Category Archives: Misc. Ramblings

The Beyond – The Composer’s Cut

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Beyond Composer's CutIt was almost two years ago when I have the joy of watching Lucio Fulci’s The Beyond, one of my all-time favorite films in the theater. But this time it was a little different. Composer Fabio Frizzi was there with his Frizzi 2 Fulci band playing a live score during the film. He called it “The Beyond – The Composer’s Cut”. There was music being played where there normally wasn’t, or maybe the cues were a little longer than originally. Either way, it was an amazing experience to be watching these nightmarish images that Fulci came up with on the big screen, and hearing this chilling score being played live right in front of you.

Now, thanks to Beat Records, you can have a chance to hear that live version over and over again, with the release of The Beyond – The Composer’s Cut: Live in Austin on CD. This release has two different versions here, one by a 51 piece symphonic orchestra and the second one performed by his Frizzi 2 Fulci band.

The CD is has over an hours worth of music and is only $19.95 and will be released Sept. 10th. You can order your copy from Screen Archives by clicking HERE.

Feliz cumpleaños Jacinto Molina!

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naschy2Today, Senior Molina, aka Paul Naschy, would have been 84. It’s been almost a decade since we this icon of the horror genre. I am just so grateful that his memory and his work continue to live and breathe, with more and more titles hitting Blu-ray, books written about him, and more collectibles being produced, it shows just how important his work has meant to the fans, and what it will mean to the legion of newer fans that will discover his massive body of work each and every year. Oh, how I am envious of these newer fans that get to watch titles like Horror Rises from the Tomb or Night of the Howling Beast for the very first time.

So while us fans still miss him and continue to mourn the loss of such a talented actor, director, screenwriter, not to mention father and husband to his family, we know that the legend of Paul Naschy, much like his most famous character, Waldemar Daninsky, will never die and will be reborn time and time again.

Thank you, Senior Molina, for all the wonderful memories, both past and future.

naschy10

Little Shoppe of Horrors #41 Coming Soon

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LSoH41The latest issue of THE best magazine out there dedicated to all things Hammer, Little Shoppe of Horrors, will be out next month. And if you’re a fan of those pesky dinosaurs, then you definitely are going to want to order issue #41.

This cover story is about Hammer’s return to the world of prehistoric creatures in When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth (1970). This issue will feature “When Danforth Ruled the Earth – The Making of Hammer’s Second Dinosaur Epic” by Mark Wolf. It will also feature interviews with actors Victoria Vetri and Robin Hawdon, and 1st Assistant Director John Stoneman. There will also be articles on some of Hammer’s unmade films, and interview with Pauline Peart from The Satanic Rites of Dracula, as well as all the other great stuff that is always found within these pages. With an amazing front cover by Jeff Preston, why wouldn’t you want to add this to your reading list?

You can pre-order your copy now, as well as all the back issues, by just heading over to their website HERE.

What a Time to be Alive!

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antropophagus

Twenty years ago, when us deviant fans of European horror films that were near impossible to find over here in the states, you were lucky as hell when you were able to find a 5th generation copy of Joe D’Amato’s notorious 1980 film Anthropophagous, and even more so if it had the famous fetus eating scene intact. Sounds demented, I know. But when you’re trying to find the a version that was completely uncut, if that scene was in there, you knew you had a big score on your hands.

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Friday the 13th Soundtrack Fans?

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Friday 4 & 5La-La Land Records have released the scores for Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter and Part V: A New Beginning on one double disc release, priced at only $19.95! The first disc for Friday IV, has 52 minutes of the score with 18 tracks. The second disc, for Friday V, has 24 tracks and runs 48 minutes. Both feature scores by the amazing Harry Manfredini, who continues the fun that he started with the very first film. Both of these versions are the same as the ones that were released in the now out-of-print Friday the 13th box set that included the first 6 films. So if you missed out on that, now is your chance to pick up these two!

And to make it even more of an interesting deal, La-La Land is having a 25% off your entire order sale up until July 22nd. So don’t wait too long! Head over to their website HERE.

Severin Has a Beach Party!

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Horror-Of-Party-Beach_BluNot sure whoever the geniuses are at Severin, I would like to officially commend them! As a sucker for good old fashion promo items, I was thrilled when they announced they were releasing a little rubber ball promo item with their release of The Changeling. Really reminds me of the good old days of movie promotions. And now, not only are they releasing the hilariously fun The Horror of Party Beach (1964), but you can get your own Horror of Party Beach official Beach Ball!!!

This film is one that I saw as a youngster on TV the first time, on some Saturday afternoon screening, since you couldn’t pass up that title! You can never forget seeing that monster for the first time, as it crawls up the rocks towards that girl. Cheesy? Sure. Silly? Maybe. What do you expect from a movie that cost $50,000 and was shot in two weeks? But it sure is a lot of fun and I think is still a great way to spend 90 minutes.

HorrorOfPartyBeachBall

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Horror History: Barbara Shelley

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barbarashelley1Barbara Shelley
Born Aug. 15th, 1933

Barbara Shelley was a staple in the British horror cinema for about 10 years, starting in the late ’50s. The fact that she only made a handful of horror pictures during that time, and is so remembered shows the real talent that she was.

Starting with films like Cat Girl (1957) and Blood of the Vampire (1958), before appearing in one of the genre classics, Village of the Damned (1960). Then she would work with Hammer Films on her next four pictures, which shows some of her best work: The Gorgon (1964), Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966), Rasputin: The Mad Monk (1966), and Quatermass and the Pit (1967). Her performance in Dracula: Prince of Darkness, as the uptight Helen, once transformed into a vampire is one of the highlights of that film. Her last role for the genre was the 1974 film Ghost Story (aka Madhouse Mansion), and moved to working more in television, even having a small stint in the Doctor Who series.

So the next time you’re in the mood for a British horror film, and maybe even a Hammer Film, think about choosing one of the ones that feature the lovely Shelley and see just what she gave to the genre.

Unearthed the Unnamble!

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Unnameable
Unearth Films have announced they will be releasing the 1988 film The Unnamable, based on the story from H.P. Lovecraft. Back in the video days, the creature on the box art would pretty much guarantee any horror fan picking it up. Now it will be getting a DVD and Blu-Ray release in a 4K scan and color corrected print coming from the original negative, with a 5.1 and DTS Surround sound. It will be released on October 9th.

This release looks to have a ton of extras as well. Such as:

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Severin Unleashes The Changeling

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changeling

I’m a sucker for a good old fashion ghost story, one that has a puzzle that needs to be solved before the end of movie. They can be creepy, eerie, and downright scary. The Changeling (1980) is all that and more, and is one of my favorites. George C. Scott stars as a composer who is struggling with the recent lost of his wife and daughter after a tragic accident. After moving into an old mansion that he’s rented, he starts to hear strange noises, voices, and music, making him dig deeper into this mystery that is slowly starting to unravel before him.

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The Plague of Academia

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DePaul Pop Culture Conference

I really debated on writing anything about this event I recently attended, but while this is just my opinion, I felt it still needed to be said. I know the title of this post seems a bit harsh but let me explain why I feel this way. When someone is a teacher, professor, or someone in a position of authority, I’ve always figured that they would know what they are talking about. Maybe that’s a silly assumption but I still think that is should be true. So when I come across someone who is in that position, but doesn’t know as much as I feel they should, then I start to get a little uneasy. Yes, maybe I set the bar too high, but if someone is giving a speech or lecture on a certain subject, I just expect them to know that subject, especially if you are in the academia area.

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