Demons and Demons 2 (Blu-ray Review) - Synape Films

Italy/1985, 1986
Directed By: Lamberto Bava
Written By: Dario Argento, Lamberto Bava, Dardan Sacchetti, Franco Ferrini
Starring: Urbano Barberini, Bobby Rhodes, Asia Argento
Color/181 Minutes/Not Rated
Region A
Release Date: November 11, 2014

The Films
The DEMONS legacy starts with a theater full of people viewing a strange horror film when one of the audience members begins to transform into a demon after being cut by a cursed prop from the film. Her nasty transformation quickly turns into a violent blood thirst as she attacks the other patrons who find that the theater is totally enclosed and there is no way out. The survivors band together to fight the demons in hopes of find an escape. Then in part 2, years after the demons ran rampant on the world and people fought for survival and exterminated the monsters they're back when the cursed film plays across TV screens in a high rise apartment building coming out of the TV itself before terrorizing a birthday party and a health spa.

The DEMONS films (not counting the unofficial sequels that reached as high as part 6 if you look at some films' alternate titles) are a pair of movies that purely exemplify their time and place in horror movie history. They're perfectly cheesy, over the top 80s gore fests oozing with sloppy, gooey violence. Many Italian horror fans have mentioned that they would have loved to see a Dario Argento zombie film but these films are pretty much what you'd get. Argento co-wrote and produced both films and Lamberto Bava was his protege for many years. Argento's influence is all over these movies (and so are his daughters as Fiore appears in the first and Asia appears in the second).

DEMONS is simply a horror classic, damn near bordering on masterpiece. It is fucking terrific in every way. DEMONS 2 is a step back, as many sequels are but remains a damn good and immensely entertaining movie with its recycling of Bobby Rhodes who moves on from a pimp in the first film to a personal trainer in the sequel and is a fucking badass in both and Brit Pop soundtrack that is a noticeable detour (but one that works) from the heavy metal soundtrack that drives the first film. My love for these movies is immense and if you've never seen them then I beg you to stop wasting your time and get to it!

The Audio & Video
Give Synapse Films the home video crown. These Blu-rays are about as perfect as perfect gets when it comes to 30 year old Italian horror films. I don't see how they could look better. The 1.66:1 anamorphic widescreen transfers are gorgeous with intense sharpness, perfectly vivid color reproduction and extremely clean and beautifully restored prints. The audio options included on these Blu-rays are English only, so the Italian options included on the limited special editions aren't available but the English track is the way to go in my opinion. The tracks are crystal clear, with no distortions, audible hiccups or background noise. The mix in tracks is spot on as well. 

The Extras
These "movie only" editions only include a trailer for their respective film. The limited edition Steelbook releases are beyond packed for the DEMONS enthusiast. 

The Bottom Line
After fans clamored for a more affordable option for the more casual DEMONS fan, Synapse comes through with these standard edition releases that still blow many Blu-rays that are heavier with special features out of the water. If you don't want to spend the premium price for the premium limited edition releases then these versions provide you with the same incredible A/V quality for the films (which is the most important part!). I highly suggest you jump on these releases (and even more so the limited edition Steelbooks for all that's good here plus hours and hours of bonus features) because they're great movies with absolutely stellar releases.

DEMONS is available HERE and DEMONS 2 is available HERE

Soulmate (DVD Review) - Revolver

UK/2013
Directed By: Axelle Carolyn
Written By: Axelle Carolyn
Starring:
Color/103 Minutes/Not Rated
Region 1
Release Date: October 28, 2014

The Film
 Audrey has just moved in to a house in the countryside of Wales after a filed suicide attempt following the death of her husband. Hoping the peace and tranquility of the country setting will get her back in good mental health Audrey soon begins to hear noises around the house and finds it to be haunted. The dormant spirit has risen with the presence of a new occupant but Audrey decides to stay after learning the tragic and somewhat cruel fate of the person she believes to be the spirit. Audrey and the spirit find that they're kindred spirits and become close until Audrey refuses to make the ultimate sacrifice to stay with the ghost forever.

SOULMATE takes on an interesting angle for haunted house films with seeing the ghost and the haunted bond and share memories which set the stage for the horror to come. The cast give good performances and the ghost has a classic simple character design. I think SOULMATE runs on a bit too long and is perhaps a bit too straight forward with the outcome but remains worthy of a watch for something a bit different than most films of the sort.

The Audio & Video
Revolver gives SOULMATE  a home on DVD with a 16x9 anamorphic widescreen transfer. The color palette is a bit muted giving the film a dreary overcast look that fits the mood of the Welsh setting. There's no damage to the picture and overall it looks pretty good. The 2.0 stereo audio track does a fine job handling the dialogue and score with a good mix, no background noise or audible annoyances.

The Extras
-"Halloween Kid" short film
-"The Last Post" short film
-Interview with director Axelle Carolyn
-Trailer

The Bottom Line
SOULMATE is decent despite being rather predictable in spots. The relationship of our main characters make it worth a viewing.

SOULMATE is available HERE  and for download on the iTunes store HERE

In The Land Of The Cannibals (DVD Review) - Intervision

Italy/2003
Directed By: Bruno Mattei
Written By: Bruno Mattei, Giovanni Paolucci
Starring: Claudio Morales, Lou Randall, Cindy Jelic Matic
Color/93 Minutes/Not Rated
Region 1
Release Date: November 11, 2014

The Film
A team of commandos head into the jungles of Brazil to rescue a politician's daughter who has been kidnapped by a cannibal tribe deep within. This team of hotheaded stereotypes joins up with a couple of locals including a guide and a man that looks to have been a person of a jungle tribe at one time or another. The teams heads in to the jungle armed to the teeth with a prisoner of their own to lead them to the tribe but quickly find that all of the combat training and automatic rifles in the world couldn't prepare them for the horrors found in these jungles.

IN THE LAND OF THE CANNIBALS is a modern day piece of sleaze that is straight out of the late 70s/early 80s cannibal film cycle that quickly rose to prominence in Italy. Filmed in the Philippines, Mattei uses his location to his advantage getting some great location shots, despite not really showing anything inherently terrifying about the jungles such as snakes, spiders or other dangerous wildlife until later in the film. The first half of the film not only feels like, but is a cheap retread of Cannibal Holocaust, undoubtedly the king of cannibal exploitation. Ruggero Deodato's classic scenes are ripped off one by one and I counted no less than a half dozen such scenes until I finally gave up and just watched the rest of the movie. I wouldn't say it hurt the film as IN THE LAND OF THE CANNIBALS isn't a particularly strong film either way, but it certainly made you realize just how cheap this movie really is.

Bruno Mattei is no stranger to cheap movies. Many of his films have ripped off far more impressive films in one way or another but that doesn't make me less of a fan. It just shows an exploitation filmmaker being exploitative, for better or worse. It almost gives me a laugh thinking about it. IN THE LAND OF THE CANNIBALS is pretty action packed however, with plenty of shoot outs, gory cannibal corpses, and all of the classic tropes of the genre you'd expect. Yes, even a snake meets its maker at one point which is a bit upsetting as this isn't the 1970s anymore when it could be argued that it would be a bit more acceptable. I'm not one to get up in arms about the animal cruelty in these types of cannibal horror films and I'll go as far as saying I think watching Cannibal Holocaust with the "Cruelty Free" version is sacrilege but those were different times in different circumstances. I highly doubt the cast of this film ate the snake that was brutalized in this film. If I'm wrong so be it.

Alas, that is the type of film we're dealing with. IN THE LAND OF THE CANNIBALS is nothing more than cheap entertainment at its best, a ripoff of better films and the going for the wrong side of exploitation filmmaking but I can't say I didn't enjoy it for what it was- cheap, sleazy and of questionable nature.

The Audio & Video
This movie was shot on decent quality digital cameras that seem to be a bit above typical consumer level cameras of the time but nothing I'd venture to call "professional level" equipment. Intervision Picture Corp. has released the debut DVD in a 1.33:1 full frame aspect ratio that seems to be the original filming aspect ratio. The picture has a good sharpness to it taking in to consideration the equipment used along with solid detail levels and color representation. It certainly isn't film but I can't really complain about the PQ too much. The audio track, a 2.0 English dub track as Mattei didn't film with live sound,  which is probably for the best, sounds good with no background noise or audio hiccups (obviously). A live audio track would have meant dealing with all of the distractions present while filming and the Italian film industry classically didn't film with live sound so I think of it as a nice little throwback to the heyday of these cannibal films.

The Extras
A trailer for the film is the lone extra.

The Bottom Line
This cheap ripoff of classic exploitation does hold some value as time wasting entertainment. It provides enough gore and guts to satisfy the appetites of fans of the messy stuff. Recommended for die hard fans of jungle horror.

IN THE LAND OF THE CANNIBALS is available HERE

Phobia (2013)

Mack suffers from Agoraphobia, a panic disorder where a person fears situations and/or places that they feel like they can't escape, ever since the night his wife was killed in a car crash. He now lives the life of a shut-in, earning money by transcribing courtroom proceedings. The only visitors in Mack's life are his friend Taylor, his Psychiatrist and Bree, the girl who delivers his groceries. Mack's relationship with Bree begins to make Mack feel a bit more human but a home invader brings Mack crashing down and he begins to see visions of his dead wife, hear voices tell him disturbing things, and believes an evil shadowy woman haunts his home. Mack's delusions and fears come to a head when he finds himself covered in blood and trapped outside of his home.

PHOBIA is a close quartered horror film, appropriately enough, that needs capable acting and likeable characters to succeed. Thankfully the cast is competent and very likeable, especially Mack and Bree who hold the audience in their hand as we hope for a happy resolution for the pair. The film's horror elements come from a psychological standpoint along with more visually graphic methods such as naked corpses, blood and weird spider transformations.

While the film succeeds with its characters, it does fall victim to try to do too much visually instead of leaving it to the viewer's imagination and letting the horrors set in a bit more subtly and subconsciously, relying a bit too much on weak effects and sight gags. PHOBIA doesn't overdo it to the point where it takes the viewer out of the film so the harm done is kept to a minimum and ends up being a film worthy of indie horror fans' time.

PHOBIA is available HERE

The Doctor And The Devils (Blu-ray Review) - Scream Factory

UK/1985
Directed By: Freddie Francis
Written By: Dylan Thomas, Ronald Harwood
Starring: Timothy Dalton, Jonathan Pryce, Twiggy
Color/93 Minutes/R
Region A
Release Date: November 4, 2014

The Film
Thomas Rock is a bright young anatomy professor and doctor in 1820s England who hires a pair of grave robbers to secure more bodies for his studies as the medical board's supply isn't enough. The team of grave robbers figure out that the fresher the bodies they deliver the more money they'll earn and their game of grave robbing quickly turns to murder and the victims begin getting too close and personal for Dr. Rock.

THE DOCTOR AND THE DEVILS is a take on the Burke And Hare story which has been done plenty of times but rarely as good as it was done by director Freddie Francis here. Francis was a big player in the 60s and 70s for Hammer and his skill behind the camera is only made greater by a cast including Timothy Dalton, Julian Sands, Twiggy and Jonathan Pryce. The cast truly is stellar from top to bottom. The set pieces are big and elegant and the foggy exteriors are moody and a bit creepy.

THE DOCTOR AND THE DEVILS oozes atmosphere and has more than its fair share of violence along with an awesome opening credit song and sequence. THE DOCTOR AND THE DEVILS is something you should seek out.

The Audio & Video
Scream Factory's 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer is simply gorgeous. The detail level in both surfaces and textures are excellent. Skin tones are natural and healthy without looking at all waxy. The color palette in this film is a bit subdued with the foggy London setting but still they are recreated very nicely and naturally. There's no edge enhancement and black levels are deep and handled very well. The 2.0 DTS-HD master audio track is in excellent condition with a perfect mix of soundtrack and dialogue tracks. The track is crystal clear with no background noise or audible hiccups.

The Extras
Special features include an audio commentary track by film historian Steve Haberman along with interviews from Executive Producer Mel Brooks and producers Jonathan Sanger and Randy Auerbach. The theatrical trailer is also included.

The Bottom Line
THE DOCTOR AND THE DEVILS is a film that deserves a much bigger audience and reputation and hopefully this disc from Scream Factory is the open door for new fans to find it through as the quality of the disc lives up to the quality of the film itself.

THE DOCTOR AND THE DEVILS is available HERE

Audrey Rose (Blu-ray Review) - Twilight Time

USA/1977
Directed By: Robert Wise
Written By:Frank De Felitta
Starring: Marsha Mason, Anthony Hopkins, John Beck
Color/113 Minutes/PG
Region A
Release Date: October 14, 2014

The Film
A well off family is shaken when their daughter Ivy changes from a happy girl into a girl terrorized by nightmares, visions of a nasty death and seemingly doesn't respond to her own name. Ivy's parents are contacted by a man claiming that his deceased daughter has been reincarnated in Ivy and is willing to go to extreme lengths to prove it while Ivy's illness and episodes are getting more dangerous as each day passes.

AUDREY ROSE has a lot of talent on board from director Robert Wise who won an Oscar for directing West Side Story, and also directed horror classics such as The Haunting, The Body Snatcher and Curse Of The Cat People. There's also star power in front of the camera with Anthony Hopkins and Marsha Mason. It is sort of baffling how the movie simply does not succeed at being a good film. AUDREY ROSE is essentially two hours of a girl screaming in her sleep, whining for her dad or crying and Anthony Hopkins yelling "Audrey Rose!" over and over. Simply put, this film is fucking boring. There's a powerful, effective and well done opening scene and then it quickly turns in to soap opera type shit. I don't doubt that there are fans of this film that got more out of it than I did but it nearly put me to sleep.

The Audio & Video
Twilight Time gives AUDREY ROSE it's debut Blu-ray release with mixed results. The 16x9 anamorphic widescreen transfer has a nice natural film look and a healthy grain structure. Colors look good but lack a certain punch. Detail level could be higher and the overall sharpness to the picture could be improved upon but it is a better looking transfer than what DVD could offer. The English 2.0 DTS-HD audio track sounds very good. It is a crystal clear track with no background noise, popping or crackling. The mix is well done between both channels and dialogue and score compliment each other nicely.

The Extras
This limited edition (3,000 copies) features an isolated score track, a trailer and a booklet.

The Bottom Line
If you're a fan of the film the Blu-ray is worth your while but if you're not acquainted with the film yet I suggest seeing it before you spend the money on this release.

AUDREY ROSE is available HERE

The Believers (Blu-ray Review) - Twilight Time

USA/1987
Directed By: John Schlesinger
Written By: Mark Frost
Starring: Martin Sheen, Helen Shaver
Color/114 Minutes/R
Region A
Release Date: October 14, 2014

The Film
Martin Sheen plays Cal, a recently widowed police psychologist who is dealing with a series of child murders that seem to be part of a ritual being performed by a group who practices Santeria. Eventually it becomes evident that the reach of this group's evil extends to the top of corporate power and dangerously close to Cal and his family.

I really wanted to like THE BELIEVERS. I like the plot and the film has a great cast who are more than up to the challenge here. Unfortunately this film just doesn't pack the powerful punch in the writing and give us anything exciting to really grasp on to. There's no payoff for taking the journey with the film. Even the climax itself is just bland. It's a shame that the script is without that signature moment that could have really turned this film from something decent into a near classic. THE BELIEVERS isn't a bad movie but its simply average and it had all the pieces to be something bigger.

The Audio & Video
The Blu-ray from Twilight Time has a nice A/V presentation including a 16x9 anamorphic widescreen transfer that features a sharp picture with great detail level in textures and surfaces along with natural skin tones. There's no signs of DNR or edge enhancement or other digital tampering. The print is clean and we likely won't see a better looking print outside of 35mm. The 2.0 DTS-HD audio track is crystal clear with no background noise or audible hiccups. The levels are mixed perfectly. 

The Extras
This limited edition (3,000 copies) Blu-ray includes a booklet, an isolated score track and a trailer

The Bottom Line
THE BELIEVERS has a good plot and good acting but strings it along for too long and doesn't reward the viewer for the time they invested into the film enough to warrant a high recommendation. 

THE BELIEVERS is available HERE