Trancers (Blu-ray Review) - Full Moon

USA/1985
Directed By: Charles Band
Written By: Danny Bilson, Paul De Meo
Starring: Tim Thomerson, Helen Hunt, Michael Stefani
Color/76 Minutes/PG-13
Region A
Release Date: July 16, 2014

The Film
Agent Jack Deth (Tim Thomerson) live in Angel City in the year 2247. He is currently wiping out all of the Trancers in the city left over by a major criminal known as The Whistler. Trancers are people that have been psychically manipulated in to evil henchmen. Deth finds out that Whistler isn't dead, he is alive in the year 1985. Deth has to travel back in time to inhabit the body of one of his ancestors to track down Whistler and stop his evil tyranny once and for all.

 TRANCERS is a great mix of sci-fi, action and film noir with Charles Band's B-movie flair. The acting is surprisingly great from the grizzly and tough Jack Deth to the young, care free sidekick performance from Helen Hunt who is immensely likable in her role. Also supporting roles from Art LeFleur as Jack Deth's superior and Biff Manard as a down on his luck ex-baseball player who adds some comedy to the film. TRANCERS may very well be the best Full Moon production of the mid to late 80s and certainly looks better than its B-movie origins would suggest.

The Audio & Video
Full Moon gives TRANCERS its high definition debut with pretty good success. The image quality is quite a bit sharper than its DVD counterpart giving way to increased detail levels especially in skin tones and textures. There is still a bit of softness to the film but it seems to have more to do with the original photography of the film than with the transfer of this Blu-ray. TRANCERS is also finally given the anamorphic widescreen treatment. The 5.1 surround sound audio track sounds very good with a lively and full sounding track. There's no background noise to speak of and the mix between dialogue and the great score/soundtrack is spot on.

The Extras
Special features include:
-Audio Commentary track with director Charles Band and star Tim Thomerson
-Daniel Griffith's TRANCERS featurette - A 15 minute "making-of".
-Rare interviews with Tim Thomerson, Helen Hunt and Megan Ward
-Still gallery
-TRANCERS:  CITY OF LOST ANGELS - The TRANCERS segment from "Pulsepounders" that was once thought lost. This is definitely the coolest feature on the disc. Think of it as "Trancers 1.5" or a bonus adventure of Jack Deth.

The Bottom Line
TRANCERS is one of Full Moon's longest running series and with six full length chapters, plus the short from the Pulsepounders production there's no reason not to check out this much improved Blu-ray to get started on the series. I sincerely hope they release the rest of the series on Blu-ray sooner or later.

TRANCERS is available HERE

Girls In The Night Traffic (Blu-ray Review) - Ascot Elite

Switzerland/1976
Directed By: Erwin C. Dietrich, Jess Franco
Written By: Erwin C. Dietrich
Starring: Kali Hansa, Pilar Coll, Diotta Fatou
Color/72 Minutes/Not Rated
Region FREE
Release Date: April 15, 2014

The Film
This is the Jess Franco I try to stay away from. GIRLS IN THE NIGHT TRAFFIC is the story of three high class hookers who sleep together and through a series of flashbacks recount their evening with their clients the night before including putting on a sex show and role playing as a corpse. One of them is kidnapped by a pimp posing as a photographer and she ends up in a weird prison. Her friends end up in the same prison to help her get revenge.

Blah. I'll put it plainly so you can skip to the next section if you wish... this film fucking sucks. It's nothing more than a reason to show naked women on screen and while that is fun and everything it becomes like work when that is all a movie has going for it. There is another cut of the film but that is merely the X-rated hardcore cut which adds on 20 minutes of hardcore sex cut from other movies. I don't know how responsible Franco is for this as he is uncredited as a director but it has all the markings of his other shitty films so he'll shoulder half the blame and Dietrich will to. Thanks for nothing.

The Audio & Videos
We can't blame Ascot Elite for the lame film but we can tell them "job well done" on a very nice Blu-ray presentation. The anamorphic widescreen transfer is very pretty with good sharpness and clarity and vivid and natural colors. The 2.0 German audio track is mixed fine and sounds good. The English subtitles are a little goofy but they seem to be timed well enough and translated fine. 

The Extras
-Jess Franco audio interview
-Trailers
-Still gallery
-+ More

The Bottom
I have a hard time recommending this title for anybody at all but I suppose there are Jess Franco completeists that will want this and they'll be thankful that a dreadful film got such a competent Blu-ray release. 

GIRLS IN THE NIGHT TRAFFIC is available HERE

Curtains (Blu-ray Review) - Synapse Films

Canda/1983
Directed By: Richard Ciupka
Written By: Robert Guza Jr.
Starring: John Vernon, Samantha Eggar, Linda Thorson
Color/90 Minutes/R
Region A
Release Date: July 29, 2014

The Film
Director Johnathan Stryker (John Vernon) wants to make a film called "Audra" and he and his leading lady Samantha Sherwood (Samantha Eggar) concoct a plan to have her put in a mental asylum for a short stay as a patient to prepare for the role. Stryker seemingly moves on from Sherwood who has to break out of the asylum on her own. Stryker hosts a group of actresses, including Sherwood at his home to audition for the part in "Audra". Shortly after the actresses start missing and getting killed by a psycho wearing a disturbing mask.

CURTAINS had a very troubled production. From director Richard Ciupka hoping to get fired off the project (his debut as a director) to extensive re-shoots happening almost two years after principal photography was completed that ended up replacing about a third of Ciupka's film. The producer wanted a cheap and easy slasher film and Ciupka had ideas about a psychological thriller/horror film. The final product is a weird mishmash of both ideas that somehow comes together and works for an entertaining film even if some of it just simply doesn't make sense.

While CURTAINS is messy because of the production troubles there are a couple of really great scenes including the ice skating scene and the final sequence taking up about the last 15 minutes of the film. They're filmed beautifully and make CURTAINS worth checking out on their merit alone. CURTAINS has long been an oddity that you've only been able to see on poor quality VHS and bootlegs on the convention circuit, not anymore. This release is what the actresses involved feared! We're going to see it and hopefully you'll enjoy it as much as I did.

The Audio & Video
There's good reason when Synapse Films delays a release even for only a few weeks. They're making sure the film looks and sounds as good as it can. There's a reason they could be crowned kings of the cult home video market. They just plain get it. And their new Special Edition Blu-ray of CURTAINS proves it again. The 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer got a new 2K scan from the original vault materials and it shines. Colors are vibrant and pop just a bit. Skin tones show look fleshy and natural. The picture quality is very sharp and has a light layer of grain that keeps the feel of the film photography. There a newly mixed 5.1 DTS-HDMA track and the original 2.0 Mono mix for HD and overall sound quality is excellent. Its a crisp track with no background noise and an excellent mix. I love the ice skating scene where score gets bumped to the forefront but we can still hear the skate scraping against the ice as the girl moves along. This is just a fantastic job.

The Extras
The Blu-ray features quite a few quality special features including:
-"The Ultimate Nightmare: The Making of CURTAINS" - An all new 2014 retrospective that runs over 35 minutes and documents the film's conception to theatrical release and subsequent status as a cult favorite
-"Ciupka - A Filmmaker In Transition" (Blu-ray Exclusive) - A vintage behind-the-scenes documentary on Richard Ciupka that was filmed during the production of CURTAINS
-Audio commentary track with stars Lesleh Donaldson and Lynne Griffin
-Alternate audio track with vintage audio interviews with producer Peter R. Simpson and star Samantha Eggar
-Theatrical trailer

The Bottom Line
The back cover of this release has a quote that calls CURTAINS a "Must see for slasher completists". I'll go a step farther and say that if you're even the slightest fan of slasher films you'll want to see CURTAINS it is weird, a bit disturbing and totally endearing. If Synapse Films had rushed the release and given us a bare bones release with just a passable transfer it would still be a revelation for this film and I'm sure fans would be satisfied with it but the fact that they went the extra mile and gave CURTAINS a very nice selection of special features and a brilliant A/V presentation is just awesome. The wait for CURTAINS is over and it was worth it.

CURTAINS is available HERE

Downtown (Blu-ray Review) - Ascot Elite

Switzerland/1975
Directed By: Jess Franco
Written By: Jess Franco
Starring: Lina Romay, Paul Muller, Martine Stedil
Color/87 Minutes/Not Rated
Region FREE
Release Date: November 19, 2013

The Film
A private detective gets a much needed break with a job when he's hired by a woman to take comprising photos of her husband who is a nightclub owner. Shortly after getting the photos and finishing his job he is arrested as the prime suspect for murder in the nightclub owner's death.

Franco pulls his jack-of-all-trades routine here where he writes, directs and stars as the detective in the film. He had this routine in plenty of his films but few turned out as well as DOWNTOWN. His performance is among the best he ever gave and the story is handled well. Franco does give us a few of his notorious Franco directorial moments though with more than a couple long zooms into nude genitals and awkwardly long holds on the shot even while characters are talking. More than once the zoom goes so far as to lose focus on the shot. I guess that is just Jess being Jess!

DOWNTOWN is fun though despite any drawbacks it may have. Franco's love Lina Romay stars and is good and gives a few cabaret/nightclub performances that are sexy and memorable. She was quite the woman. The rest of the cast rises above the average mid-late 70s Franco flick to help the overall quality of the picture.

The Audio & Video
DOWNTOWN was shot a big softer at times than some of Franco's other films at the time and that is evident with Ascot Elite's transfer. While there are some scenes that overly grainy or soft, the transfer is as good as it gets. The PQ has a natural film look, and it does have a good sharpness to it for the most part. Colors are nice and flesh tones are natural. There's a nice level of detail in textures as well. The German audio track is a 5.1 DTS-HDMA track with optional English subtitles. The audio quality is clear and crisp with no background noise. Levels are even and steady with a strong mix. Subtitles are nicely translated and timed well.

The Extras
-Trailers
-Still gallery

The Bottom Line
DOWNTOWN is a pretty decent flick from Franco and if you're looking into some of the lesser known or talked about Franco films this isn't a bad place to start.

DOWNTOWN is available HERE

All Cheerleaders Die (DVD Review) - Image/RLJ

USA/2013
Directed By: Lucky McKee, Chris Sivertson
Written By: Lucky McKee, Chris Sivertson
Starring: Caitlin Stasey, Sianoa Smit-McPhee, Brooke Butler
Color/89 Minutes/Not Rated
Region 1
Release Date: July 22, 2014

The Film
After a fight between the football team and the cheerleaders at a party leads to a nasty car chase leading to the cheerleaders crashing their car and dying. A friend of one of the girls uses witchcraft to bring them back and now the undead girls are thirsty for blood and revenge on the boys that caused their death but the captain of the football team won't let his boys go down that easy.

Okay, ALL CHEERLEADERS DIE has a simple plot that has potential for a fun horror film... but then we got the final product which starts out with over half an hour of obnoxious, catty high school drama. If I wanted to watch that shit I'd turn on MTV and see some knocked up pre-teens screaming at their boyfriend for buying them a ring from Wal-Mart or something stupid like that. Then the horror film starts, sexy cheerleaders on a rampage at their high school? This could make up for the crappy start.

Unfortunately it doesn't. The comedy comes and goes and feels forced and heavy handed and rarely works. The acting is okay which surprised me, I can't fault the cast too much. We are talking about a cheesy horror movie so they're not bad but the overall script just sucks. It feels long, and it doesn't know if it wants to be straight horror or horror comedy. Lucky McKee has become one of the biggest disappointments in the last 15 years of horror. After the amazing May, McKee hasn't made anything nearly as good and aside from The Woman nothing I'd even consider decent. ALL CHEERLEADERS DIE seemed like a good chance to return to form but it is yet another letdown.

The Audio & Video
Image/RLJ give ALL CHEERLEADERS DIE a home on DVD with average results. The transfer looks okay for standard definition. I'm sure the Blu-ray looks sharper but as for the copy I saw, colors are decent as is sharpness. Darker scenes suffer from blocking issues but it isn't overly distracting. Overall not a bad looking 2.35:1 transfer. The DD 5.1 audio track sounds fine as well. The mix works without dialogue and soundtrack needing to compete to dominate the track. There's no background noise to speak of.

The Extras
A behind-the-scenes featurette is included

The Bottom Line
A disappointing effort from an increasingly disappointing director.

ALL CHEERLEADERS DIE is available HERE

Wicked Women (Blu-ray Review) - Ascot Elite

Switzerland/1977
Directed By: Jess Franco
Written B: Erwin C. Dietrich, Jess Franco
Starring: Lina Romay, Moncia Swinn, Nanda Van Bergen
Color/81 Minutes/Not Rated
Region FREE
Release Date: December 10, 2013

The Film
A young woman (Lina Romay) is found naked and bloody in a mansion and is brought to a mental hospital when she won't speak a word. Her caretakers don't have the woman's recovery at the front of their mind, it certainly isn't what they're interested in. They like to get a little closer to the women in the hospital. All the while a cloaked killer is on the loose dispatching of patients at night.

WICKED WOMEN is one maniac killer away from being pretty standard Women In Prison fare with the prison switched for a mental hospital. That wouldn't be a bad thing necessarily but the addition of the murderer makes things a bit more interesting, if not a little off kilter.

WICKED WOMEN isn't a great film, it features some poor direction from Franco, including a totally out of focus shot in the opening scene of the ambulance pulling up to the house. It's always interesting seeing a Jess Franco for the first time and wondering which version of the director you'll get. The one that can direct a beautiful scene or the one that is all over the place with awkward shots and useless zooms and pans. WICKED WOMEN is an entertaining trashy film despite being a poor directorial effort from Franco.

The Audio & Video
Ascot Elite does another great job with the 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer of this film. There is a nice sharpness and clarity to the picture. Colors and flesh tones are vivid and healthy. The German DTS-HD 5.1 audio track is crisp and mixed well. The optional English subtitles are nicely translated and read well.

The Extras
-Still gallery

The Bottom Line
Franco and trashy film fans will enjoy WICKED WOMEN but it isn't one of his finest efforts. That's just the nature of Jess Franco.

WICKED WOMEN is available HERE

Ginger Snaps (Blu-ray Review) - Scream Factory

Canada/2000
Directed By: John Fawcett
Written By: Karen Walton
Starring: Emily Perkins, Katherine Isabelle, Kris Lemche
Color/108 Minutes/Not Rated
Region A
Release Date: July 22, 2014

The Film
Ginger Fitzgerald (Katherine Isabelle) and her slightly younger sister Bridgette (Emily Perkins) are as close as close can be. They've made a pact to be together forever no matter what. They're loners, rebels even. They're annoyed by the norm and the status quo. They live in a small suburb that is currently under attack by some unknown animal that is mauling and mangling neighborhood pets. The Fitzgerald sisters' world completely changes one night when the beast attacks Ginger and she begins to transform in to a Lycanthrope. A werewolf. It's up to Bridgette to try and save her sister before the transformation takes complete hold over Ginger.

GINGER SNAPS is a horror film. There's a werewolf running around, one of our main characters is turning into a werewolf and does a bit of bloodletting of her own. It absolutely is a horror film, that is true. It is also a movie about the weird, confusing and at times horrifying stage of in your life known as puberty and the changes you go through physically, mentally and emotionally. GINGER SNAPS is equal parts puberty commentary and horror film. It works as both. Our leads are female, and there's plenty of moments that remind us of this fact but that isn't to say that males can't absolutely relate to their struggles, just without the tampons. Bridgette is forced to come in to her own and become her own person as her sister's world spirals out of control in to sex, drugs and that whole werewolf thing.

As a horror film GINGER SNAPS is fun and effective. Some of the common werewolf traits and tropes are left behind in this film. The full moon doesn't have much to do with the werewolf at all. The affliction in GINGER SNAPS is a virus, passed on like any other virus including sex. The beast is also hairless, an ugly form of the beast that you might see in Dr. Evil's zoo. The werewolf in GINGER SNAPS is still menacing and deadly. The makeup effects from Paul Jones are quite good as we see Ginger go through the transformation slowly. It's a fun ride filled with all the guts and goo that help make a monster movie so much fun. GINGER SNAPS isn't a perfect film, but it succeeds at the goal it set out with.

The Audio & Video
Scream Factory's work on GINGER SNAPS is pretty damn nice! The anamorphic widescreen 1.78:1 transfer has a healthy and natural grain structure while keeping overall picture quality quite sharp. The detail level is great in various textures (take a look at some of the fuzzier sweaters or wood planks). Colors are vivid and black levels hold up nicely. The DTS-HDMA 5.1 audio track is an excellent mix with steady levels. There's no competing between dialogue and soundtrack and there's no intrusive background noise. The mix is lively and is a joy to listen to.

The Extras
-Ginger Snaps: Blood, Teeth, and Fur - An hour long plus feature detailing the production of the film
-Growing Pains: Puberty in Horror Films - A 25 minute panel discussion on how puberty is portrayed in horror films
-Deleted Scenes with optional commentary from the director and writer
-Vintage Featurette
-Cast Audition and Rehearsal Footage
-Creation Of The Beast featurette
-Being John Fawcett featurtte
-Trailers
-TV Spots
-Production Design Artwork

The Bottom Line
GINGER SNAPS has been given the Collector's Edition treatment from Scream Factory complete with new artwork, a nice slipcover and tons of bonus features. Pile that on top of the great technical presentation and the fact that movie itself is good and you've got a recipe for success and multiple reasons to own this disc. 

GINGER SNAPS is available HERE