DR. BLACK, MR. HYDE
1976 - R - 87 Minutes
D: William Crain
S: Bernie Casey - Rosalind Cash - Marie O'Henry - Ji-Tu Cumbuka - Milt Kogan
DVD Provided by VCI Entertainment
Anamorphic Widescreen/Dolby Digital Stereo
Extras: Blacksploitation Intro

Director William Crain's return to the horror/blacksploitation theme only four years after his success with BLACKULA is somewhat a mix bag. Oh, you can dig it, baby! On one side, you get hilarious moments of stereotypes and almost a biting satire of the times (it literally plays like a Saturday Night Live skit making fun of the 70's). On the other side, you get a pretty weak horror outing that drags in the middle and wishes it had the power of KING KONG by the time it ends. Bernie Casey plays a doctor who is formulating a serum that will cure liver damage. On his volunteer days, he works at a free clinic and decides to try his new batch on a dying patient, which ends up with disastrous results. So upset, he takes some home and tries it out on himself! Unfortunately, this turns him into a big hulking white dude (courtesy of Stan Winston) with an attitude and a penchant to kill prostitutes (his mother died from liver disease while being a maid in a brothel – do the math and you'll see his hang ups). He especially has his eye on a hooker named Linda, who he even tries to get to join him in his chemical experiments. This all ends in a silly climax when he climbs up the Watts Towers. Surrounded by onlookers and the police, the misunderstood monster wails away at society, drug abuse, pimps, whores, and one unfortunate police dog. Rosalind Cash is completely wasted in her role as the girlfriend/fellow scientist and hardly has any screen time. With Stan Winston around, you'd hope for some cool gore effects, but all you get is enlarged forehead and eyebrows on the doc when he changes. Speaking of that, when he does, he supposedly turns white, but you could have fooled me. Picture Bernie Casey with a 3 inch afro, protruding forehead and his face covered in white flour. When two street hustlers confront him about "being in the wrong neighborhood" only to get their asses kicked by giant honky cracker monster, the whole mess just gets downright silly. The print is a decent enough transfer with some aging problems, fading and print damage, but I didn't expect VCI to do much with a title such as this one. Overall, you get a fun enough movie for blacksploitation fans with a taste for cheese, but strict horror enthusiasts will probably want to avoid this one all the way around. – Mark Engle

THE DARKNESS WITHIN
2009 – NR – 89 Minutes
D: Dom Portalla
S: Jimmy Scanlon, Michelle Romano, Ken Flott, Stephanie Maheu, Sean Pierce, David Wilson
DVD Courtesy ofDoor Eleven Productions
Widescreen/Stereo

Extras: Teaser, Trailer, Gag Reel, Music Video, Short Subjects Chad Morgan and his fiancée Ashley move into a new apartment. It’s small, rather dumpy, but affordable and a place where they can begin a new life together. Or at least they think they can. Within a short time they discover the place has a spider infestation and a strange landlord situation, plus Chad has an unpleasant run-in with a neighbor named Mr. Reed, who just might be a Peeping Tom and possibly worse. But all that is just the tip of the iceberg. When Chad learns what’s really going on and why he actually ended up moving into the apartment, his entire world starts to fall apart. Writer/director Dom Portalla does an admirable job mounting the suspense in this SOV thriller. From a technical standpoint, there are a few problems, with the constant crossing the line during over-the-shoulder shots being the most repetitive one. But perhaps that is a deliberate distraction revealing how off-balanced the world is in the story. And the world here sure isn’t what it’s supposed to be. This is a tale of an unhinged mind and it works on that level. While the acting isn’t great, it’s not from a lack of effort. Jimmy Scanlon does a good job revealing Chad’s arch from a happy man with a seemingly upbeat future ahead to an angry, desperate soul trying to sort out situations that simply cannot be happening. Scanlon and Michelle Romano have decent chemistry as the young couple, Ken Flott is appropriately ambiguous and creepy as Mr. Reed, while Stephanie Maheu and Sean Pierce are engagingly weird as the upstairs landlords. Overall, this is an entertaining thriller with a cool but not necessarily unexpected twist at the end. Recommended. – Craig Hamann

DIRECTORS: LIFE BEHIND THE CAMERA
2010 - NR - 240 Min.
American Film Institute
S: 33 Successful directors
DVD Provided by First Run Features
Fullscreen/Stereo
Extras: Bios - Fact Sheets

Four hours of interview snippets from 33 directors with added pieces from several actors such as Dennis Hopper, Robert England, Morgan Freeman, Harrison Ford, Jeff Goldblum and many others. This set comes on 2 discs, with each disc covering specific questions. There are two major questions that take up a good portion of each, the first being how they broke into the business and the second major q & a is each director focusing on a specific body of work. David Lynch's take on BLUE VELVET is well, weird just like the man and William Friedkin's take on THE FRENCH CONNECTION is very interesting. The first question however, is probably the most interesting. How some of these guys broke into the industry is sometimes riveting, sometimes shocking and sometimes hysterical. Some of these folks were forced into it and never wanted to work in film while others just happen to know a friend's uncle in the business at a major studio and got an assignment right off the bat. Definitely from an era that is long gone, it only proves how strange and prolific the 60's and 70's were. Several other questions are asked, but not all the directors participate in each section. A plus about First Run Features set here is that you can bounce around from question to question or from director to director making it easy to skip a director you are not interested in or go right to someone you are a huge fan of. Of genre enthusiasts, there's several directors of interest such as Tim Burton, James Cameron, Wes Craven, William Friedkin, Terry Gilliam, George Lucas, David Lynch, Martin Scorsese, Ridley and Tony Scott, Bryan Singer (who still looks like a 17 year old punk), David Zucker and Steven Spielberg. Definitely a recommended watch! - Mark Engle

DAMNED BY DAWN
2010 - R - 84 Min.
D: Brett Anstey
S: Renee Willner - Bridget Neval - Dawn Klingberg - Taryn Eva
DVD Provided by Image Entertainment
Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78:1/Dolby Digital 5.1
Extras: 2 Commentaries - Featurette - Trailers

An energetic horror outing featuring the screaming banshee. Not your usual scary treat, but somehow it kind of works. A young woman travels back with her boyfriend to visit her parent's place. Grandma is on her death bed and warns her of the curse their family has had with this demonic specter for generations. This time around, they manage to cheat fate, but that brings about the wrath of the banshee along with all her demonic souls she's trapped over the years. Once the set up gets done, this becomes non-stop action and mayhem (which is the only similarity it has to Evil Dead, so forget the quotes on the cover). This is a low budget feature, but manages to pull off some impressive set pieces. I'm also a huge fan of atmosphere, but somehow the production talent behind the scenes go overboard. I love misty fog to set up a sense of dread, but CGI enhancements to the point that it is swimming across the screen becomes very distracting. This isn't a gore outing, but when there is some, it delivers. The banshee herself has an impressive scream and her scenes are handled effectively. The acting ranges from okay to good (great considering the budget level) and the Demonic Horde are cool looking and epic in scope (thousands literally flying through the air during certain chase scenes) making certain moments quite hellish for our leads as they run for their lives. Not everything works, but there's a certain feeling of fresh ideas and originality in its execution it is hard not to like. Definitely check it out. - Mark Engle

THE DEMON – Uncut WIDESCREAM Version
1979 – R – 94 Min.
D: Percival Rubens
S: Jennifer Holmes – Zoli Markey – Cameron Mitchell
DVD Provided by VCI Entertainment
Anamorphic Widescreen / Dolby Digital 2.0
Extras: A (very cool) VCI promo reel.

Not released until 1981, this widely panned slasher (filmed in South Africa) is not as bad as all that. Opening with some jarring murders sets a gritty tone and establishes th killer as an aggressive brute without any sort of humanity. The family left shattered by the first attack ends up in contact with Col. Bill Carson (Mitchell), a psychic who has the special ability to help solve problems like these. Elsewhere, a young school teacher and her live-in cousin have drawn the special attentions of the murderous malefactor. Some surprising twists take place while we work our way to the inevitable showdown. The suspenseful cat-and-mouse finale is properly intense and thick with violent desperation. Mitchell is not present as much as his billing would have you believe, the focus is mostly on the characters played by Holmes and Markey (who also provide steady nudity). The problem many have with this one is the lack of character development for the psychopath with the clawed gloves and the asphyxiation fixation. He’s an evil presence, a dangerous and sadistic bringer of death. To explain him away would have been counterproductive since the movie insinuates several times that The Demon may in fact be just that, literally. There are a couple of scenes towards the end that play as arguable (apparently) confirmation, but none of that feels like it was ever supposed to be the center of the audience’s attention. This is a slasher film! Survive or end up piled into a tree or thrown off a building! When that story is over it’s time for the credits to roll. Such direct simplicity was welcome. The rest of it, the question about whether or not this is a demonic entity or a relentless madman, that’s what sets it notably apart, that’s The Demon’s gimmick. Odd, unique, admittedly slower-moving than many of its contemporaries, it’s probably best to assign The Demon our trusty ‘cautious investigation’ status. Definitely not for everyone, but again, not nearly as bad as some would have you believe. VCI’s release is the one to get, still a little dark, definitely grainy, but it’s uncut and sounds steady throughout. - Michael Mackie

DAY OF VIOLENCE
2009 - NR - 91 Min.
D: Darren Ward
S: Nick Rendell - Giovanni Lombardo Radice - Christopher Fosh - Victor D. Thorn
DVD Provided byGiallo Films
Anamorphic Widescreen/Stereo
Extras: Screener - None

Mitchell (Nick Rendell) is a small time hood who is sent to collect 2 grand from weird scumbag Hopper (Giovanni Radice aka John Morgen). He tortures him, not only gets the two thousand from the guy but finds another 100 grand hidden in the same place. He kills Hopper and takes the whole thing, but doesn't realize that his victim records him taking the entire stash via a cell phone before his bloody demise. Now on this same day, Mitchell has decided to stop working for his current boss and graduate to a higher prospect by working for a much more powerful narcissistic crime lord. His first job? Collect the 100 grand from the now unknown dead Hopper! Not wanting to give up the cash, he keeps his mouth shut even while they torture his old friend, who he just found out he is replacing. They don't quite trust him yet and they send him with one of the boss' key hoods to collect the missing money. Things go from bad to worse for Mitchell and he has his own agenda and secrets in one of the most violent crime films to come in quite some time. People are beaten until their face looks like swollen hamburger, castrations are done on screen, bullets fly and puncture flesh, chainsaws are used and then there's dental torture. Oh, did I mention castration? Yes, I did and it's brutal and nasty and in your face. When they call this a DAY OF VIOLENCE, it's with a capital V! Despite the fact that this is a violent mob movie, there's more to it than that and much of it deals with reading between the lines if you are even going to grasp the final twists as the plot unfolds. We reviewed Ward's SUDDEN FURY way back upon its initial U.S. release, and we got to say that this is a big step in the right direction. The director has obviously grown in the aspect of characterization, mood and tone. The acting has improved, the editing and direction is more precise and the whole production comes across as more mature. It isn't perfect, but this is one entertaining, brutal, nasty, low budget crime flick that fans should definitely check out. - Mark Engle

DEMEKING: THE SEA MONSTER
Japan/2009 - NR - 101 Min.
D: Kohtaro Terauchi
S: Takashi Nadagi - Manami Honjo
DVD Provided by Cinema Epoch
Anamorphic Widescreen/Stereo
Extras: Trailers

From Japan with a giant sea monster. You would think it was a no brainer for most of us Kaiju fans. The cover sports a hint of the big monster and I quickly checked out the trailer I could find online. Over three minutes of Kaiju action in the trailer alone. Bliss! An hour in, I'm looking at the running time and wondering, where the heck is this creature? They've talked about him, given a brief history, but nothing, and then it happens for about 4 minutes only to have one of the lead characters wake up and the all out monster attack was only a dream! Talks about a disappointment and the creature never shows up again. So, no folks, this isn't a Kaiju film at all despite what the trailer shows. It's actually a family drama about two misfit young adults who cross paths after not fitting in anywhere and making a connection. It takes place in 1970 and one our leads has been training himself for years to deal with a prophecy that Demeking would come from outer space in 2019 and destroy the world. Forget the fact that our so called hero would be almost 70 when the thing arrives, he plans to spend his days working alongside the seashore or his time off staring from the beach at the ocean waiting (the creature is a giant sea snail like thing). He crosses paths with another misfit, a senior in high school who is so picked on by bullies, he makes friends with little kids (one still has training wheels on his bike). He is so taken in by the tale of Demeking, he becomes enamored with the myth itself until his young pals get too old to have the same yearn for adventure. Both leads are forced to grow up in an uncaring world and have nothing but their memories and hang ups to tag along like heavy luggage. It's not a bad film, in that sense and it held my interest, but buyer beware, it isn't what it looks like. Too bad for us genre fans because the 5 minutes or so of monster mayhem is pretty cool. - Mark Engle

DEADLANDS: THE RISING
2006 – NR – 64 Min. (That’s counting 7 Min. for credits!)
D: Gary Ugarek
S: Gary Ugarek – Dave Cooperman – Michelle Wright
Blu-Ray Provided by Gary Ugarek
1080P 2.35:1 Widescreen / Dolby Digital 2.0
Extras: This movie is the extra! Available on the Deadlands 2: Trapped Blu-Ray.

Two friends are hanging out drinking some beers and firing off a few rounds at the empties. Elsewhere, a child plays on a trampoline while his Mom, the wife of one of the aforementioned friends, tends to the laundry. Just then something happens in the nearby city. An explosion? An attack? Whatever it is, it’s left a city full of pissed off zombies hungry and on the prowl. The wife heads off with her child to a relatively safer location while the two gun-toting good guys try to make their way to her through the zombie filled streets. I was unfamiliar with the Deadlands films before receiving them to review. My expectations were low. After all the countless, crappy, low-brow zombie movies made over the course of a drunken three-day weekend by five guys, two has-been strippers, and a dude with his own death metal band you’ll never hear of again, you can’t blame me. Well, color me surprised. This modest DV, made for about ten thousand dollars, shows a lot of heart. It’s far from great, certainly rough around the edges, and feels slightly incomplete (What happened to the dog?), but it does have some style to it. There’s a decent atmosphere that sets this apart from the many other straight to video throwaways around these days. The zombies run hard when there’s meat lurking about (yes they are running zombies), but they often appear out of complete darkness or thick fog and in such large packs that escape is impossible. It’s not outrageously gory by a long shot but some flesh is torn, some entrails are yanked, and a throat does get torn right off of some poor woman. Most enjoyable is the fact that it feels like a real movie; tracking, editing, motion, an authentic sense of somebody trying to tell you a story… even if that story has about as much substance as a stale rice cake. The low budget shows, but not as much as you might think. The music was also a nice surprise, mostly handled by Ugarek himself. So after all this back and forth is it worth seeing? Yes, and for a couple of reasons; the most obvious being because it’s included as an extra on the Deadlands 2 disc so it’s right there for you! More importantly, even though Deadlands clearly isn’t going to leave a much of a lasting impression in the long run, there’s a LOT of potential displayed here and it’s difficult not to get excited about future possibilities. This is only the first of a trilogy after all! Since it’s an extra for a separate movie I won’t get into quality too much other than to say it seems a fair enough presentation considering its origins. You will, however, quickly notice that the sound F/X and music are MUCH louder than the low level dialogue so get ready to ride that remote. Deadlands: The Rising is worth some cautious investigation. - Michael Mackie

DRAINIAC
2000 - NR - 81 Minutes
D: Brett Piper
S: Georgia Hatzis - Alexandra Boylan - Ethan Krasnoo - Samara Doucette
DVD provided by Shock-O-Rama Cinema
Widescreen/Stereo
Extras: a shitload of Shock-O-Rama trailers

Brett Piper’s DRAINIAC is everything b-movie horror should be. It is original, yet it still sticks to the tried and true horror tropes that work. All the earmarks of bad-moviedom are here, bad acting, amateurish and juvenile dialogue, a ridiculous plot, cheap-as-dirt-special-effects, a little T & A, and most importantly—a whole lotta’ heart. I went into to DRAINIAC with low expectations, but I was utterly shocked by how entertaining the film was—even more shocked by how Piper managed to capture an 80’s horror movie vibe without being “retro” on purpose. The plot is really secondary and involves some demonic forces that reside in the pipe system of an old abandoned house with teenagers fighting for survival. I say the plot is secondary because a story about a water demon attacking teenagers is not why you should check out DRAINIAC, rather you should see it because it is a cool throw back to when horror movies were made with tongue firmly planted in cheek. Most modern b-horror flicks, like the other films packaged with DRAINIAC in a 4-movie “Suburban Psycho” set (the other 3 being; SKIN CRAWL, PSYCHO SISTERS, and SUBURBAN NIGHTMARE), are no where near as overall pleasing to this “old school” horror fool as DRAINIAC. DRAINIAC is not going to win over many people, and will impress far less, but for the true blue b-movie fans, I highly recommend it. - Fred McKennon

DEADLANDS 2: TRAPPED
2008 – NR – 84 Min.
D: Gary Ugarek
S: Jim Krut (The original Dawn of the Dead helicopter zombie!) – Joseph D. Durbin – Chris L. Clark – Josh Davidson –Ashley Young – Corrine Brush
Blu-Ray Provided by Gary Ugarek
1080P 2.35:1 Widescreen / Dolby Digital 5.1
Extras: Deadlands: The Rising – Director Commentary –
Weapons and Tactics – Composing Deadlands –
I Am Zombie Man short film series – 2 Introductions – Trailers

The Government is at it again! They have a new bio-engineered chemical designed to create relentless super soldiers and they need to try it out. The decision is made to do just that in a small town where it can be easily controlled and contained (famous last words). The gas is unleashed upon the unsuspecting citizenry and quicker than you can say “zombies ate my neighbors” we’re off and running. A small group of survivors manages to gather at the local movie theater and it’s here where much of Deadlands 2 takes place. Zombie fans…. Meet Gary Ugarek. You’ll like him, he’s one of us. This has nothing to do with the first Deadlands outside of being part of the same series. Made for something close to half of the already tiny budget of the original, this looks and feels bigger, has more characterization, improved F/X, cooler zombies, a more realized plot, everything is better. Everything. It’s amazing how far Mr. Ugarek was able to come in so short a time. Atmosphere is top notch thanks in no small part to the creative cinematography that makes a regular old theater seem especially foreboding. You’ll be treated to more specialized zombies this time out as well. Particularly noteworthy are the bride zombie and the fireman zombie; nice images and great entrances. The music, like the movie itself, has very distinct influences. It often sounds reminiscent of John Harrison’s work on Day of the Dead. According to the lively and opinionated commentary, that was the intention. Some of the acting is still on the shaky side but for a group of unknowns it wasn’t so bad. There’s a little girl trapped amongst the cast and she’s a scene stealer. Most viewers will not want to revisit the original after the first time, but zombie enthusiasts should take a chance on Deadlands 2: Trapped. Ugarek made this Blu-Ray happen himself. Taking that and the source into consideration the quality is perfectly acceptable. The sound is thankfully improved now so you can set the remote down and enjoy yourself. It’s worth restating; all this was accomplished for about 5800 dollars. The director wants to raise a million for his third trip to the Deadlands. The mind reels at the possibilities… Recommended. - Michael Mackie

DEFILED
2010 - NR - 79 Minutes
D: Zachary Paul
S: Amanda Myers - Jeffrey Hallman - Daniel Wallace
DVD Provided by Alternative Cinema
Anamorphic Widescreen/Stereo
Extras: Commentary

Cassidy is a naughty girl who likes to hook up with strangers for some no strings attached rough sex. She really likes it rough. When her parents leave town they put Cassidy in charge of her younger sister. Never satisfied by these random encounters, Cassidy posts an online ad for what she’s looking for. She receives a phone call from the guy she thinks might be the one and she sets up a meeting. Cassidy gets what she asks for…in spades. The DVD box has the words ‘Anonymous Internet Sex Addiction’ printed above the title. I think the one word title does a better job, but I’m not the one who made the flick. What you get here is a tepid, badly acted, poor attempt at a thriller. None of the cast in the film could act their way out of a paper bag. The dialogue is stilted. Background sounds are loud and jarring when they could have been adjusted to seem more natural. As they stand now it seems that all of the non-actors on the screen were stomping on microphones. The movie does have some fair gore effects and a little bit of nudity, but there are too many badly lit scenes and the sex in the film is far from shocking or ground breaking for this particular type of genre. I was going to make the joke that the only one defiled in this movie was me, but that seemed like too good of a pun to waste on this boring film. -
Douglas A. Waltz

THE DEVIL WITHIN
2009 – 90 Minutes/Widescreen
D: Tom Hardy
S: Elizabeth Di Prinzio - Grey Damon - Elizabeth Bell - Sara Harrison - Bill Oberst Jr.
DVD Provided by Seminal Films
Anamorphic Widescreen/Dolby Digital Stereo
Extras: None

Okay, Serina is having a sweet 18 birthday party but not before they all have a college lecture based on the seven deadly sins by their weirdo professor. Then it’s time for the popular kids to have a party. That means that hot Goth girl Doug, yes her name is Doug, I like her already, is not invited to the shindig. So, we have a house full of kids. The booze and drugs are flowing. Did I mention the psycho killer? Oh yeah, there’s a mysterious psycho killer. In the classic vein of the slasher genre we have a new candidate on the horizon. Unfortunately, if I tell you who it is it will put a crimp in any potential for a sequel. There are a lot of things that worked really well including some inventive kills. Some of the actors can actually act. This is a rarity in micro budget slasher flicks. They dealt with the cell phone issue in a pretty original way. The character of the street preacher was probably the coolest thing here besides Doug. And there is a twist ending that even I didn’t see coming that I thought that was pretty cool. However, the movie seemed to drag a little longer than what worked for me. Some scenes felt like they could be trimmed. And then there’s what I call the ‘girlfriend syndrome’. See, there are scenes in the film that, if they happened it real life there would be titties. Now, don’t get me wrong, there are boobs in the movie, but they are thrown in for the sake of breasts. Kind of a bummer. So, while it tries to be a slasher old school style it ends up failing in a number of ways that makes it nothing more than a pale copy. Meh. - Douglas A. Waltz

DARK FOREST OF DEATH
A.K.A.
DARK FOREST
2006 – NR – 99 Min.
D: Jung-min Kim
S: Ye-won Jang – Young-joon Kim – Jong-hyeok Lee – Choong-seon Park – Yi-hyeon So
DVD provided by Pathfinder Home Entertainment
Non-Anamorphic Widescreen / Dolby Digital 2.0
Korean with English subtitles
Extras: Trailers

This is the first of four titles released in the K-Horror Collection. All four are produced by Byeong-ki Ahn, showcase different up-and-coming directors, and they’re all based on the works of author Il-han Yoo. Incidentally, that name comes up at the beginning of the movie as a radio announcer reports on his violent murder at the hands of three psychopaths. Dark Forest introduces us to five people on the way to the mountains for some climbing. The familiar grouping of characters is on hand including one girl who has psychic powers she acquired after a tragedy in her past. They never get to where they were headed (due to a minor injury one of them sustains) and are forced to set-up camp on the spot. It’s not long before the dark forces of the dark forest take the upper hand. It seems that if you shed any blood in the area you’ll soon belong to the woods themselves; this means that you become a sort of forest zombie on the hunt for even more blood. The situation our protagonists find themselves trapped in quickly leads to violent bloodshed; including, but not limited to, decapitation, burning, stabbing, and shooting. In one shocker of a scene a possessed man stabs his girlfriend right in the ‘nether regions’ many, many, times before finally stopping to lick the blade of the knife. Although graphic, the gory splatter scenes are quick and often buried with the darkness of the surroundings. Predictably, the psychic character is still giving it her all in the final acts. Could there be a reason she’s there? This is a rough one to sum up because there are some positives, but there are just as many negatives. The should-have-been-creepy forest isn’t and that’s primarily the fault of the somber, plodding, classical sounding music that attempts to pass as the soundtrack. I suppose they went that way because of the heavy melodramatics on display. Some scenes just go on and on and it’s absolutely unnecessary. An interesting idea is undermined by poor choices such as these and it’s too bad, really, because there are some stylish outbursts and creativity is evident. It’s a shame they couldn’t get there. The non-anamorphic presentation is a disappointment as are the mistakes on the covers listed credits and description. Not worthy of a recommendation, Dark Forest of Death gets filed in the give it a rent category. - Michael Mackie

Wild Roger Corman produced splattertoon is in many ways the black sheep of the 70’s car-movie sub-genre. Frankenstein (Carradine) is an American hero and that’s because he’s the most popular driver of the Trans Continental Road Race, a sporting event where people are killed for points on national TV. Rebels continuously sabotage, and even manage to infiltrate (a spy acting as Frankenstein’s navigator), the event with the intention of kidnapping its star so that demands can be made to abolish the brutal sport once and for all. It’s fast-paced, hits closer to home in the wake of the reality TV boom than it likely did upon its original release, and features some of Stallone’s finer early-days scenery-chewing. The social commentary present throughout is often times amusing, but many attempts at outright humor misfire and it all feels a bit scattershot in the end. Gory, silly, and passable entertainment indeed; though far from the classic some make it out to be. Best enjoyed with friends. – Michael Mackie

A Special Forces raid/rescue in Cambodia goes deadly wrong and leaves Lt. Bobby Quinn’s squad brutally killed. When the bodies hit stateside, Quinn wakes up during his own autopsy! He discovers that the rest of his squad has done the same, only they’ve gone completely over the edge into zombie territory feasting on the living. Teaming up with the only one who believes him, an annoying military cook, he must use his keen sense of flesh smell to help stop his comrades before the zombie virus spreads or he can no longer fight his own hunger. This is a one note premise that relies on horror film in jokes and homage’s to older and better movies. Definitely a film for fans of the genre from the get go, you’ll either have fun watching it or despise it. I found myself in the latter camp. How many Thriller video in-jokes do we need at this point? The obvious low budget doesn’t help either (strange because smaller budgets in zombie movie history usually helped). The military camps all look like sparse sets hampering what little suspense there could have been. No atmosphere and unfunny, I can’t recommend this to anyone but those more forgiving than myself. – Mark Engle

After a two and a half year stint in a mental institution, Renee moves with her new fiancé (Estevez) to the desert only to be confronted by nightmares that might be real. It seems a family of Mayans were killed in the house a few years back, but because the proper burial rights weren’t given, they are now zombies. Hungry and pissed off, they make lunch out of a couple of criminals and their hostages and then set their sights on Renee, Estevez and Michael, a local worker who has his own plans with Renee. A nice twist on the zombie genre that uses All Souls Day with Mayan traditions, but it doesn’t always work. Some good gore sequences, with the highlight being a nice head decap as the zombie family proceeds to rip off Joe Estevez’s head! Actually shot on film rather than the usual video, Heavener’s film will make several zombie fans happy, but it takes a good 50 minutes to get to the good stuff. Nice but cheap make up. A bigger budget, some restraint and better acting from some of the minor characters would have made this a small classic for most horror fans. – Mark Engle

DOOR INTO SILENCE
Also Known As:
DOOR TO SILENCE
1991 – NR – 87 Min.
D: Lucio Fulci (As H. Simon Kittay)
S: John Savage
DVD provided by Severin Films
Fullscreen/MONO
Extras: Nil

Lucio Fulci’s final film is a strange one for which an accessible release is long overdue. Savage stars as a man driving the back roads of Louisiana trying to get home. He runs into several different characters and obstacles that cause him varying degrees of distress along the way. Chief among them is a hearse driver with a nefarious grin that takes great pleasure in taunting him on the road. Savage becomes more and more obsessed with the body being transported in the back and before you can say déjà-vu, we’ve got an all too familiar plot that many might think they’ve figured out before ever pressing the play button. Fulci does deliver a fair amount of exactly what’s expected, he also mixes in just enough of what isn’t to keep things interesting. It’s a slow burn, but after awhile the dreamlike atmosphere begins to work its magic and you can’t help but wonder where you’re going to end up. Written and directed by Fulci and produced by Massaccessi’s Filmirage, Door Into Silence is bone dry though it sports a nervous atmosphere that manages to build on itself as the story gains momentum. A solid supernatural thriller, but it’s important to sit down with the proper expectations. Severin has done a fine job bringing this previously elusive title to us with a strong and stable picture that impresses throughout. Colors are often vibrant and flesh tones are natural. The mono soundtrack is always clear. There are no extras to be found. Honestly, I’m just happy they’ve made it available at all. Franco Piana provides the alternately jazzy and suspenseful original score. – Michael Mackie

DEADLY SWEET (COL CUORE IN GOLA)
Italy/1967 - NR - 105 Minutes
D: Tinto Brass
S: EWA AULIN - Jean-Louis Trintigant - Roberto Bisacco
DVD Provided by Cult Epics
Widescreen/Mono
Extras: Commentary - Trailer - Gallery

I've sat through quite a few titles now by the infamous Tinto Brass and I have to admit, I'm usually not a fan. I find most of his movies and silly or perverse yet boring. That is until now. Brass' DEADLY SWEET is an eye-popping mod-60's detective style comic book come to life. Jean-Louis plays out of work actor Bernard, who stumbles upon a murder and a beautiful blonde at the crime scene who claims she's innocent. With nothing better to do and an immediate attraction, he decides to help the young woman retrieve some important photos that the victim (a crime-lord bar club owner) had and was blackmailing her father, who also was murdered a few days prior. Soon Bernard is blamed for the murder, wanted by the police and the mob. Adding to the mayhem is the girl's unstable brother, her unfaithful stepmother, a tailing dwarf with a penchant for violence and other assorted seedy characters. It's basically one chase scene after another set to crazy music and cinematic manipulations galore. We've got split screens upon split screens, black and white turning to vivid colors and other assorted pop art flying at the screen. And if that wasn't enough eye candy for you, there's always the extremely cute Ewa Aulin to stare at in different states of undress or mini-skirts to ogle at. Not recommended for everyone and definitely will disappoint the hardcore gialli fan (it really isn't one as advertised), but I have no problem recommending it to fans of 60's pop-mod style cinema. Fast moving, visually stylish and a lot of fun. Great stuff! - Mark Engle