William Lustig's Classic "Maniac Cop" Hits Blu-Ray this October from Synapse Films!

Special Features and Disc Info (MANIAC COP):

• Maniac Cop Memories – Interview with Robert Z'Dar
• Out the Window – Interview with Tom Atkins
• Three Minutes with Danny Hicks Featurette
• Motion Still Gallery
• Additional Scenes Filmed for Japanese TV
• Theatrical Trailer
• TV Spots
• Spanish Radio Spot

Buy Maniac Cop [Blu-ray]

Director: William Lustig
Starring: Bruce Campbell and Tom Atkins
Run Time: 87 minutes
Release Date: October 11, 2011
Language: English (6.1 and 4.0 Surround)
Aspect Ratio: High-Definition 1080p Widescreen (1:85:1)
Format: Blu-ray
Price: $24.95

Movie Review: The Last Circus (Blu-ray, 2011)

A little over a week ago I had the pleasure of reviewing a recent Blu-ray release of Fellini's The Clowns. As you can guess it's about Fellini's lifelong fascination with the colorful circus characters. Movies about clowns are a definite weakness for me - especially the ones that aren't family friendly. Alejandro Jodorowsky's Santa Sangre is a great example, as is Alex de la Iglesias' The Last Circus from Magnet Releasing.

Buy The Last Circus Blu-ray or DVD or Watch It Instantly

Javier (Carlos Areces) is a doughy, pathetic, son of a clown looking to fill the floppy-shoed footsteps of his successful father. Making people laugh while performing ridiculous antics would give the young Spaniard all the joy in the world - that is until dad tells him he should be a sad clown. After losing his father in a furious prison break during the 1930's, the film fast-forwards to the 1960's with Javier all grown and putting on his clown gear for his first day on the job.

Cinematic Hell: Test Tube Babies (1948)

by Hal Astell

Director: W Merle Connell

Star: Dorothy Duke, William Thomason and Timothy Farrell

Buy Test Tube Babies on DVD

There's just something at once magic and awful about the old exploitation movies of the thirties and forties that offered up tantalising titillation under the pretense of educating the masses. The fake education angle had little to do with censorship, as these films weren't shown at reputable cinemas who were restricted to screening films with an official censor's seal of approval, and more about suckering in the widest possible audience. Mostly they were distributed roadshow style across the nation, an entourage breezing into town like a carnival or revival meeting to a blaze of lurid publicity, blitzing a local rented theatre and quickly moving on before the arbiters of morality in the area descended. Films were often the least important part of the show, given that they rarely delivered on their outrageous promises and the barkers made more money off the pamplets or overpriced Bibles that they hawked than they did from actual ticket sales.

Contest: Win a DeadGirl Blu-ray!

This is a simple contest for the movie we've been raving about at Cinema Head Cheese. DeadGirl is the story of two high school students who find a body in the basement of an abandoned asylum. Prepare for something different, because you can't get more original than DeadGirl.

All you have to do to enter is like our Facebook page and shoot an email to cinemaheadcheese@yahoo.com, and you'll be entered. Contest ends 9/30/11.

Movie Review: Monsturd (2003)

During the late 60's and 70's there were a copious amount of films with wonderfully genius titles. Movies like I Dismember Mama, Night of Bloody Horror, Daddy's Deadly Darling and Scream Bloody Murder drew viewers into Drive-ins and theaters because of the lure of their exploitative titles. Besides the titles one thing these films also had in common was that they sucked ass.This always had me worried about Rick Popko's and Dan West's film Monsturd. The title is perfect, just like those other films - but could I be setting myself up to be disappointed?

Buy Monsturd on DVD

Cinematic Hell: Chained for Life (1951)

by Hal Astell

Director: Harry L Fraser

Stars: The Hilton Sisters

Buy Chained for Life on DVD

We're here to be entertained and take our minds off things, says Judge Mitchell, but I wish I could take my mind off this. It's a unique story full of fascinating moral and legal questions that centre around a pair of Siamese twins committing murder and matrimony. Some are posed on the wild publicity material. 'What happens in their intimate moments?' the posters ask us. 'Is it legal to marry a Siamese twin?' 'Can they have a normal love life?' You'd think it was a porn film from all this salacious hype but it's far from that. It's a low budget exploitation picture from 1951, loosely based on real events in the lives of the Hilton Sisters, Daisy and Violet. Yes, long before Paris and Nicky there were Daisy and Violet, and they were as unlike the modern Hiltons as you could comfortably imagine. By all accounts they were pleasant, intelligent, talented ladies who simply happened to share a circulatory system. They're the Siamese twins from Tod Browning's Freaks.

Monster Brawl, Coming Soon, Takes Sports Entertainment to the Gore Zone!

Werewolf, Zombie, Vampire, Witch, Swamp Creature, Mummy, Frankenstein Monster… who’s the toughest of them all? Find out in the upcoming Monster Brawl!

Join the Monster Brawl Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/MonsterBrawl

Set in the tradition of a Pay-Per-View main event, comes a grotesque and hilarious fight to the death featuring a cast of eight classic combatants in all. Along with their colorful managers, these Classic Monsters compete in visceral bloody combat in the ring to determine the most powerful monster of all time. Monster Brawl stars comedian Dave Foley (Kids in the Hall, Bugs Life, Despicable Me), wrestling icons Jimmy Hart - The Mouth of the South, Kevin Nash, revered MMA referee Herb Dean, Robert Maillet (300, Sherlock Holmes, The Immortals), Art Hindle (Porky's, Black Christmas) and the voice of horror legend and Call of Duty narrator Lance Henriksen (Aliens, Terminator). Monster Brawl is sure to be a cult classic in the making!

Movie Review: Dementia 13 (1963, Blu-ray)

We all know the story of Dementia 13, both on and off screen. Young filmmaker, Francis Ford Coppola (rumor has it his eyebrows were only three feet long then) worked as an editor/assistant director under b-movie guru Roger Corman. After coming in underbudget on The Young Players, Corman decided to produce a grisly horror film with the remaining cash. Coppola’s script and directorial debut are then the stuff of legend. Even in this schlocky, often times cheesy film one can see the eventual director of cinematic masterpieces like The Godfather and disasterpieces like Francis Ford Coppola presents Keanu Reeves in Bram Stoker’s Dracula and, like these two examples, Dementia 13 runs the gamut from effective, creepy gothic to over the top ax murdering fiend throughout the film. The film, I believe, fell into that public domain miasma that so much classic cinema suffers from and has been released on a dozen DVD compilations so far. The quality of each of these is passable at best so a Blu-ray release of the film set me to drooling. There was no major disappointment… but, well. You remember how excited you were for Godfather III and, after you saw it, you were like, ‘meh.’ That’s me right now… meh. At least for the Blu-ray Coppola didn’t insert our not-so-masked killer screaming “Nooooooo” at moments of moral anguish. There is no moral anguish in Dementia 13. There is moral anguish that Nicolas Cage is a Coppola, but nothing stemming from this particular film.

Buy Dementia 13 (Blu-ray + DVD Combo Pack)!

Cinema Head Cheese: The Podcast! #12 - The Weekly Grind

In their first weekly edition, Kevin Moyers and Jeff Dolniak talk about stepping up to a regular Tuesday schedule. They get into a slew of reviews including the unique and creative DeadGirl, the short film Once Upon a Time in 1972 and they each get into TV obsessions Mad Men and Spartacus.

They both share their aggravation with unnecessary remakes such as Straw Dogs, Total Recall and Fright Night. They also get into the lunacy that is George Lucas.

Click here to listen or right click and choose "Save Link As..." to download.

From the Show: Buy Minty the Assassin, The Exterminator, The Burning Moon, Black Past, Star Wars, Executive Decision, New York Ripper or This Film is Not Yet Rated at Amazon.com

Tim Ritter's "Deadly Dares: Truth Or Dare IV" Coming this October!

The long awaited third sequel in the TRUTH OR DARE series finally arrives! America has become a nation of Maniacs 'R Us, playing the childhood game 'truth or dare' in cyberspace with murderous results! Meanwhile, Tuner Downing, a man who is dumped by his girl, gets obsessed with serial killer Mike Strauber (the Coppermasked Madman) and tries too hard to follow in his bloody footsteps, even to the point of breaking his 'hero' out of incarceration. Chalk full of bloody twists and turns, this is the one you've been screaming for! Don't miss it!

For up to date information please check the Official Facebook Page :  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Deadly-Dares-Truth-Or-Dare-4/263180220366298

Also Tim Ritter's website: http://www.timritter.com/

Book Review: Watts Collection by Ed Wood

Aahhh, the complications and tragedy of the Watts race riots in 1968 were nothing but story material to Wood. It is also rumored that Wood’s apartment was firebombed after the reading public got their hands on these two volumes and Toni…Black Tigress. Whatever the outcome, Wood provides a unique version of the riots and the participants therein. Watts… the Difference begins the two-part story and Watts… After finishes this particular epic.

BUY WATTS... THE BIG DEAL BY ED WOOD!

Rocky is a young black man in Los Angeles. Now, Rocky is a good kid… but through no fault of his own has gotten mixed up in a Black Panthers-type organization, one which he wants no part of. The organization, which has adopted Swahili as its language, is a separatist movement. Young Rocky is in way over his head. For a majority of the novel, Rocky is already a movie star and relating the riots to Angie.

Movie Review: Belly of the Beast (2003)

Andrew Davis' excellent 80's action flick Above the Law not only brought forth some great cop action in the streets of Chicago, Pam Grier's clothed hooters and veteran badguy, Henry Silva - it also unleashed Akido specialist and soon to be action star, Steven Seagal. Seagal's best years were certainly in the early 90's when he starred in Hard to Kill, Out for Justice and Under Siege. As he got closer to 2000, quality film offers fell faster than his growing gut. In 2003, Seagal starred in Siu-Tung Ching's Belly of the Beast which has now been released on Blu-ray from Image Entertainment.

Buy Belly of the Beast [Blu-ray] or DVD

Ex-CIA Agent Jake Hopper's (Steven Seagal) daughter, Jessica (Sara Lane) turns up missing after a hike in Thailand. A group of Islamic fundamentalists known as Abu Karaf cut up one of Jessica's friends and then ambush the group while they relax and take a dip in a lake. For the past ten years Hopper has been out of the game, until now.

Wes Craven's "Deadly Blessing" Coming to DVD from Arrow Video on November 14th!

They'll Build A Barn From Your Bones!

Wes Craven unearths the darkness that festers beneath an isolated community in Deadly Blessing, a rural tale of mistrust and bloody murder from the director of Last House on the Left.

When Martha marries into a close knit sect she finds herself shunned as an outsider by its fanatical members, but when her husband dies mysteriously while riding a tractor expressly forbidden as a tool of the devil, things take a darker turn. Marked as a incubus by her neighbours, time is running out for Martha and her visiting friends, as plagued by nightmares and fearing for their lives, they face the violent fury and retribution of old time religion.

Movie Review: The Exterminator (1980, Blu-ray)

I had a weird fascination with James Glickenhaus' The Exterminator when I was a youngster. I'd put together these scenarios with G.I Joes and Star Wars figures and re-enact scenes from the movie. It was almost like a really shitty episode of Robot Chicken. The Exterminator was vigilante bliss for me. Sure, it didn't have the budget or star-power of Dirty Harry or Death Wish but it capitalized on an area key to which the vigilante film subgenre is measured - embodying a merciless attitude that's tough to matched. Synapse Films' DVD/Blu-ray combo pack of The Exterminator proves to be one mean sumbitch!

Buy The Exterminator (Blu-ray and DVD Combo)

Movie Review: DeadGirl: Director's Cut (Blu-ray, 2008)

One of the absolute best things about being a film fan, for me, has to be seeing a talent grow. Whether it be writing, directing, acting, it really doesn’t matter - growth is growth. Troma alum, Trent Haaga, writer of the film DeadGirl is one of those talents that has taken that extra step. With DeadGirl, he goes beyond the numerous micro-budget fare he’s been a part of for ten plus years and brings forth an intelligent, disturbing story of two teens, a dead female (or is she?) and a lot of pent up testosterone.

Buy DeadGirl on Blu-ray or DVD or Watch it Instantly

The director team of Marcel Sarmiento and Gadi Harel take hold of Haaga's vision, giving us the viewer one sick, thought-provoking little indie. I wondered after viewing DeadGirl: What if in the heartfelt coming-of-age classic Stand By Me the boys who were on a journey to find a dead body in the woods, found that dead body in the first ten minutes? Beyond poking the corpse with a stick, what might have those curious kids done in the remaining 90 minutes? Yes, it's morbid and almost sacrilege because it's fucking Stand By Me, an American classic - but who knows.

Movie Review: I Sell the Dead (2008)

IFC Films has been coming out with some very interesting genre pieces as of late and I Sell the Dead is not the least among them. Very slick, written and directed by Glenn McQuaid, I Sell the Dead is a fun little romp through 18^th Century England. Dominic Monaghan (Lost, The Lord of the Rings), Larry Fessenden (The Last Winter, Wendigo, Habit), Ron Perlman (Hellboy, Alien 3) and Angus Scrimm (Phantasm 1-4) star in this period piece on a budget. More comedic than scary, I Sell the Dead appears to be a loving homage to the Hammer Film. I’m a huge Hammer Film fan and, therefore, I enjoyed it. It might not be up everyone’s alley, but I’ve learned that what I like is what I like… the rest of you can suffer.

Buy I Sell the Dead on Blu-Ray and DVD!

Cinema Head Cheese: The Podcast! BONUS Uncut Interview with The Uh-Oh Show producer Andrew Allan

Back in July, Kevin Moyers and Jeff Dolniak talked with The Uh-Oh Show producer Andrew Allan about working with legendary director Herschell Gordon Lewis and many other things.

The interview was cut for time to fit our usual podcast, but since The Uh-Oh Show is being released today, we decided to post the entire conversation. Andrew was a great guy and fun to talk to. We hope the movie does well, because it's fun and gory.

Get The Uh-Oh Show on DVD


Click here to listen or right click and choose "Save Link As..." to download.

Movie Review: Redneck Zombies (Tromasterpiece Collection, 1988)

Directed by Pericles Lewnes

Buy Redneck Zombies on DVD

Whether it’s present cinema or back in the late 80’s when the no-budget splatter romp, Redneck Zombies was produced by pals, Pericles Lewnes (also Director) and Ed Bishop, you can’t deny the complexity of getting your film released being a low-budget filmmaker. It isn’t a mystery, Redneck Zombies is a classic of sorts and quite groundbreaking at the same time being a shot-on-video movie to amass a surprisingly vast audience. Before locking up with Troma for a video distribution deal over twenty years ago, Bishop and Lewnes had plenty of doors slammed in their faces. Production companys basically thought that a feature length film on video wouldn't fly. Only pornos were really shot-on-video, not a horror film. Redneck Zombies and it's crew persevered though. What do Lewnes and Bishop have to show for it? How about a new 20th anniversary special edition for the new Tromasterpeice collection of their magnum opus, Redneck Zombies? That’s right, Redneck Zombies!

Redneck Zombies' plot is very simple and akin to the Troma offerings in the late 80’s with it’s toxic waste infused plot. A group of country-folk becomes flesh-eating, gut-chomping undead monsters when some toxic waste gets mixed in with their beloved moonshine. The acting is abysmal but it really doesn’t matter as much of it appears intentional anyway. These are essentially cartoon characters that have come to life. That said, a few of the characters completely stand-out amongst the movies biggest draw – the non-stop gore. I personally loved the performance of one plus -sized redneck, Ferd Mertz (Henry Dicker, AKA Becky Santini). Dicker is gigantic in size but shows in equally strong ability to “eat up” every second of scream time. Amazingly, Dicker has shed more than half his weight since production, which you’ll notice in the bonus features.

Cinematic Hell: Maniac (1934)

by Hal Astell

Director: Dwain Esper

Star: Bill Woods

Buy Maniac on DVD

There are exploitation films that surprise because of what they are or what they contain, and then there are exploitation films that continue to surprise so much that the most surprising thing of all is that they're not far more famous than they are. This little picture from Dwain Esper pulls out all the stops, with almost everything you could possibly imagine from exploitation cinema except garish colour, all stuffed into a mere 51 minute running time. What's more it was released in 1934, which seems unbelievable given some of the things that go on, though others are admittedly staples of thirties horror. Sourced primarily from Poe, it was ahead of Roger Corman by a quarter of a century. The eyeball eating scene feels like it should be in a Fulci movie half a century later. The personal take on zombies is a very modern one that writers are only now starting to get back to, three quarters of a century later. Talk about ahead of its time. Every 25 years someone catches up to something else in this film.

Exclusive Clip from Predatory Instinct! New Horror Available 9/6!

Freaks and fiends of the Cheese! Here is an exclusive clip from the upcoming Midnight Releasing DVD... Predatory Instinct! Available on 9/6 everywhere and you can even pre-order here:

Buy Predatory Instinct on DVD!

Ready it? Naw, we didn't think so.