July 26th has an eclectic assortment of horror and sci-fi offerings for fans, including a pair of cult classics—The Boy Who Cried Werewolf and Hellhole—from the fine folks at Scream Factory. Severin Films resurrects Doctor Butcher M.D. and Zombie Holocaust in HD this week, and Karyn Kusama’s superb psychological thriller The Invitation comes home on Tuesday courtesy of Drafthouse Films.
Other notable Blu-ray and DVD releases coming our way on July 26th include Five Miles to Midnight, the Killer Thrillers Collection, Consumption, and Exorcist House of Evil.
The Boy Who Cried Werewolf (Scream Factory, Blu-ray)
Richie Bridgestone’s parents are getting a divorce, but that’s the least of his problems at the moment. Richie is hoping his parents will reconsider and on a visit to his father’s secluded cabin, he witnesses his dad being attacked by a werewolf. Much like the tale of the boy who cried wolf, no one in the town will believe Richie’s claims that his father will change into a werewolf at the next full moon.
This was the third and final pairing of actor Kerwin Matthews and cult filmmaker Nathan Juran (Attack of the 50 Foot Woman, The Brain from Planet Arous). The two had also worked together on the classic 7th Voyage of Sinbad and Jack the Giant Killer.
The film makes its home video debut with a beautiful new high definition transfer! Special Features Include Original Theatrical Trailer and Still Gallery.
Doctor Butcher M.D. / Zombie Holocaust Double Feature (Severin Films, Blu-ray)
It sparked riots on 42nd Street, spawned a generation of gorehounds on VHS, and forever set an insane standard for Italian mad doctor/zombie/cannibal carnage worldwide: Ian McCulloch (ZOMBIE), Alexandra Delli Colli (THE NEW YORK RIPPER), Sherry Buchanan (TENTACLES) and Donald O'Brien (EMANUELLE AND THE LAST CANNIBALS) star in this blood orgy of gut-munching, eyeball-gouging and face-chopping originally known as ZOMBIE HOLOCAUST, which a notorious American distributor would then re-edit, re-title and re-release as a certified grindhouse masterpiece.
Severin Films now presents both films fully restored for the first time ever from original vault elements discovered in Manhattan and Rome, and loaded with all-new Bonus Features that finally reveal the unbelievable truth behind its bizarre history, infamous marketing and still-deviant legacy.
Special Features include:
DISC 1 - DOCTOR BUTCHER MD
DISC 2 - ZOMBIE HOLOCAUST
Hellhole (Scream Factory, Blu-ray / DVD combo pack)
Having witnessed her mother’s brutal death, Susan (Judy Landers, Dr. Alien) gets amnesia from a fall while being pursued by the killer, Silk (Ray Sharkey, The Idolmaker). Awakening in Ashland Sanitarium, she is once again terrorized by Silk, disguised as an orderly. To pry an incriminating secret from Susan’s brain, Silk forms an uneasy alliance with Dr. Fletcher (Mary Woronov, Rock ’n’ Roll High School), a psychotic scientist who has been testing a new lobotomy technique, using helpless inmates as her guinea pigs. These vicious experiments are carried out in the "Hellhole," a torture den awaiting Susan as its next victim.
Featuring an all-star cast of cult film stars including Marjoe Gortner (Starcrash, The Food Of The Gods), Richard Cox (Cruising), Terry Moore (Mighty Joe Young), Edy Williams (Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls), Robert Z'Dar (Maniac Cop) and Dyanne Thorne (Ilsa: She Wolf Of The SS).
Special Features Include New interview with actress Mary Woronov and Original Theatrical Trailer.
The Invitation (Drafthouse Films, Blu-ray / DVD / Digital HD combo pack)
In this taut psychological thriller from award-winning director Karyn Kusama (Girlfight, Jennifer’s Body), the tension is palpable when Will (Logan Marshall-Green, Prometheus) shows up to a dinner party hosted by his ex-wife Eden (Tammy Blanchard, Into the Woods) and new husband David (Michiel Huisman, “Game of Thrones”). The estranged divorcees’ tragic past haunts an equally eerie present; amid Eden’s suspicious behavior and her mysterious house guests, Will becomes convinced that his invitation was extended with a hidden agenda. Unfolding over one dark evening in the Hollywood Hills, The Invitation blurs layers of mounting paranoia, mystery, and horror until both Will-and the audience-are unsure what threats are real or imagined.
Kusama’s thriller opened the Midnight section of the 2015 SXSW Film Festival before receiving wide acclaim during the nationwide theatrical release. For Kusama, who first made her mark with the breakout 2000 hit Girlfight, The Invitation boasts a triumphant return to her independent roots, as well as an impressively-crafted script written and produced by screenwriting duo Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi (Crazy/Beautiful, Ride Along). Also starring is Emayatzy Corinealdi (Miles Ahead, “Roots”) and John Carroll Lynch (“American Horror Story,” Zodiac).
Special features on the Blu-ray and DVD of The Invitation include audio commentary with Kusama, Hay and Manfredi, “The Making of The Invitation,” music videos for original songs by Craig Wedren and Benjamin Newgard, the theatrical trailer, a HD digital copy of the film and booklet featuring an original essay by critic Britt Hayes.
ALSO AVAILABLE THIS WEEK:
Big Driver/Riding the Bullet Double Feature (Lionsgate, DVD)
Consumption (Wild Eye Releasing, DVD)
Exorcist House of Evil (Tomcat Releasing, DVD)
Five Miles to Midnight (Kino Lorber, Blu-ray)
Killer Thrillers Collection (Blue Underground, Blu-ray)
The Night Seekers (Maverick Entertainment Group, DVD)
The Perfect Husband (Artsploitation Films, Blu-ray & DVD)
The Zombie King (Shami Media Group, 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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