Genre fans have a quiet week of home entertainment releases ahead of them as February 16th features only a handful of horror and sci-fi Blu-ray and DVD offerings. That being said, cult and classic horror film fanatics should be ecstatic with several of the Blus coming out on Tuesday, including The Vincent Price Collection III, The Mutilator, Curse of the Faceless Man and My Science Project, featuring none other than the legendary Dennis Hopper.
Other releases this week include Estranged and Riddle Room.
Curse of the Faceless Man (Kino Lorber, Blu-ray)
Entombed for eons and turned to stone... the Volcano Man of 2,000 years ago stalks the earth to claim his woman! A team of archeologists, led by Dr. Paul Mallon (Richard Anderson, TV’s The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman) excavates a perfectly preserved faceless man of stone encased in lava from a site at ancient Pompeii. Mallon begins to piece together the history and identity of the stone figure, he uncovers the story of Quintillus Aurelius, an Etruscan gladiator-slave who was tortured and sentenced to death for daring to love a noblewoman, but the eruption of the Vesuvius Volcano destroyed the city and buried the jailed Quintilus Aurelius. But when dead bodies with smashed skulls begin to pile up, not only do the scientists believe that the faceless man is still alive, but bent to carrying out his final wish, rescuing his beloved - reincarnated as Tina Enright (Elaine Edwards, The Bat), Mallon’s fiancée. Directed by cult-great Edward L. Cahn (Invisible Invaders).
The Mutilator (Arrow Video, Blu-ray/DVD 2-Disc Special Edition)
BY SWORD. BY PICK. BY AXE. BYE BYE. Although the slasher film was in decline by the mid-1980s, there were still some grisly delights to be had... and they don t come much grislier than writer-director Buddy Cooper s sickening stalk-and-slash classic The Mutilator!
When Ed receives a message from his father asking him to go and lock up the family s beach condo for the winter, it seems like the perfect excuse for an alcohol-fuelled few days away with his friends. After all, his dad has forgiven him for accidentally blowing mom away with a shotgun several years ago... hasn't he? But no sooner are the teens on the island than they find themselves stalked by a figure with an axe (and a hook, and an onboard motor) to grind...
Originally entitled Fall Break (watch out for the incongruous theme song of the same name!), The Mutilator has earned a reputation amongst horror fans as one of the holy grails of 80s splatter mayhem due to its highly inventive (and not to say, decidedly gruesome) kill sequences, courtesy of FX wizard Mark Shostrom (Videodrome, Evil Dead II). Finally making its long-awaited bow in High-Definition, The Mutilator has returned to terrorize a whole new generation of horror fans!
DIRECTOR-APPROVED SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS:
The Vincent Price Collection III (Scream Factory, Blu-ray)
This extraordinary collector’s set is an essential collection for every movie library and brings together FIVE Vincent Price masterpiece classics, featuring the first-ever Blu-ray movie presentation of MASTER OF THE WORLD (1961), TOWER OF LONDON (1962), DIARY OF A MADMAN (1963), AN EVENING OF EDGAR ALLAN POE (1970) and CRY OF THE BANSHEE (1970). Packed with a bevy of chilling bonus content including new interview with producer/director Roger Corman and writer/producer/director Kenneth Johnson, new audio commentary with actor David Frankham, film historians, original theatrical trailers, archival materials, this highly-anticipated Blu-ray collection also includes a 12-page collector’s book with rare photos.
Special Features Include:
DISC 1:
MASTER OF THE WORLD
High Definition 1080p (1.85:1)/DTS Master Audio Stereo/1961/Color/Not Rated/102 minutes
-High Definition Master from the inter-positive
-Stereo Soundtrack created from the original 4-track mag
-Audio commentary with actor David Frankham
-“Richard Matheson: Storyteller:” Extended Cut (72 minutes)
-Theatrical Trailer
-Posters, Lobby Cards and Behind-the-Scenes Photo Gallery
-Photo Gallery of images from David Frankham’s personal collection
DISC 2:
TOWER OF LONDON
High Definition 1080p (1.66:1)/DTS Master Audio Mono/1962/B&W/Not Rated/80 minutes
-High Definition Master from a fine grain film print
-Interview with director Roger Corman
-“Producing Tower of London” – an interview with producer Gene Corman
-Two episodes of Science Fiction Theatre: “One Thousand Eyes” and “Operation Flypaper” (1956) both starring Vincent Price (in Standard Definition – 52 minutes)
-Posters, Lobby Cards and Behind-the-Scenes Photo Gallery
DISC 3:
DIARY OF A MADMAN
High Definition 1080p (1.66:1)/DTS Master Audio Mono/1963/Color/Not Rated/96 minutes
AN EVENING OF EDGAR ALLAN POE
Standard Definition (1.33:1)/DTS Master Audio Mono/1970/Color/Not Rated/53 mins.
-High Definition Master from the inter-positive film element (“Diary of A Madman”)
-Master created from the original 2” tape masters (“An Evening of Edgar Allan Poe”)
-Audio Commentary with film historian and author Steve Haberman (on both features)
-Interview with writer/producer/director Kenneth Johnson (“An Evening of Edgar Allan Poe”)
-Theatrical Trailer (“Diary of A Madman”)
-Poster and Lobby Card Gallery (“Diary of A Madman”)
-Behind-the-Scenes Photo Gallery (“An Evening of Edgar Allan Poe”)
DISC 4:
CRY OF THE BANSHEE
High Definition 1080p (1.85:1)/DTS Master Audio Mono/1970/Color/Not Rated/91 minutes (Director’s Cut)/87 minutes (Theatrical Cut)
-High Definition Master of the director’s cut from the inter-positive
-High Definition Master of the American International Theatrical Cut from the only surviving element in MGM’s Vault, a Color Reversal Intermediate
-Audio Commentary by film historian Steve Haberman (Director’s Cut)
-“A Devilish Tale of Poe” – an interview with director Gordon Hessler
-Theatrical Trailer
-TV Spot
-Radio Spot
-Posters, Lobby Cards and Behind-the-Scenes Photo Gallery
ALSO AVAILABLE THIS WEEK:
Estranged (Well Go USA, Blu-ray & DVD)
My Science Project (Mill Creek Entertainment, Blu-ray)
Riddle Room (Breaking Glass/Vicious Circle Films, 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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