VENOM (Blue Unedergound) - Blu-ray Review

UK/1981
Directed By: Piers Haggard
Written By: Robert Carrington, Alan Scholefield
Starring: Klaus Kinski, Sterling Hayden, Nicol Williamson
Color/92 Minutes/R
Region FREE
Release Date: May 31, 2016
Blu-ray/DVD

The Film
A sickly boy is left alone for the first time with his grandfather and their maid who has plans to kidnap the boy with her boyfriend who is an international terrorist and the crazed chauffeur. The plan goes awry when the boy's new pet snake is mistakenly swapped out for a deadly Black Mamba that is on the loose in the London townhouse. Matters are only made worse when the police cordon off the street leaving the criminals to barricade themselves inside as the deadly reptile continues its rampage and the boy desperately needs his medicine.

VENOM is a killer snake horror film held within a suspenseful crime thriller. What started as a somewhat troubled production (detailed in the booklet included in this release) turns into a tight and tense film helmed by Piers Haggard (The Blood On Satan's Claw). Haggard constructs a film that is downright claustrophobic as any room could be a room of death and any move could be your last. The terror of the world's most dangerous and deadly snake is only amplified by the hot headed and crazed chauffeur played by Oliver Reed. Klaus Kinski as Jacmel the terrorist isn't any more likable than Reed but his character is the antithesis to Reed, giving a cool, calm and collected performance with just an underlying hint of that classic Kinski crazy. Kinski and Reed play off of each other with true grace. Susan George's supporting role of the maid completes the trio of baddies and she adds just enough sex appeal to spice the film up a bit. Sterling Hayden is comforting not only to the young sick boy who is his grandson but to the viewer as he's a very soft spoken elderly man that brings the viewer back to a younger age. The main cast is rounded out by a smart and rock solid performance by Nicol Williamson as the head policeman on the case.

The film was based on a best selling novel by Alan Scholefield with minimal changes. The screenplay keeps things moving to a violent and shocking finale and though the majority of the film takes place within one location we move about locations around the house as the police form their plan which gives the audience a breath of fresh air that our captive victims aren't privy to. The film relies on this tension and suspense as opposed to graphic on screen shocks and special effects. Director Piers Haggard has gone on record saying he wishes he would have had more snake horror and while that would have made VENOM a bit exciting, it would also have called for more throwaway characters and would have turned this remarkably tight thriller into a straight forward horror film that we've seen plenty of times before.

VENOM skillfully incorporates a mini creature feature type horror film within the pages of a sadly underrated thriller that makes use of actual Black Mambas.

The Audio & Video
The biggest praise I can give to Blue Underground's Blu-ray of VENOM is that it looks strikingly natural. The 16x9 anamorphic widescreen transfer features strong detail and a color scheme that looks like a nice film print. Skin tones are fleshy and there's minimal digital noise. Nothing looks artificial and its just simply naturally beautiful in HD. The English Audio comes with three options, a lossless 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio surround mix, a 2.0 DTS-HD stereo mix and a 5.1 Dolby Digital surround option. I chose to listen to the 2.0 DTS-HD mix as I prefer keeping the mix as close to the original mix as possible and it didn't disappoint. The sound is crisp and crystal clear. There's no hiss (wink) or other distortions and no background noise. The score never overpowers dialogue but compliments the feel of the film. English, French and Spanish subtitles are available.

Please Note: Screen grabs have been taken from the DVD version of the film and do not reflect the Blu-ray's HD presentation.

The Extras
-Audio Commentary with Director Piers Haggard
-Theatrical Trailer
-Teaser Trailer
-TV spots
-Poster and Still Gallery
-Collectible Booklet by Fangoria Editor Michael Gingold

The Bottom Line
VENOM is an underrated film that deserved more attention than it received prior to this release but now that is has a collector's edition Blu-ray from Blue Underground it is more deserving of that attention than ever.

VENOM is available HERE

WHERE THE DEVIL DWELLS - Midnight Releasing (DVD Review)

USA/2014
Directed By: Marc-Andre Samson
Written By: Marc-Andre Samson
Starring: Walter Pena, Scott Anthony Leet, Alexis Raben
Color/81 Minutes/Not Rated
Region 1
Release Date: April 12, 2016

The Film
Lenard Vasquez, son of the infamous serial killer "The Butcher" Oren Vasquez (Walter Pena) has just been released from the psychiatric hospital and must remain under house arrest and monitored by a very strict and tough sheriff. Lenard beings to suffer from signs and visions that may be of a Satanic cult. Lenard hires a local student to help him with errands and perhaps unravel the mystery of the cult but a bad situation gets worse when Lenard's father who was long thought dead turns up in his life wanting to kill again.

WHERE THE DEVIL DWELLS wisely sets the film in 1989 when the fear of Satanic cults was at its peak in modern America. The film relies on solid performances from our core cast and some increasingly dark imagery that adds to the film's psychological effectiveness. WHERE THE DEVIL DWELLS doesn't feature an abundance of blood and gore with only a couple of more graphic moments which are well done. Director Marc-Andre Samson has extensive credits in the visual effects department on massively popular and successful films and television series and that comes as no surprise as some of the most impressive aspects of the film are it's visuals - from the Satanic music video to the zipper mouthed bondage mask worn by The Butcher, WHERE THE DEVIL DWELLS makes use of interesting visuals to take the place of perhaps cheaper gags.

WHERE THE DEVIL DWELLS is a very well done indie film, leaving the viewer wanting more of what we've seen but not depriving us of the good stuff. It's like a good appetizer, you want more, but what you've already been served was enjoyable.

The Audio & Video
Midnight Releasing's DVD looks and sounds solid. The picture has decent sharpness and clarity with proper colors. The English audio is presented with a 5.1 Dolby Digital surround mix that is strong and steady. Levels don't fluctuate or suffer from any damage.

The Extras
-Deleted Scenes

The Bottom Line
WHERE THE DEVIL DWELLS succeeds with its solid performances and creepy visuals.

WHERE THE DEVIL DWELLS is available HERE

PEELERS - Press Release May 2016

MEDIA RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE AND GRUESOME RELEASE

Contact Seve Schelenz
Tel: 604.889.4805
sleepapneaprods@hotmail.com

May 16th 2016 - Independent Horror Feature Film PEELERS to have CANADIAN PREMIERE at SHOCK STOCK FILM FESTIVAL, London, Ontario (May 27th-29th).

The makers of the Independent Cult Horror Feature SKEW (2011) step it up a bloody notch as they continue their amazing festival run with follow-up horror flick PEELERS.

PEELERS - What starts out as the last hurrah on the closing night of an infamous small-town strip club, quickly turns into a night of bloodshed when a crew of coal miners shows up and with them a deadly contaminant. Former baseball player and current club owner, Blue Jean Douglas has decided to hand over her bar to a new owner and leave town for good. But Blue Jean's plans are thwarted when she discovers the magnitude of the epidemic that has been unleashed. With victims piling up, Blue Jean must step up to the plate to protect her family, her friends, and her bar before it's too late and she loses everything she holds dear.

PEELERS destroys the cliche stripper horror sub-genre by giving us a story packed with exciting twists, baseball, strippers of unusual talent, and a strong female lead. What's being described as "Rodriguez meets Tarantino" and "Not just a great indie film, but destined to be one of the funniest films of 2016", has Director/Producer Seve Schelenz pretty stoked about giving fans a whole new ball game of horror.

Want more carnage?

Website: www.peelersthefilm.com
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emkSNaAAsEk
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/peelersthefilm

ALL NIGHT AT THE PO-NO (Vinegar Syndrome) - DVD Review

USA/Various Years
Color/Over 12 Hours/X
Region FREE
Release Date: April 26, 2016
3 DVD Set

The Films
ALL NIGHT AT THE PO-NO features a dozen hour long stag reels and a pair of shorts for good measure. Everything from the light hearted to the rough and tumble is featured here and you'll laugh, cringe, possibly cry and definitely enjoy. Just don't get caught using your wee-wee like Pee-Wee. Here's a rundown on the films...

1. Girl Acrobatics- This is probably the first time you've seen a man get head while doing a hand stand... that's pretty awesome. He also gets mad that the girl has a dildo and shows her she doesn't need it next to the fire. Amen brother.

2. Homer The Late Comer - A film editor that looks like a cross between Joe Spinell and Booger from Revenge Of The Nerds lives with his momma and dreams of a better sex life. Luckily for him he gets some action on a nasty green couch with a girl that has a dirty butthole. She was attractive before that. This is serious smut comedy.

3. Erotic Point Of View - Ever see a woman yodel into a dildo? You will here. Plus see possibly the first ever point of view experiment in porn with a blind character. It's not only interesting, it's historic!

4. Porno Mondo - A "sex documentary" on the industry filled with plenty of action and some entertaining interview clips. Watch this one for the awesome XXX theater and bookstore location footage from a bygone era.

5. Sex Before Marriage - A man's wedding day starts off on the wrong foot when his car breaks down but things start looking up when he fucks his way across town with everyone except his bride to be!

6. Orgy In The Woods - The second short film is exactly what you'd expect judging from the title. Sometimes judging a book by its cover is okay.

7. The Playboys - It must be nice having a bevy of beautiful women knocking on your door ready to fuck, right? Well that's the life of a playboy! Be on the look out for a young John Holmes who steals the girls away after they see his giant member and a special appearance by the boom mic operator in the mirror.

8. Suckula - A news reporter shows us footage of Dracula's sexual rampage through Hollywood as he searches for blood in all the wrong places! Everybody gets in on the action in this one.

9. The Big Snatch - A violent gang of women take revenge after one of their members is assaulted and robbed after a quickie. Their brand of revenge involves making sure they get off before getting nasty. Sex, heroin and murder... what else do you need?

10. The Erotic Adventures Of Hercules - No, not the Simpsons episode! This could have been a legendary piece of porn history in a Peplum film setting but instead it's cheap. Too cheap and is just a passable use of xxx time.

11. Shot On Location - The cast and crew of a new adult film get it on while on set, at home and everywhere in between. Then a wife comes home giving an entirely different meaning to the title.

12. The Touch - This porn infused crime film about drug trafficking is almost an actual movie... huh, how about that.

13. Carnal-Go-Round - You'll see how Alice The Hooker loves her job in a series of vignettes where she sucks and fucks for money and even brings a new girl into the fold.

14. All American Hustler - Talk about going home from a 12+ hour porno marathon on a bleak note...  We spend the last few days of a LA prostitute and her heroin addicted friend. Lots of sex, and just as much addiction. It's not as fun as porn probably should be.

The Audio & Video
Vinegar Syndrome has saved these loops from the damage and decay of time as each of these films are at least 40 years old. The picture quality ranges from scratched, spotty and rough to fairly decent but all of them feature some short of damage. I'm not complaining though as they all are perfectly enjoyable and their imperfections only add to their seediness and the dirty feeling you've come to love. While they haven't gone through extensive restoration they've been newly scanned from the original 16mm negatives. Like the picture the audio quality is high and low but usually it's better than not. There's some background noise and crackling and popping but it's steady, clear enough and has a quality mix.

The Extras
You just watched over 12 hours of vintage XXX stag loops... do you really need extras? Wash your hands and get some sleep!

The Bottom Line
Didn't you hear me? Wash your hands and get to bed! Oh, you don't own this yet? Well what are you waiting for? This is a must own for vintage porno collectors.

ALL NIGHT AT THE PO-NO is available HERE

DARK (2015)

USA/2015
Directed By: Nick Basile
Written By: Elias, Nick Basile
Starring: Whitney Able, Alexandra Breckenridge, Michael Eklund
Release Date: June 7, 2016

Have you ever had a really bad blind date with someone that is absolutely miserable to be around? Or maybe you're in any other social situation with a person that drains you mentally just by their presence and you really can't do anything about it? That is what it was like watching DARK. It was a 93 minute disaster of a date with someone that gets on your last nerve and pisses you off and the only solace is that you can see the end in sight.

Whitney Able stars as Kate, and we'll follow her through the blackout of New York City in 2003. Kate's relationship with her girlfriend Leah (Alexandra Breckenridge) is strained and Kate is mentally damaged for reasons never fully disclosed to the viewer. As the power goes down in the city Kate begins to freak out and decides to go to the local bar who is serving drinks by candlelight and pick up a guy but when he decides not to go home with her she freaks out and leaves and the freak out continues through the rest of the night as she has a run-in with a drunk neighbor who breaks in and uses the bathroom. She smashes her radio and tries to run away down the fire escape and freaks out again.

DARK is merely a series of events that the audience isn't given any real reason to care about or truly know about. Kate is a miserable character and despite our sympathy for whatever problems she may be going through she never gives any reason for us to care about her. The movie is disconnected and choppy with no organic flow. The entire thing is a mess that only gets messier as it goes along. The performances were decent but the writing and direction are awful. Don't let Joe Dante being attached as an executive producer fool you into wasting your time on this one.

That's it. I'm done with this movie.

MINDS EYE ENTERTAINMENT WITH BRIDGEGATE PICTURES AND VMI WORLDWIDE ANNOUNCE SIX-PICTURE PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION SLATE

MINDS EYE ENTERTAINMENT WITH BRIDGEGATE PICTURES AND VMI WORLDWIDE ANNOUNCE SIX-PICTURE PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION SLATE

 

CANNES, May 13, 2016 – Minds Eye Entertainment, in association with Bridgegate Pictures and VMI Worldwide, have financed and green lit a six-picture production slate of sci-fi, action and thriller films.  Minds Eye Entertainment will distribute the films in North America, while VMI Worldwide will distribute the titles internationally.  The six films will also be shot for the new Barco Escape three-screen, panoramic theatrical format, which fully surrounds audiences and offers the ultimate immersive cinema experience.  Portions of the films will also be shot in Virtual Reality.

Kevin Dewalt, CEO of Minds Eye Entertainment, made the announcement today at the 69th Cannes International Film Festival. 

“Minds Eye Entertainment's strength has always been to deliver exceptional production value with a talented cast at managed costs,” said Dewalt. “It's a natural progression for us to now finance and produce multiple pictures concurrently to manage budgets wisely without sacrificing first class crews and talented art departments across six films.  I am delighted to partner with VMI led by Andre Relis and Bridgegate Pictures’ Guy Griffithe on this new venture."

The first production under the deal is the sci-fi thriller THE RECALL written by Reggie Keyohara III (SEND IN THE CLOWNS) and Sam Acton King.  When five friends vacation at a remote lake house, they expect nothing less than a good time, unaware that planet Earth is under an alien invasion and mass-abduction.

The six-picture slate will be produced by Kevin Dewalt (FORSAKEN, THE TALL MAN) and Danielle Masters (FORSAKEN, WOLFCOP) and will be executive produced by Guy Griffithe (WTF: WORLD THUMBWRESTLING FEDERATION, SCHOOL SPIRITS), Andre Relis (WAR PIGS, THE PERFECT WEAPON) and Frank White (THE TALL MAN, FACES IN THE CROWD).

“We are honored to start this collaboration with such a prolific, accomplished producer as Kevin Dewalt,” said Andre Relis, president of VMI Worldwide.  “We believe this partnership with Kevin, who has a proven track record working with respectable talent in a variety of commercial and independent films, will only strengthen VMI’s continued growth, while delivering attractive, talent-driven projects to the international marketplace.  We are confident this partnership with Minds Eye Entertainment will bring great success to both companies.”

"We look forward to this exciting partnership,” said Bridgegate Pictures CEO Guy Griffithe. "The alliances we have formed will allow us to be at the forefront of some of the newest and greatest technology to give consumers a unique and captivating film experience.” 

"We are excited to have Minds Eye Entertainment on board for this new slate of movies that will be created and distributed in Barco Escape," says Barco Escape Chief Creative Officer Ted Schilowitz.   "These films join our fast-growing slate of movies that will release in the new format, as filmmakers continue to explore the creative boundaries of the cinema experience through Barco Escape. We're looking forward to bringing our exhibitor partners the kind of sci-fi, action adventure, and suspense movies through Minds Eye that we believe are a perfect fit for Escape and will appeal to audiences worldwide.”   

About Minds Eye Entertainment 

Established in 1986, Minds Eye Entertainment is located in Regina, Saskatchewan and is one of Canada’s most prolific independent production and distribution companies, internationally recognized for its commitment to distinctive film and television product and expertise in navigating international co-production and financing. Recent credits include: THE TALL MAN (Jessica Biel), FACES IN THE CROWD (Milla Jovovich), LULLABY FOR PI (Rupert Friend, Clemence Poesy, Forest Whitaker), Stephen King’s DOLAN’S CADILLAC (Christian Slater) and FORSAKEN (Kiefer Sutherland, Donald Sutherland, Brian Cox and Demi Moore). For more information about Minds Eye Entertainment, please visit www.mindseyepictures.com

About Bridgegate Pictures

Bridgegate Pictures Corp operates as an integrated film company out of Corona, California. The company engages in the development, financing and production of media products including feature films for worldwide distribution in the theatrical, broadcast and digital markets. Bridgegate specializes in commercial driven independent films that are star driven and have worldwide appeal.

About VMI Worldwide

VMI Worldwide is an international sales, film finance and production company based in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 2010 by Andre Relis, Some of VMI Worldwide’s past titles include HELLION starring Aaron Paul and Juliette Lewis, WICKED BLOOD, starring Abigail Breslin and Sean Bean, GALLOWWALKERS with Wesley Snipes, and WHY STOP NOW starring Jesse Eisenberg, Melissa Leo and Tracy Morgan. VMI Worldwide has cultivated an extensive network of long-term, direct relationships with the top networks, distributors and releasing companies around the globe. In the past 3 years, VMI has moved heavily into in-house production on titles including WAR PIGS starring Dolph Lundgren and THE PERFECT WEAPON starring Steven Seagal.

HOUSE OF AFFLICTIONS - Wild Eye Releasing (DVD Review)

UK/2014
Directed By: Anthony M. Winson
Written By: Anthony M. Winson
Starring: Michelle Darkin Price, Stefan Boehm, Penelope Butler
Color/90 Minutes/Unrated
Region 1
Release Date: February 23, 2016

The Film
Kate Beckley was one of England's best selling authors with her series of crime novels but it has been years since she's released a new book while dealing with the death of her young daughter. Now attempting to write a new book in a new house Kate is haunted by strange figures and visions along with other strange occurrences which become more and more violent with each passing night.

HOUSE OF AFFLICTIONS has a decent premise, at least one that I find interesting. A house that holds on to the grief and bad feelings of the events that happen within its walls and manifests that energy into evil is a decent set up for a haunted house horror film. Unfortunately the movie has zero style or pizazz. The acting is wooden and feels like everyone was doing green screen acting with little to no experience. The writing is cliche'd and generic as hell but it's probably the strongest point of the film in that it is a coherent story.

The movie could have at least been okay with good direction but there's nothing going on here. There's awkward framing, a lack of sound design that would have added some much needed production value and many of the scary moments feel like very rough rehearsals as opposed to final takes. I'm not familiar with Anthony M. Winson who wrote and directed the film but according to his IMDB page he has 8 directing credits prior to HOUSE OF AFFLICTIONS and with that sort of experience I really expect better quality and more style.

HOUSE OF AFFLICTIONS feels like an amateur project lacking style, substance and sadly, passion.

The Audio & Video
Wild Eye Releasing gives us a solid DVD featuring a 16x9 anamorphic widescreen transfer that looks and sounds as good as the production of the movie will allow. HOUSE OF AFFLICTIONS has a distant and thin sound and that is reflected here but it is relatively clear sounding and the levels are steady and the mix is well done. The picture is clean and has solid color reproduction with decent detail for a standard definition release. The darker scenes suffer a bit from blocking but overall the DVD has solid A/V qualities.

The Extras
-Alternate Ending
-Deleted Scenes
-Trailer

The Bottom Line
I love Wild Eye Releasing and respect them endlessly for releasing underground and obscure genre films but this one just doesn't work for me.

HOUSE OF AFFLICITONS is available HERE