The world of exploitation film ripped open and laid raw for you to experience. From 70's grindhouse to current underground, it is all here. So ripe you can practically smell it.
ASYLUM aka I WANT TO BE A GANGSTER
(2008) D. Olivier Chateau Synapse Films S.O.V.
This very strange, not quite black and
white Gangster film from France tries very hard to be something
different. Unfortunately the uneven tone that results kind of sinks
the endeavor.
Julien Courbey plays Jack, a low level
street thug who really lacks the common sense of a second grader. We
meet him pulling a Russian Roulette grift. What he doesn't get is
that he is pulling this fast one on some gangsters and they are non
too happy about it. He ends up working for the mobsters as an entry
level courier. But he screws that up too when he is trying to teach
his new wet behind the ears partner to shoot and he blows his brains
out. So Jack is sent out to a lonesome field and chained to a tree to
die. The meat of the movie is Jack chained to the tree and the
various silly things that happen to him. The last ten minutes try to
bring a little bit of seriousness to the proceedings.
ASYLUM's (not sure why it is called
that, especially when there are a half dozen other films with that
name) biggest problem is that the director never sets a mood or tone.
So instead the movie feels like disconnected skits with no through
line of character or theme. It also can't make up it's mind if it is
a comedy or gritty gangster picture and ends up neither.
The movie is clearly shot on video and
post effected to have a drained sepia tone. Some occasional color
bleeds through but it generally tries to look like some movie from
the 20's. There are a making of and another comedic short film called
HOMER also included on the disc. The presentation here is remarkably
good. Especially considering the film cost $4000 to make.
I hate to give bad reviews but I felt
like this one missed the mark.
TRUE STORY OF A WOMAN IN JAIL CONTINUES
(1975) D. KOYU OHARA
SYNAPSE/ IMPULSE PICTURES
2.35
This sequel to Nikkatsu's TRUE STORY OF
A WOMAN IN JAIL is really just more of the same. Hijinks in a woman's
prison, with plenty of bare skin, some sex and a healthy dose of
unpleasant violence to keep things moving. And a really funky score
too.
The movie is structurally the same as
its predecessor. A group of young women enter the prison, emotionally
unprepared for the violence and struggle ahead of them. They are
immediately sexually abused by the other inmates. But lucky for them
MAYUMI is out of solitary confinement. Mayumi does not suffer fools
lightly and starts several extended fights to protect the young fish
in the tank. Soon we see there is more going on here than just
rehabilitation. A guard takes photos as the gang sexually assault the
fresh meat, a young girl wanted for shop lifting. These photos play a
large role in forcing her to be sold to the Yakuza and become a
prostitute. Meanwhile back inside the prison Mayumi has managed to
gain some respect and through flashbacks we learn that she killed a
man who raped her and her mother in a field. But will she go on a
killing spree again?
Like all the Nikkatsu films this is
exceedingly well made, it is no slouch of a production. But it feels
unfocused and messy sometimes as the narrative switches back to her
past and the sins Mayumi is responsible for. The whole rape
flashback feels awkward because we are not too sure the characters we
are seeing. Her mother and the guys make an appearance later in the
film though.
There is plenty to recommend though,
including a side plot about the transsexual inmate, or how the head
guard gets another girl pregnant, leading to a violent forced
miscarriage. There is a nude catfight in the baths that is sure to
put a smile on the face of any sleaze fan as well.
TRUE STORY OF A WOMAN IN JAIL CONTINUES
is worthwhile, but not groundbreaking like some of the other Nikkatsu
titles Synapse/Impulse has released so far. The movie gets in there
and is very functional, with sex scenes every five or ten minute,
punctuating that with violence. It is a fun movie but not the peak of
the Nikkatsu releases.
ZOOM UP: THE BEAVER BOOK GIRL (1981) D. Takashi Kanno Impulse Pictures. Synapse Films
2:35-1 / 16X9 Anamorphic
This is the fourth release from Impulse
Pictures/ Synapse Films Nikkatsu Roman Porno Collection series,
celebrating the 100 year anniversary of the Japanese studio. Without
question this is my favorite of the releases so far. This is
officially the 3rd film in the loosely connected “ZOOM
UP” series, the first being ZOOM UP: RAPE SITE in 1979 and the
second ZOOM UP: RAPE APARTMENT in 1980 both by different directors
and boasting different plot lines. So it makes no difference that you
are jumping into the series after a couple of other entries. If the
other two are as interesting as this one, I hope Impulse/Synapse has
them on the future schedule.
ZOOM UP: THE BEAVER BOOK GIRL deals
with a photographer for a slick skin magazine who specializes in
those ever popular panty shots and upskirt voyeur pics. His newest
specialty is piss pics, which seem to be the only thing that even
remotely turn him on. When he comes home to find his assistant and
newest model fucking wildly in the living room he goes about cooking
dinner like nothing is going on. When she hungrily begs him to join,
he violent pushes them both out of the way and finishes his cooking.
He is clearly a man with some sexual hang ups. We get a peek at what
that might be when his boss (who continually hits on him, grabbing his dick every chance he gets) mentions to
a new model that his “true artistry” lies in his past as a
rapist(!) but it was okay because all the girls instantly fell in
love with him.
Meanwhile a slightly older woman, maybe
in her thirties, has been stalking the three leads as they go about
their day of making pornographic pictures. She finally makes her way
into their loft and gets in on the action in a sequence that will
send piss fetishists into a blissful fugue state. We later learn from
the skin magazine editor that this lady is named Nami ( Nami is a common name used in a lot of Manga and sexually explicit films in Japan) and she was the
most popular skin game model until year before when she dropped out
mysteriously, taking five million yen with her she robbed from him.
But he tells the photographer that if she shows back up to get her to
pose again and then give him a call so he can get his money back.
Naturally she does show back up, but she is so game to do
things that the other models won't do, the he does not call his boss.
Instead she convinces him to go to a another remote location for a
more private shoot. But we just know things are going to get
weird, and they do indeed. As it turns out they have much more of a
past together than he even could possibly remember.
Much more intricately plotted than the
other three Nikkatsu film released so far, this one goes from being a
voyeuristic skin flick, to a weird study on fetishism, to a rape/revenge film all in the same couple of reels. It even throws in a
really raw and bizarre love story at some point. Mix into that some
of the most potent, edgy and down right dirty sex in the
Nikkatsu films up to this point and you get a winner of a film. Of
course, if off the beaten path sex is a turn off to you, you might
want to consider giving this film, and the others as well, a really
wide birth. But if you have some adventure in your soul, and things
like S+M, or particular fetishists really catch your attention, this
may be a something for you to take a look at. Just like the other films, it is really well made, has a peculiar point of view, and ends up being weirdly haunting before it is all over.
The disc includes the short, but catch-line filled trailer, and nicely done liner notes by author and historian Jasper Sharp. Watch for his book THE HISTORICAL DICTIONARY OF JAPANESE CINEMA from Scarecrow press.
INTRUDER (1989) D. Scott Speilgel SYNAPSE FILMS. BLU RAY / DVD
Like most every other horror fan my age I discovered INTRUDER by reading FANGORIA's much missed sister publication GOREZONE. They did a controversial cover story on the yet to be released slasher film that sported a really messy and disgusting still of the guy getting his face bisected by the band saw. I have fond memories of going to downtown Dayton on the bus to a book store called WIlkies, buying GOREZONE and reading on the way home. Much to the consternation of the other riders who I am sure did not enjoy such unpleasant cover stories such as that one. I wasn't driving yet, so this had to be around 1987 or so, a couple of years before the movie found distribution. But myself and lots of horror fans were excited by that article, stoked even. The article painted the picture of a slasher film that brought a European sensibility to the proceedings and turned the gore up past the breaking point. But when the movie finally surfaced, that is not what we got.
Instead we got a stylish, but intensely watered down movie that was missing all the gore footage. An R rated slasher film that really satisfied no one involved. The fans were appalled and the filmmakers themselves felt like they were boned. For years the movie was impossible to see unless you went to the bootleg market. There were copies from Japanese imports that were the most complete but looked terrible. Eventually Charles Band put out a lackluster, full frame DVD that at least put a uncut DVD on the market, even if it looked terrible.
So it is like a gift to all horror fanatics who have waited since the late 80's that Synapse have taken the time to properly care for this movie and put out a definative edition that not only restores it to the full uncut edition but have gone back to the original elements to present it in the best possible quality. This is the best this movie will ever look, and it looks gorgeous. Granted it was never a "pretty" movie to begin with, but it finally looks like it was intented, in the proper ratio, with all the colors accurately toned and graded.
For those few not in the know the movie revolves around a crew of young folks working the late shift at a grocery store. One of the young ladies has a psychotic ex-boyfriend who is causing her problems which sets the stage for a tense showdown early on in the movie, so when people start being stalked and killed all fingers point to him. And people aren't just getting slashed, they are getting whacked in the most gory and brutal ways, using the tools of the store, such as the meat cutting machines, hooks and other impliments. The story is amazingly slight, but director Scott Speigel who cut his teeth working with Sam Raimi milks it for the most by ramming his camera into places that no one else would ever think to put it, like inside grocery cars, or inside phones. He cribs lots of his style from the Italian horror masters but makes it work for him, twisting mood where other movies of this ilk generally wouldn't bother. He also has a rather likable cast, especially with his leading ladies Renee Estevez and Elizabeth Cox (who we learn on the disc was dating first time producer Lawrence Bender!) The Detroit crew of Sam Raimi,Ted Raimi and Bruce Campbell all make apparences too.
But the real stars of the movie are the effects by the newly formed KNB effects team. This was their first film out the gate and even though they had next to no money to spend their really shine. Which made the editing of their work all these years a real crying shame. Which is yet another reason this disc is such a welcome addition to any horror fan's collection as you can finally see these guys innaugral work in all its blood splashing glory. That band saw bisection STILL is one of the most savage, hard to watch kill scenes in any slasher movie, ever.
The extras on the disc are very enlighting to the plight the film went through to not only get made, but that long, hard road to finally be seen uncut. There is a spunky and fun commentary. Speigel has particiapted in lots of commentaries of other films and he is always a delight to listen to, so it is extra fun to get to hear him finally talk about this project that is so close to his heart. He is paired with producer Lawrence Bender who has gone on to produce some of the most profitbale indie films of all time with Quintin Tarantino so his perspective on doing this ultra low budget indie horror is unique and very insightful. The Behind the scenes featurette covers some of the same territory, but has a whole bunch of the other key players involved. So everyone has their say, making for a well rounded and very interesting look at how it all went down. Most interesting to me is how Charles Band ended up with the film and was forced to hand it over to Paramount leaving it to be cut to the R rated. That is the information I think a lot of horror fans will want to know as well. There is a short with bits from the workprint that believe it or not has MORE gore, and also bits and pieces from what has survived from the initial super 8 film that was shown to investors to raise money for the project. One of my favorites a very short bit that has the director of the movie A BETTER PLACE remembering how his angry letter to FANGORA detailing how the movie was cut was printed ended up netting him an uncut tape of the film sent from Scott Speilgel himself! A nice extra for those of us who remember reading that angry letter all those years ago!
So if you even consider yourself a marginal slasher movie fan, or 80's splatter fan you need this set. No excuses, this is the movie that is missing from your shelf. Get it now.
Another offering in the Asian Cult Cinema line
for Synapse Films; this new film from Japan is atmospheric and has
some startling images sprinkled throughout. But unfortunately it is
not the strongest release they have put out from the Far East.
Borrowing heavily from THE RING and other ghost films popular in
Japan then welding them to the the teen slasher cycle that had burned
itself out in the late 90's, GUROZUKA never really comes to life on
its own terms.
The film begins with two twenty-something
young women who find a startling 8mm video tape that shows a Goh
performance that ends with the performers murdering each other. Then these girls and a whole other gang of young
ladies go on a road trip together. They are part of a movie club going to a remote house to make a short film together based on the
rumors of the former club members disappearance. Naturally the killing on the tape and
those missing girls are linked. Soon the ghostly Goh masked killer
from the tape is spooking his (or her) way around the woods and cabin
picking off the girls as they try to figure out how it all fits
together.
The movie is as much,if not more, a teen
mystery, as a horror movie and is surprisingly tame, even once the blood
splattered climax approaches. There is no nudity, and though there is
some violence, it is not particularly outlandish as one would come to
expect from Asian cinema. The set up of the film reminded me a lot
of the movie EVIL DEAD TRAP but never reaches those heights of fear
or delirium. In fact I kind of wonder if this wasn't aimed at a youth
audience in Japan, with the cast of pretty young girls, but extreme
lack of exploitation. If that is the case, the movie works ok, though is a bit on the slow side. If it is intended to be a film aimed at adults, then it is too little to really satisfy.
The film is certainly well made enough,
but as far as Asian horror goes this is kind of middle of the road.
The disc comes with a fun behind the
scenes and a trailer.
1000 YEAR DEATH (2005) and THE
GIRLFRIEND (2007) D. Adam Wingard Synapse Films
35mm Both are extras on the HOME
SICK DVD
Both of these are extra feature short films on the
DVD of Wingard's feature filmHOME SICK.Both are in fact better than
the feature film they are supporting.
1000 YEAR DEATHis a
small short art film that quickly becomes a one joke movie that
thankfully is a very funny joke. For the most part it is artfully
short, erotically charged shots of four young teenage girls, two
lesbians, and two other girls as they go about their day to day
lives. A narrator begins to explain how these four girls are victims
of a violent serial killer, That their lives have been cut short by
his wrath that they will never go on to do the various things that
young girls go on to do. We hear the lives of each of these girls
WOULD have had, had they not met this violent man. We see them meet
him, get strangled and drag their bodies to hide them. He narrates
this while it is happening, especially that one of the girl's bodies
will never be found. That is when a surprise ending comes to the
forefront that changes everything we have just seen. Making it
suddenly more of a comedy of errors than the brutal art piece we have
been watching. But it actually IS very funny.
THE GIRLFRIEND
is vastly different. A much more straight forward horror piece about
a newer couple where the girl seems to be more committed than the
man. She has convinced him to take her to meet his parents for the
weekend, though it is clear he is not so into the idea. Pre-credits
they stop at a late night convenience store so she can use the
restroom and she runs into a some sort of evil entity that killed the
clerk. Clearly what ever she ran into at the story has either
possessed her or took over her body. Once they meet his parents the
NEW version of the girlfriend charms his parents and is a much more
erotically charged but clearly dangerous person. His sister, who
seems to be more than a little bit sexually interested in him as
well, seems to be clued into what is going on, but not before his
family starts dying.
The first film is an exercise if
formalism that gives way to suddenly comedy.THE GIRLFRIENDis a very
creepy exercise in horror fully of atmosphere and tension. The
performers and good, but it is the queasy feeling of ongoing dread
and uneasy sexual tension that keeps this one alive.
Wingardshows a terrific visual mastery of the genre with these shorts. It is
easy to see how they landed him enough dough to make a feature, It is
too bad that feature was such a troubled production that it became
HOME SICK.But I hear nothing but great things about his new film A
HORRIBLE WAY TO DIE.
I haven't watched the original MANIAC COP since it originally came out back in the 80's. It was a movie that frankly I remembered liking, but not loving, and I remember liking the sequel more (though to be fair I haven't seen it since it came out as well). So checking the movie out on this new Blu Ray release was almost like getting to see it again for the first time.
The first thing that struck my right off the bat was just how deliciously detailed the new transfer from Synapse is. This is easily one of the best looking HD transfers I have seen. Admittedly I'm not a journeyman when it comes to Blu Ray having only been buying them for a little over a year. But from frame one, the MANIAC COP transfer floored me with how clean and clear it was. The opening credit sequence that shows the cop putting his gear on in ultra close up behind the credits, is rife with crazy detail. You can see thing likes the peach fuzz on the Maniac Cops gloves for crying out loud!
The movie jumps quickly into the meat of the film with a barely seen police officer murdering people on the street for what seems like minor infractions or even nothing at all. Hard nosed Police detective Tom Atkins is on the case but no one on the force wants to believe him including the Chief (played by SHAFT himself Richard Roundtree). Tom Atkins figures it out pretty quickly that the perpetrator is a cop. Meanwhile Bruce Campbell is a cop who is having an affair with another female officer, When his wife discovers his indiscretion, she runs out on him only to be killed by the Maniac Cop, clearly being set up to take the fall. From this point Bruce will have to find out who is the actual Maniac to clear his name. Meanwhile lots of people are still ending up dead, especially at the exact wrong time to have his name cleared.
Lots of things set MANIAC COP apart form the late 80's tide of crap. First off is the smart script from Larry Cohen. As per usual for him, the script takes the more insane sounding ideas and makes them sound ridiculously plausible. That is his god given gift as a screenwriter. The other big deal of MANIAC COP is the slick, serpentine direction Bill Lustig gives the whole production. While it is obviously not a huge budgeted movie, clearly there is a little bit more money here than usual, and it shows on screen with some really solid stunt work, good locations (Seems a lot was shot in L.A. doubling for New York, but I was totally fooled) and a gliding, prowling camera the best Giallo film would be proud of. Then there is the roster of B-movie actors making a payday and bring their A-game from the great Tom Adkins, to William Smith and Richard Roundtree. The only performances in the film I am not crazy about is Bruce Campbell and Laureen Landon. Campbell I have just never felt was hard edged enough to fit the material , and Landon is just not that great of an actress, she is fine as eye candy, but when called to emote, she is not cutting the mustard, especially across the table from guys like Atkins or William Smith. There isn't much bad you can say about Robert Z'Dar in the roll, he is menacing, and scary, and in the main shower scene beat down, he takes it like a man.
If you are a fan of the film, this is worth the upgrade simply for the gorgeous Hi-Def transfer which really is one of the nicest I have seen. I guess there are some extras gone missing from the old releases to this one, but hey you can't have it all. There are some good interviews with Atkins and Z'Dar, and a whole host of trailers and a bunch of cut scenes dealing with the Mayor, that while interesting are obvious why they were cut as they slow the movie way down.So all that stuff is still here and pretty worthwhile. But it is the new transfer that is the star of this disc.
Also out from SYNAPSE FILMS.
FRANKENHOOKER (1990) D. FRANK HENENLOTTER SYNAPSE FILMS Blu Ray
The first film made but second released, in the two picture deal with Shapiro /Glickenhaus pictures in the late 80's (the other film of course being BASKET CASE 2, and then eventually BASKET CASE 3) this is easily Henenlotter's funniest film to date and his most accessible. While on paper the plot sounds outrageous and slightly misogynistic, the final film is anything but. It is a super silly, almost lighthearted parody of teen romance films and the FRANKENSTEIN mythology. It is FRANKENSTEIN CREATED WOMAN meets 16 CANDLES.
Jeffrey (played by the super talented and funny James Lorinz) accidentally kills his girlfriend (played by Penthouse pet Patty Mullen) in a horrible Lawnmower accident. But instead of sitting on his laurels crying he sets out to bring her back using his limited knowledge of science and biology. But first he has to gather enough parts to put her back together after the accident. He doesn't mind if she is a little "improved" along the way. But being a pretty nice fellow he can't bring himself to just go and cold blooded kill women so he invents "Super Crack" That will blow up anyone who smokes it. Thus letting the hookers he will meet choose their own demise. Then he can take the parts home and build his own bride.
Completely silly and over the top, with funny lead performances, FRANKEHOOKER has stood the test of time more than a lot of other films from that era that tried to be funny and failed, such as something like GIRLFRIEND FROM HELL or DEATH SPA. That plays out from Henenlotter's expert sense of the absurd. Each crazy set piece mounting to top the last, from the exploding cracked out hookers to the mutant body parts becoming their own little monsters at the end. The movie continues to surprise at each turn. Henenlotter also peppers his movies with lots of funny and cool side characters like Zeus the pimp, or the googly eyes john who gets humped to death.
Then there is Frankenhooker herself an awesome make up creation but brought to life by a lighthearted performance by Patty Mullen who keeps the character child like no matter how crazy of shit she is called on to do. She is terrific and very memorable in the part. Probably the biggest reason the movie is still hanging around to this day. That and that great old "Wanna Date" VHS packaging.
The new Blu Ray from Synapse is as good as it will ever get for FRANKENHOOKER. The old extras from the special edition DVD are carried over here, but the new HD transfer is just gorgeous with solid beautiful colors. This movie is saturated with purples and blues, all which looked washed out and faded on the old VHS and first edition DVD's. The Special Edition DVD from Unearthed looked very nice and was a great improvement, but this new HD transfer is well worth the double dip for fans. The movie never looked this good.
So both these flicks are essentials for your Blue Ray collections!
THE EXTERMINATOR (1980) D. James Glickenhaus 1.78 Anamorphic Widescreen Blu Ray /DVD Combo Pack Synapse Films
This seminal exploitation action classic is finally available again on the digital format after being out of print for a number of years. It was available in the very early days of the DVD format in an acceptable but not particularly impressive ltbx dvd release that was in turn just a port over of the Anchor Bay Ltbx VHS release from the late 90's. This new release see's the film for the first time totally remastered in full HD and totally uncut for the first time ever with some scant extended violence. No full scenes mind you, but when you see that fist infamous decapitation you will totally notice how it is much more juicy and unpleasant that you have ever seen it before.
For the uninitiated THE EXTERMINATOR is another in the very popular late 70's canon of revenge fantasies featuring the everyman who is pushed to the limit by some ferocious street crime and sets out to clean it up on his own. Here a lot of the structure is handled differently making the film interesting. Robert Ginty plays Vietnam Vet John Eastland whose best friend (played by B-Movie Kung fu actor Steve James) is beaten and mugged by low level street thugs. This vicious beating lands the poor guy in the hospital paralyzed. So John sets out on the streets to find the thugs to do them in. But even after quickly finding them he realizes this is not quite enough. Mounting hospital bills and just a general feeling of drowning in the filth of the street sends him on a mission to continue to take out the trash. Working his way through the various scum and street life of New York.
Many things set THE EXTERMINATOR apart from other grindhouse examples of the genre right from the get go; namely solid performances from Robert Ginty and Steve James (who is unfortunately not on screen very much). James is set up early in the film to be the actual hero of the piece as he saves his best friend not once, but twice. Once in the incredible, violent and harrowing Vietnam opening sequence, then later in the scene that introduces the thugs that will do him in. The film pulls a fast one by having him crippled and Ginty become the the avenging spirit of the film. It is a smart bit of scriptwriting to play it out this way and both actors do a good job of creating a real sense of believability in their friendship. Early on when Ginty finds a pair of thugs responsible for his friend's condition one of the thugs tries to reason out his behavior by claiming "it doesn't matter, he was only a nigger!" sending Ginty in a searing rage. He exclaims back to the thug "That...Nigger is my best friend you motherfucker". But he doesn't yell the line. He delivers it in a deliberate clinched teeth bit of rage that is entirely 100% believable. A moment of devastating emotion that grounds everything he does for the rest of the film.
What people remember THE EXTERMINATOR for is the outrageous violence and bone crunch stunts. For a low budget movie this was pretty over the top stuff that pushed a lot of limits. From the opening scene in Vietnam the included possible the most realistic decapitation ever put on film as well as the most insane helicopter stunts performed INCLUDING those in such films as APOCALYPSE NOW. Turns out the stunt drivers responsible are the same guys who did the helicopter stunts on TWILIGHT ZONE THE MOVIE. Another moment everyone remembers is the infamous meat-grinder death or the torture with soldering iron. All of which are here in full blown remastered delight. But one thing I always found unique about the movie is how there is a moment about half way through where the movie stops and we get to watch as the main character creates specialized poison bullets using mercury. The scene serves no other purpose except as a "how to" on exactly how such a thing can be done!
I'm also a big fan of the music in the film, especially the final song in the film by Chip Taylor called Theme for an American Hero. A song that captures the perfect loneliness of the main character and of a generation of broken men coming home from the Vietnam war.
The film has a sub plot featuring Christopher George as a cop who is on the trail of The Exterminator and while his performance is good and he fills it with quirks, I have always found this part of the film to be dead weight. Granted this is where we get a lot of the major Vietnam subtext as he discusses it with his bubbleheaded girlfriend played by Samantha Egger. But for me the main film is with Ginty and his revenge. When the film drifts from him I find myself drifting too.
Dictatorially it is a strange movie too. Glickenhaus makes some really odd choices that can either be really disconcerting or considered brave depending on how you want to look at them. He cuts a lot of what other director's would feel is necessary. Things basic screenwriting would dictate important like finding, stalking and catching the bad guys. Early on in the film Ginty catches the first of the thugs. Only we NEVER see any of that. The film fades out and fades back and he has the guy tied up and he is now questioning him with a flamethrower. We never see how he found the guy, caught the guy or even how he got the flamethrower. He tells the guy "if you're lying I'll be back" a line that even becomes the tag line of the trailers. Yet he never comes back to finish the guy off and ends up finding the gut much later in the movie when he is robbing an old lady. Once again no explanation of how the guy got loose or why he never went back for him. Some of that is simply lazy screenwriting , but some of it is clearly Glickenhaus dispensing with "fat" and cutting to the chase.
At the end of the day people remember the movie because it is a successful exercise in cinematic brutality and revenge wish fulfillment. Lots of us wish we could be THE EXTERMINATOR. Director Glickenhaus understood that, and was smart enough to craft real characters and put good actors in there to play them. That is the reason the movie has stood the test of time. This new DVD/Blu Ray combo delivers it the respect it deserves. A pristine presentation, a fantastic commentary (with fun nuggets like the explosion in the film was the biggest ever shot in New York) the first time ever on home video the Dolby Stereo tracks are available, and of course the trailers and TV spots.Synapse Films should be commended for going the extra mile (like the ALWAYS do) for making sure this was done right. Jump on this set if you are any kind of self respecting exploitation film fan.
This Hammer production was one of the most sought after titles on DVD for many years. With fans making due with imported versions that looked okay, or bootlegs that were soft, or sometimes were missing footage. Many of us have memories of catching this one on the late late show on TV or the butchered American release print that removed literally all of the sexual content and a good bit of the blood-shed as well. Leaving behind a frustrating movie that felt as empty of the townsfolk these vampires continued to leave behind.
So for the dudes at Synapse to finally put out a serious version of the movie is fantastic news for all Hammer horror fans. For it to be Synapse flagship Blu Ray title is even better news. Everyone can rest assured on both counts, the movie has NEVER looked better and this blu is an outstanding ship to be sailed into those waters for a company that many of us love dearly and want to see succeed.
The movie opens with a rather bold and intense sequence (cut to shit in the American release prints) of a very young girl, maybe ten or eleven, being led into one of those beautiful gothic castles so famous in these movies. Inside she meets Count Mitterhaus a rather fey looking but deeply seductive and vicious vampire in the traditional Hammer style. Non-traditionally he seduces and kills the little girl while one of his female minions watches and clearly becomes turned on by the act. Then they strip down and get to getting busy while the townsfolk outside gather to burn him out. A huge bloodbath ensues, especially nasty and violent for a Hammer movie and Mitterhaus is dispatched but not before he swears a blood oath on the heads of all the men of the village that he will see all their children suffer.
Flash forward fifteen years and those men are now paranoid. There seems to be an outbreak of some unnamed disease in the surrounding towns and they are having to take extreme measures to protect themselves. They fear this could be the curse coming home to roost. But that night the circus arrives in down. A fascinating, sensual and downright weird gypsy circus with exotic animals and interpretive dance. The town flocks to see them, but when the town’s Burgermeister is led into the fun house and doesn’t make it out alive it is clear they are there for revenge.
From here it is pretty classic horror potboiler stuff, but with a nasty edge as the movie has no qualms about killing off kids, old people animals you name it. Seems to me that at this point Hammer was having to compete with movies like NIGHT OF THE LIVNG DEAD or other gore movies in the market place so they were upping the ante and had no compunctions about mixing their older more staid feel with the balls out new horror of the time. Unfortunately you occasionally get a touch of that era psychedelia and London Mod feel getting tossed about too (mostly Mitterhaus and his whole look and style) so with that the movie at times feels a little off kilter and out of touch with the story it is telling. But more often than not it is solid and mean, delivering the chills it promises.
Synapse has taken some heat in collectors circles for releasing a combo pack but business wise it makes the most sense. For only a few dollars more the person buying the disc gets a copy on the other format. The complaints are all over the place but at the end of the day really all the matters is the movie is out on bother formats in an affordable way. And boy does it look fantastic.
Don May Jr. at Synapse has been at the forefront of remastering cult movies for the home video market since the laserdisc days and his expertise has really shined since the Blu Ray explosion. Though Synapse didn’t realize it, one of the best looking BR discs on the market is one he worked on extensively THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE. That disc is simply breathtaking. While VAMPIRE CIRCUS may not be the show piece that CHAINSAW is, it is without a doubt a huge crown jewel in the hat of Synapse Ent. Colors are crisp, clean and vibrant, with accurate flesh-tones and blood that pops off the screen. Blacks have true depth with no signs of artifacting or milkiness that older prints of this movie has had. I only noticed a slight moment of print damage right when the famous “animal dance” scene is about to start. But it is so slight you’d have to be looking for it. Just a few light scratches. Otherwise it is beautiful.
Included in the extras are a fantastic featurette called BLOODIEST SHOW ON EARTH: The Making of VAMPIRE CIRCUS – which goes into detail not only on th emaking of the film but on a lot of Hammer studios histoy. Especialy things like their censorhip battles at the time (of which VAMPIRE CIRCUS had its share).GALLERY OF GROTESQUERIES: A Brief History of Circus Horrors – which is a fun and informative look at hos the Circus and Carnivals have been used in horror films over the years leading up to VAMPIRE CIRCUS. VISITING THE HOUSE OF HAMMER: Britain's Legendary Horror Magazine – which is exactly what it says it is and also very informative, plus VAMPIRE CIRCUS: Interactive Comic Book- Featuring artwork by Brian Bolland. POSTER AND STILLS GALLERY ORIGINAL THEATRICAL TRAILER.
The DVD and Blu Ray have the same features and extras, so no matter which you are buying the package for you are getting the same materials. Just the Blu is going to be that much more of a boost in quality.
If you are a Hammer horror fan, Vampire fan or just like to support our important indie companies this is a no brainer release. Grab it now!
NIKKATSU ROMAN PORNO TRAILER COLLECTION D. VARIOUS SYNAPSE FILMS. DVD. Various Ratios
This new DVD from the fine folks over atSynapse FILMS. is a introductory sampler to the insane world of theRoman Porno. the 70’s and 80’s explosion of filth and fury that made the smut world int he states look tame by comparison. What set these movies apart from the American porno revolution was several things: One there was never any penetration shown. That old buggaboo of no pubic hair or genital nudity was still strongly in place during these years (and still enforced, though not always as strongly) and more importantly, these were made by the big studios, and some smaller studios in Japan. Studios that created their own star system, had their own in house directors and stuff and created their own genres out of this stuff. These director’s often came out of the world of directingcrime pictures, big monster movies, or even family films and found a much bigger freedom in these films. A lot of second stringer, tech people in the industry got there first chances to make films creating these babies as well. So what you ended up with was insane, sick, twisted sex films with titles likeSEX HUNTER,orRAPE!or ZOOM UP: RAPE APARTMENTS. But the actual films were this incredible, well directed, sometimes very well written almost film noir sex movies. The people behind them were often putting everything they had into these productions because they wanted to prove they could make solid films irregardless of confines of genre.
It is also probably important to point out that social, sexual and political mores on what is considered “sexy” are completely different in Japan from the states and it can and will come as a culture shock when running down the titles or watching these trailers. The first probably ten or so of the films all seem to feature the very 70’s idea of a woman who is raped but either comes to want to be with her attacker, or finds that the rape sexually liberated her in some way. A pretty disgusting, and repellent idea her in the west, but in Japan for whatever reason that is an extremely common fantasy played out not only in these types of films, but in literature and art as well. Make of it what you will, but it is not an uncommon theme. So to even look at these trailers you sort of have to look at them from that separate cultural from of mind. I mean remember this is a film industry that has a superhero series (that is a comedy no less) calledRAPEMANthat has gone to seven installments the last time I checked...
So with all that in mind, theNIKKATSU ROMAN PORNO TRAILER COLLECTIONputs over an hour of trailers for these outrageous, nightmarish sexual atom bombs in one handy place to offend and delight your friends and loved ones. The awesome thing being that Synapse plans to put these out on DVD in the future, so if there is one you think looks great it should be on the way at some point. The trailers are all over the place in tone, style, subject matter etc. Like I mentioned before the first maybe ten or so deal with the “I got raped and learned to love it” theme, with the best among those clearly being DEBAUCHERY, which looks incredibly twisted, grueling and insane. Though FEMALE TEACHER; IN FRONT OF THE STUDENTShas a certain distasteful grotesqueness that looks very appealing as well. There is a whole battery of “Nurse” movies (Nikkatsuseemed to really like the idea of abusing the shit out of Nurses) with the best title beingNURSE’S DORMITORY ASSY FINGERS(!?) but the most distressing (and probably most interesting looking) isNURSE DIARY: BEASTLY AFTERNOON. RAPE! is from cult directorYusaharu Hasabewho did the also excellent ASSAULT! JACK THE RIPPER (available fromMondo Macabro,check it out) and it is actually almost a horror film. Hasabe is a brutal stylist, telling stories about people on the fringe. It is a good thing this collection is going to get some more of his work out there. IfRAPE!looks grim enough to bea horror film, thenRAPE ME!just looks puzzling and fucking weird. Is it a comedy? A purposeful cult film? That one will be one to check out just to see what the hell is going on. Some other ones that caught my attention: EMBRACED BY THE DARKNESS, RACE ACROSS THE DRENCHED WASTELAND (this one looked highly unusual, even byNikkatsu standards) andNEW COMPANY GIRLS; 9 TO 5,a parody of the American film 9 TO 5withDolly Parton!
As if these amazing trailers weren't enough to make you pick up this incredible disc (I mean come on this is a great party disc, clear out tight ass friends in minutes!) you also get the short movie RYOKO’S LESBIAN FLIGHT.This 80’s shot on video lesbian grope fest is unfortunately pretty standard AV porn. With highly annoying “fogging” obscuring the genitals. Though I will say the lady playing RYOKO was pretty easy on the eye’s and when they got down to scissoring each other’s crotch it was some hot stuff. But they whole last act of making the lesbian girl watch her have “normal” hetero sex was pretty disappointing to say the least. With this being Japanese AND fromNikkatsuI kept waiting for a twist, for the Lesbian girl to freak out and kill her friend with a cake decorating kit or something. You know, pump her vagina full of compressed air and fly her out a seventh story window and have the beRYOKO’S LESBIAN FLIGHT. But such was not the case. It was all very standard stuff. A cute little bonus, but all in all no FLYING SEX MAN(yeah go look that one up kids).
But this disc does just what it is supposed to do, makes you all wet and tingly about the upcoming Nikkatsudiscs come fromSynapse. There is some awesome shit coming down that pipe line and this is the menu for what is in store. So pick it up and check out what you want to get.
