THE RETURN OF SWAMP THING (MVD Rewind Collection Blu-ray Review)

USA/1989
Directed By: Jim Wynorski
Written By: Neil Cuthbert, Grant Morris
Starring: Louis Jourdan, Heather Locklear, Dick Durock
Color/88 Minutes/PG-13
Region Free
Release Date: May 15, 2018
Blu-ray/DVD

The Film
In 1982 director Wes Craven brought us the first screen adaptation of the comic book from writer Len Wein and legendary artist Bernie Wrightson. Their tale of a scientist who mutated with the swamp vegetation after a mishap and now protects people and the environment from various threats has become a classic for DC Comics and has regularly been voted as one of the best comic book characters of all time. Craven's film was a mostly serious sci-fi film with horror and action elements. Some of it was campy but it served as a solid screen debut for the character. Seven years later the reigns were turned over to Jim Wynorski, a genre film director not known for his subtlety and we were blessed with a special gift simply called THE RETURN OF SWAMP THING.

Before the X-Men franchise ushered in the modern wave of comic book films with huge budgets, big name actors and more CGI effects than you can shake a stick at and before the Marvel Cinematic Universe was seemingly breaking records with each new movie this is what comic book movies looked like and were relegated to be. These were low budget affairs with stars that were either passed their prime or hadn't hit it yet. THE RETURN OF SWAMP THING was reportedly made on a budget of four million dollars, a far cry from the hundreds of millions pumped into the newest Avengers film but the explosion was still over a decade away and comic book culture and mainstream pop culture were rarely spoken in the same breath. There was no such thing as the big budget blockbuster comic book film in 1989 but frankly I think what Jim Wynorski gave us was even better.

Heather Locklear stars as Abby Arcane who is going to meet her stepfather, the evil scientist Dr. Anton Arcance, after the death of her mother. She finds that Dr. Arcane is trying to find the source of immortality by splicing human genes with those of swamp creatures and has created a mini army of monstrous beasts who suffer endlessly from being human guinea pigs to Dr. Arcane's experiments. Abby is in trouble when Dr. Arcane plans to use her for one his newest experiments but Abby is protected by her new friend Swamp Thing who has a history with Anton Arcane and will fight to protect Abby with his life.

I have a lot of nostalgia for Swamp Thing. The big green plant man might be the first comic book character I was a fan of. I can remember playing with the action figures as a young kid growing up in the very early 90s and vividly remember moving across several states in 1991 and getting to ride in the U-Haul truck with my grandad and having a couple of toys to play with, one being a Swamp Thing that had a fist that shot out from his arm and was attached by a string. The string wound up with a knot in it so it wouldn't retract properly but that was okay by me as it just meant Swamp Thing had something to choke out the other toys with. Yeah, I was probably messed up as a kid but I've always loved the character of Swamp Thing and this is the way I remember him. We get classic Jim Wynorski here with a campy, over the top action movie chock full of all of the standard tropes; endless hordes of henchment, explosions (including a domino effect car explosion), kiddie sidekicks who are actually endearing and funny and don't make you want to smash your face into a wall, a diabolical villain and the most ludicrous love story this side of Tom Hanks and the volleyball.

The film doesn't rely on that nostalgia however and doesn't need it to be a wildly entertaining film. And to my surprise the movie is actually pretty well made. Aside from the obvious ham and cheese factor of being a loud comic book action movie that embodies everything a loud action movie from 1989 has to offer it has some really great sets, decent performances (and some not so decent performances) and really fantastic special effects makeup. Each and every creature, from our titular hero himself to the cockroach man and the weird squid face enemy that fights Swamp Thing a few times, all have been created with great skill. THE RETURN OF SWAMP THING is action packed, filled with laughs and holds up almost thirty years later and I can definitely say that I'd gladly take more movies like THE RETURN OF SWAMP THING over the current comic book movies nine times out of ten.

The Audio & Video
With spine #5 in the MVD Rewind Collection MVD Visual has given THE RETURN OF SWAMP THING its high definition debut and the transfer blew me away. Colors are vivid and rich and skin tones are fleshy and natural with no signs of DNR. There is a natural film look to the transfer and the detail level is exceptional. The creatures in the film absolutely shine in this transfer especially the main man himself. His dripping, gooey, body made of bits of everything you'd find in a bog looks incredible. I don't think I can oversell how impressed I am with this transfer. The audio features two options, a DTS-HD 5.1 surround mix and a LPCM 2.0 mix. They both have the highest quality with the surround mix giving more punch and pop to the action scenes and use of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Born On The Bayou" but the lossless 2.0 mix is a fine straight forward mix as well with no issues at all.

Plesae Note: Screenshots have been taken from the DVD version of the film.

The Extras
Do you want interviews? 'Cuz we got interviews! The special features include individual interview with director Jim Wynorski, editor Leslie Rosenthal, composer Chuck Cirino, and executive Arnie Holland.

Also included:
-Brand new audio commentary track with Jim Wynorski, Chuck Cirino and Leslie Rosenthal
-Audio commentary track with Jim Wynorski from 2003
-Original theatrical trailer
-TV spots
-Promo Reel
-Public Service Announcements
-Photo Gallery
-Mini Poster

The Bottom Line
I hadn't seen this movie in over twenty years but this is the Swamp Thing I remember loving as a kid growing up in the early 90s. THE RETURN OF SWAMP THING is tasty slice of 80s cheese and now finds itself as one of my favorite comic book movies. Now excuse me while I go hunt down that action figure on eBay.

THE RETURN OF SWAMP THING is available HERE

THE 'BURBS (Shout Factory Blu-ray Review)

USA/1989
Directed By: Joe Dante
Written By: Dana Olsen
Starring: Tom Hanks, Rick Ducommun, Bruce Dern
Color/101 Minutes/PG
Region A
Release Date: March 20, 2018

The Film
Ah, the suburbs, the idyllic slice of Americana where you groom your lawn, grill your meats and suffer from an unwavering paranoia that your new neighbor is some sort of strange maniac. There's really very little as beautiful as getting your fellow neighbors together to spy on the new folks because who the hell are they to invade your cul-de-sac and not introduce themselves? And what are those weird sounds coming from their basement? And why do they only come out at night? You better find out... for the good of the neighborhood!

Tom Hanks stars as Ray Peterson, a typical middle class American taking a week's vacation from his job. All he wants to do is lounge around the house and perhaps get some projects done but his wife (Carrie Fisher) wants to take a trip to the lake with their son. Balking at the idea because of all the hassles and headaches of a long trip, Ray and his wacky conspiracy theorist neighbor Art (the late Rick Ducommun) and short fused veteran gun nut Rumsfeld (Bruce Dern) get caught up in a scheme involving their new neighbors, the Klopeks, who live in the rundown old house next to Ray and keep to themselves. They also have strange noises and smells coming from the home and Ray's son has seen them digging holes in the back yard late at night. Paranoia boils over quickly in the 'burbs and when old man Walter at the end of the street goes missing for a couple days the trio decide to get to the bottom of it when the Klopeks leave for the day.

THE BURBS is a dark comedy that ages like a fine wine. Even after well over a dozen viewings I'm still picking out subtle things to laugh at. There are big laughs in the writing and main jokes and they hold up perfectly well but there's so many small little jokes and so much humor to be found in facial expressions and body language that it lends itself to repeat viewings. The main trio has a fantastic dynamic and natural on screen chemistry. They're the perfect microchosm for weird, quirky neighborhood streets where you're sort of forced in to these relationships with people you might not really like but you tolerate for the sake of a peaceful existence and sometimes even buddy up for some weird adventure (like breaking into the new neighbors house and blowing it up). These three guys wouldn't normally be friends but their houses are next to each other and they have little tiny bits in common, (like wanting to break into the neighbors house and blow it up) so they join up for this wacky adventure that we're privy to enjoying. The audience of this film is basically a wider extension of Corey Feldman's character who plays a teen who is home alone and enjoying the circus taking place on his street, constantly inviting more friends over to watch it all go down. He's a great backdrop for the entire thing. And God bless Carrie Fisher in this movie, the late princess looks amazing and turns in a fantastic role of the sole voice of reason on the entire block. If this street was real I'd imagine she'd end up in a padded room before too long.

I think the strong writing is a rock solid foundation for the film to be built on but THE BURBS excels and becomes a classic comedy because the entire ensemble cast is on board with it and nobody feels that they're above the material. Our heroes and protectors of the street are made better by great counterparts and the Klopeks are just that. Starting off with the youngest, Courtney Gains plays a mostly silent weirdo to a T while his older relatives, Henry Gibson plays the head of the household, a doctor at the local university who performs various experiments in the house. He's the one you have to look out for, adding an unnerving creepiness that the family didn't exactly need to be unnerving and creepy. The gem of the bunch though is Brother Theodore playing Reuben Klopek ("About a 9 on the old tension scale there, Rube!"). Reuben is the doctor's brother, and is a grumpy, grouchy old man scowling at the world and being generally miserable toward everyone. I love his performance. Add in a couple garbage men (Dick Miller and Robert Picardo)  for a hilarious scene that sends garbage flying all over the cul-de-sac and we've rounded out almost the entire cast and they're all fantastic.

Joe Dante uses some unexpected music cues throughout, including some Ennio Morricone western pieces that somehow fit perfectly, and even gives us some stylish directing with sweeping pans of the neighborhood in single takes that give a truly organic and realistic feel to the street. There's no fat to be trimmed in THE BURBS. The film is infinitely quotable and scene after scene replays in my head when I call up the memory. As it approaches its 30th anniversary it feels as fresh to me now as it did the first time I watched it in the mid-90s as it played on whatever TV station was airing it at the time and remains one of my favorite comedies of all time.

The Audio & Video
Shout Factory delivers THE BURBS to Blu-ray via a new 2K scan of the film's interpositive which looks good and is quite the upgrade over the previous Universal Blu-ray that used a dated master. The anamorphic widescreen transfer features colors that are mostly lush and vivid while remaining true to their real life nature. Detail is strong for the most part but at times becomes a bit softer and fine detail is lost. This is similar with the color in which the vivid nature fades a bit during grainer moments. This isn't the first special edition the film has received as Arrow Video released the film on Blu-ray in the UK back in 2014 with quite similar video results to my eye however their release was much grainier at times and didn't look quite as sharp throughout. Shout's disc may feature a bit of digital tinkering but it still features a natural look and one that is overall a more pleasing viewing experience to me.

This disc features a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo mix that sounds as nice as it should. A nice five or seven channel surround mix would certainly be welcomed but this stereo mix is of the highest quality for what we're given. The audio is crips and clear with no noticeable distortions interfering with the dialogue or soundtrack.

Note: The screen grabs presented in this review do NOT represent the HD quality of the Blu-ray.

The Extras
Special features are plentiful and far outweigh the nearly barebones Universal disc from a couple years ago.

Included in this release is an audio commentary track with writer Dana Olsen and it is moderated by Calum Waddell ensuring that the track is lively and on point. The "There Goes The Neighborhood: The Making Of The Burbs" documentary is the best part of the special features and includes interviews with many of the big names you want to hear from including director Joe Dante, and actors Corey Feldman and Courtney Gains. The original workprint of the film is a nice addition as well which features deleted, extended and alternate scenes. This is obviously a bit rough in presentation but I love seeing workprint versions and how they compare to the final cut. Finally an alternate ending, theatrical trailer which were both included in the old Universal release and a still gallery round out the extras.

The Bottom Line
THE BURBS is one of my all time favorite films and while this release from Shout Factory's Shout Select line isn't perfect it is my favorite release of the film on home video to date including Arrow's UK release. This is a must own release.

THE BURBS is available HERE

THE LAIR OF THE WHITE WORM (Blu-ray Review) - Vestron Video

UK/1988
Directed By: Ken Russell
Written By: Ken Russell
Starring: Amanda Donohoe, Hugh Grant, Catherine Oxenberg
Color/94 Minutes/R
Region A
Release Date: January 31, 2017

The Film
When Archaeologist Angus Flint (Peter Capaldi) unearths a strange serpent-like skull while excavating the site of an old convent on the grounds of a bed and breakfast he quickly learns of the tale of the D'Ampton Worm, a mythical snake-god from said to have been slain a thousand years earlier by John D'Ampton, the ancestor of current land owner James D'Ampton (Hugh Grant). The old tale seems to come true when a couple of women go missing and the group discovers that a local woman named Lady Sylvia Marsh is in fact an ancient priestess to the snake-god.

THE LAIR OF THE WHITE WORM is loosely adapted from the Bram Stoker novel but Ken Russell has greatly changed most of the story and details making for a wildly entertaining, purposely campy mashup of horror, fantasy and comedy. Hugh Grant is quite good as James D'Ampton and he has good chemistry with Peter Capaldi as an odd couple type pair who go about investigating the legend in different ways. Amanda Donohoe is captivating as Lady Sylvia Marsh, giving a sexy and domineering performance of pure evil. From seducing a Boy Scout to turning townspeople in to vampires with a single bite, she is a leather clad vixen that owns her sexuality and strength and the film is better off for having her in it.

Arguably the film's most interesting scenes are after those snake bites from Marsh when they lead to these trippy LSD induced visions of the snake demons, orgies, medieval battles and more bizarre scenes. This is purely Ken Russell being the brilliant director he's been known to be. The hallucinations wouldn't have felt out of place in his masterpiece from 1971 The Devils. Russell seamlessly mixes these elements of horror with very organic and natural comedic moments that never feel out of place and wrap the entire film up in a fantasy film shell. These ingredients make for such a wildly entertaining hour and a half filled with interesting and lovable characters, a giant B-movie monster, and a strong sense of aesthetic. Russell's eye for detail in sets, costumes and props is on full display from the blue body paint serpent scene, to the Victorian mansions decorated floor to ceiling with all sorts of gaudy yet elegant dressing and even massive underground snake/dragon monster look appealing to the eye and not at all corny.

THE LAIR OF THE WHITE WORM would have benefitted from a slightly larger budget as it would have allowed the film to have a more expansive feeling and allowed for more special effects but THE LAIR OF THE WHITE WORM is a charming, funny and well made fantasy horror film based in folklore. It has held up to multiple viewings over the years and will remain in rotation for years to come.

The Audio & Video
Vestron Video gives a beautiful HD presentation to this new Blu-ray of THE LAIR OF THE WHITE WORM. The anarmophic widescreen (1.78:1) transfer looks gorgeous. There is a very tiny bit of speckling otherwise the picture is quite clean and sharp. Colors are beautiful and shine while black levels are handled nicely. Detail levels are strong with surfaces and textures and skin tones are healthy and handled naturally. The DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo mix takes the film's original  audio mix and makes it sound pristine. The track is crisp and has crystal clarity. There's no damage, imperfections or background noise. Levels are mixed nicely so that dialogue and music are complimentary.

The Extras
-Audio Commentary with Director Ken Russell
-Audio Commentary with Lisi Russell and Film Historian Matthew Melia
-"Worm Food" - Interview with Special FX Artists Geoffrey Portass, Neil Gorton and Paul Jones
-"Cutting For Ken" - An Interview with Editor Peter Davies
-"Mary Mary" - Interview with Actress Sammi Davis
-Trailers From Hell with Producer Dan Ireland
-Theatrical Trailer
-Still Gallery

The Bottom Line
THE LAIR OF THE WHITE WORM is an overlooked and underrated piece of 80s horror. I hope this Blu-ray allows the film to be rediscovered and gives this great piece of work from Ken Russell the credit it deserves.

THE LAIR OF THE WHITE WORM is available HERE

DOOMED: THE UNTOLD STORY OF ROGER CORMAN'S THE FANTASTIC FOUR

USA/2015
Directed By: Marty Langford
Written By: Marty Langford
Starring: Roger Corman, Carl Ciarfalio, Joseph Culp
Release Date: October 11, 2016

Comic book fans today have it good. Marvel and DC both have cinematic and television universes upon which to build new and exciting stories. However, it was not so long ago that we lived in very dark times. I myself have been guilty of dismissing some modern superhero films because they "didn't get a character right" or it "strays too far from the source material", but when I was a young comic book fan I took what was given to me and I accepted it whether it was good or bad. Being a Marvel fan was especially frustrating. DC fans had solid Batman and Superman films, but I vividly remember the frustration of not being able to find a copy of the 70's made-for-tv Dr. Strange film, the disappointment of seeing Daredevil in one of the Incredible Hulk movies, and watching my favorite hero, Spider-Man, disgraced on national television in the form of a 70's television series. But I took those lemons and I made lemonade. Terrible, terrible lemonade.

I was never very big into The Fantastic Four, but like other fans I heard stories of the infamous Roger Corman produced Fantastic Four movie, made for an insanely low budget and almost immediately shelved, never to see the light of day. It was said that the film was never meant to be released. That it was only made so that the studio could retain the rights to the property. But was that really the case? As anyone who has seen one of the many bootleg copies of the film that are floating around the internet and convention circuit can tell you, there was no lack of effort put into the film. Most of the problems with the film are budgetary, as it's obvious that a lot of people involved in the making of the film had great love for the source material. Why put that much effort into a film that will never be released?

That's the question posed by Doomed: The Untold Story Of Roger Corman's Fantastic Four. Doomed chronicles the troubled production of Roger Corman's Fantastic Four from start to finish and beyond through interviews with the cast and crew of the film. It's a fascinating look into the politics of making a film that unfortunately emerges with just as many questions as it came in with. While there may be few clear answers, Doomed is a fantastic documentary that would serve as a great companion piece to the film that is simultaneously both the worst and best Fantastic Four movie ever made.

Review by Shawn Wolfe

Exploitation/B-Movie Challenge 2015 - Days 4 and 5

The fourth day of the challenge started with a pair of movies on a double feature DVD that Troma has recently released called FROM ASIA WITH LUST Volume 1. Both films are from Japanese director Ainosuke Shibata whom I am not all familiar with. Interestingly enough I couldn't find any information about either of these films online while trying to research them a bit so I can't discuss anything other than what I saw... The first movie, CAMP, is a rape/revenge movie about two sisters who wreck their car and take solace with a young man at his home nearby. All hell breaks loose when the man's friends stop by and it is apparent that the entire group are recovering sex addicts of some sort and begin to brutally torture and humiliate the girls by punching them, tying them up and even going as far as forcing them to urinate so they can drink it. One of the sisters is able to escape and runs into a strange woman who turns out to be some kind of vigilante and teaches her to use a crossbow to hunt her captors and take revenge on them.

CAMP was certainly a roughy. It has some of the meanest content I've seen in recent years but falls apart as soon as the vigilante woman comes in to play as it all feels incredibly hokey and cheap afterwards. There's nothing terrifying about a cheap plastic crossbow that looks like it cost $20 at Wal  Mart and can barely get the arrows 15 feet to a practice target. There's even less to be intimidated by when the vigilante woman can barely hold or control her own weapon, a long bow. A weak twist finishes out the movie falling apart from something decent to something ultimately forgettable.

Then there was HITCH-HIKE, a remake of the film from 1977 that starred Franco Nero, where a bank robber is picked up while hitchhiking and ends up taking the couple in the car hostage and on a long terrifying road trip in search of an escape from the law hunting him. This remake is pretty bland and misses the ability of Nero and numerous other aspects that made the original something special, not least of which was a score by Ennio Morricone. It wasn't terrible but nothing special.

EFFECTS was next, a Pittsburgh based horror film from 1980 that was never released on home video before Synapse put it out in 2005. The film stars Joe Pilato and Tom Savini and is about a low budget horror film being made that is a front for the director actually making a snuff film out of the whole thing. I really enjoyed the last 30 minutes or so but the first 2/3 of the movie bored the piss out of me. It just takes too long to get going.

I switched gears for a bit and popped in an old favorite to end day 4. THE TOXIC AVENGER is the first movie of the challenge that wasn't new to me and it remains as incredibly campy, offensive, funny, and exciting as it ever was. I love the entire series to death and always will. This was the second movie of the month in which a pet dog is murdered... I wonder if that will become an unintentional theme going forward.

Day five started with another re-watch as I got to watch my new Blu-ray of EXTERMINATORS OF THE YEAR 3000. If you can't figure it out, this is Mad Max style exploitation. Post-nuke cheese where a guy named Alien helps a kid with a bionic arm find water for his group of survivors while Crazy Bull and his band of dirt bike riding baddies battle them in fantastically fun fights, chase scenes that are packed with explosions and action. This release is so much nicer than the old Code Red disc.

And the last movie for this post was EVE OF DESTRUCTION. I had pretty high hopes for this to be trashy sci-fi action but I have to say I was a bit let down. Gregory Hines stars as a military man assigned to track down and destroy an android type robot that is on a bit of a rampage. Little does he know that it's a nuclear weapon and in 24 hours will self destruct, taking 30 city blocks with it. Hines is good and the movie really isn't bad but slow moving and aside from 3 or 4 scenes it is pretty light on the action. Lower expectations would have left me with a better impression of this one.

Today's Rundown
Camp - 4.5/10
Hitch-Hike - 4/10
Effects - 4/10
Toxic Avenger - 8.5/10
Exterminators of the Year 3000 - 7/10
Eve of Destruction - 6/10

Nightmares Come At Night (Blu-ray Review) - Kino Redemption

France/1970
Directed By: Jess Franco
Written By: Jess Franco
Starring: Paul Muller, Soledad Miranda, Colette Giacobine
Color/85 Minutes/Not Rated
Region A

The Film
NIGHTMARES COME AT NIGHT is a slow moving film made up of a couple of stories that seemingly has no point until the very end. It is the first 80 minutes of the film that will make you decide if you're a fan or not. Personally, I'm not. I find it to be a tedious affair, however I have found more of an appreciation for it after listening to the commentary track on this disc. It still remains a bit on the boring side, with the high point being a number of attractive women in the nude for the majority of the film.

Our lead character suffers from delusions of murder (all the while in the nude) and her lesbian lover and doctor friend aren't helping. That's the main plot of the film. There are some artistic touches that stood out a bit more on this viewing than my previous viewing of the film but the film still stands as Jess Franco's lowest budgeted affair and it shows. There aren't many locations, and car interiors are used as a cost saving measure. There are also some scenes that are rather dark thanks to the low budget.

The film isn't all bad and it is an important stepping stone in the evolution of Franco. I may not be a fan of the film but I have a new found appreciation for it.

The Video 
Kino Redemption have done a nice job mastering this title to HD. While they typically don't do much on the restoration side of things, this disc is full of speckling of dirt and debris, the picture still has strong detail and rich color for the most part. I find the speckling to not be a hindrance at all and I can certainly see how some people may even enjoy it as a reminder of theater experiences of days passed. Overall a nice job by the label.

The Audio
Available in both its native French or an English dub the audio part of the disc is a nice one as well. There are few things to complain about so I won't. I suggest watching the film in its native tongue as it certainly adds to the actor's performances.

The Extras
Audio commentary with Tim Lucas of Video Watchdog

20 Minute "Making-of" documentary featuring interview footage with Jess Franco

Jess What Are You Doing Now? - An 8 Minute homage to Franco featuring interviews with his friends and family

A Visual Essay on the creation of the HD Master for the disc

The Bottom Line 
An important film from an important director gets the HD treatment and the entire package is a great one. Any fan of Euro horror or cult film should experience this film and this disc is the perfect way to do so.

NIGHTMARES COME AT NIGHT is available HERE

Matango- Attack Of The Mushroom People (1963)

A group of seven pleasure seekers take a trip on board a sailing yacht to escape the noise and craziness of Tokyo for a while. The group consists of the yacht owner, a writer, a famous singer, a young female student and a sailor and captain. A violent storm threatens to sink the boat  and after a night of trying to weather it the boat is left badly damaged with no sails or rudders and a fried radio. After several days adrift at sea the crew lands on a seemingly deserted island that is lush with mushroom growth. While searching the island for possible inhabitants and food the group sees a small pond that seems to be man made to catch rain water and a beached shipwreck. The group finds the ship tattered and weathered and covered in mold and fungus, with signs of radiation testing. With the ship as their only shelter, and supplying their only source of food in a couple cases of canned goods, the group cleans the fungus and decides to live there until they can fix the yacht and attempt to get rescued.

Shortly after moving in to the boat the group is attacked by a mysterious being but they are unable to capture him before it flees. The group becomes increasingly on edge with their situation. Hunger, isolation and several of the men fighting over the women leave the group at odds with each other. As alliances are made and plans hatched the captain of the yacht leaves with the slightly repaired ship to try to reach help. Days later the ship returns to shore abandoned with a note written on the wall informing whoever was to find it proclaiming the deaths of the group and the captain's own inability to reach help and his demise at sea. The group begins to break down totally at this point and some run off into the mushroom forest and begin to eat the mushrooms which were left alone due to the threat of being poisonous. The addiction of the mushrooms consumes the group and the true horror, and beauty of the island is revealed.

MATANGO is a finely crafted piece of fantasy. Director Ishiro Honda, best known for creating and directing Gojira (Godzilla), shows his talents again here with a tense and surreal experience. What begins as the classic tale of survival that covers many human conditions such as greed, the search for freedom and happiness, jealousy and love and lust turns into a dreamlike, monster filled nightmare that touches on the deepest of human emotions and desires. The acting from the entire cast is on par with each actor playing their roles fine. There is little doubt in my mind that the shipwrecked plot with this group of characters had a huge influence on the character ensemble for Gilligan's Island. The special effects and makeup for the Mushroom People is really good and the creatures have a great, true fungal look to them. I think The Toxic Avenger may owe a small debt of gratitude to one of the designs. My biggest problem with MATANGO is that the real selling point is the mushrooms and how long it took for them to come in to play in the film. The payoff is great when it happens I just wished they had introduced the effects of consuming the 'shrooms earlier and given us a bit more of them.

All in all, Toho has another cult classic with MATANGO that is much more than a "man in rubber suit" type of monster movie. The themes touched on involving the ultimate search for serenity give the film a much deeper and personal meaning than most fantasy movies can even dream of. There is a significant cultural impact that reached deep with the Japanese community at it's time of release as it was almost banned due to a resemblance in the design of the makeup to the victims of the Atomic Bomb in WWII. I can only see this film getting better with subsequent viewings and I recommend it to anyone looking for a visually entertaining and thought provoking piece of fantasy horror.

8/10

Nightmare In A Damaged Brain (1981)

After years of broken promises and delays NIGHTMARE IN A DAMAGED BRAIN has finally made it's way to DVD thanks to the folks at Code Red. Released simply as NIGHTMARE, I was pretty excited to see this Video Nasty for the first time after hearing about it for years.

George Tatum (Baird Stafford) is a potentially homicidal schizophrenic who suffers from seizures which are accompanied with disturbing fever dreams of a young boy attacking a woman and his father with an axe during the adults having sex. Tatum has is now wandering the streets with only an experimental drug to keep him sane. Over the course of 6 days he makes his way down to Florida, leaving a trail of blood in his wake. As his dreams get worse so do the killings until George is confronted with his past.

Writer/Director Romano Scavolini delivers what would become one of the most notorious slasher films of the 80s and one of the more disturbed as well. Baird Stafford does well in playing a mentally disturbed man who is torn up over what he does to people but the acting won't win any awards. This is your typical slasher film when it comes to acting, a few decent performances with a lot of overacting and some truly obnoxious characters (the mom!). There is enough of the red stuff to keep all of the gorehounds happy, and the effects are pretty damn good. This movie has one of the best decapitation scenes I've had the pleasure of viewing. Pacing may be one of the biggest problems about NIGHTMARE. Scavolini left rather large chunks of time with not a whole hell of a lot happening except for annoying characters to get under our skin just a little bit more. There are some killings during these stretches but some of them are off screen so there is minimal pay off.

After years of hearing about NIGHTMARE IN A DAMAGED BRAIN I was a mixed bag of reactions. Did it totally live up to the hype? No, not really. Was it entertaining? Yes, especially the final half hour or so. As most horror fans know dozens of movies were given the infamous "Video Nasty" tag in the UK during the excess crazed days of the 1980s and many are notable for that alone as they aren't very good. NIGHTMARE has enough entertainment and madness to keep your attention. If you're a fan of the gory body count films of the 80s you'll definitely get some enjoyment out of this.

7/10