Quite frankly, the 4K release of the sci-fi classic Invaders from Mars should be enough for this month, but there are also other 4K UHD upgrades of many cult classics, not to mention oddball Blu-ray releases of excellent new thrillers like The Black Phone, moody film noir starring Barbara Stanwyck and Lizabeth Scott; whacked-out Florida-lensed insanity like Satan’s Children, a deserved cult favorite Massacre at Central High; and a rare drama directed by Paul Newman with a dazzling performance by Joanne Woodward.
Invaders from Mars (Ignite Films) A 1953 sci-fi classic about a young, astrology-obsessed boy (Jimmy Hunt) who witnesses a spaceship crash in the dunes behind his house one night and cannot get anyone to believe him. That might be because his parents and half the town have been transformed by the alien invaders into cold, emotionless zombies. The great production designer William Cameron Menzies directs this from a child’s point of view- with paranoid angled shooting and offbeat framing style to burn. It’s also scary and really cool, even down to the twist ending and towering Martians with zippers on their backs and a large-headed creature in a bowl aboard the spacecraft. This was a few years before Don Siegel’s The Invasion of the Body Snatchers with a similar paranoid invasion overview. We have been waiting decades for a decent disc of this film and our prayers have been answered. This comes in either a 4K UHD disc or a Blu-ray disc and interviews with Jimmy Hunt and William Cameron Menzies biographer James Curtis plus a featurette with directors like Joe Dante and John Landis extolling the film’s influence, plus director John Hughes’ introduction at a Turner Classic Movies screening in April 2022.
Blow Out (Criterion) 4K restoration of a sensational 1981 Brian De Palma film with a career-best performance by John Travolta as a Philadelphia sound engineer for cheesy slasher films. He is out late recording ambient night sounds when he is witness to a car careening out of control and into a nearby lake. He dives in and is only able to rescue a woman in the car (Nancy Allen). Later at the hospital he finds out the driver was a Presidential hopeful, and the woman has been secretly escorted out of the hospital and out of the official record. Listening to his sound recording of the incident he distinctly hears the sound of a bullet and as he tracks down clues uncovers a frightening conspiracy and is put in the crosshairs of a sadistic hired killer (a chilling John Lithgow). De Palma is riffing off Blow-Up and his stylistic flourishes are dizzying. Well-reviewed at the time- especially the performances of Travolta and Nancy Allen– but failed at the box office. Mercifully, time has caught up with this brilliant, heartbreaking thriller.
The Funhouse (Shout! Factory) A 2-disc 4K UHD restoration Blu-ray of Tobe Hooper’s (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre) unfairly maligned 1981 chiller about two teen couples who unwisely decide to hide out overnight in a seedy traveling carnival funhouse. Sylvia Miles plays a blousy fortuneteller and there’s a deformed creature wearing a Frankenstein mask that wanders the midway, killing unlucky intruders. With a great sense of style and great color cinematography by Andrew Laszlo, this new presentation might help restore the reputation of this genuine cult classic. A 4K scan from the original film negative and with archival audio commentary by Tobe Hooper is on the first disc and a host of others on the second Blu-ray disc including brand new cast interviews.
The Black Phone (SDS) Above average thriller by Scott Derrickson (Sinister) and based on a Joe Hill short story. Set in the 1970s, a series of child abductions by a fiend nicknamed “The Grabber” paralyzes the town. 13-year-old Finney (Mason Thames) is the latest victim- locked in a basement by a masked madman (Ethan Hawke). There is a disconnected black phone on the wall which periodically rings and Finney hears static and then the voices of past victims trying to warn him of upcoming dangers. It’s a hair-raising tale but done with great pathos and oddball supernatural overtones. The scrappy sister (Madeleine McGraw), who has prophetic dreams, is a great touch. Pretty terrific, this comes with deleted scenes, a making-of extra and a cool, sardonic short film by Scott Derrickson called Shadowprowler.
Rachel, Rachel (Warner Archive) Watching that riveting 6-part documentary The Last Movie Stars on HBO, makes one want to revisit the films of Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward. This 1968 film was directed by Newman and based on a book- The Jest of God by Margaret Laurence– to showcase the talents of his amazing wife Joanne Woodward. Joanne movingly inhabits the role of a painfully shy, sexually frustrated schoolteacher still living with her mother. Estelle Parsons is wonderful as her supportive teacher-friend who is secretly in love with her, and James Olson is perfect as an ex-classmate who comes to town for a visit and sexually awakens Rachel. I am grateful for Warner Archive for putting this out on Blu-ray- for years it was impossible to find. And while the material might be considered dated and slight, it’s an opportunity to see Joanne Woodward shine.
Satan’s Children (AGFA & Something Weird) One of the most deranged films to come out of Florida in the late 60s (and that’s saying something). Poor, hapless Bobbie Douglas (Stephen White). He is driven out of his home by an abusive father and a slutty, mean, stepsister who torments him while she lounges around the pool. Bobby meets a biker in a bar only to be later gangbanged by his drunken buddies in a speeding car. He is left for dead on the side of the road of a compound where a satanic cult has set up headquarters. Their leader is also virulently homophobic. A cult woman leader falls for Bobbie but is buried up to her neck and covered with honey in an ant hill and Bobbie goes on the run in his underpants to end up proving what a vicious, murderous Satanist he really can be after all. It’s that jaw-dropping. Directed by Joe Wiezycki, it’s difficult to comprehend the film’s message when you are howling with disbelief at the screen. The last 35mm print known to exist has been cleaned up for the Blu-ray and, even with the roughness of the material, looks pretty damn great. An extra on the film has remaining cast members gathering for a Q & A after a screening; a bonus TV special: The Weird World of Weird (1970) and a “torrid trailer reel from Lucifer’s archive.”
The Fog (Shout! Factory) A 4K restoration of a John Carpenter classic ghost story, which was the follow-up to his phenomenally successful Halloween. Once again joined with producer Debra Hill and co-star Jamie Lee Curtis (not to mention adding her mother Janet Leigh to the mix), this starred Adrienne Barbeau as Stevie Wayne, the feisty DJ and owner of a radio station set in a lighthouse in Antonio Bay, a Pacific fishing community celebrating their 100thanniversary. Hal Holbrook plays a tipsy minister who discovers an age-old diary in the walls of his church which is proof of the town’s culpability in a ship’s crash, and the vengeful seaworthy ghosts begin to appear in a cloud of fog to spread terror through the town. Filled with unforgettably creepy moments, another superb score by Carpenter, and stunning cinematography from Dean Cundey. This is one of my all-time Carpenter favorites, and I’ll always spring for a new 4K incarnation, especially loaded down with all the great Shout! Factory extras.
The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (Kino Lorber). This stunning 1946 film noir starring Barbara Stanwyck as a ruthless, wealthy, businesswoman in a loveless marriage to the local drunken DA (Kirk Douglas, in his first role). But a drifter (Van Heflin), and childhood sweetheart, shows back in town with a new girlfriend (Lizabeth Scott) and sets the wheels into motion on a collision course with fate. Not to mention revealing a deadly buried secret from the past. Barbara Stanwyck locking horns with Lizabeth Scott on screen has to be a piece of film noir heaven. Directed by Lewis Milestone this has just an unbeatable cast. And it’s a 4K restoration and comes with audio commentary by film historian Alan K. Rode.
The Turning Point (Kino Lorber) Crackling 1952 film noir from Paramount Studios starring Edmond O’Brien as crusading DA John Conroy, trying to take down a criminal syndicate run by Neil Eichelberger (Ed Begley). William Holden plays Jerry McKibbon a cynical reporter friend who horrifyingly discovers John’s father, a cop (Tom Tully), is also working for the mob. Alexis Smith plays the district attorney’s gal Friday who falls for Holden. Neville Brand plays a creepy hit man sent in by the mob to rub out witnesses. Directed by William Dieterle (The Devil and Daniel Wester), with great black & white cinematography by Lionel Lindon showcasing the iconic Bunker Hill section of L.A. in a memorable sequence.
Massacre at Central High (Synapse) A high definition remastered Blu-ray, scanned, transferred and supervised by director Renee Daalder (who died in 2019) who began his career as a successful Dutch record producer. This incendiary 1976 low-budget teen exploitation film is about the new kid in school- David (Derrel Maury– a really interesting lead presence), approached by his old friend (sexy Andrew Stevens) to be part of the main clique on campus. But David’s iconoclastic attitude pisses off the in-crowd, who end up purposefully crippling David, who then goes on a rampage of murderous revenge. What’s so fascinating is that when the bullies are removed from the equation, the nerds that were victimized become bullies themselves, causing more explosive deaths. The cast is filled with talented young actors like Robert Carradine, Kimberley Beck, Steve Bond, Steve Sikes, Ray Underwood, gorgeous Rainbeaux Smith, and has garnered a real cult status through the years as fans (and film critics) discovered the film’s perverse charms. The Blu-ray comes with a fun documentary Hell in the Hallways- the making of “Massacre at Central High.” There’s an Italian version- Sexy Jeans– which injected hardcore sequences.
In Bruges (Kino Lorber) 4K restoration of a wickedly funny 2008 dark comedy about two hitmen- Ray (Colin Farrell) and Ken (Brendan Gleeson)- who are sent to Bruges after a contract killing of a priest causes the accidental death of a child. Ken is happy to sightsee but Ray, still guilt-ridden over the kid’s death, says: “If I was brought up on a farm and was retarded, Bruges would impress me.” Directed and written by the talented Irish playwright Martin McDonagh (The Pillowman/The Lieutenant of Inishmore), he definitely delights in comic violence and this fairy tale city is painted blood red when crime boss Harry (Ralph Fiennes) comes to town. The quirky crackpot exchanges in the movie are disarmingly hilarious (a gun dealer discussing “alcoves” at length comes riotously to mind). Bloody good fun.
Mata Hari (Kino Lorber) I’ve always been a fan of director Curtis Harrington, from early gems like Night Tide, to twisty thrillers like Games, to gothic chillers like What’s the Matter with Helen?, to perverse treats like The Killing Kind. But I was unfamiliar with this 1985 film which is a bigger budget for Harrington, care of the Cannon Group (Golan-Globus), and starring the beautiful Sylvia Kristel, who ignited a box-office sensation starring in Emmanuelle. Here Kristel plays the duplicitous, beautiful, international Dutch/Javanese dance sensation and World War I spy Mata Hari. Garbo she ain’t, but there’s enough camp goodies and sexy interludes to keep this opulent soft-core costume drama eminently watchable and enjoyable. A topless female sword fight is a highlight. With excellent audio commentary by film historians David Del Valle and Nathaniel Bell.
