Sunday, 31 July 2016

"Dead Next Door" and "Drive in Massacre" - Available now from 88 Films

Out now on UK BD from 88 Films...

THE DEAD NEXT DOOR 

The zombie apocalypse has arrived, and only a ragtag group of mid-western misfits, heavily armed and ready for a fight to the death, can save humankind from a horde of flesh-hungry ghouls! 

Made by underground movie legend J.R. Bookwalter, and widely seen as one of the most revolutionary low budget shockers of the decade, 1989's THE DEAD NEXT DOOR ushered in a new generation of 'do it yourself' filmmaking and comes from the same era of home-made gore as Peter Jackson's BAD TASTE and Jörg Buttgereit's NEKROMANTIK

Featuring voice dubbing from Bruce Campbell (THE EVIL DEAD series), a supporting role for splatter movie legend Scott Spiegel (INTRUDER) and with "financial backer Sam Raimi credited as Master Cylinder" (The New York Times), THE DEAD NEXT DOOR remains one of the greatest ghoul-shows to ever command a cult following!

SPECIAL FEATURES
RESTORATION OF THE DEAD FEATURETTE - Director J.R. Bookwalter discusses the various home video releases of The Dead Next Door and how they were created.
BEHIND THE SCENES FEATURETTE - J.R. Bookwalter narrates behind the scenes footage from the creation of The Dead Next Door
 DELETED SCENES and OUTTAKES
TRAILER
TRAILER REEL
COLLECTOR'S BOOKLET

TECHNICAL SPECS
Region Code: B
Picture Format: HD 1080p 1.33:1
Audio Format: DTS-HD MA 5.1
Language: English
Certification: 18
Running Time: 78 Mins Approx.

DRIVE IN MASSACRE (also available on DVD)

A year before the slasher boom really hit its stride with John Carpenter's legendary trendsetter HALLOWEEN, there was DRIVE-IN MASSACRE - an early slice and dice protoype that is finally achieving its rightful reappraisal courtesy of a brand new 2k scan from the splatter movie addicts at 88 Films!

This worldwide HD debut indicates that DRIVE-IN MASSACRE was, in many ways, ahead of its time - spinning a sleazy story about a clueless police investigation into a madman who is carving up spectators at outdoor cinemas across California! 

Introducing the sort of giallo framework that the post-FRIDAY THE 13th teenkill genre would later take as its own, DRIVE-IN MASSACRE was directed with the expert grindhouse touch of Stu Segall, the man who oversaw Marilyn Chambers in INSATIABLE (1980) before producing such hit TV series as RENEGADE. A lively and lacerating bout of lunatic slasher energy.

SPECIAL FEATURES (BD)
New HD Transfer from 2 sources, graded at Pinewood Studios.
Bonus 61 Minute cut of the film.
Making the Massacre: Interview with Director Stu Segall
Murder at the Drive-In: Interview with Slasher Expert Justin Kerswell
Theatrical Trailer
TV Spot
88 Films Trailer Reel
Reversible Sleeve featuring VHS artwork
Booklet featuring an interview John F. Goff

TECHNICAL SPECS (BD)
Region Code: B
Picture Format: HD 1080p 1.78:1
Audio Format: LPCM Mono
Language: English
Certification: 18
Running Time: 74 Mins Approx.

Buy the UK BD of DEAD NEXT DOOR from Amazon.co.uk

Buy the UK BD of DRIVE IN MASSACRE from Amazon.co.uk

Buy the UK DVD of DRIVE IN MASSACRE from Amazon.co.uk

Saturday, 30 July 2016

SHARK LAKE - UK DVD review

Out on UK DVD Monday, Aug 1st. Shark Lake stars Dolph Lundgren (The Expendables) as Clint Gray, a black market dealer in exotic animal species, who is forced to dump his latest acquisition, a shark of all things, into a nearby lake after he's collared by the police.

Subsequently jailed, one of the local Sheriff's deputies, Meredith Hernandez (Sarah Lane – Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse) takes pity on his daughter and decides to adopt her. So when he is paroled some 5 years later, she is understandably unhappy about the prospect of getting in a custody dispute with him. 

But it seems that's not her biggest problem. The shark that was unknowingly dumped into the lake has now grown to full size and is proceeding to chow down on the locals. Aided by a local marine biologist (Michael Aaron Milligan - The Last Heist), they attempt to hunt this thing down before it can attack again.

Not overly gory, the film is typical of the sort of film that can be found playing on the Sci-Fi channel most weekday afternoons. Though for what was obviously a low budget film, the CGI was surprisingly good.

Whilst it was enjoyable seeing Dolph Lundgren hamming it up on camera, it seems most of the plot was centred around the Sheriff's deputy and her reluctance to let her adopted daughter see her biological father, with the whole shark thing being almost secondary to the plot.

To summarise, Shark Lake isn’t a bad film, but isn’t a great one either. Would have benefited from some additional black humour as, with the exception of a scene with a stereo-typical British naturalist, who ends up coming to an untimely end, the film was pretty much played straight, which is a pity as I think it would have worked better as a cheesy comedy.

Anyway, the film is released to UK DVD Aug 1st by Soda Pictures and contains a trailer as an extra.

View the trailer on YouTube

Buy the UK DVD from Amazon.co.uk


Eric Elick releases soundtrack to Emma Dark’s SEIZE THE NIGHT.

American composer Eric Elick has been making quite a buzz on the indie film scene recently.  Having scored eight short films and a feature in just under two years with additional projects to be announced later this year, Eric now sees his first movie soundtrack release.  

Eric’s moody industrial score for Emma Dark’s award-winning British short film SEIZE THE NIGHT has been complimented by film critics and moviegoers alike.  SEIZE THE NIGHT’s stand-alone album release came after an unusually high demand from fans of the vampires vs. werewolves action-horror, which has seen an immense amount of popularity over the past year.

Eric had this to say about the release:  "I'm excited to release the soundtrack to the public so that people have a way to enjoy the music when not necessarily watching the film, and to possibly introduce the film to a new audience who may have not been aware of the film before hearing the music."

The digital download will be available to purchase from all major on-line distributors from 5th August 2016, and fans can keep up-to-date with developments by joining Eric’s Facebook event here http://bit.ly/2ak0u0Q.  Purchasing a copy of the soundtrack helps support independent composer Eric, and you get to listen to his amazing score any time you like.

If you haven't seen SEIZE THE NIGHT you can watch the film and hear the soundtrack on Vimeo
 


"Survival of the Film Freaks" - History of Cult Cinema Documentary

The Minds Behind “Outside the Cinema” and “Fantasm” Bring the History of Cult Film into the Future With New Documentary.

For decades, films have been created on small budgets and for small initial audiences. From time to time, a film will bubble under the surface for years, gaining notoriety and fandom without the help of box offices or largestudio marketing support.

“Survival of the Film Freaks” is a documentary exploring the phenomenon of cult film in America and how it survives in the 21st century. Through interviews and fan events, the documentary will trace decades of film fanaticism up to the present, where the 'digital age' has transformed the way fans experience movies.
 
The film will be directed by Bill Fulkerson (Outside the Cinema) and Kyle Kuchta (“Fantasm”). For over 9 years, Bill Fulkerson has been the host/producer of the cult film podcast Outside the Cinema. “For the better part of the last decade I have seen so many changes in the ways cult films get to their audiences. I look forward to breaking down the walls and seeing what people love and hate about how these films get to the public in the modern internet age.” Kuchta’s forays into film culture began with 2013’s “Fantasm,” a documentary about horror conventions and fan devotion. “People with extreme knowledge and love for film are so interesting to me because I, too, fall into that category. You see a strong fandom towards genre films, and I’m excited to see what shapes it takes under the umbrella of cult cinema.” 

“Survival of the Film Freaks” will be conducting interviews and attending conventions this Fall, with a release date TBD.
 
Visit the official Website, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram pages.

Friday, 29 July 2016

New clip for British Horror K-Shop - on DVD Mon 1 Aug.

Bloody vengeance comes to the streets of a British seaside town in this darkly comic horror, which sees a young student turn vigilante on the drunken thugs who caused the death of his kebab shop-owner father - a cutting social commentary about the sordid side of British nightlife. Following in the bloody footsteps of homegrown horror hits such as Severance and Dog SoldiersK-Shop is distinctly British with a dark sense of humour.

Checkout a clip from the film below...


Buy the UK DVD from Amazon.co.uk





Do you like scary movies? You'll love Fright-Rags' GhostFace Collection

Do you like scary movies? Then you'll love Fright-Rags' new GhostFace collection! In honor the 20th anniversary of Wes Craven's Scream, the renowned horror shirt company has partnered with Fun World - creator of the unmistakable mask - to release a line of GhostFace shirts.

Justin Osbourn's glow-in-the-dark design featuring the knife-wielding GhostFace is available on unisex shirts, girls shirts, and baseball tees. Coki Greenway's take on the iconic visage comes on unisex shirts, girls shirts, and tank tops. Abrar Ajmal and Kyle Crawford have designs that will make you scream on unisex and girls shirts




The GhostFace Collection is on sale now at Fright-Rags.com. Quantities are limited - so never, ever, ever, under any circumstances, say, "I'll be right back."

Fright-Rags' next release will be a Midnight Madness tee, an exclusive shirt available for only 24 hours. The hunt begins this Saturday, July 30.

To order these, and other exclusive T-Shirts, visit Fright-Rags.com


Thursday, 28 July 2016

Horror Channel FrightFest 2016 - Interview with OFFENSIVE director Jon Ford

We talk to Jon Ford, who, alongside his brother Howard, took the zombie genre to new global heights with The Dead & The Dead 2. Here Jon talks about his first solo feature film, OFFENSIVE, a dark, violent tale of rage and revenge set in rural France, which receives its World Premiere at Horror Channel FrightFest 2016.



Q: Firstly, congratulations Jon, on completing your first solo feature film. Has this been a long time in the making ?

JON:  Thank you, it has indeed been a long time in the making, in fact a lifetime nearly! This is a very personal film as it's based on true events that I've experienced. It's almost a compilation of scenarios that have made a lasting impression on me. The gang of kids are a mixture of who I once was or people I knew, though I coupled that with modern electronic devices. There have been studies that have shown these devices are retarding the development of empathy in young minds. I took that concept to the next level.



Q: How would you describe the film?

JON: Essentially as I did with The Dead, I just made a film that I wanted to see. I love revenge movies (or the concept of them) but pretty much all of them try to be clever and have it that revenge is not really completed  or it's the wrong person, or it all ends so badly because revenge is wrong blah blah blah. Essentially by trying to be different...they end up the same.

The film is a violent clash of two generations. It's about morality and perspective. There are no good or bad people in this world, we all have different perspectives on right and wrong. Most films follow a morality dictated by religion, I wanted to explore other perspectives. For instance killing is not always wrong is it? A soldier is sent to war to kill people, that's considered right and lawful by most people. However if you kill someone who attacks you or just generally annoys you, that's considered wrong in the eyes of the law and most people. I wanted to explore what happens when ordinary people are driven to murder and are ok with it. They don't suffer any post trauma, they carry on with their lives. In real life people commit murder and get away with it some of the time. Go to any police station in any town in any part of the world, the walls are covered in missing persons pictures...most of who will never be found. I'll stop there as I could go on all day about this subject.

Q: Lisa Eichhorn plays a lead role. How did you get her on board?

JON: Lisa is an incredible talent! She did a cameo on my brother's film Never Let Go, so he introduced us and I thought she would be perfect for the role of Helen Martin. She loved the script and (like a lot of people who read it) she felt it touched on an important subject about how young people are increasingly involved in violent or even sexual attacks and the erosion of empathy. She had been reading up on that very subject at the time so she was very much into it, much to my delight! I couldn't believe I was going to have a genuine Hollywood legend in my movie. She really elevates the intensity of the scenes as does Russell Floyd who plays Bernard Martin. They were both fantastic and I'm so greatful for bestowing the film with their talents.



Q: The locations are stunning. How did you choose them?

JON: Thanks, I now live in the south of France, not far from the Black mountains so I was able to find some incredible locations which were perfect for the film. Like The Dead films I wanted to set the horror in a beautiful place. It's the French idyll gone rotten. For once in my life I enjoyed the process of making a film. A lot of the cast are local theatre actors and they did an amazing job ! I wanted the film to have an authentic feel so we shot entirely on location. The thunder storms, the chirping of the cicadas at night, the lonely winding roads, all crank up the tension.

Q: The story will hit a lot of nerves, given current European topics and the underlying xenophobia at the heart of your film. What can you say about that?

JON: The signs of a crumbling global union are evident in the film. It's a very touchy subject and I can get myself into all sorts of trouble. I'm not making a political statement, I'm just a filmmaker who is making a piece of entertainment. At the end of the day I love France, I've lived there for 5 years now, but I did want to explore a dark undercurrent that exists... What do you expect from a film called Offensive? ha! It looks like there is a love hate relationship between the French and the Americans. There is this strange paradox, on one hand they are very greatful for the liberation in WW2 but to quote a line from Offensive, "we're getting a little sick and tired of the American liberator story...why don't you find somewhere else to go play hero". After all, xenophobia probably exists in every country in the world. Like all great horror movies it's all based on fear of the unknown.


Q: The theme of cultural alienation between generations is very strong. The young French gang in the film have been described as ‘a new breed of technological sociopaths’. An accurate observation?

JON: I guess there will always be a generation gap issue for young and old and "what one doesn't understand one fears"...I just take that to the extreme. There's nothing worse than moving to a place where you're not welcome.

Accurate?. There are "no go" zones in the outskirts of some of the main cities in France, which the media are "encouraged" not to report on. Even the police won't enter. They're basically gang controlled. 

Also I particularly wanted my gang to be very young, as the level of cruelty at that age can be staggering sometimes! The Bulger case comes to mind... I wanted the threat to come from society's protection of the young rather than the more obvious physical threat of the gang themselves. Also having witnessed and been the victim of young kids who essentially, in the eyes of the law are almost untouchable, as minors. It can be an impossible situation if kids decide to target you. It's a frightening prospect as there's almost nothing you can do. I used to live in a rough area where a neighbour of mine was targeted by kids, they smashed his windows regularly, spray painted pedo on his walls just because he was old and alone. He finally had to sell what was left of his house and move away. You watch, afraid that if you help, they could target you too. Like the gang in the film..."they're just having fun..."

Q: What films were an influence? Straw Dogs comes to mind.

JON: I love Straw Dogs and you're not the first to make a link with Offensive but apart from it being a sort of revenge film in a rural setting  and the main protagonists are foreigners, there are not too many similarities.

To be honest, for this film, as I mentioned, I drew on real life personal experience more than other films, (apart from the killing which is based on a real case that I can't mention for legal reasons) which I hope will give it something very different to all other movies.

I'm also breaking a few rules by having a retired couple as the main protagonists instead of some good looking overly muscular teenagers who happen to be martial arts and weapons trained and look more at home on a catwalk. I'll be interested to see how that goes down.


Q: What do you hope the FrightFest crowd, who are, of course, familiar with your work, get most from the film?

JON: Firstly it's not about muscly super heroes, standing in a manga pose, spouting gravely voiced one liners, before blowing someone's head off, one handed with a shot gun then winking into camera. I wanted to give it an old school film style with a modern intensity to the violence and reality. I wanted it to cut deeper. Most of us will have experienced some of the situations that happen in Offensive, from bullying to harassment. That's why I hope it will touch us all on a personal level. There seems to be an epidemic in modern filmmaking in that they desperately want to be "cool", maybe it's the desire of a nerdy film director who is anything but?

I hope that they are prepared for a very different film that seems simplistic on the surface but is layered with a serious subtext. I hope they feel the torment and anger that the characters do. I hope it makes them consider morality, technology and humanity. I hope it gives them a different perspective on how society is "progressing".

Q: You haven’t completely stopped working with your brother, he plays a cameo role in the film, doesn’t he? And Angela Dixon, star of Howard’s Never Let Go, also has a role. Seems you’re never too far away from each other!


JON: Howard plays Charles Martin who liberates the village during WW2. It's a cameo but it is still quite a pivotal character, he gets to brutally murder some Nazis which I think he enjoyed. As I played one of the kidnappers in Never Let Go who gets his arm snapped, nose broken then run over by a truck...again! Now you mention it... something's not right here! I'll have to have a word! Ha!
Yes we're always there for each other, essentially we share a lot of the same ideas and philosophy on life. I hope we'll always help each other out as brothers should.

For Angela Dixon...I had written this incredibly difficult emotionally charged role of Sarah, a tormented language tutor who has to deal with some of the psychological aftermath of the gang.  I thought...who the hell could pull off a role of that intensity...Angela Dixon was the first person that sprang to mind. She was great and it's such a different character to the one in Never Let go, it really shows what a top class talent she is!

Q: As a fan of horror films, what are your personal Top 3?

JON: That's a tough one! I know it's a slightly cop out answer but it really does depend on what mood you're in. 1) I still have to stick with the original Dawn of the Dead, it just blew my socks off. 2) The Exorcist is a master class in filmmaking. 3) The original Evil Dead is hard to beat. But on another day I may feel differently. As you can see, I'm generally into older movies.

Q: Finally, are there any plans for you and Howard to join forces for The Dead 3? 

JON: This one keeps coming up... After part 2, we always talked of it as a trilogy and I have to say we can't stop ourselves from firing off ideas for it. It would be one hell of a 3rd and final chapter! If anyone out there has the means then we're open to it.

OFFENSIVE screens at Horror Channel FrightFest on Saturday 27th August, 6.05pm in Discovery Screen 3, Vue Cinema, Shepherd’s Bush, W12 

Tickets: http://www.frightfest.co.uk/tickets.html

WORST FEARS RELEASE AND SPECIAL FRIGHTFEST EVENT PREMIERE!

To celebrate the release of WORST FEARS on DVD on September 5th 2016, distributor Nucleus Films is delighted and proud to announce that the documentary HORROR ICON, which examines the “alter-ego” of writer/producer David McGillivray, will receive its World Premiere at this year's FrightFest on Sunday 28th August at 1.20pm, Vue Cinema West, 12 Shepherds Bush, Green, London W12 8PP, prior to its inclusion on the WORST FEARS DVD.

Following the screening, David McGillivray will be interviewed onstage about his career in UK cult horror and sexploitation cinema, including his collaborations with directors Pete Walker and Norman J. Warren on their classic British shockers, which include HOUSE OF WHIPCORD, FRIGHTMARE, SATAN’S SLAVE, TERROR and the notorious - and most memorably titled - British sex comedy I’M NOT FEELING MYSELF TONIGHT - to name but a few.

The Frightfest screening will be a hot ticket over the Bank Holiday weekend and, along with the DVD release, is not to be missed by genre aficionados!

Ticket availability for the “Facing His Fears” event (including the Horror Icon screening) with David McGillivray can be found HERE 

View the trailer on Vimeo

ABOUT WORST FEARS

Our fears are usually worse than the reality - but not always. Sometimes, things are even worse than we fear.

Seven nightmarish tales from legendary British horror film writer and producer David McGillivray: collaborator with Pete Walker and Norman J. Warren, and the fiendish screenwriter behind House of Whipcord, Frightmare, House of Mortal Sin, Schizo, Satan’s Slave and Terror.

For the first time on DVD and featuring all-new material, Worst Fears is in the blood-soaked tradition of classic Hammer and Amicus anthologies, with a dash of BBC Ghost Stories and Tales of the Unexpected. Includes the award-winning In The Place Of The Dead.

Filmed on location in Marrakech, Lisbon, Nice and London, the remarkable cast includes Rebecca Santos (Seed of Chucky), Fenella Fielding (Carry On Screaming!), Rosie Alvarez (Casualty), Victor Spinetti (Help!, The Krays), Holly de Jong (The Last Horror Film, Electric Dreams),  Anna Wing (Xtro, The Blood on Satan’s Claw, Eastenders), Ben Pullen (Dark Knight) - and himself.

DVD EXTRA FEATURES:
-
"Horror Icon", the never-before-seen documentary edited and completed by Nucleus Films in 2015 (30m), Frightfest 2016 World Premiere!
-"Facing His Fears" - A new interview with producer and writer David McGillivray, talking
candidly about the ideas behind the stories and their journey from page to screen.
-Trailer, Bloopers, Deleted Scenes, Gallery, Collector’s Booklet
-Brand new cover art by Graham Humphreys

Price £14.99. Release Date 5th Sept 2016.

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

 

Wednesday, 27 July 2016

Road Games - Coming to Digital and DVD this August

Coming to UK DVD and Digital this August from Frightfest Presents...

Jack, a young drifter heading back to England, meets fellow hitchhiker Veronique on a lonely road in rural France. They get a lift with an eccentric Frenchman who invites them back to his isolated house, where he lives with his nervy artist wife. The couple welcome the young pair into their home, saying they can stay as long as they like. 

But Veronique believes something is not quite right with this over-friendly, lonely couple – and might it have something to do with the serial killer who has been killing people on the stretch of road they were picked up on?

British director Abner Pastoll’s French-set horror thriller smartly blends the thrills of a killer on the road film with the chills of the strangers stuck in an old dark house set-up – with nerve stretching results.

With an attractive pair of rising stars in the lead roles - Andrew Simpson and Joséphine de La Baume – and stellar performances from screen veterans Frédéric Pierrot and Barbara Crampton – along with a healthy dose of sex and violence, and some unique, shocking plot twists along the way, Road Games treads a familiar path in a very unique way.

Beautifully filmed, featuring a brooding, pulsing John Carpenter-esque synth score, and packed with delicious surprises (including a cameo corpse and a nifty post end-credits sequence), Road Games is a sensational thrill ride into the dark heart of rural France. 

Special Features on the DVD include:

Outtakes
Alternate Scene
Deleted Scenes
Making Of
Teaser Trailers 

Road Games is released to UK DVD and Digital August 29.

Buy the UK DVD from Amazon.co.uk

Tuesday, 26 July 2016

Dolph Vs Sharks in SHARK LAKE on UK DVD!!!!

Coming to UK DVD August from Soda pictures, it's Dolph Lundgren vs Sharks in the epic SHARK LAKE!!!!

Having served a prison sentence for black-market animal trafficking, Clint Gray (Dolph Lundgren) returns home to find that the exotic species he previously released into serene Lake Tahoe has begun feasting on the sun-seeking locals.

The vicious attacks prompt a dedicated local cop to investigate what exactly is preying on her beloved quiet town. She sets out to stop the threat at any cost, finding help in the form of an unlikely hero.

Combining all the fun of pitting a bloodthirsty shark against a muscular performance from Lundgren with plenty of gore, SHARK LAKE proves once again that it’s still not safe to go in the water…

Shark lake is released to UK DVD Aug 1st from Soda Pictures

View the trailer on YouTube

Buy the UK DVD from Amazon.co.uk



Herschell Gordon Lewis - Limited Edition Box Sets from Arrow...

Shock and Gore: The Films of Herschell Gordon Lewis & The Herschell Gordon Lewis Feast limited edition box sets coming this October from Arrow films...


In 1963, director Herschell Gordon Lewis pulled a cow’s tongue out of an actress’ mouth on camera, and in doing so, changed the landscape of horror cinema forever. That sequence was just one of numerous gruesome gags featured in Blood Feast, the film credited as being the world’s first gore movie. It’s no exaggeration to say that the modern gross-out movies of today owe their very existence to the pioneering efforts of H.G. Lewis.


But whilst Lewis is most widely celebrated for his blood-and-guts epics (Two Thousand Maniacs!, The Wizard of Gore et al.), there’s more to the prolific director than splatter. From tales of sordid photographers (Scum of the Earth) to sex robots (How to Make a Doll), from biker girl-gangs (She-Devils on Wheels) to youths-run-amok (Just for the Hell of It), and from psychic witches (Something Weird) to hard liquor-loving hillbillies (Moonshine Mountain), the filmography of H.G. Lewis reads like a veritable wish-list of exploitation movie madness.


Now, for the first time ever, Arrow Video is proud to present fourteen of the Godfather of Gore’s most essential films (including nine Blu-ray world debuts), collected together at last and packed full of eye-popping bonus content. So put your feet up, pour yourself a glass of good ol’ moonshine, and prepare yourself for a feast – H.G. Lewis style!

Both box sets contain the following films...

BLOOD FEAST (1963) + SCUM OF THE EARTH (1963)
-Brand new introduction to the films by director Herschell Gordon Lewis
-Audio Commentary on Blood Feast with Lewis and producer David F. Friedman
-Audio Commentary on Scum of the Earth by Friedman
-Blood Feast Outtakes
-Blood Perceptions – filmmakers Nicholas McCarthy (The Pact) and Rodney Ascher (Room 237) offer their insight on Blood Feast and the importance of Herschell Gordon Lewis
-Herschell's History – archival interview in which Lewis discusses his entry into the film industry including Scum of the Earth
-How Herschell Found His Nitch – Lewis discusses more of his early work in nudie cuties and the making of The Adventures of Lucky Pierre
-Archival Interview with Herschell Gordon Lewis and David F. Friedman from 1987
-Carving Magic (1959) – vintage short featuring Blood Feast’s Bill Kerwin
-Blood Feast Radio Spot and Trailer

TWO THOUSAND MANIACS! (1964) + MOONSHINE MOUNTAIN (1964)
-Brand new introduction to the films by director Herschell Gordon Lewis
-Audio Commentary on Two Thousand Maniacs! with Lewis and producer David F. Friedman
-Two Thousand Maniacs! Outtakes  
-Two Thousand Maniacs Can’t Be Wrong – Tim Sullivan (director, 2001 Maniacs) on Two Thousand Maniacs!
-Hicksploitation: Confidential –  visual essay on the history of the American South’s representation in cinema
-David Friedman: The Gentlemen’s Smut Peddler – a tribute to the legendary producer featuring Herschell Gordon Lewis, filmmakers Fred Olen Ray, Tim Sullivan and Bob Murawski
-Herschell's Art of Advertising – Lewis shares his expert opinion on the art of selling movies and how to hook an audience.
-Trailers for Two Thousands Maniacs! and Moonshine Mountain

COLOR ME BLOOD RED (1965) + SOMETHING WEIRD (1967)
-Brand new introduction to the films by director Herschell Gordon Lewis
-Audio Commentary on Color Me Blood Red with Lewis and producer David F. Friedman
-Audio Commentary on Something Weird with Lewis and Friedman
-Color Me Blood Red Outtakes
-The Art of Madness – visual essay on the recurring motif of mad artists as killers in horror cinema
-Weirdsville – film Scholar Jeffrey Sconce on Something Weird 
-Lewis on Jimmy, the Boy Wonder, his 1966 children’s musical
-A Hot Night at the Go Go Lounge! – Lewis’ 1966 dance short
-Trailers for Color Me Blood Red and Something Weird

THE GRUESOME TWOSOME (1967) + A TASTE OF BLOOD (1967)
-Brand new introduction to the films by director Herschell Gordon Lewis
-Audio Commentary on The Gruesome Twosome with Lewis
-Audio Commentary on A Taste of Blood with Lewis
-Peaches Christ Flips her Wig! – the San Francisco performer on The Gruesome Twosome
-It Came From Florida – filmmaker Fred Olen Ray (Scalps) on Florida Filmmaking
-Herschell vs The Censors – Lewis discusses some of the pitfalls involving local censorship and the lengths to which angry moviegoers tried to stop him
-Trailers for The Gruesome Twosome and A Taste of Blood

SHE-DEVILS ON WHEELS (1968) + JUST FOR THE HELL OF IT (1968)
-Brand new introduction to the films by director Herschell Gordon Lewis
-Audio Commentary on She-Devils on Wheels with Lewis
-Garage Punk Gore – filmmaker and musician Chris Alexander discusses the films and music of Herschell Gordon Lewis
-The Shocking Truth! – Bob Murawski on his lifelong love for Herschell Gordon Lewis and what he has learned from Lewis’ films
-Lewis on his 1968 film The Alley Tramp
-She-Devils on Wheels Radio Spot  
-Trailers for She-Devils on Wheels and Just for the Hell of It 

HOW TO MAKE A DOLL (1968) + THE WIZARD OF GORE (1970)
-Brand new introduction to the films by director Herschell Gordon Lewis
-Audio Commentary on The Wizard of Gore with Lewis
-Montag Speaks – a brand new interview with Wizard of Gore actor Ray Sager
-The Gore The Merrier – an interview with Jeremy Kasten, director of the 2007 Wizard of Gore remake
-The Incredibly Strange Film Show: Herschell Gordon Lewis “The Godfather of Gore” – episode of the
-Jonathan Ross-hosted documentary series focusing on Lewis’ films, featuring interviews with Lewis, producer David F. Friedman, actor Bill Kerwin, John Waters and more
-The Wizard of Gore Trailer

THIS STUFF’LL KILL YA! (1971) + THE GORE GORE GIRLS (1972)
-Brand new introduction to the films by director Herschell Gordon Lewis
-Audio Commentary on The Gore Gore Girls with Herschell Gordon Lewis
-Audio Commentary on This Stuff’ll Kill Ya! by camera operator and Lewis biographer Daniel Krogh
-Regional Bloodshed – filmmakers Joe Swanberg and Spencer Parsons discuss the Midwestern roots and work ethic of Lewis’ output and how The Gore Gore Girls represents the shift into transgressive ’70s cinema that would dominate the American horror landscape
-Herschell Spills His Guts – Lewis discusses his career post-The Gore Gore Girls, why he left the film industry and his role as a leading figure in the copywriting industry
-Gore Gore Girls Radio Spot
-Trailers for This Stuff’ll Kill Ya! and The Gore Gore Girls

SHOCK AND GORE EDITION EXCLUSIVE FEATURES
-Fully-illustrated 92-page art book featuring the definitive overview of the entire career of H.G. Lewis written by Stephen Thrower, with a brand new foreword by Lewis
-160-page paperback of the original Blood Feast novelization, written by Lewis
-7” vinyl single featuring select tracks from the Blood Feast score
-14 postcards featuring original artwork for all the films included
-Individually handmade “super gory” eyeball
-Shock and Gore commemorative barf bag
-Newly illustrated packaging and books by The Twins of Evil

FEAST EDITION EXCLUSIVE FEATURES
-Newly illustrated packaging by The Twins of Evil

The Shock and Gore Edition is limited to just 500 copies and is available from http://www.boxofgore.com

The Feast Edition is limited to 2500 units and is available from  http://www.amazon.co.uk






Sunday, 24 July 2016

Death Walks Premiere - A Review

Friday the 15th of July I attended the premiere of zombie film DEATH WALKS in Romford, Greater London (a hell of a way to spend your birthday)! For those of you who follow this site and my social media pages, you’ll know that I was a zombie extra in this and have made a couple of behind-the-scenes features about my time on set for my YouTube channel, so to see the finished result on screen was a very surreal experience for me.

The film takes place in early November, and whilst the people in Romford are enjoying the November 5th fireworks, its just another night at the local mall for the security guards and cleaners who are working late. With the shops closing and the staff slowly making their way out, the only thing left to do is rounding up the last few stragglers and locking up for the night.

But when one of the guards catches a strange woman (played by Cannibal Holocaust's Francesca Ciardi) scrawling satanic symbols on the floor near one of the entrances, it marks the start of a series of very bizarre events. Shortly after, another guard finds a girl by the main entrance who appears injured and matches the description of a girl that recently disappeared (TV actress Jessie Williams). But no sooner does he bring her inside to help her, she promptly disappears and hoards of mysterious people with strange facial lesions suddenly appear in the mall.


With these people popping up all over the building, then disappearing again, staff going missing and bodies apparently piling up, the remaining workers find themselves battling to find a way out past these apparent “zombies”. But despite insisting that zombies aren’t real, whatever these people are, the group are in very real danger and no matter how many zombie films they’ve seen will prepare them for this…

Filmed in the town's Mercury Mall (the premiere was actually held at the mall's cinema, which also features in the film), Director Spencer Hawken, who makes his directorial debut with this, originally intended Death Walks as a short film, which started life as a community project, relying on people donating their time, services and even the filming locations for free. But was quickly expanded into a full length feature after being overwhelmed by the amount of help and support he received, which included the involvement of Lucinda Rhodes (TVs Dream Team, Dead Cert, Fall of the Essex Boys) who helped to produce.


Now, bearing in mind that this is the director’s first film, it was shot for no money and most of the supporting cast hadn’t acted in a film before. I was extremely surprised at just how good this turned out and I’m not just saying that because I’m friends with the director (which I must disclose in the interests of transparency). 

To be fair, the film does of course suffer from many of the usual trappings associated with low budget film making, IE some of the cast’s acting is a little ropey in places, the gore effects basically consist of buckets of fake blood being ladled over the actors etc. Then plotwise, there’s the question as to why so many staff members were just hanging around the mall after work instead of going home and the inclusion of the obvious horror clichés of people going to investigate strange noises and not coming back etc. 


But the film actually looks like it had a damnsite more money than it actually did, it wastes no time in setting up its central premise and the plot is relatively fast paced, driving the story forward all the time, with little in the way of padding. Plus there were some quite funny scenes of black humour, one of which involving a zombie in a wheelchair and another involving the possibility of rapey zombies (yes you read that right) and I was really bowled over at how professionally looking this turned out (and again I’m not just saying that because I’m in it).

The director also pulled off an absolute coup-de-tat  by luring Cannibal Holocaust actress Francesca Ciardi out of retirement to appear in this, in what was her first screen role in over 25 years. The film also benefits from the inclusion of actress Jessie Williams (TVs Dumping Ground and Tracey Beaker) and Jordan Grehs (of Lake Placid 3 infamy) to name but a few. Even more amazingly, he managed to get composer Mike Oldfield to provide an updated version of Tubular Bells for the film's soundtrack.


The film was certainly well received by the audience, who were made up of people from the local community, along with most of the cast and crew and I’m sure will go down a storm on the festival circuit. 

The film is currently being submitted to various film festivals, more info about a future release when it becomes available.

Visit the official Facebook and Twitter pages

Checkout the behind the scenes videos I filmed...





Arrow Video - September Horror Titles

September means back to the old-school for Arrow Video with a massive helping of cult classics arriving on Blu-Ray, DVD and Dual Format releases!

SLUGS - BD and DVD editions

From celebrated Spanish director Juan Piquer Simón, the man behind the truly demented slasher flick Pieces (1982), comes a terrifying tale of mutant slugs on the rampage in small-town America.

The townsfolk of a rural community are dying in strange and gruesome circumstances. Following the trail of horrifically mutilated cadavers, resident health inspector Mike Brady is on the case to piece together the mystery. He soon comes to a terrifying conclusion giant slugs are breeding in the sewers beneath the town, and they’re making a meal of the locals!

Based on the novel by acclaimed British horror author Shaun Hutson, Slugs outdoes its creature feature peers by adding an extra dose of gross-out gore into the equation, culminating in one of the most squirm-inducing animal attack movies ever to slither its way across screens.

SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS

Brand new restoration from original film elements
High Definition (1080p) presentation on Blu-Ray edition
Original Uncompressed PCM Stereo audio on Blu-Ray
Original Stereo audio on DVD
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Audio commentary by writer and filmmaker Chris Alexander
Here’s Slugs In Your Eye, an interview with actor Emilio Linder
They Slime, They Ooze, They Kill: The Effects of Slugs, an interview with special effects artist Carlo De Marchis
Invasion USA, an interview with art director Gonzalo Gonzalo
The Lyons Den, an interview and locations tour with production manager Larry Ann Evans 1988 Goya Awards promo reel
Original Theatrical Trailer
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Wes Benscoter Fully-illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing by writer Michael Gingold

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

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


DEAD END DRIVE IN - BD and DVD editions.

One of Quentin Tarantino’s favourite directors, Brian Trenchard-Smith was a key figure in the Ozploitation movement, responsible for The Man from Hong Kong, Stunt Rock, Turkey Shoot, BMX Bandits... and dystopian cult classic Dead-End Drive-In!

Set in a near-future where the economy has crumbled and violent gangs play havoc in the streets, the powers-that-be have decided to lure the delinquent youth into drive-in cinemas and keep them there. No longer just a place to watch trashy movies and make out, these outdoor picture shows have become concentration camps for the unruly and unwanted.

With its day-glo colour scheme, new wave soundtrack and extraordinary stunt work, Dead-End Drive-In is in the tradition of Ozploitation milestones Mad Max and The Cars That Ate Paris, only very, very eighties.

SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS

Brand new 2K restoration from original film materials
High Definition (1080p) Presentation on Blu-Ray edition
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
Audio commentary by director Brian Trenchard-Smith
The Stuntmen, Trenchard Smith’s classic television documentary on Grant Page (Mad Max, Road Games) and other Australian stunt performers
Hospitals Don’t Burn Down, Trenchard-Smith s 1978 public information film told in pure Ozploitation fashion
Theatrical trailer
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Chris Malbon
First Blu-Ray pressing only: fully-illustrated collector’s booklet containing writing on the films by Cullen Gallagher and Neil Mitchell

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

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


RAISING CAIN - Dual format edition.

Having spent the latter half of the eighties trying out new styles of filmmaking - Wise Guys: knockabout comedy, The Untouchables: prestige gangster pic, Casualties of War: Vietnam movie, and The Bonfire of the Vanities: satirical misfire - Brian De Palma returned to what he knew best, the Hitchcockian psycho-thriller, for Raising Cain.

John Lithgow plays three roles: child psychologist Carter, his evil twin brother Cain, and their Norwegian father, Dr Nix, who likes to experiment on the young. Carter’s wife is concerned that her husband isn’t quite paying their daughter the right kind of attention; she’s also having an affair upon discovery of which, threatens to send him into a psychotic rage...

A relentless blend of murder, multiple personalities, cross-dressing, crazed parents, bizarre dream sequences and stunning cinematic assurance, Raising Cain harks back to those twin masterpieces Psycho and Peeping Tom, but is pure unadulterated De Palma.

SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS

Brand new 2K restoration from original film materials
High Definition (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD Presentations
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
Brand new interview with John Lithgow
Theatrical trailer
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Nathanael Marsh
MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED
First pressing only: Collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Anne Billson

Pre-order the UK BD/DVD combo from Amazon.co.uk 


MATINEE - Dual format edition.

HALF MAN... HALF ANT... ALL TERROR! So says the advertising campaign for Mant!, the latest low-budget schlock-horror classic from cigar-chomping producer Lawrence Woolsey (John Goodman, The Big Lebowski), who more than makes up for his films' lack of production values by festooning them with gimmicks that would turn even William Castle (The Tingler) green with envy.

But the most potent gimmick of all is accidental: Woolsey schedules a sneak preview of Mant! in Key West, Florida, in October 1962, unaware that the Cuban missile crisis is about to flare up. Will the threat of genuine nuclear war distract the locals from the movie, or will they find it doubly terrifying?

Directed by the legendary Joe Dante (The Burbs), this delightful film isn’t just an affectionate love-letter to the sci-fi and horror films that he grew up with in the 1950s and 60s, it’s also a witty and intelligent exploration of the way that the most successful genre films worked by preying on the very real fears of their audiences about everything from Soviet satellite launches to atomic mutation.

SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS:

High definition digital transfer supplied by NBC Universal
Lossless stereo audio
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Newly edited interviews with director Joe Dante and select cast and crew members
Paranoia in Ant Vision, a discussion with Joe Dante about the making of the film
Mant!, the full length version of the film-within-a-film
Introduction to Mant! by Joe Dante
Vintage ‘making of’ featurette
Rare on-set footage, sourced from Joe Dante’s personal collection
Deleted and extended scenes sourced from Joe Dante’s workprint
Original theatrical trailer
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Graham Humphreys

Pre-order the UK BD/DVD combo from Amazon.co.uk