Trailer Trauma 2: Drive-In MONSTERAMA!
Stephen Romano
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We live in dangerous times. We also live in exciting times—if you happen to be a fan of vintage exploitation cinema. Those among you who scream hosannas whenever a new Vinegar Syndrome or Kino Lorber release hits the market know what I’m talking about. Why just last night, I myself practically wet my pants checking out Scorpion’s incredible new Blu-ray of Shadows in an Empty Room (AKA Blazing Magnum)—a relatively obscure giallo/action freakout starring Stuart Whitman, John Saxon and Martin Landau which is so batshit crazy you wouldn’t even believe it was real if the evidence wasn’t blasting away right in front of you in glorious High Definition.
These things don’t just happen, folks. They are passion projects, brought out of the abyss by dedicated film historians and preservationists. They seek out these old VHS-era classics and give them back to us as they were meant to be seen—as they were originally seen in theaters. As fans, we owe them everything.
Which brings me to Garagehouse Pictures.
These guys are the the new blood in town, but they’re very special blood. They do things their own way and screw the rest of the pack. Last year, they brought out Trailer Trauma, which was an absolutely stunning Blu-ray volume of coming attraction previews for psychotronic films of every kind. It quickly became known as the last word in this sort of thing, joining the ranks of such collections as the 42nd Street Forever series, with enthusiastic fan reactions and rave reviews across the board. I think it says a lot about the current day-and-age of grindhouse perseveration that even the original previews that played in those grindhouses are now being hauled out of mothballs and served up, vintage style. And in case you wondered, yes, that’s what you get on all these volumes. The actual film you are looking at was literally shown in theaters back in the day, and it’s all been tucked away in private collections for decades, shown again and again to enraptured audiences at revival screenings and festivals. If that ain’t the definition of “pretty fucking awesome,” I like to see yours because I’m sure I’ll learn something.
Now, Garagehouse is announcing their sequel to Trailer Trauma, and let me tell you something—if you thought the first one was yummy, just check out the Blu-ray smorgasbord they’ve laid out here. Click the image below to see the full wraparound, and get some details about the collection. It’s just insane.
I’ve been with Garagehouse from the very start as their artist-in-residence, creating every cover and poster for their amazing releases. I was approached to do their Ninja Busters Blu-ray campaign last year and never looked back. See, Garagehouse is a little different. They really are a GARAGE house. What that means is that the guy behind all this nuttiness actually has a movie theater with real projectors in his garage and owns a print library of damn near a thousand films, from the mordantly obscure to the legendary classics, all the way around to the most batshit celluloid monstrosities every dreamed up by human beings. That man’s name is Harry Gurero, and he’s been holding his freak flag high for years, along with his buddies at Exhumed Films and Diabolik DVD. Every release done by Garagehouse is Harry’s own blood, sweat and tears. He goes deep into his own pockets and does all the work personally, giving these home-grown releases a truly unique quality and flavor. Basically, this stuff is created by dedicated fans who hunch shoulder-to-shoulder in the trenches with you, screaming hosannas whenever a new awesome Blu-ray from Scorpion or Kino Lorber comes out. They know just what you want, and they damn well cut through the bullshit and give it to you.
And, yeah, it’s all pretty amazing, too.
Trailer Trauma 2: Drive-in Monsterama was culled from miles and miles of film, most of it straight out of Harry’s vintage archives. He put damn-near a HUNDRED trailers on this Blu-ray, which is almost FOUR HOURS of amazing horror, sci-fi and monster movies, all expressly designed to tingle the palette of even most jaded connoisseur. Add to that, some righteous commentary tracks and a full-on 4K HD presentation and we’re taking fire in the hole here. Also, because this is such a homegrown effort, remember that these releases are EXTREMELY LIMITED, so once they go out of print, that’s it. They’re gone forever. To pre-order your copy of Trailer Trauma 2 (that’s TT2 to you!), click the image below, or ANY of the images in this post.
Be sure while you’re there to pick up the first one, too, if it managed to slip by you last time. I give you my personal guarantee as a lifelong monster trailer nut that what you get in these volumes is unlike anything else on the market. The quality is second to none and there are rare gems in here that you absolutely will not see anywhere else. It’s greatness and then some.
Oh . . . and one more thing.
This happens to be a trilogy, folks.
Yeah, there’s a part three already in the works, and it redefines the word “epic.” Nothing like it has EVER been seen before. TT3 will be out later this year, and for fans of 1980s horror films . . . well, let’s just say these guys are about to blow your eyes right out if your mind. Here’s a sneak snippet of the artwork I recently completed for the volume:
Yep, that’s actually me in there.
Let it not be said that the Garagehouse gang has a problem with getting our hands bloody.
Moo-hoo-HAH-HAH!!!
S
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