The Abandoned - trailer

I watched the American horror movie THE ABANDONED quite a few years ago; It was around 2007 and I had the pleasure of watching it on eXtase editor (and Doomed Denmark promoter) Nils Markvardsen's big projector screen during a video night at his abode in Copenhagen. The film is really good. I haven't re-watched it since that initial screening so I'm definitely looking forward to it (which makes it a good thing I received it on DVD today, LOL). It was part of the first season of "8 Films to die for".

Noice, mate. Cheers!

Karl Brezdin of "Fist of B-list" blog posted this description of my other blog When the Vietnam War Raged... in the Philippines a few days ago:

When the Vietnam War raged... in the Philippines - One of the most unique editorial concepts you’re likely to find in the wide world of genre film blogging, executed to absolute perfection. Fantastic reading.

Needless to say it warms me ol'e cynical heart when other bloggers write stuff like that. Thanks so much, Karl, you're the best!! xD xD xD

Santo and the Blue Demon Versus the Monsters - review

Check out Paul Cooke's fun (and sureal weird) review of SANTO Y BLUE DEMON VS LOS MONSTROUS which I posted the trailer for in my last post. As I'm sure you know Paul does the Ballistic Blood Bullets blog. xD

Everything!!!

Yes, I've posted this trailer before but it's necessary that I post it again! SANTO Y BLUE DEMON VS LOS MONSTROUS has everything!

Three OOP Eddie Romero films re-released on DVD

Here's some more multo bene interessanto info that I've just picked up today: The three Eddie Romero directed Filipino films, BEYOND ATLANTIS, BEAST OF THE YELLOW NIGHT, and TWILIGHT PEOPLE have been re-released on reg. 1 DVD by VCA as part of a 12 film box set called SCREAM THEATER: THE SADISTIC 70S.

This is certainly brilliant news as these films are way outta print! There are two new copies of BEYOND ATLANTIS listed on Amazon.com right now, and the cheapest one is $95!! The cheapest second hand copy is 42 bucks. Retromedia's DVD release of BEAST OF THE YELLOW NIGHT is still available on Amazon fairly cheap (around $10) and it's a lbx print too. However, TWILIGHT PEOPLE is also rather expensive, retailing for around $40 for a new copy.

The 12 films are on 4 discs so there could be compression issues, however, a couple of gents on Dvdmanicas were nice enough and informed me that the picture quality is good on all three films. Charlie_G of Dvdmanicas sent me some screen grabs from BEYOND ATLANTIS and they certainly look alright. Obviously I don't know about compression and shit or how they'll look on a 50" TV set but when you (like me) are used to shit fullscreen pixellating VCDs from Malaysia and 5th generation video dupes then you'll think this is like watching films from Heaven. LOL.




The full set consists of these films:

Alice Sweet Alice (1977)
Beast Of The Yellow Night (1971)
Beyond Atlantis (1973)
Death Game (1976)
Don’t Open The Door (1975)
House Of The Living Dead (1976)
The Night Creature (1978)
Scream Bloody Murder (1973)
Sisters Of Death (1978)
Twilight People (1972)
The Vampire Happening (1971)
Young Hannah: Queen Of The Vampires (1972)

The set isn't listed on Amazon but it's available directly from VCI for just under $15 + postage. They do ship overseas. I already have the old releases so I won't be ordering this set but the films are cool and if you haven't got them you can certainly save a lot on this instead of coughing up for the OOP versions. I paid $40 for my copy of BEYOND ATLANTIS a couple of years back. >_<


Thanks to Ken & Charlie for the info.

Films from the future

Well, "from" the future cos somehow I still live in 1988! Argh. And I remember how I used to look forward to 1999 wondering whether the moon would really disappear from its orbit around the Earth - and if we would have proper space ships then. Obviously none of that happened. The new shiny futuristic world that most sci-fi authors imagined we would have just never happened. We still live in the same crappy dirty old world. I'd say it's even gone from crappy to worse. Oh well. At least we still have the moon to look at at night time (unless you live in smog filled places).

Anyway, I watch all kinds of old cinema from many countries so I often miss out on new American (and other Anglo/Euro) horror films but I'd like to rectify that. But it'll take a while obviously. Over on Dvdmanicas there's been two ongoing threads where the members post their favourite POST 2000 HORROR FILMS and I've simply collected all titles into one list.

If any of you have UBER FAVES that you think I should start with please do make a comment. Films you can't live without! (NB: some obvious films are missing from the list! I decided not to include the ones I've already got). Feel free to list new horror films that aren't on the list if you think they deserve it (i.e. they have to be among your faves - it's not enough they are new!). Cheers.

And yes, I should have included the ones I've already got cos you don't know which ones they are. Doh!


Abandoned , the ✓
Abominable (2006) ✓
Alien Raiders
All the Boys Love Mandy Lane
All about evil
Alone
BATMAN VS. DRACULA ✓
Below
Blood Rain
Blood Night: The Legend Of Mary Hatchet
Blood: The Last Vampire ✓
Bruiser
Brutal River
Bubba Ho Tep
Bug
Calvaire
Cannibal (Marian Dora)
Chasing Sleep
Children , the
Cloverfield (2008)
Cold Prey
Colic
Collector , the
Coraline (2009)
Dagon (2001)
Daybreakers
Deadwood Park (2007)
Death Note/Death Note: The Last Name (2006)
DEATH PROOF
Deathwatch ✓
Devil's Backbone +
DORIAN GRAY
Dorm
Drag Me To Hell (2009) ✓
Exorcism Of Emily Rose , the
Fat Girl (2001)
Final Destination
Forbidden Door
FRAILTY 2001 +
Freeze Me
Frontier(s) ✓
GINGER SNAPS 2: UNLEASHED.
Girl Next Door , the + ✓
God's Left Hand Devil's Right Hand
Gozu
Grindhouse
HANNIBAL 2001
Happiness of the Katikuris , the
Hatchet
Headless Hero
Heartless
Hole , the
HORSEMAN , the
Host , the
House Of The Devil , the
I Sell the Dead
Inland Empire (2006) ✓
King of the Ants
LAID TO REST
Legion
Let The Right One In
Lost , the
Loved Ones , the
MALEFIQUE
Marebito +
Meatball Machine
Midnight Meat Train , the
Mist , the +
MR BROOKS 2007
Mum and Dad
My Little Eye
natures grave
Night of the Living Dorks
Noriko's Dinner Table
Orphanage , the
P
Pan's Labyrinth
PARANORMAL ACTIVITY
Pontypool
Pyrokinesis
Rampo Noir
Red White And Blue +
Rogue
Ruins , the
Salvage ✓
Scrapbook
See No Evil: The Moors Murders (2006) (TV)
Session 9
Shadow of the Vampire (2000)
Shadow: Dead Riot
Sheitan
Shortcut , the
Signal , the
Signs (2002)
Splinter
Strangers , the
Subconscious Cruelty
Suicide Circle
Sweeney Todd
Teeth ✓
Tormented
Triangle ✓
TRICK 'R' TREAT ✓
Trick or treat
Trouble Every Day
Vampire Hunter D +
Visitor Q (2001)
Wendigo
Wolfman , the
Zodiac

Got Axed! Sweeeet!!

I posted the trailer for the new Aussie zombie film AXED the other day (here) and just before the weekend I received a copy of the DVD from the director. Niice! Review soon. xD




PS: the scary ghostlike face on the left side of the cover isn't actually on the cover. It's the reflection of yours truly's haunting mug, LOLZ.

Holy mackerel, Batman!! The cover for the upcoming FLY ME / COVERGIRL MODELS dvd is here!!!

From Backyard Asia blog:

The DVD cover for SHOUT! FACTORY's upcoming DVD release of CIRIO H. SANTIAGO's two Filipino films, FLY ME and COVERGIRL MODELS is finally here! And with that it should (hopefully) be dead sure that we WILL be getting FLY ME on DVD!

As I reported recently, SHOUT! had actually at first cancelled including FLY ME because they didn't think the print was good enough. I asked label head guy Cliff Mac (in a forum post on Dvdmaniacs) to include the film despite the less than perfect picture quality and I guess the men in charge at SHOUT! pay attention to the opinion of BACKYARD ASIA blog because they soon after decided to include the film after all (or am I putting too much confidence into my own powers and this blog? Naah!).

The third film in the set is Roger Corman's American-Italian co-production THE ARENA starring PAM GRIER.

I don't have a release date yet.

"You're always welcome in Canada" - but personally I'd rather see you in the "other" Canada.

... "You" being my new (old) CD by the Swedish kings of garage-rock, THE NOMADS, and "the other Canada" being Scandinavia obviously! (both weathered down places located north of a big elephant - and some even say we're both more laid-back than our neighbour to the south, haha).



After having been on the lookout for a copy for quite a while, I have finally secured a brand new copy of the CD version of THE NOMADS mini album "Cold Hard Facts of Life". I bought the original 10 inch vinyl record when it came out back in 1996 - but missed the CD which came out the same year (but from a different label).

The 10" was released on Lance Rock Records in Canada and the CD on Strange Edge Records in Sweden. It's never been re-released so finding a shop that still had a brand new copy was certainly pretty cool! Incidentally, even tho the CD is the Swedish release the shop I'm getting it from is actually located in Canaduh! :D



And more Canadian; The tracks on the album are all cover versions of old songs by Canadian garage rock bands. And that's also why the back of the cover (on the 12") has that greeting from the Canadian label.

The picture on the album cover and the title are also "covers" as they were originally used on an record by a country singer called Porter Wagoner. He isn't covered on the record (and I've never heard his music) but I guess they just loved the image and title enough to use it for their Canadian cover album. I think it's a pretty cool album cover and title (altho I must admit, after having discovered the original, I think the Porter Wagoner cover is cooler!!). There are two versions of the Wagoner cover, they use a slightly different photo and I thiink the first one is from a re-release (a CD box) and the bottom one is from the original release. The one at the very bottom is of an eight-track tape version.

Crazy Desires of a Murderer - rare giallo

Directed by Filippo Walter Ratti (Italy, 1972)

I first read about CRAZY DESIRES OF A MURDERER on Johan Melle's excellent blog EURO FEVER quite a whle back, and when I recently stumbled over his review again I looked up the film on Amazon UK and was very surprised to see it listed there! The thing is the movie has never been released on DVD. It hasn't even been released in other VHS versions! This one UK video release (from Redemption) is the ONLY release there is! So to me it was weird to find it just sitting there on Amazon. Altho I'm by no means an expert on giallo films it is my impression that the genre has lots and lots of rapid fans. It's rumoured that Redemption only sold a mere 150 copies of the tape so why it was so easy (and cheap!) to get I really don't know. The tape is cut by 5 seconds but considering it's the only way of getting to watch the film I can certainly survive that! Fortunately, the tape is both in letterbox format and has English subtitles. Check out Johan's review on Euro Fever and also the cool review on GIALLO FEVER.