42nd Street Forever: The Peep Show Collection Vol. 1 (DVD Review) - Impulse Pictures

USA/1970s-80s
Directed By: Various
Written By: Various
Starring: Various
Color/119 Minutes/Not Rated
Region FREE
Release Date: March 11, 2014

The Film
Imagine a world where porn and adult films are still very taboo. There is no such thing as DVD. Hell, VHS is in its infancy and won't be an affordable option for a long time to come. Obviously if someone mentioned the internet to you at this point you would wonder what the hell fishing equipment they were talking about. This is the world that stag films were born into. The only options were 8mm reels, either at a viewing booth in an adult store or at a viewing party called a Stag Party.

These films were cheaply made, with virtually no production value and no talent. It is almost funny to think how they managed to blow the doors open for the world of porn we know in the 21st century. This collection features 15 different loops, restored for the first time, preserving them for future generations to watch and enjoy. And to learn from. Yes, there is quite a bit of valuable history here. Lives were changed by these films, careers launched and money made. The world of film was forever changed by directors who couldn't frame a shot, actors who were barely legal aged kids who were happy just to get to screw but these films sold and sold and sold. The changing public wanted a way to see something they've never seen before and these 8mm peepshow films are it. It may seem like little more than porn, and porn it is, but it is far more important than that.

We can be honest with ourselves though, this IS vintage smut, and there are some of the most ridiculous things I've ever seen in any film on this set. It is endlessly entertaining.

The loops included are:
-Sheep Weren't Never Like This
-Deeper Throat
-Come On My Eggs
-Friends And Lovers
-It Takes A Thief
-Jailhouse Fuck
-One Hung Low
-Untitled
-Spice Of Life
-Nurse's Aid
-Lesbian Lovers
-Ladies Of Lesbo
-Dildo Heaven
-Afternoon Dildo Party
-Wet And Wild

The Audio & Video
With each reel being remastered directly from an original 8mm source condition varies greatly. At best the prints are clean and vibrant and at their worst they are covered with scratches and dirty. Luckily the prints largely lean toward the former and are in good shape. Each reel is a full frame 1.33:1 aspect ratio, maintaining their original aspect ratio. The only audio is that of the whirl of the projector which would normally qualify as background noise but here it is simply a part of the experience brought to us by Impulse Pictures

The Extras
Liner notes from Robin Bougie, publisher of Cinema Sewer, are included. 

The Bottom Line
Set up a chair in front of your tv and put a curtain around it and you have your own peep show booth without needing a pocket full of quarters or a bottle of hand sanitizer! It is up to you if you want to wear a trench coat or not when this DVD transports your to a few decades ago, in the back of a dirty bookstore.

42ND STREET FOREVER: THE PEEP SHOW COLLECTION VOL. 1 is available HERE

Monsters: The Complete Series (DVD Review) - E One Entertainment

USA/1988-1991
Directed By: Various
Written By: Various
Starring: Various
Color/1548 Minutes/Not Rated
Region 1
Release Date: March 18, 2014

The Series
Television has long been a popular home for the horror genre. From the beloved Tales From The Crypt, to Masters Of Horror and its disastrous big network offshoot Fear Itself to Freddy's Nightmares and even prime time series like The X-Files, horror always seems to have a home on TV for better or worse. In the late 1980s, perhaps at the peak of horror on television came MONSTERS. This anthology series would feature a different episode each week with no linking characters or plots. The opening of the show brought us into the living room of a seemingly typical suburban family getting ready to sit down together for "family hour" and watch their favorite show, MONSTERS. The only thing is that this family is made up of deformed beasts and cyclops!

When we get to the episode we're treated to everything from zombies to dragons, aliens and possession. Can you imagine something else? It is probably somewhere in the series. The episodes run about 22 minutes each without their commercials and often feature a comical take on horror or a certain moral. Many notable names spent a bit of time on the set of an episode of MONSTERS from Steve Buscemi and Linda Blair to John Saxon and Pam Grier, Meat Loaf and David Spade. Almost every episode has a very recognizable name. Special effects in the series were decent and though may not have aged particularly well at all times they did good work with the budget a TV show offered up. In the first episode of the series there is a giant prosthetic fat suit on display which sets the bar for special effects in the series.

Since the debut of DVD almost two decades ago fans have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of MONSTERS. As other landmark films and series got announced and released, and subsequently re-released (and re-released over and over in some cases) fans kept asking for this campy piece of 1980s horror TV history. Year after year passed, DVD wishlists got smaller and turned into Blu-ray wishlists but finally, finally MONSTERS is here. It is complete, all 72 episodes spread across 9 discs. If you've been a patient boy, waiting, waiting, waiting, go get it now! If you're new to the series rest assured that if you're a fan of campy and cheesy horror that is fun to throw back a few beers to you will fully enjoy MONSTERS.

The Audio & Video
CBS and E One Entertainment deliver MONSTERS on to DVD with a re-mastered 4:3 full frame aspect ratio, maintaining their OAR from TV exhibition. The re-mastered episodes look better than they ever have in syndication on the Chiller network and perhaps better than they did during their original run. The audio is a 2.0 Dolby Digital stereo track that sounds just as good as it likely ever did on TV. 

The Extras
Bare bones.

The Bottom Line
Horror fans have been clamoring for this release for over a decade and it is finally here and ready for you to relive the cheesy goodness. Sit down with a candy critter and enjoy your favorite show!

MONSTERS: THE COMPLETE SERIES is available HERE

Cybergeddon (DVD Review) - ARC Entertainment

USA, Canada/2012
Directed By: Diego Velasco
Written By: Miles Chapman
Starring: Missy Peregrym, Kick Gurry, Manny Montana
Color/89 Minutes/PG-13
Region 1
Release Date: March 18, 2014

The Film
A year after FBI agent Chloe Jocelyn arrested one of the world's most notorious hackers she has been framed with Cyber Terrorism. After escaping lockup and performing the world's most attractive public bathroom makeover using only a razor blade and some hair color (I'm not totally sure but I think a minor haircut and going from brunette to an auburn color wouldn't be enough of a change to fool anyone) she hooks up with old friends to find out the truth and clear her name. It soon becomes clear that the hacker she put away is behind the frame job and is intending on bringing down the world's economy. It's up to Chloe, her hacker friend, and her partner/lover to expose the sinister plan.

CYBERGEDDON was originally a webseries with the episodes edited together on this DVD to form a feature film. It certainly feels episodic, it is perfectly clear where each episode would begin and end and learning that it was in fact a webseries after watching the film I am not at all surprised. CYBERGEDDON is a surprisingly big project for a webseries, feeling much larger than the budget I suspect it had. Missy Peregrym plays Chloe and is uneven in her performance. She ranges from an barely believable hardass FBI agent to a totally believable whiny momma's girl when talking to her mother. Her sidekick is the comedic relief, a hacker named Rabbit (Kick Gurry) who works out of a van. He is easily the high point of the film and is quite funny. Aside from that the writing comes across as choppy thanks to the format switch, editing and camerawork are jumpy and shaky and would make someone like Michael Bay proud and someone that enjoys good editing and cinematography, sick. I want to give CYBERGEDDON a bit of leeway as it was only a webseries and I'm sure it worked better in that format but what I saw was presented as a feature length film and it is far from great.

The Audio & Video
ARC Entertainment brings CYBERGEDDON to DVD with a 16x9 widescreen transfer that preserves the original aspect ratio of it's web series format. The transfer looks good, as it should being that it is a newer production with digital photography. There is a 5.1 Dolby Digital track to handle the audio and it too is good. A real solid A/V job overall. 

The Extras
The only extra is a trailer.

The Bottom Line
If you're into hacking or films about cyber terrorism this movie will be an enjoyable watch.

CYBERGEDDON is available HERE

Frightmare (Blu-ray Review) - Kino Redemption

England/1974
Directed By: Pete Walker
Written By: David McGillivray
Starring: Sheila Keith, Rupert Davies, Deborah Fairfax
Color and B&W/86 Minutes/Rated R
Region A
Release Date: March 18, 2014

The Film
Dorothy Yates and her husband Edmund are freed from a mental institution after years of treatment after she committed acts murder and cannibalism. Now Dorothy has guests visit their isolated farm home for tarot card readings. Their eldest daughter Jackie also visits hoping to keep her mother sane with the help of her father. Jackie has to deal with her younger sister Debbie who hangs around a biker gang and is generally a nasty brat of an adolescent. Jackie keeps their parents a secret from Debbie, fearing the relationship will be toxic. Unfortunately for Debbie, and her father who is in the middle of a disastrous mess, Jackie is well aware of her mother and they both despise Debbie for keeping them apart.

FRIGHTMARE is a brilliant psychological slow burn from the underrated genre director Pete Walker. Sheila Keith is wonderful as the disturbed mother as is her on-screen husband Rupert Davies who is lost in the mix of a family torn apart by broken minds. Walker's direction is tight, and the story is far from just pure psychological horror as it features some rather nasty murder scenes. If you've never seen FRIGHTMARE you're doing yourself a disservice as it is one of the best horror films to come out of the UK in the 1970s and it gets better with with each viewing.

The Audio & Video
What can I really say about this Blu-ray besides "YES!"? Kino Redemption has delivered a stunning looking and sounding disc. I dare say it is a near perfect presentation. The 1.66:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer is gorgeous, with strong detail, lifelike skin tones, vivid but natural colors and no edge enhancement or DNR. The soundtrack is pristine with no background noise, crackling or popping. The mix is spot on and I doubt this will ever sound better on home video. It is weird to smile during a film such as FRIGHTMARE but when you first experience this disc you will be ear to ear.

The Extras
There are several special features on the disc including:

-Audio commentary with Pete Walker and DP Peter Jessop conducted by Steve Chiball, author of "Making Mischief: The Cult Films Of Pete Walker"
-"For The Sake Of Cannibalism" - An interview with Pete Walker by Elijah Drenner
-"Sheila Keith: A Nice Old Lady?" - A profile on the late actress featuring interviews with former collaborators
-Original theatrical trailer

The Bottom Line
This release isn't a FRIGHTMARE or even a nightmare, it is much closer to a dream come true. From the film that has always been excellent, to the new HD transfer that is the definitive home video presentation of the film, this is a must own.

FRIGHTMARE is available HERE

Sadie / The Seductress Peekarama Double Feature (DVD Review) - Vinegar Syndrome

USA/1980, 1981
Directed By: Bob Chinn
Written By: Bob Chinn
Starring: Chris Cassidy, Lee Carroll, Lisa De Leeuw
Color/154 Minutes/Rated X
Region FREE
Release Date: March 11, 2014

The Films
In the first film of this Bob Chinn double feature, SADIE is a beautiful prostitute living in Borneo during the Vietnam War. She pleases soldiers and locals alike until an uptight bible touting American senator arrives with his family and can't stand the harlot she is. He is hellbent on changing her ways. His new found project in SADIE leaves no time for attention to his own attractive daughter who has decided to give in to all of her urges and begins fucking a local man and falling in love with him. It's a cumming of age type story for everyone! That is, except the senator. SADIE is well written and directed, has some fun sex scenes and is a rather entertaining porno.

THE SEDUCTRESS features a man blackmailing wealthy people into having affairs and secretly takes photographs of it. His devious plans are to get rich, but how and why? Well watch and you'll find out! And you'll also see lots of sex, a woman shoot heroin and a man who goes on and on about how the 2 women he fucked loved his "weenie". Yes folks, THE SEDUCTRESS is trashy and funny. "You either jacked off with 100 grit sand paper or you slept with two women!"

The Audio & Video
Vinegar Syndrome has done a very nice job with the restoration and transfer work for this double feature. Both films feature a clean print with very minimal dirt or scratches. Colors are lively and overall image quality is strong in both anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1) transfers. The audio is just as good with clean tracks, almost no background noise in the mono tracks.

The Extras
There is a trailer for each film

The Bottom Line
A pair of incredibly interesting and entertaining smut films that are different than anything you've probably seen lately. Recommended!

SADIE / THE SEDUCTRESS Peekarama Double Feature is available HERE

Necronos: Tower Of Doom (DVD Review) - Troma

Germany/2010
Directed By: Marc Rohnstock
Written By: Marc Rohnstock
Starring: Manoush, Timo Fuchs, Mario Zimmerschitt
Color/127 Minutes/Not Rated
Region FREE
Release Date: March 11, 2014

The Film
NECRONOS is one of Satan's highest demon minions and has been sent to Earth to create an army of the undead called Berzerkers. Berzerkers can only be made with certain hard to find ingredients, mainly human body parts. In order to get these ingredients NECRONOS uses his henchmen Goran to kidnap and torture them along with a witch to locate "The Chosen One" - A virgin witch. Once all of these goals are completed Satan's army of the undead can run amok on Earth and turn it into a living hell.

NECRONOS is pure splatter horror. Shot on video, artistic value is low and gore and nudity value is off the charts. Made in the spirit of German splatter king Olaf Ittenbach, Marc Rohnstock gives him a run for his money with some of the nastiest gore pieces in recent memory. Acting is rough, as you would probably expect from this low budget film but if we're being honest we aren't watching something like NECRONOS for the acting or script. No, we are watching it to see blood fly and bodies ripped apart. And NECRONOS provides that in spades. It isn't art, but it is pretty fantastic cheap fun.

The Audio & Video
Troma has released NECRONOS on DVD for it's North American debut. The DVD features a window boxed transfer which is unfortunate. Video quality is so-so, the low budget photography looks cheap and has compression issues at times but it's not too terribly bad. There is a single Dolby Digital 2.0 German track with optional English subtitles. The track gets the job done fine and is free of any disturbances. 

The Extras
Bonus features for NECRONOS include:
-A pair of trailers
-Behind the scenes still gallery
-Assorted trailers for other Troma releases

The Bottom Line
Splatter fans rejoice, you have another grail for your collection. Not a splatter fan? Move along and keep your breakfast in your stomach.

NECRONOS is available HERE

The Altar Of Lust / Angel On Fire Peekarama Double Feature (DVD Review) - Vinegar Syndrome

USA/1971, 1974
Directed By: Roberta Findlay
Written By: Roberta Findlay
Starring: Erotica Lantern, Darby Lloyd Rains, Jamie Gillis
Color/155 Minutes/Rated X
Region FREE
Release Date: March 11, 2014

The Films
Roberta Findlay may ring a bell in your head and you may not know why right off hand. At least that is what it was for me. I know the name. I know I've seen films from her but I'd be damned if I could think of what she had done. Well this double feature from her (and the subsequent Google search) makes sure she's a name I won't forget what projects she's attached to anytime soon.

The first film of the set is THE ALTAR OF LUST, a trip through a woman's sexual psyche from a Psychiatrist's couch. Our patient explains her sexual experiences that have lead to her lesbianism and her desire to once again be straight. From being raped by her stepfather to finding her lover cheating on her and subsequently making love to the woman to some "unorthodox" treatment from her doctor, she may just overcome that damn lesbianism yet! Although she seems to be having quite a good time with other women...

If ANGEL ON FIRE teaches us anything it is that angels are sluts, so if Heaven is real it is probably pretty cool. In this film a nasty chauvinistic man dumps his pregant girlfriend and is hit by a bus and killed shortly after. Upon making it to the afterlife he is informed that before he's allowed full admittance to eternal paradise he will be sent back to Earth as a woman to find out just how he treated them. His punishment will only be over once he falls in love with the same type of man he was. Of course he doesn't get sent back to Earth before he gets some action from a more than willing angel.

Perhaps better known for her horror and exploitation films of the 80s such as Tenement and Blood Sisters Roberta Findlay definitely learned her craft a decade earlier with these pornos. Both films are great, trashy in ways but creative in others. ANGEL ON FIRE is the better of the two films as the sex is better, the story is ridiculous and the girls are more attractive.  Both films work well for this double feature and it will make for an enjoyable midnight viewing party.

The Audio & Video
Another double feature from Vinegar Syndrome and another excellent job as far as restoration and presentation goes. Both films are presented in their original 1.85:1 aspect ratio with an anmorphic widescreen transfer. Colors are vibrant and lively and flesh tones are natural. There is limited print damage throughout ALTAR and some mostly speckling and light scratching in ANGEL making it clear that these films have been kept in good shape. The audio track is a simple Mono one as the films were originally exhibited but they get the job done nicely. There is no background noise, hissing, crackling or any other hiccups in the audio. A damn fine job by Vinegar Syndrome.

The Extras
Bare bones.

The Bottom Line
It is nothing new at this point that a Vinegar Syndrome gets the stamp of approval. The love and care they show with restoring these almost forgotten about pieces of adult film history deserves an award.

THE ALTAR OF LUST / ANGEL ON FIRE Peekarama Double Feature is available HERE