PAUL NASCHY COLLECTION - Scream Factory Blu-ray Review

Spain/1973-1981

Directed By: Carlos Aured, Paul Naschy, Leon Klimovsky

Written by: Paul Naschy

Starring: Paul Naschy, Romy, Julia Saly

Color/446 Minutes/Not Rated

Region A

Release Date: June 20, 2017

The Films
Referred to as the Spanish Lon Chaney for his appearance in over 100 films, most of which were horror films where he frequently portrayed the monster or villain including over a dozen appearances as a werewolf, Paul Naschy (born Jacinto Molina Alvarez) is an icon of genre films. Naschy passed away in 2009 and unfortunately there hasn't been a great deal done in the age of high definition to honor his legacy. Thankfully that is starting to change with this new box set from Scream Factory and recent and planned future releases from several other horror home video saviors. It goes without saying that his release was the big daddy of all HD Naschy releases announced to date, packing five feature films together, including one of his best werewolf films that he is probably best known for.

The surreal madness of talking decapitated heads, zombies, witches and warlocks and plenty of bloodshed makes HORROR RISES FROM THE TOMB a perfect place to start this collection. It's among my favorite films in Naschy's filmography. It wears its influences on its sleeve but puts them to good use in creating a bizarre atmosphere and horror. Disc two features VENGEANCE OF THE ZOMBIES, a dual role film for Naschy where he stars as Krisna, an Indian mystic with a crazy family history, a pension for voodoo and a quirky cast of characters surrounding him. This film is colorful, sexy, bloody and a bit weird. There's scenes that don't really fit but they're entertaining and well done so you don't really mind. Then comes the second role for Naschy which features some nice makeup effects and gets the film to get down and dirty in its finale.

Naschy was obviously a fan of the giallo films of Italy as VENGEANCE has a scene ripped straight from those films but that was just a warm up for BLUE EYES OF THE BROKEN DOLL which is a full blown giallo featuring Naschy as a recently hired handyman at a home owned by a trio of sisters. It's a bit on the psychological side and a bit on the "what the fuck?" side, as many gialli tend to be. It features a fantastic foot chase through the forest when the cops believe they've discovered the identity of the masked killer who is murdering blue eyed, blonde haired women and carving out their eyes, and is one of Naschy's best performances. The killer reveal is a good one with plenty of red herrings to cloud the surprise revelation. The film's alternate title is HOUSE OF PSYCHOTIC WOMEN which may have been a better alternate title for HUMAN BEASTS which is a movie you won't soon forget. The plot is convoluted as it follows Naschy as a hitman for a Japanese gang who is being hunted down after stealing their sack of diamonds. Following a shoot out that leaves him wounded, Naschy wakes up in a large house under the care of a doctor and his two gorgeous daughters. Strange things happen around the house while the gang continues their search for Naschy, who is busy seducing both daughters at will. When the messy plot is all said and done we're left with my least favorite film of this collection but it is still a very entertaining one filled with sex, gore, shootouts, man eating pigs, cannibalism, and more.

It's fitting that the first Paul Naschy Blu-ray collection ends with one of his infamous werewolf films and it's nice that it is one of the best - NIGHT OF THE WEREWOLF. This film directed by Naschy himself features the man as the Count Waldemar Daninsky, who has been sentenced to be put to death while wearing The Mask Of Death for being a werewolf. Also sentenced to death for witchcraft and other heresy is Elizabeth Bathory and her family. NIGHT OF THE WEREWOLF takes off when a pair of grave robbers free Daninsky of his curse by removing the silver from his heart and a group of sexy coeds resurrect Elizabeth Bathory in a blood ritual and it all adds up to a sexy vampire, werewolf mashup with a great dusty castle setting and an awesome Blind Dead skeleton zombie ripoff monster. NIGHT OF THE WEREWOLF rivals HRFTT as my favorite film in the set.

I hope Scream Factory is considering a second volume of the Paul Naschy collection because they've done a very nice job culling films for this set, giving audiences a nice overview of Naschy's legacy. There is no shortage of great and entertaining films for a second volume and it is my hope that horror fans latch on to Paul Naschy and put out a demand for more. I just wish he was alive to see his films get the HD treatment.

The Audio & Video

Each film has been newly scanned in 2K by Scream Factory giving us debuts of three of them in high definition and a very noticeable upgrade in picture quality over the previous BCI Blu-ray of Vengeance Of The Zombies and Night Of The Werewolf. Horror Rises From The Tomb, Human Beasts and Night Of The Werewolf are presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer while Vengeance Of The Zombies and Blue Eyes Of The Broken Doll are in their original 1.33:1 full frame aspect ratio. Each film has their ups and downs as far as picture quality goes but thankfully there is a high floor to the bottom end of that spectrum for the most part. Even at their worst four of the five films look good and at their best they look spectacular. The majority of the films spend more time towards the top end of that spectrum than the bottom leaving us with a lasting impression of the high quality transfer that feature striking colors, strong detail levels in everything from clothing, props and sets to fleshy, natural looking skin tones. Black levels are deep and there's only a bit of speckling throughout. Grain levels vary as well but are usually healthy and not overly noisy. 

The outsider here is Human Beasts which looks quite a bit worse than the rest of the films with a very soft and noisy picture quality. Finer details is hard to find and really only present in the odd shot that is in better condition. I can chalk this one up to the source materials being in rough shape and sometimes there's only so much you can do.

From an audio standpoint each film features two options, both presented in DTS-HD Master Audio mono mixes- the native Castilian and English dubs. In most cases the tracks are very similar in quality, with crisp, clear presentations and a well done mix allowing dialogue to come through clearly while the soundtrack shines without becoming muddy one way or the other. The tracks are free of background noise or excessive damage. Again the outlier here is Human Beasts which I'd suggest only listening to with the native Castilian track because the English track sounds quite a bit worse with background noise and damage. Optional English subtitles are available for all five films. 

Please Note: The images DO NOT represent the picture quality of these Blu-rays.

The Extras

Special features by film:

-Horror Rises From The Tomb: Audio commentary by Rod Barnett and Troy Guinn from NaschyCast, Spanish credit sequence, alternate clothed sequences, theatrical trailer, still gallery

-Vengeance Of The Zombies: Spanish credit sequence, alternate clothed sequences, theatrical trailer, still gallery

-Blue Eyes Of The Broken Doll: Audio commentary by Rod Barnett and Troy Guinn, Spanish credit sequence, theatrical trailer, still gallery

-Human Beasts: Theatrical trailer, still gallery

-Night Of There Werewolf: Audio Commentary by Rod Barnett and Troy Guinn, deleted scenes, Spanish credit sequence, theatrical trailer, still gallery

Also included is an attractive 24 page color booklet by author Mirek Lipinski featuring an essay on each film. 

The Bottom Line

Naschy rules! And this collection of Paul Naschy films really highlights his work, giving viewers a range of his roles both in front of the camera and behind it. Naschy did quite a bit more beyond the wolf man character he is best known for portraying and this set gives new fans a glimpse into what the man had to offer while giving the people that already know about him some of his most memorable movies including one of his best werewolf movies. I highly recommend Scream Factory's new box set for all horror fans and for Naschy aficionados this is an essential collection!

THE PAUL NASCHY COLLECTION is available HERE

MIDNIGHTERS Trailer Release

Midnight, New Year’s Eve: when all the hopes of new beginnings come to life – except for Lindsey and Jeff Pittman, whose strained marriage faces the ultimate test after they cover up a terrible crime and find themselves entangled in a Hitchcockian web of deceit and madness. From Walking Dead director Julius Ramsay, Midnighters is a layered, enigmatic thriller set in the Gothic backwoods of New England – the perfect place to get away with murder.

GREMLIN (2017)

USA/2017
Directed By: Ryan Bellgardt
Written By: Ryan Bellgardt, Josh McKamie, Andy Swanson
Starring: Adam Hampton, Kristy, K. Boone,
VOD Release Date: July 11, 2017

Adam is the father of the Thatcher family who is going through a rough patch after the death of one of their children and now moving in with their grandmother. Things only get worse when they're given a strange box that houses a creature that will kill everyone the recipient loves unless he gifts the box to someone else that he truly loves. As the timer on the box counts down to the unknown final climax of the creature the Thatcher family struggles to deal with this monster and survive their own inner turmoil along with the deadly box.

Director Ryan Bellgardt first made a name for himself on the indie horror scene with Army Of Frankensteins which found a solid fanbase and widespread distribution from Scream Factory. He has now returned with a type of creature feature that could be played for shits and giggles or take on a darker and more serious. He chose the latter and I think the film works well, using the emotional family dynamic with plenty of relatable scenarios to its advantage and get the audience routing for this family to pull through despite their imperfections. This starts at the top with star Adam Hampton who plays an unfaithful husband but his character arc is one that we can all latch on to and his performance is rock solid. As is the rest of the Thatcher family including his wife Kristy K. Boone and their children played by Katie Burgess who manages to brilliantly play the moody teen without being too obnoxious or overacting and Catcher Stair who plays Charlie, the youngest child who is struggling with the death of his older brother.

GREMLIN doesn't hold back like many other horror films seem to these days as no character is safe. Anyone that comes in to contact with the box has a very real chance of getting offed in usually bloody and gory fashion. The creature is CGI but looks good, it moves fluidly and has a smooth look that doesn't stick out too much. The special effects are a mix of practical and CG and while most of the action effects are computer generated they are fine and the practical effects we get to see in the messy aftermath of a killing look quite realistic. Despite the name the monster has nothing in common with the Chinese Mogwai from the 80s classic Gremlins instead this creature looks more like a baby Cloverfield monster and comes from an ancient evil of a fallen God so says the lore. This Gremlin monster is far more vicious and violent than even the most rambunctious Mogwai would be even after feeding him a buffet after midnight and letting him swim in an Olympic sized pool. The lore describing the box and the monster in the movie leaves the final climax open ended with nobody knowing for sure what happens when the time on the box finally runs out.

And that is where GREMLIN almost falls apart for me. Can an ending totally tear a movie apart? Yes it can. Does it happen here? Well, no, not totally but when this small, contained creature feature that really makes the best of what it is and minimizes the common short comings of indie horror features decides that bigger is better and more is more it takes a giant step backwards for me. The climax turns the film in to a giant monster mess that features the worst effects of the film and the giant monster aspect is kept to such a small scale I'm left wondering why they went in that direction. Instead of adding "oohs" and "ahhhs" to movie it added my first and only groans of the 85 minute run time. It isn't a total disaster though. GREMLIN isn't perfect or terribly original, it is filled with themes and plot devices that have filled horror films for years and it hits all the beats of a standard movie of this type but aside from an ending that I didn't care for I think GREMLIN is a decent independent horror film from a director to keep an eye on.

EXORCIST: THE FALLEN - Wild Eye Releasing DVD Review

USA/2014
Directed By: Garrett Benach
Written By: Garrett Benach
Starring: Tara Marie Kirk, Rollyn Stafford, Justin Hall
Color/82 Minutes/Not Rated
Region FREE

The Film
A girl becomes possessed after using a really shitty looking Ouija board with her brother and his friend. The brother implores the help of a priest to perform an exorcism on her which he does after receiving the blessing from the girl and her parents due to the high risk nature of the act.

I'm not going to spend much time talking about EXORCIST: THE FALLEN so let me get this out of my system right now- This movie is hot steaming garbage. There are scenes that anyone watching should find insulting. On the top of that list is the single worst rendering of CGI blood I've ever seen. The blood is smeared around the girls nose and mouth and is so shitty that it stutters and jitters and has a hard time following the movement of the girl. I've seen computer generated blood that is bad but I don't think I've ever been offended by how bad it is. If the director wanted blood on face for these scenes it would have been as easy as spending $5 at the market for Karo syrup and food coloring and at the very least it would have actually been on her face and looked okay. I don't know how to even describe this because I want to call it lazy but it probably took as much effort to create this awful blood in post than it would to have mixed up a batch of fake blood on set.

That is how this movie treats its audience. There's nothing to latch on to as far as emotions go, there's no real moments of horror. The closest we get to it happen off screen and leave no lasting impact. It's a "so what" type situation. The possession is painfully generic with a bit of screaming, head banging and suggestive dialogue about incest and religion. The exorcism scene itself is supposed to be the big pay off against this demon that is growing inside the girl but is easily restrained by a couple of guys who are limply clutching her arms. There's no tension or suspense. There's no scares. There's nothing of value and it's all shit. I could keep going but there's really no need.

The Audio & Video
The technical side of this Wild Eye Releasing disc is actually quite good for a standard DVD. The anamorphic widescreen transfer features a picture that is sharp and has really nice detail with vibrant, lively colors. The Stereo 2.0 audio mix is solid, with no background noise or distracting buzzing, crackling or popping. The levels are stable and complimentary so the dialogue and music are never overpowering one another.

The Extras
-Original Trailers
-Storyboards
-Family Photo Album

The Bottom Line
Don't waste your time.

EXORCIST: THE FALLEN is available HERE

RLJ Entertainment Acquires The Osiris Child: Science Fiction Vol. 1

RLJ ENTERTAINMENT ACQUIRES “THE OSIRIS CHILD: SCIENCE FICTION VOLUME 1”

Film Set to Release in Theaters and on VOD in Fall 2017  

LOS ANGELES, June 13, 2017 – RLJ Entertainment (NASDAQ: RLJE) has acquired all North American rights to the highly anticipated action/science fiction film THE OSIRIS CHILD.  Directed by Shane Abbess (Infini, Gabriel), who also co-wrote the film with Brian Cachia (Infini), the film stars Kellan Lutz (Twilight Franchise), Daniel MacPherson (The Shannara Chronicles, “APB”), Isabel Lucas (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Knight of Cups), Temuera Morrison (“Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith”), with Rachel Griffiths (Hacksaw Ridge, “Six Feet Under”) and Teagan Croft, making her feature film debut.

RLJE plans to release THE OSIRIS CHILD in theaters and On Demand in Fall 2017.  Mark Ward, RLJE’s Chief Acquisitions Officer, made the announcement today. 

“We’re excited to be releasing this action-filled, science fiction film,” said Ward.  “Writer/director Shane Abbess is a true visual talent who cleverly applies his knowledge of filmmaking to bring a futuristic action-packed, adventure-filled story to the big screen.”

THE OSIRIS CHILD is set in a time of interplanetary colonization.   Sy Lombrok (Kellan Lutz), a drifter with a haunted past, forms an unlikely alliance with Kane Sommerville (Daniel MacPherson), a lieutenant who works for off-world military contractor Exor.  In a race against time, they set out to rescue Kane’s young daughter Indi (Teagan Croft) amid an impending global crisis created by Exor.

“We wanted to bring back a type of movie that seemed all but extinct - the old school sci-fi action/adventure from the 80’s with monsters, prison planets, sky battles and a host of fun, colorful characters. It’s a big universe with a huge story arc and we’re ecstatic to introduce it to the world with this first installment,’” said Abbess.

THE OSIRIS CHILD is produced by Matthew Graham, Brett Thornquest, Sidonie Abbene and Abbess via their Storm Alley and Eclectik Vision banners, in association with Phonetic Images and executive produced by Steven Matusko.  The producing team previously collaborated on Infini and Terminus and most recently the upcoming thriller Better Watch Out.

RLJ Entertainment’s Ward and Jess De Leo negotiated the deal with XYZ Film’s Co-Founder Nate Bolotin on behalf of the filmmakers. 

 
ABOUT RLJ ENTERTAINMENT
RLJ Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ: RLJE) is a premium digital channel company serving distinct audiences primarily through its popular OTT branded channels, Acorn TV (British TV) and UMC (Urban Movie Channel), which have rapidly grown through development, acquisition, and distribution of its exclusive rights to a large library of international and British dramas, independent feature films and urban content. RLJE’s titles are also distributed in multiple formats including broadcast and pay television, theatrical and non-theatrical, DVD, Blu-ray, and a variety of digital distribution models (including EST, VOD, SVOD and AVOD) in North America, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Additionally, through Acorn Media Enterprises, its UK development arm, RLJE co-produces and develops new programs and owns 64% of Agatha Christie Limited.

THE BLOOD OF FU MANCHU/THE CASTLE OF FU MANCHU - Blue Underground Blu-ray Review

Spain, Germany/1968, 1969
Directed By: Jess Franco
Written By: Manfred Barthel, Harry Alan Towers, Jess Franco
Starring: Christopher Lee, Tsai Chin, Richard Greene
Color/
Region FREE
Release Date: May 30, 2017

The Films
Harry Alan Towers brought Fu Manchu back to the silver screen after three decades without the Chinese madman who was hellbent on world domination. He put Christopher Lee in the titular role and five movies later Fu Manchu's legacy is that of a schlocky B-movie franchise that is underloved and overly scrutinized.

Yes, the films are campy and flawed but taken for what they are, globetrotting adventure films with far fetched plot devices and grandiose plans that they could never truly fully realize, they offer plenty of enjoyment and entertainment value. Christopher Lee adds a touch of class to the productions as he was never one to phone it in. He cared about the character even if he was a bit miserable playing him due to the makeup effects done to give him a more Asian appearance. His co-star was Tsai Chin who played his daughter and second in command to his power and leadership. Chin is also quite good and gives the film a nice one two punch of villains. Richard Greene plays Nayland Smith, a Scotland Yard agent who has made a career out of chasing his arch rival and putting a stop to his nefarious plans. Greene is passable in his role but a more charismatic actor would certainly have spiced things up and given the audience more of a hero to grasp on to.

THE BLOOD OF FU MANCHU is the fourth film in the series and the first to be directed by Jess Franco. The film follows Fu Manchu, now hiding in South America, as he attempts world domination once again. This time he has discovered an ancient poison found in snakes that he will transfer to the beautiful women he has captured and imprisoned and unleash on the world slowly. One kiss on the lips from these women will result in blindness, paralysis and ultimately death. If his demands are not met he will unleash the full scale version of and wipe out a large portion of Earth's population.

While BLOOD is an entertaining film, it is ultimately messy and filled with too much fat that could have been trimmed. There are characters that don't fit the film and are present for one of the film's several subplots that don't go anywhere. There are scenes that could have been lifted straight from a comedy spaghetti western.  Lee is unsurprisingly the shining star of the film giving a stoic and centered performance. The film has several signature touches of director Jess Franco, most notably sexy women in prison being tortured in some way. I enjoy THE BLOOD OF FU MANCHU but it could have been a tighter film with some editing or a better script.

Jess Franco returns to the directors chair to wrap up the franchise with THE CASTLE OF FU MANCHU from 1969 where Fu Manchu has developed a plan to freeze the oceans of Earth using special crystals which he demonstrates on a smaller scale in the opening scene that features an ocean liner striking an iceberg and sinking in a scene that is eerily similar to some of the scenes in James Cameron's blockbuster Titanic when it sinks. Cameron is no stranger to genre films so it would not surprise me if he had seen this film and set up a shot or two in his film to match that of Franco's sinking ship shown here as a wink and nod to the type of cult films he cut his teeth on.

Christopher Lee is a bit more animated in his performance here and the film as a whole is more visually appealing. The sets feature more colored lighting and detailed dressing and there's no unnecessary subplots getting in the way. It's odd to me that CASTLE is received less positively than BLOOD from the research I've done prior to this review. I think CASTLE is a better film in almost every way. The film ends similarly to how BLOOD ends but we never get the return that Fu Manchu promises in a voice over before the credits roll.

THE CASTLE OF FU MANCHU may not be the neatly wrapped gift under the tree type conclusion to the series that I would have liked to see happen in perhaps one final movie but it is a step up from the previous installment and if this was how the series was to end at least it ended heading in the right direction and on a positive note. The series deserved at least that much.

The Audio & Video
This double feature from Blue Underground brings the final two Fu Manchu films to high definition for the first time but unfortunately the presentations aren't stellar. Both films feature a 1.66:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. BLOOD is worst of the two films with a soft transfer that mostly fails to impress. While it is an upgrade over standard DVD it is a small one. Colors have little pop to them and the image is overly noisy with digital artifacts. There's a lack of fine detail that makes Blu-ray special and there is a wobble present in a couple of scenes. CASTLE is a bit of an improvement over BLOOD as colors have more life to them and there's a bit more fine detail. The picture is also less hampered by digital noise. Thankfully the audio is great. The DTS-HD Master Audio track features a mono mix, recreating the original English language audio mix in crystal clear HD. There's no issues with crackling, popping or other imperfections or background noise. The sound is crisp and the levels are steady. Dialogue blends well with the score and one never overpowers the other.

The Extras
Special features include "The Rise And Fall Of Fu Manchu" a two part interview totaling half an hour and including footage with Jess Franco, Christopher Lee, Tsai Chin and Shirley Eaton. These interviews are quite an enjoyable listen with plenty of good insights and anecdotes. Also included are original theatrical trailers and a poster and still gallery.

The Bottom Line
These are two entertaining cult films that are underrated and I recommend current fans or anyone with a curiosity towards Fu Manchu pick up this double feature.

THE FU MANCHU DOUBLE FEATURE is available HERE

IFC Midnight's KILLING GROUND Official Trailer

On behalf of IFC Midnight, we are pleased to share the OFFICIAL US TRAILER for the disturbing horror/thriller film KILLING GROUND. 

A brutal tale of survival that will have your heart racing, KILLING GROUND marks the debut feature of writer/director Damien Power and stars Australian actors Aaron Pedersen (ABC’s “Jack Irish”), Ian Meadows (Network Ten’s “The Wrong Girl”), Harriet Dyer (Nine Network’s “Love Child”) and Aaron Glenane (Truth).

KILLING GROUND had its world premiere at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival to rave reviews and recently played at the Overlook Film Festival. An Australian thriller with great storytelling, editing and sound, this is one hell of a film that will linger with you long after the credits roll. 

IFC Midnight will release the film in Theaters and On Demand on Friday, July 21, 2017.  We would appreciate if you could kindly post the trailer for us.