CANNIBAL APOCALYPSE 1980 On Blu

   
   

     Antonio Margheriti's (aka "Anthony M. Dawson") CANNIBAL APOCALYPSE is coming to Blu-ray via Kino Lorber. One of the many Italian cannibal movies that flooded drive-in & grindhouse movie screens (and later Mom & Pop video shelves) during the late 70's and 80's this one's a bit different as it transports the action and gut chomping to Atlanta GA.
   Starring John Saxon (ENTER THE DRAGON) as a Vietnam War POW who begins to realize that himself and other ex-soldiers are inflicted with a virus that causes them to crave human flesh.
   Relatively gore free (at least compared to others of this genre) it's probably best remembered under the VHS title INVASION OF THE FLESH HUNTERS and it's gaudy box cover that graced the shelves of video stores throughout the land. No extras have been announced yet and a release date is not known.

CLEOPATRA JONES 1973 On Blu

It doesn't get much better then Tamera Dobson & CLEOPATRA JONES in HD!! 

"She's Ten Miles of Bad Road For Every Hood in Town!"

  Tamera Dobson made only a handful of film in her short career, but she will forever be enshrined in the grindhouse/drive-in hall of fame for her title roles in the two Cleopatra Jones films and the all-time WIP classic CHAINED HEAT in 1983. A tall statuesque 6' 2" (much was made of the this in the film's publicity) ex-model her last role was in the TV movie AMAZONS in 1983 and she sadly passed away in 2006 after being diagnosed with MS in 2000. 

   A great example of what you could get away with in the 70's with a PG rating and directed by the great Jack Starrett (RACE WITH THE DEVIL) Warner archive brings CLEOPATRA JONES to Blu-ray in a gorgeous 2.40:1 16X9 transfer with 2.0 DTS Master Audio.

   Patterned after the James Bond films (Dobson has a tricked out '73 Stingray) the plot has Cleopatra Jones as a Los Angeles based U.S. secret agent going after drug kingpin "Mommy" (a screeching & scenery chewing Shelly Winters) thanks to Starrett's brisk direction the film moves at a brisk pace and features a surprising amount of comedy most likely thanks to co-screenwriter Sheldon Kelly who worked on The Dick Van Dyke show.

   A sequel CLEOPATRA JONES AND THE CASINO OF GOLD (available on DVD from Warner archive) appeared in 1975 but it did poorly at the box office as blaxploitation was winding down. It features Stella Stevens as Cleopatra's main nemesis (a huge improvement over Winters) and moves the location to Hong Kong ramping up the action and toning down the more urban feel of the first movie. Always a bit under regarded it's a great film (in some ways I prefer to the original) and hopefully Warner will release this on Blu-ray soon. 

LUST FOR A VAMPIRE 1971

     On July 30th Shout Factory will release Hammer's LUST FOR A VAMPIRE on Blu. Directed by Jimmy Sangster it's the middle film in that studios "Karnstein Trilogy" preceded by 1970's THE VAMPIRE LOVERS and followed by TWINS OF EVIL later in 1971.  Widely considered the be the lesser of the three films it follows Hammers then formula of mixing Gothic horror along with healthy dollops of bare breasts and blood. 

    The "Hammer Glamour" marketing campaign this time around focused on Danish born Yutte Stensgaard who appears here as Mircalla/Carmilla Karnstein who infiltrates a girl's school. This was somewhat of a troubled production with Sangster replacing Terence Fisher as director along with Peter Cushing bowing out of the male lead to care for wife and being replaced with Ralph Bates (who refereed to LUST FOR A VAMPIRE as "the worst film ever made"). Ingrid Pitt was originally slated to reprise her role from THE VAMPIRE LOVERS turned down the film. 

    Despite its dodgy reputation (including a winch the inducing pop vocal song "Strange Love" & Yutte's cross-eyed love-making) it still has a quite a bit to recommend in it. Ralph Bates was one of Hammer's better late period actors and Yutte's blood soaked bare bosom resurrection sequence is defiantly an eye-opener (stills of which were the highlight of several horror movie books back in the day). Plus, there's Hammers usual excellent Gothic set design & costumes and a cast that also includes Suzanna Leigh (THE LOST CONTINENT), Pippa Steel (THE VAMPIRE LOVERS) and Judy Matheson (TWINS OF EVIL).  

    This release will nicely fill out the trilogy on Blu and adds to Shout's ongoing Hammer releases which have been coming fast and furious lately. No extras have been announced yet.  

SHADOW OF THE HAWK 1976 On Blu

    One of the more interesting and up till now examples of missing 70's horror SHADOW OF THE HAWK will be released on Blu-ray by Mill Creek on Sept. 18. Paired up with 1979's NIGHTWING., SHADOW OF THE HAWK was one of the numerous Canadian tax shelter movies that were made during this period. Most often doing their best to hide their Canadian origins, they're a fascinating (especially in the case of  horror/thriller films) sub-genre with examples such as MY BLOODY VALENTINE (1982), RITUALS (1976) and of course David Cronenberg's early work.
   Directed by George McCowan (FROGS 1972) SHADOW OF THE HAWK is an interesting (and sometime daffy) story with young executive Jan-Michael Vincent whose grandfather Chief Dan George enlists his help in fighting a malevolent Native American spirit. It would make a great dbl. feat, with William Gridler's THE MANITOU from 1978 (still sadly missing from DVD) and features Jan-Michael wrestling a bear!  The story doesn't hold up to close inspection and the special effects are a bit more ambitious then the budget allows, but it's a fun piece of 70's horror.
   NIGHTWING is one of the plethora of nature runs amok movies from this time and a good cast helps elevate it although it has the look of TV movie from the period. 

EXORCIST II: THE HERETIC Coming on Blu!!!

     In a surprise (some would say shocking) announcement Scream Factory is unleashing John Boorman's much maligned EXORCIST sequel on Blu-ray. Streeting on Sept. 25 it will include both including the 117 minute initial release cut and the 110 minute re-edited version that was put into wide release after the film's disastrous opening.
    Always on my Halloween watch list and rightly almost universally ridiculed, I've always found an almost a perverse fascination in it as a mind bogglingly example of WTF cinema with some sequences almost laugh out loud hilarious. Featuring a gorgeous looking Linda Blair, a scenery gobbling performance by Richard Burton and a fresh off her Oscar win Louise Fletcher along with a returning Max von Sydow as Father Merrin. Plus, you've got James Earl Jones, Paul Henried (CASABLANCA) in his last role and swarms of locusts.

THE EVIL 1978 On Blu

    On Sept. 18 Scream Factory will release this 1978 late night cable staple on Blu-ray. Directed by Gus Trikonis who had an interesting career in early 70's exploitation including THE SWING BARMAIDS (1975). NASHVILLE GIRL (1976), THE STUDENT BODY (1976) and MOONSHINE COUNTY EXPRESS (1977) it was probably seen by him a move forward into more mainstream projects (he was also a co-writer on the screenplay). Barely released theatrically by New World it showed up constantly on late night TV during the 80's and its video box would haunt the shelves of mom & pop video store everywhere.
   Starring Richard Crenna (FIRST BLOOD), Joanna Pettet (A CRY IN THE WILDERNESS) and 70's horror mainstay Andrew Prine (ANDREW KING OF WITCHES & BARN OF THE NAKED DEAD) it features the standard plot of group of people trapped in a house with unsavory past, but the film does add some different elements to proceedings and the characters back stories. Going into some real bizarre territory in its finale (complete with an unforgettable cameo by Victor Buono) the film has always been somewhat unfairly maligned.
   Previously available from Shout on a dbl. feature DVD with TWICE DEAD the new Blu will feature a new 2K scan from the only surviving elements along with an audio commentary with Trikonis, write Donald G. Thompson and director of photography Mario Di Leo moderated by Walter Olsen (ported over from the DVD) plus a trailer and TV spot.

RIP Janine Reynaud (1930-2018)

    A smoldering redhead who lent an unforgettable presence to Euro sex, horror and exploitation films of the 60' & 70's Jannie Reynaud has passed away. Starting out as a model she is perhaps best known foe being an early muse of Jess Franco and for her role in his SUCCUBUS (1968) and the two psychedelic  spy "Red Lips" spoofs KISS ME MONSTER & SADIST EROTICA (1969).
  She also appeared in THE CASE OF THE SCORPIONS TALE (1971) and in the creepy Gothic CASTLE OF THE CREEPING FLESH (1968). Her performance in 1971's FRUSTRATION (aka THE CHAMBERMAID'S DREAM) in amazing and is a film which is in dire need of a Blu-ray upgrade. A recent resident of Texas see was married for a brief time to the equally enigmatic French actor Michel Lemoine.