoration from the original camera negatives which looks stunning. The 1.66:1 aspect ratio maintains the films original aspect ratio and has incredible detail, highly noticeable in the fabrics of the Nazi uniforms and in other surfaces and textures such as a wooden torture device. Colors are vivid but natural and match the dreary and overcast look and feel to the film. Skin tones are healthy and fleshy which look so good you almost think you can reach out and touch them. The picture has a light film like grain structure that makes it look like a pristine 35mm presentation.

The English audio is presented in a DTS-HD Mono track that is wonderfully crisp and clear with no background noise, distortions, hiccups or other imperfections. It's a simple mix but of the highest quality. There are optional English SDH subtitles and a slew of other language subs as well.

Please note: Screen grabs taken from DVD version of the film and do not represent the Blu-ray quality.

The Extras
-NAZITHON: DECADENCE AND DESTRUCTION - An 80 minute clip show/highlight reel of the nazisploitation genre previously released on DVD by Full Moon.
-Theatrical trailer
-Poster and still gallery
-Booklet featuring "The History of Nazi-Exploitation" by Paolo Zelati

The Bottom Line
Nazisploitation isn't a genre for everyone but LOVE CAMP 7 is exactly how these films should be presented on Blu-ray. I wholeheartedly recommend this release for anyone with even the slightest interest in the film or genre.

LOVE CAMP 7 is available HERE

MANHATTAN BABY (Limited Edition Blu-ray Review) - Blue Underground

Italy/1982
Directed By: Lucio Fulci
Written By: Elisa Livia Briganti, Dardano Sacchetti
Starring: Christopher Connelly, Martha Taylor, Brigitta Boccoli
Color/89 Minutes/Not Rated
Region FREE
Release Date: October 25, 2016
Blu-ray/DVD/CD
Limited Edition

The Film
A young girl on vacation in Egypt with her archeologist father is given a beautiful but mysterious charm of a jeweled eye which causes her father to go blind in the middle of a dangerous pyramid. Things only get worse when the family returns home to Manhattan as a series of supernatural horrors plague the family and the family must find a way to break the ancient curse they have fallen under.

MANHATTAN BABY was a bit of a departure from the films horror fans had come to expect from Lucio Fulci as it came at the tail end of his extreme gore era that he is perhaps still best known for today and more immediately came directly after the hyper violent and ultra misogynistic The New York Ripper which in all fairness is a rock solid giallo but received poor reviews and a lot of criticism for being overly cruel towards women. Perhaps this made Fulci take a step back with MANHATTAN BABY which was released in the same year as The New York Ripper but is a much different type of horror film.  MANHATTAN BABY features visual effects that we had not seen from Fulci before, including computer generated laser beams which were the cause of the father's blindness. While these  computer generated effects were nothing more than your standard effects of the time this created a bit more of a "high tech" film for Fulci for the first time, something we'd see him continue with in his next two films, the sword and sandal epic Conquest and the futuristic post apocalyptic sci-fi/action flick The New Gladiators. Both of those films would make more use of computer generated special effects than the practical gore effects that Fulci made use of so frequently and masterfully immediately before these pictures.

MANHATTAN BABY is probably best described as the bridge between those short eras of effects work for Fulci as it has its own memorable scenes with practical gore effects including the first death inside the pyramid and the bird scene, both leaving their victims a bloody mess. Unfortunately I think MANHATTAN BABY is overlooked as it isn't lumped in with those gore classics and isn't mentioned in the same breath as his non-horror films that came in the two years after. It's almost an anomaly in that regard but it shouldn't be. While I admit that MANHATTAN BABY didn't leave the greatest first impression on me when I first watched it as I found it to be slow and just a bit tedious it has since grown on me with subsequent viewings and is now something I find to be unfairly overlooked. First, Fulci creates a thick dream like atmosphere that almost gives the film a surreal quality. Fabio Frizzi's wonderful score accentuates these moments with a pulsing synth and almost jazz-like sound. It's almost worth checking out the film for Frizzi's score on it's own. MANHATTAN BABY also has some creative and innovative scenes that will stick with you such as a child's bedroom vanishing into a desert of sand. This is just one of several moments that has really good cinematography from Guglielmo Mancori who photographed some of Italy's best genre films of the 60s, 70s and 80s.

MANHATTAN BABY does suffer from the same problem that many Italian horror films of the era do in that it just doesn't make a ton of sense. Now this is no problem for me as a massive fan of these films I've come to accept that it's really style over substance quite often and you can piece together enough of a story to make it all work but be warned the story of MANHATTAN BABY is fairly thin. The visuals should more than make up for it. I don't think MANHATTAN BABY is the Fulci's best film or even his best of the 1980s but I do think it is much better than it usually gets credit for. It's also an interesting piece in Fulci's filmography to look at from a historical standpoint. Shocks, gore and Egyptian curses... what more could you want?

The Audio & Video
Blue Underground's anamorphic widescreen 2.35:1 transfer comes from a new 2K scan and restoration and maintains the films original aspect ratio and looks quite good. Detail is easily the best it has ever been on home video for this film and is strong enough at times that you can almost count the individual grains of sand sliding through a hand. Colors are vibrant and vivd while skin tones are fleshy and healthy and not at all waxy. Black levels are deep and have no issues with blocking or compression. The disc features two audio mixes, both in English - A 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio is strong and allows Fabio Frizzi's memorable score to really pump through the speakers. There's also a DTS-HD mono mix that features the film's original mix in the finest quality. Both mixes are a pleasure to listen to and are crisp and clear with no distractions or distortions. There's also no background noise to speak of. English, French and Spanish subtitles are available.

Please note: Screen grabs do not represent the new Blu-ray's image quality.

The Extras
-"Fucli & I" - An hour long interview with composer Fabio Frizzi detailing his career spanning releationship with Lucio Fulci
-"For The Birds" - Interview with co-star Cosimo Cinieri
-"25 Years With Fulci" - Interview with make-up effects artist Maurizio Trani
-"Beyond The Living Dead" - Interview with co-writer Dardano Sacchetti
-"Stephen Thrower On MANHATTAN BABY" - Interview with Stephen Thrower on the production and history of the film. Thrower is the author of "Beyond Terror: The Films Of Lucio Fulci"
-"Manhattan Baby Suite" - Live studio performance of the score by Fabio Frizzi
-Theaterical Trailer
-Poster and still gallery
-Soundtrack CD
-Booklet featuring new writings by Troy Howarth

The Bottom Line
Blue Underground has given this underrated and overlooked Fulci film new life with this packed limited edition Blu-ray release and I don't foresee a better release of MANHATTAN BABY coming down the pike anytime soon.

MANHATTAN BABY is available HERE

CIRCUS OF FEAR / FIVE GOLDEN DRAGONS - Blue Underground (Blu-ray Review)

UK/1966, 1967
Directed By: John Moxey, Jeremy Summers
Written By: Peter Welbeck
Starring: Christopher Lee, Klaus Kinski
Color/195 Minutes/Not Rated
Region FREE
Release Date: June 28, 2016

The Films
This pair of films based on the work of novelist Edgar Wallace each feature, appearances by the late great Christopher Lee and Klaus Kinski. That was enough to get me excited about them, especially CIRCUS OF FEAR which is a film I've long wanted to see but the film and I never ended up at the same place at the same time. FIVE GOLDEN DRAGONS was of less interest as the Harry Alan Towers produced spy film's I've seen don't really get my blood pumping but again, Lee and Kinski in the cast made it a must see.

CIRCUS OF FEAR is from 1966 and directed by John Moxey who is best known to me as the director of City Of The Dead aka Horror Hotel which is a brilliant gothic horror film from 1960 starring Christopher Lee. He would pair up with Lee once again here where an armored car heist leads London's detectives to a mysterious circus where a disfigured lion tamer (Christopher Lee) is one of several suspects in a series of accidents and murder but nobody is as innocent as they seem.

I enjoyed CIRCUS OF FEAR it's a well made crime mystery with a strong cast including Suzy Kendall, Margaret Lee Leo Genn and Klaus Kinski. There's enough action to keep things moving along at a comfortable pace and the plot is constantly thickening. The danger of the lions add an element of horror to the picture and there are a couple of more gruesome scenes that had been cut in some releases.

The film's mystery is quite obvious and there's little surprise to the big reveal that comes in the third act. The weak reveal doesn't hurt the picture too much thankfully as the movie is never more than just good. I'd never call the film great but it is an enjoyable watch from start to finish.

FIVE GOLDEN DRAGONS is easily the more visually appealing of the two films. This Jeremy Summers (House of 1,000 Dolls, Vengeance Of Fu Manchu) stars Bob Cummings in what would be the former Hitchcock cast member's final feature film. Cumming stars as Bob Mitchell, a wealthy American playboy type (why they chose a rather washed up actor at the end of his career for this doesn't make sense to me) who is quickly thrown into a dangerous and life threatening situation between local mobsters and a group known as the Five Golden Dragons who hope to take over the world's economy without revealing their identities to each other until some grandiose ritual of key turning, box opening and gun shooting. It's up to Mitchell to reveal the identities of the Five Golden Dragons if he can survive long enough.

FIVE GOLEN DRAGONS is easily the more visually stimulating and appealing of the two films. Shot at Shaw Brothers' Studio in Hong Kong this film has a very exotic flavor filled with beautiful bikini clad women, boat chases and strikingly colorful costumes including the golden dragon masks. The visuals of FIVE GOLDEN DRAGONS are its best asset as the writing is awful. The film is apparently a comedy because Bob Mitchell takes the entire thing as joke despite very real danger and attempts on his life he's laughing and joking throughout. That may be forgivable if the movie didn't have extremely out of place and down right bizarre music and sound cues that would fit more in a 3 Stooges slapstick act than a spy thriller.

On top of this the majority of the cast is given nothing to do, including Klaus Kinski who shows up every half hour for about 15 seconds and Christopher Lee who is relegated to taking off a mask and is given about 10 seconds of screen time. I like the art direction in this film but sadly that's about it.

The Audio & Video
Blue Underground makes sure you have no reason to search down any other version of these films as they've presented both films uncut with gorgeous 2K scans from the original negatives. Both films feature strong detail in textures, surfaces and especially in close-ups. The grain in wood and the fabric in clothing is immediately evident. Colors are faithfully reproduced from the darker and drearier CIRCUS OF FEAR to the far more bright and vivid color palette of Hong Kong and the costumes in FIVE GOLDEN DRAGONS. The black levels are deep with no signs of blocking up and the more vibrant colors shine without bleeding or looking artificially enhanced. Each film features an English DTS-HD Mono mix that are free of any background noise or distortions. I feel that CIRCUS sounds slightly better with a more crisp and clear sound overall. There's nothing drastically wrong with DRAGONS audio but I don't think it was quite as crystal clear sounding to my ear which leads me to believe it has to do with how the audio was originally recorded.

The Extras
-Audio Commentary with Director John Moxey on CIRCUS OF FEAR
-Theatrical Trailer Collection
-Poster and Still Galleries

The Bottom Line
Blue Underground's excellent presentation of these films is probably better than the films themselves but I found CIRCUS OF FEAR plus the appearances by Christopher Lee and Klaus Kinski in both films to be enough to warrant a recommendation.


CIRCUS OF FEAR/FIVE GOLDEN DRAGONS is available HERE

VENOM (Blue Unedergound) - Blu-ray Review

UK/1981
Directed By: Piers Haggard
Written By: Robert Carrington, Alan Scholefield
Starring: Klaus Kinski, Sterling Hayden, Nicol Williamson
Color/92 Minutes/R
Region FREE
Release Date: May 31, 2016
Blu-ray/DVD

The Film
A sickly boy is left alone for the first time with his grandfather and their maid who has plans to kidnap the boy with her boyfriend who is an international terrorist and the crazed chauffeur. The plan goes awry when the boy's new pet snake is mistakenly swapped out for a deadly Black Mamba that is on the loose in the London townhouse. Matters are only made worse when the police cordon off the street leaving the criminals to barricade themselves inside as the deadly reptile continues its rampage and the boy desperately needs his medicine.

VENOM is a killer snake horror film held within a suspenseful crime thriller. What started as a somewhat troubled production (detailed in the booklet included in this release) turns into a tight and tense film helmed by Piers Haggard (The Blood On Satan's Claw). Haggard constructs a film that is downright claustrophobic as any room could be a room of death and any move could be your last. The terror of the world's most dangerous and deadly snake is only amplified by the hot headed and crazed chauffeur played by Oliver Reed. Klaus Kinski as Jacmel the terrorist isn't any more likable than Reed but his character is the antithesis to Reed, giving a cool, calm and collected performance with just an underlying hint of that classic Kinski crazy. Kinski and Reed play off of each other with true grace. Susan George's supporting role of the maid completes the trio of baddies and she adds just enough sex appeal to spice the film up a bit. Sterling Hayden is comforting not only to the young sick boy who is his grandson but to the viewer as he's a very soft spoken elderly man that brings the viewer back to a younger age. The main cast is rounded out by a smart and rock solid performance by Nicol Williamson as the head policeman on the case.

The film was based on a best selling novel by Alan Scholefield with minimal changes. The screenplay keeps things moving to a violent and shocking finale and though the majority of the film takes place within one location we move about locations around the house as the police form their plan which gives the audience a breath of fresh air that our captive victims aren't privy to. The film relies on this tension and suspense as opposed to graphic on screen shocks and special effects. Director Piers Haggard has gone on record saying he wishes he would have had more snake horror and while that would have made VENOM a bit exciting, it would also have called for more throwaway characters and would have turned this remarkably tight thriller into a straight forward horror film that we've seen plenty of times before.

VENOM skillfully incorporates a mini creature feature type horror film within the pages of a sadly underrated thriller that makes use of actual Black Mambas.

The Audio & Video
The biggest praise I can give to Blue Underground's Blu-ray of VENOM is that it looks strikingly natural. The 16x9 anamorphic widescreen transfer features strong detail and a color scheme that looks like a nice film print. Skin tones are fleshy and there's minimal digital noise. Nothing looks artificial and its just simply naturally beautiful in HD. The English Audio comes with three options, a lossless 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio surround mix, a 2.0 DTS-HD stereo mix and a 5.1 Dolby Digital surround option. I chose to listen to the 2.0 DTS-HD mix as I prefer keeping the mix as close to the original mix as possible and it didn't disappoint. The sound is crisp and crystal clear. There's no hiss (wink) or other distortions and no background noise. The score never overpowers dialogue but compliments the feel of the film. English, French and Spanish subtitles are available.

Please Note: Screen grabs have been taken from the DVD version of the film and do not reflect the Blu-ray's HD presentation.

The Extras
-Audio Commentary with Director Piers Haggard
-Theatrical Trailer
-Teaser Trailer
-TV spots
-Poster and Still Gallery
-Collectible Booklet by Fangoria Editor Michael Gingold

The Bottom Line
VENOM is an underrated film that deserved more attention than it received prior to this release but now that is has a collector's edition Blu-ray from Blue Underground it is more deserving of that attention than ever.

VENOM is available HERE

THE MILLION EYES OF SUMURU/THE GIRL FROM RIO - Blue Underground (Blu-ray Review)

UK, Germany, Spain/1967, 1969
Directed By: Lindsay Shonteff, Jess Franco
Written By: Kevin Kavanagh, Harry Alan Towers
Starring: Shirley Eaton, Frankie Avalon, Richard Wyler
Color/173 Mintues/Not Rated
Region FREE
Release Date: April 26, 2016
Blu-ray

The Films
This double feature of films starring Shirley Eaton as the titular Sumuru who has plans to take over the world with her all femme army are a part of the kitschy, campy and colorful 1960s spy genre that was so heavily influenced by the James Bond films. A bit more for the cult or midnight film crowd than Bond may be, including a show stealing scene in THE MILLION EYES OF SUMURU from Klaus Kinski, these are the textbook definition of the films that Mike Myers would go on to parody thirty years later in the Austin Powers trilogy.

I will admit that I'm not a big fan of spy films and that I don't particularly care for James Bond. To put it simply those films and I have never clicked. I've never felt any sort of longing to watch them or dig deeper into the genre and there's never been a kinship between us. When I sat down to watch these two films I did so with an open mind giving them the best shot I could. I thought at least THE GIRL FROM RIO was directed by Jess Franco so that had a fighting chance at being something I'd find enjoyable. I couldn't necessarily say the same about the first film as Frankie Avalon doesn't exactly get my blood pumping but upon sitting down and finishing both films I was pleasantly surprised to find myself enjoying both.

The films are campy, with overacting, scripts full of action and sexy bikini clad villains who can't hit the broad side of a barn with a machine gun. They're imperfect and flawed throughout but they remain charming and simply enjoyable. They're colorful and fun - in a way the Frankie Avalon tie is almost poetic. For movies about taking over the world, with weapons that will turn you into a statue or cause your organs to rot slowly, to maximize the suffering of course, these movies are silly and lighthearted and they work because of it. I won't say I fell in love but I think this is a fun double feature despite the flaws of the films.

The Audio & Video
Blue Underground does a bang up job with the technical side of this release. Both features look very nice with a newly remastered transfer from the original negatives maintaining the original aspect ratios of 2.35:1 and 1.66:1 respectively. Detail levels are high from facial closeups to textures and surfaces such as clothing to walls and doors. Black levels are deep and inky while colors are bright and vivid without being artificially enhanced to "pop" more than they should. Skin tones are mostly very natural and healthy with only an instance or two of a waxy look. On the audio side of things, both films are presented with DTS-HD mono tracks and optional English subtitles. The tracks are crisp and clear with a steady and well done mix. The soundtrack enhances the film but doesn't become overbearing on the dialogue. There's no damage, distortions or background noise.

The Extras
Carried over from the previous DVD of THE GIRL FROM RIO is "Rolling In Rio" a featurette of interviews with director Jess Franco, producer Harry Alan Towers and star of both films Shirley Eaton. There's also trailers and still galleries.

The Bottom Line
These films have given me some hope that the spy genre may in fact hold some gems for me and if they're released in a high quality release such as this SUMURU double feature I'll be much less hesitant to give them a chance. Another job well done by Blue Underground.

The SUMURU Double Feature is available HERE

April Exploitation/B-Movie Challenge 2016 - Days 14, 15, 16

BLUE ICE... what a movie. I'm reviewing the Vinegar Syndrome Blu-ray tomorrow so be on the look out for that for my full thoughts but boy what a movie.

Oh hey, it's another movie I did a full review of for its Blu-ray release. Why don't you check out SHADOWS IN AN EMPTY ROOM right HERE!

Oh no... THE MILLION EYES OF SUMURU and THE GIRL FROM RIO are next and they're also getting full reviews because Blue Underground is releasing them on Blu-ray later this month. Watch out for that review later this week.

Sorry guys, a lot of stuff I'm doing in depth reviews of so I don't want to waste all the good thoughts before they get their just due.

April Exploitation/B-movie Challenge 2016 - Day 10

I was given a Youtube link to DIVINE WATERS, a somewhat rare 1981 documentary on John Waters and the Dreamlanders. The film features interviews with John Waters' sister and parents and clips with Edith Massey, Divine, and others along with Waters himself. I hadn't seen any of this footage before so it was all interesting and entertaining despite clocking in at just over an hour. I think there have been better documentaries, and of course more complete now that DIVINE WATERS is 35 years old, on Waters and Divine but this one is definitely worth a look.

It's time! It's time! It's women in prison time! You can't have a month of exploitation and not dig into some WIP films? Well, maybe you can but I can't. So first up was BARE BEHIND BARS from 1982. This movie starts out as a wonderfully sleazy, skin filled, lesbian prison romp with a couple dozen prisoners getting off whenever they get a chance to visit the infirmary and have fun with the nurse and her dildo (the 7th Wonder of the World.) This movie goes fucking bonkers when a trio of girls plan an escape, but not before seeing the 8th Wonder of the World... a rather giant sized dildo made out of a pineapple. Yes, you read that correctly. A pineapple dildo. Yum. That's nothing compared to when the three girls break out, take a family hostage and murder them but not before castrating the father and tossing his weiner to the dog. Oh and the little boy, who can't be older than 10 (and I'm probably pushing it there), well let's strip him down while 3 grown women rub on him sexually before killing him too. The mother got it easy. That's not all, there's more dick chopping, and this time it isn't the dog that it's fed to and some hard XXX action out of nowhere. BARE BEHIND BARS went fucking nuts in the last 20-25 minutes and I loved every seedy, uncomfortable, mind baffling second of it even more than I loved the first hour.

And we close things out with AMAZON JAIL, from Oswaldo de Oliveira, the same director as BARE BEHIND BARS. This film that came two years later is obviously set in the Amazon and features a lot more action outside of the jail setting itself which kept things fresh. There's plenty of skin and sex along with jungle dangers like venomous snakes. The girls are stuck between white slavers and crazy native priests all looking to keep these girls for themselves but the girls fight back in a three way war of sex and survival. Entertaining, and filled with filth AMAZON JAIL was a lot of fun to watch but never reached the level of BARE BEHIND BARS.

Today's Rundown
Divine Waters - 6/10
Bare Behind Bars - 8/10
Amazon Jail - 7/10

CODE 7, VICTIM 5 / MOZAMBIQUE (Blu-ray Review) - Blue Underground

UK/1964
Directed By: Robert Lynn
Written By: Peter Yeldham, Harry Alan Towers
Starring: Lex Barker, Steve Cochran, Ann Smyrner
Color/186 Minutes/Not Rated
Region FREE
Release Date: March 29, 2016

The Films
CODE 7, VICTIM 5 stars Lex Barker as Wexler, a private detective hired by a South African millionaire for protection and to solve the murder of his butler. Upon arriving Wexler meets all the people associated with the millionaire, including his family, business partners and men from his past that may hold the key to the killings as they all appear in an old war photo together. Car chases, fights and shoot outs become the norm as Wexler tries to unravel the mystery.

CODE 7, VICTIM 5 is an entertaining crime thriller that is straight forward in its delivery of a decent mystery that puts everyone involved in immediate danger. The direction is solid and the photography by Nicolas Roeg is beautiful. Lex Barker is a Bond knock off without all the gadgets and is more than capable of it. He's the man to handle all of the bikini clad eye candy running around while solving the crime. The film is more violent than I had expected with more bloodshed than I could have guessed.
All of the elements come together making CODE 7, VICTIM 5 an exotic crime flick that is a fine film.

In MOZAMBIQUE a broke and out of work American pilot is offered a job as a cargo pilot making runs between Mozambique and Lisbon. He quickly finds himself in a web of kidnapping, murder and smuggling. The pilot's focus changes from making a buck to finding out the identity of the person that has put his life in danger.

The exotic setting of Mozambique should be interesting and beautiful, adding to what could have been a thrilling potboiler from director Robert Lynn. Instead the film is dreadfully dull. As fun and thrilling as CODE 7, VICTIM 5 was, MOZAMBIQUE feels that soulless. The score is slow and drawn out, especially in the big climactic ending which could have made the entire film worthwhile to sit through but instead it is a letdown with an incredibly bland score that doesn't fit. The best thing I can say about MOZAMBIQUE is that it's competently made.

This double feature of Robert Lynn films from 1964 show the best and worst of what the director could do and in very similar vehicles. On the surface they're almost identical plots in exotic locales but the paint by numbers MOZAMBIQUE doesn't take advantage of just about anything it had going for it while CODE 7, VICTIM 5 revels in being an exciting detective romp that is surprisingly violent.

The Audio & Video
This Blu-ray from Blue Underground marks the U.S. home video debut for both of these films and it wastes no time showing how good it can look in the opening scenes of CODE 7. The vibrant colors of costumes and decorations in a festival scene are gorgeous and vibrant. This carries on throughout both films and at its best the PQ lives up to those moments with very strong detail down to facial hair stubble and the texture of clothing with a natural film look and grain structure. At its worst the disc has some noticeable digital scrubbing that takes the PQ down a step but never to the point of looking offensive or bad. The image on this disc is good, even at its worst and fantastic at its best. The English audio track is a DTS-HD Mono mix that is crisp and clear. There's no distortions or background noise. Blue Underground took the original mix for these films and made them sound excellent in HD without needing to create gimmicky new surround mixes.

The Extras
Theatrical trailers for each film are included

The Bottom Line
I wish both of these movies were as good as CODE 7 - I still recommend this pulp crime double feature.

CODE 7, VICTIM 5 / MOZAMBIQUE is available HERE