City of the Living Dead (1980)

Paura nella città dei morti viventi.

To say that Lucio Fulci is the most revered Italian Cult icon of the decade is an understatement. His films have grown in popularity from year to year, back before the millennium there was only really one way of seeing his films here in the UK – via Dutch/Swedish company EC Entertainment. They released his most popular films, along with his not so popular later outings, on to the digital format in their widescreen and uncut glory that, at that point, was forbidden on British shores.

If you didn’t have the internet and a credit card then you were destined to endure the heinous Vipco releases that removed all of the glory and featured rather un-flattering Pan&Scan presentations! Now, those of us who grew up with Fulci in the 90’s were no stranger to these horrific bastardisations, as the VHS releases were almost identical, apart from these new versions boasting a unflattering box placed on the front that proclaimed the new DVD releases as the ‘Strong Version’ which meant that the BBFC had let some added gore into ‘em. This didn’t mean dick really.
As luscious as the EC versions were in comparison to the UK releases, better was just around the corner. Anchor Bay (US and UK), THE company for Cult movies in the early 2000’s, was about to unleash their Lucio Fulci collection which featured all the gore and once again gave us those lovely widescreen presentations. Grindhouse Releasing then went and dropped the ‘must have’ release for Fulci fans when they partnered with Anchor Bay to release The Beyond in a lovely tin set that still fetches high prices with collectors. His reputation has gone from strength to strength thanks to these companies' hard work, but there’s still more to be done.

Flash-forward to 2010 and we now have our first taste of Fulci on UK Blu-ray! Uncut with original aspect ratio intact and bursting with supplementary material! Gone is the BBFC tampering! Gone is the Pan&Scan! Gone are those pesky Vipco covers! In comes the hi-definition! What a difference a decade makes.

Now, City of the Living Dead has faired surprisingly well with the BBFC in comparison to other Fulci titles. Upon it’s initial release it was only cut for one scene of head-drilling ultra violence; but more were to come when it came to the video release; luckily, the DPP never targeted the film and it was the first Fulci title to be released uncut here in the UK back in 2001. That doesn’t mean it’s Fulci’s ‘lightest’ film though, for this holds its own in Fulci’s gross-out oeuvre.

The suicide of Father Thomas, in the small town of Dunwich, unlocks one of hell's gates, and supernatural deadites come back to feed on the living. During a séance, a Medium named Mary (Catriona MacColl) appears to drop dead from fright; journalist Peter (Christopher George) is intrigued by the case and visits her gravesite on the day of her burial, only to discover that Mary is still very much alive and already in a whole lot of trouble but is thankfully saved by Peter. According to the Book of Enoch, if the gateway isn’t closed by All Saints Day then it will remain open for eternity and the dead will continue to rise and feed on the living. So Mary and Peter head off in search of Dunwich and attempt to save the world, but Father Thomas and his minions aren’t going to make it easy…

The first of his celebrated trilogy of fright flicks to feature the lovely Catriona MacColl, City of the Living Dead is a true testament to the maestro’s ability to generate cold, claustrophobic atmosphere from simple set-ups. His love for the work of H.P. Lovecraft truly shows here, not with the small town terror (Dunwich!), but with the fog shrouded streets and the decrepit vaults in which humanity fends off the otherworld; the only thing that would make this film more Lovecraftian would be to have the Freudstein residence, from House by the Cemetery, smack in the town’s centre!

The story is threadbare, a valid criticism that can be launched at the majority of Fulci’s output, but we aren’t interested in the film for it’s groundbreaking story arc, what we want is for the dead to rise-up and feed on the living in various graphic displays of grand-guignol bloodshed – and that’s where the film delivers. From the infamous head-drilling scene to the regurgitation of real sheep entrails, there’s something here to upset, or mildly unbalance, the stomach of the most hardened of gorehounds. However, that’s not to say the film is a full throttle splatter-fest, nay, it’s a slow paced little piece that acts very much like the supernatural forces attempting to end humanity: sporadic, grimy, unsettling and at times frightening but ultimately endearing!

After the success of Zombi 2 (Zombie Flesh Easters), Fulci found himself pigeonholed as a director who could churn out a half decent horror flick on time and within a limited budget, the fact that he was able to do it time-after-time during this golden age really does demonstrate the mans genius, he has given Cult cinema numerous films that will remain genre favourites amongst the ever-growing number of fans. It’s only fitting that his catalogue be given such deluxe treatment on the home media format – once branded a hack, the man is slowly starting to be seen for the original talent he was, maverick in his exploits, legendary, or infamous, to all who met him and inspiring to all who appreciates his style of cinema.

The new release from Arrow Video is a thing of beauty; the 1080p presentation is a revelation when compared to previous releases from Vipco, Anchor Bay and Blue Underground. The film has always had a grainy aura about it, which adds to the atmosphere, so it’s great that the presentation still contains an amount for the nostalgic out there, but they have cleaned the print up beautifully and trumps the best DVD release the film received from Another World Entertainment. Then there are the extras…

The set is a strong tribute to Fulci, more so than the film in question, but also to the people who worked with him. The disc is brimmed with interviews with likeable colleagues of Fulci and even a family member. There are interviews with Catriona MacColl, Carlo De Mejo, Luigi Cozzi, Giovanni Lombardo Radici and finally Antonella Fulci; the centre piece being a fifty minute career-spanning interview with Radici that covers the many deaths he’s undergone during his exploitation career! Most enjoyable however was Carlo De Mejo who remains a very passionate and charismatic chap whose love for the film and Fulci really shows.

The interviews are all greatly entertaining and each has a glossy approach, the animated introductions are classic and the little snippets from films that occur through-out add additional humour that will crack a smile in the hardest of fans faces. There’s also a trailer for the film, a booklet written by Calum Waddell, 6 postcards sporting various poster art and a fold-out reversible poster featuring Arrow’s newly commissioned art and a vintage poster on the opposite side. We are also given some ported over extras, first being Catriona MacColl’s commentary from an earlier Vipco release, and a featurette about Fulci from Arrow’s House by the Cemetery DVD entitled ‘Fulci in the House’. That’s not all folks! They’ve gone and commissioned a new audio commentary from Giovanni Lombardo Radici; which amazingly manages to re-frame from covering grounds mentioned in his interview!

Earlier this year I was fortunate enough to attend a special Fulci double-bill in Glasgow, City of the Living Dead was the main attraction, after The Beyond got the evening started in great style. What made it all the more special was Catriona MacColl and Giovanni Lombardo Radici being in attendance to offer a Q&A after the film! I managed to get some questions to them, some of which appear on Arrow’s new release, and some which will surface on their upcoming release of The Beyond. The real treat though, and a thousand thanks to Calum Waddell, was to spend some time after the showing with them. Getting drunk, and shooting the shit with the likes of Catriona and David Hess (who was also in town) was quite the experience! They were great people and truly touched by the number of people who came out to see them that evening. The next event is due in October and I can’t stress how much fun they are and urge you all to make an effort to attend!

City of the Living Dead remains a classic in 80’s horror cinema, and has finally been given the release it deserves thanks to Arrow Video’s hard work and the even harder work from the folks at High Rising Productions whom provided all of the extra material. Fan’s of Fulci should treat this as a no brainer and pick this release up ASAP, fans of Cult cinema will equally find the release essential due to the supplementary material brimming with a vast amount of insight from Cult cinema icons regarding genre favourites. In a word: essential.

Purchase the Blu-ray here.
Purchase the DVD here.

So Sweet, So Dead (1972)

Roberto Bianchi Montero, father to the infamous Mario Bianchi, has gone somewhat unsung in the digital age. Whereas his spawn has gone on to achieve some notoriety, Bianchi senior has still yet to find his place in Euro-cult history. Born in Rome on the 7th December 1907, Montero made his directorial debut; as Roberto Bianchi, in 1943 with comedy Gli assi della risata. A jack of all trades, Montero bounced from genre to genre during his time as director, finding work constantly from his debut up to his death in 1986; which by that time had seen him move into the hardcore industry working with Mario on smutty projects for Porn icon Marina Hedman (a.k.a Marina Lotar) such as L'amore e la bestia. From Noir to Peplums and Gialli to Pornography, Montero was willing to try his hand at anything if there was money to be made. One of his more memorable films has just been given a deluxe release from Camera Obscura, who’ve just released So Sweet, So Dead his sleazy 1972 Giallo starring Hitchcock regular Farley Granger.

A maniac is murdering affluent women in a small Italian town, at the scene of each crime the killer has left incriminating photographs of the victim in the throws of passion with men whose faces have been obscured; however one thing is certain, the men in the photographs are not the murdered women’s husbands! It appears there’s a moral avenger on the prowl for unfaithful wives and Inspector Capuana (Granger) is the man handed the case due to his big city experience. As high-society fears for its women, politics comes into play as the men upstairs demand that Capuana keep his nose outta rich peoples business, as the fact that their wives had been unfaithful is enough to ruin their reputations, and focus on finding this low-rent scumbag. Red herrings pile up, twists abound but the killer remains as elusive as ever, until Capuana goes to the press with details of the supposed killer … making himself a possible target.

So Sweet, So Dead is a very accomplished Giallo. It’ll appeal more to Sergio Martino fans than Dario Argento’s as it aims to please fans through gratuitous nudity and violence as well as a sterling storyline. Many may see it as misogynistic, which isn’t hard to see why, but the film is almost forty years old and from a stern Catholic country that holds marital vows in high-regard; so it’s more of a ‘warning’ than an out and out attack on women; much like the Slasher movie, which was influenced by the Giallo, was a ‘warning’ to teenagers about the dangers of pre-martial sex! It may seem a dated view point today, as does the Slasher, but back them I’m sure it cause a stir amongst high-society, much like other Gialli in this vein, like Forbidden Photo’s of a Lady Above Suspicion, would have.

Montero handles the death scenes with great style, well some great style as one instance of slow-motion starts off rather effective but then over-does it and becomes unintentionally hilarious as it begins to outstay its welcome. That small stylistic hiccup aside the film proves quite an impressive little shocker, with an intriguing premise and plenty of obviously creepy red herrings thrown into the mix as the story progresses; my favorite being genre legend Luciano Rossi as Gastone, the macabre mortician whose love of death is only matched by his love for the naked, preferably dead, female from! He’s obviously not the killer but his presence is eerie and adds discomfort, and at times, sympathy from the viewer.


What stops the film from achieving more respect though, and no doubt the cause of its obscurity, is the slow second act. After establishing a strong story following Capuana trying his damnedest to get a lead the focus shifts over to the daughter of a high-flier who witnesses a murder, seemingly shifting from a Martino inspired effort to an Argento inspired one that fails to remain as gripping as the opening act. Luckily the focus shifts once again back on Capuana for one of Giallo cinemas finest, misanthropic finales that manages to pack quite a punch still. One scene that also stands out as a fine achievement for Montero is the opening scene of police gathered around the corpse of a slain woman discussing the details of the crime. It’s a gripping introduction that launches the viewer into the mystery from minute one.

For Giallo fans, this title is a must. The one big flaw will be forgivable to hardened fans of the genre; it’s one that you’ll have experienced in more than your fair share of titles. Camera Obscura has created a lovely package for us, as with their previous addition to the Italian Genre Cinema Collection, the equally sleazy Terror Express, this disc is the definitive edition of the film. Housed in a gorgeous slipcase with a fold out cardboard inbox that houses the disc and inlay notes from German Cult film specialist Christian Kessler, who writes a small essay on the feature (which contains both English and German text). Kessler is also on hand for a audio commentary with fellow Cult expert Marcus Stiglegger, it’s in German but the kind folks have seen to it that English subtitles have been added!

The presentation itself is a thing of beauty bar two scenes that have been sorced from what must be VHS, this takes away nothing from the film actually and probably wouldn’t have been missed, but like any good completist they’ve included them here for the full effect: plus some of the added material is additional Susan Scott nudity so I guess we should be thankful for that! Supplement-wise we’re given an extensive interview with composer Giorgio Gaslini, who created a memorable and effective score for the film, which spans his whole career in the Italian film biz. A very nice, geeky extra is the inclusion of the French photo novel! Once again they have provided us with English friendly subtitles for those, like moi, who don’t speak French! It’s also scored for added effect.

Alas there is no trailer for the film, which is a let down but who can be disappointed by that when the package is this great? There was talk that they would include the XXX version of the film which was released stateside as Penetration but due to lack of source elements that has not come to fruition, which is shame as Farley Granger staring in a Harry Reems and Tina Russell shag-a-thon is one hell of a proposition! The material was not shot for the film of course, so has no relevance to the actual finished product but it would have served as a great reminder for a bygone era where producers would go to any length to scrape a few extra bucks from their acquisitions!

So Sweet, So Dead has deservedly been rescued from obscurity and afforded a beautiful release by one of the finest companies out there with a true respect for the product they’re releasing. I’m already excited for their next release, La Orca, which is due out later this year. Genre fans owe it to themselves to treat themselves to this gorgeous release: beg, borrow, steel or ask a loved one – just get it!


Purchase the DVD from these sites:

www.omg-entertainment.nl
www.chainsawvideo.com
www.dtm.at
www.diabolikdvd.com

The Human Centipede (2009)

Tired of re-makes and sequels? Pained by the thought of conveyer-belt horror being churned out, not just Hollywood, but by Indie production companies and faux-underground auteurs that seem to think that fake-snuff movies are the future for the genre? You certainly aren’t alone, mio amico. When news of Tom Six’ debut The Human Centipede hit the World Wide Web, my interest was instantly raised; what was a Human Centipede? How do you make one? Are they safe? Can I have one? After seeing the trailer for the film, I instantly decided that having one would be wrong and somewhat amoral, but I did want to see the film still– as nasty and twisted as it appeared to be!

Two annoying American tourists, Lindsey and Ashley, breakdown in the middle of some woodland while looking for a club called ‘Bunker’. They are accosted by some German perv who propositions them, but refuses to lend a helping hand in fixing their flat tire. Too add to the cliché, they decide to wonder off into the woods in order to find help… or a road. What they find is a nice secluded house of the mad Doctor Heiter, who specializes in separating Siamese twins; only he's shifted focus from separation to attachment. We can see from a photo that he has successfully made a Dog Centipede and now aims to do the same with these American girls. All he has to do is find a suitable third part, which he does in a Japanese touris, Katsura.


Taking the most clichéd of horror clichés, Tom Six manages to avoid boredom and tedium by creating a great air of unease and mystery from the off-set. There’s also a great sense of dark humor powering the film that is evident from the start; what with the mad doctor trapping bait by shooting a trucker with a dart gun while he takes a roadside dump. When we first meet our American tourists, they come across as air-headed bimbo’s whom you secretly wish bad things upon, which is where the dark humor strikes once again, as bad things do happen to these poor girls; very bad things.

This is the beauty within the grime; the set up is so familiar that you’ve already figured out what the character will do next in vein attempts to escape; but much like the doomed protagonists, Director Tom Six is playing with us as the villainous doctor is his captives. They aren’t going to escape and neither are we – the horror will play out, and we will watch and endure it. The idea of the human centipede is revolting enough, but when the doctor begins to describe how he will achieve his goals, the stomach will start to feel queasy. Then the harsh realities of what would occur, in such a situation as this, start to arrive as the film progresses and it isn’t pretty; but then again when has the consumption of excretion ever been portrayed as pleasant? Let alone scar tissue exposed to such bodily discharge – revolting stuff indeed. Yet for all the revulsion the film remains gripping and engrossing.

Taking our fear of medical procedures to new sickening heights, The Human Centipede is a film that will be required viewing for genre fans whom believe they have 'seen it all'. The film itself is like an extended version of a Tales From The Crypt episode, so some viewers may loose interest after the first hour. Which is understandable, as it's a film with little to say and even little less to show after it's initial premise, we get to see the Centipede within the first half hour of the film, once seen the gimmick will soon wear-off and the story really has nowhere to go after that. Luckily, Deiter Laser gives a hugely enjoyable performance as the demented Dr. Heiter. Given that he's in the majority of the films run-time, had the role been cast to a lesser actor the film wouldn't be half as enjoyable and watchable as it is.

Tom Six is due to start production on the films sequel, which will apparently make this outing look like a child's movie, as long as he has more to say in this outing I can't see why the sequel can't better the original,. outside of it's great premise, lead performance and confident direction, The Human Centipede does begin to outstay it's welcome, even at ninety minutes. I wouldn't call the film a disappointment in the least, it's a solid little entry into a new decade of horror; but it's a film that was in need of a much needed kick in the ass in terms of pacing, Six goes hell for leather for forty minutes then falls into lackluster for the next half hour before picking back up the pace in the films admittedly gripping climax.

Highly recommended indeed, just don't expect to have your world moved, there's a talented man waiting to bloom; if this film hints at anything, it's that of a brave new voice in the horror community. One that has been brought up on Cronenberg movies, while having a love for the Japanese horror explosion of the late 90's/ early noughties – Takeshi Miike in particular – and is fully aware of the fear we have of traveling abroad.

Theatrical Trailer:

May releases...

May is going to be a great month for Cult fans here in the UK, with a triple-bill of sleazy goodness coming our way from Arrow Video and Shameless Screen Entertainment!



THE DEFINITIVE DVD AND BLU-RAY RELEASE OF LUCIO FULCI’S ZOMBIE CLASSIC.

One of the most revered zombie films of all time amongst horror fans, Lucio Fulci’s classic City Of The Living Dead gets the full Arrow Video treatment on DVD and Blu-ray in May 2010, presenting the film fully restored and uncut and complete with a host of unique and exclusive extras and featurettes specially commissioned for this must-have release.

Among the many extras are a newly recorded audio commentary with actor Giovanni Lombardo Radice, an introduction to the film by star Carlo De Mejo, ‘Carlo Of The Living Dead’, a 17-minute featurette in which De Mejo reflects upon his time working with the Italian master of splatter, Lucio Fulci, plus ‘Penning Some Paura’ in which the film’s screenwriter Dardano Sacchetti shares his recollections of writing an Italian horror classic.

The 50-minute ‘The Many Lives And Deaths Of Giovanni Lombaro Radice’ presents an extensive biography of the legendary screen victim, who guides viewers through the making of his most famous gut-crunching classics including ‘House On The Edge Of The Park’, ‘Cannibal Apocalypse’, ‘Cannibal Ferox’ and, of course, ‘City of the Living Dead’.

In addition to providing an alternative audio commentary to the main feature, legendary horror actress Catriona MacCall recalls playing the role of Mary in the film in ‘Dame Of The Dead’ and reflects upon the film 30 years on. Catriona also appears alongside Giovanni Lombardo Radice in a 20-minute retrospective Q&A session exclusively filmed live at the Glasgow Film Theatre following a recent special screening of the film.

Filmed in the Profondo Rosso shop in Rome, ‘Profondo Luigi: A Colleague’s Memories Of Lucio Fulci’ focuses on director Luigi Cozzi (Contamination; Starcrash; The Killer Must Kill Again) who talks about his own memories of Lucio Fulci and the Italian boom in zombie horror, while in ‘Fulci’s Daughter: Memories of the Italian Gore Maestro’, Antonella Fulci, the daughter of the legendary filmmaker, reflects upon ‘City Of The Living Dead’, the experience of visiting her father’s sets and about his enduring legacy.

Both the DVD and the Blu-ray releases of ‘City Of The Living Dead’ also come with four sleeve artwork options, double-sided poster, six postcards and a newly commissioned booklet, ‘Fulci Of The Living Dead’, written by Calum Waddell and featuring exclusive new interviews with Sergio Stivaletti (Wax Mask), Carlo De Mejo, Antonella Fulci and Ian McCulloch (Zombie Flesh Eaters) among others, providing an in depth career retrospective on the Grand Old Man of Italian Gore.

Directed by Lucio Fulci (The House By The Cemetery; The Beyond; Zombie Flesh Eaters) and starring Christopher George (Mortuary; The Exterminator; Grizzly), Catriona MacColl (The House By The Cemetery; The Beyond), Carlo De Mejo (The House By The Cemetery; Alien Contamination), Giovanni Lombardo Radice (Cannibal Apocalypse; Demons 3 and 4) and Michele Soavi (Demons; Phenomena; Tenebrae), City Of The Living Dead begins with the suicide of a priest in a church cemetery in the small town of Dunwich, New England. A sacrilegious act, the priest’s death mysteriously results in the opening of the gates of hell and, as fate would have it, it falls upon a reporter, a young psychic, a psychiatrist and his patient to team up and find a way to close the portal before All Saints Day, when the dead will rise and feed upon the living.

A hugely influential and much-admired work of horror cinema by one of the genre’s undisputed masters, City Of The Living Dead, taken purely as a stand-alone film, is a must-see horror classic. Now, this definitive special release from Arrow Video is, without doubt, a must-have for every horror fan.

City Of The Living Dead (cert. 18) will be released a two-disc DVD (£17.99) and single-disc Blu-ray (£22.99) by Arrow Video on 24th May 2010.

Special Features include: newly recorded audio commentary by actor Giovanni Lombardo Radice; audio commentary by actress Catriona MacColl and author Jay Slater; introduction to the film by star Carlo De Mejo; ‘Carlo Of The Living Dead featurette; ‘The Many Lives And Deaths Of Giovanni Lombardo Radice’ featurette; ‘Dame Of The Dead’ featurette; ‘Fulci’s Daughter: Memories Of The Italian Gore Maestro’ featurette; ‘Penning Some Paura’ featurette; ‘Profondo Luigi: A Colleague’s Memories Of Lucio Fulci’ featurette; Catriona MacCall and Giovanni Lombardo Radice Q&A session at the Glasgow Film Theatre; ‘Fulci In The House – The Italian Master Of Splatter’ featurette.

UK exclusive features directed by Calum Waddell and edited and produced by Naomi Holwill with associate producer Nick Frame.

Just so everyone knows here's the running time on these new extras:

Carlo of the Living Dead (17 minutes)

The Many Lives and Deaths of Giovanni Lombardo Radice (50 minutes)
Dame of the Dead (25 minutes)

Live from the Glasgow Film Theatre (20 minutes)

Fulci’s Daughter: Memories of the Italian Gore Maestro (27 minutes)

Penning Some Paura (18 minutes)

Profondo Luigi: A Colleague's Memories of Lucio Fulci (17 minutes)

Whilst the collector's booklet chips in at over 5000 words!

I was in attendance for the 'Live from the Glasgow Film Theatre' featurette and it promises to be a great watch.

Next up from Shameless is:

THE FIRST EVER UK RELEASE OF

MARIO BIANCHI’S EUROSLEAZE SHOCKER!

Horror, madness and fevered sexual tension build into a frenzy of unhinged lust and murder in Satan’s Baby Doll, a psychedelic slice of Eurosleaze madness that delivers all the twisted weirdness and cinematic insanity a cult movie fan could desire.

Now this cult classic from prolific porn director Mario Bianchi gets the full Shameless treatment on DVD, featuring an exclusive Shameless ‘Rebuild’ version of the film.

Satan’s Baby Doll features golden age porn diva Marina Hedman, trash movie queen Mariangela Giordano and, in her unique appearance, Jacqueline Dupré. The latter stars as a innocent teenage girl possessed by the wicked spirit of her dead mother; a slain woman who seeks revenge by driving her kin to the edge of sanity.

Now, in the crypt deep beneath a gothic castle, evil is stirring, ready to whip the residents into an orgy of carnal desire and bloody murder...

Satan’s Baby Doll (cert. 18) will be released on DVD (£15.99) by Shameless Screen Entertainment on 31st May 2010.

Special Features include: Shameless ‘Rebuild’ version of feature presentation with extra footage previously only available in XXX version; unique collector’s poster of the original artwork for the film; Mariangela Giordano biography (adapted from an article by Alan Jones and Mark Ashworth); alternate scenes; theatrical trailers; Shameless trailers; optional English subtitles

Reverse art:


This will be the third unique cut of the film, Severin Films is was just the softcore release while the X-Rated Kult release was the full-on hardcore version; this baby is somewhere in the middle!

Finally we have:

Caligula, one of the most notorious films in cinematic history, becomes the ultimate in high def decadence with Arrow Video’s release of Tinto Brass’ ludicrously opulent, multi-million dollar ‘porn epic’ as a spectacular two-disc Blu-ray edition, featuring the uncut version of the film in all its eye-opening glory.

Caligula – The Blu Edition comes complete with four alternate sleeves (including one especially commissioned for this release), a double-sided poster plus a special collector’s booklet.

Initially hauled over the coals (and drastically censored) in 1979 on the grounds that it was indecent and potentially obscene, almost 30 years later, in 2008, this uncut version of Caligula was finally granted an 18 Certificate by the BBFC. Notable for being the only major motion picture ever to star esteemed British actors of the calibre of Malcolm McDowell, John Gielgud, Peter O'Toole and Helen Mirren alongside scenes of extreme violence and explicit hardcore sex, Caligula is a true ‘porn epic', a veritable catalogue of depravity the likes of which have never been seen in one single film before or since.

A ridiculous and bombastic hymn to the decadence of the Roman Empire, this is definitely one movie that that has to be seen, if only to wonder, firstly, how the thing ever got off the ground, and secondly, how it was ever completed. Based on Suetonius's ‘Lives Of The Twelve Caesars' and scripted by celebrated author and historian Gore Vidal, the film was produced by ‘Penthouse' magazine publisher Bob Guccione, with the list of potential directors including the likes of John Huston and Nicolas Roeg. However, when Guccione chanced upon a preview screening of Tinto Brass's ‘Salon Kitty', he knew he had found the right man for the job. Unfortunately, Brass and Guccione's respective visions of what the film should be were worlds apart and no sooner had shooting started than the ‘artistic' bickering began with Vidal, Guccione and Brass all falling out with each other. Vidal was barred from the set and once principal photography was complete, Guccione banned Brass from the editing room and, after shooting extra footage of hardcore sex scenes, the ‘Penthouse' boss set about editing the film himself.

The result is the stuff of legend - an insane, pornographic orgy of a film that details the rise and fall of the titular Roman Emperor (brilliantly played by McDowell), his sexual passion for his sister, his marriage to Rome's most infamous prostitute (Mirren), and his spectacularly inventive ways of dealing with his enemies, all garnished with the totally inappropriate sexual rompings of a dozen or so Penthouse Pets. If nothing else, Caligula truly is cinematic madness on the grandest scale.

The two-disc Caligula – The Blu Edition (cert. 18) will be released on Blu-ray (£19.99) by Arrow Video on 3rd May 2010. Special Features include: deleted and alternate scenes; theatrical trailers; North American bonus footage; behind the scenes footage; ‘The Making of Caligula’; ‘My Roman Holiday’ with John Steiner; ‘Caligula’s Pet: A Conversation with Lori Wagner’; ‘Tinto Brass: The Orgy of Power’; stills galleries; DVD-ROM content.

Harlequin (1980)

(A.K.A Dark Forces)

Australian cinema wasn’t of interest to me until recently, sure I’m a fan of the current crop of new wave films such as Wolf Creek, Coffin Rock, The Proposition, Van Deimen’s Land and the like; but films from the yesteryear of Ozploitation really hasn’t appealed to me. Films like Stone and Felicity have entertained me greatly, yet I didn’t feel the need to actively search for further viewing, that was until I watched Not Quite Hollywood, which is essential viewing for anyone interested in exploitation cinema from around the globe. It’s an eye-opening experience that has left me kicking myself for not picking up the slack at the earliest opportunity as there is a goldmine of Ozploitation treasure to be found! One such treasure is Harlequin (Dark Forces) directed by Simon Wincer.

Basically a modern re-telling of the Rasputin story, the film stars David Hemmings as Nick Rast, a senator with friends in the right places and a shot at furthering his career. However, things aren’t all rosy for Nick as his wife, Sandra (Carmen Duncan) no longer loves him and their son is terminally-ill with leukaemia. When a mysterious faith healer named Gregory Wolfe (Robert Powell) shows up at the family home promising to cure the boy, Sandy accepts his proposal much to Nick’s objection. The boy shows signs of improvement and is soon on the road to recovery, Sandy soon falls for Wolfe and Nick’s friends start to worry that their poster boy’s image is going to be tarnished by these recent events. Wolfe is seen as a threat, and has to be removed, by any means.

Harlequin is a slow-burning pleasure from start to finish. The opening birthday party sequence features Powell in the most arresting of clown costumes, one that will surely send a shiver down the spine of the most hardened of horror fans. The most intriguing aspect to the film is the mystery that surrounds the characters, who is Wolfe? Why are Nick and Sandra in this loveless relationship? Just who are Nick’s friends and how much clout to they have? The film keeps your attention for 90 minutes of solid entertainment. I came into the film expecting an exploitation movie, but this is assured filmmaking with a great cast and was clearly a product of love. Granted the effect work is dated and now add a camp charm to the proceedings but the film still remains an engrossing piece regardless of its surface flaws.

Robert Powell gives a great performance as Wolfe; he’s clearly engaged in the role and delivers the goods as the mysterious, but loveable, stranger. He also rivals Tim Curry for the most sinister looking cinematic clown. David Hemmings also provides us with a likeable performance as Nick, he’s a flawed man but determined, as his life begins to crumble around him it becomes clear that maybe he isn’t the great man he’s told he is. Carmen Duncan also shines as the suffering housewife longing for some genuine affection and attention. They are three complex characters, who could have come across as complete arseholes, but thanks to the three main stars it’s a pleasure to get involved in their situation, seeing it play out and watching them feed off one another.

There’s also an alarming message for viewers in the films climax, I don’t want to give it away but it’s certainly as relevant and frightening now as it was back in 1980. Harlequin is quite the gem, it’s engrossing, well acted, well directed and well photographed, it’s let down by a few ‘signs of the time’ in regards to the not so special effects work, but other than that there is very little to the film that I can see spoiling the viewing experience. Definitely a great film to settle down with on a Sunday evening with a nice cold beer.


Purchase the British DVD here.
Purchase the superior R1 DVD here.

Day of the Dead (1986)

Much, much and much has been written about George A. Romero’s acclaimed … of the Dead trilogy, but there’s something at play here that brings fans back to these films and attracts hordes of new horror fans annually. So why shouldn’t I put in my five pence? I myself remember the first time I witnessed Night of the Living Dead on television in the mid 90’s, out in a cottage in the middle of nowhere in West Wales, late at night with some dodgy aerial reception that didn’t hinder the experience in the slightest, in fact it amplified the effect of the movie, as did my location. Luckily my mother was clued up and had friends with an equally fine taste in entertainment, so I was witnessing Dawn of the Dead within days of my first expose to this zombie outbreak.

That tape didn’t move from my VHS player for pretty much my whole stint in High School (except maybe for the occasional viewing of Pulp Fiction, From Dusk Till Dawn or Usual Suspects – hey, it was the mid 90’s, who wasn’t watching them?) causing me nightmares on a nightly basis, it didn’t bug me, they actually made sleep more enjoyable. Living out my own zombie outbreaks in my head on a nightly basis, who could begrudge that?

Finding the final piece of the story didn’t come for a little while longer however, when cable station Bravo finally showed it late one night, needless to say I was ready, very ready. How was this going to live up to Dawn of the Dead? For me that was the pinnacle of horror cinema, if a kid would claim they’d seen the greatest horror movie ever, normally Wes Craven’s Scream during this period, I’d call them a liar to their face: What did they know?

I may only have been 13 but I thought I’d seen the greatest accomplishment in horror history; could the darkest day in horror really beat it? Back then I’d have said no, but now? I’m thinking it did.
The world has been defeated; the walking dead have claimed the world for themselves. Survivors are few and even further between; those who have made it through are gathered in an abandoned military silo. Risking their lives to venture into heart of Florida to look for stragglers, hope of finding further survivors is bleak to say the least. Sarah and fellow scientists, Dr. Fisher and the eccentric Dr. Logan, are conducting various experiments on the undead in hopes of finding a cure or reversal to the outbreak. Captain Rhodes and his men, including Sarah’s boyfriend Miguel, have other designs. They want nothing more than to get free of the silo and attempt to locate other military personnel. John, a helicopter pilot and Bill, the radio operative round out the group as a third party to the scientists and military bodies: keeping themselves to themselves in their self made ‘Rtiz’ cabin.

Rhodes has become a tyrant, claiming the clan as his property he barks orders and makes demands of everyone in the silo; even those not under his command. He’s unhappy that his men are taking fatalities due to the scientists requiring zombie specimens and demands evidence that their work is worth the risk. As anger boils, distrust runs high and hate is the only common bond between the inhabitants; it becomes apparent that being around other humans is just as destructive as being out there with the zombies.

Dr. Logan has a breakthrough with his pet experiment, Bub. A zombie that shows signs of emotion towards his captor and is even docile around other humans, it would appear he’s been taught to behave. Rhodes in none too please by the circus act and threatens to close down the project totally, however a tragic accident sets in motion a chain of horrific events that proves just as deadly as any zombies threat they were trying to protect themselves from.

‘The darkest day of horror the world has even known’ couldn’t have been a more fitting tagline for this movie. The bleak realisation that humans are their own worst enemy (which was touched upon in both Night and Dawn) never makes for an entertaining watch, but Romero ingeniously makes the villains of the piece so fantastically vile that you get some relief in seeing them perish. On the flipside, there’s also a humanity to them, at heart they’re scared little school boys resorting to bullying tactics as a result of severe hardship from their authority figures.

The most human of character however, and the irony isn’t hard to miss, is Bub. There’s so much to praise in Sherman Howard’s performance that it’s pointless discussing it, all you need to know is he’s possibly the most memorable character in all of Romero’s Dead movies. Having Bub as the heart to this otherwise heartless movie is also cause for more darkness, the tone is so bleak that you have to question whether or not humans are worth saving in a world were the lifeless show more care and compassion. Even the charismatic John and Bill show favouritism towards leaving other humans behind and taking care of themselves – though with Rhodes in charge of the show you can hardly blame them.
Much criticism was launched at the unsympathetic characters, this has always bothered me. Romero obviously wanted to do something different here, possibly due to his own observations on Regan-era America? Maybe he was just angry at the fact he had his budget pulled from beneath him and lashed out? Or it could be he just felt that it was the logical progression for the series? Nice guys finish last they say; so where does that leave mankind at the end of the earth? Whatever his reasons were, it was a brave decision that is only just starting to find its rightful place in the horror canon as the classic that it is.

Arrow Video has just released a 25th anniversary edition Blu-ray and it’s a thing of beauty. The film looks fantastic in 1080p resolution, with vivid colours and strong blacks making the final onslaught of blood and guts extra easy on the eye; just not on the stomach. They’ve also gathered plenty of extras for the fans; porting over various features and documentaries from past releases (Anchor Bay US and the previous Arrow DVD release), they’ve chucked tonnes onto a second DVD. On the Blu they’ve carted over a commentary from a previous release and they’ve also commissioned some new features exclusive to this release, by up and comers High Rise Productions.
Joe of the Dead is an in-depth interview with the obnoxious captain Rhodes himself, Joe Pilato. He discusses his roots in acting, how he met George A. Romero and how he came to be cast as one of 80’s cinemas finest villains. He also offers up his thoughts on the great man, a statement he’ll state himself in an entertaining 50 minutes of chin-wagging. Travelogue of the Dead is the second feature and it’s a fun 15 minutes of Joe at screenings of Day of the Dead in Scotland and Ireland meeting his fans and holding entertaining Q&A sessions. If you think he looks a little tipsy during some of these sessions I have it good authority that he actually was, rock and roll, Joe… rock and roll.
If that wasn’t enough we also get a miniature replica UK quad poster, four covers to choose from and a booklet entitled For Every Dawn There Is A Day written by UK journalist Calum Waddell, which features some great insights from cast members and his good self. There’s also a marvellous 24-page comic book produced exclusively for this release, Day of the Dead: Desertion a prequel of sorts that tells the story of the iconic Bub and how he ended up in the situation he finds himself in during the movie. Who could refuse such a loving package?

Purchase the Blu-ray here.
*Please note that the images contained within this review are not taken from the Blu-ray.