MONDO WEIRDO/VAMPIROS SEXOS (Cult Epics) - Blu-ray Review

Austria/1988, 1990
Directed By: Carl Andersen
Written By: Carl Andersen
Starring: Soledad Marceignac, Frank Khunne, Jasmin Bevilaqua
Black & White/134 Minutes/Not Rated
Region FREE
Release Date: March 14, 2017
Blu-ray/DVD/CD
Limited Edition: 2,000

The Films
This collection of Carl Andersen's three earliest films including two features and a short are nothing short of a midnight movie lovers dream. These films are erotic, experimental, sometimes darkly comedic and wholly Avant Garde ventures into horror and various aspects of human discovery. From tainted olive oil vampires to a teen experiencing the pains of womanhood in the most bizzarely gothic psychadelic mind fuck involving Elizabeth Bathory you're likely to see anytime soon, Andersen's work are light on traditional narrative and storytelling and heavy on visual impact steering us through the adventure.

Hardcore sex and graphic violence are commonplace in the grainy and gritty photography that ranges from beautiful (see the three way split screen in MONDO WEIRDO) to inventive with  the play with exposure and washing out the majority of the picture in several scenes in VAMPIROS SEXOS. The films on display here are a visceral experience that leave you replaying scenes in your mind over and over. The soundtrack on both MONDO WEIRDO AND VAMPIROS SEXOS is from a Model D'oo, a band with a post punk, gothic industrial sort of vibe that I was not previously familiar with but their sound is the perfect backdrop to these pictures as it matches the punk attitude and aesthetic that isn't easily defined but I think a rougher version of early David Lynch is a good place to start.

The Audio & Video
Cult Epics gives these Carl Andersen a home they can be appreciated on for the foreseeable future. MONDO WEIRDO has been newly transferred to HD from the original 16mm film for the first time. It definitely shows good detail and sharpness despite the gritty photography but where you can really see the HD treatment is in the depth of the black and white levels. They saturate the screen in ways a standard DVD cannot. The German audio sounds good with sporadic English subtitles used when they're intended and other times without. The sound quality is surprisingly crisp despite expected imperfections for an underground film such as this.

VAMPIROS SEXOS is presented on DVD and looks as I expected it would after viewing MW on Blu-ray in that it is noticeably grainier and rougher looking overall, in part from some damage the elements have incurred over the years but I was pleased to see that there is still good detail present, especially in close ups and a decent sharpness to the photography overall.


The Extras
The main special features include the 1990 short film WHAT'S SO DIRTY ABOUT IT? and a making-of featurette with interview clips for both MONDO WEIRDO and VAMPIROS SEXOS. An introduction to MW by Erwin Leder, the star of Angst is also included and is a heartfelt introduction and farewell to his late friend. This limited edition also includes a CD soundtrack with 4 unreleased bonus tracks from Model D'oo.

The Bottom Line
These types of films are something you either appreciate or you don't, I find there is usually very little middle ground. If you're the type of movie viewer that can sink their teeth into offbeat and far from typical fare then these Carl Andersen films will be right up your alley and they're a perfect fit for the Cult Epics catalog.

MONDO WEIRDO/VAMPIROS SEXOS is available HERE

THE CREEPS (Full Moon) - Blu-ray Review

USA/1997
Directed By: Charles Band
Written By: Neal Marshall Stevens
Starring: Rhonda Griffin, Justin Lauer, Bill Moynihan
Color/74 Minutes/PG-13
Region FREE
Release Date: February 21, 2017

The Film
A nervous but altogether mad scientist has been stealing original manuscripts of some of the world's most notorious horror fiction including Bram Stoker's Dracula and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein in order to bring these legendary characters to life to gain power. He successfully summons Dracula, Frankenstein, The Wolf Man and The Mummy, the only problem is that he made an error in the process and each of the monsters is a mini three feet tall. Now he needs a virgin to gain full control over the monsters and bring them to their full size and power.

THE CREEPS is an oddball black comedy horror film from director Charles Band. The film is very subdued in its violence with even the worst scene that involves a woman strapped naked to a table and subjected to an experiment that lands her in another dimension being notably light and almost breezy, never feeling mean or exploitative at all. The tone of the film holds it back from being a more successful and entertaining picture than if it went for a more horrific angle. I never felt that the monsters, who have a nicely designed classic look led by Phil Fondacaro as Dracula, were a true threat and the film does little to ever change that with the monsters pulling off more hijinx than scares.

Laughs are held in higher regard in THE CREEPS with Bill Moynihan starring as the stuttering, nervous and inept mad scientist being written solely for comedy or at least that is how it seems. Rhonda Griffin and Justin Lauer star as the main protagonists, a librarian trying to track down her stolen books and the private detective she hired from the back of a video store and they have a good chemistry on screen. The acting is all very hammy though but it fits the campy nature of the picture. When the dust settles I really wish THE CREEPS would have had some darker and more intense moments to really break up the monotony and one note tone of the film. It's not bad but it isn't among Full Moon's best output.

The Audio & Video
Full Moon has restored their film from the original 35mm camera negative for its high definition debut and it's never looked better. The overall image has a decent sharpness that leads to good detail levels. The film as a whole is a bit on the darker side in terms of lighting and there are some softer shots but overall the film looks nice and is a noticeable upgrade. The audio is crisp and without distortion or damage. Stereo 2.0 and 5.1 surround audio options are available.

The Extras
Special features include the original Videozone behind the scenes featurette from 1997 and a selection of trailers.

The Bottom Line
This new Blu-ray release is a nice visual upgrade over previously available editions but this isn't among the classic Full Moon titles.

THE CREEPS is available HERE

HEAD OF THE FAMILY (Blu-ray Review) - Full Moon

USA/1996
Directed By: Charles Band
Written By: Charles Band, Neal Marshall Stevens
Starring: Blake Adams, Jacqueline Lovell, J.W. Perra
Color/82 Minutes/R
Region FREE
Release Date: December 20, 2016

The Film
Loretta is having an affair with Lance and they're looking for a way to knock off Loretta's husband Howard who is the toughest guy in town. When they spot the local family of weirdos disposing of a body from their truck they get an idea to enter into business with the Stackpools but then Lance finds out their secret that they're quadruplets with one specific human trait each including super strength, incredible beauty, highly sensitive senses and massive intelligence. The smart one is the leader of the group, a massive cranium with a tiny body rolling around in a wheel chair... this is only the beginning of the weirdness.

HEAD OF THE FAMILY is a total oddball science fiction horror film steeped in dark comedy. It is easily one of Full Moon's best productions. The script is strong and well written with genuinely funny moments along with a likable pair of protagonists in Lance and Loretta. Jacqueline Lovell is gorgeous and adds the sex appeal by frequently shedding her clothes. She's also quite good as the damsel in distress type character during a forced performance as Joan of Arc by Myron, the head of the Stackpool family.

Myron is such a well designed villain, as is the rest of the family, but Myron is easily the star of the show here. His giant bulbous cranium is an excellent makeup job and the performance from J.W. Perra is quite aristocratic and domineering with his massive brain power. His control over the rest of the family is an interesting dynamic and the way it all plays out isn't overly original but it is a wildly entertaining love letter to oddball sci-fi horror flicks of the 50s. It's an absolute shame that the long rumored sequel Bride Of The Head Of The Family never came to fruition.

The Audio & Video
Full Moon's foray into Blu-ray continues to be mostly a success as HEAD OF THE FAMILY looks and sounds quite good. The anamorphic widescreen transfer has a nice sharpness and natural color scheme. There's a thin but healthy grain structure and very little dirt or debris. Black levels are deep and there's no signs of edge enhancement or DNR. English audio options include 5.1 and 2.0 HD options that are mixed skillfully and sound crisp and clear. There's no distortions or background noise. The film doesn't have a lot going on to really give either mix a work out but it is very pleasing to the ear and that's all I need for this movie.

The Extras
-Audio Commentary with actor J.W. Perra
-Bride Of The Head Of The Family Promo
-Original Trailer

The Bottom Line
HEAD OF THE FAMILY is an absolute B-movie blast and one of Full Moon's crowning achievements. Highly recommended!

HEAD OF THE FAMILY is available HERE

April Exploitation/B-Movie Challenge 2016 - Days 20, 21, 22

4/20 DUUUUDEEEEEEE. Smoke weed or something. Also, Hitler was born that day. Not worth celebrating the biggest piece of shit of the 20th century but it is a reason to watch Nazisploitation flicks so I watched one - ELSA FRAULEIN SS - This one wasn't as exploitative, violent or offensive as many of films in the genre but it was also a bit better made with solid performances and a decent story and there's still plenty of sex and violence. I was pleasantly surprised by this one.

Cirio Santiago decided to make another visit, this being the fourth film I've watched from the Filipino  director this month and it is yet another winner. DUNE WARRIORS is trashy post-apocalyptic action starring David Carradine. It's packed with cool cars, flame throwers, sword fights, wimpy leaders and the lamest name for a main villain of all time. It's campy, cheap and incredibly fun.

April 21st had no viewings. It was one of those days where I wasn't in a particularly good mood to begin with and then the passings of Chyna who was a major part of WWE during a time that I was growing up with wrestling and Prince who I need not mention how legendary he is but I will say that I think he's somehow underrated in ways, if that's even possible. Those things combined made it so that I wasn't in the mood to sit down and watch anything.

Day 22 was a strong comeback though. The first of three movies on the day was SCHRAMM. Jorg Buttgereit's fourth feature film is my favorite of his and his most polished in my opinion. It has all of the sick shit that his previous films such as Nekromantik and Der Todesking had and raises the level of his writing and the performances he gets from his cast. This is a great film that just got a Blu-ray release and I have reviewed the brand new boxset of Buttgereit's films so you should check out that video right here.

Next up was a movie I've pretty much fallen in love with immediately. While I don't think it's a perfect film it does what many contemporary Gialli fail at - feeling authentic to their original period. Many newer Gialli try to feel authentic without being able to really capture the true look and feel. FRANCESCA is a 2015 film straight from Italy and while it has it's flaws it has a solid story, interesting murder sequences and stylish direction. All of the Giallo tropes are present without it feeling disingenuous. I highly recommend Giallo fans checking out FRANCESCA.

The night ended with NUKIE - The 1987 E.T. ripoff set largely in Africa. Yeah... I have seen a couple scenes from this and the trailer but sitting down to watch this on VHS was really an experience. It's a terrible movie with some of the most obvious and glaring plot holes I've ever seen. Nukie, the main alien character and his twin brother are fairly creepy looking, nothing a child would want to encounter. To be fair I feel that way about E.T. as well. NUKIE is awful but I think everyone should see it once just to know about it.

Today's Rundown
Elsa Fraulein SS - 6/10
Dune Warriors - 7/10
Schramm - 8.5/10
Francesca - 7/10
Nukie - 3/10

PIGS - Vinegar Syndrome (Blu-ray Review)

USA/1973
Directed By: Marc Lawrence
Written By: Marc Lawrence
Starring: Marc Lawrence, Toni Lawrence, Jesse Vint
Color/81 Minutes/Not Rated
Region FREE
Release Date: March 29, 2016
Blu-ray/DVD

The Film
Upon arriving in a secluded California town, Lynn takes a waitressing job with Zambrini, a retired circus performer who now runs a small cafe with a large pig pen out back. A local legend says that his pigs only eat human flesh and that he has been murdering drifters to feed to them. Now the sheriff and the locals have grown suspicious of Zambrini and his pigs along with trying to protect the new girl in town.

PIGS is not at all what I expected it would be and it was for the best. I'm all for a movie about killer pigs running wild on a small town, perhaps in some sort of vengeance for being harvested for their meat. Mmm killer bacon. PIGS is not that movie. PIGS is a fever dream of a horror film, steeped in sweaty, hazy atmosphere. It's highly psychological and mythological. There's also plenty of that supremely weird 1970s vibe that can't be faked. It's sleazy, but not to be self gratifying. It only goes as far as is necessary to make the psychological horror aspect to the film work.

The film succeeds so well because the screenplay is crafted to be suspenseful and hallucinatory and doesn't give in to excess that would only serve to cheapen the overall experience of the film.

The Audio & Video
Vinegar Syndrome gives PIGS a full makeover and facelift. It's like this Blu-ray came straight from the salon! The 16x9 anamorphic widescreen transfer is sharp and highly detailed. Colors are natural but keep the film's natural sweaty haze. Dark scenes have a bit more graininess than day time scenes but the black levels are quite deep and have no issues with blocking or compression. A DTS-HD Master Audio mono mix handles the audio and it sounds fantastic. Free of any distortions and background noise, the simple mix gets the job done with sparkling clarity and a natural crispness. Nothing gets lost with the dialogue and score complimenting each other. An overall fantastic HD presentation.

I must note that the new 2K scan has been taken from the 35mm Interpositive with select shots taken from theatrical prints due to missing or severely damaged elements. Vinegar Syndrome makes not of this before the film starts to clarify the shifts in quality - I didn't notice any dramatic shifts in quality and couldn't pick out when the theatrical prints were used. That's just another example of the quality work Vinegar Syndrome does.

The Extras
This release packed, stacked and certainly doesn't lack.

-Featurette with star Toni Lawrence
-Featurette with composer Charles Bernstein
-Audio Interview with cinematographer Glenn Roland
-Alternate "Exorcism" opening sequence
-Alternate "Daddy's Girl" opening sequence
-Alternate "Daddy's Girl" closing sequence
-Original trailers
-Promotional Artwork Gallery
-Reversible artwork

The Bottom Line
This may be the best non-porn release from Vinegar Syndrome to date. They've taken a rather obscure horror title and given it the royal treatment and packed it with extras. As far as I'm concerned this is an essential release.

PIGS is available HERE

April Exploitation/B-Movie Challenge 2016 Days 1 & 2

To kick off an exploitation movie challenge I don't know if there's too many better places to start than with a Bill Zebub movie. He's made his name making movies filled with schlock, nudity and some off beat humor all on a micro budget. HOLOCAUST CANNIBAL was no different as we watch a group of Nazis struggle to survive the jungles of Argentina, which looks more like the woods behind your house than any exotic South American location. The Nazis have to deal with cannibal natives, sexy women, giant spiders and snakes. They continually get their ass kicked in slow motion. I rather enjoyed the film but found the constant slow motion editing and use of German metal for the soundtrack to become tedious. Nevertheless I'm a fan of the film and it was an appropriate way to kick things off.

ALLEY CAT is a film that I've wanted to see for quite a while as it is a rape/revenge film in the vein of Ms. 45 and Savage Streets - I knew ALLEY CAT would be right up my... ahem... alley. What I didn't get was a film nearly as mean or depraved as either of the films it is compared to. What I did get was a cheesy, karate filled revenge film with a prison shower scene that takes place in the smallest shower I've ever seen. Oh, and it's still got a good bit of that exploitative goodness to keep it just mean enough. It's not the cult classic that Savage Streets is and it isn't the masterpiece that I find Ms. 45 to be but it's damn entertaining and a really solid watch.

The final film of day one came from Frederick Friedel - BLOODY BROTHERS. This film takes Friedel's two feature films Axe and Kidnapped Coed and edits them together into a film of it's own in an attempt to make soe money from his movies after being swindled by producer Harry Novak on those films. Taking two separate films and managing to make an even somewhat cohesive third film by smashing them together is a commendable feat and Friedel manages just that. It's an interesting watch because it includes footage not seen in the final cuts of the film, notably in Axe where the market scene is longer. BLOODY BROTHERS isn't as good as either Axe or Kidnapped Coed but I respect what Friedel was able to pull off by making a presentable film.

Two movies for the second day and we start with PIGS. I'll be reviewing the brand new Vinegar Syndrome Blu-ray of this title so I won't be going too in depth with it here but I really really liked PIGS and loved that it wasn't at all what I expected.

I finished things out with Larry Cohen's feature film directorial debut, BONE. This was a tense, mean, funny and uncomfortable commentary on race and class featuring an incredible performance by Yaphet Kotto who gives the most chilling lesson on smashing roaches that you'll ever see. The writing in this film is interesting and goes unexpected ways and really draws the viewer in and the cast as a whole pull off some nuanced performances that carry the script to a massively successful place. The film is flawed but it proves that exploitation films can be both poignant and smart.

Today's Rundown
Holocaust Cannibal - 6/10
Alley Cat - 7/10
Bloody Brothers - 5/10
Pigs - 8/10
Bone - 7/10

THE DEAD NEXT DOOR (Ultimate Edition Blu-ray Review) - Tempe Digital

USA/1989
Directed By: J.R. Bookwalter
Written By: J.R. Bookwalter
Starring: Pete Ferry, Bogdan Pecic, Michael Grossi
Color/78 Minutes/Not Rated
Region FREE
Release Date: December 15, 2015
Blu-ray/DVD/CD

The Film
Zombies are a problem, a big problem and an everyday problem. A special government appointed force called The Zombie Squad has been formed to clean out the problem while scientists look for a cure. Unfortunately zombies are only the start of the Zombie Squad's problems as a religious cult is protecting them, believing that they're punishment sent from God.

THE DEAD NEXT DOOR is the epitome of backyard filmmaking on a massive scale. J.R. Bookwalter wrote, directed and co-produced this movie that took over four years to complete and eventually had the help of Sam Raimi as an executive producer using some of his earnings from Evil Dead 2 and voice talents from Bruce Campbell. The movie was shot with a Super 8 camera which was long out of date even in 1985. The graininess and overall image quality those cameras give to the movie is one of almost an older documentary and add to that home video feel. It works for the tone of the movie. The acting is about as good as you'd expect for a DIY zombie movie that takes four years to complete but all sound had to be dubbed in post production, again adding to the low budget, backyard feel.

I've had plenty of history with this movie, having seen it at least half a dozen times and having quite the vast array of reactions to it on any given viewing. I've finally come to the conlcusion that I really enjoy THE DEAD NEXT DOOR for everything it is and isn't. The special effects are quite good, easily the most professional thing about the film. It's filled with references to popular horror culture and has a scene set in a video store, which is always a plus.

You have to be able to appreciate low budget cheese and you have to enjoy so bad they're good movies to really "get" THE DEAD NEXT DOOR. It has a great personality, some inventive filmmaking and even risked felony terrorism charges to get some Washington D.C. footage. That's guerilla filmmaking at its purest and shows the passion behind this movie from everyone involved. That passion is immediately evident when you watch it. A project of love that ends up being well worth all the time J.R. Bookwalter has poured into it over the years for each various format it has been released on.

The Audio & Video
THE DEAD NEXT DOOR was filmed on Super 8 film which immediately limits the amount of detail you can squeeze out of the tiny 8mm frames but Tempe Entertainment has gone the distance with a brand new 2K restoration that has brought every last drop of detail out of the film elements used. This Blu-ray won't look like the latest blockbuster release but it has a much higher level of depth and detail than any previous home video release this movie has ever seen. Colors are more vibrant and vivid giving them a strong presentation and not looking washed out. The reds are crimson and black levels have no problem with crush. Surfaces have a nice noticeable texture and the special effects makeup looks excellent in HD.

The audio was all recorded in post production dubs and it sounds quite good here with a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix that is sparkling clean and very crisp sounding. The mix across the levels is steady and the fullest and most powerful this movie has ever sounded. There's no issues with damage or background noise.

The Extras
Disc 1 (Blu-ray)
-"Restoration Of The Dead" - Interview with director J.R. Bookwalter on the filming and painstaking restoration of the movie from the original Super 8mm film to the 2004 DVD release and this current Blu-ray.
-Capitol Theater Screening - Footage from the 2015 screening and reunion in Cleveland, Ohio.
-The Nightlight Screening - Footage from the 2015 screening in the film's hometown of Akron, Ohio
-Behind The Scenes
-Deleted Scenes and Outtakes
-Trailers
-Still Galleries

Disc 2 (DVD)
-Original 1990 VHS Version of the Film
-2005 DVD Version of the film
-2015 Audio Commentary with Doug Tilley and Moe Porne of the No Budget Nightmare Podcast
-2005 Audio Commentary with Director J.R. Bookwalter, Actor Michael Todd and Cinematographer Michael Tolochko
-Rare Short Films w/ Audio Commentary
-Local TV Appearances
-"The Dead Up North" - Footage from a Canadian screening of the film
-1995 Making-Of Excerpts
-Local TV Commercials
-"20 Years In 15 Minutes"
-Video Storyboards
-Video Preshoots
-Auditions
-Three Miles Out Music Video
-2000 Frightvision Reunion
-Trailers

The Bottom Line
THE DEAD NEXT DOOR isn't for everyone. It's cheesy, it's bad and it's wonderful. It's gory, it's silly and it's not the prettiest thing to look at. If that all sounds good to you then you'll probably appreciate it and there's only one way to see it and that is this definitive edition of the movie with a ridiculously extensive collection of extra features chronicling the history of the film over the last 30 years.

THE DEAD NEXT DOOR is available HERE

STAR VIRGIN (DVD Review) - Vinegar Syndrome

USA/1979
Directed By: Howard Ziehm
Written By: Humphry Knipe
Starring: Kari Klark, Hillary Summers, Mike Ranger
Color and Black & White/78 Minutes/X
Region FREE
Release Date: December 15, 2015

The Film
After Earth and humanity are left destroyed the only human left is Star Virgin, a beautiful young woman living out life on a space ship with her robot keeper Mentor. She begs Mentor to teach her about sex and eventually the robot gives in leading to a series of vignettes showing various sexual encounters that get young Star Virgin all hot and bothered as they progress and lead to her own self discovery of a super nova going "pop".

Director Howard Ziehm was no stranger to intergalactic smut, having directed Flesh Gordon five years prior to STAR VIRGIN and he'd go on to direct the Flesh Gordon sequel as well. STAR VIRGIN spends only a fraction of its actual runtime in space with Star wearing skimpy space outfits made of sparkly sequin and little else until she eventually disrobes entirely while listening to the stories that Mentor is telling her. Mentor looks like a soda cooler with a fire blanket duct taped to him. Rosie The Robot he is not, but he still manages to be a faithful companion to Star and is comical.

The real body of the film is made up by a handful of vignettes depicting everything from a 1950s high school version of The Garden Of Eden with forbidden fruits being rubbed, smashed, inserted and eaten from just about everywhere. Fruit salad, anyone? You'll never look at canned peaches the same way again! Then we move on to other segments including an injured quarterback getting fucked back into the game by cheerleaders. Nothing says concussion protocol like a little three way action with sexy cheerleaders! Roger Goodell and the NFL could learn something from this. There's a pay for sex group session with more vibrators than your local XXX video shop has in stock, and my personal favorite, an encounter set in Transylvania in which Dracula and his Richard Nixon mask wearing sidekick drug a man and proceed to rape his wife all in the style of the silent film era. Of course when hubby wakes up and breaks up the party to save his wife she's all sorts of upset that she didn't get to cum! This one gives old Dick Nixon an entirely new meaning.

STAR VIRGIN is as campy and funny as it is sexy. The production is low rent and better off for it. I love the energy that the film has and how genuinely funny it all manages to be without ever letting the audience laugh AT the picture instead of with the picture. STAR VIRGIN is great fucking fun for the whole family! Well, maybe not the whole family.

The Audio & Video
STAR VIRGIN is brought to DVD by Vinegar Syndrome with a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer that looks pretty good. The picture quality is on the soft side more often than not but that is a product of how Howard Ziehm produced the film. There's some speckling and scratches left on the print that weren't restored and honestly there's no need for them to be. The damage left on the print is negligible and doesn't distract the viewer but does seem to add a bit to the overall vibe of the film just a bit. The English mono audio track has a bit of crackling at the very opening of the picture but that quickly disappears and there's little to no other distortions to mention. The track does just fine handling the dialogue and music without getting overwhelmed. It may not be a dynamic mix but it does the job nicely and it's nice to retain the film's original audio mix.

The Extras
An audio commentary track with director Howard Ziehm is the lone extra.

The Bottom Line
Adult film fans should take note of STAR VIRGIN because if you haven't seen STAR VIRGIN you haven't one of the most genuinely entertaining X rated films I've ever laid eyes on.

STAR VIRGIN is available HERE

LUTHER THE GEEK (Blu-ray Review) - Vinegar Syndrome

USA/1988
Directed By: Carlton J. Albright
Written By: Carlton J. Albright
Starring: Edward Terry, Joan Roth, Stacy Haiduk
Color/80 Minutes/Not Rated
Region Free
Release Date: January 19, 2016
Blu-ray, DVD

The Film
As a young boy Luther sees a carnival sideshow act of a "geek", a down on his luck beggar that attracts crowds by biting the heads off of live chickens in exchange for booze. Luther curiously tastes the chicken blood that has splattered across the stage and instantly develops a taste for it. Years have gone by and Luther is up for parole after a long history of violent crimes and he's developed a taste for human blood. Immediately upon his release he attacks a person with his set of metal teeth he has fashioned for himself and hides out at a secluded farm house terrorizing the three inhabitants and playing a game of cat and mouse with the local sheriff.

LUTHER THE GEEK was originally picked up for distribution by Quest Entertainment but never got the release it deserved and largely languished in VHS obscurity until Troma released it on DVD in 2005. I had never heard much chatter about the film so when the opportunity came up to review this Blu-ray I was intrigued to finally see it. Simply put, I wasn't totally ready for what I was in for.

This film had all the potential in the world to be a hicksploitation horror gem. I think they even had the freedom to take a campy approach to it or stick with the more serious tone that the film tries to achieve. It could have worked both ways but as it is LUTHER just moves too slow. Once we arrive at the farmhouse the movie slows pretty badly with a couple chase scenes with Luther and the mom and then the daughter and her boyfriend. There are a couple well done special effects moments as a result of Luther's metal chompers leaving plenty of mangled flesh and blood but I feel the the farm house arrives too quickly. Instead if we had another couple of moments of Luther on the run and having violent run ins with some locals before reaching the final location it would have spiced things up enough that the deliberately paced scenes at the farmhouse would have felt more tense and not as drawn out.

There is one thing that sets LUTHER THE GEEK apart from similar films and it is Luther himself. No, it isn't just his metal teeth that look like dollar store costume hillbilly teeth that make your lips bulge out but it is Luther's clucking. Yes, clucking. Luther doesn't talk, he just clucks like a chicken for whatever reason. The movie has a decidedly serious tone, an ominous score and a pace that tells the audience that things are scary and dreadful, not to be taken lightly or with a dose of laughter. Then Luther starts clucking away and it's weirdly hilarious. As any grown man clucking like a chicken would be.

I don't think the clucking takes away from the film, if anything it probably adds to the absurdity of the character as I'm sure the filmmakers hoped it would. I couldn't speak of the clucking... no, I couldn't speak of this film at all without discussing the bizarre ending that I sat staring at the screen in silence of for a moment trying to comprehend just exactly what the fuck it was that I saw. If you don't want the end to spoiled at all I'm officially making the rest of this section a spoiler alert so feel free to skip ahead...

SPOILER ALERT
The ending takes an amazing twisted and oddly uncomfortable turn when Luther and the sheriff have a shootout in the barn that houses the chickens and he kills the sheriff. The mother who had come to help the officer lies in shock in the barn until morning when Luther goes to make his escape and sees the woman sitting there in shock. He moves in for a bite until she comes to and starts clucking at Luther who is briefly taken aback. He clucks back and the pair begins communicating in clucking which leads to Luther proudly strutting around the barn like a rooster, crowing loudly until the woman pulls out her rifle and shoots Luther in the chest. That would make for an interesting enough ending if the credits rolled but they don't roll until the woman has a cry session... a clucking cry session. Yes, the woman cry clucks after killing the murderer. What. The. Fuck.
END SPOILER

LUTHER THE GEEK was right there. It had the chance to be something great. And while it certainly is a memorable film that won't be erased from my mind anytime soon I think the film itself comes up a bit short on. It's passable but it just squeaks by.

The Audio & Video
Vinegar Syndrome's latest license from Troma is another outstanding job. The new 16x9 anamorphic widescreen transfer has a new 2K scan from the original 35mm negative and has a warm and filmic look to it with a healthy grain structure. The image has been cleaned up a bit but there's a bit of speckling still remaining throughout. This keeps in line with the natural film look of the transfer. Colors are naturally a bit on the softer side but the blood reds are a beautiful shade of crimson. Detail level is very good particularly in closeups of surfaces and textures. The DTS-HD Master Mono Audio track is crisp and clear with no traces of background noise or damage such as popping or crackling. The levels are stable and mixed well between the dialogue and score.

The Extras
-Audio Commentary With Director Carlton J. Albright
-Video Interview With Actor Jerome Clarke
-Video Interview With The Director
-Video Introduction With The Director
-Original Theatrical Trailer
-Reversible Cover Art
-All Previous Troma DVD Features Including: Interviews with Carlton Albright and Will Albright and Carlton Albright's thoughts on several key scenes

The Bottom Line
This release is an easy recommendation given the fantastic A/V presentation and the bounty of special features.

LUTHER THE GEEK is available HERE

SGT. KABUKIMAN N.Y.P.D. (Blu-ray Review) - Troma

USA/1990
Directed By: Lloyd Kaufman, Michael Herz
Written By: Charles Kaufman, Andrew Osborne, Jeffrey W. Sass
Starring: Rick Gianasi, Susan Byun, Bill Weeden
Color/105 Minutes/Not Rated
Region FREE
Release Date: November 10, 2015

The Film
Harry Griswold is a sergeant with the NYPD, he's a hot dog loving Bronx boy who is about to learn his destiny - harnessing thousands year old powers that will transform him into a superhuman Kabukiman sent to protect New York and the world from ultimate evil with his arsenal of weapons and powers including deadly chopsticks, sushi and Geisha fans.

First a bit of background - While filming The Toxic Avenger 2 in Japan Troma presidents Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz were approached by Japanese financiers connected to Namco to create a Japanese superhero since the first Toxic Avenger film was a big hit in Japan. Namco became a producer and SGT. KABUKIMAN NYPD was greenlit with a 1.5 million dollar budget, the biggest budget Troma had ever worked with.

Ideas differed for the film as Michael Herz and the Namco boys wanted a more family friendly, mainstream oriented film while Lloyd Kaufman wanted to go the traditional Troma route filled with offensive material, dark comedy and sex and violence. Kaufman won the battle (mostly) and SGT. KABUKIMAN NYPD would end up being R-rated and the Namco boys pulled their distribution leaving the future of the film up in the air until it was finally released theatrically in 1996 despite being screened at Cannes upon its initial completion.

I find SGT. KABUKIMAN to be one of Troma's most iconic characters that could stand toe to toe with Toxie had it been granted sequels in the way The Toxic Avenger was. Now, there's really no denying Toxie is the Troma icon, but Kabukiman is no slouch and neither is the film. Sure the film starts out with a confusing set of astrological circumstances to turn our everyday cop into the striped-bathrobe wearing superhero but that's part of the charm. Planets are in houses, Jupiter has a hole that tigers are jumping through and some other bullshit immediately tell the viewer they're in for classic Troma fare. The movie is gory complete with its own head crushing scene, and its sleazy with a daytime public rape attempt. It's silly and stupid with some cultural stereotypes and cliches on full display. We even have Brick Bronsky! BRICK BRONSKY! I dare not say his name a third time.

The movie is a bit uneven at times because there still seems to be a bit of hokey family friendly attempts thrown in which on a first time viewing may pull the viewer out of the film briefly but I think it adds to the charm once you get to know the film. And you can't dislike the original use of the trademark Troma car crash, can you? No, I think not.

SGT. KABUKIMAN NYPD was the first step in Troma attempting to break into the mainstream, something they'd have an unexpected bit of success with a few short years later with The Toxic Crusaders cartoon and brand. While Troma found the crack that allowed a Troma product to squeeze through on to TV sets, video game systems (despite the games being damn near unplayable) and toy chests in homes across America perhaps the timing just wasn't right in 1990 for SGT. KABUKIMAN NYPD to be the movie that made "Troma" be a weird word that parents in their 50s and 60s now somehow remember, but they aren't sure where from. Who knows what the world would be like if Micahel Herz and the Namco financiers had won the battle over the film and made Kabukiman an international superhero and icon.

The Audio &a Video
Troma gives SGT. KABUKIMAN NYPD a beautiful full 1080p HD presentation. The 16x9 anamorphic widescreen transfer has a healthy and natural grain structure giving the movie an actual film look. Colors are sharp and vibrant while black levels are deep and come across with no signs of compression issues or blocking. Skin tones aren't at all waxy and detail level is strong in textures and surfaces. The English audio mix is well done as the dialogue comes across loud and clear and the soundtrack is complimentary without ever drowning it out. I didn't notice any damage to the audio but there is a constant whirring in the background similar to that of a running projector that is a bit distracting and annoying at first until you tune it out.

The Extras
-Audio Commentary
-Interview With Star Rick Gianasi
-New Introduction By Lloyd Kaufman
-Full Episode Of KABUKIMAN'S COCKTAIL CORNER (Troma's new web series)
-Kabukiman Cocktail Karaoke
-Original Trailer
-Highlights From Tromadance 2015
-Stupid Moments In Troma History

The Bottom Line
Kabukiman is one of Troma's most iconic characters and it's great to see him shine in HD with an awesome release like he deserves to.

SGT. KABUKIMAN NYPD is available HERE

GET MEAN (Blu-ray Review) - Blue Underground

Italy/1975
Directed By: Ferdinando Baldi
Written By: Ferdinando Baldi, Lloyd Battista, Wolf Lowenthal
Starring: Tony Anthony, Diana Lorys, Lloyd Battista
Color/90 Minutes/Not Rated
Region FREE
Release Date: October 27, 2015
Limited Editon: 2,000

The Film
When a cowboy gets dragged by his horse into a deserted ghost town he meets a gypsy family that offers him a fortune to return a princess back home to Spain but upon getting to Spain he's immediately thrown head over heels (and heels over head!) into a war between barbarians, vikings, the Moors and must complete an epic quest to receive any of the money promised to him.

In one of the more bizarre and unexpected plots a movie has ever thrown at me, I'm not entirely sure what to make of GET MEAN. Tony Anthony reprises his role of The Stranger for the fourth time in a film that would get shelved for decades. There's no need to see the previous Stranger films to be able to perfectly follow along. Well, as much as you can follow this bizarre mish mash of spaghetti western, sword and sandal peplum film and Looney Tunes cartoon.

GET MEAN is entertaining in its absurd and comical presentation filled with oddball characters including a Shakespeare-reciting warlord and Indiana Jones esque adventures. It's a well made film from director Ferdinando Baldi who made his living skipping from genre to genre with the changing of fads in film. He directed another spaghetti western in the Blue Underground library, Texas Adios, along with the underrated Django, Prepare A Coffin. He would again collaborate with star Tony Anthony, who plays quite the opposite type of lead from Clint Eastwood or Franco Nero, in 1981's Comin' At Ya! and 83's Treasure Of The Four Crowns which were big parts of the 3D revival.

GET MEAN was a bit of an experiment hoping to be able to take a successful western hero out of his natural habitat that was at the end of its cycle and faced severely declining ticket sales, and put him in other exotic locations and adventures selling tickets solely on The Stranger name alone. Admittedly the idea failed and that was the end for The Stranger. At least now we're able to see the anything goes, more is more (except the budget, though you wouldn't know from watching) bizarre production that is GET MEAN.

The Audio & Video
Blue Underground delivers GET MEAN on Blu-ray with a full 1080p HD, 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen presentation. Overall picture quality is very good with a healthy grain structure giving the movie a natural film look. The picture is clean with little to no speckling noticeable. Detail level is good and at times great, while colors are natural without appearing too hot. The PQ can best be described as "natural". The English audio is delivered through a mono DTS-HD track that sounds great most of the time. Early on in the film there's a bit of damage to the audio likely from the source material and not from the work done on the Blu-ray. Otherwise the mix is great and levels are steady with a crisp and clear soundtrack throughout.

Please note - Screen grabs have been taken from the DVD version of the film and do not represent the  superior quality of the Blu-ray HD version of the film.

The Extras
-"Tony & I": An interview with director Ferdinando Baldi (8 Minutes) - Baldi briefly discusses his history with Tony Anthony and their friendship and love of cinema including how Anthony played a big role in reviving 3D in the 1980s.
-"The Story Of The Stranger": Interview with producer and star Tony Anthony (23 Minutes) - A new interview with Tony Anthony as he discusses GET MEAN for the first time ever in an interview along with other career anecdotes.
-"Looking For Richard": Interview with co-writer/star Lloyd Battista )(12 Minutes) - A lively sit down with Battista who delivers stories of his time making movies with his friend Tony Anthony and how the movies were made
-"Beating A Dead Horse": An interview with Executive Producer Ronald J. Schneider (10 Minutes) - Stories of trying to get GET MEAN financed after the spaghetti western market essentially crashed. This is especially interesting for those interested in the inner workings of getting a movie made from a financial standpoint.
-Deleted Scenes
-Theatrical Trailer
-French Trailer
-Radio Spots
-Poster and Still Gallery
-Booklet with essays on the Stranger film series by Howard Hughes
-DVD copy of the film

The Bottom Line
I'm not sure how they pulled it off but GET MEAN is one wild entertaining ride that could have easily been a total disaster. Credit is due to the cast and crew for making a crazy movie and to Blue Underground for rescuing this film from obscurity and securing its safe place in genre film history with a great BD presentation.

GET MEAN is available HERE

God Told Me To (Blu-ray Review) - Blue Underground

USA/1976
Directed By: Larry Cohen
Written By: Larry Cohen
Starring: Tony Lo Bianco, Deborah Raffin, Sandy Dennis
Color/90 Minutes/Not Rated
Region FREE
Release Date: February 10, 2015

The Film
A man sits perched atop a water tower in New York City armed with a rifle and opens fire on the lunch time crowds on the streets below, striking well over a dozen victims without a single miss. When detective Peter Nicholas (Tony Lo Bianco) ascends the tower to try and talk the shooter down he asks what has made him commit this crime and the shooter responds simply with "God told me to." before hurling himself off the tower to his own death. Thus begins one of the strangest experiences you're ever going to have with a film.

Detective Peter Nicholas continues to investigate a bizarre string of killings plaguing the city where all of the murderers claim that God has instructed them to kill. Nicholas' investigation takes him on a strange journey of alien abduction and insemination, virgin births, unholy faith and more violence. It is only when he discovers his true connection to it all that he will be able to stop it.

GOD TOLD ME TO is a film that may only have been able to be made when it was made. Larry Cohen may have been king of the drive-in film with works such as The Stuff, Q The Winged Serpent, Black Caesar and the It's Alive trilogy to name just a few. GOD TOLD ME TO may be his best work however and quite possibly his weirdest. In what plays out like any detective crime story, we're thrown through a whirlwind blender of demonic horror and off the wall science fiction twists. Cohen's writing certainly had a more is more attitude with this film and it somehow all comes together and works. His tight, moody and sometimes stylish direction aids in that. In a film that perfectly shows off New York City's grittiness of the period it's worth noting as an accomplishment that he's also able to pull off perfectly lit and artistic shots with some heavy handed use of colored lighting.

Tony Lo Bianco and the rest of the cast that reads like a who's who of various eras of Hollywood, give everything they have to bring Cohen's script to life without a single ounce of cheese, ham or overacting. This film would fail if the actors corn balled up their performances and it is something that Larry Cohen wouldn't have allowed, especially with the talent he had on board. From Andy Kaufman's first screen appearance to Richard Lynch and Sylvia Sidney nobody misses a beat.

The fashion in which the story progresses will have the viewer fully locked in and engaged wondering just what the hell will happen next. It may take a minute (or more) to process some of the big turns the film takes but you know what? It's a blast and somehow Cohen pulls it all together for a fucking awesome piece of bizarre drive-in cinema.


The Audio & Video
Blue Underground's release of GOD TOLD ME TO is absolutely stunning. The 16x9 anamorphic widescreen transfer has been scanned in 4K from the original negative and the results couldn't be nicer. The print is clean and in excellent condition. Colors are vivid and pop off the screen in breathtaking fashion. There's substantial detail shown in textures, surfaces and close ups. Black levels are deep and inky and handled with skill as there's no blocking up whatsoever. Skin tones are healthy and natural without any sign of waxiness from excessive DNR.

The English audio track is handled with a 7.1 DTS-HD mix that is pretty much perfect. The mix is boisterous and powerful while featuring subtlety that allows for a perfect balance of dialogue and score. There's no damage to the track such as popping or crackling and there's no background noise. Frank Cordell's score was in perfect hands for this disc.

The Extras
A fairly extensive lineup of special features are included:

-Audio commentary with Larry Cohen
-"Heaven and Hell on Earth": An interview with Tony Lo Bianco
-"Bloody Good Times": An interview with special effects artist Steve Neill
-"God Told Me To Bone" - Q&A with Larry Cohen at the New Beverly Theater
-Lincoln Center Q&A with Larry Cohen
-Extensive selection of TV spots and trailers for the film's ad campaigns under both titles "God Told Me To" and "Demon"
-Poster and stills gallery

The Bottom Line
This will be a disc that future drive-in era exploitation film Blu-ray releases will held to. The incredible A/V presentation with a healthy selection of extras makes this Blue Underground release essential to any fan of horror, exploitation, or oddball cinema.

GOD TOLD ME TO is available HERE

Grindhouse Trailer Classics (DVD Review) - Intervision

Color/129 Minutes/Not Rated
Region FREE
Release Date: August 12, 2014

The Film
For the exploitation, horror and various other genre films of the 60s and 70s the trailer was the only thing to draw in an audience aside from having an appealing title. This would be 30 seconds to a minute and a half of footage from the film promising the most exciting, nerve shattering, blood curdling and adrenaline pumping action you've ever seen. Often times the trailer was better than the movie itself and sometimes the trailer showed every single exciting part of the full film.

Creating an exciting trailer that will captivate audiences and get them to shell out their bucks to buy a ticket to see the full film is an art form in itself and the trailers for the films that would play in seedy theaters in cities such as Chicago, San Francisco and along the Deuce in New York City featured an energy that has never been recreated. GRINDHOUSE TRAILER CLASSICS features 55 trailers from films stretching the gamut of exploitation genres. A few included trailers are the horror films House Of Whipcord, and Don't Open The Window to the exploitation classics They Call Her One Eye and the Ilsa films. There's even a giallo or two included.

The Audio & Video
Intervision releases this DVD with an anamorphic widescreen transfer and original mono audio. The picture and audio quality fluctuates from trailer to trailer as you'd expect. The best trailers look and sound fantastic with little background noise and minor dirt or damage to the print. The trailers in lesser condition still maintain pretty good quality. There aren't any trailers that are excessively beaten or battered.

The Extras
-"Bump 'N Grind" - a 15 minute featurette with Emily Booth and she discusses the history of the grindhouse theater and the films they showed.
-Gallery of poster art

The Bottom Line
These trailer compilations are a lot of fun to watch in their entirety or to throw on before movies during a movie night with friends. Pick a few random trailers to watch before your main feature and you'll have even more fun. GRINDHOUSE TRAILER CLASSICS has some of the best trailers from the era and you won't be disappointed with this disc.

GRINDHOUSE TRAILER CLASSICS is available HERE

In Search Of Bigfoot / Cry Wilderness (DVD Review) - Vinegar Syndrome

USA/1975, 1986
Directed By: Lawrence Crowley/William Miller, Jay Cohen
Written By: , Jay Cohen, Phillip Yordan
Starring: Robert Morgan, Phil Tonken, Eric Foster, Maurice Grandmaison
Color/167 Minutes/Not Rated
Region FREE
Release Date: August 5, 2014

The Films
The first film on this double feature DVD is a documentary from 1975 entitled IN SEARCH OF BIGFOOT, a title that perfectly sums up what the film is about. A man who deeply believes in the existence of the infamous beast and claims to have an experience with one twenty years prior assembles a team to explore the Pacific Northwest hunting for clues and proof of Bigfoot. Overall IN SEARCH OF BIGFOOT is endearing in its honesty and heartfelt nature on wanting to uncover the truth behind the myth and find the beast. There's no sarcastic cool guy making jokes or anyone trying to hoax the existence and trick the world. It's a group that has a passion to uncover the beast and protect his home. Unfortunately it's a rather boring documentary. The 76 minutes are spent walking through the woods or talking to locals in and around the area who have sightings of beasts that may or may not have been a Sasquatch and little of any actual consequence happens.

In the second film on the set, CRY WILDERNESS, a young boy who befriended Bigfoot the year earlier is visited by the beast and warned that his father is in grave danger. The boy leaves his boarding school and hitchhikes his way into the mountains where his father works as a forest ranger. The ranger and his Native American friend are on the hunt for a tiger that escaped from the circus to capture it alive while locals are on the hunt to make money. All the while a big game hunter is on the look for Bigfoot and will spill blood to find and kill him.

CRY WILDERNESS is ridiculous in that it is a big mashup of nature run amok, Bigfoot and children's adventure flick. There's some instances of horror but just as often there's adorable scenes of cute raccoons terrorizing a kitchen and making a mess and Bigfoot and the boy reuniting with a big hug and spinning around like they're in a musical. Oh and did I mention Bigfoot loves to drink Coke and listen to rock music? Yeah, he's pretty much the hippest Bigfoot around.

I don't know if I liked CRY WILDERNESS or not. It certainly was an interesting and sometimes entertaining movie but that has as much to do with how random the whole thing was. I think an opportunity for a more violent horror driven film was missed. Seeing this Bigfoot, with a cheesy yet fairly decent looking costume tear apart asshole locals who are destroying his home and other animal friends would have been great. We get nothing close to that though and CRY WILDERNESS exists in some sort of weird plane where Bigfoot finds it easier to visit a little kid at his school instead of just saving the kid's dad himself.

The Audio & Video
Vinegar Syndrome's transfer of BIGFOOT is solid. The documentary filmed on 16mm has pretty good clarity. The print is in pretty good condition with the occasional bit of dirt/debris or the stray hair remaining. For a low budget documentary shot on 16mm it looks about as good as you'd hope for. The audio is better than I expected given the nature of the production. Audio is clear with good mixing and steady levels. There's never a moment of struggling to understand dialogue and there's very little if any annoying popping or crackling.

CRY WILDERNESS looks pretty good on this DVD. There's a bit of speckling but the print is mostly clean and has decent sharpness and clarity. It does look better than the other film on the disc as it was filmed in 35mm and quality is naturally higher. The audio track sounds good with good mixing and clarity. There's no background noise and levels are steady so you won't need to reach the remote for fluctuating volume.

The Extras
Bare bones.

The Bottom Line
This DVD from the Drive-In Collection by Vinegar Syndrome is an interesting pairing of similarly themed yet totally different Sasquatch flicks. If you're a fan of the big beast and films about it there's no reason not to check this disc out. 

IN SEARCH OF BIGFOOT/CRY WILDERNESS is available HERE