Before we bid the month of April farewell, we still have one final batch of Blu-ray and DVD releases coming our way this Tuesday to look forward to. Scream Factory is set to release a double dose of classic horror with The Brain and Tarantula (which still holds a special place in my heart, as it was one of my very first creature features ever), and Vinegar Syndrome is keeping busy with their terror-inducing trio of titles: The Corruption of Chris Miller, Grandmother’s House, and Darkroom.
Kino Lorber is also giving Hannibal (2001) the 4K treatment this week, and if you happened to miss them during their limited releases, both The Hole in the Ground and Level 16 are very much worth your time.
Other Blu-ray and DVD releases for April 30th include City of the Vampires, Deadly Crush, Emanuelle and Francoise, Death Warmed Up, and Motel Mist.
The Brain (Scream Factory, Blu-ray)
Imagine a pulsating mass of gray matter, expanding in size and strength as it takes control of human minds and devours human bodies. It could never happen, right? Just watch Independent Thinking, starring Dr. Anthony Blakely (David Gale, Re-Animator), a hot new TV program. But as the show’s ratings continue to soar, so does the suicide and murder rate among its viewers. What they don’t know is that Dr. Blake has teamed with an alien brain and plans to gain control of all humanity.
The Corruption of Chris Miller (Vinegar Syndrome, Blu/DVD Combo)
Chris Miller (former Spanish child star, Marisol) lives with her stepmother Ruth (Jean Seberg; Breathless) in a large secluded mansion in the countryside. Both women have been traumatized by the mysterious disappearance of Chris' father but their isolation is soon interrupted by the arrival of a mysterious young drifter, Barney (Barry Stokes; Prey), who they take on as a handyman. All the while, an unknown scythe wielding killer has been stalking the area, leaving an ever growing body count, and it's not long before the women grow increasingly suspicious of Barney...
A bloody and twist filled giallo from acclaimed filmmaker Juan Antonio Bardem (Death of a Cyclist), THE CORRUPTION OF CHRIS MILLER has remained one of the hardest to see of all Spanish produced gialli. Lushly photographed by Juan Gelpí (Crypt of the Living Dead) and scored by Waldo de los Ríos (House That Screamed), Vinegar Syndrome is proud to present this under-seen masterpiece of early 70s Euro horror in a brand new 4k restoration and in its original scope framing, for the first time on home video.
Bonus Features:
1. Newly scanned & restored in 4k from its 35mm original negative
2. Archival career retrospective interview with director Juan Antonio Bardem
3. "Jean Seberg: Movie Star" - a short film exploring the tragic life of Jean Seberg
4. English and Spanish sound mixes
5. Alternate Spanish ending
6. Alternate Spanish insert shot and partial title sequence
7. Original theatrical trailer
8. Reversible cover artwork
9. English SDH subtitles
Grandmother’s House (Vinegar Syndrome, Blu/DVD Combo)
David and Lynn have just lost their father. Now orphaned, the youngsters are sent to live with their grandparents in a beautiful Victorian mansion. But no sooner than boarding the coach bus scheduled to take them to their new home do strange things start to occur, initially in the form of a mysterious woman who seems to appear and disappear in the blink of an eye. It's not long, however, before murdered bodies are found in the area and, to make matters worse, David becomes increasingly fearful that his doting grandparents might be involved in the killings.
Mixing the visual flair of a gothic horror film with a murder thriller, Peter Rader's (Waterworld) directorial debut, GRANDMOTHER'S HOUSE stars Eric Foster (Cry Wilderness), Kim Valentine (Dot Com for Murder), Ida Lee (Vegas in Space), Len Lesser (Seinfeld) and Brinke Stevens (Nightmare Sisters). Written and photographed by acclaimed steadicam operator Peter Jensen and produced by Nico Mastorakis (Island of Death), GRANDMOTHER'S HOUSE is a late period exploitation-horror classic that comes to Blu-ray for the first time, newly restored in 4k from its original camera negative.
Bonus Features:
1. Region Free Blu-ray/DVD combo
2. Newly scanned & restored in 4k from its 35mm original camera negative
3. "The Mysterious Woman" - an interview with actress Brinke Stevens
4. "Back to Grandmother's House" - an interview with director Peter Rader
5. "Slow n' Steady" - an interview writer/cinematographer Peter Jensen
6. Archival 'making-of' featurette - which includes the original short concept film
7. Still gallery
8. Original trailer
9. Reversible cover artwork
10. English SDH subtitles
The Hole in the Ground (Lionsgate, DVD)
Suspense, terror, and the supernatural meet when Sarah and her young son Chris move to a new home in the Irish countryside. One night, Chris vanishes; when he reappears, he seems unharmed and unchanged. But as Chris’s behavior grows increasingly disturbing, Sarah fears the boy who has returned may not be her son in this richly evocative feature debut from writer-director Lee Cronin.
Level 16 (Dark Sky Films, Blu-ray & DVD)
Trapped in a mysterious boarding school, 16-year-old Vivien and Sophia embark on a dangerous search to uncover the horrifying truth behind their imprisonment. Soon running for their lives, the girls must save themselves or die trying. Featuring striking imagery and charismatic performances, this critically acclaimed, dystopian sci-fi thriller is an intense and furiously cerebral experience like no other.
Tarantula (Scream Factory, Blu-ray)
Biochemist Gerald Deemer (Leo G. Carroll, North by Northwest) has a plan to feed the world by using a growth formula on plants and animals. Instead he creates terror beyond imagining when his work spawns a spider of mammoth proportions!
Feeding on cattle and humans, this towering tarantula has the people of Desert Rock, Arizona running for their lives. Can this horrifying creature be stopped or will the world succumb to its giant claws? This classic sci-fi film from director Jack Arnold (Creature From The Black Lagoon, It Came From Outer Space) stars John Agar (The Mole People, Attack Of The Puppet People) and Mara Corday (The Black Scorpion, The Giant Claw) and features a cameo by Clint Eastwood as a jet squadron leader!
ALSO AVAILABLE THIS WEEK:
City of the Vampires (SRS Cinema, Blu-ray)
Darkroom (Vinegar Syndrome, Blu/DVD Combo)
Deadly Crush (Ammo Content, LLC., Blu-ray)
Death Warmed Up (Severin Films, Blu-ray)
Emanuelle and Francoise (Severin Films, Blu-ray)
Hannibal (2001) (KL Studio Classics, 4K Ultra HD/ Blu Combo)
Motel Mist (Breaking Glass Pictures, DVD)
Unlisted Owner (Lawford County Productions, Blu-ray & DVD)
Heather A. Wixson was born and raised in the Chicago suburbs, until she followed her dreams and moved to Los Angeles in 2009. A 14-year veteran in the world of horror entertainment journalism, Wixson fell in love with genre films at a very early age, and has spent more than a decade as a writer and supporter of preserving the history of horror and science fiction cinema. Throughout her career, Wixson has contributed to several notable websites, including Fangoria, Dread Central, Terror Tube, and FEARnet, and she currently serves as the Managing Editor for Daily Dead, which has been her home since 2013. She's also written for both Fangoria Magazine & ReMind Magazine, and her latest book project, Monsters, Makeup & Effects: Volume One will be released on October 20, 2021.
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