Best SCREAMIN' JAY HAWKINS documentary the world never knew

SHARK OPERATION - wild HK flick sponsored by Malaysia tourist board?

Check out this truly weird clip from the HK movie SHARK OPERATION. If you only watched this one clip you'd think it's from a tourist video, haha. If you wanna discover whether it really is from a tourist video or not I recommend you watch the Carter Wong clip below as well!

Corruption (UK, 1967)

aka CARNAGE / LASER KILLER
dir: Robert Hartford-Davis



In the early 2000s, Henrik Larsen (of Obskuriøst magazine) and I used to hook up with a fellow friend for film nights once a month. This went on for a number of years and needless to say we got to watch a lot of films. Some films I remember, some I don't, but one film I remember vividly - altho I never even watched the damn thing - is CORRUPTION! For some reason Henrik never screened it and we just kept talking about how he was gonna make me a dvd-r dupe some day. Jump to 7 or 8 years later (i.e. NOW!), we no longer meet for film nights, Henrik has moved to the outskirts of civilisation, our former fellow friend is gone... but... I have... finally... received CORRUPTION from Henrik!! LMAO.




Peter Cushing plays a famous doctor who's going to marry an equally famous fashion model. Cushing's character is considerably older than his love interest. At the beginning of the movie this comes across in that he's too tired to go to a party (very 60s style party!) and once he's finally there he's not at all comfortable with the youngsters and their modern dancing. When his girlfriend's photographer decides to take photos of the doctor's gf at the party, and step by step makes her undress, it becomes too much for the ol'e doctor. A fistfight between the two breaks out and unfortunately one of the big spotlights falls over and hits the girlfriend burning her right side of the face to a crisp. What to do, what to do???



The doctor starts frantically to go thru old Egyptian books in order to find the answer - and he finds one: A gland is the answer! The gland from another young person mind you! So off to the hospital to get a gland from a recently deceased patient. At home he performs an operation on his girlfriend and voila, her face is restored. But needless to say it wouldn't be a horror movie if the Happy End occurred 15 minutes into the film, LOL, and soon the effect of the new gland wears off, and a new gland has to be found; This time a more fresh one - from another recently deceased young woman... and I'm sure I don't have to mention what goes with the territory... the doctor makes sure the deceased lady is VERY recently deceased! Soon after the effect of this new gland starts to wear off as well so obviously the only solution is to...



Well, no more spoilers from me. Watch the film and find out! CORRUPTION is really good and Peter Cushing's performance is outstanding (but then again, has he ever done a bad performance?). The film is well directed and there's not a dull moment to be found. The 60s jazz music score fits the film well and the pace is fast all the way thru. There's quite a bit of violence and crazy behaviour, and towards the end the film even shifts into a CLOCKWORK ORANGE'ian mode! The end is quite something.



CORRUPTION is a bit of a forgotten film and that's definitely a pity. The film exists in two slightly different versions; the original UK print and an export print made for the European market. The difference is a scene in which the doctor kills a prostitute in her room, this scene was filmed twice. The original version has quite a bit of dialogue and ends with the doctor knifing the girl. In the Euro version you see the girl topless and there's quite a bit of gore as the doctor cuts her head off. Interestingly enough, the prostitute in the two versions is played by two different actresses. Maybe the first actress wasn't happy with the nudity in the Euro version (or it was filmed later and she wasn't available for the shoot).



Being a gore-hound I hate to say this but the toned down scene in the original version is the better one of the two. The more explicit Euro version looks rushed and isn't staged nor played all that well. But of course it has NUDITY and GORE!! LOL. Henrik was so kind as to include the Euro scene on my dvd-r (from a tape of a less good picture quality. I'm aware the Euro version exists on a tape from France but I can't remember which version Henrik's Euro copy originates from).



Unfortunately, there is only one DVD release of the film; A Spanish DVD that has censored out the entire murder scene that I just mentioned (i.e. it's not a matter of their using the toned down version; no, the scene is completely missing! Go figure!). I saw one web site that sells a bootleg which is being advertised as "the uncut UK theatrical print" but the cover they're using is the Spanish DVD cover so I reckon they didn't do their homework and that it's the cut version they're selling. Boo-hoo, and bollox to them!!! Apparently the TV channel TCM in the US showed the uncut UK version on cable TV at some stage and the picture quality is probably better than the Aussie VHS (altho the VHS is pretty decent). But in any case, no matter which version you'll be able to get hold of I highly recommend CORRUPTION.


Above: Cushing with the actress in the "clothed, non gory" scene from the original UK print.

- And here the European version with a different actress.

- And here two screen grabs of the *goodies* that the Europeans got and the sensitive British audiences didn't: NUDITY...

...and GORE!



Thanks to Henrik Larsen for the dvd-r. :D

White Zombie

Arr man, I so wish Rob Zombie had kept his band WHITE ZOMBIE alive! These are cool toons and way cool videos!! :D

Finally corrupting the tv set at CASA J

I've finally watched the almost forgotten Peter Cushing film CORRUPTION from 1968. Thanks to Henrik for the disc! We've talked about this movie since our old video night days and that was a looong time ago. Cool to finally watch it.

PS: The image is from a trailer of a less good picture quality, the film itself looks much better.

Them darn hillbilly kids

I'm rolling on the floor laughing here.

Sey helloo to my leettle friend!!

I wanted a chainsaw or a machine-gun but my dad got me this ghettoblaster! :D
Very nice when you're staying home sick (my back's still killing me and my job-centre fake type job is now toast). Needless to say the new player got baptised by repeated spinnings of my new Screamin' Jay Hawkins CD (see post from yesterday), followed by The 5, 6, 7, 8s (early singles collection, if you must know). Awesome. Thanks, dad.

Anyhoo, just as I was enjoying the afternoon I got attacked by that wretched deadly hand and the day was ruined! Oy vey!

Best trailer ever on a Saturday

Jim Wynorski's remake of WASP WOMAN from 1995. If you'd like to see more Roger Corman trailers check this YouTube channel, it's actually the official channel from Corman's company.

It's Screamin' Jay Hawkins, and he's a wild man, so bug off!

I received the SCREAMIN' JAY HAWKINS greatest hits compilation "I Put a Spell on You" today. Most of the tracks are from 1956-58 and they're just awesome, wild and crazy! This is the shit, baby!! I'm gonna play this record OWL NITE!!! You should do the same.


Here's one of the tracks:







PS: I love the entire Jim Jarmusch movie STRANGER THAN PARADISE but there's one moment in that film which sets the tone of the film: The main character's cousin from Eastern Europe is playing a cassette tape of Screamin' Jay's "I Put a Spell on You" to which the main character comments it's shit music and her reply is the headline. :D
When I watched STRANGER for the first time twenty years ago it was also the very first time I heard that track. I'm still on a never ending Jim Jarmusch trek. this week I bought three of his later films that were missing in my collection. Yay! Spiffy!

Certain Fury (USA, 1985)

Another Danish ex-rental coming this way! Stephen Gyllenhaal "chicks on the run" flick CERTAIN FURY (aka Piger på flugt) from '85 starring Tatum O'Neal, Irene Cara, Peter Fonda, and Moses Gunn. Member-X says it's great and judging by the trailer it does look quite entertaining. :D



...I certainly hope the film is more entertaining than Irene Cara's title song performance! Argh!!

Hmmm, just WHEN did I star in that one?

THE HAND RETURNS??? I've been in a movie that never got released (PLANET HOLOCAUST) and here's a cover for one that... never got made (I don't think!!). Haha. More ridicule of me from Member-X in Finland! >_<

You'll Die at Midnight - trailer

From DEVAG:
This trailer might not be as interesting/rare as The Big Boss, but still a rarity... Original english languaged trailer to Lamberto Bava's You'll Die at Midnight (Morirai a Mezzanotte)

SHOUT! Factory to cancel Filipino film release!

A few months back I posted about SHOUT! Factory's upcoming DVD releases of a pile of Roger Corman produced Filipino films. Unfortunately it seems one of them has been cancelled! A few days ago Cliff Mac (of SHOUT! Factory) mentioned on Dvdmaniacs forum that they're not going to release FLY ME (Cirio H. Santiago, 1973) unless they can find a proper print. Terrible news indeed (not least cos this is one of the titles I don't already have on VHS!). FLY ME was released on VHS in the US and UK but those tapes have basically vanished off the face of the Earth! Boo-hoo. Personally I'd rather they release whatever half decent (or not decent) print that they have.

Very rare trailer for THE BIG BOSS found on Danish VHS - the version that contains the REJECTED English Hong Kong dub mind you!!!

Today, my mate Hans-Jørn aka Diabolik found the original English dubbed trailer for THE BIG BOSS on a Danish trailer video tape from the mid 1980s!!!

This is highly interesting because this is the version that contains the original, REJECTED English dubbed version that was made in Hong Kong!!! This is not to be confused with the English dubbed version you can buy on VHS and DVD!

Back in the day when the American distribution company bought the film they thought the English dub (made in Hong Kong) was too crappy and decided to make their own dub. The "new" dub is the one that was used on ALL releases (apart from the versions dubbed into other languages, obviously). The original HK dub only played in certain territories in the Middle East (and reportedly Bruce Lee hated it when he heard it!) in the early days.

Until now fans have believed this original dubbed version was never released to home-cinema anywhere. Not on video, video-cd, laserdisc, DVD, or shown on TV. However, this Danish tape is interesting because needless to day you can't help wonder if there might be a Danish VHS release from the early 80s that uses this dub (all HK films were released in their English dub in Denmark).

Also, as I've mentioned on this blog before, the rejected dubbed version has now been *released* (on bootleg anyway) but it's from a CUT print. If this really does exist on Danish VHS it's most likely going to be fully uncut.

I'm fully aware there's another version of this trailer already on YouTube (which I've posted here before) but just the mere fact that Hans-Jørn found another release is awesome PLUS the picture quality of this one is better that the other one in my view. I have no idea why HJ chose to use the old US title but this is THE BIG BOSS.

Shock! Horror!! Japanese bootleg tapes are circulating!!!

While the headline may seem funny it's no laughing matter at all! Read all about it over at Basement of Ghoulish Decadence

We're squattin' in multo un-cool times! - PART 2

I remember a time... [said in a voice like the old narrator at the beginning of MAD MAX]... when you could actually buy... wait... what's going on here! Major deja-vu, haha. But actually the situation is the same, the only difference is this post is about Pioneer DVD-recorders, not video players. When I bought my first DVD-recorder about 5 years ago I bought a Panasonic and stupid me forgot to check if it could copy from NTSC video tapes. And it turned out it couldn't. My friend Henrik Larsen had a Pioneer which copied NTSC tapes without any problems so for the past years I've wanted a Pioneer DVD-recorder. Obviously. Not long ago the old Panasonic began to die a slow death and I decided to buy a Pioneer. Only to discover the dick-heads at Pioneer stopped making the bloody things several years ago!!! >_<
I found out Panasonic are still making them and their new ones can probably copy from NTSC but for five years I've had my mind set for a Pioneer and by jove I want a Pioneer!!! So for a wee bit I've been checking German eBay for a good player and a couple of days ago I found two; a really good model, and an even better model. And being the reckless and wild rockabilly teen that I am I placed bids for both of them!! Tonight I won the better one of the two. Whoo-hoo!!! (and fortunately someone else outbid me on the other one, LOL). The model I'll be getting is a Pioneer DVR-LX61D 250GB HDD/DVD Recorder.

Now, where can I get a mint Betamax player? LMAO (I want the one that was only produced for retail in the Middle East!! As the only model in the world it plays ALL Betamax formats; PAL, NTSC, SECAM, and apparently the variations of those!).

I Miss You Hugs and Kisses - a nasty?

I've always wondered what I MISS YOU HUGS AND KISSES is like! Ever since I read a review of it the first time (in an issue of IN THE FLESH if I remember correctly). The thing is this film was on the BBFC's list of video nasties but everyone who's seen it wonders why it was even ON that list as (apparently) it's not a gore movie or very nasty. Okay, so it's about a wife killer, but still. And - judging by those reviews - apparently it's not even a very good movie, quite on the contrary. But you know me, if it's obscure I want to watch it. Maybe everyone is wrong and I'll love the movie! xD

I MISS YOU HUGS AND KISSES is quite difficult to get to watch (legally anyway) as video versions are scarce and there's no DVD releases. However, I'll get my opportunity to watch it now as I've just won it on Japanese VHS! :D

If you'd like to know a little more about the film do go ahead and watch this good YouTube review from some guy in the UK. It's the first review of his that I watch but apparently he's made a series of reviews of the films from the nasties list. And it's an incisive review too, not the usual "I MISS YOU is really boring and there's no blood" type reviews that usually pop up.



PS: I also won Margheriti's ARK OF THE SUN GOD (which stars old genre favourite David Warbeck) at just under 12 bucks. Woo-hoo!! It's a lbx'ed print too!

We're squattin' in multo un-cool times!

I remember a time... [said in a voice like the old narrator at the beginning of MAD MAX]... when you could actually buy a new video recorder at any radio shop or supermarket you walked into. No so anymore. Men began to fight over the oil... Ahm, okay, maybe not but if you're lucky to find a store that actually has new video players they're most likely DVD/VHS combos at big chain stores (and I wouldn't touch combos with a ten foot pole), or cheapo shit players at small stores that have been gathering dust for years (the players, not the stores). And that's a huge problem when you're an ex-rental video tape collector and your old player is dying on you. And, well, my old trusted Panasonic VCR is beginning to act funny.

I've been wanting a JVC player for a while because apparently they're supposed to be the top of the crop. I'm sure I read somewhere that the last model which JVC made is the best VCR that ever came out. Unfortunately, this is common knowledge to other video collectors as well so finding a player in a good condition is either very time consuming or quite expensive - or most likely both! Today, I finally won a JVC player on German eBay! Whoo-hoo!! It's not the last model but it's close enough.

German eBay is good cos you can still get VCR players at reasonable prices and in contradiction to many other countries the German postal service aren't fucking their customers in the ass by raising postage fees to insane hight. Getting a heavy VCR from Germany isn't gonna double the price as it would from some other certain Eurotrash countries. The VCR that I just won is gonna cost me a mere 22 Euros to ship from to Denmark. That is very, very CHEAP!! It's about the same price as two video tapes are to send from Sweden to Denmark!!! There were other bidders but the final bid from someone else was for 82 Euros (i.e. my winning bid is €83). I had placed 130 Euros on the player. Now I just need a Pioneer DVD recorder and I'll be alright for a while again.

Hmmm, altho I could also do with a new Betamax player. o_O

One week down

SATURDAY!!! My legs hurt. My arms hurt. They're blue too. My left big toe is numb. My back hurts. I've popped headache tablets all week. Could someone in this Universe's admin office please shift my papers back to the "most useful as drifter" box. Thanks.