DVD and Blu-ray Releases: July 11, 2017
Sean Brickley
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Greetings, everyone. We have a decent list at 18 releases, so let’s get right to it. First off, the Don’t Look in the Basement double feature may have already come out June 13th, so you know the deal. If you didn’t see it then, you should see it this week. Keep your eyes open.
For fans of obscure, hard-to-find items, Vampire Cop will be getting the Blu-ray treatment this week. If the underground is your thing, this should probably be your first stop this week.
Those who like modern, technologically-focused horror may be interested in Devil’s Domain. I work with computers, so the nerd in me understands this title’s play on words, and that will be the reason I pick it up.
As for classics, this week brings us a pretty good handful of older titles, all on various formats. Ranging from 1951’s The Man from Planet X and 1968’s Curse of the Crimson Altar to 1986’s Star Crystal and 1991’s Science Crazed, there is bound to be something which will pique your interest.
We have a few other titles dropping this week that have previously been discussed on Dread Central. Click the links for more information on the following titles: 5150, The Black Room and The Blessed Ones.
We will see you again next week, so as always, pleasant viewing.
MOVIES
5150 (2017)
Starring:
Ashlyn Pearce, Daffany Clark, Vanessa Giordano, Kirby Johnson, Michael Cory Davis
Synopsis:
When Autumn a bestselling novelist sends her mentally unstable stepsister away on a 5150 psyche hold, her best friends rally around her. Two years later her stepsister resurfaces with secrets to share about all of them and the line of sanity and insanity gets blurred.
The Black Room (2016)
Starring:
Natasha Henstridge, Lin Shaye, Dominique Swain
Synopsis:
Paul and Jennifer Hemdale have just moved into their dream house. But their happy marriage is about to be put to the test as they slowly discover the secret behind the black room in the cellar. Something else is already living in their new home and it is growing stronger every day. It has claimed many victims including the last owners of the house. Repairmen who journey down into the basement soon meet a horrible end. When Paul is taken over by this demonic entity, it is no longer trapped within the walls and is quick to take advantage of all pleasures of the flesh. Jennifer and her younger sister Karen begin to suspect that something is wrong with Paul. Karen finds out the truth a hard and painful way, leaving Jennifer alone to fight the demonic entity that has possessed her husband and threatens to destroy her very soul. And Paul is not the only one transforming as Jennifer soon discovers that the black room is not only evil but alive as well and may not be able to be stopped! The Black Room – Evil Lies Within These Walls.
The Blessed Ones (2017)
Starring:
Dave Vescio, Andy Gates, Tamzin Brown, Jonathan Erickson Eisley
Synopsis:
A tightly knit cult hiding in a remote desert enclave prepare for an impending apocalypse. Two dissenters try to escape through the vast desert wasteland as the cult embarks on carrying out a mass suicide pact.
Curse of the Crimson Altar (1968)
Starring:
Boris Karloff, Christopher Lee, Mark Eden
Synopsis:
When his brother disappears, Robert Manning pays a visit to the remote country house he was last heard from. While his host is outwardly welcoming – and his niece more demonstrably so – Manning detects a feeling of menace in the air with the legend of Lavinia Morley, Black Witch of Greymarsh, hanging over everything.
Devil’s Domain (2016)
Starring:
Michael Madsen, The Onyx
Synopsis:
Devil’s Domain tells the story of Lisa Pomson, a troubled, social media obsessed teen, conflicted with her sexuality and her parents misunderstanding of her. When Lisa gets secretly filmed binging, purging, and masterbating the video goes viral and she suffers extreme cyber-bullying. Suicidal, and on the brink of insanity, a beautiful, mysterious stranger (the Devil) strikes up an online relationship with her. They grow close and meet and the stranger offers to help in exchange for a favor. The devil will rid her of the bullies and give Lisa fame and fortune in exchange for a baby. Lisa agrees and as the bullies die one by one, Lisa’s conscious kicks in and she regrets doing the deal. In a climatic finale, the Devil threatens eternal suffering and the death of her loved ones until she finally succumbs to give the devil a baby that will grow to reign terror upon the world. Featuring the music of : Iggy Pop, Dmx, The Onyx, Brainticket & more!
Jack Hunter’s Paranoia Tapes (2017)
Starring:
Paige Lauren Billiot, Tricia Brooks, Kasey Connolly, Autumn Duncan, Nicola Fiore
Synopsis:
From the creators of After the Dawn, L.A. Maniac, Play Hooky, Who’s There and Dirty B.O. , Comes a found footage movie that will surely put you on the edge of your seats. With the inspiration of true stories, Jack Hunter’s Paranoia Tapes will send a chill down the bottom of your spine.
http://a.co/cPN3Pg0
The Man from Planet X (1951)
Starring:
Robert Clarke, Margaret Field, Raymond Bond, William Schallert, Roy Engel, Charles Davis
Synopsis:
An alien asks earthlings for help and gets blasted by bazookas. Directed by Edgar G. Ulmer.
Ogroff: Mad Mutilator (1983) (Two Covers)
Starring:
Howard Vernon, Norbert Moutier, Françoise Deniel, Pierre Pattin, Alain Petit
Synopsis:
Videonomicon proudly presents one of the first truly underground French horror/slasher films – officially available in North America for the first time ever – Norbert Moutier’s Super 8mm gore-fest Ogroff (aka Mad Mutilator)! For Ogroff, the mad lumberjack, the war is not over yet. Having suffered trepanation and ablated in one eye during the war Ogroff continues the fight by brutally killing anyone who enters the forest where he now resides. That is until one woman catches his eye and things get even weirder! Friends, families, kids, cars – no one and no thing is safe from the Mad Mutilator! Norbert Moutier (credited as N.G Mount), at the time a video shoppe owner, started filming in 1982 with no money but with a lot of passion. His dream: to achieve a French horror version of films like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Friday the 13th, and Night of the Living Dead that he could rent in his own store. What resulted over weekend shoots in the French countryside with the help of friends and other cinephiles (Alain Petit, Midnight Party, Zombie Lake) became a violent, over-the-top, bizarre, non-sensical, and nearly dialogue-free cult oddity which features the special participation of Jess Franco regular Howard Vernon (A Virgin Among the Living Dead, The Erotic Rites of Frankenstein) in a surprising and strange supporting role. Videonomicon brings this rarely seen one-of-a-kind horror masterpiece (or disasterpiece depending on how you view it) completely uncut and uncensored in its original French language with improved subtitles and newly remastered picture! Two versions of the movie: 2016 Colour Graded Remaster & Original Tape Transfer! Subtitle options: English, French, Spanish! Stills Gallery! Trailer! DVD-ROM Content! Includes liner notes featuring writings and reviews by Andy Bolus and Joseph A. Ziemba! Two completely different reversible cover options featuring new and original artwork! New artwork by Steak Mtn. (Cover A) and Jon Vaughn (Cover B)!
Pulse (2001) (2-Disc Special Edition)
Starring:
Haruhiko Kato, KunmikoAso, Kuyuki
Synopsis:
Award-winning filmmaker Kiyoshi Kurosawa delivered one of the finest entries in the “J-Horror” cycle of films with this moody and spiritually terrifying film that delivers existential dread along with its frights. Setting his story in the burgeoning internet and social media scene in Japan, Kurosawa’s dark and apocalyptic film foretells how technology will only serve to isolate us as it grows more important to our lives.
A group of young people in Tokyo begin to experience strange phenomena involving missing co-workers and friends, technological breakdown, and a mysterious website which asks the compelling question, “Do you want to meet a ghost?” After the unexpected suicides of several friends, three strangers set out to explore a city which is growing more empty by the day, and to solve the mystery of what lies within a forbidden room in an abandoned construction site, mysteriously sealed shut with red packing tape.
Featuring haunting cinematography by Junichiro Hayashi (Ring, Dark Water), a dark and unsettling tone which lingers long after the movie is over, and an ahead-of-its-time story which anticipates 21st century disconnection and social media malaise, Pulse is one of the greatest and most terrifying achievements in modern Japanese horror, and a dark mirror for our contemporary digital world.
Science Crazed (1990)
Starring:
Cameron Klein, Tony Dellaventura, Robin Hartsell, Ottalie Mason
Synopsis:
Videonomicon proudly presents one of the Holy Grails of Canadian cult cinema – available on DVD for the first time ever – Ron Switzer’s what-the-f—? horror classic Science Crazed! Modern technology and bizarre chemical engineering are to blame for the strange goings on at the renowned Shelley Institute, as well as for this movie. After Doctor Wilbur Frank is fired from performing dangerous experiments, the scientist injects one of his imprisoned female subjects with an untested human growth serum. Only hours later, the innocent woman dies violently, giving birth to a full grown human male. Almost human that is. With a frenzied urge to kill, the creature destroys the unfortunate Dr. Wilbur and runs amok in the maze of corridors and rooms of the institute. The local town cop, McCoy, joins forces with Wilbur’s assistants, Terry and Joan, and together the trio fights to survive the savage onslaught of the beast. In the end, they must hunt down and destroy what insanity has created and filmed. One well known critic has suggested that perhaps the world would be a better place if they hunted down and destroyed the original negative of this film. This camp spoof of horror/sci-fi movies will keep you laughing during those moments you aren’t cringing.
Species (1995)
Starring:
Natasha Henstridge, Ben Kingsley, Michael Madsen, Forest Whitaker
Synopsis:
A scientist leads the hunt for a genetically engineered creature who morphs into a blonde and tries to reproduce in Los Angeles.
Star Crystal (1986)
Starring:
Juston Campbell, Faye Bolt, John W. Smith, Marcia Linn
Synopsis:
Newly Re-mastered in HD! In the year 2035 scientists discovered a new life form… they wish they hadn’t. It was found during a routine expedition to Mars, buried just beneath the surface of the angry red planet. But what was initially thought to be just a curiously shaped rock turned out to be something much more: hidden within was an unknown alien species unlike any that science had ever encountered. And it has escaped. Now after the catastrophic destruction of their orbital space station, the ragtag crew of Shuttlecraft SC37 is adrift in space with limited oxygen, dwindling supplies and one very unwelcome guest. It is lethal. It is cunning. And it is growing larger and more intelligent with every horrific kill. With time running out, the surviving crew members must regain control of their doomed spaceship from an evolving alien predator who will stop at nothing to destroy them all… and to protect the startling secret that throbs deep inside the Star Crystal. Written and directed by Lance Lindsay (Real Bullets).
Vampire Cop (1990)
Starring:
Melissa Moore, Ed Cannon
Synopsis:
Includes never before seen Director’s cut (with unfinished soundtrack) and the original release cut. It’s not easy being a cop. Especially when you’re a VAMPIRE COP like Officer Lucas (Ed Cannon). But with the city in the grip of a psycho drug kingpin, it’s time to pull out all the stops and Take A Bite Out Of Crime! But now beautiful reporter Melanie Roberts (Melissa Moore) is onto Lucas’ little secret. Will she expose him. . . or help him crack the biggest crime caper since Al Capone? Soon the streets are running red with stone dead hookers and bone dry mobsters -all with two little bites on their neck. Will Melanie be next? Or is Lucas ready to make the ultimate vampire’s sacrifice to save her. Vampire Cop was filmed in Florida and Georgia over 1989 and 1990 by writer/director and b-movie legend Donald Farmer -The creator of Cannibal Hookers, Scream Dream and Shark Exorcist. Co-starring Mal Arnold from Blood Feast and Ray Mckinnon from Oh Brother Where Art Thou.
TELEVISION
“The Magicians” Season Two
Starring:
Arjun Gupta, Jason Ralph, Hale Appleman
Synopsis:
Based on the bestselling novels from Lev Grossman, The Magicians centers on Quentin Coldwater and his 20-something friends as they discover their magical abilities at Brakebills University, a secret grad school specializing in magic. While there, they come to the realization that the fantasies they read about as children are all too real, and unwittingly invite a malevolent entity from the other side into their lives. Heading into Season 2, this group of unlikely heroes have been thrust into even more dangerous and unfamiliar territory, and must draw upon their novice skills to defeat a threat that could destroy the magical world itself. Driven by power, revenge and survival, they learn that those who enter the hauntingly beautiful world of Fillory will never be the same as those who leave.
COLLECTIONS
Don’t Look in the Basement / Don’t Look in the Basement 2
Starring:
Bill Mcghee, Jessie Lee Fulton, Robert Dracup
Movies:
Don’t Look in the Basement
One of the inmates takes over the asylum after its director gets the ax.
Don’t Look in the Basement 2
Forty years after the patients and doctors of the Stephens Sanitarium were murdered, the only survivor returns and finds the ghosts of the past have not been resting peacefully.
Psychopaths, Maniacs and Lunatics: Sinful Female Hostages
Starring:
Various
Synopsis:
Terrifying pulp fiction cult stories with horror, gore and sexploitation galore. They are so gritty, lowbrow and intense you’ll think they’re real! They say truth is better than fiction but this collection will change your mind. Includes the films: Tormented, Escaped Convicts, Sick Bastard, Woods of Torture and Tales of Terror.
Real Vampires and Demons From Beyond
Starring:
Various
Synopsis:
Cross over into realms beyond our own, where warped dreams and nightmares become reality, where twisted apparitions manifest into paranormal predators, where you come face to face with your deepest Lovecraftian fears. Two Disc set featuring the films: The Last Vampire On Earth and Experiment in Evil.
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