Movie Review: House On Straw Hill (1976, Blu-ray/DVD combo, Severin)

Review By: Rob Sibley

Let me start off by saying I've been trying to track this film down since I was thirteen years old. I was twelve when I first saw "Blood for Dracula" which started my love for all things Udo Kier. I searched and searched for this film with no luck. Thirteen years later, finally the film sees the light of day in the U.S. on glorius Blu-ray no less from Severin. Which is a company run by fans for fans of cult cinema.

This release was easily the most anticipated release of 2013 for me. I mean waiting and searching 13 years for a film and then finally to see it announced I was nothing short of amazed. Now thirteen years is a lot of time to build up hype and expectations. Did the film live up to it's name, was it deserving the video nasty label and being banned? No, it should have been banned. Despite some violence and an abundance of excellent nudity, the film is directed with pure class by James Kenelm Clarke. Who's only film I was familiar with was "Let's get laid" starring sex kitten Fiona Richmond.

Movie Review: The Theatre Bizarre (2011)

There's been much talk over the past six months on how the horror anthology has made its triumphant return.  The 70’s and 80’s, for me, had some of my favorites: Vault of Horror, Tales From the Crypt, Trilogy of Terror, Creepshow and From a Whisper to a Scream were all titles that I enjoyed viewing. When approached correctly, the anthology film can be like a tremendous food sampler at your favorite hole-in the- wall-bar; when it isn’t, it’s a shitty appetizer dish at Applebee’s.

David Gregory of Severin films is an obvious admirer of the format. So much so he brought together the talents of six fine genre film directors: Karim Hussain (Subconscious Cruelty), Douglas Buck (Cutting Moments) , Buddy Giovinazzo (Combat Shock), Tom Savini (Dawn of the Dead), Richard Stanley (Hardware) and Jeremy Kasten. Gregory even contributes his own entry to this strong group.

The Theatre Bizarre Opens For Buisness April 24th!

IMAGE ENTERTAINMENT BRINGS YOU A TWISTED HORROR ANTHOLOGY FROM THE GENRE’S MOST DISTURBING MINDS

THE THEATRE BIZARRE

Now on VOD

Available on DVD April 24, 2012

Chatsworth, CA – Image Entertainment presents a horror anthology like no other with its release of The Theatre Bizarre. The film was directed by seven veterans of the horror genre including Richard Stanley (Hardware), Buddy Giovinazzo (No Way Home), Tom Savini (Night of the Living Dead (1990)), Douglas Buck (Sisters), Karim Hussain (Ascension), David Gregory (Plague Town)and Jeremy Kasten (The Wizard of Gore (2007)). This boundary-pushing film featuring stories of ancient evil, love, obsession, addiction, gluttony, sexual nightmares, pain, brutality and of course, death, is now available On Demand with cable and satellite providers, and will be available on DVD April 24, 2012.

Down a seedy city street, a young woman is obsessed with what appears to be a long abandoned theatre. One night, she sees the front door slightly ajar and impulsively decides to sneak inside. But there in the vast, eerie auditorium, a show unlike any other unfolds before her eyes. Its host is an odd marionette-like man who will introduce her to six tales of the bizarre: A couple traveling in a remote part of the French Pyrenees crosses paths with a lustful witch; A paranoid lover faces the wrath of a partner who has been pushed to her limit; The Freudian dreams of an unfaithful husband blur the lines between fantasy and reality; The horrors of the real world are interpreted through the mind of a child; A woman addicted to other people's memories gets her fix through the fluid of her victims’ eyeballs; And a perverse obsession with sweets turns sour for a couple in too deep. But as the stories unfold, something strange is happening to the woman. Something irreversible and horrific. Something that awaits its next audience in The Theatre Bizarre.

The Theatre Bizarre enjoyed a successful 2011 festival run, screening at Fantasia International Film Festival, Frightfest, Sitges Festival De Cine Fantastic and Toronto After Dark. The film began its theatrical release in the U.S. on January 27, 2012 in seven markets including NY & LA, expanding to additional cities across the country.