Screw Xmas, here's Halloween (part 2)

Do yourself a favour and check out this mighty cool Halloween tune!

New Swamp of the Ravens dvd

VCI in the States have just released Manuel Cano's SWAMP OF THE RAVENS on DVD sourced from a spiffy 35mm uncut print. The DVD also includes an equally uncut version of I EAT YOUR SKIN (aka Zombie) taken from a widescreen print. This certainly sounds good. SWAMP was released a few years back from Something Weird Video but apparently that DVD was missing some footage at the end. I should point out I have no idea of how much is missing from the SWV print as I haven't seen that print. I look forward to this new DVD though and have just ordered it today (well, yesterday I guess as this is 3 in the morning, LOL). I do own the other film, I EAT YOUR SKIN, which was also released on a SWV DVD (in their DVD-R line actually) and that version certainly needs an improved release.

Here's some info from DVDManiacs by poster Ethan Christian Seiler, I sincerely hope he doesn't mind my reprint here. You'll find the thread here.

Odd the talk gets diverted to Bava's BLOOD AND BLACK LACE as there is a solid connection unto SWAMP OF THE RAVENS. Manuel Cano produced Mario's very personal HATCHET FOR THE HONEYMOON as well as SWAMP writer Santiago Moncada co-writing that film as well! SWAMP is grossly underrated, a highly unusual, evocative, very enigmatic film with a singularly unique atmosphere....Hands down it possesses the most abstract and unorthodox "zombies" I can recall in any film. The Ecuadorean locales, particularly the swamp wherein Dr. Frosta's abode and ramshackle laboratory are located is a masterpiece of a natural location, so rich in depth of ambient dimension, the film is quite morbid within its fetishism, contains one of the best necrophilia sequences I have ever seen, but the necro-medical fetishism exuding throughout the film is, as well, quite unparalleled and of much power, including the very effective utilization of an actual human post mortem dissection (as effective and jarring in its smaller scale manner as anything in MEN BEHIND THE SUN, particularly since it just comes at you very fast, like a rock pelted directly into your head, from left field, you do not expect it, there is no ceremony culminating within it, it just cuts to it and it starts!). The English dubbing could be better, but Moncada's dialogue is full of caustic wit, character idiosyncratic dimension, even a type of brilliance to its narrative structure, he is in top form here. I think the recently deceased Aldo Sambrell referred to director Cano as, (to paraphrase) "..completely insane...".......haha......

Great new for fans of this film, I contacted VCI to ask specifics, firstly, I got them to correct their mistake for citing co-feature on the disc, Del Tenney's ZOMBIES, as running 148 minutes (!!!!)....Though I am disappointed that there will not be a two and a half hour ZOMBIES/I EAT YOUR SKIN....lol.....The print is still longer than many at 93 minutes.......

Anyway, here's what they wrote, it sounds very promising for both films!:

SWAMP OF THE RAVENS - was mastered from a 35mm negative. The video transfer was done 16x9 anamorphic widescreen with an aspect ratio of 2.35:1 (the original aspect ratio of the film) and is enhanced for 16x9 monitors. The film was produced in Spain but the version we are releasing has an English soundtrack.

ZOMBIE - the running time is really 93 minutes. The video transfer was also also done 16x9 anamorphic widescreen with an aspect ratio of 1.77:1 with enhancement for 16x9 monitors.

Screw Xmas, Halloween is here!

Check out this way kool Halloween toon by Bill Buchanan from 1962. It's pretty awesome and I wish that were my 7"! Check out this cat's YouTube channel, he's uploaded tons of cool tracks. Thanks to Armando for making me aware of this channel.

Best Sort Sol / C.V. Jørgensen track on a Saturday

The Legacy (1978)

I just watched Richard Marquand's THE LEGACY (aka The Legacy of Maggie Walsh / De Fordømte) for the second time. The first time was a few years back when I slept my way thru the movie, LOL. Not that it's a bad film mind you I guess I must've been tired. :D

The plot is the old tried (and tired) "couple can't escape from English manor and get sucked into occult dabblings". The story is basic and would've sunk the film to the bottom of the horror movie ocean had it not been for the good cast. The Danish cheapo DVD is presented in terrible fullscreen and the print is scratched but serviceable.


Trailer:


Aussie trailer:

I shall use my devisualiser and vanish!

THE PHANTOM CREEPS (12 chapter serial, 1939)

Needless to say Bela Lugosi is Dracula! I'm not gonna try and debate whether the "real" Dracula is DRACULA from 1931 starring Bela Lugosi or Hammer Studio's DRACULA from 1958 starring Christoper Lee (and retitled Horror of Dracula in America). I love them both so I'm not gonna pour any petrol on the feud bonfire between Lugosi and Lee fans. Haha.



I won't take part, I choose them both. Anyway, I'm babbling. What else can you do after 12 chapters of this cool Bela Lugosi serial from 1939. Dinner in half an hour so no incisive plot description, sufficient to know this: The world and The United States of America was a peaceful place in '39, well except for the emergence of that madman Hitl... eh, doctor Zorka. Bela Lugosi is doctor Zorka, a mad scientist whose goal is to conquer the world ("...but I shall conquer the world with my army of atomic supermen", but, hey, that's a different Lugosi movie - same goal though!).



Our hero is an FBI man and his annoying (but very pretty) female sidekick (a journalist, obviously!). Lugosi has invented a box with an heinous content; with it he can DESTROY THE WORLD. Or conquer it, whatever he chooses. Unfortunately, other (non American, obviously) players are in the game too. Wauw, what a concept; not ONE but TWO bad parties fighting for world domination and our hero (and the pretty journo) are having a hard time saving said world. Oh, and did I forget to mention doctor Zorka also has a DEVISUALISER to go invisible with (a nifty devise not least if you want to use footage from THE INVISIBLE RAY from 1936, LOL).

They have betrayed me, but I will take the world with me!

Oh, and did I forget to mention he also has an amazing killer robot. So deadly it'll kill anybody who doesn't walk any faster than your everyday SNAIL. Argh. THE PHANTOM CREEPS is awesome!! Bela Lugosi is the bad guy but he totally steals the show, who is the good guy even? Forget the other actors except the pretty journalist and (incidentally!) the OTHER bad guy played by Edward van Sloan (who was also in DRACULA and FRANKENSTEIN). But then again, would anybody think otherwise? How could Bela Lugosi as a mad scientist with a devisualiser, ray gun, killer robot, explosive robot spiders (!!!), and awesome one-liners, not steal the show!



The DVD from VCI is great! The picture has been restored and looks like it was filmed recently (I'm obviously exaggerating there). Yes, there's a few scratches here and there but you'll soon forget about that. There's no extra material apart from an old cartoon ("Porky's Midnight Matinee") but screw that, the 12 chapters are more than enough! Running time is approximately 4 hours.



PS: If you want to watch THE PHANTOM CREEPS, make sure you get the VCI DVD. There are releases from other companies but apparently they're terrible TV prints. It's around 10 bucks from Amazon.

Video Nasties The Definitive Guide - longer trailer

I've already posted one trailer for this hopefully awesome documentary about the video nasty era in the UK and here's another one. It's less of a trailer and more like an proper into to the docu film. I'm certainly looking forward to the DVD (out on Nov. 1'st).

Read my old post with into and description to the film here.

Alright, Magnus, you're right... THIS is a PROPER video for Halloween!!!

A wee horror trash toon to get into the Halloween spirit. xD

EATER (Stuart Gordon, 2008)

I watched the first episode of FEAR ITSELF (i.e. "Masters of Horror" season 3) tonight and I can't say I'm disappointed! The episode is called "Eater" and is directed by Stuart Gordon, and obviously it's pointless to tell you he also directed the legendary RE-ANIMATOR in 1985 cos you already know that. One of my all time fave films! If "Eater" is an indicator of the quality of FEAR ITSELF then I'm certainly in for a treat cos this episode is great!

The story takes place at a small police station during one snowy night. A handful of police officers are asked to look after a particularly dangerous prisoner until the next morning. But at some point the main character, a young female rookie cop, discovers that maybe the other cops aren't what she thinks they are. Not a fortunate situation since the guy in the cell (or where ever he is) is a Cajun "chef" with an appetite for human flesh. LOL. Without revealing too much let me just hint at the ending may be surprisingly downbeat! Not a bad thing in my book. :D
The only extra feature is a five minute interview with Stuart Gordon but at least he talks about how much he loves horror. xD