Before February draws to a close, we have one more batch of horror and sci-fi home media releases coming our way, including the Oscar-nominated Border, which this writer loved. There are also a ton of great cult titles that are finally getting their dues this week, including Mausoleum, Invasion of the Blood Farmers, Wacko, Next of Kin, and for all you classic sci-fi fans, Scream Factory is showing some love to The Mole People as well, and if you missed it in theaters, The Possession of Hannah Grace comes home on Tuesday, too.
Other Blu-ray and DVD releases for February 26th include Willard (2003), Party Line, Bullitt County, Atone, and Battle for the Lost Planet/Mutant War.
Border (Universal Pictures Home Entertainment, Blu-ray)
Tina (Eva Melander) is a border guard who has the ability to smell human emotions and catch smugglers. When she comes across a mysterious man (Eero Milonoff) with a smell that confounds her detection, she uncovers a mystery…a dark secret about mankind and her own past.
Invasion of the Blood Farmers (Severin Films, Blu-ray & DVD)
In 1972, a team of New York City exploitation outlaws that included Ed Adlum (SHRIEK OF THE MUTILATED), Ed Kelleher (PRIME EVIL) and Michael & Roberta Findlay (THE TOUCH OF HER FLESH, SNUFF) - along with first-time assistant cameraman and future award-winning cinematographer Frederick Elmes (ERASERHEAD, BLUE VELVET) - descended on bucolic Westchester County with 8½ bottles of stage blood to make a movie about a Druid cult seeking to resurrect their dead queen. The budget was $24,000. The cast was paid in beer. And the result remains one of the greatest achievements in schlock/shock cinema history. Severin Films is proud to present this "accidental masterpiece" (Horror News) like you've never seen it before, now scanned from the original negative for the first time ever and spurting with all-new Special Features.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
- Audio commentary with director Ed Adlum and actress Ortrum Tippel, moderated by Kier-La Janisse, author of House of Psychotic Women
- Nothing You'd Show Your Mom: Eddie Adlum's journey through exploitation, coin-op & rock n' roll
- Interview with actor Jack Neubeck
- Painful Memories: An interview with cinematographer Frederick Elmes
- Trailer
Mausoleum (Vinegar Syndrome, Blu/DVD Combo)
The Nomed Family has been the victim of an ancient curse in which the first born daughter of each generation has gone violently mad and then suspiciously dies. No one can explain the Nomed madness, but some say it's because of the possession of a terrible demonic force. By way of an unnatural urge during her mother's funeral, Susan entered her family's mausoleum, and ever since an evil presence has been lurking inside of her, waiting for a chance to come out. Now an adult, something is hiding inside Susan's body, coming out to grotesquely murder anyone who comes too close to uncovering her terrifying secret.
A consummate blending of early 80s supernatural horror and slasher film tropes, Michael Dugan's (SUPER SEAL) MAUSOLEUM is a stylish, sleazy, and outrageously gory production, featuring a series of imaginative death scenes orchestrated by effects wizard John Carl Buechler (REANIMATOR, TROLL). Starring Bobbie Bresee (GHOULIES) and Marjoe Gortner (WHEN YOU COMIN' BACK RED RYDER?) and featuring a moody orchestral score from Jamie Mendoza-Nava (BOYS OF COMPANY C), Vinegar Syndrome is pleased to bring MAUSOLEUM to Blu-ray, fully uncut and newly restored from its camera negative, with its 'explosive' opening sequence completely intact.
Bonus Features:
1. Region free Blu-ray/DVD combo
2. Newly scanned & restored in 4k from its 35mm original camera negative
3. "Making Monsters" - a video interview with special fx makeup artist John Carl Buechler
4. Original theatrical trailer
5. Multiple tv spots
6. Promotional still gallery
7. Reversible cover artwork
8. English SDH subtitles
The Mole People (Scream Factory, Blu-ray)
Terrifying Monsters from a lost age! John Agar (Attack Of The Puppet People), Hugh Beaumont (Leave It To Beaver) and Nestor Paiva (Creature From The Black Lagoon) star as three archaeologists who come upon an unusual race of albino beings who shun all forms of light and have mutant mole men as their slaves.
Because of their "magical cylinders of fire", (what we know as flashlights), these archaeologists are treated like gods until they try to liberate the mole people. Can the archaeologists escape this hallowed mountain in Asia ... or will they be destroyed in a strange underground world?
Next of Kin (Severin Films, Blu-ray & DVD)
It's been hailed as "skin-crawlingly real" (Horror News), "a jaw-dropping achievement" (Moon In the Gutter) and "a giallo that rivals Argento's DEEP RED" (Scary Minds), yet has remained largely unseen in America. Now experience "one of the greatest horror movies of the 20th Century" (Goomba Stomp) for the first time ever… and like never before: When a young woman inherits a creaky retirement home, she'll find herself in a waking nightmare of murder, madness and a legacy of evil that may be inescapable. Jackie Kerin, John Jarratt (WOLF CREEK) and Alex Scott (ROMPER STOMPER) star in this "stylish and creepy must-see" (The Digital Fix) - featuring an intense synth score by Klaus Schulze of Tangerine Dream - now transferred from original Australian vault elements and packed with all-new Special Features.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
- Commentary with director Tony Williams and producer Tim White
- Commentary with Mark Hartley and cast members Jackie Kerin, John Jarrett and Robert Ratti
- House of Psychotic Women intro by Kier-La Janisse for Morbido TV
- Extended interviews from Not Quite Hollywood
- Return to Monteclare: Location revisit, 2018
- Deleted scenes
- Before the Night is Out: Ballroom footage, 1979
- Original theatrical trailer
- UK VHS trailer
- German theatrical trailer
- Alternate German opening
- Image gallery
- Tony Williams short films
The Possession of Hannah Grace (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Blu-ray & DVD)
A shocking exorcism spirals out of control, claiming the life of a young woman. Months later, Megan Reed (Shay Mitchell) is working the graveyard shift in the morgue when she takes delivery of a disfigured cadaver. Locked alone inside the basement corridors, Megan begins to experience horrifying visions and starts to suspect that the body may be possessed by a ruthless demonic force.
Wacko (Vinegar Syndrome, Blu/DVD Combo)
Thirteen years ago, at the Halloween Pumpkin Prom, the infamous Lawnmower Killer went on a brutal rampage, murdering several high school students, including Mary Graves' older sister, traumatizing her for life. Now, after the unexpected escape of a prisoner from the state mental hospital, who may or may not be the killer, it's up to hard-nosed gumshoe Dick Harbinger to solve the case before the Lawnmower Killer seeks out a new slew of victims at the upcoming Pumpkin Prom, that is if anyone is able to survive the hilarious horror hijinks leading up to it!
A raucous parody of horror films and teen sex comedies, predating the Scary Movie franchise by nearly two decades, director Greydon Clark's (Joysticks) WACKO features a mind blowing ensemble cast including Joe Don Baker (Goldeneye, Fletch), Stella Stevens (The Poseidon Adventure), George Kennedy (Charade), Charles Napier (The Blues Brothers, Supervixens), Julia Duffy (The Doctors) and Andrew Dice Clay in his first feature film role! Never officially released on DVD and barely available in any format since the 80s, Vinegar Syndrome brings this sidelined chunk of horror-comedy gold to Blu-ray, newly restored in 4k from its long lost camera negative!
Bonus Features:
1. Region A Blu-ray/DVD combo
2. Newly scanned & restored in 4k from its 35mm camera negative
3. Brand new commentary track with director Greydon Clark
4. "Die Laughing" - an interview with cinematographer Nicholas von Sternberg
5. Never before seen outtakes
6. Trailer
7. Reversible cover artwork
8. English SDH subtitles
Willard (2003) (Scream Factory, Blu-ray)
For years, Willard Stiles (Crispin Glover, The Wizard of Gore) has been trapped in a dead-end job with no friends and no future. Willard’s life seems hopeless until he makes an eerie discovery: he shares a powerful bond with the rats that dwell in his basement. Now a guy who has been trampled in the rat race his entire life is suddenly ready to tear up the competition ... beginning with his boss. Crispin Glover leads the pack in this skin-crawling thriller that takes an unforgettable journey into the mind of a madman!
ALSO AVAILABLE THIS WEEK:
Atone (Gravitas Ventures, Blu-ray & DVD)
Battle for the Lost Planet/Mutant War (Vinegar Syndrome, Blu/DVD Combo)
Beast of the Yellow Night (VCI Entertainment, Blu/DVD Combo)
Bullitt County (Gravitas Ventures, Blu-ray & DVD)
Deal with the Devil (Ammo Content, LLC., DVD)
Party Line (Vinegar Syndrome, Blu/DVD Combo)
The Unseen (Monarch Video, DVD)
The Vengeance of She (Scream Factory, Blu-ray)
Virus of the Dead (Ammo Content, LLC., 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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