For those that didn’t know, I’m a pretty big fan of Hammer Films. Just love the look, the sound, the style, and of course the incredible cast that they would fill their pictures with. Of course, one element of that would be what has become known simply as Hammer Glamour. With such a wide array of not just beautiful women, but also talented ones. They were much more than just a pretty face or a pair of ample bosums.
If there is one sub-genre of films that I just love it is the classic ghost story. This is where you have a secret behind a ghost/haunting that must be uncovered to release whatever is keeping the tormented soul from moving on. These are not as easy as one thinks, otherwise there would be more out there. Yes, there are a few, such as John Carpenter’s The Fog. But one of my all-time favorites is the 1988 film The Lady in White, by director Frank LaLoggia, which is now coming blu-ray in a 2-disc special edition from Scream Factory.
Vinegar Sydrome has officially announced the details for their upcoming release of Paul Naschy’s Count Dracula’s Great Love. Released in choppy and fair qualtiy DVD releases before, this will be the first time we’ll get to see the film looking this good. The print has been scanned and restored in 2k from a 35mm internegative. Plus, they have an audio commentary from Naschy, as well as director Javier Aguirre, which is an unbelivable extra. Add in a new video interview with actress Mirta Miller, and 8-page booklet written by Mirek Lipinski, both English dub track and original Spanish language track, trailers, still gallery, and revesible cover artwork.
There are a few up and coming filmmakers that are really trying to replicate the style of the Italian giallo film genre, some more successfull than others, such as Hélène Cattet & Bruno Forzani’s Amer (2009) and The Strange Color of Your Body’s Tears (2013). But when the trailer for this film simply called Francesca hit the internet, I would have sworn this was made back in the ’70s, the heyday of the giallo. The look, the color, the music, and of course, the style, is just amazing.
Directed by Luciano Onetti and written by him and his brother Nicolás Onetti, they give us a tale about a two cops on the trail of a psychopath that is set on cleaning up the city of the “impure and damned souls”. The film has won several film festival awards like Director at Buenos Aires Rojo Sangre 2015, Best Production Design at Tabloid Witch Awards – Hollywood Investigator 2015, Weird Visions Award at Ravenna Nightmare 2015, Best Giallo Film at Crypticon Kansas City 2016, and Special Mention at Horrorant 2016 in Greece. Not a bad start, huh?
Let’s just say that I hate making lists in general. It forces you to chose or narrow down a “favorites” list. I have way too many movies that I honestly love the hell out of, so getting it down to a list of ten is just impossible. And honestly, I really don’t care for these kind of lists that are always going around Facebook, mainly because I just don’t want to spend the time on them and my above mentioned hatred for lists. But since this quest was to name films that had a “lasting impression” on you, I figured I could come up with ten titles that did have a major impact on my life. But instead of just listing the movies, I figured I’d try and expand on why these certain titles affected me the way they did. Of course, this list could change at any time…day or night.
Plus, since a friend tagged me on this, I figured it was the least I could do to reply. Thanks Jessica…this was a nice little trip down memory lane.
Coming next month, Arrow Video will be releasing 3 special edition blu-rays of three different cult films.
Brian Trenchard-Smith’s futuristic tale of a drive-in theater that is turned into a prison for society’s misfits. Filled with new wave music, amazing stunt work, and all the usual trappings of the Ozploitation genre, this is a entertaining trip back. Just check out these extras:
We mentioned this upcoming book by Jonathan Rigby sometime ago but it apparently had run into some delays. But now, according to the author, it has now gone to press over across the pond. It still isn’t showing available through Amazon over here, but you can pre-ordered it through Amazon.UK, which has a price of £19.98. I’m sure at some point, it will be available here, but no idea when. The UK edition is said to be coming out at the end of this October.
With the recent announcement from Scream Factory about some upcoming titles that will get blu-ray releases later this year, most of them being collector’s edition, there is a lot for us horror fans to be excited about. Willard is finally getting a legit release, as well as the film Dreamscape, and of course, how can you not be excited about more of Cronenberg’s films getting a special edition, right?
But there were a couple of titles listed that I think are getting lost in the shuffle and need a little bit more attention. The first one was last on the list, Dead of Winter, a 1987 film from director Arthur Penn, starring Mary Steenburgen and Roddy McDowall. I had first seen this film back when it first hit VHS back in the day and was blown away by it. It is a great little thriller that has an amazing score by Richard Einhorn. It’s a shame that we couldn’t get more than just a standard release for this, but at this point, I’m thrilled that it is coming out and hope newer fans take a chance on this one.
It was announced today that George Romero would be getting one of those illustrious stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. And all I can say is it’s about damn time. For a man who pretty much invented the modern day zombie, created so many films that gave millions of us the chills, and more than a few nightmares, it’s nice to see him get a little bit of credit for his work.
My very first horror convention that I attended was at a Fangoria Weekend of Horrors in LA in 1988. I had never seen or met anyone famous before so one of the first ones that I see there, just standing outside the dealer room, was the one and only Romero. I pulled out my copy of Tom Savini’s Grand Illusions and asked him to sign it since he wrote the forward to it, which he graciously did with a huge smile. That was my very first autograph. And I still have that copy of the book.
Some troubling news in the world of Phantasm, with everyone’s favorite dwarf-ass-kicking ice cream man, Reggie Bannister. This news was posted on Reggie’s and his wife Gigi’s Facebook page some time ago, but I think we need to gather the troups and send Reggie our support. Not a lot of details are being given on what exactly happend for their privacy, which is totally understandable, other than this, which comes from Gigi herself:
“Reggie and I were coming down the stairs in our mountain cabin in the early hours of June 5th when he fell and we – literally – went over the side of the rail – or lack of rail landing 6 feet below.”
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