Arrow Video Blu-Ray releases coming December

Arrow Video’s December releases are a truly chilling horror sequel and a classic crime trilogy from a South Korean master. The releases are as usual packed with extras, including beautifully designed booklets with new writing on the films and brand new sleeve artwork, ensuring these Christmas goodies will be on any avid film fan’s list for Santa.

The Exorcist III – On Blu-ray 9 December

The true heir to William Peter Blatty and William Friedkin’s 1973 masterpiece, The Exorcist III is a hellish horror detective story that pairs thoughtful theological themes with scenes of sheer terror.

The personal vision of Blatty (the acclaimed author of The Exorcist), The Exorcist III is set 15 years after the events of the first film and sees Lieutenant Kinderman (George C. Scott, The Changeling) investigate a series of horrific murders that follow the modus operandi of the notorious Gemini Killer... who died several years earlier in the electric chair. 

After his friend Father Dyer (Ed Flanders) is murdered in his hospital bed, Kinderman’s investigations lead him to ‘Patient X’, a psychopath housed at the same hospital who claims to be the Gemini Killer, and who knows intimate crime scene details. Their encounter leads to a fiery climactic confrontation between the eternal forces of good and evil...

The Exorcist III boasts some of modern horror’s most unforgettable scares and exceptional supporting performances from Jason Miller (The Ninth Configuration) and Brad Dourif (Dune). Blatty’s film is presented here in both its original theatrical cut and the recently assembled ‘Legion’ director’s cut.

TWO-DISC LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS

• Two presentations of The Exorcist III: the theatrical cut and the ‘Legion’ director’s cut

• Original 2.0 stereo audio and optional 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio

• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing

• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Richard Wells

• Limited edition booklet with new writing on the film by Lee Gambin, archival articles and reviews

DISC ONE – THE THEATRICAL CUT

• 2K restoration of the theatrical cut of The Exorcist III, presented in High Definition

• New audio commentary by critics Alexandra Heller Nicholas and Josh Nelson

• Audio interview with writer/director William Peter Blatty

• Death, Be Not Proud: The Making of The Exorcist III, an in-depth 2016 documentary divided into five chapters:

- Chapter One: A “Wonderful” Time, an interview with producer Carter DeHaven and members of the supporting cast and production crew

- Chapter Two: Signs of the Gemini, an interview with actor Brad Dourif

- Chapter Three: The Devil in the Details, an interview with production designer Leslie Dilley and more

- Chapter Four: Music for a Padded Cell, an interview with composer Barry De Vorzon

- Chapter Five: All this Bleeding, interviews about the additional shoot and special effects

• The Exorcist III: Vintage Interviews, archival interviews with cast and crew members including William Peter Blatty, producer James Robinson, actors George C. Scott, Jason Miller, Grand L. Bush and Ed Flanders

• The Exorcist III: Vintage Featurette, making-of documentary with onset footage and interviews

• Deleted scenes, alternate takes and bloopers

• Image galleries

• Trailers and TV spots

DISC TWO – THE ‘LEGION’ DIRECTOR’S CUT

High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation of the ‘Legion’ director’s cut, assembled from the best available film and video elements

The Vengeance Trilogy – On Blu-ray 9 December

This collection presents Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Oldboy and Lady Vengeance, the lauded trilogy of revenge films directed by internationally acclaimed Korean director Park Chan-wook (The Handmaiden).

Sympathy for Mr Vengeance tells the harrowing tale of a young deaf-mute man, Ryu, who kidnaps a wealthy businessman’s daughter in an attempt to extort money to pay for his sister's kidney transplant. 

A terrible accident sets the child’s father on a fateful path of revenge. Oldboy tells the grisly story of Oh Dae-su, a normal man inexplicably imprisoned in a grim hotel room-like cell for 15 years without knowing his captor or the reason for his incarceration. Eventually released, he searches for answers and retribution. 

Lady Vengeance tells of Lee Geum-ja, a model prisoner serving a sentence for a murder she did not commit, who plots a dastardly revenge against the real murderer when she gets out.

Park Chan-wook’s visually stunning masterworks of revenge are presented in this new collection with a massive array of extras, including the feature-length Oldboy making-of documentary, Old Days.

SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS

• Four-disc set featuring Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Oldboy, Lady Vengeance and the feature-length documentary Old Days

• Special edition packaging featuring newly commissioned artwork by Justin Erickson

DISC ONE - SYMPATHY FOR MR. VENGEANCE

• High Definition Blu-ray™ (1080p) presentation

• Original 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and 2.0 stereo

• English subtitles

• Audio commentary by director Park Chan-wook and filmmaker Ryoo Seung-wan

• Screaming for Vengeance, Kim Newman on the Vengeance Trilogy and the tradition of revenge films

• Extensive archival making-of featurettes, behind the scenes featurettes and cast and crew interviews

• Trailers

• Image gallery

DISC TWO - OLDBOY

• 4K restoration from the original camera negative supervised by director Park Chan-wook

• High Definition Blu-ray™ (1080p) presentation

• Original 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and 2.0 stereo

• Original Korean and English soundtracks

• Music and effects track

• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtrack

• English subtitles for the Korean soundtrack

• Audio commentary with director Park Chan-wook

• Audio commentary with Park Chan-wook and cinematographer Jung Jung-hoon

• Audio commentary with Park Chan-wook, Choi Min-sik, Yoo Ji-tae and Kang Hye-jung

• Audio commentary with critic Jasper Sharp and writer Simon Ward

• Out of the Past, video appreciation by Asian film expert Tony Rayns

• Deleted scenes with optional director commentary

• Behind the scenes featurettes

• Extensive cast and crew interviews

• Trailers and teasers

• Image gallery

DISC THREE - OLD DAYS

• Old Days: An Oldboy Story, acclaimed feature-length 2016 documentary about Park Chan-wook’s masterpiece

• Autobiography of Oldboy, a three and-a-half-hour video diary of the making of Oldboy

DISC FOUR - LADY VENGEANCE

• High Definition Blu-ray™ (1080p) presentation of two versions of the film, the original theatrical version and the fade to black and white version

• Original 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and 2.0 stereo

• English subtitles

• Audio commentary by director Park Chan-wook, director of photography Jung Jung-hoon and art director Jo Hwa-seong

• Audio commentary by director Park Chan-wook and actress Lee Yeong-ae

• Audio commentary by academic Richard Peña

• Extensive archival making-of featurettes, behind the scenes featurettes, cast and crew interviews and alternate scenes

• Trailers

• Image gallery 

 These films will be available to pre-order shortly

WHY MONA RAE? A Blind Military Veteran's Nightmare - Official Press Release

WHY MONA RAE? Directed by Lorenzo P. Adams and executive produced by Eric Hales has officially launched its Indiegogo campaign. The indie creeper seeks to raise $30,000 to complete the production budget that is set to start shooting this winter in Essex, NY. Engaging perks and backer opportunities are available at all levels including Producer and Executive Producer opportunities. 

WHY MONA RAE?, Is a love letter from me to the horror fans of today, yesterday, and some of the masters that helped advance the genre we know today. The vision for WHY MONA RAE? is rooted in the concept of mental and psychical trauma, tragedy, fear of the unknown, and the will to survive. The film’s vision is loosely influenced by the suspense of classic thrillers such as 1967's Wait Until Dark and 1990's Misery coated with the intensity of 2016's Don't Breathe.

WHY MONA RAE? is a psychological horror thriller that tells the story of a blind military veteran’s terrifying ordeal after being rescued from a car accident by a pair of sinister Amish siblings.

The story is an intense and uneasy rollercoaster ride of human emotions bottled up and exploding in front of audiences. A front row seat to what trauma looks like when confronted with more trauma.

Director/Writer Lorenzo P. Adams, coming off of his 2017/2018 period piece horror short ROTARY which screened in genre festivals such as Telluride, Frightfest UK, and Bloody Disgusting’s FEARNYC to name a few, explains his impetus for creating for the horror audience of his generation. “I've always been infatuated with things of the macabre, things that terrify us as human beings and terrors that have a touch of reality. One of the themes in this story is something that we all resonate with; fear of the unknown. Things, people, and or environments that feel foreign or odd to us. We take this journey with the protagonist as she is literally thrown into a world that is unfamiliar to her in addition to the disadvantage of not being able to see the world she has been thrown into. Creating a thicker layer of the unknown and fear from the senses of Mona Rae.

The film will be shot at the vintage 1790 Crystal Country Farm in Essex, NY. The production host a team of indie horror filmmakers, such as Director of Photography and EP, Eric Hales, horror genre darling Maria Olsen (Starry Eyes, Paranormal Activity 3, Percy Jackson), Jeremy Gladen (I See You, The Theatre Bizzare), SFX MUA Rita Sylvester, Co-writer/Associate Producer Ryan Lesica, and Associate Producer Connor Etter.

The film is anticipated to premiere Spring 2020 in NYC.

With your feedback, contributions, and support we can fund a vision of carnage that you guys, the horror community will be proud of.

To find out more about WHY MONA RAE? or join our team as a backer or producer, please visit the Indiegogo page

View the WHY MONA RAE? Proof of Concept Sizzle Reel on YouTube

Fright-Rags unveils SAW & CANDY CORN Merchandise

Fright-Rags welcomes the kickoff of autumn with merchandise from two seasonal favorites: a longtime staple with Saw and a new Halloween tradition with Candy Corn.

If it's Halloween, it must be Saw. Fright-Rags has released two new T-shirts and a pair of socks from the 2004 original, along with Saw trading cards. Each wax pack contains the full set of 18 cards and two stickers, with the chance of randomly inserted autograph cards from Tobin Bell and Shawnee Smith. 

Get spooked by Fright-Rags merchandise from Candy Corn, a slasher flick featuring genre favorites Courtney Gains, Pancho Moler, P.J. Soles, and Tony Todd. The line includes two T-shirts, an enamel pin, and an 11x17 poster. 

Saw and Candy Corn collections are on sale now at Fright-Rags.com. 

The Halloween festivities continue with new Trick 'r Treat apparel coming October 1. 

A GOOD WOMAN IS HARD TO FIND at UK cinemas

After successfully closing FrightFest 2019 to great acclaim, the tense Northern Irish “kitchen-sink thriller” A Good Woman is Hard to Find will be playing at selected UK Cinemas and on Digital from 25^th October… 

Recently widowed mother of two Sarah (a tour-de-force Sarah Bolger, Mayans M.C.) is desperate to know who murdered her husband in front of their young son, rendering him mute. Coerced into helping a low-life drug-dealer, she’s forced to go beyond her humanity to protect her children and learn the truth. 

This crowd-pleasing and violent kitchen-sink revenge thriller is a dark and daring journey through Northern Ireland’s criminal underbelly. 

Directed by Abner Pastoll. Starring Sarah Bolger, Edward Hogg, Andrew Simpson and Jane Brennan. Written by Academy Award® nominee and BAFTA winner Ronan Blaney.

Signature Entertainment presents A Good Woman is Hard to Find at delected UK Cinemas and on Digital HD 25th October

View the trailer on YouTube

PATIENT ZERO gets UK TV premiere on Horror Channel. Plus YOU’RE NEXT & LET ME IN get channel prems.

Horror Channel has five UK TV premieres in October, including pandemic action thriller PATIENT ZERO, which stars Matt Smith, Natalie Dormer, Stanley Tucci and Agyness Deyn. Humanity is battling intelligent, adrenaline-fueled creatures born from a viral super-strain. After being bitten, human survivor Morgan (Matt Smith) realises he is asymptomatic and can communicate with the infected, leading the last survivors on a hunt for Patient Zero and a cure. 

There are also UK premieres for LAKE PLACID: THE FINAL CHAPTER and LAKE PLACID: LEGACY - two of the popular series of monster crocodile horror/comedy films created by David E. Kelley. Plus, ghosts rule in the sinister haunted house chiller THE UNSPOKEN and Mario Sorrenti’s supernatural mindbender DISCARNATE, which are also broadcast for the first time.

Adam Wingard’s ground breaking home invasion movie, YOU’RE NEXT gets its Channel premiere. A family reunion goes terribly wrong when the Davison family is violently attacked by a gang of masked killers. Unfortunately for the killers, they picked the wrong family to target, as one of their victims proves to have a lethal talent for fighting back.

There is also a Channel premiere for Matt Reeves’ critically-acclaimed vampire fantasy LET ME IN. When a strange young girl, Abby, moves in to the apartment next door, 12 year old Owen is pleased to have found a friend. But as a series of grisly murders take place in their small town, he starts to realise she is not what she seems...An adaptation of the Swedish language Let The Right one In from director Tomas Alfredson.

Plus, there are first time Channel outings for the post-apocalyptic thriller VANISHING ON 7TH STREET, starring Hayden Christensen and Thandie Newton, the thrilling slasher sequel, I STILL KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER and the terrifying supernatural thriller PAY THE GHOST, starring Nicholas Cage.

Film times in transmission order:

Fri 4 Oct @ 21:00 – LAKE PLACID: THE FINAL CHAPTER (2012)

Sat 5 Oct @ 21:00 - LET ME IN (2010)

Fri 11 Oct @ 21:00 – LAKE PLACID: LEGACY (2018)

Sat 12 Oct @ 21:00 – PATIENT ZERO (2018)

Sun 13 Oct @ 21:00 – VANISHING ON 7TH STREET (2010)

Fri 18 Oct @ 21:00 – YOU’RE NEXT (2011)

Sat 19 Oct @ 21:00 – THE UNSPOKEN (2015)

Fri 25 Oct @ 21:00 – DISCARNATE (2018)

Sat 26 Oct @ 21:00 – I STILL KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER (1998)

Oct @ 21:00 – PAY THE GHOST (2015)

Horror Channel: Be Afraid

TV: Sky 317 / Virgin 149 / Freeview 70 / Freesat 138

Website: http://www.horrorchannel.co.uk/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/horrorchannel

Twitter: https://twitter.com/horror_channel

UPGRADE with Logan Marshall-Green on Limited Edition Blu-ray

The critically acclaimed breakout Sci-Fi hit of 2018, Upgrade from director Leigh Whannell (Insidious, Saw) and the team behind Get Out, gets its highly anticipated enhanced release as a Limited Edition Blu-ray, complete with a host of brand new special features from Second Sight Films.

In a near-future world, where technology controls everything, technophobe Grey Trace (Logan Marshall-Green – The Invitation, Spider-Man: Homecoming) is the victim of a brutal mugging that leaves his wife dead and him paralysed. 

A reclusive billionaire inventor offers him an experimental cure, an A.I. implant called STEM. Grey accepts and is immediately transformed into an unstoppable killing machine with enhanced strength and agility. Now it’s payback time.

Genre specialist Blumhouse and the visionary creator of the Saw franchise team up to create an instant cyberpunk classic.

Your Upgrade is due on 18 November 2019.

SPECIAL FEATURES

• Audio Commentary with director Leigh Whannell

• Not Action. Not Sci-Fi. More: A new interview with Leigh Whannell

• Permission Granted: A new interview with producer Kylie Du Fresne

• Future Noir: A new interview with cinematographer Stefan Duscio

• Hacking Upgrade: A new interview with editor Andy Canny

• The Art of Fighting Without Fighting: A new interview with fight choreographer Chris Weir

• Optional English subtitles for the hard of hearing

LIMITED EDTION CONTENTS

• Rigid slipcase featuring new artwork by Adam Stothard

• Poster featuring the new artwork

• 40 page soft cover book with new essays by Jon Towlson and Scott Harrison 

 Buy the UK BD from Amazon.co.uk

Horror ‘ITSY BITSY’ available on-demand from 14th OCTOBER

Kew Media Distribution will be releasing the new horror feature ITSY BITSY on UK digital platforms from 14th October. 

Directed and produced by Micah Gallo (Wick - short) alongside special effects master Dan Rebert (True Blood), ITSY BITSY stars Bruce Davison (Longtime Companion, X-Men), Elizabeth Roberts (Old Fashioned, CSI), Denise Crosby (Pet Sematary, Star Trek: The Next Generation), Arman Darbo (And Then I Go, Kung Fu Hero) and Chloe Perrin (Mary, Single Parents).

When Kara (Elizabeth Roberts) a single mother struggling to raise two children in New York City, receives a job offer to work as a private nurse in the mid-West, it’s an opportunity she can’t refuse. So, she uproots her family, moving them to the remote farm owned by Walter (Golden Globe-winner Bruce Davison), a semi-retired antiquities appraiser who has multiple sclerosis.

At first, things seem normal enough. But what Kara doesn’t know is that doom preceded their arrival in the form of a mysterious ancient relic. And, if her family are to survive the horrific nightmare now lurking in the shadows, they will need to confront their deepest fears and personal demons.

ITSY BITSY will be available on Sky Store, iTunes and UK digital platforms from 14th October

Digital Platforms include: Sky Store, iTunes, Xbox, Sony PS, Google Play, Amazon and Virgin Movies.

www.itsybitsythemovie.com

THE PREY - UK BD review

Obscure 1983 slasher THE PREY, from Director Edwin Brown (Producer – Human Experiments) finally emerges from VHS obscurity, making its Blu-Ray debut this month in an extras laden, 2-disc limited edition release from Arrow Video.

A group of teenagers decide to go backpacking through the woods of Northern California, only to come up against something big, mean and brandishing an axe (played with unholy relish by noted character actor Carel Struycken – Adams Family, Twin Peaks, Geralds Game).

One by one, the kids in the group are picked off in loving detail, by something hideously disfigured, with super-human strength. As the monsterous killer goes around axeing, strangling and even crushing his victims to death. As the hapless kids are left fighting for their lives, whilst stranded in the middle of nowhere.

Filmed back in 1980, after Halloween, but prior to Friday the 13th, the film was not actually released until 1984 . But even then, the version that most people got to see, was a re-edited version which, cut some scenes, whilst inserting a newly filmed back story for the origins of the killer.

The film has sadly languished in obscurity since the days of VHS. The good news though is that Arrow Video have got hold of the original elements and have put together what is probably the ultimate release of the film, which is brimming with extras and containing 3 different versions of the film.

Contents include…

DISC ONE - US THEATRICAL CUT

Brand new 2K restoration of the filmmaker-approved US Theatrical Cut from the original camera negative

Brand new audio commentary with producer Summer Brown

Brand new audio commentary with Amanda Reyes and Ewan Cant

Audio Interview with director Edwin Scott Brown

Brand new on-camera interview with actress Debbie Thureson

Brand new on-camera interview with actress Lori Lethin

Brand new on-camera interview with actor Carel Struycken

Brand new on-camera interview with actor Jackson Bostwick

In Search of The Prey - Ewan Cant and actress Debbie Thureson revisit the original shooting locations in Idyllwild, California

Q&A from Texas Frightmare Weekend 2019 with Lori Lethin, Carel Struycken and Jackson Bostwick

Texas Frightmare Weekend 2019 Audience Reaction Track

VHS Trailer and TV Spot

Original Script (BD-ROM Content)

DISC TWO - INTERNATIONAL & COMPOSITE CUTS

Brand new 2K restoration of the International Cut featuring the infamous “gyspy flashback” footage, added at a later date by the producers without the approval of the original filmmakers

Composite Cut combining footage from both the US Theatrical and International Cuts, for the ultimate Prey fan experience!

Extended Outtakes reel - 45 mins of never-before-seen outtakes

The discs come packaged with an exclusive slipcase cover featuring the original UK home video artwork and the case contains a reversible sleeve, with brand new artwork by Justin Osbourn

Clearly influenced by Halloween and in particular, The Hills Have Eyes, The Prey is something of an obscure gem, which not everyone might have heard of. Maybe the plot is a little slow in places, with the director padding the run time with images of wild life footage, but otherwise contains everything you would expect from a good 80s slasher. 

There's also a great selection of extras here, I particularly enjoyed the film locagion segment where actress Debbie Thureson re-visits some of the places where the film was shot.

This release is limited to 3000 units, so if you want to pick this up, be quick. 

THE PREY is out now on UK BD from Arrow Video.

Buy the UK BD from Amazon.co.uk

101 Films Present The Soska Sisters' RABID on UK BD October

Acclaimed horror directors Jen and Sylvia Soska aka ‘The Twisted Twins’ (American Mary) are back with their next nightmare – the bloody, brutal and deranged Rabid!

After aspiring fashion designer Rose (Laura Vandervoort) suffers a disfiguring traffic accident she undergoes a radical and untested stem-cell treatment. The experimental transformation is a miraculous success, transforming her into a ravishing beauty. But she soon develops an uncontrollable sexual appetite, resulting in several torrid encounters, which sees her lovers become rabid carriers of death and disease. 

As the illness mutates and the contagion spreads out of control, all hell breaks loose as the infected rampage through the city on a violent and gruesome killing spree.

Based on the original horror from David Cronenberg, Rabid has already courted controversy getting the Soska Sisters banned from Twitter for sharing an image from the film. So buckle up and prepare for a blood-soaked ride!

Starring Laura Vandervoort (Jigsaw, Bitten), Benjamin Hollingsworth (Cold Pursuit) and Phil ‘C.M. Punk’ Brooks (Girl on the Third Floor). Written and directed by Jen and Sylvia Soska.

Blu-ray Extras:

The Quiet Revolution: State, Society and the Canadian Horror Film – Part Two: An Emerging Revolution: New Territories & Diverse Fears, a brand new feature-length documentary exploring the social contexts behind Canadian horror cinema from filmmaker and author Xavier Mendik (exclusive to Blu-ray)

Behind the scenes with Jen & Sylvia Soska

An interview with Laura Vandervoor

FrightFest Presents The Soska Sisters' on set message to the FrightFest 2018 audience, with Paul McEvoy

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

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

 

 

Logan Marshall-Green stars in 'The Invitation'

From acclaimed director Karyn Kusama (Girl Fight, Jennifer’s Body, Destroyer) comes taut psychological thriller The Invitation, which premiered to great acclaim at London Film Festival and now gets a Blu-ray release from Second Sight on 4 November 2019.

Reluctantly accepting a dinner party invitation from his ex-wife Eden (Tammy Blanchard – Into the Woods) at the house they once shared, Will (Logan Marshall-Green – Spider-Man: Homecoming, Prometheus) and his new partner Kira (Emayatzy Corinealdi – Roots, Ballers) gather with old friends to toast new beginnings.

But Will and his ex-wife share a tragic past, and as paranoia mounts and tensions build, he begins to wonder what is real and what is imagined. As the claustrophobic evening grows increasingly sinister, Will starts to realise the lives of everyone he loves might be in danger…will they make it through the night?

The gathering is also attended by John Carroll Lynch (Fargo, American Horror Story), Michelle Krusiec (Hawaii 5-0), Lindsay Burge (Her Smell, Frances Ha) and Mike Doyle (Jersey Boys, Green Lantern), while long-time collaborators of Kusama’s, Phil Hay & Matt Manfredi (The Boys, Clash of the Titans) pen the electric script. 

Get your RSVPs in now for The Invitation, but be warned: it’ll be a night to remember until the day you die…

SPECIAL FEATURES

• Commentary with director Karyn Kusama and Writers Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi

• Making of The Invitation

• Going Back Home – a new interview with director Karyn Kusama

• There Is Nothing to Be Afraid Of – a new interview with producer Nick Spicer

• Tonight’s the Night – a new interview with writers Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi

• Playing Sadie – a new interview with actor Lindsay Burge

• English subtitles for the hard of hearing

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

THE HILLS HAVE EYES PART 2 - UK BD Spec Ed review...

Wes Craven’s entertaining, though oft maligned, sequel THE HILLS HAVE EYES PART 2 makes it’s UK Blu-Ray debut this month, in an extras laden, limited special edition release from Arrow films.

Several years after the events of Part 1, a group of motocross bikers encounter a similar fate to that which befell the Carter family, when they decide to take their tour bus on a shortcut across the desert, so they can get to their race meet on time.

Subsequently breaking down near to an old mine complex in the middle of nowhere, as night falls, they are quickly set about by another group of cannibals, lead this time by a chap called Reaper (John Bloom – Dracula Vs Frankenstein) and of course Pluto, who it seems wasn’t killed at the end of the last film after all (with Michael Berryman reprising his role). Who proceed to pick them off one, by, one.

Typical 80s slasher movie fare, the film was hastily shot after Wes Craven decided he needed to make some fast cash, after a period of inactivity, and hoped to capitalise on the success of the original, which had been a huge hit on home video in the early 80s.

The film is kind of goofy, in which the teens continue to lark about and play jokes on one another, even after they’ve been attacked and some of them have gone missing, and the films low budget is rather apparent, with the run time being padded out with flashback footage of the films returning characters (including the dog, believe it or not). 

But despite its flaws, the film still proves to be wildly entertaining, albeit for the wrong reasons. With Robert Houston and Janus Blyth also reprising their roles as Bobby and Ruby. Whilst Kevin Blair (Friday the 13th Part 7 : The New Blood) and Willard Pugh (The Guyver, Robocop 2) turning up in supporting roles. 

Extras include…

Brand new audio commentary with The Hysteria Continues podcast

Blood, Sand, and Fire: The Making of The Hills Have Eyes Part II - brand new making-of documentary featuring interviews with actor Michael Berryman, actress Janus Blythe, production designer Dominick Bruno, composer Harry Manfredini and unit production manager/first assistant director John Callas

Stills gallery

Original Theatrical Trailer

6 Postcards

Reversible fold-out Poster

Limited Edition 40-page booklet featuring new writing on the film by Amanda Reyes and an archival set visit from Fangoria

Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Paul Shipper

The Hills Have Eyes Part 2 might not be to everybody’s tastes, indeed when the original was remade in 2006, they chose a totally new plot for the 2007 sequel. So one might question the necessity of a special edition release of this.

However, Arrow films seem to have made a pretty good job of it and makes a great companion piece to their earlier Hills Have Eyes special edition.

Buy the UK BD from Amazon.co.uk

Fright-Rags' Release 3 FROM HELL, CREEPSHOW, & HAUNT apparel

Fright-Rags commemorates the upcoming release of Rob Zombie’s 3 From Hell with four tees from the highly-anticipated sequel to The Devil's Rejects. The evil returns with official artwork and original designs. 

Fright-Rags’ Creepshow apparel is the most fun you’ll ever have being scared. The line includes three T-shirts and an enamel pin from Shudder's reboot of George A. Romero and Stephen King's classic horror anthology, which premieres on September 26. 

 From the writers of A Quiet Place and producer Eli Roth, Haunt is a new Halloween-themed horror movie. Fright-Rags’ shirt features all four of the creepy masks from the film.

3 from Hell, Creepshow, and Haunt collections are on sale now at Fright-Rags.com.

Rob Zombie's "3 From Hell" on Digital and Disc from 14 Oct

First there was House of 1000 Corpses. Then there was The Devil’s Rejects. Now, writer-director Rob Zombie presents the next blood-soaked chapter in the most violent crime saga in movie history, 3 from Hell.

After barely surviving a furious shootout with the police, Baby Firefly (Sheri Moon Zombie), Otis Driftwood (Bill Moseley) and Captain Spaulding (Sid Haig) are behind bars. But pure evil cannot be contained. Teaming up with Otis’ half-brother Wilson (Richard Brake), the demented Firelfly clan are back to unleash a whole new wave of death and depravity. A firestorm of murder, madness and mayhem will be released in this terror ride to Hell and back.

Starring Sheri Moon Zombie (Lords of Salem, The Devil’s Rejects), Bill Moseley (The Texas Chain Saw Massacre 2, The Devil’s Rejects), Sid Haig (Bone Tomahawk, The Devil’s Rejects), Richard Brake (31, Mandy), Dee Wallace (Critters, The Howling) and Danny Trejo (Machete, From Dusk Till Dawn). 3 From Hell is written and directed by Rob Zombie.

Special features

‘To Hell and Back: The Making of 3 From Hell’ (95 mins)

Audio commentary with writer-director Rob Zombie (116 minutes) 

Buy the UK BD from Amazon.co.uk

Buy the UK DVD from Amazon.co.uk

 

STRANGE BUT TRUE - Official UK Trailer

Trailer for upcoming thriller STRANGE BUT TRUE released. Check it out below...

Laid up with a broken leg, Philip is living with his mother Charlene in upstate New York. It’s been five years since the death of Philip’s brother Ronnie, a devastating blow that has torn the Chase family apart. 

When they receive a visit from Melissa, Ronnie’s former girlfriend at the time of his death, wounds are re opened. Heavily pregnant, Melissa is under the belief that her unborn baby belongs to Ronnie. Leaving Charlene angry and Philip incredulous, Melissa returns home to the cottage she rents from Gail and her husband Bill, a former police officer who now owns the hardware store where Melissa works. 

When Philip suggests that Melissa’s revelation isn’t impossible, Charlene calls Richard, her ex-husband - and father to Philip and Ronnie – now living in Florida with his new wife. Could it be that Melissa is giving birth to Ronnie’s child? Stranger things have happened. But the truth is altogether more alarming… 

STRANGE BUT TRUE comes to UK DIgital Outlets 27th September 

Mayhem Film Festival announces Short Film Showcase line-up for 2019

With just under a month to go until its 15th edition, Mayhem Film Festival have just revealed the line-up for their Short Film Showcase, which will screen on the Saturday of the festival. 

This year’s line-up include the following films (in alphabetical order):

A LITTLE TASTE (UK PREMIERE) // Dir. Victor Català, Spain, 5m12

BILL // Dirs. Dan Gitsham & Sophie Mair, UK, 3m14

CREAKER // Dir. Vidar Aune, Norway, 4m

DEAD QUIET (WORLD PREMIERE) // Dir. Alex Withers, UK, 8m50

EL CUENTO // Dirs. Lucas Paulino & Ángel Torres, Spain, 9m40

FROST BITE (UK PREMIERE) // Dir. Andrew Hunt, US, 10m2

IT’S NOT CUSTARD // Dir. Kate McCoid, UK, 6m24

LIMBUS (INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE) // Dir. Sekander Sharifi, Germany, 3m

NOM // Dir. Angel Hernandez Suarez, Spain, 10m25

ONE LAST MEAL // Dir. Jill Gevargizian, US, 11m

SOUVENIR (UK PREMIERE) // Dir. Luis Orti, Spain, 12m

THE DISTURBERS (EUROPEAN PREMIERE) // Dir. Michael Vermaercke, Belgium, 1m35

THE PROCEDURE 2 (UK PREMIERE) // Dir. Calvin Lee Reeder, Canada, 3m

TOE // Dirs. Charles Thurman & Neal O'Bryan, US, 7m

UNMADE (WORLD PREMIERE) // Dir. Steven Sheil, UK, 10m

WILD LOVE // Dirs. Paul Autric, Quentin Camus, Maryka Laudet, Léa Georges, Zoé Sottiaux & Corentin Yvergniaux, France, 6m59 

 This year’s Short Film Showcase is made possible with the support of MIYU Distribution.

Mayhem Film Festival originally started as a single collection of short films before growing into the four-day weekend it is now, and so its Short Film Showcase remains at the heart of the festival with its traditional Saturday slot, and one of the most popular and beloved events of the programme each year. 

Mayhem’s full line-up was revealed last week and individual tickets, Frankenstein Ticket Packages and full festival passes are now on sale. For more information, please visit www.mayhemfilmfestival.com

Mayhem Film Festival takes place on 10-13 October 2019 at Broadway, Nottingham. 

FRIGHT & AND SOON THE DARKNESS - on UK BD October

Two genre-defining British horrors from the 70s, both fully restored and on Blu-ray for the first time, FRIGHT and AND SOON THE DARKNESS will be released courtesy of Studiocanal’s Vintage Classics Collection on 14TH October 2019

FRIGHT (1971)

Directed by Peter Collinson (The Italian Job, Straight on Till Morning), this original British slasher film from 1971 stars Honor Blackman (Goldfinger), Susan George (Straw Dogs), Ian Bannen (The Flight of the Phoenix), George Cole and Dennis Waterman (Minder)

Young babysitter Amanda (Susan George) arrives at the Lloyd residence (Honor Blackman and George Cole) to spend the evening looking after their young son. Soon after the Lloyds leave, a series of frightening occurrences in the gloomy old house have Amanda's nerves on edge. The real terror begins, however, when the child's biological father appears after recently escaping from a nearby mental institution.

Pre-dating the release of Halloween by seven years, FRIGHT was the groundbreaker for the ‘terrorized babysitter’ variation of the ‘home invasion’ horror genre

EXTRAS:

Interview with critic Kim Newman

Interview with star Susan George

Behind the Scenes Stills Gallery 

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

AND SOON THE DARKNESS (1970)

Directed by Robert Fuest (The Abominable Dr. Phebes, Wuthering Heights) AND SOON THE DARKNESS is a unique and suspenseful thriller starring Pamela Franklin (The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie) and Michelle Dotrice (The Blood on Satan’s Claw).

Two young English nurses, Jane (Pamela Franklin) and Cathy (Michele Dotrice) embark on a cycling holiday in the French countryside. They happen upon a mysterious man, Paul (Sandor Eles), who seems interested in them. Cathy is intrigued by the man, but suspicious Jane wants to continue on the journey. The two split up but when Jane returns to the village where they are staying, her friend is nowhere to be found. Frantic, she searches for Cathy, but who can she trust, and will she find her in time.

AND SOON THE DARKNESS cleverly confounds expectations and extracts the maximum amount of suspense, sustaining jeopardy and a sense of claustrophobia despite the story all taking place in wide open spaces in complete daylight.

EXTRAS:

Interview with critic Kim Newman

Audio commentary with Writer Brian Clemens & Director Robert Fuest

Audio commentary with Film Historian Troy Howarth

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