Fans of ’70s British horror films are well aware of the 1973 film Psychomania, also known as The Death Wheelers! Director Don Sharp gives us not just a film about a ruthless gang of bikers, but undead bikers! Sharp gave us a The Kiss of the Vampire (1963), Devil-Ship Pirates (1964), and Rasputin: The Mad Monk (1966) for Hammer Studios, but also gave us two treasures that don’t get enough love, Witchcraft (1964) and Curse of the Fly (1965).
Every single horror fan out there probably knows of and has seen The Blob. Probably both versions! But how many of them has seen the Caltiki: The Immortal Monster!
This Italian film came out a year after we all saw Steve McQueen do battle with the large purple gelatinous form. But Caltiki gives us another deadly devouring mass, which was directed by Riccardo Freda, with none other than Mario Bava as the cinematographer. Though, as the stories go, during production, Freda left, quit, or just walked off the film which was then completely by Bava. None the less, this film is a must for horror fans. There are some effects in here that are pretty damn creepy and gory for a film that came out in 1959.
Now, thanks to Arrow Video, you will have the chance to see this film in all its gory glory. This release will feature a brand new 2K restoration from the original camera negative, with High Definition blu-ray (1080P) and standard definition DVD presentations. It will also feature the original mono Italian and English soundtracks, with newly translated English subtitles for the Italian language track.
Obviously one of the things I preach here at the Krypt is Discover the Horror. By that, I mean to explore and seek out new things in the genre, both old and new…but mainly old. One of the things that makes this a little easier these days are these Blu-ray companies who are putting out some amazing titles, some that were on the verge of being lost in the vast wasteland of obscurity. But thanks to companies like Synapse, Vinegar Syndrome, Arrow Video, Shout Factory, Code Red, Severin, Dark Sky, Mondo Macabro, just to name a few, they are not only keeping these films alive and available, but giving some titles a treatment that they probably never had before, even when they were first released.
Dead End Drive-In (1986)
Directed by Brian Trenchard-Smith
Starring Ned Manning, Natalie McCurry, Peter Whitford, Wilbur Wilde, Dave Gibson, Sandie Lillingston, Ollie Hall
Can you say ’80s? Set in the future (at least the future from 1986), the world lives in chaos. At least apparently in Australia. There’s isn’t too much explanation given here, but somehow a drive-in theater is turned into sort of a short term prison, or something to that effect. Not just criminal, but more like the dregs of society. Our young hero named Crabbs and his girlfriend go on a date to the theater and wake up the next morning realizing they are now trapped. Actually, it takes a while for him to get the idea. Then the rest of the movie is about dealing with others there, as well as trying to figure out a way to escape.
Francesca (2015)
Directed by Luciano Onetti
Written by Luciano and Nicolás Onett
Starring Luis Emilio Rodriguez, Gustavo Dalessanro, Raul Gederlini, Silvina Grippaldi, Evangelina Goitia, Juan Baustista Massolo
Over the last few years, there have been a few filmmakers out there that are trying to recreate the look and feel of the ’70s giallo films from Italy. Hélène Cattet & Bruno Forzani’s Amer (2009) and The Strange Color of Your Body’s Tears (2013) come to mind, as well as the more recent film The Editor (2014), by Adam Brooks & Matthew Kennedy. Each of these films capture the look and feel of the sub-genre, though The Editor really seemed like it was more concerned with making fun of it than paying tribute. But that’s for another review.
Slugs (1988)
Directed by Juan Piquer Simón
Starring Michael Garfield, Kim Terry, Philip MacHale, Alicia Moro, Santiago Álvarez, Concha Cuetos, John Battaglia, Emilio Linder, Kris Mann, Kari Rose, Manuel de Blas, Frank Braña, Patty Shepard
Ahh…the late ‘80s….when gore was running rampant and thought provoking storylines were nowhere to be seen. As horror fans, If the movie was outrageous enough, we didn’t mind the absurdity of the plot. We didn’t care if the dialog was hilariously bad. As long as we got some well done and outrageous gore we were happy. Which is probably why the 1982 film Pieces, from director Juan Piquer Simón, was such a success, since it is probably one of the most enjoyable ‘bad’ movies ever made. It had a ton of over-the-top gore, outrageous dialog, and a plethora of wacky and fun characters. It is one that is enjoyed even more in a large group of like-minded fans.
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:
Blood and Black Lace (1962)
Directed by Mario Bava
Starring Cameron Mitchell, Eva Bartok, Thomas Reiner, Ariana Gorini, Dante DiPaolo, Mary Arden, Franco Ressel, Claude Dantes, Luciano Pigozzi, Lea Landers, Massimo Righi, Francesca Ungaro
In a couple of weeks, Arrow Video will be unleashing two films from writer/director Emilio P. Miraglia in a double feature box set called Killer Dames! The set will consists of the 1971 film The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave and the 1972 film The Red Queen Kills Seven Times. Each film will come in both DVD and blu-ray format, both also with a ton of extras, though will be limited to only 3000 copies. So if you’re interested, you better get those pre-orders in now. Both films have brand new 2K restorations from the original camera negatives. They will also have the original Italian soundtrack, with newly translated English subtitles, as well as the English dubbed version as well. There is also a 60-page booklet containing information about the films.
This 2011 documentary calls Ray Harryhausen a special effects titan. Now one of the meanings of the word titan is “a person or thing of enormous size, strength, power, influence”. Honestly, I couldn’t think of a better word, especially the last two words in that description: power and influence.
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