THE CURSE OF DOCTOR WOLFENSTEIN (Reel Gore Releasing Blu-ray Review)

Germany/2015
Directed By: Marc Rohnstock
Written By: Marc Rohnstock
Starring: Isabelle Aring, Robin Czerny, Roland Freitag
Color/115 Minutes/Not Rated
Region FREE
Release Date: October 25, 2016
Blu-ray/DVD

The Film
In pre-World War II Germany Dr. Victor Wolfenstein has become obsessed with discovering the secret to immortality. Upon finding a serum that can stop the affects of aging he has infected himself with Necrosis, a flesh eating disease. The evil doctor must replace his rotting parts with fresh parts and as the local village is under attack by the doctor they bad together and bury the madman alive. Now in present day the doctor has unearthed himself, still rotting and longing for fresh flesh and a group of teens on their way to a giant party get stranded in the village and quickly learn of the curse that Doctor Wolfenstein has put upon the area.

THE CURSE OF DOCTOR WOLFENSTEIN carries on the tradition of not only its writer/director Marc Rohnstock who is no stranger to splatter films, but a longer, deeper tradition of German splatter films dating back to Olaf Ittenbach (The Burning Moon) and Jorg Buttgereit (Nekromantik). American audiences had a chance to learn Rohnstock's name several years ago when his film Necronos (aka Necronos: Tower Of Doom) was released on DVD by Troma. The bloodshed was the real deal. The gore was incredible. And five years later Rohnstock is back with a dirty, grimy film that  will make you want to take a shower. If you're expecting buckets of blood you should bring barrels because the hordes of nameless victims that Doctor Wolfenstein dispatches in gruesome, grotesque and downright gross ways all have the gore flying.

Make no mistake, you're here for the gore. If you've followed this site for any amount of time you'll know I have very mixed emotions on gore for the sake of gore as simply being gory doesn't make a horror film great. There is that special time where it can make it damn entertaining though and that is the case of THE CURSE OF DOCTOR WOLFENSTEIN. That isn't to say the film is perfect as a good twenty or even thirty minutes could be trimmed without losing anything of substance and it would make the film a tighter product.

But, what the fuck, that would also cut out a half dozen kills or more. And remember, these aren't your cut away, clean up with a single paper towel kills. These are victim after victim stripped down to their most vulnerable position, sliced, diced, chopped and popped. In the best way THE CURSE OF THE DOCTOR WOLFENSTEIN is disgusting. I can talk about the acting, which is fine, or I can talk about the writing, which features a standard slasher set up and all of the tropes and the editing or lack thereof has been mentioned but sometimes what can be described as the lowest common denominator can be more than enough for a good time.

THE CURSE OF DOCTOR WOLFENSTEIN does a great job carrying on the German splatter film legacy and you can even spot the king of German splatter Olaf Ittenbach in a cameo as a victim which I count as a seal of approval from him. THE CURSE OF DOCTOR WOLFENSTEIN isn't perfect but it's fucking nasty and sometimes that is just what the doctor ordered.

The Audio & Video
The third release from Reel Gore Releasing is another stunner in terms of A/V presentation. The Blu-ray quality of DOCTOR WOLFENSTEIN is top notch with exceptionally sharp picture and high detail levels. Colors are strong especially the crimson reds from the arterial sprays. Flesh tones are natural with no signs of waxiness from excessive DNR. There are two audio options, both in the film's native German with optional English subtitles. There is a DTS-HD 2.0 and DTS-HD 5.1 mix respectively. The 2.0 mix is crisp, perfectly clear and stable with no level fluctuations. The audio is free of distortions, hiccups or wobbles.

The Extras
-Behind The Scenes Featurette
-"Trapped And Stabbed" - A short film by Marc Rohnstock
-Blooper Reels
-Trailer
-Still Gallery

The Bottom Line
THE CURSE OF DOCTOR WOLFENSTEIN might be THE release for gore hounds in 2016.

THE CURSE OF DOCTOR WOLFENSTEIN is available HERE

VIOLENT SHIT (Blu-ray Review) - Reel Gore Releasing

Italy, Germany/2015
Directed By: Luigi Pastore
Written By: Emanuele Barberi, Luigi Pastore, Lucio Massa
Starring: Giovanni Lombardo Radice, Steve Aquilina, Vincenzo Pezzopane
Color/82 Minutes/Not Rated
Region FREE
Release Date: August 9, 2016
Blu-ray/DVD/CD
Limited To 3,000

The Film
Rome is struck with a series of vicious bloody murders leaving a trail of blood for Italian inspector Aristide D'Amato and his German partner Hans Ebert to follow in hopes of putting together the pieces of the bodies and the crimes. The inspectors fear that the killings mark the return of the infamous German serial killer Karl The Butcher.

VIOLENT SHIT THE MOVIE is a remake of the original shot on video Violent Shit trilogy from the late 80s and early 90s that was directed by Andreas Schnaas and produced by Steve Aquilina who returns to produce and co-star in this remake. This modern take on the series borrows plot elements from various parts of the original movies while adding in original material and move the violence to Rome as director Luigi Pastore (Symphony In Blood Red) pays homage to the sleazy and violent Italian horror films of the 70s and 80s. Pastore creates a film that truly has that same feeling of Italian horror of the 80s. It's an intangible quality that goes beyond a score by Claudio Simonetti's Goblin or cast members such as Giovanni Lombardo Radice and Barbara Magnolfi. Pastore also gives the film an interesting look, drawing obvious influence from directors such as Dario Argento with heavily colored lighting design and a very spastic camera style when the more intense parts of the film kick in.

Karl The Butcher is a killer designed to draw an immediate reaction of fear from the viewer with a massive presence and a chilling medieval mask. He's the perfect pawn of the bigger evil plan that the story delivers giving us massive amounts of bloodshed and gore. The effects work by David Bracci (Mother Of Tears) are stellar and rarely look like obvious prosthetics. The film suffers in that after an interesting opening the middle chunk of VIOLENT SHIT is really slow before the last 20 minutes ramp up the sex and violence to an almost nonstop level. It's definitely worth sitting through the boring parts to get to the good stuff, especially if you're a big time gore hound. The main idea behind VIOLENT SHIT is an interesting one, with a great performance from Giovanni Lombardo Radice who is finally not treated as Italy's Whipping Boy but the pacing is bad and the film would benefit from an even shorter run time.

I still liked VIOLENT SHIT quite a bit. The music, cast members and overall feel of the movie brought back a feeling that I haven't felt from many other recent productions, the feeling of vintage Italian slasher type films. I had mixed feelings on Luigi Pastore's previous film Symphony In Blood Red and again I have mixed feelings about VIOLENT SHIT but there's enough to like that I will be keeping him on my radar for future productions.


The Audio & Video
Reel Gore Releasing's debut release is an impressive looking and sounding release. The digital photography shines with a crystal clear anamorphic widescreen (1.78:1 ratio) transfer. Colors pop giving life to the artistic lighting designs and ample amounts of bloody special effects. Black levels are deep and free from any blocking or compression issues. Skin tones are healthy and natural looking with no waxiness, while detail in textures and surfaces is quite strong. There are several audio options including a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix, and Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 mixes - all English dubs. The sound quality is clear, crisp and warm. The score by Claudio Simonetti's Goblin is powerful and shines through at key moments but never overpowers the dialogue. The mix is very well done.

The Extras
-"Making Of" Featurette
-"The History Of VIOLENT SHIT"
-Tribute To Lilli Carati - Her last interview
-Interviews With Cast And Crew Members
-World Of Stars - Segment from Italian TV program featuring more interviews with cast and crew
-Selection of Trailers
-Still Gallery
-24 Page Booklet

The Bottom Line
VIOLENT SHIT isn't for everybody but for gore hounds and splatter film fans there's plenty enough blood and guts to quench their thirst. Receommended.

VIOLENT SHIT is available HERE