Hello, everyone! Now that September is nearly upon us (which means we’re getting closer and closer to our favorite season), we have one last round of home entertainment releases ahead of us before we can finally bid August a fond farewell - and there are a lot of different titles making their way home tomorrow. Arrow Video is keeping busy this week with their 4K release of Dune as well as the special edition release of The Brotherhood of Satan, and Kino Lorber is resurrecting several classics on Blu-ray this Tuesday, including The Raven, The Last Man on Earth, and The Comedy of Terrors.
If you have younger genre fans at home, you’ll definitely want to pick up the new editions of Coraline and The Boxtrolls from Scream Factory, and for you cult film fans, Vinegar Syndrome has you covered with their new Blu-rays for Killer’s Delight, The Lamp (aka The Outing), Through the Fire, and their Forgotten Gialli: Volume 2 box set.
Other releases for August 31st include Fear the Walking Dead: Season 6, She Freak, Road to Hell, and Mary Loss of Soul.
The Brotherhood of Satan: Special Edition (Arrow Video, Blu-ray)
A small rural town and a family of outsiders, both trapped in the demonic grip of The Brotherhood of Satan! Recently widowed Ben, his glamourous girlfriend Nicky and his small daughter K.T. are on a road trip across the Southwest, which comes to a screeching halt when they witness an accident. Heading to the nearby isolated desert town of Hillsboro to report it to the Sheriff (played by L.Q. Jones), they are met with a hostile reaction from the locals, who are gripped by paranoia and fear due to a series of gruesome deaths, as well as the mysterious disappearance of eleven of the community's children. As the bodies continue to pile up around them, Ben and his family find themselves joining the sheriff, a local priest and the town's enigmatic physician Doc Duncan (Strother Martin, Cool Hand Luke) in the midst of a mystery that points towards a deadly satanic cult…
Produced by Alvy Moore and L.Q. Jones, a veteran character actor best known for his work with Sam Peckinpah, The Brotherhood of Satan is an atmospheric and chilling tale of terror that provides a crucial missing link between Rosemary's Baby (1968) and The Devil's Rain (1975) in the cycle of turn-of-the-seventies shockers involving sinister devil\-worshipping cults lurking within the dark shadows of modern-day America.
SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS:
The Comedy of Terrors (Kino Lorber, Blu-ray)
Your Favorite Creeps Together Again! Four masters of the macabre star in this sinister and screamingly funny scare-fest! Waldo Trumbull (Vincent Price, The Raven) is running his father-in-law’s (Boris Karloff, Black Sabbath) funeral home business... straight into the ground! Hounded by his landlord (Basil Rathbone, The Magic Sword), Trumbull and his assistant (Peter Lorre, Tales of Terror) devise a way to make death pay: by increasing their customer base through murder and burying the secrets of their success... body by body! Jacques Tourneur, the diabolical director of Cat People, I Walked with a Zombie, Out of the Past and War-Gods of the Deep, blended humor and horror for The Comedy of Terrors, written by Richard Matheson (The Last Man on Earth) and co-starring Joyce Jameson (The Apartment) with special guest star Joe E. Brown (Some Like It Hot).
Special Features:
Dune 4K: 2-Disc Limited Edition (Arrow Video, 4K Ultra HD)
Following a notorious aborted attempt by Alejandro Jodorowsky in the 1970s, Frank Herbert’s bestselling sci-fi epic Dune finally made it to the big screen as the third film by emerging surrealist wunderkind David Lynch, featuring an all-star cast that includes several of Lynch’s regular collaborators.
The year is 10,191, and four planets are embroiled in a secret plot to wrest control of the Spice Melange, the most precious substance in the universe and found only on the planet Arrakis. A feud between two powerful dynasties, House Atreides and House Harkonnen, is manipulated from afar by ruling powers that conspire to keep their grip on the spice. As the two families clash on Arrakis, Duke Atreides’ son Paul (Kyle MacLachlan, in his screen debut) finds himself at the center of an intergalactic war and an ancient prophecy that could change the galaxy forever.
Though its initial reception ensured that Lynch largely eschewed mainstream filmmaking for the rest of his career, Dune has since been rightly re-evaluated as one of the most startlingly original and visionary science fiction films of the 1980s. Its astonishing production design and visual effects can now be appreciated anew in this spellbinding 4K restoration, accompanied by hours of comprehensive bonus features.
4K ULTRA HD LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS:
DISC 1: FEATURE & EXTRAS (4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY):
DISC 2: BONUS DISC (BLU-RAY):
Forgotten Gialli: Volume 2 (Vinegar Syndrome, Blu-ray)
With the giallo at its peak in the early 70s, it seemed that every filmmaker working in Italy was vying to make one and put their unique creative stamp on this highly popular genre. Presented here are a trio of early 70s gialli, all directed by filmmakers who had never made one before (or after) and all presenting wildly different approaches to the genre's most prevalent trappings.
THE GIRL IN ROOM 2A: After being released from prison, Margaret (Daniela Giordano) goes to stay at a halfway house for female ex-cons, run by the kindly Mrs. Grant. It's not long before she begins experiencing strange happenings in the old house, and things take an even more unsettling turn when she befriends Charlie, who is searching for his sister, who disappeared after staying in the house.
A bizarre giallo directed by American exploitation filmmaker, William L. Rose & produced by globe trotting sleaze impresario, Dick Randall, THE GIRL IN ROOM 2A ('House of Fear' in Italian) plays like an American roughie that's been dressed as a murder mystery. Vinegar Syndrome is pleased to present this in a brand new 2K restoration of its original 35mm camera negative & in its longest and most complete version ever presented on disc!
THE FRENCH SEX MURDERS: Following the brutal death of a prostitute at a Parisian brothel, grizzled Inspector Fontaine (Robert Sacchi) is brought in to investigate. After implicating Antoine (Peter Martell), a petty thief & regular client of the murdered woman, Fontaine believes the case to be closed. However, after Antoine makes a daring attempt to escape, getting decapitated in the process, those affiliated with implicating him begin to meet their own violent ends. Has Antoine's vengeful spirit returned to kill those he believes responsible for his own gruesome fate, or has another, more sinister character been behind these diabolical murders from the very beginning?
A sublimely trashy giallo produced by Dick Randall and helmed by assistant director, Ferdinando Merighi, THE FRENCH SEX MURDERS straddles the line between a clever murder mystery and a distinctly 70s sleaze-fest. Vinegar Syndrome is proud to present the world Blu-ray debut of this cult favorite, newly restored from its original 35mm camera negative!
MY DEAR KILLER: After a man is decapitated at a construction site, Inspector Luca Peretti (George Hilton) is assigned to the case. But what initially seems to be an isolated killing soon paves the way for an ever growing number of vicious murders. As Peretti tries to unmask the killer, he discovers that all of the victims were connected to another shocking & unsolved crime - the horrific murder of a young girl.
Directed by Tonino Valerii, MY DEAR KILLER was his sole foray into the giallo genre. The result is a handsomely produced and unrelenting mystery-thriller that revels in clever twists and brutally depicted murders. Vinegar Syndrome is proud to present this sleeper masterpiece of prime era giallo cinema on Blu-ray, from a stunning new 4K restoration of its 35mm original negative.
Bonus Features:
Killer’s Delight (Vinegar Syndrome, Blu-ray)
An unknown killer has been stalking Northern California, picking up innocent young women in his van and then brutally torturing and murdering them, leaving their mutilated bodies in nearby woods. Sgt. Vince De Carlo has been assigned to the case but finds himself with almost nothing to go on, that is, until the murderer begins picking off teenage girls who frequent a local public pool. With the aid of psychologist Carol Thompson, De Carlo begins to devise a plan to lure the killer into the open…
More than slightly inspired by the then hot case of notorious serial killer, Ted Bundy, Jeremy Hoenack's KILLER'S DELIGHT (originally shot as THE SPORT KILLER and later re-released as THE DARK RIDE) is an intriguing mix of proto-slasher and detective drama which stars prolific TV actor James Luisi (The Rockford Files) alongside Golden Globe nominee Susan Sullivan (Falcon Crest), John Karlen (Dark Shadows), and genre film character actor, George 'Buck' Flower (Berserker). Vinegar Syndrome is proud to present this gritty true crime thriller on Blu-ray for the first time, newly restored in 4K from its original 35mm camera negative.
Bonus Features:
The Lamp (aka The Outing) (Vinegar Syndrome, Blu-ray)
After a group of thieves decide to ransack the home of a strange, old Gypsy woman, murdering her in the process, they unwittingly free a vengeful genie named Jinn who has been held captive for centuries in an ancient oil lamp. Soon after, the lamp is acquired by a local museum. But as Alex Wallace, daughter of the museum's curator, decides to sneak a group of her friends into the museum after hours for a night of partying, she doesn't realize that Jinn is looking for a new 'keeper' and that Alex is the perfect vessel to carry out the genie's diabolical actions...
Primed with an assortment of gruesome deaths and a very dark sense of humor, Tom Daley's THE LAMP (aka THE OUTING) is a wild, Texas lensed, mid 80s supernatural horror gem. Starring Deborah Winters (Kotch), James Huston (Ray, Powder), and featuring the voice of cult actor Jackson Bostwick (TV's Shazam, The Prey) as the voice of murderous genie, Jinn, Vinegar Syndrome is delighted to resurrect THE LAMP on Blu-ray, featuring a brand new 2K restoration and an extended making-of documentary featuring new interviews with its cast and crew, thus finally allowing the incredible story of its production to be told!
Bonus Features:
The Last Man on Earth (Kino Lorber, Blu-ray)
Screen legend Vincent Price (Tales of Terror, The Raven) gives a masterful performance in this post-apocalyptic sci-fi chiller, the first and most faithful adaptation of Richard Matheson’s classic novel I Am Legend. A plague envelops the earth, decimating the population and leaving one man still alive: scientist Robert Morgan (Price), who exhibits a strange immunity to the deadly disease. The rest of the earth’s people slowly turn into bloodsucking vampires and Morgan must use all of his knowledge to survive their onslaught. Directed by Sidney Salkow (Twice-Told Tales) and produced by Robert L. Lippert (The Earth Dies Screaming), this seminal classic influenced the creation of Night of the Living Dead plus countless imitations.
Special Features:
The Raven (Kino Lorber, Blu-ray)
The legendary “Triumvirate of Terror”—Vincent Price (Scream and Scream Again), Peter Lorre (The Comedy of Terrors) and Boris Karloff (The Crimson Cult)—star in this twisted tale of sorcery most fowl! Director Roger Corman (The Tomb of Ligeia) and screenwriter Richard Matheson (The Last Man on Earth) deliver a tongue-in-cheek take on Edgar Allan Poe’s most famous poem. Dr. Craven (Price), the son of a great sorcerer (now dead), was once himself quite skilled at that profession, but has since abandoned it. One evening, a cowardly fool of a magician named Bedlo (Lorre) comes to Craven for help—the evil Scarabus (Karloff) has turned him into a raven and he needs someone to change him back. He also tells the reluctant wizard that Craven’s long-lost wife Lenore (Hazel Court, The Premature Burial), whom he loved greatly and thought dead, is living with the despised Scarabus. Featuring Jack Nicholson (Prizzi’s Honor) in an early screen role, this Corman-Poe classic about two wizards dueling for magical supremacy is utterly bewitching!
Special Features:
She Freak (AGFA, Blu-ray)
Fed up with waitressing, Jade Cochran (Claire Brennen) embarks on a new life with a traveling carnival. But she discovers that what lurks behind the curtain doesn't take too kindly to her backstabbing plans. A gutter-noir reworking Tod Browning's FREAKS and a valentine to the carnival lifestyle that defined the career of producer David F. Friedman (BLOOD FEAST), SHE FREAK is a snapshot of life, love, and revenge on the grounds of a seedy carnival in Smalltown, USA -- complete with crackpot monster make-up effects from Harry Thomas (PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE). Like Devo's music and Ed Wood's novels, SHE FREAK creates a synthetic reality that is often preferable to our own. AGFA + Something Weird are beyond excited to present a dazzling 4K restoration of this essential weirdo classic.
Bonus Features:
ALSO AVAILABLE THIS WEEK:
The Boxtrolls: Laika Studios Edition (Scream Factory, Blu/DVD Combo)
Cannibal Man (Severin Films, DVD)
Coraline: Laika Studios Edition (Scream Factory, Blu/DVD Combo)
Fear the Walking Dead: Season 6 (Lionsgate Home Entertainment, Blu-ray & DVD)
Mary Loss of Soul (Shoreline Entertainment, Blu-ray)
No One Heard the Scream (Severin Films, DVD)
Road to Hell (Shoreline Entertainment, Blu-ray)
Through the Fire (Vinegar Syndrome, Blu-ray)
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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