Movie Review: The Whip and the Body (Blu-ray,1963)

During the heyday of Britain's glorious Hammer Studios productions and Italy's grand gothic horror cycle, two men were huge contributors to the very best genre films had to offer - Christopher Lee (Dracula: Prince Of Darkness) and Italy's Master of Horror, Mario Bava (Black Sunday and Black Sabbath). On the heels of the success of Black Sabbath, to many a horror fan's delight, director Mario Bava joined forces with the popular English actor to make The Whip and the Body. Kino-Lorber has now given the film its Blu-ray debut which should indeed please Bava admirers.

The Whip and the Body is a tale about love, lashes and murder at the massive Menliff Manor. Kurt (Christopher Lee) rides a horse galloping furiously towards his old home, much to the dismay of his family. The family rightfully has a beef with Kurt as he's abusive whip-wielding murderer; but they are far from perfect. Kurt's brother, Christian (Tony Kendall) is married to their cousin, Nevenka (Daliah Lavi). To make matters even crazier, Kurt has a heavily sadomasochistic relationship with their stunning relative. Naturally, Nevenka and Kurt hook up for a bit of fun -- but unfortunately for Kurt not too long after he is found dead with a neat slit in his throat from ear to ear.

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Kevin discusses the Paul Walker tragedy and the social media response. He also gives his review of Michael Shannon's latest biopic The Iceman.

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Mario Bava's "The Whip and the Body" Debuts December 17th, 2013 on Blu-ray and DVD from Kino Classics!

NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 22, 2013 - Kino Classics is proud to announce the Blu-ray and DVD release of Mario Bava's THE WHIP AND THE BODY, starring iconic horror film star Christopher Lee, and mastered in HD from an original 35mm print.

Set to street on December 17th, the Blu-ray and DVD editions present the film with choice of audio in Italian with optional English subtitles, English dubbed, and French with optional English subtitles; audio commentary by Tim Lucas, author of Mario Bava: All the Colors of the Dark; the theatrical trailer; and original trailers of other Bava films. The SRP for the Blu-ray is $24.95; the SRP for the DVD is $19.95.

Movie Review: Black Sabbath (1963, Blu-ray/DVD combo pack)

Review By: Rob Sibley

  Mario Bava is the king of Italian horror, plain and simple. Don't get me wrong I am obsessed with Italian masters of horror. Dario Argento, Lucio Fulchi, Umberto Lenzi, Sergio Martino, Luigi Cozzi and Pupi Avati all are brilliant filmmakers. But Bava was special... some may call his films old fashioned. If by old fashioned you meant classy I'd agree. Bava single handily created the Giallo genre and at the same time (to me) did the first true slasher film with Bay of Blood. A film which was ripped off more times then I can count. Let's just say you wouldn't have Friday the 13^th 1 or 2 without Bay. You wouldn't have all the great early Giallo's from Argento if it wasn't for The Girl who knew too much and Blood and Black Lace.

Bava was ahead of his time, other filmmakers were just playing catch up. He was a man of many talents, not only an excellent director but a phenomenal cinematographer and writer. Look at “Hatchet For the Honeymoon” and tell me Brett Easton Ellis wasn't inspired by it for American Psycho. Bava didn't always just make horror films. He directed the criminally underrated epic “Hercules: In The Haunted World” and the Viking epic Erik The Conqueror. He also wasn't afraid to add humor to his films. His films often were filled with irony and pitch black humor.

Movie Review: Baron Blood (1972, Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack)

Review By Rob Sibley

Baron Blood may not be Mario Bava's most highly regarded film, but to me it's certainly a blast to watch. I'm a huge Bava junkie and often find myself revisiting his films often and Baron Blood is always a delight for repeat watches. This might have to do with the fact that the film is much faster paced then your typical Bava flick. Don't get me wrong I adore Black Sunday and the Giallo that started it all “The Girl Who Knew Too Much” and “Kill, Baby Kill...” but those films were definitely methodically paced and just a tad slow now and then. Those films are masterpieces of Italian cinema don't get me wrong, but I think younger audiences sadly would find those films painfully slow. Baron Blood on the other hand builds atmosphere quickly and expertly and moves along like a fine tuned freight train.

Movie Review: Lisa and the Devil (1974, Blu-ray)

Review by: Rob Sibley

Note: This is a Region B encoded Blu-ray. You will need an all region player to view this disk.

“Lisa and the Devil” is to me one of Mario Bava's lesser appreciated films. This film is strictly a mood piece. Normal narrative and pacing goes out the window and what were treated to is a highly surrealistic vision of a master at work.

The film became possible when Bava's “Baron of blood” was a rousing success. His producing partner at the time Alfred Leone gave Bava caret-blanch to make the picture he wanted to do. That film was Bava's most personal film, Lisa And The Devil.

Movie Review: Black Sunday (1960, Blu-ray/DVD combo)

Review By: Rob Sibley

Note: This Blu-ray from Arrow UK is Region-B locked, so you will need an all region Blu player or all region PS3 to view the film.

“Black Sunday” is the text book example for classic Italian Gothic Horror. Directed by the man who pretty much put Italian horror cinema on the map, the maverick Mario Bava. Who not only broke onto the scene with this gothic masterpiece. But also is known for creating the “Giallo” with 1962's The Girl Who Knew Too Much and 1964's Blood and Black Lace. Firmly starting a genre that Dario Argento would make name for himself with before moving onto more supernatural fare later in his career.

Bava's body of work truly speaks for itself. This wasn't a “work man” director. He put more thought and production values into films then most did at the time. Always a master of creating haunting atmospheres with little to no budget. Some say Black Sunday is his masterpiece and I'd have to agree.

Movie Review:The Night Of The Devils (Blu-ray,1972)

Since Raro Video branched out with their American releases over the past couple years, many of their titles (much of them quite obscure) have caught this reviewer by surprise. Whether it’s Plot of Fear or one of my personal favorites, Murder Obsession, I’ve been able to enjoy some movies I knew nothing about from Italian filmmakers. Now, we have Giorgio Ferroni’s Night of the Devils to peak my interest. The movie’s story sounds fun and its available now for the first time on DVD and Blu-ray from Raro, so could it be yet another diamond in the rough?

Most European cult cinema fans will know Ferroni from his excellent feature Mill of the Stone Women. The Night of the Devils was produced several years later and involves a man named Nicola (Gianni Garko, The Psychic) who’s been admitted to a mental hospital where he has some horrific dreams. Rotting bodies, naked women, heat-ripping, faces exploding are all a part of these dreams. Why is he having these crazy visions? After watching Nicola shift and twitch in his bed with his doctors overlooking him, we are shown exactly what made him goofy.

Blue Underground Bava Triple Feature on DVD July 31st!

MIDNIGHT MOVIES VOL 1: HORROR TRIPLE FEATURE (A BLADE IN THE DARK/MACABRE/SHOCK)

Lamberto and Mario Bava present a triple pack of horror-y goodness from Blue Underground. Streets on July 31st and pre-orders are available.

A BLADE IN THE DARK:

Bruno is hired to compose the music for a new horror movie and rents an isolated villa to concentrate on his work. But when several beautiful young women are brutally murdered within the house, Bruno becomes obsessed with solving the savage crimes. Is a clue to the killer’s identity hidden within the film itself, or is there a more horrifying secret lurking deep in the dark?

MACABRE:

In this horrific tale of murder, madness and perverse passion, a New Orleans wife and mother carries on a torrid affair behind her family’s back. But when a violent accident leaves her lover dead, the woman returns from a mental institution determined to pursue her forbidden desires. Has she found a ghastly new way to satisfy her lust, or is sexual depravity all in the head?

SHOCK:

When a family moves into a home with a shocking secret, their lives become a nightmare of homicidal hallucinations as their young son begins to communicate with the spirits of the dead. Remodeled in madness and painted in blood, they soon discover that domestic bliss can be murder… when home is where the horror is.

A BLADE IN THE DARK Extras:

·         Behind the Blade  – Interviews with Director Lamberto Bava and Co-Writer Dardano Sacchetti

·         Theatrical Trailer

·         Talent Bios

MACABRE Extras:

·         A Head for Horror – Interview with Co-Writer/Director Lamberto Bava

·         Theatrical Trailer

·         Lamberto Bava Bio

SHOCK Extras:

·         Interview with Co-Writer/Assistant Director Lamberto Bava

·         Italian Trailer

·         U.S. BEYOND THE DOOR II TV Spots

·         Talent Bios

Sell Points:

·         Three shocking tales of terror for one low price!

·         Incredible value: 3-Disc set features high quality video & audio and comes loaded with special features

·         Multi-feature packs are popular with consumers

A BLADE IN THE DARK: ©1983 National Cinematografica Srl and Nuova Dania Cinematografica Srl. All Rights Reserved.

MACABRE: ©1980 Medusa Distribuzione A.M.A. Film. All Rights Reserved.

SHOCK: ©1977 Laser Film S.r.l. Rome. All Rights Reserved.

Movie Review: Murder Obsession (1981)

Since Raro Video's USA hub has started releasing various Italian cult and art house fare throughout the past year, the Italian based DVD company has seen a steady stream of solid releases. The crime films of Fernando Di Leo, Federico Fellini’s Clowns and even obscure gems such as The Overcoat are now available for the home video market for region one genre fans. Why not mix in bizarre euro-trash/ giallo like Ricardo Freda's wild thriller Murder Obsession to this mixture of titles?

Buy Murder Obsession on DVD

Ricardo Freda use to work a lot with the late-great Mario Bava (Bay Of Blood, Blood and Black Lace, Black Sunday) - and it certainly shows even right after the opening credits. Freda's Murder Obsession has an odd mix of gore, gratuitous flesh, uber creepy incest and awful hair that makes this slice of sleaze a total surprise at how entertaining it truly is.

Movie Review: Bay of Blood (aka Twitch of the Death Nerve)

Stop me if you've heard this one: Some teens head to the woods to party, take a dip in the lake, have wild sex, and are subsequently hunted down and killed by a machete-welding maniac. Sound familiar? Well, it should - it's only the plot of every "Dead kids in the woods" movie since Madman and Friday the 13th.

It's also one of the bloody set pieces in Mario Bava's classic Italian giallo/horror film "Bay of Blood", AKA "Twitch of the Death Nerve". Almost a full decade before the the 80s slasher films exploded with tits and gore, Bava was inventing the tropes that would bring the horror genre the most attention it had received - both wanted and unwanted - since the Universal Horror Monsters took center stage.

Buy Bay of Blood on DVD!