September 20, 2005

I've been burning the midnight oil, pulling a lot of all-night movie marathons (we don't call it the "Late Show" for nothin'!) in an attempt to stay on top of the many cult and genre DVDs that have been winging their way here to Stately Mills Manor over the last few weeks. With Halloween rapidly approaching, the studios are scouring their vaults for appropriately spooky cinema, and that means lots more night work here at the keyboard.

And it is work (yeah, that surprised me, too!). These columns are surprisingly time-consuming. First, I have to watch a bunch of movies – some of them more than once, if there's commentaries – and view all the supplemental features, if the discs have any. I usually take some notes while watching, and refer to them when writing the reviews, which usually takes several hours.

Then I go over to the IMDB and fact-check actor's names, release dates, alternate titles, and so on. Finally, I go over the whole column and give it a polish, trying (often unsuccessfully) to inject some humor and personality, and making sure that I don't repeat myself too much. Then I gather and prepare the art and persuade my wife (who's much more adept at this HTML stuff than I am) to help me format the column and upload it to the web.

And that doesn't include the time I spend on phone calls and e-mails to DVD studios and publicity firms, trying to stay on top of the latest B-movie releases, so I can provide you guys with timely reviews.

Sure – I do this for the DVDs, but considering how much work goes into it, I wouldn't exactly call 'em free. I'm not complaining, though. I genuinely love this stuff, and I enjoy bringing some attention to these lesser-known slices of cinema sleaze.

Now, I had announced that I would be reviewing some classic cliffhanger serials this time around, but I'm still waiting on a couple of discs. Maybe next time. However, as promised, I will be reviewing recent releases of a couple cult TV series. Check 'em out at the end of the column.

Let's begin with two of the Eighties' better exploitation efforts, shall we?

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Director Stuart Gordon (DAGON) followed his breakout H.P. Lovecraft-inspired films, RE-ANIMATOR and FROM BEYOND, with a charming little pseudo-slasher for producer Charles Band, DOLLS (1987).

Screenwriter Ed Naha's (TROLL) scenario is a twisted fairy tale: A disagreeable couple (Ian Patrick Williams and the director's wife, Carolyn Purdey-Gordon) and their precocious little girl (Carrie Lorraine) find themselves stranded in the English countryside when their rental car breaks down during a storm. They take shelter in a nearby manor house occupied by an elderly doll maker (Guy Rolfe, MR. SARDONICUS) and his wife (Hilary Mason). Soon, another American tourist (Stephen Lee) accompanied by a couple of cute punk hitchhikers, shows up seeking sanctuary and the weary travelers are assigned guest rooms for the night.

Before long, one of the pretty punks decides she wants to rob the place, and finds that the toy maker's dolls, which fill every shelf, nook and cranny of the sprawling house, don't take kindly to such antisocial activities. Thus begins a bloody spree of deadly doll action, and a series of gory demises that should satisfy fright fans with sanguinary tastes.

Gordon brings his usual wit and style to the proceedings, and the cast – especially Rolfe, Mason, Purdey-Gordon and Stephen Lee – is excellent, bringing just the right tone to their performances. David Allen's old-fashioned stop-motion effects bring the murderous manikins to life without the benefit of expensive CGI, and they're more than effective.

This unheralded gem, unfortunately buried in the RE-ANIMATOR buzz of the time, kicked off a whole bunch of "killer toy" movies from producer Band, including the seemingly interminable PUPPETMASTER vidflick series. Now available on DVD from MGM/Sony, DOLLS comes to the digital format in a sharp, solid anamorphic 1.85:1 widescreen transfer. The movie looks beautiful – far better than its cable airings in the Eighties. (A full-frame, open matte version is also provided on the B-side, if you really need to see it as it aired on Cinemax.)

Not only has MGM provided a pristine transfer, but they've actually sprung for a few extra features as well. First off is an informative and fascinating commentary track by director Gordon and screenwriter Naha. Then there's a second commentary track with several of the film's principal cast members. There's a storyboard-to-film comparison featurette and a photo gallery. And, finally, there's the original theatrical trailer (I remember when films like this still played in theaters – Christ, I'm old), which manages to give away all the best effects and gags in the film.

All in all, a great little Eighties horror flick, and highly recommended.

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In 1987, Vincent Price, the actor most identified with the horror genre from the late Fifties through the Seventies, made his last full-fledged appearance in a fright film: Jeff Burr's FROM A WHISPER TO A SCREAM (aka THE OFFSPRING).

At the time of the film's original release, the elderly icon expressed his displeasure with the finished project, claiming that he hadn't known that the movie would be so graphic in its depiction of its violence and horrors. Well, it's understandable that the generous gore and sicker story elements (necrophilia, cannibalism, incest) might have disturbed this genteel gentleman, but it's a shame he couldn't see what a superior chiller the movie really is.

FROM A WHISPER TO A SCREAM is an anthology film (and the first of three such that we'll be discussing this week), with four stories connected by a framing sequence starring the legendary actor. Price is the librarian of the small Southern town of Oldfield, Tennessee, a town whose history is "written in blood on pages of human skin." When his niece (Hammer Films starlet Martine Beswick in a nice cameo) is executed for a string of serial murders, a reporter (Susan Tyrrell, CRY-BABY) pays him a late night visit, prying from him a quartet of tales recounting some of the town's horrific history.

The first story features Clu Gulager (RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD) in an extraordinarily creepy turn as a small-town nebbish with a penchant for necrophilia. The second features Terry Kiser (WEEKEND AT BERNIE'S Bernie) and the late Harry Caesar in a grisly, EC Comics-styled tale of greed and poetic justice. The third story features a sinister carnival run by voodoo priestess Rosalind Cash (THE OMEGA MAN) and a pair of ill-fated lovers. The film wraps up with a meaty anecdote set during the Civil War, with genre vet Cameron Mitchell as a Union soldier who has a run-in with a particularly precocious band of twisted tykes.

Unlike most horror anthologies, I thought all the stories were fairly strong, with the carnival story just a little less effective than the others. The first segment suffers from a few unconvincing effects shots, but otherwise, FROM A WHISPER TO A SCREAM is a superior horror film, and probably the hardest-edged of the anthology subgenre.

MGM/Sony's DVD is a bare bones affair, with a somewhat soft and grainy (although I suspect that's due to the way the film was shot) 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. A full-frame, open matte version is also provided on the B-side. The only extra is another of those Eighties trailers that give away all the best stuff in the movie (so don't watch it until after you've seen the feature).

A great, unheralded horror, well worth picking up.

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Kenneth J Hall's THE HALFWAY HOUSE (2005) is an entertaining amalgam of drive-in exploitation genres, with generous helpings of squirting blood, rubber monsters, sexy bad girls and corrupt clergy, all mixed together into something close to the ultimate B movie. Casting exploitation legend Mary Woronov in major part doesn't hurt either.

The plot: young women are disappearing in and around the Mary Magdalene Halfway House for Troubled Girls. In an attempt to discover what became of her missing sister, Larissa Morgan (Janet Tracy Keijser, HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL) infiltrates the Catholic institution with the help of horny police detective Dick Sheen (square-jawed Shawn Savage). Once inside, she meets a priest with a passion for corporal punishment, a sinister nun (Mary Woronov, EATING RAOUL, DEATH RACE 2000), a bunch of over-sexed bad girls, and a creepy custodian named Lutkus (Cleve Hall, the director's brother).

So, what did I like about THE HALFWAY HOUSE? Well, there are lots of boobies. That's always good in an exploitation film. There's also lesbian sex scenes, decapitations, a kinky priest, a cool non-CGI rubber monster, and a Madonna covered in Vaseline (and I don't mean the singer). Mary Woronov is great as the evil nun, and the production values and photography are light years better than most contemporary vidflicks. The script is pretty sharp and smart, too.

The unrated special edition from The Fright Factory/Skouras Ventura features a great 1.85:1 widescreen transfer with Dolby Digital. 5.1 sound. In addition, there are deleted scenes, an entertaining making-of documentary called "Gut Eating Monster From Hell," and a music video by Insecto Circus. There's also a commentary track by director Hall and producer Ed Polgardy. Unfortunately, about thirty minutes into the movie, there's a gap in the commentary recording, and when it resumes, it's several minutes out of sync with what's on screen. Too bad, because it's an interesting track. Fortunately, the documentary covers much of the same ground.

The movie aims for that precarious balance of humor and horror that made 80's films like EVIL DEAD 2 so much fun, and, most of the time, it hits the target. If you like your horror laced with laughs and gratuitous nudity (and really, who doesn't?) THE HALFWAY HOUSE is a good bet.

Recommended.

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I'm a huge fan of the classic horror thrillers of the 1930's and 1940's, especially those starring genre legends Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff. Well, now Columbia has dug into their vaults to finally release on home video for the first time, the Karloff "chiller," THE MAN WITH NINE LIVES (1940).

Karloff made a handful of "mad doctor" films for Columbia, and they were all pretty similar. In most of them, Karloff played a scientist obsessed with cheating death through some extreme treatment or invention. His peers in the scientific community reject his theories (even though he's always right) and someone dies when his experiments are interrupted. Then he goes on a murderous rampage, killing everyone responsible for screwing up his life. In THE MAN WITH NINE LIVES, his experiments deal with a primitive form of cryogenics, which he believes will cure cancer, but otherwise, it follows the formula to the letter.

That's not to say it's not fun, though. Karloff excelled in these kind of roles, always making you sympathize with these misunderstood geniuses and side with them when they start avenging themselves. NINE LIVES isn't a visually impressive film – most of it takes place in just a few dark underground rooms, but the acting – by a solid cast of Columbia stock players – is decent, and the short 73 minute film races along at a decent clip.

Columbia's new DVD presents the 65-year-old film in a sharp, full-frame, black and white transfer. The source print is in good shape, with only a few, non-distracting specks and lines scattered throughout. The disc includes the original mono soundtrack and English, French & Japanese subtitles. There are also trailers for a few other Columbia/Tri-Star horror releases, all recent.

It's not a great movie, but fans of classic horror and Boris Karloff (and I'm both) will want to buy it. Columbia's disc is an affordable quality presentation of a movie never before available on home video in any format, and I hope they release their other Karloff titles soon.

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In the Sixties, England's Amicus Films produced a string of superior horror anthology films, using some of the top genre stars of the time and with screenplays by such legendary writers as Robert Bloch (PSYCHO). One of the earliest of these was the dark carnival four-shot, TORTURE GARDEN (1967), directed by ace cameraman Freddie Francis.

The framing sequence of this anthology flick features Burgess Meredith (ROCKY, TV's TWILIGHT ZONE) as sinister sideshow proprietor Dr. Diablo, who offers several of his patrons a glimpse into their futures. This makes a solid set-up for four Bloch tales.

In the first, a greedy young man visits his dying uncle in order to discover the source of the old man's wealth. When the uncle dies, the nephew discovers a scary black cat and a headless corpse in the basement. Before long, there are more headless bodies and whole mess of trouble. In the second, an ambitious young actress discovers the price for eternal fame in Hollywood. In the third, a woman finds herself between the concert pianist she loves and a jealous rival. In the last, and best story, Jack Palance (HAWK THE SLAYER) is an obsessed collector of Edgar Allan Poe memorabilia who encounters another collector (Peter Cushing, CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN, STAR WARS) with the ultimate Poe collectible.

All four stories are nicely shot and well acted, but only the first really generates much suspense. The last story, "The Man Who Collected Poe," is a joy to watch primarily because of the actors involved: Palance and Cushing are clearly having a lot of fun with this one, and it's contagious.

What really makes the movie though, is the wrap-around sequences and Burgess Meredith's witty performance, which is reminiscent of his characterization of the Penguin from the then current BATMAN TV series.

Sony's DVD is a basically bare-bones release, but the 1.85:1 widescreen transfer is excellent, with a sharp picture and rock-solid colors. The mono sound is clear and well balanced. The only extras are trailers for other Sony horror discs (the same as on THE MAN WITH NINE LIVES).

Fans of Amicus Films (and there are a few of us) or old school "scary" movies will want to add this to their DVD collections.

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In 1990, George Romero, who'd had some success with the anthology format with 1982's CREEPSHOW, teamed up with Italian horror maestro Dario Argento (SUSPIRIA) for the Poe-inspired anthology, TWO EVIL EYES (aka DUE OCCHI DIABOLICI).

Originally, the plan was to include additional sequences two other directors, but by the time the project came together, it was just Romero and Argento. The first story, directed by Romero, is a contemporary re-telling of "The Case of M. Valdemar." Adrienne Barbeau (SWAMP THING) plays the greedy trophy wife of a dying millionaire. She and her lover, a young doctor, are using hypnosis to insure that her curmudgeon of a husband doesn't cut her out of inheriting his fortune. The difficulty comes in keeping him alive until the paperwork goes through. Though a little slow, I think this sequence has been unfairly maligned by most horror fans expecting something along the lines of Romero's "Living Dead" films. It's actually a fairly successful little traditional terror tale that benefits from some good performances and Tom Savini's effective make-up effects.

The second tale, Argento's version of "The Black Cat," stars Harvey Keitel (RESERVOIR DOGS) as a disturbed photographer who specializes in crime scene photos. When his girlfriend brings home a stray kitty, he begins to find his grip on his sanity slipping away with frightening speed. Argento packs his hour with plenty of references to different Poe stories and abundant Savini gore effects, but, ultimately, it's more style than substance. Like most of Argento's work, it's beautifully shot and full of strong imagery, and Keitel is, as usual, compelling to watch, but, overall, the story's pretty anemic.

Blue Underground's two-disc special edition features a pristine 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer of the movie on disc one, accompanied by a 5.1 Dolby Surround track, a 6.1 DTS track and a Dolby stereo track. The first disc also includes a poster and still gallery and the film's theatrical trailer.

Disc two includes a retrospective featurette that includes on-camera vintage interviews with Romero, Argento, Savini and a teenage Asia Argento. There's a behind-the-scenes featurette focusing on Savini's effects work and a vintage video tour of Savini's memorabilia-cluttered home. Finally, there's a brief video interview with actress Adrienne Barbeau as she discusses her work on the film and relationship with Romero.

While it's neither director's best work, fans of the filmmakers in question will want to add this high quality DVD presentation to their collection.

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Also from the fine folks at Blue Underground comes the 1982 British suspense thriller, VENOM, an underrated little gem from director Piers Haggard (BLOOD ON SATAN'S CLAW).

Three criminals – Oliver Reed (CURSE OF THE WEREWOLF), Susan George (STRAW DOGS) and Klaus Kinski (NOSFERATU THE VAMPYRE) – plot to kidnap the ten-year-old son of a rich hotelier. Reed and George take jobs as the family's chauffeur and maid and work their way into the confidence of the animal-loving kid and his family.

Unfortunately, the day they plan to execute their scheme, the kid returns from the pet shop with the wrong box, his grandfather (Sterling Hayden, THE ASPHALT JUNGLE) comes home early, and a cop is accidentally shot on the sidewalk. Now it's a siege situation with desperate, sweaty kidnappers, terrified hostages and a street full of armed police (led by EXCALIBUR's Nicol Williamson). Oh, and that "wrong box" the kid brought home? It held a poisonous Black Mamba, "the deadliest snake in the world," and it's loose in the house's heating vents.

Director Haggard does a good job of ramping up and sustaining the tension, and it doesn't hurt having a couple of veteran scenery-eaters like Reed and Kinski around to keep things interesting, either. The snake doesn't show its scaly head too often, but when it does, it's always effective – you're so caught up in the whole hostage story, you kinda forget about the snake until it leaps out at the camera and sinks its fangs into a hapless cast member.

Great performances by a wide array of familiar British actors help keep the film grounded in something resembling reality, and the snakes (they used real venomous Black Mambas – no CGI or puppets here) are scary as hell.

Blue Underground's DVD is a solid presentation, with a crystal sharp 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, Dolby Digital and DTS soundtracks, and a handful of extras. There's a commentary track by director Haggard, a theatrical trailer, some TV spots and a poster & still gallery. The disc also includes brief text bios of Reed and Kinski.

I don't know if it's worth buying; I can't see anyone watching this over and over again, but it's definitely a solid thriller, well worth renting.

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For whatever reason, I never watched the show when it aired on the Sci-Fi Channel, but now, thanks to ADV Films, I've been enjoying the adventures of John Crichton and the crew of the living starship Moya with the FARSCAPE SEASON ONE – STARBURST EDITIONS, Vols. 1-3.

Co-produced by Brian Henson (son of Muppeteer Jim Henson), FARSCAPE is kind of an anti-STAR TREK, eschewing that durable franchises' quasi-military framework in favor of a more freewheeling approach. American astronaut John Crichton (Ben Browder) is flung through a wormhole to the distant reaches of the galaxy, where he is reluctantly taken in by a rag-tag band of escaped prisoners, fleeing from a bunch of space fascists ironically called "The Peacekeepers." Fugitives, they have to keep moving, avoiding Peacekeeper forces and bounty hunters.

The first season is a mixed bag in terms of stories, as the writers and cast were still working out the kinks. Thus, it takes a while to warm to the characters and build the necessary suspension of belief required to accept some of the Muppet-like aliens as living, breathing characters. Come mid-season, though, the show starts to find its footing, and by the season finale, my wife and I were hooked. It helps that the writers never take things too seriously, and the scripts are filled with charm and humor. There's nothing wrong with grim 'n gritty sci-fi, but for this show, the more irreverent tone works particularly well.

Technically, the show is astounding, with great set and costume design, elaborate alien make-ups and animatronics, and some convincing CGI space scenes that hold up well even now, several years later.

When ADV first released FARSCAPE on DVD, the format was comparatively young, and the whole "TV-on-DVD" revolution hadn't really taken off yet. Their initial releases, then, were conservative and a bit pricey. Originally, there were only an episode or two per disc with no extras. Well, now that the marketplace has evolved, ADV has re-visited the series with these new "Starburst" Editions.

Each volume includes seven episodes on two discs, with on-screen liner notes and trivia for each episode. There are also cast and/or crew commentary tracks on many episodes, and a slew of video featurettes and interviews with the people behind the show.

Each episode is presented full-frame, and the transfers are basically flawless (the show's not that old, after all). Sound is offered in both Dolby stereo and a more robust 5.1 surround mix. Overall, the presentation is great, but I have to make note of the fact that in all three of the first season sets, I encountered serious playback issues. It seemed that in each set, there was always one episode that would freeze in midplay, pixelate, and reboot to the beginning of the episode or chapter. This happened on both of my DVD players, and I've read online that it's not an isolated occurrence.

Hopefully ADV is taking steps to track down the problem, whether it's in the authoring or the duplication process, and future releases will be spared the problem.

If you bought the series the first time around, and can afford it, it might be worth an upgrade for the various extra features. If you didn't buy the earlier editions, or are new to the show, the "Starburst" Editions are your best bet.

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MPI Home Video continues its steady release of the 1960's Gothic soap opera DARK SHADOWS, with the recent releases of Volumes 18 and 19.

DARK SHADOWS was a daily soap opera revolving around the decadent Collins family of Collinsport, Maine. But what made the show unique was that its cast included characters who were vampires, werewolves, witches and warlocks, and told stories that included such concepts as time travel, alternate universes, sorcery, demonic possession and mad science.

These most recent volumes make up most of what is known as the "Leviathan" storyline, and unfortunately, it's not the series' best era. The story seems to wander aimlessly for months, and when these episodes originally aired in late 1969 – early 1970, the popular soap suffered a ratings decline that it never recovered from.

In terms of presentation, MPI has done its best with a show that was shot live on videotape thirty-five years ago. Picture and sound quality varies – sometimes within a single half-hour installment – but overall, the full frame transfer is more than watchable.

DARK SHADOWS fans will buy these for completion's sake. Newcomers to the show would be better advised to start at a different point, however, as these are not the strongest episodes.

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