All
The Colors Of The Dark
(1972) + All The Colors Of
Giallo (2019*)/Color
Me Blood Red (1965) +
Something Weird
(1967/MVD/Arrow Blu-ray)/Ecco
(1963) + The Forbidden
(1966)/Mondo Bizarro
+ Mondo Freudo
(both 1966/*all Severin Blu-rays)/Room
304 (2011/Film Movement
DVD)
Picture:
B/B/B/B-/B/B/B/B/B- Sound: B (DVD: B-) Extras: B (DVD: C-)
Films: A-/B+/C+/C+/C+/C+/B/B/C
Here's
an onslaught of horror and exploitation titles for you to know
about...
Severin
and Arrow have went to great lengths as of late in putting a
spotlight on Italian giallos by remastering and releasing some of the
genre's best films on Blu-ray. From the infamous director of Eyeball
and Case
of the Scorpion Tail,
Sergio Martino's All
The Colors of the Dark
(1972) is one of my personal favorites and is lovingly presented on
Blu-ray here thanks to Severin. Being released as a companion piece
is All
the Colors of Giallo
(2019), which is an extensive look at the history of the genre and
features two feature length documentaries and over four hours of
trailers highlighting some of the best flicks out there.
Similar
story-wise to Roman Polanski's Rosemary's
Baby
in some ways, All
The Colors of the Dark
stars the gorgeous Edwige Fenech, George Hilton, Susan Scott, Ivan
Rassimov, Julian Ugarte, and Maria Cumani Quasimodo to name a few.
The
film centers around Jane (Fenech), whose a housewife haunted by
nightmares of her own murder at the hands of a blue-eyed black gloved
killer, but when her husband is off to work, her new neighbor Mary
(Scott) introduces her to a dangerous satanic cult, where her life
takes many unsuspecting turns as her nightmares start to become a
reality. Surrealistic, dark, and at times unnerving, the film
remains an uncompromising and nightmarish work.
Presented
in 1080p high definition and paired with a widescreen aspect ratio of
2.39:1 and DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 2.0 Mono lossless audio tracks in
both Italian (w English subtitles) and a DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 2.0
Mono lossless English-dubbed track. The film has been restored here
in 4K from the original film elements that bring it life much more
than the previous release of the film on Blu-ray from Shameless,
which isn't as impressive as this. The look and feel of the film is
very psychedelic and this is now the definitive way to see the film.
Special
Features include...
Bonus
CD with the complete motion picture soundtrack (Limited to 2500)
They're
Coming To Get You - Alternate US Cut
Color
My Nightmare - Interview with Director Sergio Martino
Last
of the Mohicans - Interview with Screenwriter Ernesto Gastaldi
Giallo
is the Color - Interviews with Actor George Hilton & Italian
Horror Expert Antonio Tentori
Audio
Commentary with Kat Ellinger, Author of All The Colors of Sergio
Martino
and
Trailers
All
The Colors of Giallo
The
definitive history lesson on Italian Giallo, this three disc set is
prepared to teach you a thing of two about the genre. Featuring four
hours of Giallo trailers, two feature length documentaries, and a
great new CD of Giallo music, there aren't many stones left unturned
in this definitive three disc set.
In
the doc, we get to see exciting new interviews with Dario Argento,
who directed The
Bird With The Crystal Plumage
(1970, reviewed elsewhere on this site), which was a starting point
for the genre as way as many other iconic filmmakers and writers from
the era. After Bird's
success, there were many imitators and the movement became as popular
in Italy as the superhero genre is here in America today. Grisly
brutal murders, black gloved killers, unsuspecting plot twists and
turns... these are some of the key characteristics in the making of a
Giallo film.
The
doc features archival interviews with the late Lucio Fulci as well as
Director Sergio Martino, Edwige Fenech, and more. The second disc
goes into Krimi films, which were the German cousin to the genre, and
which first inspired Argento to make his feature.
The
film is presented in 1080p high definition on Blu-ray disc with a
1.85:1 widescreen aspect ratio and a DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 2.0
Italian losssless language track with English subtitles. Since it's
a documentary there are various formats used in its creation,
however, it's a crisp clean HD transfer throughout with no noticeable
issues.
Special
Features include...
Over
Four Hours of Giallo Trailers
All
the Colors of Giallo
- Newly produced feature length documentary by Federico Caddeo
The
Giallo Frames
- Interview with John Martin, editor of 'The Giallo Pages
Audio
Commentary on every trailer with Kat Ellinger, author of All
The Colors of Sergio Martino
Kriminal!
- 90 Minute Krimi Trailer Compilation
The
Case of the Krimi
- Interview with film historian Marcus Stiglegger
and
The
Strange Sounds of The Bloodstained Films
- Bonus CD of Giallo themes compiled by Alfonso Carrillo of
Rendezvous. From the archives of BEAT Records Company. Remastered
by Claudio Fuiano.
I
would definitely recommend these two films to any fan of the horror
genre.
Arrow
continues to remaster more films from the zany library of Herschell
Gordon Lewis, this time with the double feature of exploitation
classics Color
Me Blood Red
(1965) and Something
Weird
(1967).
Color
Me Red
is the third film in Lewis' Blood
Trilogy,
which also includes Blood
Feast
and Two
Thousand Maniacs
(reviewed elsewhere on this site). The story of a struggling painter
named Adam Sorge (Gordon Oas-Heim), whose art is failing to impress
many the way it used to. When his girlfriend accidentally gets some
blood on a piece of canvas, he becomes obsessed with the color. When
he starts adding blood by cutting himself, he realizes that he will
soon need fresh victims in order to help him achieve his creative
vision.
The
film stars Elyn Warner, Candi Conder, Jerome Eden, and Scott H. Hall.
One
thing that's ironic about this storyline is that there is in fact an
artist working today that uses human blood in his paintings! (He
doesn't kill people though of course) We recently covered the
documentary Bloodlines:
The Art and Work of Vincent Castiglia,
which is out on DVD.
Something
Weird
is a film I've always wanted to see and was beyond thrilled when I
saw its inclusion here. Centered around a scarred psychic, he is
promised his beautiful face back to an ugly witch if he agrees to
sleep with her. When she gives him a taste of what his life would be
like as a normal person, he soon must do whatever it takes to keep up
this appearance.
The
film stars Jeffrey Allen, Elizabeth Lee, Tony McCabe, William
Brooker, Lawrence Aberwood, and Mudite Arums.
Both
films have been remastered and restored in 1080p high definition with
widescreen aspect ratios of 1.85:1 (Color
Me Red)
and 1.66:1 (Something
Weird),
both of which are paired with new English LPCM mono tracks that are
very clear. Both films were shot pretty low budget with Colors
being the best looking of the two. In Something
Weird,
there appears to have been some wear and tear to the print over the
years so some film noise is apparent. (Probably why it was included
here as a bonus film) In my opinion, it helps add to the experience
of watching these exploitation films. Color
Me Red
looks pretty fantastic though as Arrow keeps their quality consistent
with every release they do.
Special
Features include...
Introductions
to the films by H.G. Lewis
Audio
commentary on Color
Me Blood Red
with H.G. Lewis and David Friedman
Audio
commentary on Something
Weird
with H.G. Lewis and David Friedman
The
Art of Madness
- a video essay on the recurring motif of mad artists as killers in
horror films
Weirdsville
- film scholar Jeffrey Sconce on Something
Weird
H.G.
Lewis on Jimmy,
The Boy Wonder
A
Hot Night at the Go Go Lounge!
- 1966 dance short
Color
Me Blood Red
Outtakes
Color
Me Blood Red
Trailer
Something
Weird
Trailer
Jimmy,
The Boy Wonder
Trailer
and
a Reversible Sleeve featuring original and newly-commissioned artwork
by The Twins of Evil.
If
you're into bizarre exploitation from the '60s and '70s then Severin
has two double feature 'shock-umentary' sets that are sure to
entertain you! The classic films include Ecco
(1963) and The
Forbidden
(1966) alongside Mondo
Bizarro
(1966) and Mondo
Freudo
(1966). From the library of Something Weird video, these
exploitation classics are 'strictly for adults only' and give an
interesting perspective on the wild happenings and 'forbidden
fantasies' of the time that the public wasn't meant to see.
Get
ready to go back in time and experience everything from topless
Watusi clubs, hidden cameras, Hollywood strippers, human trafficking,
and other things that your mother doesn't want you to see. Get a
personal glimpse at the bizarre world of sex and macabre through
these four features that show you the dark side of humanity. The
films each jump around from one taboo subject to the next, and have
no shortage of graphic nudity, and unnerving violence that is sure to
make your senses tingle.
Ecco
(1963) - Directed by Gianni Proia, George Sanders narrates clips of
reindeer being castrated, native tribes doing grotesque things... and
of course karate and roller-derby footage. Most famously, Ecco
features footage from the last performance at France's notorious
Theatre du Grand Guignol.
The
Forbidden
(1966) - From directors Benjamin Andrews and Lee Frost, The
Forbidden
is a more sexual feature. Highlights include a very racy martial arts
school film where two women are almost raped, an underground lesbian
club in Geneva, a portable topless bar, and various strip acts from
different parts of the globe.
Mondo
Bizarro
(1966) - Directed by Lee Frost, Mondo
Bizarro
starts in a women's dressing room in a secret backroom of a lingerie
shop. From there, we travel to a Kyoto massage parlor, the mailroom
at Frederick's of Hollywood, an Australian who sticks nails through
his skin and eats glass. From here, we see the art and peace scene
in Los Angeles at the time, an Easter week with vacationing college
students on Balboa Island, a German audience enjoying a Nazi sadism
play, and, with the help of powerful military lenses, we get to spy
on a Lebanese white-slavery auction.
Mondo
Freudo
(1966) - released the same year and again directed by Lee Frost,
Freudo explores bizarre sexual practices from the world over. Some
highlights include Tijuana strippers, Asian sex shows, British
prostitutes, New York Devil Worshippers, and a Mexican slave market.
These
films have been restored in 1080p high definition with their original
1.66:1 full frame aspect ratios and 2.0 English Mono mixes, and
definitely look better than they ever have before. While the source
material has shown some wear and tear over the years, you feel as if
you are stepping into a time machine watching these films, all of
which have been scanned in 4K from the original Something Weird 35mm
vault negatives.
Special
Features For Ecco
and Forbidden:
The
Bandit
- Producer David Goldstein remembers Bob Cresse
I
Want More
- Short Film
and
an Ecco Trailer
Special
Features for Mondo
Bizarro/Mondo
Freudo:
Audio
Commentary with Johnny Legend and Eric Caidin
The
Cadaver is Infinity
- Bob Cresse, Lee Frost and the Birth of American Mondo - Interview
with Chris Poggiali
and
a Trailer
Finally,
Room
304
(2011) is a foreign sexual thriller that centers around a Copenhagen
hotel where different stories intersect. Revenge. Sex. Murder.
Meeting at these different hotel rooms, secrets are exposed and the
cruel and dramatic nature makes for a depressing tale overall.
The
film stars Mikael Birkkjaer, Stine Stengade, David Dencik, Luan Jaha,
Ariadna Gil, and Lourdes Faberes to name a few. The film is directed
by Birgitte Staermose and written by Kim Fupz Aakeson.
Presented
in standard definition on DVD with an anamorphic widescreen aspect
ratio of 1.85:1 and a lossy Dolby Digital German 2.0 Stereo mix,
the film looks and sounds fine for the format. Subtitles are in
English, German, and Danish depending on your territory. Compression
issues aside (especially when comparing directly to HD), the film is
nicely shot and cut and doesn't look terrible on the aging format.
It has a kind of voyeuristic feel that almost makes you feel like
you're a fly on the wall watching the story take place that I liked.
No
extras with the exception of a trailer reel of other titles from Film
Movement.
Room
304
is an interesting film with some good performances and interesting
characters. While a bit too dramatic at times for my personal taste,
it has plenty of twists and turns to keep it engaging.
-
James
Lockhart
https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/
