DVD and Blu-ray Releases: June 23, 2015
Sean Brickley
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Do we ever have a lot of releases for you this week, fiends. First and foremost, three movies initially slated for release today have been pushed back. Throwback will now be released on July 21st while Jack the Ripper and Trophy Heads have both been pushed to July 7th.
This week sees the Blu-ray release of Stephen King’s Needful Things as well as 2002’s Dog Soldiers. In addition to those Blus, there are Blu-ray releases for the following 70’s movies: Sugar Hill, The Thing with Two Heads and The Island of Dr. Moreau. Also from the 70’s is a DVD release of 1977’s Satan’s Wife.
For those of you looking to delve even further into the annals of horror film history, the Lon Chaney Warner Archives Classics Collection contains 6 of the legend’s classic films spanning 1924-1930.
On top of all of these there is also a whole bunch of other movies from the past two years coming out on various formats this week. Some you may have heard of, some probably not. In any case, here’s hoping your haul is everything you hope for this week, and as always, pleasant viewing!
MOVIES
#1 Serial Killer (2015)
Starring:
Jason Tobin, Eugenia Yuan, Rane Jameson, Shoshana Bush, Kenzie Dalton, Tzi Ma
Synopsis:
Eddy is sick; sick of people ignoring him, sick of being picked on, sick of being Asian. He has internalized the racism he felt his entire life until a new traumautic experience threatens to bring everything to a boil. Looking for an outlet to discharge this seething rage, feeling more and more of a kinship with his hero (Ted Bundy), Eddy decides to become the greatest serial killer in history. Meet Eddy.
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3:33 AM: The Witching Hour (2015)
Starring:
Matthew J. Dennis, Sheri Beth Dusek, Scott Baisden, Chris Kotcher
Synopsis:
After two years in prison, John Spinelli is a free man. Upon his release, he moves into a halfway house known as ”Wellhome” which is notoriously overrun with looney tenants and strange occurrences that happen at 3:33 AM. John simply wants to get on with his life, stay clean and get his life on track, but he quickly becomes entangled in a mysterious web of bizarre murders. As he grapples with his mad mix of macabre neighbors, John realizes something evil governs his new neighborhood. Every night, outside his window, lights flash and strange noises come from the house next door which has a dark and sinister past. Can he convince authorities he is innocent of the murders? Or will he wish he was back behind bars?
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Above Us Lives Evil (2015)
Starring:
Leon Bourikos, Nathan Dashwood, Robert L. Duncan, Nicola Elbro
Synopsis:
When an accident takes the life of their young boy, his family moves and finds a picturesque location seemingly ideal for a new beginning. Little do they know that something is amiss in their new neighborhood as creepy neighbors and strange occurrences begin to distract their daily life. Slowly they realize that there is something much worse than their memories and guilt dwelling within the house. The attic harbors an ancient evil so strong it confronts the family’s deepest fears and drives them against one another and the new dream home soon becomes a house of unspeakable horrors.
Purchase:
The Amityville Theater (2015)
Starring:
Linden Baker, Kennie Benoit, Monele LeStrat
Synopsis:
Following the tragic death of her parents, Fawn Harriman had counted herself lucky the day she inherited an abandoned playhouse in the small town of Amityville. With her sights set on a new life in the theater, she invites a group of friends to join her there for a weekend adventure that will ultimately lead them into the terrifying clutches of an ancient pact between the mysterious locals and a malignant presence that haunts the theater. As the stranglehold of evil grows ever tighter, Fawn’s teacher races to Amityville in a desperate attempt to rescue the imperiled party, and put an end to the town’s terrifying legacy once and for all.
Purchase:
Angels Die Slowly (2010)
Starring:
Armando Leduc
Synopsis:
A Goth couple who also happen to be serial killers seduce and kill a young executive. Before dying, he alerts a friend, a Bourbon street bouncer, who searches the famous French Quarter of New Orleans for the killers before they strike again.
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Brutal Colors (2015)
Starring:
Pooya Mohseni, Lauren Doucette
Synopsis:
Creating art can be brutal business, Brie knows. Following an ugly breakdown, she and boyfriend Brian retreat to Woodbine, an estate deep in the country, as guests of their mysterious benefactor Walter, who has offered to help Brie get back on track with her career. The couple is given full reign of the house, including the services of its keeper, the enigmatic Videl. All hope this new beginning will be productive for Brie, and help to erase the darkness of her past. But almost from the moment they arrive, Brie experiences unsettling and terrifying visions whispers in the hallways of the sprawling old house, ghostly visitations, and a demonic face glimpsed from the corner of the eye.
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The Craving (2011)
Starring:
Anna Curtis, Velocity Chyaldd, Madison Young
Synopsis:
Chef Ronnie is a charming celebrity chef who thrives and shines in her everyday life as owner and proprietor of Diabla Pica; a trendy Spanish tapas restaurant in San Francisco. Leading a double life, Chef Ronnie cooks internationally award-winning meals by day and her nights are spent in ways too gruesome to fathom. As Chef Ronnie and Diabla Pica’s reputation scorch up the top social circles; San Francisco’s murder count hits a record high. Being haunted by her past, in the form a vengeful lover, and being caught in the seductive cross fire of an increasingly serious relationship; Chef Ronnie has bitten off more than she can chew.
Purchase:
Cross (2015)
Starring:
Simon Yam, Nick Cheung, Kenny Wong, Liu Kai Chi
Synopsis:
Leonard (Simon Yam) has finally found a way to quench his blood thirst by killing those who wish to die but are too afraid to kill themselves.
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Dead Woman’s Hollow (2015)
Starring:
Charles Dawson, Mel Heflin, Maura Housley, Boodle Montgomery
Synopsis:
Based on a shocking true crime that took place on the Appalachian trail. Two female students set off for a camping trip into the Pennsylvania woods – but they are hunted, shot and left for dead by a mountain man after he discovers they are lesbians. A local sheriff soon begins to piece together more unsolved disappearances and murders on the trail, but can he act in time to stop more killings.
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Dog Soldiers (2002)
Starring:
Sean Pertwee, Kevin McKidd, Liam Cunningham
Synopsis:
A group of soldiers dispatched to the Scottish Highlands on special training maneuvers face their biggest fears after they run into Captain Ryan: the only survivor of a Special Ops team that was literally torn to pieces. Ryan refuses to disclose his mission even though whoever attacked his men might be hungry for seconds. Help arrives in the form of local girl who shelters them in a deserted farmhouse deep in the forest…but when they realize that they are surrounded by a pack of blood-lusting werewolves, it’s apparent their nightmare has just begun!
From Neil Marshall, the director of The Decent, Doomsday, Centurion and episodes of Game Of Thrones, comes this terrifying thriller starring Kevin McKidd (Rome, Hannibal Rising), Sean Pertwee (Gotham, Event Horizon), Emma Cleasby (Doomsday) and Liam Cunningham (Game Of Thrones, Clash Of The Titans).
Purchase:
Ghoul (2015)
Starring:
Jennifer Armour, Jeremy Isabella
Synopsis:
Ghoul is a supernatural horror film involving the real life story of the Soviet Union s most violent serial killer, Andrei Chikatilo. Three Americans travel to the Ukraine to film a documentary about the cannibalism epidemic that swept through the country during the famine of 1932. After being lured deep into the Ukraine forest for an interview with one of the last known survivors, they quickly find themselves trapped in a supernatural hunting ground.
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Horsehead (2014)
Starring:
Lilly-Fleur Pointeaux, Catriona MacColl, Murray Head, Gala Besson, Fu’ad Aït Aattou
Synopsis:
Haunting and horrific, surreal and shocking, Horsehead is a new horror-fantasy that pays tribute to the classic European shockers of Dario Argento and Mario Bava while also remaining a unique film with its own vision, delivering unforgettable images that both disturb and enchant. Director Romain Basset s tale follows beautiful young Jessica (Lilly-Fleur Pointeaux) as she returns to her family s countryside estate for her grandmother s funeral. Haunted by recurring nightmares of a horse-headed monster, Jessica attempts to put her studies of lucid dreaming to good use, as she semi-consciously navigates through this dream landscape, trying to discover the secrets behind this sinister apparition. But Jessica must also cope with a hostile mother (The Beyond’s Catriona MacColl), and the growing realization that the death of her grandmother was actually a suicide triggered by the woman s past traumas and visions. Horsehead is a feverish, ethereal journey through the world of nightmares.
Purchase:
The Hulk Blood Tapes (2015)
Starring:
Various
Synopsis:
From the director of Hold Your Breath, Jailbait and 12/12/12. Five friends set out on a road trip to see their favorite band Hulk Blood play a reunion show – but they never got there. What happens along the way will change the course of their lives forever as they are lost, stranded – and ready to do anything to survive the night.
Purchase:
The Island of Dr. Moreau (1977)
Starring:
Michael York, Burt Lancaster
Synopsis:
A shipwrecked man and a feline woman flee a mad maker of half-human beasts. From the H.G. Wells novel.
Purchase:
Jurassic Prey (2015)
Starring:
Houston Baker, Danielle Donahue, James Carolus
Synopsis:
After a botched bank robbery, a group of thieves clash with police and others while trying to hideout at a remote lake cabin, but unknown to them all, a recent mining explosion has unearthed a prehistoric T-Rex beast, who is the perfect hunter, and is very hungry. Now, they must all band together and fight to stay alive as this Jurassic predator hunts them down one by one, piece by piece.
Purchase:
Lust of the Dead 5 (2014)
Starring:
Yui Aikawa, Maki Aoyama, Asami
Synopsis:
The insane apocalyptic zombie saga continues! Watch the viral epidemic spread as the sex-crazed walking dead expand their rampage across post-nuke Tokyo! Can they be stopped? Can their perpetual lust ever be satisfied?
Purchase:
Meet Me There (2015)
Starring:
Lisa Friedrich, Michael Faulk, Dustin Runnels, Jayna Hackel
Synopsis:
A journey of self-discovery becomes a quest for survival as Ada (Lisa Friedrich, Least Favorite Love Songs) and Calvin (Micheal Foulk, Zero Charisma) encounter the darkness of the past and the unexplainable evil of the present in a town where the only visitors are the ones who’ve come to die. Featuring Dustin Runnels (WWE’s Goldust) and Jill Thompson (Scary Godmother), this intense character study and exploration of sexual trauma will have you covering your eyes and keep you guessing until its final minutes.
Purchase:
Needful Things (1993)
Starring:
Ed Harris, Max Von Sydow
Synopsis:
Maine townsfolk play deadly pranks for a sinister shopkeeper who alarms the sheriff. From the Stephen King novel.
Purchase:
Satan’s Wife (1977)
Starring:
Anne Heywood, Valentina Cortese, Frank Finlay
Synopsis:
Four young and beautiful women join a Satanic cult surrendering their will and bodies entirely to the Devil himself. Years later when they’re older women, Carlotta, starts to lose control of her 13 year old daughter Daria, who starts to develop strong powers of her own, aware of her powers and with extreme devotion to The Devil she starts speaking and behaving in strange ways like casting spells and harming people with no remorse whatsoever. And her powers seem to increase exponentially every single day. In her desperation, Carlotta and some of her friends enlist the help of a priest with a crisis of faith to help them perform a strange ritual that will hopefully vanquish the evil out of Daria once and for all. A rare and sought after Italian psychotronic horror classic that features some of the strangest ever shot on film. Filled with sexy bodies, blood, gore bizarre visuals and odd rituals.
Purchase:
Silent Retreat (2014)
Starring:
Chelsea Jenish, Robert Nolan, Sophia Banzhaf
Synopsis:
Janey is sent to a silent meditation retreat in the middle of the woods for rehabilitation, only to discover that the men who run it are brainwashing women to be quiet and submissive, and if she breaks the rules, she’ll discover what lurks beyond the trees…
Purchase:
Snuff Reel: When Death Becomes Art (2015)
Starring:
Maria Lee Metheringham, Kristy Hopkins, Georgina Gee
Synopsis:
Snuff Reel tells the story of a highly educated and obsessive Art student who will stop at nothing to create the masterpiece she wants. Kirsty Ruler (Kristy Hopkins) uses and manipulates her friends with extreme wild fantasies that promise to make them feel the ultimate pleasure, but the ecstasy of this pleasure brings each participant very close to death. However these fantasies are no longer enough to subdue the deep twisted urges that begin to take control of Kirsty. It is up to Detective Beckett (Maria Lee Metheringham) to solve and put a stop to the string of murders in the small town of Ravenspurn…even if it means becoming the art herself.
Purchase:
Sugar Hill (1974)
Starring:
Robert Quarry, Don Pedro Colley
Synopsis:
Baron Samedi summons the undead with voodoo to help a woman fight killer gangsters.
Purchase:
The Thing With Two Heads (1972)
Starring:
Roger Perry, Don Marshall, Ray Milland, Rosey Grier
Synopsis:
A white racist wakes up from a head transplant with his head next to another man’s, sharing his body.
Purchase:
Two Smart (2015)
Starring:
Alison Hinds, George Gill, Saran Lashley
Synopsis:
A disgruntled married couple and a hitchhiker are trapped in a gully during a tropical storm.
Purchase:
COLLECTIONS
3 Thrillers
Starring:
Julia Stiles, Katie Featherston, Micah Sloat, Donald Sutherland,
Movies:
The Cry Of The Owl
The story of a troubled young man, Robert, who leaves the big city and his ex-wife for the tranquility of a small town. He finds respite from his problems by secretly watching the normal domestic life of a woman he doesnt know through her kitchen window. But when Jenny catches Robert in the act, she doesnt call the police. Instead she feels a strange empathy for Robert and invites him into her home. Robert is drawn into a relationship with Jenny, which has dire consequences when her boyfriend Greg finds out. Immediately suspicious of Robert, Greg makes it his mission to destroy him. But when a fight leaves Greg unconscious and missing, Robert discovers he is the number one suspect in a murder case that is slowly beginning to look like the ultimate set-up…
Paranormal Activity
After a young, middle class couple moves into what seems like a typical suburban “starter” tract house, they become increasingly disturbed by a presence that may or may not be demonic but is certainly most active in the middle of the night… especially when they sleep… or try to.
Don’t Look Now
British parents of a drowned child go to Venice and meet a blind psychic and her sister. Directed by Nicolas Roeg.
Purchase:
Lon Chaney: The Warner Archive Classics Collection
Starring:
Lon Chaney, Sr.
Synopsis:
Lon Chaney was the king of the character actors and single-handedly created the role of “horror star.” This collection celebrates his career, showcasing his powers at their peak. One man. One thousand faces. Six classic films.
Movies:
He Who Gets Slapped (1924)
Lon Chaney alongside Norma Shearer and John Gilbert.
Mockery (1927)
In a striking performance, Chaney proves his talents were not confined to prosthetics and makeup.
The Monster (1925)
Lon Chaney plays the monstrous Ziska, who gathers candidates for his eerie experiments by causing roadway accidents.
Mr. Wu (1927)
Lon Chaney essays dual characters as the sage Grandfather Wu and his grandson, the mandarin Mr. Wu.
The Unholy Three (1925)
Chaney plays a ventriloquist who teams with a strongman and a dwarf to embark on a life of crime.
The Unholy 3 (1930)
In his last film – and only Talkie – Chaney re-creates his famed Silent role, the scheming ventriloquist Professor Echo.
Purchase:
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