August isn’t just the 8th month of the year, the word conjures up the definition “majestic,” “impressive,” and that sure is the case for the new Blu-ray releases. From a rare, truly great Paul Morrissey film to the lunacy of a 1956 sci-fi howler, to a great documentary about the hell of hiring Peter Sellers to be in your movie, to a rare The Great Gatsby film adaptation, to four never-seen Lamberto Bava films, to a feverish, color Vincente Minnelli film set in a psychiatric facility, to a Canadian horror comedy by the future director of Ghostbusters starring Andrea Martin and Eugene Levy. The word “impressive,” can truly be applied.
Mixed Blood (Cinematographe) Director Paul Morrissey’s brilliant 1985 dark comedy about a gang of underage youths running the drug trade in NYC’s Alphabet City. The kids are ruled by ruthless Brazilian den mother Rita la Punta (played flamboyantly by Marilia Pera). The film is also a time capsule to the nightmarish state of the East Village back then, with bombed-out buildings and long lines of junkies waiting for baskets of drugs to be lowered down from vacant, destroyed tenements. Handsome Richard Ulacia plays la Punta’s dim son Thiago, who also commandeers the delinquent gang of adolescent dealers. The main joke is that he is psychologically unable to leave Alphabet City, even to meet a date. When one of their boys gets thrown off the roof by a rival gang, Rita sighs “too many funerals,” as she heads over to the funeral home to make arrangements, then to the Ukrainian National Hall to book a party insisting there be Brazilian beer and a Cookie Monster ice cream cake for the kids. Linda Kerridge plays an Upper East Side girl slumming in the Lower East Side and Angel David is really terrific as Juan the Bullet, the vicious leader of a rival gang. Poor, doomed Rodney Harvey plays a member the criminal “family.” With a sardonically sensational screenplay by Morrissey and Alan Bowne (Forty Deuce), it’s definitely one of Morrissey’s best. This 4K Ultra HD 2-disc set comes with new audio commentary by film historians Howard S. Berger and Steve Mitchell, plus new interviews with the casting director, editor and producer. Also, an archival interview with Paul Morrissey.
Fire Maidens of Outer Space (Vinegar Syndrome) Astounding! A 4K digital restoration from a 35mm fine grain master of this loony 1956 British/American version of the Cat-Women on the Moon. It’s about an expedition to the 13thmoon of Jupitar, but those in the spaceship don’t even strap themselves in when they take off- they all are calmly smoking cigarettes at a desk on the ship. There’s not even any “zero gravity” during the flight. When they get to the 13th planet they find it has Earth’s atmosphere and populated by all females (save one old man)- the descendants of the lost city of Atlantis. They wear fetching Greek togas and do an interpretive dance to Borodin’s Polovetsian Dances to amuse the Earth astronauts. Meanwhile a pock-marked ugly monster waits in the bushes outside. Even dumber than you think, but at least there are several dance numbers in this one. And, in the opening credits, it states: “All characters in space are fictitious.” Were they fearful of lawsuits from aliens? The film includes several commentary tracks including one with film historians Jonathan Rigby and Kevin Lyons, plus a video essay on the “Starlets” by Benjamin Tucker.
Brainstorm (Warner Archive) William Conrad, the portly star of TVs Cannon, shot three memorably crackpot films for Warner Brothers that I’m totally nuts over. Two on a Guillotine (1965) starring Connie Stevens returning to the spooky mansion of her magician father (Cesar Romero) for his funeral. My Blood Runs Cold (1965) starring Troy Donahue as a deranged young man who tries to convince a wealthy girl (Joey Heatherton) that she is the reincarnation of his long-lost love. And Brainstorm (1965), starring handsome Jeffrey Hunter, who plays Jim Grayam, a talented scientist working for Benson Industries, who rescues a drunken woman (in mink), parked in her car and passed out on a railroad track. She turns out to be Lorrie Benson (Anne Francis), the unhappy, suicidal wife of his wealthy, sadistic boss Curt Benson (Dana Andrews). They begin a dangerous affair, and when the vengeful Curt finds out he tries to discredit Jim and make him look crazy. Grayam decides to use this to do away with the husband (so he and Lorrie can be together) and pleads guilty of insanity after he kills Curt. His compassionate doctor at the mental institution is played by the superb Viveca Lindfors. But Jim’s plan backfires spectacularly in this sardonic thriller (which looks spectacular on Blu-ray in widescreen black and white). There are two Warner Brothers cartoons on the disc- be sure not to miss The Hypo-Chrondri-Cat, which is hilarious and fits perfectly with the film.
High Tension: Four Films by Lamberto Bava (Severin) God knows I love a box set. Especially containing practically unseen films from a director I am so fond of like Lamberto Bava (Demons), the son of the great Italian maestro of horror Mario Bava (Black Sunday, Blood & Black Lace, Bay of Blood). These four films (part of an anthology series) were done for Italian television but were never aired because they were thought to be too violent. For years, horrible bootlegs have been the only way to see these suspense oddities but now, gorgeously restored from the film’s negatives they are a real revelation. Prince of Terror (1989) stars the fabulous Tomas Arana (The Church, The Sect) as a famous director of horror films, living with his wife and teenage daughter in the country, whose life takes a scary turn after he fires his screenwriter (David Bandon/Stagefright). A psychotic killer breaks into his house and holds his family hostage and the director cleverly uses his wits to turn the tables on the creep. The Man Who Wouldn’t Die (1989) An art heist at a wealthy villa goes awry when one of the hoods sexually assaults the housekeeper and is kicked in the head by her bound husband which causes him to fall into a catatonic state. His cohorts in crime dump him naked by the side of the road but he wakes in the hospital and flees. This begins a cat and mouse game as one by one the accomplices meet horrible deaths. This one is pretty twisty and a whole lot of fun. Lino Salemme (Demons/Delirium), with the really unique face, plays one of the criminals. Gino Concari, a frighteningly handsome bodybuilder who wanted to become an actor, won a contest as “The Most Handsome Man in Italy” and plays the vengeful lead. School of Fear (1989) stars beautiful Alessandra Acciai as the new instructor at a private academy (the last educator mysteriously fell out a window at the school to her death). Sublime Daria Nicolodi (Deep Red) plays the steely headmistress at the snooty school. The new teacher frighteningly discovers that there is a coven of evil children playing a lethal “game” and soon her own life is in danger. (I always love anything about evil tykes). Eye Witness (1989) is a tension-filled tale of blind woman (Barbara Cupisti), accidentally trapped in a mall after closing, who witnesses a murder. She cannot describe the killer save for a few tactile details, but he keeps murderously coming after her anyway to silence her for good. The wonderful director- Ferzan Ozpetek (Steam: The Turkish Bath, Facing Windows, Nuovo Olimpo) was assistant director on these films.
The Cobweb (Warner Archive) This feverishly melodramatic 1955 Vincente Minnelli film is aptly set in a modern-thinking psychiatric facility run by Dr. Stewart McIver (Richard Widmark), where the patients all have a say in how things are run. But all hell breaks loose over the issue of new drapes for the library. Lillian Gish plays the prickly battle-axe in charge of the finances who wants to order some cheap fabric. The patients decide that their resident neurotic artist Steven Holte (John Kerr) should design the drapes. Oscar Levant, who plays another inmate, crowns him “the Cezanne of psychos.” McIver’s frustrated, unhappy wife Karen (Gloria Grahame) decides to take it on herself to order her own set of drapes from a swatch of “Chippendale rose on antique satin,” which eventually causes Steven Holte to freak out and run away and the other patients to revolt. Lauren Bacall plays Meg Rinehart, working at the institution to heal a personal tragedy. Charles Boyer plays the drunken, randy Dr. Devanal. But, basically, the movie really is all about those fucking drapes. This got terrible reviews but has been comfort food for bad movie lovers for decades. Gloria Grahame has a field day wearing fabulous outfits and flitting around doing as much damage as possible in this incredibly bizarre Cinemascope/Eastmancolor extravaganza that should be retitled, “One Flew Over the Curtain Rod.”
Cannibal Girls (Canadian International Pictures) “The sound of a bell in the theater will warn you when to close your eyes,” is announced at the beginning of this scrappy little low-budget 1973 Canadian humorous horror film from the future director of Ghostbusters– Ivan Reitman, and starring comedy greats Eugene Levy and Andrea Martin. “Welcome to Farnhamville: The Friendly City” is the sign for the snowbound town that young lovers Clifford (Eugene Levy sporting an afro, mutton chop sideburns, mustache and shades) and Gloria (Andrea Martin) drive through and fatally decide to visit. They stay at a local motel and decide to eat at an infamous farmhouse/gourmet restaurant, where they are greeted by long-haired Reverend Alex St. John (Ronald Ulrich) and his sexy female wait staff, who are more comfortable picking up men, bringing them back to the house and hacking them to death. “They love every man they meet- first to death…then for dinner,” proclaimed the trailer to this oddball “Canuxploitation” favorite. This was scanned in 2K with a new color grade and extensive dirt and damage repair, and it comes with many extras including interviews with director Reitman and Eugene Levy and a well-received early short film by the director called “Orientation.”
The Great Gatsby (Kino Lorber) Boy, is this a real rarity! This 1946 version of the F. Scott Fitzgerald novel starring Alan Ladd, Betty Field and Macdonald Carey has been impossible to see for decades. Paramount owned the rights to the novel- they did a 1926 film version starring Warner Baxter that is considered lost forever. But when they made the 1974 version directed by Jack Clayton, starring Mia Farrow and Robert Redford, they buried this 1946 version and their prints were thought to have dissolved or been lost. It wasn’t until 2012 when the Film Noir Foundation appealed to Universal Studios to see if they had a print in their archives and miraculously they did. Now the 1946 film was originally to be directed by John Farrow (ironically Mia’s dad), but he fell out with the Studio when they wanted Betty Field to play Daisy and he wanted Gene Tierney, so he walked away from the project. (As much as I love Betty Field, Farrow was right about Tierney– she would have been exquisite). They ended up with director Elliot Nugent, who had done My Favorite Brunette with Bob Hope, a weird choice to direct Fitzgerald’s fable of Jay Gatsby (Alan Ladd), a jazz age bootlegger’s rise to riches and disastrous obsession with a woman- Daisy Buchanan (Betty Field). The film was also neutered by censors at the time, which compromised the correct interpretation of the novel. But, so what? At least we get to see this version and it may be flawed but it’s utterly fascinating. Alan Ladd is actually a great choice for Gatsby- he’s believable as someone who was gained his wealth through criminal enterprises, determined to win back the woman he loved. Macdonald Carey is also excellent as Nick Carraway, and Ruth Hussey steals the picture as the sassy Jordon Baker. And, if ever there was an actress one expects to be seen run over by a car on screen it’s Shelley Winters, who plays the doomed Myrtle Wilson in the film. The Blu-ray comes with an onstage Q & A with Alan Ladd’s son David Ladd after a crowded screening of this film.
High Tension (Lionsgate) 4K HD “Steelbox” of French director Alexandre Aja’s nightmarishly suspenseful 2003 story about two college girls- Marie (Cecile de France) and Alexia (Maiwenn)- out in a deserted French countryside house for the weekend and a rusty old truck that drives up in the middle of the night with a creepy stranger inside (Philippe Nahon, the butcher from I Stand Alone) armed with a straight razor. What happens next is so relentless and unbearably frightening you can’t even begin to imagine. Reader of Dean Koontz’ Intensity will find certain similarities with the plot, but the brilliant sound design and visuals and the overall effect is just harrowing and original. Horror fans have been grumbling about certain twists during the latter part of the film but I thought it gave the movie a perverse kick, but who cares- it will scare the living hell out of you. On the two-disc Blu-ray there’s a new interview with director Alexandre Aja on how the movie came together, with casting, music and cinematographer, and being able to go back to the negative for this 4K restoration and recreate the movie experience with much more clarity and depth. There is another interview with writer Gregory Levasseur and an interview with cinematographer Maxime Alexandre, and special effects artist Gianetto De Rossi. There are also archival interviews with the sublime Cecile de France and Maiwenn also. The movie still holds up beautifully- it’s suspenseful and relentless.
The Medium (Raro/Kino Lorber) Little-seen 1980 Italian occult thriller by Silvio Amadio (Amuck!) about a widowed composer (Guido Mannari) of “Dodecaphonic” electronic music and his young baseball-loving son who move into a villa and then are cursed with eerie phenomenon. Weird noises in the attic. Visions of a dog and a strange woman in white. Creepy, threatening voices suddenly appearing on the recorded tape of his new music. A female psychic is brought in but has to leave in fear, so a renowned male medium is sent for from Brussels who believes there is an extremely malignant entity at work, willing to even inhabit the body of the son in order to kill his father. Amadio’s genuine fascination with the supernatural was the impetus for this film, which was even shot in the director’s house.
The Card Player (Vinegar Syndrome) The great horror maestro- Dario Argento goes all CSI– Italian style, in this 2004 thriller about a killer who plays video poker with the police department. At stake? His victim’s life. The film has a great electronic score by Claudio Simonetti and Argento hired the cinematographer Benoit Debie (who shot Gaspar Noe’s Irreversible) to shoot the film in (mostly) natural light. It also features a tied-to-the-railroad-tracks finale. This 4K UHD remastered 2-disc disc (from the 35mm original negative) includes the Italian language version with English subtitles. Excellent audio commentary track by film historians Troy Howarth and Nathaniel Thompson. A brand-new interview with actress Stefania Rocca and composer Claudio Simonetti. An archival interview with director Dario Argento. Plus, a behind-the-scenes featurette.
Negatives (Severin) “Murder is so boring these days. So prosaic…” says Vivian (Glenda Jackson) to her boyfriend Theo (Peter McEnery) as they dress up in vintage outfits and play their usual erotic murder game in this truly strange 1968 film by director Peter Medak (The Ruling Class). This was an early feature film for Jackson and she attacks her role with the same fiery intensity she did in later works with Ken Russell. Theo runs a dreary antique and second-hand furniture shop in London. His father is dying in a hospital and his only respite is dressing up like the killer Dr. Crippen and re-enacting out the murder of his wife with his girlfriend Vivian (Jackson). This is their love life and afterwards Vivian delights in sniping viciously at Theo. A brow-beating he wearily endures daily. Into the antique store comes a sultry German photographer named Reingard (Diane Cilento), who has been spying on the couple for weeks. She worms her way into their home by renting the dying father’s room, and then plants the seed into Theo’s head that he doesn’t look like Dr. Crippen but more like Baron von Richthofen, the famed World War I fighter pilot with the German Air Force. She even cuts his hair and encourages him to dress like the Baron. He takes it a step further by buying a trashed World War I plane at the junkyard. But what is Reingard’s main objective? Is there something more insidious going on? This Blu-ray comes with an illuminating new interview with actor Peter McEnery, and an excellent video essay on Glenda Jackson by Lee Gambin. This also comes with an extra film- Sparrows Can’t Sing, a 1963 comedy directed by Joan Littewood and starring James Booth (Zulu), which Peter Medak was assistant director on, scanned in 4K from the original negative.
The Ghost of Peter Sellers (Severin) In 1973 Peter Medak was riding high after the success of The Ruling Class when Peter Sellers approached him to direct a 17th Century pirate comedy written by Spike Milligan shot in Cyprus. Medak leaped at the chance and boy, did he learn to regret it. Everything that could go wrong did- from the ship crashing to the shore on the first day, to the tribulation of bad weather and bad engines on the boat failing, to incredibly turbulent waters. But especially the wildly mercurial, appalling behavior of the star, Peter Sellers. As a producer explains, “I mean, it’s not as though we didn’t know that Peter was nuts. Truth of the matter is, none of us knew how nuts.” And Peter Medak was getting blamed for all of it. Sellers even faked a heart attack in Cyprus and then was caught in photos having dinner with Princess Margaret in London. It got so bad that co-star Anthony Franciosa, who was friends with Sellers, even stopped speaking to him. Medak is asked why go through the pain of revisiting the movie that practically derailed his career, but for him there is something cathartic about examining what and why things went so catastrophically wrong. It makes for an outrageous, frightening, utterly fascinating documentary.
Confessions of a Psycho Cat & The Fat Black Pussycat (Distribpix) Confessions of a Psycho Cat (1967) is a bizarre sexy shocker costarring Jake LaMotta (the real Raging Bull). A deranged wealthy woman offers $100,000 to three men if they can stay alive for 24 hours in Manhattan and then hunts them down with a crossbow (a la The Most Dangerous Game). LaMotta gets it like his nickname- she skewers him with a sword while wearing a cape. A flashback reveals the woman’s problems started when her brother threw her puppy off a roof when she was a child. Disjointed in style- the movie keeps returning to a wild orgy in a New York apartment that probably had nothing to do with the original film- but who cares? The Fat Black Pussycat (1963) is about the search for a sick psycho killer on the loose. Two detectives investigate at a beatnik café frequented by the victim but the killings continue. And why is the police captain’s cat seen at every murder? Shot in Greenwich Village, there’s a great scene in Washington Square Park where a detective’s briefcase is stolen by a thief who unfortunately discovers there’s a bomb inside it. A professor is brought in to consult the police and his sage advice: “Brainwaves. Cat. Murder. Find the cat. Catch the killer.” The original film was tinkered with- replaced with more murders and another ending with a new killer revealed. Both films are restored in 4K from their original 35mm negatives. This is a co-production with Something Weird Video, who first released these oddball greats on DVD (on an unsuspecting public) many years ago. There is audio commentary with actress Arlenne Lorrance by film historian Bruce Holecheck and never-before-seen outtakes from Confessions of a Psycho Cat.
Wow. This playlist of films is sort of like being in a candy store and unable to decide what you want to buy, but the three I would take home with me are: Mixed Blood; Cannibal Girls; and Negatives. Great collection of horror.