Hallucination Strip (Blu-ray Review) - Raro Video

Italy/1975
Directed By: Lucio Marcaccini
Written By: Vincenzo Mannino, Lucio Marcaccini, Jose Sanchez
Starring: Bud Cort, Marcel Bozzuffi, Guido Alberti
Color/93 Minutes/Not Rated
Region A
Release Date:

The Film
Bud Cort stars as Massimo, a politically involved student who is big in protests and demonstrations, and being a bit of a trouble maker. When he steals a very valuable tobacco box he becomes involved in a dangerous hunt between the police and the mafia. While he and his friends do drugs, bitch about the system and live their lives, Massimo is becoming increasingly closer to losing his.

To put it simply, HALLUCINATION STRIP is a let down. A film drenched in social commentary still needs to be a successful film or the message is lost. HALLUCINATION STRIP is pretty poorly written and most of the actors seem to be going through the motions. There's an interesting LSD trip scene and a handful of other interesting moments but overall the film isn't good, any social commentary gets lost in the shuffle because of it and you're better off finding better pieces of Euro crime or psychadelic cinema. 

The Audio & Video
Raro Video's 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer looks pretty nice. The transfer has a natural grain structure and nice color representation. Flesh tones and detail levels are good. The only downside is that dark scenes do have a bit of compression but nothing serious. No DNR or EE is noticable. The 2.0 Italian audio track sounds very good and the English subtitles are translated and timed perfectly. There is no background noise.

The Extras
-Video interview with editor Giulio Berruti
-Original Italian trailer
-Original English trailer
-Fully illustrated booklet

The Bottom Line
While it didn't strike a chord with me it is worth a rental to see if it strikes one with you.

HALLUCINATION STRIP is available HERE

The Demons (Blu-ray Review) - Kino Redemption

France, Portugal/1973
Directed By: Jess Franco
Written By: Jess Franco
Starring: Britt Nichols, Anne Libert, Howard Vernon
Color/118 Minutes/Not Rated
Region A
Release Date: April 29, 2014

The Film
In 1971 Ken Russell released his masterpiece The Devils on the masses. Viewed as disturbingly sexual, violent and obscene it was banned or faced tight censorship just about everywhere. Russell's film was heavy with commentary on the Catholic church and organized religion as a whole, filled with images of naked nuns, harsh violence from church officials and general insanity. It didn't take long for other filmmakers to capitalize on the attention being given to The Devils and make similar films. Jess Franco did just that in 1973 with THE DEMONS.

During a witch hunting craze, an accused witch who is being burned at the stake accuses the head with hunter and his followers of being in with the devil. This sets off a crazy chain of events, where nobody is to be trusted. A series of tests is given to the accused which will point out the witches. These tests are of course designed to be passed (rather, failed) by everyone they're administered to. The manhunt for the accused goes wide when the witchfinder falls in love with a nun who ran away to escape persecution but there will be no shortage of people being burned at the stake. Or nudity. Or witchcraft.

It goes without saying that based on the title and a short plot synopsis that Jess Franco knew what he was doing with THE DEMONS. He was making a sleazier and more self indulgent film for the exploitation crowds to love on the back of Ken Russell's noteriety. This isn't a new practice and one that hasn't shown any signs of slowing down. Franco's film is wildly entertaining, there's sex, torture, violence and bizarre witchcraft that turns people into skeletons! It has none of the social commentary or expert filmmaking that Russel's The Devils has (that isn't to say it is a poorly made film because that isn't the case). It is simply a exploitative ripoff of a true masterpiece of cinema and is a film worth viewing in its own right.

The Audio & Video
Kino Redemption has done a fantastic job with their release of THE DEMONS. The 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer features a crisp and largely very clean transfer. Detail is strong with the period clothing and set pieces and the plentiful amount of skin on display is warm, and natural. Everything looks great and there is no edge enhancement or DNR on display. The French (with German) 2.0 audio track features optional English subtitles which are flawless. The sound itself is perfectly mixed, and free of any background noise. 

The Extras
-An interview with Jess Franco by David Gregory
-Six minutes of deleted footage
-A pair of theatrical trailers
-Trailers for more Franco films

The Bottom Line
Jess Franco has made a highly entertaining piece of nunsploitation with THE DEMONS and this gorgeous Blu-ray is the only way to see the film from now on. 

THE DEMONS is available HERE

Young Secretaries / Deep Tango (DVD Review) - Vinegar Syndrome

USA/1974
Directed By: Zachary Youngblood, Richard Kanter
Written By: Zachary Youngblood, Richard Kanter
Starring: Annette Haven, Jan Mitchel
Color/162 Minutes/X
Region FREE
Release Date: May 13, 2014

The Films
DEEP TANGO is the story of an attractive sex therapist who takes her new lover on journey of sexual exploration to perfect her therapy methods. From filming an orgy to fucking herself with the camera lens the couple gets wild and crazy for much of the duration which keeps plot thin and sex scenes very active. With a slightly stronger plot, and I do mean slightly, is YOUNG SECRETARIES, the story of a bunch of secretaries who give their bosses what they need to succeed and in turn get rewarded for it... with mustache rides. Yeah, I said it was only a slightly stronger plot but it has equal amounts of quality sex scenes.

Neither of these films will go down as classic 70s porn but they will certainly add a couple of entertaining and well made titles into the adult section of you collection.

The Audio & Video
Both films are presented in their original aspect ratio of 1.33:1 (full frame) by Vinegar Syndrome and have similar looking transfers. The presentations are largely clean and fairly sharp for vintage porno films. They do have some scratches and dirt and debris along with some print jumping but are very watchable presentations. The audio has a bit of background noise but not much and it never gets intrusive. 

The Extras
Bare bones. 

The Bottom Line
Vinegar Syndrome keeps the ball rolling on their old school porn releases with another pair of films that fans of these releases will certainly want to add to their collection.

DEEP TANGO /YOUNG SECRETARIES is available HERE

Honey Buns (DVD Review) - Impulse Pictures

USA/1973
Directed By: James Chiara
Written By: James Chiara
Starring: Matt Hewitt, Ushi Digard, Rene Bond
Color/74 Minutes/Not Rated
Region 1
Release Date: May 6, 2014

The Film
 Harry works at a feminine hygeine company called "Internally Yours", he is surrounded by beautiful women daily and couldn't be more uncomfortable. Harry is clumsy, shy, awkward and just a bit creepy, bringing his stacks of dirty magazines to his desk on his lunch break. Obviously he has no luck with the women, that is until the day he meets a man called The Magician who gives him a magic pill. This pill gives him chance after chance with beautiful women ready to seduce Harry. There's a catch though... If Harry gets too aroused too soon they disappear. Harry has to learn to control his urges to keep his fantasies a reality.

Matt Hewitt plays a damn good sexually awkward, shy guy, the ladies here are all beautiful and the movie itself is just weird enough to stand apart from the loads and loads of other X-rated fare that it had to contend with. From orgies to a dominatrix and yes, we do get to see why this film got its name, HONEY BUNS is a well made and inspired piece of 70s hardcore.

The Audio & Video
Impulse Pictures secures a safe existence for another vintage piece of American smut with a pretty good overall transfer on HONEY BUNS. The print is in decent shape, there are some scratches and damage but nothing excessive or annoying. If anything the scratchiness only adds to the experience. The audio track is stable and mixed well. Levels are steady and don't flucuate. A bit of background noise is present but as with the PQ it isn't distracting.

The Extras
Bare bones. 

The Bottom Line
A bit funny, a bit awkward and weird, and packed with beautiful women, HONEY BUNS is a treasure of the 1970s hardcore scene.

HONEY BUNS is available HERE

Back In Crime (DVD Review) - Kino

France/2013
Directed By: Germinal Alvarez
Written By: Germinal Alvarez, Nathalie Saugeon
Starring: Jean-Hugues Anglade, Melanie Thierry, Phillipe Berodot
Color/101 Minutes/Not Rated
Region 1
Release Date: May 20, 2014

The Film
Inspect Richard Kemp is investigating a homicide by the killer known as The Earwig. This is the first appearance of the killer in 20 years, and the only witness to the crime is Helene, a psychologist who Kemp falls in love with. After being attacked by a stranger, Kemp awakens 20 years in his past, just before The Earwig starts his crime spree. Kemp now has a chance to do what he couldn't before and stop the killer before with help from a young Helene.

Crime thrillers are a dime a dozen to me. There are some great ones out there but for the most part it is almost a case of "seen one, seen 'em all". It takes something special for me to take note and BACK IN CRIME made me take note... sort of. I think Anglade and Theirry are excellent and have great chemistry on screen. While they play a somewhat typical role, they manage to break out of the generic and make their relationship stand out. I only wish we got to know more of The Earwig. We barely get to know him before he's taken down and I wanted to know more and see more out of his crimes. BACK IN CRIME is solid and fans of the crime thriller archetype will certainly enjoy it.

The Audio & Video
Kino gives BACK IN CRIME an attractive home on DVD with a 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. The picture quality is strong with no compression issues. The image is clean, and colors look nice. The audio options are French with optional English subtitles or English dub in either 2.0 or 5.1 surround. The French surround track sounds great. Levels are mixed well, there is no audible hiccups or annoyances and the subs are spot on with timing.

The Extras
An image gallery and a selection of trailers for various films make up the special features

The Bottom Line
A rock solid crime film with a time travel subplot that will engage viewers to see what kind of answers lie and the end of the twists and turns

BACK IN CRIME is available HERE

Sleepaway Camp (Blu-ray Review) - Scream Factory

USA/1983
Directed By: Robert Hiltzik
Written By: Robert Hiltzik
Starring: Felissa Rose, Jonathan Tierston, Paul DeAngelo
Color/84 Minutes/Not Rated
Region A
Release Date: May 27, 2014

The Film
After a boating accident left her father dead 8 years earlier, Angela now livers with her aunt and cousin Ricky. Angela and Ricky are setting off for a summer at Camp Arawak. Angela is a very shy and quiet girl, while Ricky is just the opposite and spends much of his time protecting his cousin and cussing out whoever taunts her. Camp Arawak is your typical camp, full of summer activities, and colorful characters. Some of the less than savory characters begin to meet their end in various gruesome ways and the identity of the killer is unknown until there's a shocking revelation by the waterfront.

SLEEPAWAY CAMP has always been one of my favorite slasher films. It's a bit sleazier than most other 80s body count films and the kills lead to some gory effects. The acting is pretty decent for such a film despite it's budgetary constraints. The sexual undertones (and at times in your face overtones) of the film make SLEEPAWAY CAMP stand out from the pack and make the classic ending (don't spoil it for yourself!) a punch in the gut. SLEEPAWAY CAMP is a true 80s classic.

The Audio & Video
Scream Factory has done right by the slasher gods because this Blu-ray is gorgeous. SLEEPAWAY CAMP has notoriously never looked great. The best home video release prior to this BD was the Anchor Bay DVD set which always looked a bit hazy. That problem is gone. The 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer got an all new 2K HD scan and looks great. The image is much sharper and clearer than it ever has been on home video. Skin tones are fleshy and natural, colors are vibrant and black levels are deep. There's no compression issues, or instances of excessive DNR or edge enhancement. SLEEPAWAY CAMP's picture quality finally matches it's infinite rewatchability.

The disc features a DTS-HD Master Audio Mono track that sounds excellent. Scream Factory wisely stayed away from trying to create a faux surround mix and simply took the original track and made it sound excellent. There's no instances of background noise and the track is perfectly mixed.

Note: Images taken from DVD version of the film

The Extras
The stacked lineup of special features include:
-An all new commentary track w/ Felissa Rose and Jonathan Tierston
-Original audio commentary  track w/ Robert Hiltzik, Felissa Rose and Jeff Hayes
-"At The Waterfront After The Social: The Legacy Of Sleepaway Camp" - An awesome 45 minute featurette featuring interviews from key cast and crew members discussing their time on set and beyond
-Sleepaway Camp Scrapbook
-"Judy" - A short film by Jeff Hayes starring Karen Fields
-"Princess" - A music video by Jonathan Tierston
-Rare images from make-up effects artist Ed French
-Theatrical Trailer
-TV Spots
-A demonstration of the 2K film scan process

The Bottom Line
One of my favorite slasher films given the royal treatment? Do I need to spell it out for you? GO. BUY. IT. 

SLEEPAWAY CAMP is available HERE

Saving Grace B. Jones (DVD Review) - Arc Entertainment

USA/2009
Directed By: Connie Stevens
Written By: Connie Stevens, Jeffrey Elison
Starring: Tatum O'Neal, Michael Biehn, Penelope Ann Miller
Color/116 Minutes/R
Region 1
Release Date: May 27, 2014

The Film
In a 1950s small town Landy and his wife Bea are getting Landy's sister Grace out of an asylum after she has spent years there after becoming mentally damaged from an accident on her wedding day twenty years earlier. Grace's reappearance in the community has shaken some of the locals and is bringing a lot of distress to the family. Grace is obviously not fully cured of her problems and during a massive flood that threatens the entire town she breaks down in a violent relapse.

SAVING GRACE B. JONES apparently took five years to be released on DVD and that doesn't surprise me at all. It wouldn't surprise me if this movie never saw the light of day. Not only is it a massive waste of a good cast, including not only the leads mentioned but also a pre-The Walking Dead Scott Wilson, but it just flat out sucks. The majority of the film is spent following a few pre-teen girls around as they go to dances and a black church where they're adored. These girls are actually the highlight of the movie as they're all pretty good for being so young. There's a bit of drama surrounding them and Grace but not nearly enough to warrant the amount of screen time dedicated to them. Aside from some melodrama nothing worth a damn happens until the climactic flood scene. It's boring, it's too long, it's poorly written and developed and wastes a talented cast. 

The Audio & Video
Arc Entertainment is responsible for bringing this movie to DVD and at least the disc looks okay. The 16x9 transfer looks fine, with the 1950s setting looking good. There's a bit of compression blocking during the darkest scenes but nothing awful. The 5.1 Dolby Digital soundtrack is fine with no background noise or annoyances. Sound levels are mixed well. 

The Extras
A trailer is the lone extra.

The Bottom Line
It looks and feels like a cheap made-for-TV movie that would air on Lifetime. Skip it.

SAVING GRACE B. JONES is available HERE