Death
Knot
(2021/Well Go)/Dunwich
Horror
(1970/MGM/AIP/Arrow*)/Nightmare
Symphony
(2020/Diabolik*)/Lost
Girl: The Complete Series
(2010 - 2015/Via Vision Region Free Import Set)/Men
At Work
(1990/Epic/MGM/Triumph*)/The
Vagrant
(1992/Arrow/*all MVD/all Blu-ray)
Picture:
B+ (Work:
B-) Sound: B+ (Work:
B-) Extras: C-/B/B/B/C/B Main Programs: C+/C+/C/B/C/B
PLEASE
NOTE:
The Lost
Girl
Import Blu-ray set is now only available from our friends at Via
Vision Entertainment in Australia, can play on all Blu-ray and 4K
players and can be ordered from the links below.
More
thrillers and creepy stories for your consideration...
Death
Knot
(2021) is
a creepy and atmospheric Indonesian horror film that tells the story
of a a man, his sister, and her husband who return to their remote
childhood home to face the sudden suicide of their mother in the
woods behind the property. However, their mother also happened to be
a shaman who practiced black magic. Many other suicides in the area
have come to surface around the same time, all of which are linked to
a small statue that is used to worship a dark deity. As the power of
his ancient artifact consumes the human souls around it, the results
are ghastly.
The
film stars Cornelio Sunny, Widika Sidmore, Morgan Oey, Landung
Simatupang, and Rukman Rosadi.
Death
Knot
is presented in 1080p high definition on Blu-ray disc with an MPEG-4
AVC codec, a widescreen aspect ratio of 1.85:1 and a lossless,
Indonesian DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 mix with english subtitles
and a lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 mix as well. The film has a nice
unnerving soundtrack that is pretty effective and solid
cinematography overall. There are some cool shots that play with the
use of shadows nicely.
The
only extra is a trailer.
Death
Knot
isn't bad and is nicely made. Worth checking out if you like foreign
supernatural horror. Some things in this we have seen before, but
the decent overall filmmaking and acting makes it better than most.
The
Old Ones are coming back!
Based
on the writings of H.P. Lovecraft, Daniel Haller's The
Dunwich Horror
(1970) lands on disc courtesy of Arrow with a new 2K restoration from
the original camera negative. Produced by Roger Corman and American
International Pictures, the cult hit looks and sounds great in this
new 2K Blu-ray release. The film reminds me of other cult classics
such as Rosemary's
Baby
and The
Blood on Satan's Claw,
or even All
The Colors of the Dark.
Wherein those films, a main character gets seduced down a dark
cult-filled path against their own will.
The
film stars Sandra Dee, Dean Stockwell, Ed Begley, Lloyd Bochner, Sam
Jaffe, and Joanne Moore Jordan.
Centering
on the necronomicon book of the dead (not in the same way that it is
seen in The
Evil Dead
series,) Dr. Hentry Armitage (Begley) reads from the ancient text in
an effort to open a cosmic gate to let in The Old Ones - alien gods
of the past - into our realm. A young woman (Dee) is drugged and
lured by the Doctor into a trap where she is used as a vessel to let
in ancient cosmic evil.
The
Dunwich Horror
is presented in 1080p high definition on 2K Blu-ray disc with an
MPEG-4 AVC codec, a widescreen aspect ratio of 1.85:1 and lossless,
English DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) Mono mix (48kHz, 24-bit). The film
looks and sounds fine for the Blu-ray format and has been restored
pretty nicely as is the norm for Arrow. The soundtrack is also
noteworthy and particularly creepy and highlighted in one of the
bonus features.
Instead
of showing the alien gods themselves, they're signified mainly by
crazy flashing colors and high winds and whispering on the
soundtrack. Given the time the film was made and limitations they
had, I think this is handled pretty creatively. The idea is that
these alien threats can't be seen by the human eye, which gives the
dated visual effect cop-out of strobing colors a bit more meaning,
even if it does feel still feel a bit drawn out.
Special
Features:
New
audio commentary by Guy Adams and Alexandra Benedict, creators of the
audio drama Arkham County
The
Door into Dunwich,
a new conversation between film historian Stephen R. Bissette and
horror author Stephen Laws in which they discuss The
Dunwich Horror,
Lovecraft, and their memories of seeing the film on release
After
Summer After Winter,
a new interview with science fiction and fantasy writer Ruthanna
Emrys, author of The Innsmouth Legacy series
The
Sound of Cosmic Terror,
new interview with music historian David Huckvale in which he takes a
closer look at Les Baxter's score for The Dunwich Horror
Theatrical
trailer / Image gallery
Reversible
sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Luke
Preece
and
First
Pressing Only:
Illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing by film critics
Johnny Mains and Jack Sargeant
The
Dunwich Horror
is a pretty fun '70s Lovecraft film, but suffers a bit by limitations
and resources of the technology available at the time.
Nightmare
Symphony
(2020) is
now stateside with a Blu-ray release from Diabolik DVD. The film,
which is obviously inspired heavily by Lucio Fulci and Italian giallo
films of the past as it proves in its graphic first kill, which is
highly reminiscent of Fulci's The
New York Ripper.
To say the least, Nightmare
Symphony
is a bit heavier than your typical American horror movie and if you
don't like torture films then avoid at all costs. In the film,
masked killer (who wears a mask with the head of a bird; not unlike
the killer in Stagefright)
has a knack for killing women in brutal ways whilst a film director's
worst nightmares come to fruition.
Directed
by Domiziano Cristopharo and Daniele Trani and written by Antonio
Tentori (Fulci's Cat in the Brain), the film also boasts an
impressive soundtrack by Antony Coia and Fabio Frizzi.
Nightmare
Symphony
is presented in 1080p high definition on Blu-ray disc with an MPEG-4
AVC codec, a widescreen aspect ratio of 2.35:1 and an Italian DTS-HD
MA (Master Audio) 2.0 Stereo mix with English subtitles. As noted,
the soundtrack is pretty strong and is at the front and center of the
mix and the overall film style is solid and true to its inspiration.
The
film has reversible cover art and a cool red Blu-ray case.
Special
Features:
Behind
the Scenes
Interviews
with the Director and Writer
Original
Soundtrack (which you can listen to on your TV and has track
selection)
Teaser
and Trailer.
Lost
Girl: The Complete Series
(2010 -
2015) lands on disc from ViaVision in a deluxe Blu-ray box set which
features 18 discs of content and six seasons of material. The show
reminds me a little bit of Supernatural
and CW Network shows of the like, but a little more sultry. The show
got its star in Australia and then moved over to the ScyFy channel
shortly after. When first glance at the synopsis, you might expect
this to be on late night Cinemax, but the execution is very TV-like
if the concept is pretty far outta left field.
Anna
Silk stars as Bo, who may look like an attractive human woman, but in
reality is a succubus who feeds on the sexual energy of humans and
whom is on a search to discover her true identity. All in all, the
supernatural sci-fi series is pretty good and has some intriguing
characters in its line-up even if some of the digital effects are
dated.
The
series also stars Ksenia Solo, Zoie Palmer, Rachel Skarsten, Kris
Holden-Ried, Zoie Palmer, Rick Howard, and Athen Karkanis to name a
few. The show is created by Michelle Lovretta and developed by Jay
Firestone.
Lost
Girl
is presented in 1080p high definition on Blu-ray disc with an MPEG-4
AVC codec, a widescreen aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and lossless English
Dolby TrueHD 5.1 mixes on all episodes. All episodes are presented
commercial and watermark free and look and sound fine for the format.
There are 77 total episodes of the series with the Sixth
Season
being the shortest.
Special
Features:
Interviews
with Cast and Crew
Lost
Girl Panels at San Diego Comicon and NY Comicon
Cast
Roundtable: Sneak Peak Behind the Scenes
Inside
Look at Season 4
The
Final Farewell featurette
Behind
the Scenes and Image Gallery
Blooper
Reel
and
Digital Minis.
Off
of their success in Christopher Cain's Young
Guns
(1988; we're hearing a third one is on the way!?!) that (though few
want to admit this) helped revive the Western after an almost total
dry spell caused by Cimino's Heaven's
Gate
(1980,) save anything Clint Eastwood did, Charlie Sheen and Emilio
Estevez re-teamed for a comedy called Men
At Work
(1990) which had nothing to do with the highly popular (albeit
comical) pop group from Australia. They would play garbage men who
could not stop goofing off and getting in trouble.
However,
this 1980s 'irresponsibility-style' comedy was getting very thin and
tired by the time this was made, but one big twist is that Estevez
would be directing (only his second time) and does a better job than
expected, particularly making Sheen look like a star in the midst of
all this. Little do their characters know that something extremely
more serious is going on as some very horrid men are dumping nuclear
waste in a nearby waterway in barrels that are NOT made to last.
Despite this angle, they still go for comedy and too much of it.
Maybe
Estevez and company thought they could capitalize on certain aspects
of Alex Cox's Repo
Man
(1984, just as that 'Brat Pack' banner was starting to form)
including toxic nuclear waste and homophobia (an appropriate
combination) so off the film went. The title probably confused
people and helped kill it at the box office if it even had a chance,
but fledgling distributor Triumph Pictures hoped it would help build
their company and that did not work out.
The
title is as uncreative as the screenplay, which keeps going for the
obvious and everything we had pretty much seen at that point, though
points for even having a films about anyone in sanitation as
Hollywood movies (et al) started ignoring hard working jobs,
struggling people, the poor and worse. Keith David (who is as good
as anyone here,) Dean Cameron and Cameron Dye lead the cast of
unknowns and it also has two name producers: Irwin Yablans
(Carpenter's Halloween,
Hyams' The
Star Chamber,
Roller
Boogie,
Hell
Night,
Tourist
Trap)
and Moshe Damant (Killer
Klowns From Outer Space,
Hyams' Timecop
and Sudden
Death).
You can see this was not just a B-movie. Only for the most curious,
but at least its back in print.
The
1080p 1.85 X 1 digital high definition image can be a little rough at
times beyond the look of the film, with good color and a somewhat
consistent look; faithful to what I remember it looking like at the
time. The PCM 2.0 Stereo has Pro Logic surrounds from its old
analog, Dolby A-type noise reduction soundmaster that also
demonstrates the low budget fo the film. Stewart Copeland of The
Police did the score, which makes it a bit of a curio for music fans.
Extras
a mini-poster, reversible cover, and (on the disc) trailers for this
and several other MGM/UA titles being issued by MVD.
Lastly,
Bill Paxton stars in The
Vagrant
(1992), which is directed by special effects master Chris Walas, who
did many of the creature designs in Gremlins
and collaborated with Spielberg on Raiders
of the Lost Ark
and David Cronenberg on The
Fly
and Naked
Lunch.
I think this film got lost in the cracks over the years and now that
Arrow has put it out, it can finally get the presentation and
attention that it deserves in a film that features the late Bill
Paxton in a role that shows his range and versatility as an actor.
The
cult film also features Michael Ironside, Marshall Bell, Mitzi
Kapture, and Stuart Pankin.
An
executive named Graham (Paxton) moves into a new home where an
unwanted homeless man (Bell) dwells. When Graham tries to drive the
man off his property, the man retaliates against him and starts
playing sick mind games on him. Graham starts to lose his grip on
reality as he takes drastic measures to rid himself of this menace to
no avail.
The
Vagrant
is presented in 1080p high definition on Blu-ray disc with an MPEG-4
AVC codec, a widescreen aspect ratio of 1.85:1 and a lossless,
English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit). The film has been
nicely restored and looks nice on disc and has an exceptional
soundtrack and sound design, which shines through on this release.
Special
Features:
Vagrant
Memories,
a new interview with director Chris Walas
You
are in Hell,
a new interview with star Marshall Bell
Barfus,
Homicide,
a new interview with star Michael Ironside
Handling
His Property,
a new interview with star Colleen Camp
Theatrical
trailer
Image
gallery
Reversible
sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Robert
Hack
and
First
Pressing Only:
Illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing by film critic
Chris Hallock and Vagrant super-fan James Pearcey.
To
order the Lost
Girl
import Blu-ray set, go to this link:
https://viavision.com.au/shop/lost-girl-the-complete-series-blu-ray/
-
Nicholas Sheffo (Work)
and James Lockhart
https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/
