Movie Review: 99 Women (Blu-ray)

Reviewed By: James D.

As a film fan who seeks out the lost treasures you have always heard about Franco’s 99 Women being so controversial for its time. I think the controversy of this film is that the price is so damn high. Why attack Blue Underground. They are not the regular suspects. That would be Grindhouse, Severin, Arrow and countless others who are gouging the fans for every penny we have. I understand you are having tough times on sales, but to hit your die-hard fans so hard is not the answer. 

99 Women is basically a women in prison exploitation film. Maria Rohm plays the 99th prisoner of an all-female island prison. Franco is shooting high on this film, but it just comes up so short. You have Mercedes McCambridge and Herbert Lom in this film. They both are incredible at their crafts, but they are so wasted here. The film tries to create a plot off of the government inspector coming down on the sadistic governor. Which we get to see the guy who is in charge of the male prison on the other side of the island. 

Movie Review: Hell of the Living Dead / Rats: Night of Terror (Blu-ray)

Since I first laid my hands on VHS copies of the bloodiest horror films Italy had to offer at the numerous Mom 'n' Pop stores in my neighborhood I came to admire the often gruesome work of Lucio Fulci, (Zombie), Dario Argento (Suspiria), Umberto Lenzi (Cannibal Ferox) and Sergio Martino (Torso). These guys were the best and to this day have a place in my black heart. One gentlemen not mentioned that I do feel has had quite a contribution to the Italian cult genre but doesn't quite get the attention is the much maligned, Bruno Mattei. Bruno was essentially the Asylum Films of Italy in the 80's (minus the lazy CGI effects), ripping off bigger films like Aliens and Dawn of the Dead. He was the best at it and his films were rarely boring.

Blue Underground has taken it upon themselves to put together a double-feature Blu-ray of a couple of Mattei's more notable and enjoyable films with high-definition presentations of both Hell of the Living Dead (aka Virus) and the post-apocalyptic rats-run-amok entry Rats: Night of Terror. Let's see if I can handle this much genius!

Hell of the Living Dead is essentially a mash-up of some widely known flesh-eating classics from just a few years before, Dawn of the Dead and Zombie. Except here, Mattei and screenwriter Claudio Fragasso actually add some of their own touches to the mix. When a young woman (Margit Evelyn Newton) hooks up with a group of trigger-happy mercenaries, together they scour the jungle and inevitably wind up at a lab were a horrible accident happened. The path ain’t easy as they run into hordes of zombies and natives infected with a virus unleashed from the lab that’s causing people to want to eat human flesh.

Movie Review: Death Spa (Blu-ray,1987)

Anyone hitting the video stores regularly in the 80’s and early 90’s should be familiar with the horror movie sub-label of MPI video called Gorgon Video. The days of VHS are long-gone for the most part and so it seemed for Gorgon…until now! Whenever the Gorgon banner adorned the giant clamshell of titles like the Faces of Death series and Mario Bava’s splattery giallo, you knew what you were in for – something very bloody and often shocking. The label’s comeback starts this summer with the release of Michael Fischa’s Death Spa (aka Witch Bitch)  on DVD and Blu-ray. As a longtime horror fan and someone who watched the grisly trailer over and over when it popped up on the VHS release of Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer until I finally saw it on a shitty quality DVD from the UK, I couldn’t be happier.

When Catherine (Shari Shattuck) decides to kill herself after the sudden loss of her child her soul doesn’t quite rest – it becomes a jealous vengeful spirit. She doesn’t haunt a house, or a church or some hotel, she haunts a high-tech workout facility run by computers that’s owned by her handsome husband Michael (William Bumiller). Michael is a ladies’ man and Catherine’s none too keen on him having anyone but her. If it means blowing up heads or tearing gym patrons apart via the workout machines, she'll make it happen!

Movie Review: Phantasm II (Blu-ray)

It seems so rare that when a movie that garners considerable popularity such as Don Coscarelli’s Phantasm that you’d almost always expect a follow-up within a year or two of it's theatrical release. For whatever reason, be it funding, not having a strong script etc. it’s not always plausible. Nearly ten years passed before Coscarelli put together the follow-up to Phantasm, Phantasm II. By this time he had directed one more film in The Beastmaster. Was it too late? He does bring back the “The Tall Man” and one of his other leads in Reggie Bannister, and yes, those wonderfully shiny balls as well.

Following the traumatic events, Mike (James Le Gros) is continuing to have very vivid dreams about the The Tall Man (Angus Scrimm, Phantasm series, Chopping Mall). He’s even picked up a new friend via these dreams along the way in Liz (Paula Irvine) who he is psychically connected to.

Phantasm II Hitting Blu-ray In March From Scream Factory!

- Audio Commentary with director/writer Don Coscarelli and actors Angus Scrimm and Reggie Banister

- “The Ball is Back!” Documentary – featuring new interviews with writer/director Don Coscarelli, actors Reggie Banister, Angus Scrimm, Paula Irvine, Samantha Phillips and more!

- Vintage Behind the Scenes footage: Makeup Effects

- Vintage Behind the Scenes footage: On the Set

- “The Gory Days with Greg Nicotero” Featurette

- Deleted Scenes from archival film elements from Don Coscarelli’s archive

Movie Review: Django Kill... If You Live, Shoot! (Blu-ray)

When Sergio Corbucci’s fantastic Spaghetti western Django bursted on to the scene with its violent story about a quiet coffin- carrying, vengeance seeking mystery man called Django (Franco Nero – Keoma, Companeros). Standing out as top-notch entry in the genre, Django’s popularity fueled many sequels that include the film I’m reviewing today, Giulio Questi’s Django Kill!... If You Live, Shoot. There’s also a remake in the works, but I’ll leave that for another. The folks at Blue Underground released have now taken it upon themselves to release this very graphic and incredibly bizarre Pastaland delight.

Movie Review: A Serbian Film - Uncut Limited Edition (Invincible Pictures, 2010)

I'm a fan of A Serbian Film. Ok, I said it. I’ve even seen it more than once, which is something that you’re not supposed to do even if you’re an admirer of the film. So far I’ve checked out two different versions: The widely released unrated/censored version from Invincible Pictures and MVD Visual and now the limited uncut release that’s strictly distributed by the producers at Invincible Pictures. The Serbian Film in a lot of ways, whether you hate it or not, it will stand the test of time and be talked about 20 years from now. To me it’s important to see uncut, so here it is!

A little bit about the background of the plot - Milos (Syrdjan Toborovic) used to be the Eastern block's answer to John Holmes - hung like a horse and with an out of this world sex drive. Things changed drastically for Milos after the former pornstar starts a family and has a son with his love, Marija (Jelena Gavrilovic). The life of Milos as a porn king is no longer. Soon bills start to pile up, desperation sets in and our "family man" has to take a gig that's brought to his attention by former onscreen screw. This isn't quite what he's done in his other erotic films - it's much more dangerous and perverse.

Movie Review: Torso (Blu-ray, 1973)

Since their inception in early 2000, Blue Underground has been waving the Giallo flag by releasing many quality Italian films - like the recent excellent 1080p upgrades of Dario Argento’s Deep Red and Cat O’ Nine Tails. They continue their Blu-Ray roll with Sergio Martino’s classic Torso in both its uncensored English version(90 minutes) and Martino’s full-length “Director’s Cut” (93 minutes) under the title I Corpi Presentano Tracce Di Violenza Carnale.

Buy Torso [Blu-ray] or DVD

Both versions of the feature kick off with an introduction by Torso superfan Eli Roth. Love him or hate him, Roth does a nice job as he briefly points out some the aspects that made Torso such influence on his films. There’s an option here to either watch the intro or go straight to the feature. As the opening credits roll you see a great deal of style in what is a very erotic opening sequence in which three lovely women are on display “playing” around in the buff.