Where do I begin with this month’s amazing selection of deranged Blu-ray treats? Running the gamut from digitally restored 50s sci-fi and horror movies; beloved Bette Davis movies; a Roman Polanski horror comedy; a heartwarming Preston Sturges romp; a sensational paranoid political thriller from the 70s, a little-known film noir with Gloria Grahame; and a restoration of one of the most revered crackpot cult classics- Eeegah!
Beast With A Million Eyes (Scorpion) In this crackpot, no-budget 1955 sci-fi film, Paul Birch (Not Of This Earth) plays a harried dad living in the California desert with his bitter wife (Lorna Thayer) and unhappy teenage daughter (Donna Cole) when an alien spacecraft (that looks suspiciously like a coffeepot) lands nearby causing the beasts and birds to attack. The contentious dialogue makes you think this is like a Sam Shepard play- but with a stupid monster. The alien looks like a hand puppet super-imposed with eyeballs. There were a lot of ‘cooks’ in this production originally directed by David Kramarsky but fiddled with by Roger Corman and others. This Blu-ray is stunning though- the picture quality looks spectacular, and I almost started joyfully weeping when it arrived in the mail.
The Fearless Vampire Killers (Warner Archive) Roman Polanski’s dark comic version of a Hammer vampire movie with a bumbling old professor (Jack MacGowran) and his earnest assistant Alfred (Polanski) who stop at an inn and attempt to destroy a vampire Count (sensational Ferdy Mayne) at a nearby castle when the pretty innkeeper’s daughter (gorgeous Sharon Tate) gets kidnapped. Hard to find on DVD for years this is the uncut version and looks stunning. My favorite part is the Count’s gay vampire son who takes a shine to Alfred and chases him around the castle.
Now, Voyager (Criterion) Every time Now, Voyager used to come on TV my late dear friend and I had a ritual that went with it. At the end of the film when Paul Henreid says to Bette Davis: “Shall we have a cigarette on it?” and before he famously lit both cigarettes at once, we used to snort poppers. It was such a fun way to celebrate the finale of this glorious film where Davis plays a dowdy, mother-dominated daughter from a wealthy Boston family who transforms into a sophisticated swan while traveling on an ocean cruise and even begins a passionate affair with a married man (Henreid). Davis is just sensational here and the moment she stands up to her hateful mother (Gladys Cooper) is incredibly satisfying. Claude Rains plays her sympathetic shrink. This is a 4K transfer and comes with an illuminating 1971 interview with Davis on The Dick Cavett Show on this sublime Criterion disc. Time to get out the poppers.
Naked Alibi (Kino) In this tragically little-known 1954 film noir, a chief of detectives (Sterling Hayden) goes renegade to chase the suspect of a series of cop killings. He ends up in a Mexican border town and crosses path with the killer’s (Gene Barry) sultry, saloon-singing girlfriend (Gloria Grahame). Grahame is, as always, unforgettable as the tragic, bruised soul. Great fun- I admit to never having heard of this one and had a great time watching it.
Don’t Be Afraid Of The Dark (Warner Archive) A genuinely scary 1973 TV movie about Sally (Kim Darby), who inherits her grandmother’s rambling mansion and tries to renovate in order to impress her husband’s (Jim Hutton) boss and clients. A handyman (William Demarest) warns her not to open a sealed-up chimney in the basement but curiosity overcomes her and unfortunately, she sets free these hideous little demons who torment and stalk her around the house. Directed by John Newland (One Step Beyond) it still is creepy as hell.
Winter Kills (Kino) A brilliant 1979 paranoid political thriller by novice director William Richert, which got great reviews but was pulled from theaters after a short run. It also has garnered a well-deserved cult following. Jeff Bridges plays the brother of an assassinated U.S. President who comes into contact with a dying man who claims to be the actual assassin and suggests a shady conspiracy plot. A bigger-than-life, frightening John Huston plays the Joe Kennedy-like father. Bridges goes down a rabbit hole with false leads, femme fatales, near-death attempts on his life and other mayhem as he tracks down clues to his brother’s murder. Richert assembled an astonishing cast- Richard Boone, Eli Wallach, Toshiro Mifune, Dorothy Malone, Anthony Perkins, Sterling Hayden, and in a fascinating extra on the Blu-ray talks about the movie’s troubled history (they were forced to shut down production for lack of money and reassembled the team years later.) Filled with wonderful, quirky, dark comic touches and beautifully filmed (Vilmos Zsigmond), it’s just a fabulous treat. I adore this movie and love turning friends onto it.
From Beyond The Grave (Warner Archive) The last, and arguably best, of the omnibus horror movies from Amicus studios. Peter Cushing plays the mysterious pipe-smoking owner of the antique store Temptations Limited, and woe to those who try to cheat and steal from him. David Warner plays a man who buys a bloodthirsty mirror; Ian Bannen plays a hen-pecked husband who meets a weird peddler (Donald Pleasence) and his witchy daughter (Angela Pleasence). Ian Ogilvy buys a strange door that occasionally opens to an otherworldly satanic blue room. And a man who changes prices on a silver snuff box gets stuck with a hideous “elemental” demon perched on his shoulder that only an eccentric medium (Margaret Leighton) can exorcise.
Road Games (Shout! Factory) A taut 1981 Australian thriller, expertly directed by Richard Franklin, about a trucker (Stacy Keach) who begins to suspect a van he has suspiciously seen along the way might be the vehicle of a serial killer murdering hitchhikers. Jamie Lee Curtis plays a free-spirited thumb-tripper whose presence ups the stakes of this twisty cat and mouse suspense tale. Wow, what a loaded disc- with endless extras and 2 audio commentaries. An above-average Hitchcock homage.
Opera (Scorpion) An astonishing three disc set of Dario Argento’s 1987 dark masterpiece about a beautiful young singer (Christina Marsillach) who is thrust into the lead of a controversial production of the opera Macbeth, directed by a horror filmmaker (Ian Charleson), after the leading lady is mysterious hit by a car. Incredibly violent, visually opulent, arguably one of the director’s truly great films. This magnificent set includes a 2K scan of the 2:35 version, the 1:78 version and the original U.S. Orion cut. With hours of extras with cast, crew and Argento, this also includes the Italian language version which finally clears up the puzzling voice-over ending in the English-speaking version.
The Fan (Shout! Factory) Lauren Bacall plays legendary Broadway star Sally Ross, who is stalked by a psychopathic fan (a young, cute Michael Biehn). His early letters gushing over her beauty and talent take a dangerous turn when he feels rejected by her. Maureen Stapleton plays Bacall’s loyal secretary and James Garner plays Lauren’s ex-husband. The musical numbers for Bacall’s shows are a hoot, and there’s this gay murder later in the film that pissed off militants at the time. This came out around the time of John Lennon’s murder so there’s this lame speech Bacall gives at the end that feels tagged on. But it’s still a gas, and despite everything the movie has a devoted gay following.
Betty Blue (Criterion) Diva director Jean-Jacques Beineix’s intensely carnal 1986 tale of a wild affair between an aspiring writer (Jean-Hugues Anglade) and a free-spirited but disturbed woman (Beatrice Dalle). This is the full, uncut, 178-minute director’s cut of the film (the only other Blu-ray released in the U.S. was the hacked, shortened release). With two amazing performances by Beatrice Dalle and Jean-Hugues Anglade who bare their souls to tell this tormented tale of a passionate but doomed romance. Truly unforgettable.
Eegah! (Film Detective) It’s hard to imagine a universe without Eegah! It was the brainchild of veteran air-force pilot Arch Hall Sr. (whose life was satirized in the movie The Last Time I Saw Archie). Hall decided to create a monster movie (under the pseudonym Nicholas Merriwether) and give his son Arch Hall Jr. a starring role in this tale about a prehistoric giant (Richard Kiel) who kidnaps a scientist (Arch Hall) and his pretty daughter Roxy (Marilyn Manning) in the desert and drags them off to his cave filled with his dead ancestors. Roxy’s rock-and-roll boyfriend Tom (Arch Hall Jr.) roams the desert in his souped-up dune buggy hunting for them. Filled with cheesy musical numbers by Arch Hall Jr. and memorable ludicrous dialogue (“Watch out for snakes!”) This beloved mess was an early riff for Mystery Science Theater 3000– which is wonderfully included on this Blu-ray. You cannot imagine how great the Blu-ray looks- it’s a scan from the negative. There’s also a terrific new interview with affable Arch Hall Jr. who amusingly tells the story about how he met a wary Joel Hodgson (MST 3000) at a horror convention and how they got along famously. Arch even made appearances at later screenings of the film that Joel promoted, and admits that MST 3000’s satiric take has given this film it’s coveted camp longevity.
Prophecy (Shout! Factory) Who could imagine the director of The Manchurian Candidate (John Frankenheimer) would make an environmental horror movie? But he did in 1979, telling the tale about a log company, whose toxic waste creates a mutant, bear-like monster who roams and kills in the forests of Maine. Ridiculed at the time, I think it’s time to re-evaluate this visually moody thriller (especially with the new digitally restored edition), which is often ludicrously entertaining. Starring Robert Foxworth and a frequently freaked-out Talia Shire, there are a few scenes that really are goofy and memorable- like a gory, sleeping bag sequence that might make you re-think camping forever.
Dracula (Shout! Factory) This 1979 adaptation of the Bram Stoker vampire novel stars Frank Langella as the aristocratic Count. This was based on Langella’s successful Broadway stage production, and director John Badham shot the film in England and adhered more to the stage play. Laurence Olivier plays vampire-slayer Van Helsing, Donald Pleasence as Dr. Sewerd and Kate Nelligan as Lucy. Langella attempted a different Dracula- more romantic, haunted and erotically charged. He’s less of a fiend and more of a rock star. Some critics praised the performance and art direction, while others were not so kind. This is the first time the film has been released since the old days of VHS and Laserdisc, and the Blu-ray comes with copious blood-sucking extras. Director Badham conceived the movie desaturated of color- almost black & white. So there are two separate versions of the film included- the director’s monochrome one and the full color released version.
Christmas In July (Kino) In this sparkling, fast-paced (67 minutes!) Preston Sturges comedy, Dick Powell plays an office worker who submits a slogan to a coffee company contest: “If you can’t sleep at night, it’s not the coffee- it’s the bunk.” Some co-workers jokingly send him fake telegrams that he won the $25,000 grand prize. He is given a promotion at work and goes on a wild, altruistic shopping spree- buying presents for family; his devoted girlfriend (Ellen Drew), and even the neighbors. This is often dismissed as a lesser Sturges film- but a lesser film by Preston Sturges still knocks most movies out of the water. The usual eccentric group of wonderful character actors Sturges was so fond of are all here. A delightful, touching film.
Hitch Hike To Hell (Arrow) A mom-obsessed laundry truck driver (Robert Gribbin) is actually a psycho-killer who picks up pretty female hitch-hikers and murders them. Loosely based on real-life serial killer Ed Kemper, this sleaze wonder was directed by Irvin Berwick (The Monster Of Piedras Blancas). The “Professor” from Gilligan’s Island– Russell Johnson plays the police captain determined to catch the killer. Gribbin is good as the nerdy nutcase. This is a high-definition restoration from the original film elements and comes with an appreciation by author Stephen Thrower and a video essay on the dangers of hitch-hiking (on screen).
Werewolf In A Girls’ Dormitory (Severin) “There’s a ghoul in school,” was the theme song attached to the American version of this well-remembered 1961 Italian horror movie about a werewolf attacking girls at a reformatory. Is it the new teacher (Carl Schell), who has a shady past? Are the murders just to cover the search for a batch of incriminating letters? Who cares? It’s a lot of fun, and this print is stunning and includes a quick flash of female breast that was definitely not in the American release. The CD soundtrack is even included in this must-own disc.
Paganini Horror (Severin). I have a weakness for these junky Italian horror movies from the 1980s. This is directed by Luigi Cozzi (Contamination) and is about an all-gal rock band who decide to record an album in a mansion owned by a mysterious woman (Deep Red’s beautiful Daria Nicolodi). They plan to perform an unpublished musical work by the notorious composer Niccolo Paganini, who supposedly sold his soul to the devil. Well you know nothing good will come of this. Donald Pleasence has a sly, devilish cameo, and the film is a 2K scan from the original negative.
Byleth: The Demon Of Incest (Severin). Ultra-rare and weird Italian film about the deranged Duke of Shadwell (House Of Usher’s Mark Damon), prone to nervous breakdowns, with an unhealthy lust for his sister Barbara (Claudia Gravy). Barbara returns to their villa with a new husband, which drives the Duke around the bend. A mysterious series of killings of women plague the area- all are killed by a strange three-pronged instrument of death. Who could be the killer? Trust me, you won’t get many answers from this deliriously unhinged oddity.
Woman Chasing The Butterfly Of Death (Mondo Macabro). One of the most wacko movies I’ve seen in a while. It’s a 1978 head-scratcher from South Korean master Kim Ki-young (The Housemaid) and concerns a morbid student and butterfly collector who is poisoned by a crazed woman he meets on a school outing. He survives but is stalked by a loony book seller of fascist tomes like “Triumph Of The Will.” The suicidal student accidentally kills the man but the corpse keeps rising from the dead to torment him even after being buried alive. The student ends up as an apprentice to a scientist, whose twisted daughter threatens to kill him and eat his liver. I kid you not. Just go with it, and you will have a jaw-dropping evening of deranged cult cinema.