http://mvdshop.com/products/psychomania-blu-ray-dvd-blu-ray
The United States gave motorcycle-mad cinemagoers Easy Rider, The Wild One and The Wild Angels. The United Kingdom gave them Psychomania, the tale of zombie bikers run amok is southern England. The Living Dead are a delinquent biker gang, fond of causing havoc on British roadways and making out in graveyards. Gang leader Tom (Nicky Henson) also has a Satanist for a mother, and when he discovers the secret of immortality, the name of his motley crew takes on a more literal meaning... Directed by Hammer veteran Don Sharp (The Kiss of the Vampire, The Devil-Ship Pirates) and co-starring Beryl Reid (Dr. Phibes Rises Again) and George Sanders (Village of the Damned), Psychomania is a wonderfully offbeat gem, outlandish and eccentric in equal measure.
Bonus Materials
2K restoration from preservation negatives
High Definition (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations
Original 1.0 mono audio (uncompressed on the Blu-ray)
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
Brand-new interview with star Nicky Henson
Return of the Living Dead, an archive featurette containing interviews actors Henson, Mary Larkin, Denis Gilmore, Roy Holder and Rocky Taylor
Sound of Psychomania, an archive interview with composer John Cameron
Riding Free, an archive interview with 'Riding Free' singer Harvey Andrews
Hell for Leather, a brand-new featurette on the company who supplied the film's costumes
Remastering Psychomania, a look at the film's restoration from the original 35mm black and white separation masters
Theatrical trailer
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by the Twins of Evil
FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Collector's booklet containing writing by Vic Pratt, William Fowler and Andrew Roberts
It will tear your soul apart! Limited to 10000 units.
Stephen King was once quoted as saying: "I have seen the future of horror... his name is Clive Barker." That future became reality when, in 1987, Barker unleashed his directorial debut Hellraiser - launching a hit franchise and creating an instant horror icon in the formidable figure of Pinhead. Barker's original Hellraiser, based on his novella The Hellbound Heart, follows Kirsty Cotton (Ashley Laurence) as she comes head-to-head with the Cenobites - demonic beings from another realm who are intent on reclaiming the soul of her deviant Uncle Frank. Picking up immediately after the events of the original Hellraiser, Hellbound: Hellraiser II finds Kirsty detained at a psychiatric institute and under the care of Phillip Channard, a doctor who abuses his position to realise his own dark aims. In Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth, a reporter investigating a mysterious death at a nightclub finds herself in the way of Pinhead and the Cenobites, who plan to bring their horrifying world into our own. Coming at a time when the genre was degenerating into self-parody, Hellraiser offered a fiercely unique vision that approached its horrors with a far greater degree of seriousness than many of its contemporaries.. Along with its sequels, the Barker-produced Hellbound and Hell on Earth, Arrow Video is proud to present some of the most terrifyingly original films in the history of horror in brand new 2K transfers.
RED VELVET
Writer: Anthony Burns, Joe Moe
Director: Bruce Dickson
Starring: Henry Thomas, Kelli Garner
Availability: DVD Available at www.amazon.com
Rating:
A FIELD IN ENGLAND
Writer: Amy Jump, Ben Wheatley
Director: Ben Wheatley
Starring: Julian Barratt, Peter Ferdinando, Richard Glover
Availability: DVD widely available
Rating:
So, last night, as is usually the case with me, I decided I needed something weird to watch. It's no secret that I'm an absolute fan of truly bizarre cinema, and I just so happened to get two in the mail that seemed perfect for each other. So, I decided to do a double review for these flicks. So, without further ado, let's get to it, shall we?
The first movie I watched was Bruce Dickson's slasher deconstruction Red Velvet. This was a movie that flew under my radar, until a fellow indie horror fan told me about the movie. I'm glad I discovered it, though, because this movie was a real delight. Henry Thomas (yep, Elliott from ET) plays a horror writer, Aaron, who has a chance encounter with a girl at a laundromat, Linda. The two engage in a series of mindgames, as Aaron continues to treat Linda like shit, but she keeps coming back to him. Eventually, the two end up on a lunch date, and the two begin to share horror stories with one another. The story sequences are a visual delight, echoing a lot of the visual touches Romero had given to his masterpiece Creepshow.
It turns out Linda has an abusive boyfriend, and all her friends have abandoned her to go to a birthday party in a secluded cabin. Aaron uses this to his advantage, and after a couple of short tales, they decide to collaborate on something far more sinister. They create a story that imagines the demise of all the people in Linda's life. The story they create is ripe with slasher cliches, including a wisecracking villain. The killer is often very inept, though the actual kills are quite gory, and each kill was something different, and at least a few were unlike any kills I've ever seen in a slasher movie.
So, in a lot ways, the movie is two films in one. You have the slasher movie mixed with the more desperately dark romance film bubbling on the surface. It's also a very odd film. As I mentioned, the way the story sequences are shot give the film an almost classic, EC comics visual style. Plus, the last 10-15 minutes of the film take the film into a completely different direction. I won't spoil it here, but I will say that many of you will hate the ending, but I saw it quite fitting. This is definitely a movie I'd recommend checking out, if you are looking for something a little different.
Okay, now, this is a film I've been dying around since I watched it last night. Ben Wheatley's psychedelic period flick A Field In England is the best movie I've seen so far this year, and I'll be very surprised if I see any genre movie this year that is able to top it. I first took notice of Wheatley after his film Kill List hit the scene. A divisive film for sure, but one that I thought was a brilliant mixture of The Wicker Man and the more psychotronic cinema of the late 60s. His next film Sightseers was a charming, hilariously violent dark comedy that was an absolute departure from Kill List, but still felt close to that spirit. Now, we get A Field In England, a film that shows Wheatley has no desire to repeat himself.
This movie, at first, echoes the medieval horror of films like Witchfinder General and the more recent Black Death. It takes place during the Civil War in 17th century England. A group of soldiers has fled from battle into a big open field. They are captured by an alchemist, and he forces them to help him try to find he treasure he believes is buried there. The man are fed magic mushrooms to try to break down their defenses, and the final third of the movie creates some of the most mind-bending psychedelic imagery I've seen in a modern film.
First of all, I have to give some high marks to the stunning black and white cinematography. It was beyond gorgeous, and gave the film a timeless, classical feel that it may not have had otherwise. Secondly, the actors are all terrific in this film. Every single one of them give fantastic performances, something that you can say about all of Wheatley's work. The man has a true gift when it comes to actors. The sound design is also something to behold, creating the perfect sense of dread needed for the film's eventual payoff.
Now, this isn't anywhere near going to be a film for anybody. I was talking to a fellow horror reviewer whose opinions I admire, and he told me he couldn't get into it. It's very slow-moving at times, and doesn't really fit into anything that resembles true horror. Instead, the movie is a much more psychological experience, fucking with your head all along the way, until you feel almost as disoriented as the soldiers on the screen. It's a maddening experience, but one that truly pays off if you're willing to submit to its eccentric vision. Wheatley has just gone near the top of my favorite directors working right now. If you are a fan of Ken Russell's more wild experiments, then definitely check this one out.
So, there you have it...Two very different films that I would suggest for anyone who longs for something truly different. Until next time, my fellow freaks and weirdos.
SLASHER HOUSE
Writer/Director MJ Dixon
Starring:Eleanor James, Adam Williams, Wellington Grosvenor
Availability: only available in the UK at the moment...If you have a region free player, you can pick it up at www.amazon.uk
Rating:
Sometimes you watch a movie. You know it's not good for you. You know it's going to make you hate yourself in the morning. Then you realize...We don't always need steak. Sometimes a little midnight snack is all it takes to satisfy the palette. That being said, disposable entertainment doesn't come much more satisfying than MJ Dixon's Slasher House.
This is a movie that almost feels like it was lifted from the pages of a graphic novel. The character designs are generally very over the top. The dialogue has a stilted, comic book quality. It has incredibly creative camera angles, and a strong red and green color scheme that feels almost surreal. Plus, the film seems to embrace so many cliches and predictable plot devices, it almost feels like a bit of grand pulp.
Eleanor James gives a fine performance as Red, a girl who wakes up nude with amnesia in a prison cell. It's here where the film makes its first none-too-subtle clues that the film is a riff on Alice In Wonderland as well, with hidden clues like "Drink Me" and "Wear Me" scattered throughout the room. She finds a mysterious man in the cell next to her, who seems to be in the exact same predicament as our lovely heroine. Eventually, they realize that whenever an alarm goes off in the jail, it releases a serial killer. Therefore, in order to survive their ordeal, they have to fight off several oddball serial characters. In a way, you could say it's like a fucked up version of Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World.
The various serial killers they encounter are delightfully strange. Probably the most memorable one was Cleaver, a clown who loves murdering children. There are some decent kills as well. It's no gorehound's dream by any means, but it certainly doesn't skimp on the blood either. Most of the actors give pretty decent performances for a microbudget film (reportedly only costing 5,000 pounds=a little over 8 grand here in the states). Dixon has such a strong visual sense, that any budgetary limitations refuse to shine through. The man is certainly no hack, that's for sure.
Now, at first, I alluded to the fact that the movie was more of a guilty pleasure. I don't know if that's truly fair, but any movie that embraces this many cliches with this much high style, I can't think of any other way to describe it. I had a great time with this one, though. I absolutely fell in love with the visual look it. Dixon has a sharp eye behind the camera, and I'm definitely interested in what he comes up with next.
The British have been putting out some oddball horror cinema lately. Just last month, I finally saw Gingerclown, which almost felt like a classic Full Moon movie. It was just an incredibly odd movie that I enjoyed because of its weirdness. Slasher House is another example of how cool the British horror scene is becoming. The American scene is obsessed with sadism and seeing how far they can push the envelope. While I do admire that sort of thing from time to time, there needs to be more people embracing how fun horror cinema can be. Dustin Mills is a modern example of this, which is why I consider him the best indie director working right now. I just love weird movies. What can I say? That all being said, I would highly recommend Slasher House.
Frankenstein Created Woman (1967)
Directed by: Terence Fisher
Starring: Peter Cushing, Susan Denberg, Thorley Walters, Robert Morris
Format: Personal Collection NTSC Region 1
Hammer's version of Mary Shelly's Frankenstein is my all time favorite film Frankenstein story. Sure Universal was first and Karloff was great as Frankenstein but one thing I never liked about those movies was the focus on the creature as the monster when the real monster is in fact it's creator. Peter Cushing is in my top 10 actors of all time and his inclusion in any film adds a bloody hand print just for that. Yes I gave this film 5 bloody hand prints and I do this because as I've said Peter Cushing plays my favorite Dr. Victor Frankenstein and also because this film is directed by one of my top ten favorite directors of all time Terence Fisher who directed almost all the Hammer Frankenstein films. The man was the best British director of all time in my own personal opinion he directed The Mummy, Curse of the Werewolf, The Curse of Frankenstein, The Horror of Dracula, and many more. It was these films and the sequels and spinoffs they produced that saved Hammer studios in the 50s much like the monsters did for Universal studios in the 30s.
Frankenstein Created Woman once again follows the trails of Dr. Victor Frankenstein. While Frankenstein can no longer perform surgery from injuries caused in a previous sequel he does have Dr. Hertz to carry out his experiments. The two of them embark on the ultimate experiment to cheat death this time. They are trying to trap the soul and it's energy in a large machine they have created and are trying to use that soul to reanimate a dead body.
Frankenstein has tried many times in the sequels before and after this one to either clump together body parts or just plain re-animate a whole dead corpse but in this film he tries to take another alley, the soul. I have always found this to be quite amazing. Now Dr. Frankenstein sees the soul as some unexplained form of energy and not as a religious spirit of sorts but either way I just find the whole story very interesting. The problem of course is he uses his experiment to take the soul of his dead helper Hans (Robert Morris) and throws it into the body of the boy's drowned girlfriend Christine played by the beautiful Susan Denberg...too bad she wasn't in more films I thought she did very well.
Christine was in love with Hans but Hans was put to death by the guillotine for killing her father. So upon seeing his death by decapitation she ends her own life by jumping off a bridge. A sort of horror version of Romero and Juliette if you will. Of course it was not Hans it was 3 very disgusting rich young men who beat her father to death when he discovered them inside his tavern after hours. The three young men had a habit of torturing the landlord and his daughter most especially because she had a deformity on her face and body. However after Dr. Frankenstein is finished with Christine's body she has no deformity and now also has two souls, one of which is very vengeful and that's when the murders begin. One by one Christine dispatches the three rich young men tricking them with her beauty. "I'm Christina Clave," she says just before stabbing one of the fair gentleman to death. And she does all this murdering while carrying around the head of her late lover. My favorite sequel to the Hammer Frankenstein legacy. Another notable addition to the film crew is director of photography Arthur Grant who photographed other such Hammer productions as Paranoiac, Curse of the Werewolf, Plague of the Zombies, The Reptile, and many more his talents are appreciated by this reviewer. Highly recommended to those of us who can enjoy the classics.
