ALLIGATOR [1980] (Scream Factory) – Seamlessly blending tongue-in-cheek dialogue and gruesome horror, this is one of the very best ‘animal attack’ films, which finally made its long-belated UHD/Blu-ray debut with this stunning 3-disc special edition. Interviews with director Lewis Teague, writer John Sayles, and even Bryan Cranston (he served as one of the film’s many production assistants) are just a few of the excellent bonus features on this stellar release, which was definitely worth the wait.
DEATH GAME [1977] (Grindhouse Releasing) – A casualty of several inferior home video releases on both VHS and DVD, Peter S. Traynor’s feverish and darkly perverse home invasion film finally got its due with this staggering 2-disc set. Thanks to Grindhouse Releasing’s usual high standards, this new transfer was a real stunner, which reinstates David Worth’s scope photography with a sharpness and depth of field unseen in any previous release. Of course, GR also provided an abundance of special features, which will keep you entertained for hours, in what is easily one of the best home video releases of the year!
DORIS WISHMAN: THE TWILIGHT YEARS / THE MOONLIGHT YEARS / THE DAYLIGHT YEARS [1960 – 1977] (AGFA / Something Weird Video) – Even though these are three individual releases, it’s kind of difficult to separate them; besides, the nifty magnetic packaging allows them to nicely attach together. Spread out over 9 discs (!), these sets showcase a total of 22 films from different key eras of Wishman’s lengthy career, and are bursting with extra features including audio commentaries, trailers, and plenty more! These are fantastic sets, and a real delight for fans and newcomers alike.
DR. LAMB [1992] (Unearthed Films) – Boldly stylistic yet brutally violent, this Cat III Hong Kong shocker is a real mixed bag, adding plenty of perversity and even a dash of oddly-placed comedy, all of which is held together by Simon Yam’s intense central performance as the psychotic serial killer. Much like Herman Yau’s THE UNTOLD STORY (1993) and THE EBOLA SYNDROME (1996), a pair of equally disturbing Cat III films released last year, this is another major cinematic recovery, which is nicely supplemented with several extras including an audio commentary with Bruce Holecheck and Ultra Violent’s Art Ettinger.
FOUR FLIES ON GREY VELVET [1971] (Severin Films) – Given the amount of outstanding titles Severin had already released throughout 2022, they performed a small miracle when they announced this much-sought-after, definitive edition of Dario Argento’s stunning giallo. Among the consistently engaging special features on this stunning 4-disc (!) UHD/BD combo are an audio commentary with Nathaniel Thompson and Troy Howarth, a glut of interviews with just about every living participant involved with the film, as well as Profondo Argento author and film critic Alan Jones, and as an added bonus, Ennio Morricone’s entire score on a separate CD! This is a truly impressive, meticulously assembled package, and possibly of the most important home video releases of the year!
GOTHIC FANTASTICO: FOUR ITALIAN TALES OF TERROR [1963 – 1966] (Arrow Video) – Made during the Golden Age of Italian Horror, this collection of beautifully curated black-and-white gothics easily ranks as one of the best Arrow releases of the year, which included impeccable 2K restorations of Massimo Pupillo’s LADY MORGAN’S VENGEANCE (1965), Mino Guerrini’s THE THIRD EYE (1966), Alberto De Martino’s THE BLANCHEVILLE MONSTER (1965) and Damiano Damiani’s THE WITCH (1966). The preceding two films also made their worldwide English-friendly Blu-ray debuts, with Arrow even unearthing THE THIRD EYE’s never-before-released English audio track! As expected, this lavishly-packaged box set also included a host of outstanding extra features from several authors and film historians, which included Mark Thompson Ashworth, Miranda Corcoran, Kat Ellinger, Alexandra Heller-Nicolas, Rachel Nisbet, and several others. And for those that splurged on the limited edition set, a handsome 75-page booklet is also included with writing from Rod Barnett, Roberto Curti, Kimberly Lindbergs, Jerome Reuter, and Rob Talbot.
THE INCREDIBLY STRANGE FILMS OF RAY DENNIS STECKLER [1962 – 2008] (Severin Films) – Following their extraordinary Al Adamson and Andy Milligan collections, Severin stunned just about everyone with the release of this colossal 10-disc, 20-film (!) magnum opus, which comprises everything from WILD GUITAR (1962) up until his zero-budget, swan song ONE MORE TIME (2008), even including many of his… um, colourfully-titled porno films. Packed with a wealth of bonus features and an outstanding 100-page book with writing from Zach Carlson and Charles Devlin, this tremendous box set presented the perfect opportunity to discover, or possibly reacquaint yourself with this very unusual cult filmmaker in great detail.
LIBIDO [1965] (Severin Films) – Never released in the English-speaking market, this cornerstone giallo from directors Ernesto Gastaldi (who went on to become one the most prolific scriptwriters of Italian gialli) and Vittorio Salerno was yet another worldwide Blu-ray debut. Beautifully shot by Romolo Garroni in moody black-and-white, and featuring all the usual gialli tropes, Severin’s disc was a real knockout, which not only featured several worthwhile extras (including a sharp and astute audio commentary from Diabolique's Kat Ellinger that focused primarily on Gastaldi’s career and influence), but also the film’s unreleased English audio track! This should be at the top of every giallo lover’s list.
LOVE BRIDES OF THE BLOOD MUMMY [1973] (Mondo Macabro) – Arriving a couple of months within each other via MM’s spectacular BD and Le Chat qui Fume’s equally gorgeous UHD/BD combo, this once exceedingly rare Spanish/French co-production arrived on official home video in fine style, indeed. Featuring a new 4K restoration of the uncut version, both discs included a wealth of alternate scenes and the French and English trailers, but the MM disc bettered the UHD with additional special features including an audio commentary with David Flint, a rare 8mm version from the UK, alternate credit sequences and a very welcome still and poster gallery. The now OOP ‘Red Case’ edition of the film also included a terrific liner notes booklet on the mystery of director ‘Ken Ruder’ as well as 5 double-sided postcards that reproduced the Spanish lobbycards. Highly recommended!
NATURAL ENEMIES [1979] (Fun City Editions) – Oftentimes as unpleasant as it is thoroughly engaging, Hal Holbrook stars as Paul Steward, a successful magazine publisher who intends to kill his entire family and himself by the end of the day. Based on a novel by Julius Horwitz, writer and director Jeff Kanew is the real star here, handling the tricky material with a mature sincerity in this disquieting immersion into depression and loneliness. Long out of circulation, Fun City’s new 2K restoration came from “the best-surviving element”, which wasn’t perfect, but still looked infinitely better than the old VHS tapes. A very welcome – and highly-detailed - audio commentary from Bill Ackerman of the Supporting Characters podcast was the real standout among the bonus features, which also included a two-part video interview with the director, an alternate ending, and the film’s trailer. A superb release in every way, NATURAL ENEMIES is a haunting and unforgettable experience.
SHAWSCOPE VOLUME 2 [1978 – 1993] (Arrow Video) – Focusing on the studio giant’s late-’70s and ’80s output, this sophomore effort collected together 14 newly restored films including everything from such classics as Lau Kar-leung’s THE 36TH CHAMBER OF SHAOLIN (a.k.a. MASTER KILLER, 1978) and Chang Cheh’s TEN TIGERS OF KWANGTUNG (1980) to obscurities like Wong Jing’s action film MERCENARIES FROM HONG KONG (1982) and Kuei Chih-hung’s outrageous horror film THE BOXER’S OMEN (1983)! Overflowing with so many extras (including a couple of soundtrack CDs!) to adequately list here, it may realistically take you a better part of the year to get through them!
SHRIEK OF THE MUTILATED [1974] (Vinegar Syndrome) – Wildly diverse in tone and sporting one of the all-time great titles in exploitation movie history, Michael and Roberta Findlay’s schizo backyard Bigfoot film is a wonderfully chaotic mess, which has been in dire need of a proper release for decades. This new disc obliterates all of the crummy, compromised home video releases that came before it with a brand-new eye-popping 4K transfer (taken from the film’s OCN, no less!), which is astonishing in its clarity and detail. VS also includes several illuminating bonus features including a superb audio commentary with Roberta Findlay and Casey Scott, on-camera interviews with Findlay and writer/producer Ed Adlum, a cool location tour, and more.
THE SWORD AND THE SORCERER [1982] (Scream Factory) – At long last, Albert Pyun’s much-requested CONAN THE BARBARIAN (1982) clone made its HD debut this year in a stunning UHD/BD combo, which did wonders with Joseph Mangine’s colourful, atmospheric photography. Outside of this “new 2021 4K scan from the original negative,” Scream also assembled an impressive roster of informative interviews. Co-writer/co-director John Stuckmeyer, actress Kathleen Beller, editor Marshall Harvey, F/X artist Allan Apone, and the late director Albert Pyun were among the participants.
And here are the HIGHLY HONOURABLE MENTIONS, which are also very worthy of your time!
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