DVD and Blu-ray Releases: June 9, 2015
Sean Brickley
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We’ve got 16 releases this week for you, fiends. First off, for a while now I have been seeing different websites mentioning a Poltergeist Blu-ray or DVD coming out this week, but now it doesn’t seem to be happening. Check back here for more updates.
Additionally, two releases that had initially been slated for this week, Tango of Perversion and 1988’s Troma’s War, have been pushed back to July 14th and August 18th, respectively.
That being said, there is still a slew of other movies coming out this week. Two that I’m personally psyched about are the Collector’s Edition Sleepaway Camp II and Sleepaway Camp III Blu-ray releases. Hopefully this will lead to a Blu-ray collector’s box of the original trilogy.
Also out this week is the Limited Edition 2-disc Blu-ray and DVD release of 1989’s Society. The packaging for this release looks awesome too.
Collectively speaking, this week brings a representative from every decade going back to the 1960’s, from 1968’s Spider Baby to this year’s Strange Blood. Whether you enjoy your horror with a bit of a sci-fi twist or you prefer a something with some splatter, this week’s releases have you covered.
Pleasant viewing.
MOVIES
American Backwoods: Slew Hampshire (2013)
Starring:
Dayo Okeniyi, Shawn Thomas, Tyler Rice, PJ Hennigan, Flood Reed
Synopsis:
In June of 1994, one of the most brutal mass slaughters in history occurred in the backwoods of northern New England. Four months later, history is about to repeat itself. The end of summer signals the brink of manhood for a group of lifelong friends who proudly call New Hampshire their home. But when they embark upon a local rite of passage traveling north for one final weekend of debauchery together it just might prove to be their final weekend period, as this rite is doomed to go frightfully wrong. When they find themselves ensnared in a struggle for survival amongst a sinister hunting party, a bloodthirsty tribe and a mythical beast, what began as a comedy of errors devolves into an all-out Darwinian duel to the death, and less than 24 hours will pass before a slew of lives have been claimed and the last of the living remains.
Purchase:
Anthropophagous 2000 (1999)
Starring:
Andre Sobottka, Achim Kohlhase, Maja Carstens
Synopsis:
Nikos and his family are trapped during a heavy storm in a boat, leading to the unfortunate death of their daughter Vicky. Nikos becomes mad with the desire to survive, and he begins to kill and eat his own wife. Nikos manages to reach the shore of a small island, but his appetite for human flesh has consumed him. A group of young people on vacation have an unfortunate meeting with Niko. Will these youngsters make it out alive?
Massacre Video proudly presents, Anthropophagous 2000, from the German Splatter master Andreas Schnaas, fully uncut for the first time ever in America!
Purchase:
Babysitter Wanted (2009) (Limited Edition DVD)
Starring:
Sarah Thompson, Bruce Thomas, Matt Dallas, Kristen Dalton, Bill Moseley
Synopsis:
Angie applies for a babysitting job and finds herself on a remote farm before the Stanton family and their little boy, Sam. Angie’s first night of work might just be her last when she must fight for her life to protect herself and the child. But is everything as it seems?
Babysitter Wanted turns the classic babysitter in peril horror story absolutely on its head. Suspenseful, funny, gory and defying expectations every step of the way, this is one of the most enjoyable and critically acclaimed roller coaster rides in recent horror cinema history.
Purchase:
A Blood Story (2014)
Starring:
Camden Toy, Mindy Robinson, Mark Hanson, Debra Lamb, Robert Z’Dar
Synopsis:
Madison Sheffield is a former high fashion model whose career ended when she was horrifically disfigured by her ex-husband. Madison turns to a quieter life as a novelist, relishing the ability to impress with her mind rather than her looks. In researching for her latest book, Madison begins to find herself increasingly obsessed with the Fountain of Youth. After months of investigating she discovers the fountain’s location. While staying at a luxury villa rumored to be near the fountain, Madison finds herself the pawn in a twisted game with two mysterious and seductive men. Little do the three realize the residents of the villa have their own plans as an ancient evil is resurrected and threatens to destroy them all.
Purchase:
Debug (2015)
Starring:
Adrian Holmes, Jason Momoa
Synopsis:
Deep space. Six young hackers on a grueling work release program attempt to clear out debug the computer systems of a massive derelict freighter. They quickly fall prey to the ship’s vengeful artificial intelligence, a program that would kill to be human. As the fractious team is forced to match wits with this rogue program, they discover that the ship holds a deadly secret, and a fate far worse than death.
Purchase:
Der Samurai (2014)
Starring:
Michel Diercks, Pit Bukowski, Uwe Preuss, Kaja Blachnik
Synopsis:
A shape-shifting cross-dressing psychopath wielding a samurai sword cuts a bloody swath of carnage through a small German village in this surreal mix of violence, sexual desire and dark comedy that recalls early David Lynch. The only person to confront this decapitating murderer is an uptight young policeman whose pursuit soon becomes a deadly game of cat-and-mouse as an odd bond forms between the two men. Completely bizarre yet wildly entertaining, Der Samurai is a horror must-see for the adventurous! Bonus features: Director’s commentary, Featurette, Trailer.
Purchase:
Der Todesking (The Death King) (1990)
Starring:
Nicolas Petche, Hermann Kopp
Synopsis:
Cult Epics presents the third release in the series Corpse F##king Art; Jorg Buttgereit’s powerful masterpiece Der Todesking (aka The Death King), made in-between Nekromantik (1987) and Nekromantik 2 (1991). Seven stories on Death and Suicide, each taking place on a different day of the week, enframed by the decomposition of a human body. Warning: extremely graphic.
Der Todesking, available for the first time on Blu-ray, is presented Uncut and Uncensored in a new High Definition transfer, including the bonus Shockumentary Corpse F##king Art; an in-depth look behind the scenes of Nekromantik, Nekromantik 2 and Der Todesking.
Purchase:
Extreme Jukebox (2013)
Starring:
Alessio Cherubini, Elisabetta Loi, Guglielmo Favilla, Maurizio Lastrico, Pino Scotto
Synopsis:
Welcome to Nova Springs, a rock and roll metropolis chock-full of rising stars. Here you’ll meet Jessie Cake, a charismatic glam metal front man and his groupie girlfriend, Chloe. After unearthing a mysterious LP in the abandoned estate of legendary 80s superstar David Crystal, these young lovers unleash a bloodthirsty spirit… the infamous Killer of the Woods. Even worse is the flesh-and-blood maniac Naughty Rocky Boy, the skulking back-alley killer whose weapon of choice is a musical instrument! As the bodies pile up in Nova Springs, it’s up to Jessie, Chloe, and rock’n’roll priest Father Zappa (Italian heavy-metal pioneer Pino Scotto) to set things right. It’s Lords Of Salem by way of Rock And Roll High School, with a side of spaghetti!
Purchase:
The Giant Spider Invasion (1975)
Starring:
Robert Easton, Steve Brodie, Alan Jr. Hale, Leslie Parrish
Synopsis:
A titular spider invasion occurs when what appears to be a meteorite crashes down in rural Wisconsin and spawns spiders of varying sizes. The invasion is deduced to be the result of some sort of interdimensional gateway, and is ultimately thwarted when Drs. Vance and Langer manage to close off the gateway, draining the spiders of their energy and causing them to melt into puddles of disgusting sludge.
Purchase:
The Sadistic Baron Von Klaus (1962)
Starring:
Howard Vernon, Hugo Blanco, Gogó Rojo, Paula Martel, Georges Rollin
Synopsis:
In this follow-up to his ground-breaking horror film The Awful Dr. Orlof, Jess Franco (Female Vampire, A Virgin Among the Living Dead) continued to lay the foundation of a career defined by fetishistic imagery and transgressive violence.
A series of grisly murders in the remote village of Holfen convinces the locals that the town is still cursed by the spirit of a 17th-century baron who maintained an elaborate torture chamber in the dungeon of his estate. Undaunted by the villagers’ superstitions, a detective (Georges Rollin) quickly focuses his investigation upon the creepy Max Von Klaus (Howard Vernon). Meanwhile, the youngest male descendent of the Von Klaus bloodline (Hugo Blanco) returns home to mourn the death of his mother, and must wrestle with his own connection to the cursed family history.
The Sadistic Baron Von Klaus occupies a significant stage in Franco’s evolution as a filmmaker. On one hand, it is a well-produced thriller in the European style (the influence of Carol Reed’s The Third Man is apparent throughout). But Franco is clearly interested in stepping outside convention to innovate something of his own, as evidenced by the newly-restored torture dungeon sequence which cult film historian Tim Lucas (Video Watchdog) called, “horror cinema’s first sequence of 100-proof erotic horror.” It is a sequence that is shocking even today and was, in 1962, an omen of diabolical things to come.
Purchase:
Salvation (2015)
Starring:
Ryan Donowho, Brett Donowho, Marlene Salguero, Angel McCord
Synopsis:
Salvation follows Vinnie Vanatta (Ryan Donowho, The O.C., Broken Flowers), a con artist devoid of any sense of morality. He enjoys deceiving people and lives for it, until one day, spiritual payback enters his life in the form of two people: Daniel Helms (Brett Donowho, Music Within, The Box), a man of God with a secretive past and Marlene Salguero (Giovanna Zacarias, The Legend of Zorro, Capadocia), a downtrodden woman with an uncertain future. The collision of the three souls combust into a struggle over, not only their lives, but their eternal salvation.
Purchase:
Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers (1988) (Collector’s Edition Blu-ray/DVD Combo)
Starring:
Pamela Springsteen, Renee Estevez
Synopsis:
Welcome to Camp Rolling Hills! Meet your camp counselor, Angela Baker! She’s the kind of counselor who enjoys camp songs, nature walks, board games and… murder.
Five years after the horrific slaughter at Camp Arawak, Angela (Pamela Springsteen, Fast Times at Ridgemont High) has created a new position for herself as a counselor at Camp Rolling Hills. Angela is about to teach “bad campers”, a brutal lesson in survival when they are sliced, stabbed, drilled… and much worse. Renée Estevez (Heathers, Intruder) and Walter Gotell (The Spy Who Loved Me) co-star in this outrageous sequel to the original cult classic.
Purchase:
Sleepaway Camp III: Teenage Wasteland (1989) (Collector’s Edition Blu-ray/DVD Combo)
Starring:
Pamela Springsteen, Renee Estevez
Synopsis:
Welcome to Camp New Horizons, where an autumn retreat brings together a group of obnoxious rich kids and surly city thugs for an “experiment in sharing. “, Under new inept management, this is the ideal setting for notorious psychopath Angela Baker (Pamela Springsteen, Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers) to join the camp and do what she does best: eliminating “immoral”, teenagers with everything from a knife to a lawnmower. Michael J. Pollard (House of 1000 Corpses, Bonnie & Clyde), Tracy Griffith (Fear City, The First Power) and Jill Terashita (Night of the Demons) co-star in this third installment of the cult series.
Purchase:
Society (1989) (2-Disc Limited Edition Box Set)
Starring:
Billy Warlock, Devin DeVasquez, Evan Richards, Chanel Ryan
Synopsis:
It’s all about fitting in. After producing Stuart Gordon’s hit Re-Animator, Brian Yuzna (Bride of Re-Animator, Return of the Living Dead III) turned his hand to directing with 1989’s Society, and gave birth to one of the ickiest, most original body horror shockers of all time. Teenager Bill Whitney (Billy Warlock) has always felt like the odd one out in his wealthy, upper-class Beverly Hills family. For some reason, he just doesn’t seem to fit in. But his sense of alienation takes a sinister turn when he overhears a surreptitious audio recording of his sister’s coming-out party, which seems to implicate his family and others in a bizarre, ritualistic orgy. And then there are the strange things he’s been seeing – glimpses of people with their bodies contorted impossibly out of shape… Is Billy going mad or is there something seriously amiss in his neighbourhood? Packing stomach-churning grue and thought-provoking social commentary in equal measure, Society is a biting horror satire which culminates in one of the most leftfield, gag-inducing “climaxes” in all of horror history – just don’t eat beforehand!
Purchase:
Spider Baby (1967) (2-Disc Special Edition)
Starring:
Lon Chaney Jr., Carol Ohmart, Quinn K. Redeker, Sid Haig
Synopsis:
The credits dub this “the maddest story ever told”, a promise that’s well on the way to being fulfilled in the opening scene alone, when Virginia traps and kills a hapless deliveryman in her makeshift web. She’s one of three siblings who suffer from a unique genetic disorder that causes them to regress back to childhood, while retaining the physical strength and sexual maturity of adults. Lon Chaney Jr gave one of his most memorable late performances as Bruno, their guardian and protector, who has managed to cover up their crimes until two distant relatives lay claim to their house. When they insist on moving in, Bruno has to cross his fingers and hope that the ‘children’ behave towards their new guests… This was the first solo feature by Jack Hill, whom Quentin Tarantino dubbed “the Howard Hawks of exploitation filmmaking”, and it remains one of his wildest and weirdest.
Purchase:
Strange Blood (2015)
Starring:
Robert Brettenaugh, Alexandra Bard
Synopsis:
When a brilliant but obsessive scientist goes to extremes to develop a universal cure for all disease, he finds himself infected with a bizarre parasite that begins to transform him into a bloodthirsty madman. Time running out, and with the aid of his med student assistant, he must find a way to stop the monster that is growing within and prevent the rest of the world from being cured.
Purchase:
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