There is plenty to be thankful for on Blu-ray this month. Especially the digital reconstruction of some of my favorites- like The Curse of Frankenstein, Eyes Wide Shut, The Descent, Sleepless, A Summer Place and Lovely to Look At. Not to mention several Dan Curtis TV shows hitting home media; a crackpot Hong Kong sci-fi film The Cat, a macabre horror anthology Asylum, a fantastic Italian thriller The Killer Must Kill Again, a restored Hammer horror film- The Man Who Could Cheat Death, and the looniest cult film of all- Mad Foxes, sure to melt your brain while eating pumpkin pie.
The Curse of Frankenstein (Warner Archive). This, and Horror of Dracula, catapulted Hammer Studios into the stratosphere with their gothic, sexy and bloody interpretations of classic tales of horror. Director John Carpenter (Halloween) eloquently described The Curse of Frankenstein on Turner Classic Movies: “It pushed the boundaries at the time…” Also, “The teaming of Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee was stunning to me.” He also remarked, “The amount of fear and suspense they got on the screen was incredible.” Expertly directed by Terence Fisher with a fantastic screenplay by Jimmy Sangster, this was a refreshingly modern take on the Mary Shelley tale of a scientist stitching body parts together to assemble a live being, only to create a violent creature. Peter Cushing portrays a really ruthless Victor Frankenstein and Christopher Lee is frightening and haunting as the damaged creation. The vibrant color has been recaptured on this 4K UHD disc, showcasing the rich art direction, cinematography and grisly special effects. The world-wide financial success of this 1957 film ushered in a glorious new chapter in gothic horror films from this scrappy British studio. Seeing these films when they came out as a kid was life-changing for me. This is a 4K scan sourced from the three-color separations- better than from the original negative which has faded. It also comes in 3 different ratios- the 1:66, that was shown in the UK, the original 1:38 and the 1:85 shown in the States. This 3-disc set includes plenty of new audio commentary and features, plus, it includes the notorious “eyeball” scene, cut by censors at the time.
Eyes Wide Shut (Criterion) Stanley Kubrick’s fascinating, almost hypnotic, 1999 erotic thriller is about a well-heeled Central Park West married couple (Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman) who find themselves unexpectedly exploring the dark depths of their sexuality. Cruise plays a respected doctor, who, with his wife, attends a fancy Christmas party of a wealthy patient (Sydney Pollack). At the soiree, they find themselves in slightly compromising positions with others. While they may not have acted on their impulses, it all comes to a head the next night while they are lounging in their bedroom smoking pot. Here Kidman lets loose with a mesmerizing monologue about a flirtation she had with a naval officer during a vacation they had in Cape Cod. This confession, and a phone call to attend to a deceased patient sends Cruise reeling off on a nighttime journey through Manhattan, exploring his own sexual desires, culminating at a mysterious sex party at a mansion outside the city, where participants wear masks and cloaks. Here he is unmasked as an unwanted guest, and finds himself clearly in danger. Gorgeous looking, and filled with deliberate stilted dialogue to further unsettle you. It’s also punctuated with typical mordant Kubrick humor (Alan Cumming as a flirty desk clerk is a particular hoot). But for the most part the movie mysteriously guides you along on this couple’s strange journey with an eerie solemnness. You never feel on solid ground and never quite know what’s around the bend. Kidman is exquisite and Cruise is a revelation. It’s an astonishing film, and all the more heartbreaking that it’s Kubrick’s last. This 4K digital restoration was supervised and approved by the director of photography Larry Smith. Among the many extras is an archival interview with Kubrick’s wife Christiane and a 1999 press conference with Cruise and Kidman. It’s also, mercifully, the full, uncut version.
The Racket (Warner Archive) A top notch cast elevates this exciting 1951 film noir about a crime syndicate strangling a city by penalizing honest cops and placing corrupt figures into political office. Robert Mitchum plays the decent cop Tom McQuigg, who knows all too well vicious hood Nick Scanlon (a ferocious Robert Ryan). The shadowy “old man” is pulling all the strings in the city and is increasingly angered by Scanlon’s violent old-school tactics (like setting off bombs at the home of McQuigg and gunning after another decent cop (Perry Mason’s William Talman). The great Lizabeth Scott plays a nightclub singer dating Scanlon’s brother who suffers Nick’s wrath. They always dubbed Lizabeth Scott, who often played a “clip-joint canary” in these type of films, so she put out a record to prove she really could sing (and it’s a great album). Another RKO film fiddled with by Howard Hughes after it was shot, which is chronicled in the excellent audio commentary by film noir historian Eddie Mueller.
A Summer Place (Warner Archive) “Is kissing me tough?” asks virginal Sandra Dee to horny boyfriend Troy Donahue in their secret Maine beach hideaway. “Stopping after one is!” he moans. This heavenly, hormonal 1959 melodrama was written, produced and directed by the unheralded Delmar Daves and helped propel Dee and Donahue into teen idol superstardom. Troy Donahue plays Johnny Hunter, working at the run-down Pine Island resort off the coast of Maine with his alcoholic father (Arthur Kennedy) and long-suffering mother Sylvia (Dorothy McGuire). A yacht carrying their former lifeguard, now turned wealthy research chemist, Ken Jorgenson (Richard Egan), his shrewish wife Helen (the always terrific Constance Ford) and their pretty daughter Molly (Sandra Dee) arrive for the summer. While Johnny and Molly fall in love (to the strains of Max Steiner’s lush score), Ken and Sylvia rekindle a long-buried romance. Sudsy and sublime.
Sleepless (Vinegar Syndrome) 4K UHD of Italian horror maestro Dario Argento’s return from the financial disappointment of The Phantom of The Opera with a return to form in this 2001 “giallo” thriller set in Turin. Max von Sydow stars as an ex-policeman who comes out of retirement because of a series of gruesome murders which mirror similar crimes he solved 17 years ago. Many of Argento’s “greatest hits” are on display- stylized murders (a harrowing chase through a deserted train is stunning); the clues including a strange nursery rhyme; dwarf killers; not to mention music by Goblin. But the great joy in this Blu-ray, besides looking just stunning, is that it includes the Italian-language version. Unfortunately, you do miss hearing von Sydow’s distinctive voice, but the Italian language option makes it a different, better movie in my opinion. Interviews with actress Chiara Caselli, actor Stefano Dionisi, actor Roberto Zibetti and special effects artist Sergio Stivaletti and an archival interview with Dario Argento. There is terrific, insightful audio commentary by authors Nathaniel Thompson (Mondo-Digital) and Troy Howarth (So Deadly, So Perverse).
Ruby (Vinegar Syndrome) Director Curtis Harrington has always been a favorite of mine. But his journey from experimental filmmaker to his eerie, poetic Night Tide starring Dennis Hopper to Hollywood director of eccentric chillers like What’s the Matter with Helen? was often a rocky one. Case in point- Ruby, a 1977, wildly atmospheric supernatural thriller and follow-up role for the talented Piper Laurie from her career reboot- Carrie. Laurie plays Ruby Claire, a former lounge-singer, now a recluse who runs a Florida Drive-In movie theater in the 1950s, where she has given jobs to all her mobster friends. They are showing Attack of the 50th Foot Woman at the Drive-In (another tale of a woman’s fury). (For nitpickers that film came out 7 years after the time period this is supposed to take place in). Ruby lives with her owl-eyed daughter Laurie (Janit Baldwin), who has been mute since birth and, unfortunately, now is suddenly possessed by the spirit of Ruby’s late mobster boyfriend Nicky (Sal Vecchio), who was gunned down in the 30s in front of her. Nicky’s spirit begins knocking off the criminal crew at the theater who double-crossed him- and in inventive ways. The projectionist is strangled by film, another has his body jammed inside a soda dispenser, another ends up impaled on the screen by a theater speaker pole. Roger Davis plays a parapsychologist who is brought in by Ruby’s ticket-taker buddy (Stuart Whitman) to help. For Harrington, this was an unhappy shoot because of producer Steve Krantz, who he had to fight with during the filming and who edited in scenes that Harrington didn’t shoot at the end. He also cut and reshot a TV version that unfortunately was the only way some of us saw the film- even on VHS (this horrible version is included on the Blu-ray). But, ironically, the movie was a huge hit at the box office, and much of Harrington’s hard-won fights made it so. Like the soft, diffused lighting which gave it that dreamy, strange mood. And Piper Laurie’s committed performance, with her throaty laughs as she wanders her house in a silk robe at night, swilling cocktails, forever trapped in her past. It’s a joy to see this 4K UHD version from the 35mm camera negative, which looks really wonderful. There is new commentary track with film historian David Del Valle and filmmaker David DeCoteau, a new interview with actor Roger Davis and archival interviews with director Curtis Harrington with David Del Valle.
The Cat (88 Films) More cinematic insanity from Hong Kong cinematographer turned director Ngai Choi-Lam, responsible for such outrageous films as The Seventh Curse, Erotic Ghost Story and the jaw-dropping Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky. But I had never seen his 1992 film: The Cat, and was unprepared for such hilarious lunacy. Once again it concerns the writer “Wisely” (played by Chow Yun-Fat in The Seventh Curse, but now played by Waise Lee). He is investigating a mysterious girl and her fluffy, strange, black cat. Both the girl and her feline are from outer space, here to destroy a shape-shifting monster. The octopus-like tendrils from the creature even captures and transforms a squad of policeman to do it’s evil bidding. There’s a long junkyard fight scene between the crafty cat and a guard dog that will fry your brain. A deliciously crackpot blast. The digital transfer of the film on Blu-ray is absolutely superb.
Asylum (Severin) A fantastic upgrade of this first-rate horror anthology from Amicus, the scrappy British studio that attempted to give Hammer a run for the money. This 1972 film, expertly directed by Roy Ward Baker has a nice wrap-around story to fit in four horror tales written by Robert Bloch (Psycho). Young Dr. Martin (Robert Powell) arrives for a job interview at a large mental institution. He meets the wheelchair-bound Dr. Rutherford (Patrick Magee) who proposes a wager. If Dr. Martin can discover, by interviewing four locked upstairs in the “incurable” ward, who the former head of the institution is (who suffered a mental collapse), the job is his. He first meets a young woman named Bonnie (Barbara Parkins) who describes the murder plot she and her boyfriend (Richard Todd) devised of killing his wife and dismembering the body, only to have black magic animate the separated limbs. He meets an elderly tailor (Barry Morse) who designs a strange, unholy, suit for a mysterious stranger (Peter Cushing), which can only be worked on from midnight to 5AM. The third tale is about Barbara (gorgeous Charlotte Rampling), recently release from a mental facility only to have her dangerous best friend Lucy (Britt Ekland) show up to make deadly trouble. The final tale is about a doctor (Herbert Lom) creating little mechanical dolls fitted with real intestines and brought to life through mind control. The two-disc Blu-ray set, one includes a 4K UHD option, really looks spectacular and the extras are great, including a fascinating interview with Robert Powell on his recollection of making the film; an on-set BBC short featuring interviews with the director and cast; author David J. Schow on Robert Bloch, and Inside the Fear Factory, about Amicus (nicknamed “The Studio That Dripped Blood”).
Dead of Night (Kino Lorber) People always bring up famed TV producer Dan Curtis’s omnibus horror film Trilogy of Terror (because of the reanimated Zuni hunting fetish doll chasing poor Karen Black around her apartment in the final episode “Amelia”). But this 1977 trilogy (directed by Curtis) has one of my all-time favorites: Bobby, starring the late, great Joan Hackett as a grieving mother who unwisely brings back her late son (Lee H. Montgomery) from the dead using black magic- with dire results. It’s such a nasty take on The Monkey’s Paw in many ways, but it’s just the best! Ed Begley Jr. stars in Second Chance about a young man who restores an old, smashed Jordan Playboy car and is somehow transported back in time to 1926 when he hits the backroads one night. The screenplay was by Richard Matheson (I Am Legend) based on a short story by Jack Finney (Invasion of the Body Snatchers). No Such Thing as a Vampire is also a Richard Matheson story, set in Rumania in 1896 and stars Anjanette Comer as a young woman with a fear that she is the nightly victim of a vampire. Her husband (Patrick Macnee) calls in a friend (Horst Bucholtz) to aid him protecting her, with truly fiendish results. Bobby was an original story written for the trilogy by Richard Matheson. Introduction to Dead of Night is by Jeff Thompson (author of The Television Horrors of Dan Curtis). An extra treat is a spooky gothic chiller- a 1969 Dan Curtis pilot: Dead of Night: A Darkness at Blaisedon starring Kerwin Mathews (The 7th Voyage of Sinbad), investigating reports of a haunted house with the psychic new owner (Marj Dusay) and his trusty sidekick Sajid (Cal Bellini).
Classic Monsters (Kino Lorber) Legendary TV producer Dan Curtis (Dark Shadows, The Night Stalker) attempted to re-imagine the horror classics by these three unique adaptations. Dracula (directed by Curtis) starred Jack Palance, with a screenplay by Richard Matheson (The Incredible Shrinking Man). It was shot on film in England and Yugoslavia with great art direction and atmospheric cinematography and Palance’s blood-drinking Count is more feral and ferocious than most. There’s also a stronger connection to Vlad the Impaler, who many believe the Bram Stoker tale was slightly based on. With the gorgeous Fiona Lewis as poor, doomed Lucy, Simon Ward as her fiance Arthur and Nigel Davenport as Van Helsing. Jack Palance admits that it was “the only character I ever played that frightened me.” Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein was shot on video and stars Robert Foxworth as the renegade scientist stitching together body parts into a living creature. Hulking Bo Svenson plays his sympathetic, pitiful creature. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde stars Jack Palance as the doctor who unleashes a monstrous other side of himself because of scientific experiments. Co-starring Denholm Elliot and Billie Whitelaw. There is an extra with make-up master Dick Smith (The Exorcist) who did the effects on this film. Introductions to all films by Jeff Thompson, author of The Television Horrors of Dan Curtis.
The Killer Must Kill Again (Rustblade) 50th Anniversary Edition, which comes with a booklet and three postcards and two discs- Blu-ray and DVD of this terrific 1975 “giallo” by Luigi Cozzi (the first feature he directed after collaborating with Dario Argento on Four Flies on Grey Velvet and other projects). Giorgio (handsome George Hilton) is a philandering husband who catches a man (Antoine Saint-John) pushing a Volkswagen off a pier with a dead victim inside. Giorgio blackmails the psychopath into disposing of his own wealthy wife. The plan goes awry when two young lovers steal the killer’s car and drive to the beach, unaware that Giorgio’s wife’s corpse is in the trunk. The “killer” has the most incredible face- with sunken cheeks and deep-set, skull-like eyes- in this deliciously nasty thriller by Luigi Cozzi.
The Man Who Could Cheat Death (Vinegar Syndrome) Director Terence Fisher really found his calling when he directed The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) and Horror of Dracula (1958) for Hammer studios. He gave the films a gorgeous Victorian gothic sensibility, not to mention his impeccable eye for framing, his way with actors, and his editing skill for pace and suspense. He became Hammer’s go-to guy for their most prestigious fare. The Man Who Could Cheat Death was a take-off of a 1944 British thriller The Man in Half Moon Street about a scientist who uses glands to keep himself youthful and live forever. Jimmy Sangster jazzed it up for Hammer in a screenplay and Anton Diffring plays Dr. Georges Bonnet, a talented sculptor in nineteenth-century Paris who has conspired with a fellow doctor years ago and has retained his youth and vitality at a terrible price- he must kill and extract a gland and have it surgically implanted in order to continue every ten years. But his doctor friend has had a stroke and he is forced to blackmail a surgeon (Christopher Lee) to do the operation. Hazel Court plays his beautiful model Janine in this 1959 chiller. What’s thrilling about this 4K UHD Vinegar Syndrome edition is that it is restored from the 35mm negative, recovering the lost few seconds cut by British censors during the fiery finale when it was released. It also includes a “Continental Version” which offers a shot of a topless Hazel Court posing for a sculpture that is startling to say the least. The extras include film historian Jonathan Rigby on the history of the project and revealing that Peter Cushing was to play the lead but backed out at the last minute and Anton Diffring was rushed in. Author Vic Pratt has a wonderful assessment of director Terence Fisher, and Melanie Williams offers a terrific look at the life and career of Hazel Court. The disc looks spectacular- the flesh tones are rich and colorful and the film has never before looked so incredible.
Baskin (Severin) Monumentally creepy Turkish horror film by Can Evrenol about 5 police officers who are summoned over the radio to an abandoned and supposedly cursed building deep in the forest. Arda (Gorkem Kasal) is the young rookie, and has been haunted by reoccurring bad dreams ever since he was young. But nothing prepares him for the horror he faces as the group descends deeper down into the bowls of the crumbling ruin and encounters unimaginable monstrosities. The further they go down the labyrinth of hanging chains, blood, plates of eyeballs and mutated beings you feel like you’ve dropped into the deep recesses of author Clive Barker’s feverish brain. Real nightmare fuel. The Blu-ray comes with audio commentary by the director. Plus “Baskin: 10 Years Later,” also a featurette on the making of the film and several short films by Can Evrenol.
The Descent (Lionsgate) A 4K UHD & Blu-ray steelbook of a spectacularly scary 2005 British chiller by Neil Marshall (Dog Soldiers) about a group of female friends into extreme sports (like white water rafting), who decide to explore uncharted caves up in the Appalachian Mountains. A landslide traps them inside and before long they find they are not alone. No, not with the Morlocks from The Time Machine, but equally hideous hairless, blind, cannibalistic creatures scurry across the cave walls towards them. Claustrophobic and relentlessly visceral, with a girl power toughness thrown in, this film is great, grisly, fun.
Lovely to Look At (Warner Archive) A splashy, 1952 Technicolor MGM remake of Roberta, about three struggling musical producers- Tony (Howard Keel), Al (the violently unfunny Red Skelton) and Jerry (Gower Champion). Al discovers his late Aunt Roberta has left him a dress design house in Paris and the three men fly there and try to incorporate their producing skills to create a wild fashion show to beat all fashion shows. Meanwhile all find love. Tony (Keel) with Stephanie (Kathryn Grayson) and Jerry with her sister Clarisse (Marge Champion). Both women were adopted by Roberta. Al falls for Bubbles (tap-dancing legend Ann Miller), a showgirl who used to date Tony, and it all ends with an almost 20-minute psychedelic fashion show that I have shown to every single person that walks in my door. (Not surprisingly Vincente Minnelli directed the finale, assisted by costumes by Adrian). Zsa Zsa Gabor even pops up in the finale. You will not believe this ending! And revel in the gorgeous dance numbers of Marge and Gower Champion. The heavenly music is courtesy of Jerome Kern. Typically, Warner Archive has done a superior job with the digital restoration- the color will melt your eyeballs.
Alec Guinness Masterpiece Collection (Kino Lorber) It always sets my teeth on edge when you mention Alec Guinness and someone says, “Oh, that guy from Star Wars.” Fortunately, the four early films of his in this collection should be an eye opener since they exhibit the brilliance and subtlety of his performances. Kind Hearts & Coronets (1949) is a delicious black comedy starring Dennis Price who plots revenge on his aristocrat family by murdering all 8 that come before him in succession. Guinness hilarious plays all eight doomed members of the D’Ascoyne family. Velvet-voiced Joan Greenwood plays the woman who turned down his offer of marriage. The Lavender Hill Mob (1951) is an ironic comedy starring Guinness as a bank clerk who schemes to steal some gold bullion. In The Man in the White Suit (1951) Guinness plays a research scientist attempting to create a new kind of fiber that won’t wear out and doesn’t absorb dirt. He does create a suit all right, but it glows white from all the radioactive material in the fabric. The Ladykillers (1955) stars Guinness (with frightful teeth) as the leader of a gang of crooks who rent rooms in the house of a sweet little old lady- who accidentally ruins all their plans in hilarious, deadly ways.
Mad Foxes (Cauldron) At the beginning of director Paul Grau’s 1981 trash masterpiece, Hal (Jose Gras) is driving his virginal 18-year-old girlfriend to a disco in his Corvette Stingray in order to get her drunk. He gets in a dispute with a Nazi motorcycle gang at a red light, and, later, they beat him up and rape his girlfriend. Hal gets his karate school buddies to get revenge, and they rough up the gang- even castrating the leader and shoving his penis down his throat. The motorcycle gang retaliates on the karate club by surprising them, throwing grenades in their studio and mowing them down with machine guns. And this is just the first 15 minutes! Shot in Switzerland and Spain, the dubbing is astoundingly awful (which makes it funnier), and each scene is so deranged you keep shaking you head in bemused disbelief. In one sequence, with the bikers hanging out drinking, one is full-frontally nude which is hilariously baffling. The fact that this is a gorgeous 4K UHD 2-disc set (with Blu-ray also) is even more incomprehensible. The extras include a rare interview with the elusive lead Jose Gras, a segment on producer Erwin C. Dietrich (who made 17 movies with director Jess Franco), and “Nazi Fox Bikers Must Die,” a terrific visual essay by Troy Howarth. The ultimate WTF film.
