Friday, 3 January 2025

eROTik 2: The Beyond - Coming from TetroVideo

eROTik 2: The Beyond is the sequel/reboot to TetroManiac: eROTik (2019), a film loosely based on the case of the serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, and is directed by Slade Wilson (6 Songs, XXX Darknet: Red Lips) under the supervision of Domiziano Cristopharo (House of Flesh Mannequins, Doll Syndrome).

The story is linked to that of the 2019 film by taking up its situations and characters but, most importantly, delving into the sick mind of the protagonist who, thanks to his rituals, will manage to bring back to life one of the corpses he hides in his house but his actions will have nefarious consequences.

eROTik 2: The Beyond stars Ahmet Karthal, Angela del Regno (TetroManiac: Confessions of a Necrophiliac), William Connor, Antonio Mocciola, Patrizia De Rosa and Carmin Gregor.

Special effects are by Kevin Capurro (6 Songs, XXX Darknet: Red Lips) and the cinematography is by Domiziano Cristopharo.

According to GrimoireOfHorror, eROTik 2: The Beyond “is both a love letter to genre cinema and a celebration of its influence and is sure to satiate fans of the extreme”, and for VoicesFromTheBalcony “the film is more than a simple gorefest. It’s a journey into a disturbed and depraved mind… and it’s done with considerable talent.”).

View the Trailer on YouTube

The film will be available soon from https://tetrovideo.com





Giallo, De Palma and sharks in stunning 4K, a rediscovered sci-fi classic and a Japanese cult gem debut! March

March releases from Arrow films

DON'T TORTURE A DUCKLING - Limited Edition 4K UHD

From Lucio Fulci, the godfather of gore (City of the Living Dead, The House by the Cemetery), comes one of the most powerful and unsettling giallo thrillers ever produced: his 1972 masterpiece, Don’t Torture a Duckling.

When the sleepy rural village of Accendura is rocked by a series of murders of young boys, the superstitious locals are quick to apportion blame, with the suspects including the local “witch”, Maciara (Florinda Bolkan, A Lizard in a Woman’s Skin). 

With the bodies piling up and the community gripped by panic and a thirst for bloody vengeance, two outsiders – city journalist Andrea (Tomas Milian, The Four of the Apocalypse) and spoilt rich girl Patrizia (Barbara Bouchet, The Red Queen Kills Seven Times) – team up to crack the case. But before the mystery is solved, more blood will have been spilled, and not all of it belonging to innocents…

Deemed shocking at the time for its brutal violence, depiction of the Catholic Church and themes of child murder and implied pedophilia, Don’t Torture a Duckling is widely regarded today as Fulci’s greatest film, rivalling the best of his close rival rival Dario Argento. Arrow Films is proud to present this uniquely chilling film in its 4K debut.

4K ULTRA HD LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS

• Brand new 4K restoration from the original 2-perf Techniscope camera negative by Arrow Films
• 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray™ presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
• Newly restored original lossless mono Italian and English soundtracks
• Optional English subtitles for the Italian soundtrack
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtrack
• Audio commentary by Troy Howarth, author of So Deadly, So Perverse: 50 Years of Italian Giallo Films
• Giallo a la Campagna, video discussion with Mikel J. Koven, author of La Dolce Morte: Vernacular Cinema and the Italian Giallo Film
• Hell is Already in Us, video essay by critic Kat Ellinger
• Lucio Fulci Remembers, rare 1988 audio interview with the filmmaker
• Who Killed Donald Duck, interview with actress Barbara Bouchet
• Those Days with Lucio, interview with actress Florinda Bolkan
• The DP’s Eye, interview with cinematographer Sergio D’Offizi
• From the Cutting Table, interview with editor Bruno Micheli
• Endless Torture, interview with makeup artist Maurizio Trani
• Theatrical trailer
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Ilan Sheady
• Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring writing on the film by Barry Forshaw and Howard Hughes

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

 

DRESSED TO KILL - On Limited Edition 4K UHD

Upon its release in 1980, Brian De Palma’s Dressed to Kill was as acclaimed for its stylish set-pieces and lush Pino Donaggio score as it was condemned for its sexual explicitness – but the glee with which the writer/director turns this material inside out is completely infectious, as he delves deep inside the troubled psyches of his characters to undermine expectations at every turn.

After sexually frustrated housewife Kate Miller (Angie Dickinson) has a session with her psychiatrist, Dr Elliott (Michael Caine), she silently seduces a man in an art gallery – an assignation that ends in murder and the only witness, high-class prostitute Liz Blake (Nancy Allen), being stalked by the killer in turn.

One of De Palma’s darkest and most controversial suspense thrillers, Arrow Video is proud to present this iconic neo-Hitchcockian masterwork in stunning 4K alongside a raft of archival and newly commissioned bonus features.

4K ULTRA HD LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS

• 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-rayTM presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
• Original lossless 1.0 mono soundtrack
• Optional lossless 5.1 soundtrack
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Brand new audio commentary by critics Drusilla Adeline and Joshua Conkel
• Audio commentary by critic Maitland McDonagh
• Beyond Good and Evil, brand new visual essay by critics BJ and Harmony Colangelo
• The Empathy of Dressed to Kill, brand new visual essay by critic Jessica Crets
• Strictly Business, 2022 interview with actress Nancy Allen
• Killer Frames, 2022 interview with associate producer/production manager Fred C. Caruso
• An Imitation of Life, 2022 interview with actor Keith Gordon
• Symphony of Fear, 2022 interview with producer George Litto
• Archival interviews with actors Angie Dickinson, Nancy Allen and Keith Gordon
• The Making of a Thriller, archival documentary on the making of the film
• Unrated, R-rated and TV-rated comparison featurette
• Slashing Dressed to Kill, archival featurette examining the changes made to avoid an X rating
• Photo gallery
• Theatrical trailer
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Gilles Vranckx
• Collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Sara Michelle Fetters, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, Matthew Sorrento and Heather Wixson

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



DEEP BLUE SEA - Limited Edition 4K UHD
 
From Renny Harlin, maximalist director of Die Hard II, Cliffhanger and The Long Kiss Goodnight, comes Deep Blue Sea, a shark-infested action-thriller where everyone is on the menu.
 
At an isolated research facility in the middle of the ocean, a team of scientists, led by Susan McAlester (Saffron Burrows), are working on a cure for Alzheimer’s by genetically altering the brains of sharks. 

When a shark escapes and attacks a pleasure boat, the company sponsoring the research threatens to pull its funding and sends corporate executive Russell Franklin (Samuel L. Jackson) to investigate. McAlester has just 48 hours to prove the value of her work, but her experiments have made the sharks smarter.

No longer happy to be injected, prodded, and caged, they begin to turn the tables. As a freak storm causes chaos on the surface, making it impossible to leave, the facility is flooded and the scientists must fight to survive against the rising water and the hungry sharks that now swim freely through the corridors.

Embracing action, horror and suspense with a knowing sense of humour and pushing them all as far as they can go, Deep Blue Sea is an adrenaline rush of pure entertainment presented in a brand new 4K restoration approved by director Renny Harlin. Come on in, the water’s great!

4K ULTRA HD LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS

• Brand new 4K restoration of the film from the original camera negatives by Arrow Films approved by director Renny Harlin
• 4K (2160p) Ultra HD Blu-ray presentation (1080p HD on the BD edition)
• Original DTS HD-MA 5.1 and Dolby Atmos audio options
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Brand new audio commentary by screenwriter Duncan Kennedy
• Brand new audio commentary by filmmaker and critic Rebekah McKendry
• Archive audio commentary by director Renny Harlin and star Samuel L. Jackson
• From the Frying pan… into the Studio Tank, a new interview with production designer William Sandell
• Beneath the Surface, a new visual essay by film critic Trace Thurman
• When Sharks Attack: The Making of Deep Blue Sea, an archive featurette
• The Sharks of the Deep Blue Sea, an archive featurette
• Deleted Scenes with optional audio commentary by director Renny Harlin
• Theatrical Trailer
• Image Gallery
• Reversible sleeve with original and newly commissioned artwork by Luke Preece
• 60-page perfect bound collectors book containing new writing by film critics Josh Hurtado, Jennie Kermode, and Murray Leeder, plus previously unseen production art and designs
• Double-sided fold-out poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Luke Preece
• Postcards from Aquatica

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

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

 
 
THE TERMINAL MAN - On Limited Edition Blu-ray

From the director of Get Carter and the writer of Jurassic Park comes a chilling techno-thriller. George Segal is… The Terminal Man.

Harry Benson (Segal) is a brilliant computer scientist who suffers from seizures that induce blackouts and violent behaviour. Undergoing experimental surgery, electrodes are implanted in his brain to detect oncoming seizures and stop them with an electrical impulse. 

But the pleasure centre of his brain becomes addicted to the stimulus, triggering seizures at shorter and shorter intervals. If they become continuous the blackouts will be permanent, and Benson a homicidal killer.

Much admired by Terence Malick, Stanley Kubrick and Robert Altman alike, Mike Hodges’ film of Michael Crichton’s novel is an unnerving slow-burn masterpiece long overdue for re-evaluation.

SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS
• High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentations of both the theatrical and director's cut of the film
• Original lossless mono audio
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Brand new audio commentary by film historians Howard S. Berger and Steven Mitchell
• A (Misunderstood) Modernist Masterpiece, a new visual essay by film scholar Josh Nelson
• Who Am I If Not Myself, a new visual essay on Mike Hodges and The Terminal Man by Howard S. Berger
• The Skin I Live In, a new visual essay by film historian Howard S. Berger on Crichton, Hodges and cinematographer Richard Kline
• Mike Hodges on The Terminal Man, an archive interview
• Theatrical Trailer
• Image Gallery
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Sister Hyde
• Illustrated collector's booklet containing new writing by film critic and author Guy Adams 

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


PLAY IT COOL - On Limited Edition Blu-ray

Play it Cool is a chic and erotically charged drama starring popular Japanese singer of the day Mari Atsumi as a college girl negotiating her way through the male-dominated hierarchies of Tokyo’s seductive but treacherous nightclub culture.

Yumi (Mari Atsumi) is a pretty fashion student who shares a cramped home with her mother Tomi (Akemi Negishi, The Saga of Anatahan) and good-for-nothing stepfather Ryoichi. 

Tomi works at a local hostess bar and hopes for a better fate for Yumi. When Ryoichi violently forces himself upon her blossoming daughter, Tomi is not afraid to take action to protect her, an act which lands her in jail.

Left to fend for herself, Yumi is taken in by her mother’s former place of employment, where she finds herself fighting off the unwanted attentions of the men who swarm around her. 

Then one day, a rescue by handsome former lawyer Nozawa (Yusuke Kawazu, Cruel Story of Youth) from a vicious gangster seems to offer an escape into an
altogether glitzier world, albeit one that turns out fraught with similar dangers.

Arrow Films is proud to release this little-seen gem by one of Japan’s most highly regarded directors of the 1960s, Yasuzō Masumura (Giants and Toys, Irezumi), a filmmaker known for his social satires and powerful portrayals of women, as Play it Cool is released for the very first time for the home video market outside of Japan in a brand new high-definition transfer.

LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS

• High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation
• Original uncompressed mono audio
• Optional English subtitles
• Brand new audio commentary with critic and Japanese cinema specialist Jasper Sharp and professor and Japanese literature specialist Anne McKnight
• Too Cool for School, brand new video essay on Play it Cool and the career of writer-director Yasuzō Masumura by Japanese film scholar Mark Roberts
• Original theatrical trailer
• Image gallery
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Tony Stella
• Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Earl Jackson 

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



Chilling Nordic horror THE DAMNED - in UK & Irish cinemas from 10th January

Vertical has announced that Thordur Palsson's ominous and chilling thriller THE DAMNED will be released in UK and Irish cinemas from 10th January 2025. 

Starring Odessa Young (The Staircase, Mothering Sunday) and Joe Cole (Peaky Blinders, Gangs of London), THE DAMNED is a tense psychological horror film that follows 19th-century widow, Eva. Tasked with making an impossible choice when a ship sinks off the coast of her isolated fishing outpost during the middle of an especially cruel winter.

With provisions running low, Eva and her close-knit community must choose between rescuing the shipwrecked crew and prioritizing their own survival. Facing the consequences of their decision and tormented by guilt, the inhabitants wrestle with a mounting sense of dread and begin to believe they are all being punished for their choices.

Rooted in the depths of Norse Mythology, THE DAMNED features haunting performances from  Rory McCann (Game of Thrones), Siobhan Finneran (Happy Valley), Turlough Convery (Belfast), Lewis Gribben (Somewhere Boy), Francis Magee (The Tourist) and Mícheál Óg Lane (Calvary)

THE DAMNED will be released In UK & Irish Cinemas from 10th January 2025 

View the Trailer on YouTube.


 

 

Horror channel NYX UK reveals a terror-filled menu for January 2025

Paranormal fantasies, gory urban legends, graphic exploitation, classic Sci-Fi and a John Carpenter birthday celebration lead a terror-filled menu on NYX UK this January.


There are twelve Channel premieres this month, including two standout directorial debuts: Jackson Stewart’s impressive adventure fantasy BEYOND THE GATES (Fri Jan 24, 9pm), starring genre favourites Barbara Crampton, Brea Grant and Graham Skipper, and Padraig Reynolds’ glossy and shocking RITES OF SPRING (Sat Jan 10,9pm), starring the award-winning actor AJ Bowen. NYX UK also presents the Fast TV premiere of Robbie Banfitch’s outstanding experimental found-footage horror THE OUTWATERS, which screens on Friday 31 January at 9pm.


There is also a further eight feature film Channel Premieres this month including such Sci-Fi cult classics as CONTAMINATION (Thurs Jan 2, 9pm), Luigi Cozzi’s Italian gory homage to Ridley Scott's Alien, and Brit favourites - THE DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS (Fri Jan 3, 5pm), the original movie released in 1962 and THE EARTH DIES SCREAMING (Thurs Jan 16, 5pm), directed by Terence Fisher in 1964.

Fans of 70s horror / fantasy exploitation can savour the unsavoury delights of LISA: SHE WOLF OF THE SS (Fri Jan 3, 11pm), GIRL SLAVES OF MORGANA LE FAY (Fri Jan 31, 11pm) and the nunsploitation drama FLAVIA THE HERETIC (Sat Jan 10, 11pm).

Other contemporary devilish delights include the Channel premieres of Chilean Vampire chiller ETERNAL BLOOD (Fri Jan 9, 9pm) and Hong Kong psychological horror-thriller FOREST OF DEATH (Sun Jan 11, 9pm).

The channel also celebrates the great John Carpenter’s birthday on Thursday 16 Jan with his most iconic film HALLOWEEN, which has spawned numerous sequels and imitators, solidifying its status as a classic in the horror genre and launching the career of Jamie Lee Curtis. That is followed at 11pm with a screening of his underrated supernatural shocker THE WARD, starring Amber Heard.

Plus, Thursday January 30th, 7pm sees the premiere launch of GALVESTON’S CAVERN OF CREEPS, a wickedly entertaining horror-comedy series where Galveston, a snarky demon on a quest to unleash the apocalypse, ends up bonding with Jack, a clueless but lovable horror movie enthusiast. Each episode features the duo diving into horror classics, B-movie treasures, and forgotten gems, all while dealing with supernatural antics and laugh-out-loud subplots that mirror the films they’re watching.

Season One kicks off with “The Giant Gila Monster” and the nine episodes with be broadcast on subsequent Thursday nights.

NYX has also launched Scream TV in the US, a brand new, free-to-air and free-to-stream TV channel dedicated to horror. To get Scream TV, download the DistroTV app on any Roku or Amazon Fire TV as well as iOS and Android devices. Or visit www.scream-tv.com.

Visit...
https://www.nyxtv.co.uk/

NYX UK - 'X'
NYX UK - Instagram

True Crime Meets the Paranormal in THE LADY OF THE LAKE - Available Digitally

True crime and the paranormal intertwine in THE LADY OF THE LAKE. Journey into the heart of the unknown on Digital and VOD via Uncork'd Entertainment.

Directed by Ryan Grulich (Georgie, Foolish Mortals) and led by renowned paranormal investigator Amanda D. Paulson, the documentary delves into the haunting legend of Lake Crescent, located in the Pacific Northwest’s enigmatic Port Angeles, WA.

THE LADY OF THE LAKE revisits the chilling 1937 murder of Hallie Illingworth, a local waitress whose body, eerily preserved by the lake's frigid waters, resurfaced to reveal a tale wrapped in layers of violence, history, and the supernatural. Paulson's investigation uncovers secrets buried in the depths of Lake Crescent, weaving a narrative that transcends the boundaries of reality.

Through cinematic interviews with local residents, historians, and paranormal experts, THE LADY OF THE LAKE meticulously explores the liminal spaces where history and mystery converge.

"This film is a labor of love and fascination," says Grulich. "It’s about more than solving a mystery; it's about understanding the forces that linger in our world, unseen and often unacknowledged. THE LADY OF THE LAKE is an invitation to explore the unknown and to question the boundaries of our reality."

With its powerful storytelling and immersive cinematography, THE LADY OF THE LAKE resonates with the archetypal legends that have shaped human consciousness, offering a timeless narrative that is both haunting and enlightening.

View the Trailer on YouTube.




Supernatural thriller BLACKWATER LANE - Coming To Digital Platforms

Plaion Pictures is delighted to confirm that their supernatural horror BLACKWATER LANE will be available on Digital Download from 27th January 2025.

Shot entirely in Suffolk at the haunted Elsing Hall, BLACKWATER LANE, is based on the New York Times bestselling book by British author B.A. Paris.

Directed by Jeff Celentano with a screenplay co-written by Elizabeth Fowler, Blackwater Lane has a standout cast featuring Dermot Mulroney (My Best Friend's Wedding), Minka Kelly (Euphoria) & Maggie Grace (Lost).

Late one night a woman drives by a stranded motorist who is later revealed to have been murdered. After a series of terrifying events the woman believes she is the killer's next victim.

Blackwater Lane will be available on Digital Download from 27th January 2025 

View the Trailer on YouTube


 

Hilariously horrid comedy horror MOTHER FATHER SISTER BROTHER FRANK - On Digital 27 Jan

It’s a family affair like no other in the deliciously dark comedy horror MOTHER FATHER SISTER BROTHER FRANK.

The Jennings family look the picture of suburban normalcy as they gather for their weekly Sunday dinner. As usual the table is set for four... mum Joy (Mindy Cohn – Palm Royale, The Facts of Life), dad Jerry (Enrico Colantoni – Galaxy Quest, Veronica Mars), sister Jolene (Melanie Leishman – Todd and the Book of Pure Evil, Below Her Mouth) and brother Jim (Iain Stewart – Star Trek: Strange New Worlds), but this week an uninvited guest arrives… and it’s going to get bloody messy.

When Uncle Frank (Juan Chioran – Dracula: A Chamber Musical, Tracker) turns up out of the blue, it’s clear he’s not here for a cosy family catch up. When Jolene and Jim discover Frank’s been blackmailing their parents, they see red and are prepared to do whatever it takes to protect their perfect little suburbia

With murder in mind and filled with blood lust and revenge, chaos ensues… but once the fiery haze clears, the Jennings realise they have no idea how to be murderers and better yet, dispose of a body, and a series of hilariously gruesome events follow.

Written and directed by Caden Douglas (Pop), this award-winning, laugh-out-loud darkly comic horror has won numerous awards and is now being served up on digital 27 January 2025 from Miracle Media.

Dysfunctional doesn’t even begin to cover the Jennings, and while some families may bond over sports or games, for the Jennings it’s murder.

It’s dinner time, so gather your family and get ready to devour MOTHER FATHER SISTER BROTHER FRANK. On Digital 27 January 2025 from Miracle Media.

View the Trailer on YouTube.


 



Action Horror WEREWOLVES - Coming to Disc and Digital

Humanity is about to discover that its bite is far worse than its bark in this action horror. One year ago, a supermoon event triggered a global outbreak, transforming anyone exposed to moonlight into bloodthirsty werewolves for just one night.

Now, as the next supermoon rises, former marine and Global Rapid Response Team Leader Wesley Marshall teams up with scientists Dr. Aranda and Dr. Amy Chen to find a cure before humanity is lost, but as chaos and carnage unfold, Marshall must fight off killer beasts and risk everything to protect his family. 

Starring Frank Grillo (The Grey), Katrina Law (Arrow), Ilfenesh Hadera (Baywatch), James Michael Cummings (City on a Hill), and Lou Diamond Phillips (Courage Under Fire). Practical FX by Alec Gillis & Tom Woodruff Jr. the duo behind Prey’s predator, Werewolves is written by Matthew Kennedy (Inheritance) and directed by Steven C. Miller (Line of Duty).

WEREWOLVES is available on Digital Platforms 13 January and DVD 20 January. Distributed by Signature Entertainment

View the Trailer on YouTube

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

STREET TRASH [2024] gets UK cinema release

Lightbulb Film Distribution have announced that STREET TRASH, directed by Ryan Kruger, will be released in UK cinemas from January 10.


The feature is a reimagining of the 1987 cult horror-comedy of the same name. Kruger previously directed Fried Barry.
 
A group of misfits must fight for survival when they discover a plot to exterminate every homeless person in the city.

STREET TRASH will be released in select UK cinemas from January 10, and on Digital & Blu-ray from February 17.

View the Trailer on YouTube

Cinema listings can be found HERE.