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Drafthouse Films is back with the theatrical re-release of
the 1979 horror/sci fi film The Visitor, opening today in select cities. This
film was entirely new to me and it seems, to a lot of other folks as well.
There was a VHS release and a now out-of-print DVD that’s selling on Amazon for
a hundred dollars or more. The Visitor is an Italian/American co-production, but
what makes its obscurity so strange is that it has a large cast of rather big
names. Appearing in the film is John Huston, Glenn Ford, Sam Peckinpah, Lance
Henrikson, and Shelley Winters.
Happy Halloween Scream fans! Tonight is the night for
dressing up, getting candy, drinking (for the adults), and watching scary
movies with your loved ones. For many of you, it’s your favorite night of the
year, as it is for us too and we’re going out with a bang. Thank you for
following us on this strange and terrifying journey through a lot of great
horror films (and, with all due love to Scream Factory, a couple of appalling
bad ones). We’ve covered 30 Scream Factory films and now it’s time for the
grand finale, our review of the Scream Factory’s The Amityville Horror Trilogy.
This film has been a household name for almost 35 years; it has spawned
numerous sequels and remakes and continues to scare the hell out of us. Did it
really happen? Was it faked? Only the people involved know for sure, but one
thing is certain, it captivated us and chilled us to the bone and continues to
do so. Fire up the Jack-O-Lanterns and turn out the lights as we explore review
31, The Amityville Horror Trilogy.
John Carpenter’s Halloween is a classic among the genre. It
routinely tops number one lists and is generally credited with getting the ball
rolling on the franchise monsters of the 80’s. Halloween 2 is lesser known, but
should not be confused with any of the other sequels (certainly not Halloween 3
where Michael Myers doesn’t even appear). Unlike the later installments,
Halloween 2 was written by Carpenter to form the second half of a larger story
with his original.There’s something
charming and offbeat about this follow up that distinguishes it from its
predecessor and over the years it’s become a guilty pleasure favorite of mine.
I am tickled orange to be reviewing Scream Factory’s Halloween II Blu-ray
Collector’s Edition. Let’s dive right in.
There’s no chance you haven’t already seen The Howling. If
you enjoy horror films enough to read a month’s worth of reviews and somehow
missed this movie stop right now, add it to your bucket list, and get to it.
While that one reader watches the film (hopefully an older version so they have
a good basis of comparison), we’ll proceed to talk about Joe Dante’s classic
1981 horror film that Scream Factory has brought screaming ‘howling’ back to
life with their new Collector’s Edition Blu-ray release.
Today’s film is the newest of all the Scream Factory offerings
we’re reviewing and it’s also the most British, East London British to be
precise. Cockneys vs. Zombies is the greatest English Horror-Comedy zombie
movie since Shaun of the Dead and manages to completely distinguish itself from
similar films. I first saw it a year ago at Fantastic Fest 2012 where it was a
festival darling and now Scream Factory has given it the royal treatment and
brought it to America.
I’m a huge John Carpenter fan; I make no secret of that
fact. They Live holds a very special place in my heart. This is one of the most
creative science fiction/horror movies of the 80’s, possibly of all time. John
Carpenter was at the top of his game when he made They Live, but like many of
his better films the reception was soft on release and its reputation had to
grow over time. Grow it has and it is now a cinema classic. In fact, this
Collector’s Edition of John Carpenter’s They Live was what first turned me on
to Scream Factory and I saw the serious treatment they were willing to give
their titles.
Scream Factory has done a brilliant job of releasing
overlooked horror films on Blu-ray discs loaded with features. Many of these
films are well known classics and cult favorites sporting special collector’s
editions with original art on the cover. Scream Factory has also put out a
wholly different but equally compelling type of release; one that again takes
me back to the old independent video store horror shelf. This Blu-ray/DVD combo
is a Scream Factory Double Feature with the films X-Ray and Schizoid, two films
that to be honest I had never heard of and frankly had difficulty finding solid
information about. Please forgive my ignorance if you are a hardcore fan of
these titles as I will be assessing them as a first time viewer with a new
find.
Almost all of John Carpenter’s films after Halloween have
met with tepid critical reaction on release and often only so-so box office.
The real judge of a John Carpenter movie is time. In the decades since their
release, films like Big Trouble in Little China and They Live have become
popular genre films embraced by a generation. The Thing, much like Blade Runner,
has become a smash hit years after it was first in theaters (fun fact: they
opened the same day). Other films, like The Fog and Prince of Darkness continue
to wait for a cult following to really embrace them. Perhaps that will happen
now with this wonderful new Scream Factory Collector’s Edition of Prince of
Darkness, let’s take a look.
The Funhouse, that accidental video nasty, a 1981 horror
film that only recently seems to be getting the respect it so rightly deserves.
While it begins with tongue in cheek parodies of both Halloween and Psycho,
within its frames it contains so much more. It contains the other unforgettable
performance of Amadeus’ wife Elizabeth Berridge and a tale from the Director
who taught us the value of good, prime meat. So without further ado, come with
me and experience the long lost wonders in Scream Factory’s Collector’s Edition
of Tobe Hooper’s The Funhouse.
At face value The Nest might not seem like much; a more or
less direct-to-video 1988 film that I had never heard of before now. The Nest
falls into that not-so-respected horror sub-genre of “Swarms of something”
attacks small isolated town. Since Hitchcock’s ‘The Birds’ it’s been tried with
every kind of animal from spiders to snakes to worms. The Nest presents us with
swarms of cockroaches, as made clear by the cover art which features a six-foot-tall
roach attacking a woman in her underwear. The question I found myself asking up
front was why would Scream Factory want to reintroduce such a title to the
world in High-Def? What I found when I sat down and watched the movie was that
they had found a lovely little would-be, could-be cult horror film gem in The
Nest.
If you’re under a certain age you may only know The Fog from
the abysmal 2005 remake. Surprise, the real The Fog is a 1980 classic horror
film from John Carpenter. This film has been hard to come by until Scream
Factory’s Collector’s Edition of The Fog finally brought it to Blu-ray. It is
one of the finest collector’s editions they’ve put out, chock full of extras
and some very choice interviews. The sticker on the front of the slip cover
declares the movie “John Carpenter’s classic” and this is an important
qualification. While it has become a valued member of Carpenter’s body of work
and it is enjoyable to watch time and again; The Fog is far from a masterpiece
and Carpenter’s sophomore horror effort after Halloween exists as something of
a wonderful failure.
Oh the Phantasm series, how you continue to confuse and
astound me. Don’t get me wrong, I am a huge fan of Don Cascarelli’s 1979 horror
franchise, but even after many viewings of all four entries; I’m still at a
loss to explain just what I saw. There’s a tall man hunting a boy, some
murderous silver spheres, and creatures that appear to be Jawas with rabies.
This is a master of horror at the top of his game and Scream Factory has given
the star treatment to the series second entry with their Phantasm 2 Collector’s
Edition Blu-ray.
Q: The Winged Serpent is the first Scream Factory title I’m
reviewing that I had not seen the movie before now. Taking obscure horror
movies, restoring them to glory, and giving them back to the world is the
biggest reason I love Scream Factory and why I wanted to do these reviews. For
me they are reviving that old horror fan tradition of going to the local
independent video store, scanning the shelves full of old horror VHS’s, and
gambling on finding a lost horror treasure. Each box had its own amazing, intriguing,
and often misleading artwork. It was teenage Friday night thrill that sadly
perished with the passing of the video store, but as you watch these Scream
Factory titles you can live a little of that thrill again. Now, on with the Q:
The Winged Serpent review, or as the box proclaims “Its name is Quetzalcoatl...
just call it Q, that's all you'll have time to say before it tears you
apart!"
Q: The Winged Serpent
The Film:
The Aztec god Quetzalcoatl, a giant winged serpent, sets up
a nest in the top of the Chrysler building and terrorizes New York. Detective
Shepard (David Carradine) is investigating a series of ritual Aztec sacrifices
that have been occurring around the city. Meanwhile, after a botched robbery,
Jimmy Quinn (Michael Moriarty) flees to the spire of the Chrysler building and
stumbles upon Q’s nest and the egg it holds.
Jimmy uses this knowledge to escape his criminal bosses and
trade the information to avoid jail time for his crimes. Q, is portrayed with a
lot of close ups of parts of the creature and stop motion that was dated even
when the movie was new. It’s still fun watching the monster pop up and carry
someone off in broad daylight (no one in New York seems to see Q until it’s too
late). A lot of the detective story seems to be filler; however Moriarty turns
in a strong performance as Jimmy in a role that could have been lifted from
another movie.
The Disc:
This is advertised as part of the Scream Factory series but
my copy just has the Shout Factory logo on it. Likewise there’s no slip cover
and the art is just the original poster. It does have inside cover illustration
showing several other Q posters but I don’t think it’s meant to be reversed.
The transfer is beautiful, no dirt, crisp clean film grain,
and DTS sound. There is a weird yellow flicker along the right side during one
scene that’s distracting but it doesn’t last long. The film stock used is very
much of the late 70’s, early 80’s era; the aerial footage reminds me strongly
of the opening of the old Dallas TV show.
The Features:
Audio Commentary with Director Larry Cohen
Teaser
Theatrical Trailer
The Specs:
1080p Hi-Def widescreen 1.78:1
DTS-HD Master Audio
English-only Audio & Subtitles.
Original Release: 1982
Runtime: 92 minutes
Rated R
Final Grades:
Story: C / Most of the story just serves as a bridge between
Q eating people.
Presentation quality: A- / Clean and sharp but some spots
may suffer from in-camera flaws.
Scare factor: C- / The horror is almost campy by today’s
standards.
Gore Factor: B+ / Lots of fun decapitations and blood
falling on people’s heads like bird poop.
Repeat view-ability: C / It’s got its moments but this one
is probably best watched with friends and a few beers.
Special Features: C / Director’s Commentary, Trailer, and
Teaser make for a pretty light feature set.
Add Q: The Winged Serpent to your collection, click HERE!
Today’s Scream Factory goody hails from a long, proud
tradition of Canadian horror films like Black Christmas and later, My Bloody
Valentine. Unlike those holiday themed horrors Terror Train veers off on its
own path by taking on the horrors of being trapped on mass transit with a
murderer. It’s also the film that confirmed Jamie Lee Curtis as the Scream
Queen, so let’s dive right in and look at Scream Factory’s Collector’s Edition
of Terror Train!
Terror Train
The Film:
Over the course of watching many horror films for this
series I’ve noticed a plotting trend. Much like The Burning, Terror Train
starts with some kids prank gone wrong; which maims someone and sets them on a
long term path of murderous revenge. In this case its college kids who trick a
virgin pledge named Kenny into almost kissing a corpse from the med school. He
doesn’t do it mind you, just almost, this apparently traumatizes him to
insanity.
Flash forward a couple years later and those same kids are
getting ready to graduate. Alana (Curtis), a girl who was in on the prank,
joins her boyfriend and the Greeks for a costume party on a train. They are
traveling at night, in Canada, in winter, which sets up their isolation (the
conductor goes into a long diatribe about how he wishes the train owner would
put a phone on it, because FORESHADOWING).
Even before they’re underway, one of their friends is
impaled on a sword which everyone thinks is a really funny joke (must be
Canadian humor), which allows Kenny to don the dead man’s mask and board the
train. Once the train gets going frat boys are lined up for slaughter by a
deranged maniac as he tries out a series of increasingly bizarre masks. This
movie is fun but strange, case in point, about midway through the movie David
Copperfield, the actual magician David Copperfield, performs a magic show on
the train. 1979 David Copperfield, slasher movie, train, while those elements
sink in let’s talk about the disc.
The Disc:
The art cover for Terror Train is again by Nathan Thomas
Milliner. It’s well done but not quite as well composed as some of his other
covers. In a way it reflects the somewhat awkward visual composition of Terror
Train itself.
The film presentation is clean but there is a distinct low
budget feel throughout. Costumes are thrown together and don’t always make
sense for the characters. There is a lot of debris scattered around the train,
it is supposed to be a party but it just ends up looking a little haphazard.
Terror Train never quite sold me on its own reality and it’s a touch
distracting.
The extras are pretty thin for a Collector’s Edition.
There’s no commentary’s at all, this film just screams for a David Copperfield
commentary track. The bonus features only has a handful of interviews, none of
which are the actors, director, or writer. See Jamie Lee Curtis’ interview in
Scream Factory’s The Fog release, she talks about Terror Train in some detail.
The Features:
Destination
Death – Interview with the Producer
Riding the Rails
– Interview with the Production Executive
All Aboard –
Interview with the Production Designer
Music for Murder
– Interview with the Composer
Still Gallery
Theatrical
Trailer
TV Spot
The Specs:
·1080p Hi-Def widescreen 1.85:1
·DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
·DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
·English-only Audio & Subtitles
·Original Release: 1980
·Runtime: 97 minutes
·Rated R
Final Grades:
Story: C / Kids get on train, killer gets on train, kids get murdered
on train. That’s all the plot you need.
Presentation quality: B+ / Looks good and the train shots are pretty
but not very complex visually.
Scare factor: B- / Scares are broadcasted a little too much.
Gore Factor: C / Violent but not particularly gory.
Special Features: C / No commentaries and a handful of interviews with
producers and the composer. Sparse compared with some of the other releases.
Happy October Horror fanatics and Halloween junkies! It’s
our favorite month of the year here at Pop Culture Beast and we’ve decided to
celebrate with a whole pumpkin patch of Horror film reviews. Over the last year
Shout Factory has established and expanded their Scream Factory line of Blu-ray
Collector’s Edition Horror releases. We love them, we waited for years for HD
copies of these titles and Scream Factory delivered with loads of extras. So,
in honor of this fine series and in the spirit of Halloween I present to you
Pop Culture Beast’s 31 Days of Scream-O-Ween! Each day in October we will be
covering another of Scream Factory’s Blu-ray goodies, starting with a favorite
of mine, 1981’s The Burning
The Burning
The Film:
In the early 80’s, horror/slasher movies had a real passion
for summer camps. They offered young people misbehaving aplenty and likewise
being horribly butchered for those misdeeds. The Burning finds its butcher in
the form of the popular east coast campfire story of Cropsey.
Cropsey here is introduced as a caretaker at a summer camp
in the 1970’s. One night a group of teenage boys decide they’re going to prank
Cropsey by placing a flaming skull in his bed. Cropsey wakes and in his fear
knocks the skull over, immolating himself. Badly disfigured, Cropsey spends
five years in a hospital before breaking out and returning to the camp to seek
his revenge.
At the camp, a new group of young, lustful teenagers is
enjoying the time of their lives. Cropsey sets about dispatching them with a
large pair of garden shears and a violent creativity that would take Jason
Vorhees several more years to master. Cropsey’s face, an earlier masterpiece of
effects lord Tom Savini’s, is revolting in the best possible way. Savini
apparently only had a matter of days to create the mask and its simplicity
shows, but is still disgustingly effective.
Cropsey starts his attack slow but when the kids take a
canoe trip up river for the night he kicks his shear-based slaughter into high
gear. The garden shears make a deadly, albeit improbable and difficult to wield
weapon (Director Tony Maylam takes credit for choosing them in the commentary).
In the same spirit of Kevin Bacon in the original Friday the
13th, The Burning features some fascinating early performances by
famous actors. Jason Alexander (with hair) appears as a teenage camp-goer, and
Helen Hunt makes an appearance with just a few lines in one of her early roles.
The Burning also is of historical note for being one of the first Miramax
movies with Harvey Weinstein producing and Bob Weinstein having a screenplay
credit.
The Disc:
The transfer is perfect with nice crisp grain and colors
that aren’t too rich. It strikes a picture balance that is very true to the
1980’s film stock it was shot on. There are almost no flaws or scratches on the
print.
The bonus features include numerous cast interviews and a
fascinating interview with Tom Savini. If you’re not into special features, at
least watch the Savini interview (you’ll recognize him as the biker with the
crotch revolver in From Dusk till Dawn), he goes into detail on all the effects,
but also has a great sense of humor and ‘tells it like it is’ delivery.
Many of the Scream Factory Collector’s Editions include
reversible covers. The inside cover is the original poster art for the film,
often made to look like the VHS box. The outside cover of The Burning is an
original illustration by Nathan Thomas Milliner. It’s an amazing cover that I wish
I had as a poster and Cropsey’s vomit-blood waterfall kind of makes me all
kinds of sick.
The Features:
Audio Commentary
with Director Tony Maylam and international film journalist Alan Jones
Audio Commentary
with Stars Shelley Bruce and Bonnie Deroski
Blood ‘n’ Fire
Memories – A look at the make-up effects with Tom Savini
Slash & Cut–
Interview with Editor Jack Sholder
Cropsy Speaks–
Interview with Actor Lou David
Summer Camp
Nightmare – Interview with Actress Leah Ayres
Behind the Scenes
Footage
Make-up Effects
Still Gallery
Poster &
Still Gallery
Theatrical
Trailer
The Specs:
·1080p Hi-Def widescreen 1.85:1
·DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
·English-only Audio & Subtitles
·Original Release: 1981
·Runtime: 91 minutes
·Rated R
Final Grades:
Story: B / It’s not the most original, but it is
one of the most fun summer camp slashers ever made. Presentation quality: A / Beautifully clean. Scare factor: B / The formula is too familiar now to be
truly scary. Gore Factor: A / Tom Savini’s effects serve up the gross
real good. Repeat view-ability: A / For me this is an October must see
at least. Special Features: B / A few good interviews and the
commentary shed a lot of light on what was for me a pretty obscure project.
