"The Device" - UK DVD review

Got an advanced look at Jeremy Berg’s upcoming sci-fi thriller “The Device”, which is coming to UK DVD at the end of March.

 

The film largely revolves around young couple Abby (Angela DeMarco) and her partner Calvin (David S Hogan), who are meeting up with her estranged sister Rebecca (Kate Alden) for the first time in many years. Having separated following some sort of childhood trauma, they’re trying to patch things up, with the help of Abby’s boyfriend, by heading back to their mothers old cabin for a weekend.

 

Wandering out into the woods, the 2 girls come across what looks like some strange crash wreckage, amongst which one of them finds a mysterious looking black ball. Taking the object with them, strange things subsequently happen. Rebecca starts giving out cryptic messages in her sleep, Calvin starts getting strange headaches and Abby starts having strange dreams about aliens and then discovers she is pregnant, despite Calvin apparently being infertile. And well, that’s about it really…

 

All these incidents seem to be somehow connected to the strange black ball they found earlier, which does seem to have a mind of its own. But you never really do find out what its about or whether this whole incident does have some sort of alien connection, or whether everyone is just going barmy. Indeed, it was almost like watching an exceptionally slow episode of “The X-Files” (which the director was clearly a fan of, seeing as he mentions it in the script).

 

Directed by Jeremy Berg, who also gave us “The Invoking”, whilst the film benefits from a cast that can actually act (unlike so many low budget films of this nature), the plot is, sadly, painfully slow and lacks any proper conclusion. If you liked “The X-Files”, you may enjoy this. But mainstream horror fans may find this a tad slow.

 

The disc contains 3x commentary tracks. The first with director Jeremy Berg, producer Matt Medisch and writer John Poratnova. The second with actors Angela DeMarco, Kate Alden and David Hogan and the third one writer John Portanova and Tracey Torme, scriptwriter of several alien abduction films.

 

The film is released to UK DVD March 23rd

 

Buy the UK DVD at Amazon.co.uk

 

 

"Hooked Up" - new trailer released....

The film makers behind the highly-anticipated film "Hooked Up" have just released a new trailer ahead of its VOD release in the US in April.

 

 

Filmed entirely on an iPhone, from director Pablo Larcuen and executive producer Jaume Collet-Serra (Non-Stop) comes the most terrifying found-footage movie since The Blair Witch Project.

 

Tonio and Peter, two young Americans, travel to Barcelona to party and, above all, to score with women. During their very first night out partying, they meet some girls that they go home with. There, things will take an unexpected turn. With no possibility of escape, they must face their worse nightmares.

The film premieres on VOD in the US April 7 from Uncork'd Entertainment.

Lurid Trumps - Video Nasties Series 2 card set

At the beginning of February 2015, Gods and Monsters launched its debut product – "Lurid Trumps Video Nasties Series One". Bringing a new slant to the classic card game, as players pitted 36 of the infamous forbidden VHS classics of the 1980s against each other. Battling it out to see who had the best Gore Score, Gratuitous Sex, Infamy Level and Nasty Rating.

 

 

This first edition sold out within a week of going on sale, and the copies carried by Psychotronic Video and FAB Press were snapped up within hours! Sets are already trading at twice the original sale price.

 

Now, Gods and Monsters announce Series Two, featuring the remaining 36 films seized and destroyed by the British authorities. Each card features the original iconic British VHS sleeve artwork from the original release. Lurid Trumps are printed on glossy, wipe-­clean card (so feel free to drool on them!) and come housed in a clear plastic keep case.

 

As well as the 36 cards in each series, they come with an original cover card featuring a notorious anti-­nasty campaigner rendered in vivid cartoon form!

 

Lurid Trumps: Video Nasties Series Two is strictly limited edition, available at the end of March 2015. Over half the run has already sold to early bird Facebook and Twitter followers. The rest are sure to go quickly!

 

They are priced at £8.00, plus postage and handling. Pre-­orders are available NOW on the Gods and Monsters website, and the sets will also be available from selected outlets.

 

Future Gods and Monsters releases include the recorded works of legendary wrestler Exotic Adrian Street and the lounge stylings of sleazy listening maestro Cy Payne on limited edition, coloured vinyl, as well as further collectables and games.

 

For more information and to pre-order, visit http://godsandmonstersrecords.com/

"The Remaining" - coming to UK DVD March

A group of close friends gather for a wedding, but their celebration is shattered by apocalyptic events in the supernatural thriller "THE REMAINING" which comes to DVD and VOD in March.

"THE REMAINING" is an action-packed supernatural thriller that addresses questions of life, love and belief against an apocalyptic backdrop. A group of close friends gather for a wedding, but the celebration is shattered by a series of cataclysmic events and enemies foretold by biblical end-times prophecies. The survivors face a horrifying, uncertain future as they scramble for safety, but as their world collapses around them in chaos and terror will they choose real life through faith, or just try to survive?

 

Directed by Casey La Scala (Grind), "THE REMAINING" stars Alexa Vega (Sin City: A Dame to Kill For), Shaun Sipos (“The Vampire Diaries”), Johnny Pacar (“Make It or Break It”), Italia Ricci (“Chasing Life”) and Bryan Dechart (Step Up 3D). 

 

Bonus Features on the DVD include...

- Deleted Scene
-“Divine Revelations: Making The Remaining” Featurette - Director Casey La Scala, as well as the cast and crew discuss the film's unique take on the end-of-times, along with the intense stunt work, the scares and the special effects.

 

"THE REMAINING" is available 2 March on Digital HD and 16 March on DVD from Sony Pictures.

 

Buy the UK DVD from Amazon.co.uk 

 

 

"AVENGED" - Q+A SESSIONS ACROSS LOS ANGELES FROM MARCH 6

One for my US site visitors, particularly if you are in the Los Angeles area, Uncork’d Entertainment will release the critically acclaimed Avenged at Arena Cinemas Hollywood on March 6, 2015.

 

 

As part of the opening night celebrations, the 10:15 PM screening on Friday March 6 will be followed by a Q&A with cast and crew, including star Amanda Adrienne and director Michael S.Ojeda.

 

A second Q+A session will be held after the Sunday March 8, 6:30 PM screening.

 

Tickets available from www.arenascreen.com

 

These two Q+A sessions are EXCLUSIVE to Los Angeles.

"It Follows" - in UK cinemas Friday!!!!

Teen sex, suburbia, murder, and nightmarish demons all take on a new layer of substance and style in "It Follows", released to UK cinemas Friday (Feb 27th).

After a date and seemingly innocent sexual encounter, 19-year-old Jay is left with an inescapable sense that someone, or something is following her. Jay and her friends team up to try and find ways escape the traumatising horrors that are always right behind them.

 

The breakout film from the 2014 Cannes Film Festival, It Follows is a suspenseful, beautifully shot, horror film that takes old, tired horror clichés and puts a smart, culturally relevant spin on them whilst maintaining a timeless class that the horror genre hasn't seen for a long time.

 

The film is out at UK cinemas Friday 27th Feb.

 

View the trailer on YouTube.

LRC and Spectral Press to publish Michael Armstrong's entire screenplay output

The London Repertory Company are delighted to announce a working relationship with Spectral Press who will be publishing the complete screen play output of the LRC's Artistic Director Michael Armstrong (Mark Of The Devil, Eskimo Nell) in paperback and e-book format, with the first edition due in April.

 

Spectral Press is a British Fantasy Award-nominated independent, specialising mainly in the supernatural, quiet horror, and ghost story end of the literary fiction spectrum.  It publishes chapbooks, novellas, collections and anthologies.  Alongside the fiction, Spectral also publishes non-fiction books on cinema and televisual media through the Spectral Screen imprint.

 

Genre movie legend Michael Armstrong is making history by being the first screen writer to publish his entire set of filmed and unfilmed screen plays in their original uncut texts before front office changes and including all missing scenes and dialogue, thereby enabling readers to experience the films exactly as he intended them for an audience.

 

Published in the same font and precise page layout of Armstrong's unique writing style, each title will be accompanied by a detailed writing history as to its sources and creative problems, front office cuts, changes and alterations, casting choices, production history and an outline of the circumstances that led to certain screen plays ending up on a screen, others being shelved, and many never actually having even been read by anyone in the industry.

 

London Repertory Company will be the sole publisher for a unique signed and numbered hardback collectors' set while Spectral Press will be responsible for all paperback and e-book editions of the screen plays.  All proceeds from the publications will go directly to London Repertory Company to whom Armstrong has donated all royalties to aid the LRC's efforts to regenerate traditional repertory theatre and allied apprenticeship training in the UK.

 

Spectral's first paperback title will be the 1982 multi award-winning classic, tongue-in-cheek parody of "Old Dark House" horror movies, House Of The Long Shadows, written specifically for the four great horror legends, Vincent Price, Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing and John Carradine, and directed by genre favourite Pete Walker in 1983.  Simon Marshall-Jones, chief executive for Spectral Press, said "We are particularly excited to be working with London Repertory Company in publishing Michael Armstrong's screenwriting work - a terrific legacy of such a legendary figure in the British film industry."

 

Forthcoming titles will include the genre classics: Mark Of The Devil with its missing end scene; Armstrong's original thirty minute screenplay of The Image which starred David Bowie; and his outrageous satirical 70's comedy Eskimo Nell which has just been released on Blu-ray to celebrate the film's 40th anniversary.

 

For further information, please visit www.michaelarmstrong.co.uk and www.spectralpress.co.uk

"Nightcrawler" - out on UK disc Monday!

Recently nominated for four BAFTA awards including Leading Actor for Jake Gyllenhaal, eOne is pleased to announce the UK release of the most anticipated twisted thriller of the year – "NIGHTCRAWLER".

 

"NIGHTCRAWLER" is a pulse-pounding thriller set in the neon-drenched streets of night time LA. Down on his luck Lou Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal) stumbles upon the dangerous, cut-throat world of freelance crime journalism – discovering that filming murder and mayhem can be a quick way to make a buck. Aided by Nina (Rene Russo), a ruthless veteran of TV news, Lou combs LA’s seedy underbelly for the city’s most sensational news footage. He soon discovers he’s uniquely suited to his new job, but events begin to spiral out of control as one dark choice leads to another.

The film is available to Download early from 23 February 2015 and on DVD, Blu-ray and a limited edition Blu-ray Steelbook from 2 March 2015.

The DVD and Blu-ray are available to pre-order now from Amazon and the Blu-ray Steelbook will be available exclusively from HMV and eOne Direct.

Pre-order the UK DVD from Amazon.co.uk

Pre-order the UK BD from Amazon.co.uk

Fright-Rags to release "Chucky" collection

Fright-Rags' CHUCKY collection honours one of horror's most iconic villains, with limited edition box set, shirts and posters up for pre-order.

 

Wanna play with Chucky? The pint-sized killer has been terrifying and entertaining audiences for more than 25 years. Fright-Rags is excited to honour one of horror's most iconic villains with the Chucky Collection.

 

 

 

The Chucky box set includes three Chucky shirts - one designed by Justin Osbourn, a second from Abrar Ajmal and a third tee exclusive to the set - as well as an exclusive 18x24 screeprinted poster by artist Matt Ryan Tobin, a prismatic sticker and a full-size Good Guys replica box. This killer set is limited to only 225.

 

Osbourn and Ajmal's designs are also available separately, as are additional Chucky shirts from Coki Greenway and Christopher Lovell. Rounding out the Chucky collection is an 18x24 screenprinted poster by Kyle Crawford. Limited to 100, the print features a glow-in-the-dark layer that reveals Charles Lee Ray's voodoo spell.

 

The Chucky collection are available for pre-order now. Limited edition items may sell out during the pre-order period, so act fast if you want a friend 'til the end. Orders will ship in late March.

 

Pre-order items from the Fright-Rags Chucky collection

 

Fright-Rags other new releases include shirts inspired by Freddy Krueger, Castle Freak, Subspecies and Sleepwalkers. Find all these and more at Fright-Rags.com.

Arrow films to release "Hostages".

Arrow Films are pleased to announce the release of the complete first series of the nail-biting and gripping, Israeli psychological thriller "Hostages" to DVD and VOD. 

 

Filmed on location in modern-day Jerusalem, the 10-part Israeli series, which currently airs on BBC Four, is an intense, modern-day psychological crime-thriller that will leave viewers on the edge of their seat. 

 

A brilliant female surgeon, Dr. Yael Danon (played by Ayelet Zurer), discovers her family have been kidnapped the night before she is due to perform surgery on the Israeli Prime Minister. The hostage-holders have one demand: "Kill the PM on the operating table or her loved ones die."

 

The original Israeli series of "Hostages" was a massive hit in its native Israel, and follows the US adaptation that was shown on Channel 4 in 2014, which starred Toni Collette and Dylan McDermott. As we follow one woman’s battle to save both her family and the Prime Minister, we are taken on a thrilling and unexpected emotional journey where the key characters fight for survival and nothing is what it seems.

 

The original Israeli series was produced by Chaim Sharir and written by Omri Givon and Rotem Shamir. It is distributed internationally by Armoza Formats.
 

"Hostages - The Complete First Series" is released Monday 16th March in a DVD box set and on VOD, courtesy of Arrow films.

 

Pre-order the DVD from Amazon.co.uk

 

 

Image to release "The Haunting of Radcliffe House" on UK DVD

When a family move to a remote estate on the Yorkshire moors, demonic forces are unleashed in Nick Willing’s spellbinding ghost story "The Haunting of Radcliffe House"  which comes to UK DVD this May.

Olivia Williams (The Sixth Sense) and Matthew Modine (The Dark Knight Rises) star as husband and wife Meg and Alec who move to the darkly beautiful but desolate Radcliffe House with their two children. A mosaic on the floor hints at the terrible murder by Radcliffe of his wife Isabella – the result of a demonic black magic ritual that led to his suicide... or did it?

Ghostly creatures haunt this house, teasing, taunting and invading those who linger within and something is driving Alec, maniacally, to recreate the presence of Isabella in the body of his wife.

The ritual is about to be enacted once more, the past bloodily thrust into the present.  Will anyone survive The Haunting of Radcliffe House?

 

The film is released to UK DVD 11th May, thanks to Image Entertainment.

 

Pre-order the UK DVD at Amazon.co.uk

 

 

 

 

"Frankenstein Vs The Mummy" coming to UK DVD

"Alien vs. Predator"… "Freddy vs. Jason"… "Cockneys vs. Zombies"… Now, two of horror history’s greatest go head-to-head, mano-a-mummy in a no-holds-barred fight to the finish.  And if you’re worried about innocent bystanders – don’t be… none will survive.

 

Dr Victor Frankenstein and Egyptologist Naihla Khalil.  Both professors at a leading medical university; both obsessed with creatures from the past.

 

Victor’s experiments in recreating life runs amok when he reanimates the corpse of a sadistic, murderous madman.  And Naihla’s most recent discovery is the cursed mummy of an evil pharaoh whose dark spirit is also about to be unleashed upon an unsuspecting world.

 

Each in their way presents a terrible threat to the human race.   But when these two monsters meet - two opposing forces of undefeatable, undead, blood-lust - no one will be safe from the slaughter. 

 

"Frankenstein vs. The Mummy" comes to UK DVD on the Image label of RLJ Entertainment this April 13th.  Place your bets – winner takes all.

 

Pre-order the UK DVD from Amazon.co.uk

 

 

"Curse of the Witching Tree" - Packshot and stills released

British Indie Horror "Curse of the Witching Tree" is coming to UK DVD May 18th, and to wet some appetites, the producers have just released the DVD artwork and some production stills from the movie.

 

 

Full plot synopsis has yet to be released, but the film centres around a curse placed on the farmland of a young woman, who was wrongly executed for witchcraft by the church, so they could steal her land.

 

The film marks the feature film directorial debut of James Crow, who had previous penned "The Warning" (2012), "Riot" (AKA GBH - 2012) and "He Who Dares" (2014) and stars Sarah Rose Denton (Mob Handed), Jon Campling ("Harry Potter", "Jack the Giant Slayer") and Dean Maskell ("Green Street 3" and forthcoming "No Reasons").

 

For more information visit the films Facebook and Twitter pages.

 

Pre-order the film on Amazon.co.uk 

 

 

 

"Wolves" - UK DVD review

Coming to UK DVD this March, "Wolves" stars Lucas Till  (“X-Men : First Class”, “Battle Los : Angeles”) as high-school teenager Cayden Richards. When something happens to him one full moon, and wakes up to find his parents have been brutally slaughtered, he realises there is something very wrong with him, and decides to disappear.

 

Drifting from place to place, he eventually comes across the small town of Lupine Ridge, where he’s taken in by farmer John Tollerman (Stephen McHattie – Pontypool). But it seems there’s something very strange about the place.

 

Turns out the whole town is made up of werewolves like him, and they are being terrorised by a rival clan of wolves, lead by a purebred named Connor (played by “Game of Thrones” Jason Momoa), who holds the town in a grip of fear.

 

But when Cayden is befriended by young Angelina (Merritt Patterson – TVs “Ravenswood”), who runs the local bar, and he discovers that Connor has something “unsavoury” planned for her, it triggers off brutal bloodfeud between him and Connor’s clan, as Connor tries to assert his ‘authority’ and Cayden finally comes to terms with what he is.

 

Action packed, I was extremely impressed with this one, which marked the feature film directorial debut of David Hayter (writer, “X-Men”, “Watchmen”). The plot was an interesting twist on the old western story of a town being terrorised by outlaws, but are subsequently liberated by a passing drifter. Except in this case the outlaws are werewolves, not cowboys.

 

Lucas Till and Jason Momoa were both aptly cast as hero and villain respectively, along with Merrit Paterson as the would-be damsel in distress. The film also benefits greatly from the inclusion of Stephen McHattie, as the sympathetic farmer who takes Cayden under his wing and actually proves to be the films most likeable character. I also liked the way the werewolf effects were largely made up of practical effects, with CGI use being kept to a minimum.

 

Also included on the DVD is a selection of deleted scenes and a "gag reel" of out take footage!

 

If you like werewolf movies, you’ll definitely love this. The film is released to UK DVD March 2nd.

 

Buy the UK DVD from Amazon.co.uk

 

 

"Zombie Cats from Mars" - coming to US DVD

Production company 'MWB3  Problems' has laid out the galactic kitty-litter for its upcoming horror-comedy "Zombie Cats from Mars".  Directed by Montetré (Holed Up) and written by Ryan Cloutier, the ‘catastrophe’ – which came together thanks to a successful crowd-funding campaign on Kickstarter – is due for release in the US early this year.

 

The  story  centres  on  Billy,  an  effeminate  fan  of  vintage  science fiction  action thrillers.  His  only  friend  is  Cameron,  a  nerdy  film buff  who  tries  to  boost  his confidence  whenever  he  can.    After seeing  a  UFO  land,  Billy  retreats  into  his  head,  imagining  that  aliens  are  taking  over  the  town.  Cameron  is  skeptical,  as  is  the  rest  of  the  town.  Meanwhile, people are  starting  to  die. 

 

First,  the  reclusive  cat  lady  Percis  is  discovered  mutilated  by  Lester,  the  church -­‐going  husband  of  Carolyn,  Percis’s depressed  caretaker.  Random  deaths  soon  follow,  first  a  jogger,  and  then  a  janitor  at  the  Carbonics  Warehouse.  A  pair  of  news  reporters  share  this  information  with  the  public  while  the  Detective  and  his  Chief  try  to  solve  the  killings.   

 

Meanwhile,  the  killings  continue.  Billy,  wrapped  up  in  a  world  of  fiction,  discovers  a  story  in  which  Martian  Cats  land  on  Earth  and  inflict  horror  upon  the  town. 

 

Confident that  the killings  are  the  result  of  the  UFO  delivering  alien  cats,  he  sets  off  on  his  own  superhero  mission  to  save  the  town.

 

If you're struggling to get your head round that plot summary, here's the trailer on YouTube.

 

 

"The Signal" - at UK cinemas and on DVD.

"The Signal", the new astonishing science-fiction thriller starring Laurence Fishburne (The Matrix, Hannibal), Olivia Cooke (Ouija, Bates Motel) and Brenton Thwaites (Maleficent, Oculus) comes to UK cinemas 27th March and DVD 13th April 2015.

 

A road trip turns in to a breathless battle for reality itself in this astonishing science fiction thriller. When a trio of computer geniuses are lured to the desert, they believe it to be a hackers prank. But things turn serious when they're kidnapped and taken to a mysterious facility. Who has taken them? The government? A terrorist organisation? An agency not of this world? They will do whatever it takes to find out.

 

Directed by William Eubank (Love), one of the genre’s hottest new talents, "The Signal" is packed with big action and even bigger ideas, with shades of modern science-fiction classics such as Source Code and Looper.

 

The Signal puts edgy, smart ideas at the centre of a hugely exciting genre thriller - appealing to hard sci-fi fans and mainstream audiences alike.

The film will be shown at selected UK cinemas from March 27th, then will be released to K DVD April 13th.

Pre-order the UK DVD from Amazon.co.uk

"Alien 5" coming from "District 9" director

So it's official. Looks like there is going to be a new Alien film and Neill Blonkamp (District 9) is going to be directing.

 

According to Variety (and various other news sources), the untitled sci-fi project is separate from “Prometheus 2,” which Fox is still making with Ridley Scott.

 

Blomkamp, who directed “District 9″ and the upcoming Sony feature “Chappie,” had been teasing the project in recent months but said the extra-terrestrial reboot was likely abandoned. It was supposed to star “Alien” veteran Sigourney Weaver.

 

But on Wednesday Blomkamp confirmed on Instagram, the tentpole was back on track at Fox.
 

Um... So I think it's officially my next film. #alien

A photo posted by Brownsnout (@neillblomkamp) on Feb 18, 2015 at 3:55pm PST

It’s unclear whether Weaver is still attached to the movie.

 

According to insiders, the new “Alien” takes place years after the “Prometheus” sequel. Scott is producing both films through his production company Scott Free.

 

“Prometheus,” also distributed by Fox, was “loosely based” on the “Alien” franchise and earned over $400 million worldwide. But the 3D movie opened to mixed reviews, and Fox hopes Blomkamp, who last directed “Elysium,” can take the franchise to the next level.



 

"The Generation of Z: Apocalypse" comes to London

 

"The Generation of Z: Apocalypse", an immersive, terrifying interactive theatre experience, is coming to London.

 

After critically acclaimed runs in New Zealand and at the 2014 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, "The Generation of Z: Apocalypse" has spread to East London. Hurling audiences into the maelstrom of a zombie apocalypse and unfolding in real time, "The Generation of Z: Apocalypse" is a thrilling 75 minutes of high-velocity storytelling that will terrify even the hardiest of thrill seekers.

 

This apocalyptic world unfolds within a purpose-built labyrinthian venue in Whitechapel, London. Spanning over a 25,000 square feet bunker.

Forget what you know about immersive theatre - this is a new form of high-octane, interactive storytelling. "The Generation of Z: Apocalypse" throws you into your very own action movie, where there is no fourth wall and no interval. Every choice is life or death. SURVIVAL IS IN YOUR HANDS.

 

Checkout the YouTube preview

 

Check them out on Facebook and Twitter

 

You can book tickets online at http://www.thegenerationofz.com.

 

Tickets are available for this event from Friday 20th Feb, BUT you can purchase early bird tickets from Thursday 19th and get money off by entering the code EXTINCTIONISNOW

 

 

Del Toro's "Crimson Peak" - trailer released.

Crimson Peak,  a haunting gothic horror story directed by the master of dark fairy tales, Guillermo del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth, Hellboy), will be hitting UK cinemas in October, but to wet some appetites, here's a trailer

 

In the aftermath of a family tragedy, an aspiring author is torn between love for her childhood friend and the temptation of a mysterious outsider.  Trying to escape the ghosts of her past, she is swept away to a house that breathes, bleeds…and remembers.

 

The film was written by del Toro, Matthew Robbins and Lucinda Coxon and stars Mia Wasikowska, Jessica Chastain, Tom Hiddleston and Charlie Hunnam. 

 

Arrow films to release "Society" and "Island of Death" to BD

Arrow films have added Brian Yuzna's "Society" and former video nasty "Island of Death" to their list of forthcoming Blu-Ray and DVD combo packs.

Society

Teenager Bill Whitney (Billy Warlock) has always felt like the odd one out in his wealthy, upper-class Beverly Hills family. For some reason, he just doesn’t seem to fit in. But his sense of alienation takes a sinister turn when he overhears a surreptitious audio recording of his sister’s coming-out party, which seems to implicate his family and others in a bizarre, ritualistic orgy. And then there are the strange things he’s been seeing – glimpses of people with their bodies contorted impossibly out of shape... Is Billy going mad or is there something seriously amiss in his neighbourhood?

Packing stomach-churning grue and thought-provoking social commentary in equal measure, Society is a biting horror satire which culminates in one of the most leftfield, gag-inducing “climaxes” in all of horror history – just don’t eat beforehand!

Special Features:
• High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentation
• Optional English SDH subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• New Audio Commentary with Director Brian Yuzna
• Governor Of Society with Brian Yuzna
• The Masters Of The Hunt with stars Billy Warlock, Devin Devasquez, Ben Meyerson and Tim Bartell
• The Champions Of The Shunt with FX Artists Screaming Mad George, David Grasso and Nick Benson
• Screaming Mad George music video
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork
• Collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film, illustrated with original archive stills and posters

Island of Death

Arriving on the idyllic Greek island, Christopher and Celia appear to be every inch the perfect, handsome young couple. Little do the welcoming locals realise that they are in fact a pair of murderous degenerates, determined to spread their own particular brand of perversion across the island. DIY crucifixions, opportunistic bestiality, sexual peeing and murder by all conceivable forms ensue – including death by makeshift blowtorch, samurai sword, dump truck and more!

Shocking, brutal and totally politically incorrect in its outlook, Island of Death is a gruelling cinematic experience devised by director Mastorakis to out-do the excesses of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, which he was hugely inspired by. Now fully uncut and newly-restored from the original negative, fans can enjoy Island of Death in all its sleazy, lurid glory.

Special Features:
• Brand new restoration from the original negative
• High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentation
• Optional English SDH subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Brand new interview with director Nico Mastorakis
• The Films of Nico Mastorakis – the director hosts this documentary covering his varied career in cinema, including a look at Island of Death
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Graham Humphreys
• Collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film, illustrated with original archive stills and posters

Pre-order the "Society" BD/DVD combo pack at Amazon.co.uk

Pre-order the "Island of Death" BD/DVD combo pack at Amazon.co.uk

Poltergeist Poster and Trailer revealed.

20th Century Fox have unveiled the Poster and trailer for the new "Poltergeist" remake, which comes to UK cinemas this year.

 

 

 

 

 

Legendary filmmaker Sam Raimi (“Evil Dead trilogy”, “The Grudge”) and director Gil Kenan (“City of Ember”) contemporise the classic tale about a family whose suburban home is haunted by evil forces.  When the terrifying apparitions escalate their attacks and hold the youngest daughter captive, the family must come together to rescue her before she disappears forever.

 

 

 

 

 

"Scar Tissue" - UK DVD review

Director Scott Michell’s horror/thriller “Scar Tissue” comes to UK DVD this month from Sterling pictures, who were nice enough to send over a screener disc for me to look at.

 

Luke Denham (Danny Horn) is your typical 21 year old, but after waking up from a particularly heavy night of drinking, finds his life plunged into turmoil when he discovers the body of his young flatmate mutilated in the bathroom.

 

However, the police are surprised to discover DNA at the crime scene from a long dead serial killer, who was gunned down years earlier by an armed response squad. This peaks the interest of detective Samantha Wakefield (Charity Cross – “The Raven”), who’s currently on suspension due to mental health issues, as her younger sister was one of the last victims of this killer, before he was supposedly shot dead.

 

Luke’s problems are compounded when he starts receiving messages from the killer and he and Sam are forced into a deadly cat and mouse game with him. But as the bodies pile up, and the police uncover more DNA evidence from other supposedly dead serial killers, they realise this is no ordinary psycho.

 

Also starring Kenneth Colley (Admiral Piett from the original Star Wars trilogy), Shaun Dingwall (Dr Who) and character actress Imogen Bain ("Phantom of the Opera" – 2004), in what was sadly to be her last feature film before her death. The film was an interesting concept, but does get a little bit muddled in the middle and you really need to pay attention to understand the twist ending. But is otherwise quite enjoyable.

 

Its not quite “Silence of the Lambs” or “Saw”, but does make the best of what was obviously a low budget production, and has a strong supporting cast (Dr Who fans will recognise Shaun Dingwall, who played Billy Pipers dad in the show).

 

Extras wise, the DVD comes with the theatrical trailer and a making-of documentary, which is laden with spoilers, so be sure to watch the film first.

 

The film is out on UK DVD now.

 

Buy the UK DVD from Amazon.co.uk

Sony to release "No Good Deed" this March

Golden Globe winner Idris Elba and Academy Award nominee Taraji P. Henson headline the suspenseful thriller NO GOOD DEED, coming to Digital HD 9th March and DVD 23rd March here in the UK from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

 

Terri (Taraji P. Henson), a former lawyer and devoted wife and mother of two, offers to help charming stranger Colin (Elba) after he shows up at her door claiming car trouble. Terri offers her phone to help him but soon learns that no good deed goes unpunished as she finds herself fighting for survival when he invades her home and terrorizes her family

 

Directed by Sam Miller from a screenplay by Aimee Lagos NO GOOD DEED also stars Leslie Bibb (Iron Man) and Kate Del Castillo (The Book of Life)

DVD Bonus Features include: “Making a Thriller” Featurette - Producers Glenn S. Gainor and Will Packer, as well as Director Sam Miller, Idris Elba and Taraji P. Henson discuss the process of making a thriller, developing relatable characters, and incorporating exciting action while telling a real and raw story.

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"Rabid" - a UK BD/DVD review.

Following on from Arrow videos release of David Cronenbergs “Shivers” comes his follow up feature “Rabid”, which is released in an extras laden Blu-Ray and DVD combo pack this month.

 

A young couple are involved in a motorcycle accident. The boyfriend is badly bruised, but the girl, Rose (played by porn star Marilyn Chambers in what was to be her only mainstream role), suffers terrible burns. Fortunately, they crashed close to a plastic surgery clinic, which being the only facility nearby, takes it upon themselves to treat their injuries.

 

However, one of the reasons the doctors are so keen to treat them themselves, rather than transport them to a city hospital, is they wish to test out a new skin reconstructive procedure they’ve developed.

 

But despite the operation appearing to be successful, their new skin regenerative process takes on some chilling side effects, as she develops these strange stinger like appendages, which come out from under her arms and attack and suck the blood from people (you can tell this is a Cronenberg film).

 

Anyway, she promptly breaks out of the hospital and goes around randomly attacking people, who go on to develop rabies like symptoms and start attacking others. Pretty soon, there’s chaos on the streets of Montreal, as the epidemic spreads and the police and national guard hit the streets with orders to shoot to kill anyone displaying symptoms. Whilst the boyfriend and one of the doctors from the hospital, Dr Cypher (Joe Silver), try to track down Rose and figure out what has gone wrong with her.

 

Produced by Ivan Reitman, who most people will probably know as being the director of “Ghostbusters”, this 1977 film, made just 2 years after “Shivers”, is basically a twist on the zombie film formula. However, due to the films low budget, tends to concentrate more on the main characters, rather than the chaos going on in the city.

 

That being said, it does boast some interesting scenes of the infected randomly attacking others and showing the authorities “clearing” the streets of them. The scenes of soldiers in hazmat suits dumping bodies in specially adapted refuse lorries, is particularly grim.

This release by Arrow comes chock-full of extras, including 2x feature length audio commentary tracks. The first by director David Cronenberg and the second with Biographer William Beard.

 

Next are a series of interviews featuring Director David Cronenberg, Producer Ivan Reitman, Special Effects man Joe Blasco and Co-producer Don Carmody discussing their involvement with the film and their time on the set.

 

Then there’s a couple of documentaries, the first is actually a biography taken from the 1999 US TV series “The Directors” (60mins), which looks at the Cronenberg’s career up till that point, and features interviews with the man himself, and the many actors he’s worked with such as Michael Ironside, Peter Weller, Willem Defoe and others. The other is a brand new documentary exclusive to this release entitled  “Raw Rough and Rabid”, (14mins) which looks at the history of distributors Cinepix, who helped produce Cronenbergs earlier movies and looks at some of their other infamous releases, such as the “Ilsa” films and “My Bloody Valentine”.

 

Also included is the films original theatrical trailer and a promotional gallery, featuring poster art, lobby stills and trade adverts used to promote the film.

 

This is the first time the film has been released to Blu-ray anywhere in the world, and contains the most extensive collection of extra features. So if you’re looking to upgrade, or you wanting to check this film out, then this Arrow release is a must.

 

The film is released in both a BD/DVD combo pack (both discs containing the same features on) and in a limited edition Blu-ray steelbook from February 16th.

 

Buy the UK BD/DVD combo pack from Amazon.co.uk

 

Buy the UK BD Steelbook from Amazon.co.uk

Entertainment One to release "Exists" to UK DVD.

The creator of "The Blair Witch Project", Eduardo Sánchez, returns to found-footage horror, the sub-genre he defined back in ’99 and proves he can still terrify audiences with his masterful ability and technique to create high levels of suspense.

 

When a group of friends head into the remote Texas woods for a weekend of non-stop partying, their car hits a huge mysterious animal, which quickly disappears back into the darkness.

 

But as the gang arrives at an isolated cabin, one of them realizes that the woods are home to a bloodthirsty Bigfoot, and it’s only a matter of time before he seeks them out.

 

Soon enough, their weekend trip turns into a terrifying ordeal of survival of the fittest…

Though it’s been 15 years since "The Blair Witch Project", Eduardo Sánchez has barely missed a step when it comes to found-footage horror. Using just a dark space, POV shot, and suspect noises in the distance, Sánchez proves that he’s still a master of unsettling suggestion – making this one found-footage worthy of the Blair Witch legacy.

 

It’s also great to see Bigfoot get his turn to play the bad-guy to such blood-curdling effect. Though a longtime figure of family-friendly fun on film, everyone’s favourite mythical monster has been just waiting for the right movie to come along to make him a believable and brutal villain.

 

With Sánchez at the helm, a cast of promising stars, and a monster of such giant standing, this is a terror-ride of savage suspense not to be missed!

 

"Exists" comes to UK DVD April 6th.

 

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"The Comedy of Terrors" - a UK BD/DVD review.

Arrow films have added “Comedy of Terrors” to their extensive list of Vincent Price titles, which comes to UK Blu-Ray and DVD this month.

 

For this outing, Price plays an unscrupulous undertaker, Waldo Trumbull, who runs his business with the help of his long suffering assistant Mr Gillie (played by genre veteran Peter Lorre), who he loves to berate at every opportunity.

 

Having fallen on hard times, partially due to his father-in-law (played by Boris Karloff) squandering the business money on tasteless ornaments and Trumball spending the rest on drink, the two are forced to save money by re-using the same coffin each time and trying to dodge paying the rent.

 

But when their landlord (Basil Rathbone – old Sherlock Holmes himself) finally demands his dues, Trumball hatches a devious plan to drum up more business, by bumping people off and then offering his services to the bereaved families. But when this fails to generate the revenue he’d hoped, he decides to kill 2 birds with one stone by dealing with his landlord. But he soon discovers that not everything goes to plan and not everyone is as easy to dispense with, and he may have bitten off more than he can chew…

 

Directed by Jacques Tourneur, who had previously directed “I Walked with a Zombie” and “Cat People”, if you were expecting something along the lines of another one of Vincent Prices Edgar Allen Poe adaptations, you may be in for a bit of a shock as he’s seen here camping it up with his fellow period horror co-stars.

 

Indeed, Price seemed to be quite enjoying himself insulting the other characters, delivering such cutting remarks as “You’re not very good at anything are you Mr Gillie, apart from Bungling” with lip smacking relish.

 

The film is being released in a DVD and BD combo pack and contains the usual extensive slew of extras we’ve come to expect from Arrow releases.

 

Firstly you get an running commentary that accompanies the main feature with David Decoteau (Director – Puppet Master) and film historian David Del Valle, who discuss their love of the film and provide the movie with an effective trivia track.

 

Then there’s an archive interview feature from 1993 entitled “Vincent Price : My Life and Crimes”, which runs for 51mins, in which Price runs through his movie career with historian David Del Valle, containing clips from many of his classic movies and was actually his last interview before his untimely death later that year.

 

Next is a look at the films of Jacques Tourneur, entitled “Whispering in Distant Chambers”, which runs about 16mins and follows the directors career from his first movies, up till this one and just beyond as he made only one other feature after this.

 

There’s also a 10minute archive interview with writer Richard Matheson about the film, which was recorded in 2003. Then lastly there’s the original theatrical trailer.

 

Now this was actually the first time I’d seen this movie and the only comedy type horror I had seen Vincent Price in up till now was the ill fated 1983 Kenny Everett movie “Bloodbath at the House of Death”, so this 1963 film was a bit of an eye opener for me, but was surprised at just how much I really liked it.

 

The extras are certainly extensive and added to my enjoyment of the film, in particular the “Life and Crimes” interview, which in my view is worth the price of the disc alone. So Vincent Price fans are definitely going to want to pick this one up.

 

The film is out February 16th from Arrow films

 

Buy the UK BD/DVD combo pack from Amazon.co.uk