Altered Horror

Blood Rage (Aka Shadow Woods / Slasher) (1987)

2016-10-11T10:37:00.000-04:00

Blood Rage (Aka, Shadow Woods / Slasher) is an American Slasher film produced in 1987. Written by Bruce Rubin and directed by John Grissmer, its undertones are very reminiscent of the campy “Friday The 13^th” series and Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho” with one homicidal son yearning for mother’s sympathy with a quick snap of his sanity. The film starts out in a crowded night at the local drive-in theater in 1974 in Jacksonville, Florida. For a fun night for many quickly turns into a blood soaked drive-in, when a single mother, Maddy Simmons (Louise Lasser) , takes her two young identical twin boys Todd (Mark Soper) and Terry (Mark Soper) with her while on a date. The couple takes their night further as Ms. Simmons assumes the twins are asleep in the backseat, and as things get heated up in the front seat, the boys mischievously sneak out the back door without notice. Terry mysteriously finds and picks up an axe. Peering into the next car, a couple takes their drive-in experience further and when discoved being watched by the twins, curses the boys to leave them alone. Enraged, Terry brutally attacks the couple. As the crowds gather after the shouts and screams, Terry quickly and hesitantly rubs the blood of his first victims on Todd’s face who had nothing to do with the murders and ditches the axe. In a dark twist, Todd claims that Terry was the one who murdered the couple and is quickly sent to a long term psychiatric hospital, leaving Todd as “The good child” knowing what he really did that dark night. Fast forward nearly a decade later, it is Thanksgiving in Jacksonville, and the twisted Todd has kept his hands clean, now focused on convincing his innocence, life begins a new turn of events for him. Terry has been locked up in a catatonic state with little to no memory of that night except that he was framed by his twin brother. We are shortly introduced with Terry’s psychotherapist Dr. Berman (Marianne Kanter), and she admits that she knows Terry is not capable of such a crime and is determined to break Todd’s secret. She rises to the top of Terry’s kill list. Ms. Simmons is now about to get married and this comes as unsettling news for Todd. To make things more difficult, Todd’s brother, Terry has escaped his psychiatric hospital. Unworried, but a still very damaged Todd snaps further into his psychosis making sure Terry doesn’t expose his dark secret of that unfortunate night. Todd begins to pretend to be Terry, tricking his unfortunate victims, as the body count rises and his rage for blood is heightened in search of Terry. He begins to kill anyone and everyone who gets in his way. Blood Rage is a great psychological slasher film with plenty of gore and unique murder scenes. The film also features a cameo appearance by Ted Raimi as a condom salesman in the beginning. It’s one of the many eighties horror films you must add to your watch list. Now available exclusively as a Special Edition from Arrow Films, it comes packed full with 3 Discs, Blu-Ray/DVD & a DVD bonus disc which features three different versions of the film including the uncut and composite version.

Dressed To Kill (1980)

2016-04-26T12:54:00.000-04:00

Dressed to Kill is a horror / thriller film released in 1980 and directed by Brian De Palma. The film revolves around the murder of a sexually active housewife (Angie Dickenson) who is killed and witnessed by a young prostitute (Nancy Allen) and her teenage son (Keith Gordon). The young prostitute is seeing a psychiatrist about her sexuality, yet he seems to be confused about his own as well. The psychiatrist (Michael Cain) is a transvestite trapped inside a man’s body who when is sexually excited, his female side takes over and kills. As he stalks his prey dressed as a blonde haired woman this crime filled thriller keeps you at the edge of your seat and reminds me of many of the Italian Giallo films produced, due to its erotic nature and the use of a razor blade. It’s one film I am glad I saw and enjoyed it very much. It has a solid plot and twists that you’d never expect. Dressed to Kill has been released as a Criterion Collection on Blu-Ray restored with 4k footage and bonus features it is a must own for any fan of the Italian Giallo films, as this one seems to fit the American profile quite well.

Death Valley (1982)

2016-04-21T13:37:00.000-04:00

Death Valley is a classic horror film from 1982 and directed by Dick Richards and written by Richard Rothstein. Newly divorced Paul Stanton (Edward Herrmann) and his son Billy (Stephen McHattie) decide to venture into Death Valley during a road trip. They stumble upon a serial killer, who enjoys wearing a pink male thong and his demented twin. Both enjoy tap-dancing and belting out old cowboy songs. Billy finds the murder instrument and decides to keep it unfortunately, allowing him to become stalked by a serial killer. Billy wanders upon an old RV stuffed with dead bodies; he suspects what might be going on. When the local sheriff (Wilford Brimley) becomes one of the victims, Billy sets off to find out more about the crime. Death Valley is a well directed and produced horror film with an original tale not to miss. The film has been currently released by the horror release masters Scream! Factory and is on a DVD/BluRay Combo pack with bonus features of various Trailers of the film. This release is not one to pass up. Purchase Death Valley directly from Scream! Factory.

Bad Dreams (1988)

2016-04-20T14:16:00.000-04:00

Bad Dreams is a classic 80’s Horror Film by director and co-writer Andrew Fleming and produced by Gale Anne Hurd. The film begins with a cult known as Unity Fields, gathering with its psychopathic leader Franklin Harris (Richard Lynch) dousing his members with gasoline and lighting his followers on fire in a mass suicide. One survivor Cynthia (Jennifer Rubin) survived and recently awakened from a thirteen year coma with occasional reminders of the suicide. Dr. Alex Karmen (Bruce Abbot) is the resident psychiatrist determined to help his patients but as people in her group therapy begin to commit suicide in gruesome ways, Cynthia believes she is being stalked by the ghost of the evil cult leader. But are these deaths suicides or murders from an unseen entity of the sinister cult leader Franklin Harris? As it turns out, her dreams become more vivid with each day confusing of what’s left of her reality into a horror as Franklin has come back to claim his “Love child”. This film is a great thriller with horror elements that remind one of the classic Elm Street series. Now released as a double feature BluRay/DVD by Scream! Factory, Bad Dreams comes packed with extras such as an original alternate ending, a behind the scenes and a make-up effects featurette.

Visiting Hours “The Fright, Get Well Soon” (1982)

2016-04-17T12:30:00.000-04:00

Visiting Hours Aka “The Fright and Get Well Soon” is a slasher horror film directed by Jean-Claude Lord. The plot is focused on a feminist TV journalist Deborah Ballin (Lee Grant) who is being followed by a malicious serial killer who previously attacked her and wants to finish his work. Deborah’s view on women’s rights anger Colt Hawker who is one of the studios’ cleaning staff and a homicidal psycho and misogynist. Hawker despises woman ever since he was a young boy and saw his mother throw boiling oil on his father. He has developed a fascination on photographing his victims he stabs as they spasm to death. After more than a few closely related assaults and murders take place, Deborah tries to convince Gary Baylor (William Shatner) her boss, that she and her friend, Sheila Munroe (Linda Purl) are not safe. Deborah discovers the identity of the attacker and how he thinks, suspecting that she is his main target. Originally not cleared for video released and censored under UK’s “Video Nasty” list it is now available for purchase by Scream! Factory as a re-release and as a double feature on BluRay from its previous DVD that has been placed “Out of Print”.

Curtains (1983)

2016-04-16T15:05:00.000-04:00

Curtains , released in 1983, is a Canadian slasher film directed by Richard Ciupka and written by Robert Guza Jr. The story focuses on a group of six actresses auditioning for a lead role who become targeted by a masked killer in a remote mansion. Samantha Sherwood (Samantha Eggar) is a film actress who’s had much success in the film industry, but because of her age the director John Striker (John Vernon) is no longer is interested in her work. The film she is presently working is a role of a deranged schizophrenic. In an attempt of method acting, he admits Samantha into a psychiatric ward to learn how to act as if she were actually deranged. After months of being cooped up in an asylum, Samantha slowly begins to deteriorate as the place takes a heavy toll on her and her sanity. She soon finds out that her director John has been using her as a rouse the entire time and was never interested in her as his lead role. She finally snaps and escapes the asylum with the intent to murder the other actresses being auditioned at the remote mansion. She hopes of being the only one left to hire for the leading role. Will she succeed in her devious plans to kill all the other actresses? Attacking her victim with a sickle and wearing a grotesque hag mask, she acts out in rage against the other actresses auditioning the lead role. Has it been Samantha all along or could it be her mysterious friend she trusts? In this thrill seeking horror, the murders keep you guessing as to who is committing these acts and with a well done twist of the story line at the end, Curtains is not one to miss. Released by Synapse Films it can be purchased on BluRay or DVD directly from their website or from Amazon.

The Dorm That Dripped Blood "Pranks, Death Dorm" (1982)

2016-04-14T22:53:00.002-04:00

The Dorm That Dripped Blood (Pranks, Death Dorm) is an American horror slasher film directed by Stephen Carpenter, Jeffrey Obrow and written by Carpenter and Stacey Giachino. The film involves four college students who stay behind at their college campus during the Christmas holiday to clean a dormitory that is about to be demolished. As they begin to clean out the dormitory, they begin to be stalked by an unknown killer who uses a multitude of industrial tools, such as a spiked baseball bat, wire and industrial tools to kill his victims. The students begin to notice the tools missing and they suspect it’s a guy they know who hangs around the school. The killer slays one student after another. As the movie progresses, the killer turns out to be a vicious murdering stalker who is madly in love with one of the girls. There is a lot of twists and turns with lots of gore and originality, The Dorm That Drips Blood is a classic slasher and ultimately earns it’s keep in anyone’s horror collection. Featuring Daphne Zuniga as (Debby) in her film debut, “Pranks, Death Dorm” was deemed video nasty in the United Kingdom upon its initial release due to its drill killing scene and its original art work that showed a spiked baseball bat. Unfortunately in 1992 it was re-released with the drill murder removed. Released once more by Synapse Films as of 2011 as an Uncensored Directors Cut as a BluRay/DVD combo pack including audio commentary with Jeffrey Obrow and Carpenter, Interviews and many more Bonus Features, the film is absolutely a must own and can be purchased from Synapse Films or Amazon.

Castle Freak (1995)

2016-04-13T20:10:00.001-04:00

Castle Freak is an H.P. Lovecraft adaptation from the short story “The Outsider”, directed by Stuart Gordon and released by Full Moon Entertainment. The plot involves a family who inherits a 12^th century mansion in Spain. John Reily (Jeffery Combs), Susan Riley (Barbara Crampton), and Rebecca Reily (Jessica Dollarhide), as their blind daughter, move into the 12^th century mansion. The family is still recovering from a drunken driving accident that killed their son and left the daughter blind. John is a recovering alcoholic and is attempting to win back his families trust. While John combats his own demons, there is something living in the basement. This basement creature is a maniac and eats humans if it isn’t chained to the wall. Strange noises occur throughout the house and the Reily family believes that it’s just the old mansion. The creature becomes loose and wreaks havoc on the mansion murdering guests and leaving John as the prime suspect. John later finds out that the creature in the basement is his brother. His mother locked him in the basement due to her embarrassment of his disfigurement and that his father was not her husband’s. The film is an excellent adaptation to the short story and keeps you in your seat the entire time. It has become one of my favorite films from Full Moon Entertainment. Castle Freak was released recently by Full Moon Entertainment on DVD or BluRay, as well as a UK version on BluRay or DVD by 88 Films. It can be purchased through Amazon on either format and is a must own for any horror fan.

Popcorn (1991)

2016-04-12T14:00:00.001-04:00

Popcorn is an American horror film from 1991 directed by Mark Herrier and written by Alan Ormsby. The film revolves around a “Horror-thon” in an abandoned theater, when a mysterious murderer begins killing off the teenagers. The film focuses on a college film student Maggie Butler (Jill Schoelen) who has had recurring dreams about a young girl named Sarah who is being chased by a killer while being stuck in a house fire. Taking notes from her dreams, she plans to make a movie out of her dreams. Recently her mother Suzanne (Dee Wallace), who she lives with, has been receiving strange and threatening phone calls. A friend of the Professor, Toby D’Amato (Tom Villard) a film school student has a plan to throw an all-night “Horror-thon” to raise money for their department. They set up the “Horror-thon” at a now defunct Dreamland theater, an old building that’s about to be demolished in three weeks. Professor Davis (Tony Roberts) head of the film department is concerned about time constraints and has hired an expert on film memorabilia, Dr. Mnesyne (Ray Walston) who chooses the horror props for the festival. While setting up the props, they begin to see a mysterious figure roaming the theater. The figure turns out to be Toby, who fifteen years-ago was badly burned as a child in a theater, after a showing of a horror movie with his mother, who was killed in the fire. Now, he still holds a grudge against Suzanne and Maggie for being responsible for his mother’s death. He has deranged thoughts and now plans to exact his revenge on them by re-enacting the film he witnessed with his mother. As he acts out his revenge with murder scenes from the movie, he kidnaps Maggie and Suzanne, eventually finding out that the final cuts of the film end up destroying his plans. The film is thrilling, exciting and has a bit of comedy entwined within the film which made this film a cult classic among many as the film has gone out of print. The film is still very hard to find and expensive to purchase, but for its original plot and ideas coming from the horror culture, this film is a must own for your own horror collection. It still can be found in limited listings on eBay and for purchase on Amazon released by Elite Entertainment on DVD which is now discontinued. A domestic version of the film is planned to be released by Synapse Films on BluRay soon which will make this a well sought release.

The Outing "The Lamp" (1987)

2016-04-10T10:49:00.000-04:00

The Outing (The Lamp) is an American horror film directed by Tom Daley, written by Warren Chaney. In the year 1893 a young woman (Deborah Winters) wears a magical charmed bracelet is told that it holds the dark spirit of an evil genie, one that foretells the future of violent things. Fast forward to modern day, a gang of thieves, Harley (Hank Amico), Tony Greco (André Chimène) and Michelle Watkins as Faylene, are about to burglarize an old ladies house which turns out to be the young lady that owns the bracelet. Brutally murdering her with an axe to the face they then find an accompanying lamp. Now with the evil presence more rampant than ever, the evil genie is released and possesses the woman’s corpse to take revenge on the burglars. Afterwards as a detective surveys the crime scene an officer sends the lamp and bracelet along with the other evidence to display in the natural science museum. Now within the genies new home at the museum its new curator is being viewed by his new owner Dr. Bressling (Danny Daniels). While Dr. Wallace (James Huston) an archeologist and his daughter Alex (Andra Ivanyi) is visiting her father’s work, she eventually tries on the newly arrived bracelet shortly before an out of a fit of rage over an argument when she spouts “I wish you were dead!” she suddenly becomes unable to remove the bracelet. With the genie now taken possession of Alex she convinces her friends Babs’ (Damon Merrill), Ted (Scott Bankston) Ross (Barry Coffing), Gwen (Tracye Walker), Terry (Raan Lewis), Max (Brian Floores), to go on an “Outing” to spend the night there at the museum during a field trip there that her school goes to. The genie now more powerful than ever takes over more people and objects making artifacts take possession in the museum commit “acts of violence” alongside extreme gore, decapitations, possessions the outing has it all. Things take a turn for the worse and many more murders take place including Bob (Roy Wilson) an opera singing security guard (well deserved). When the genies true figure is revealed he chases Alex and her friends down corridors of the museum as help quickly arrives and together they try to destroy the evil genie. The film is a fun thrilled horror film closely related to “Wishmaster” and takes no boundaries too far, a classic 80’s horror flick with plenty of skin. The Outing (Aka the Lamp) is featured on a double feature as of last year by Scream! Factory and is accompanied by another horror film, The Godsend where a mysterious woman who has a baby that strangely ends up missing with suspensions that someone in that house may be a killer. Both are excellent movies and it’s a well purchased BluRay that can be bought from Scream! Factory or purchased on Amazon.

Beyond Darkness (1990)

2016-04-08T20:07:00.002-04:00

Beyond Darkness Aka “Horror House II” is an Italian horror film directed by Claudio Fragasso and produced by the legendary Joe D’Amato. Beyond Darkness is also a sequel to the Italian gem “Ghosthouse”. In this film Father Peter (Gene Lebrock) is given a satanic bible from a crazed woman on death row. The crazed woman claimed she is a witch and was imprisoned for eating children for their souls. The crazed woman placed a death curse on him before dying in the electric chair. Father Peter, his wife and two children move into an old house, with no knowledge that it was built at a location where a coven of witches were burned at the stake. Shortly after, strange and paranormal things start to happen as peter begins peaking in tongues and rants on with strange incantations which seem to disrupt and awaken the evil further within the house. Suddenly, upon moving into the home, the film becomes very similar to Evil Dead as inanimate objects begin to take a life of their own. Now fully aware of their haunted house, Peter attempts to compel the evil spirits to leave. When he brings up the strange occurrences taking place at the home to his superior, who appears to be aware of what happened at that location decades before he insists that Peters faith will send it away. Once again the superior suggests that Peter can subdue the evil with the strength of his faith. Quickly things progress and his son Martin (Michael Stephenson) become trapped in another dimension behind the wall and with his help from a good friend Father George (David Brandon) Beyond Darkness has its moments of being very similar to “Poltergeist” and “The Exorcist”, as well this time to travel to the realm Beyond, Darkness. When a simple haunting turns into full bodied burned witches, Beyond Darkness is an excellent film that refreshes the haunted house subgenre in a whole new way. Newly released on BluRay as a double feature by Scream! Factory, Beyond Darkness is not a film to pass up on especially if you loved the first film to this sequel “Ghosthouse” It can be purchased on Amazon or directly from Scream! Factory packaged as a double feature with a sci-fi horror, “Metamorphosis”. Italian director Joe D’Amato’s work on this film is spectacular as with the hundreds of other excellent horror films he released in the past.

The House on Sorority Row (1983)

2016-04-05T12:19:00.004-04:00

The House on Sorority Row is a cult classic in the horror genre known as an American slasher film, directed by Mark Rosman. The plot follows seven young sorority sisters who pull a cruel prank on their strict house mother, Mrs. Slater (Lois Kelso Hunt). The prank involved one of the sorority girls pointing a gun to threaten Mrs. Slater but her heart gave out and she died. Covering up the body of Mrs. Slater, the sorority sisters now have time and the ability to throw a graduation party they always wanted but weren’t allowed. During the graduation party, guests are being targeted along with seven sorority sisters. Little did they know that Mrs. Slater had a disfigured and mentally challenged son, Eric (Charles Serio) who lived in the attic and witnessed the prank. Eric is now out for revenge. The film is a classic slasher film from the 80’s and has all the criteria for being a cult classic as the sorority sisters think Mrs. Slate was not dead and is getting revenge. Eric is now on the prowl as only one survivor is left to defeat his malicious intentions. The House on Sorority Row needs to be in your horror collection and is a cult masterpiece. Released and re-mastered in widescreen with extras, The House on Sorority Row has been released on BluRay on a 2-Disc set by Scorpion Releasing and is not one to pass up on. It can be purchased through Amazon or directly from Scorpion Releasing as a limited edition to 2200 prints.

Terror Train (1980)

2016-04-04T20:51:00.001-04:00

Terror Train is a classic retro horror film directed by Roger Spottiswoode written by T.Y. Drake and produced by Daniel Grodnik . Terror Train stars Jamie Lee Curtis, Ben Johnson and David Copperfield as himself. It’s New Years Eve and a number of kids from a college fraternity play a cruel prank on a disturbed and shy kid Kenny Hampson (Derek Mckinnon). Three years pass by after the prank has gone horribly wrong and left Kenny in a psychiatric hospital, it’s now a New Year again and the fraternity throws a New Year’s Eve masquerade party on a train with Ben Carson as the train conductor. David Copperfield cameos as a magician on the train. During the long ride across town, the party goers parade around from bunk to bunk in a fancy train headed to nowhere. This night it will leave them going nowhere, as Kenny is back and he kills one by one by wearing the costumes of the party goers. Kenny changes costume masks for all the killings disguising himself from an alien lizard, a bird, and an old hag. As the train travels through the icy terrain, the student’s that were responsible for the prank are murdered. The film is packed with thrilling guesses as to who is beneath the mask; with scream queen Jamie Lee Curtis (Alana Maxwell) as Kenny attempts to redeem the kiss from the prank that made him go crazy. All aboard... If you dare! Terror Train has finally been released on a BluRay/DVD combo pack by Scream! Factory the collector’s edition feature is packed with tons of bonus features including, an interview With Production Executive Don Carmody, Producer Daniel Grodnik, Production Designer Glenn Bydwell And Composer John Mills-Cockell and is a must own for any fan of this classic slasher film. You can purchase Terror Train from either Amazon or directly from Scream! Factory as of Oct. 16, 2012.

Intruder (1989)

2016-04-04T18:22:00.002-04:00

Intruder is a horror film directed by an associate of Sam Raimi, Scott Spiegel and co-written by Lawrence Bender. This film aside from being excellent also has a cameo appearance by Bruce Campbell (Officer Howard), long time B movie master actor along with Ted Raimi (Produce Joe) and Sam Raimi (Randy). Intruder centers on a supermarket closing and its staff will be out of a job the next morning. The staff of the supermarket stays late as shop closes to repacking the stock for a new location. As the staff start to disappear during the night, Jennifer Ross (Elizabeth Cox) begins to think everyone has just packed up and left for their new jobs as she ends up the last person not aware that a maniac is meticulously killing everyone. The story involves the manager Dan Hicks (Bill Roberts) who had a major meltdown because his partner sold the store, and now he’s gone psycho. Dan murders each supermarket staff worker by decapitation, meat hooking, crushing and stabbing. The entire time Jennifer thinks it’s her obsessive boyfriend Craig Peterson (David Byrns) stalking her. Craig however was trying to warn her of the danger and gets stabbed by Jennifer as she thinks she found the killer. Dan almost got away with everything while talking to the police Craig wounded attacks Dan with his own meat clever. Intruder is a well produced slasher film and well worth the addition to your horror or thriller collection. Originally Intruder was released by Empire Pictures before the company was dissolved by the famous B movie director and producer, Charles Band of Full Moon Entertainment. Intruder is available for purchase on DVD by Full Moon Entertainment or on a BluRay/DVD Combo pack released by Synapse Films.

Lurking Fear (1994)

2016-04-02T15:54:00.002-04:00

Produced by Charles Band of Full Moon Entertainment, Lurking Fear is an adaptation film loosely based on the H.P. Lovecraft short story and directed by C. Courtney Joyner. Lurking Fear stars John Martense (Blake Adams), as an ex-con, who has just been released from jail. He returns home to meet a family friend, a mortician, Knaggs (Vincent Shiavelli) to help decipher a map that holds the location of his deceased father’s money from a robbery heist. The map leads John to a graveyard with an abandoned church where he is confronted by Cathryn (Ashley Laurence) who is seeking revenge for her sister’s murder. Cathryn is accompanied by a local doctor Dr. Haggis (Jeffrey Combs) who finds a woman in the abandoned church about to give birth. They are quickly joined by a gang of criminals who was with John’s father during the robbery, looking to retrieve their share of the money. The story takes many twists as they become hostage by the gang of criminals. Unknowingly, the abandon church holds a dark secret. A group of humanoid creatures lurk below the churches holy grounds and cemetery. They must fight the creatures together, while still looking for John father’s money. With more than two situations ongoing, it’s a fun thrilled action horror. John falls into a pit in the church and discovers what lurks below is connected to a grave in the cemetery and an even darker part to relatives. The creatures are guarding a treasure beneath the catacombs of the church. Released recently by Wizard Video on DVD on Amazon or from Full Moon Direct, Lurking Fear is a must own and see for any fan of Full Moon Entertainment’s or any fan for a well made adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft.

The Horror Show (1989)

2016-03-31T14:34:00.000-04:00

The Horror Show is a supernatural horror film directed by James Isaac and starring Lance Henriksen and Brion James. Aside from it being closely related and a probable sequel to “House” due to it being about a killer haunted house. Kane Hodder “Jason Voorhees” (Friday the 13^Th) was a stunt coordinator in this feature film. Similar to “Shocker” another serial killer haunting film this too was released the same year. In this film we have a stressed out and overworked Detective, Det. Lucas McCarthy (Lance Henriksen) when after a huge manhunt believes he has finally caught the famed “Meat Cleaver Max” (Brion James) and despite seeing him burn in the electric chair on death row, He begins to see him wherever he goes as the meat cleaver Max taunts him and drives him into insanity, as well as haunting him in his dreams. Even killings done in the same fashion of Max start to occur in his own house, Detective Lucas begins to seem like the likely candidate for the murders. Along the way he meets up with a parapsychologist Peter Campbell (Thom Bray) that suggest that they believe the killings have been committed by Max, due to an electrical time lapse in the electrocution chair giving him the power to continue his murderous rampage beyond the grave. Lucas’ best bet now is to destroy his spirit for good before Max destroys his life and family. With full bodied apparitions of Max appearing and Killing off family friends within the house, The Horror Show is a must see if you enjoyed the film “Shocker” due to its close similarities. The Horror Show has recently been released onto DVD/BluRay Combo Pack by Scream! Factory and is packaged with extra interviews with Kane Hodder and an interview with actress Rita Taggart. This release is sure not one to pass up on, like many of the Scream! Factory BluRay releases and will make a great addition to anyone’s horror collection.

Witchouse (1999)

2016-03-28T23:11:00.000-04:00

Witchouse written by Charles Band and directed by David DeCoteau by Full Moon Entertainment, is a great fright fest taking place in Dunwich, Massachusetts. Elizabeth (Ashley KcKinney) invites a unique group of individuals to her secluded mansion for a strange evening and an eventful party. The party individuals include Jack (Matt Raftery), Jennifer (Monica Serene Garnich), Tony (Dave Oren Ward, R.I.P), Brad (Ryan Scott Greene) Maria (Marissa Tait) Scott (Dane Northcutt) Bob (Jason Faunt) and Margaret (Kimberly Pullis). Elizabeth is a descendent of an evil witch Lilith LaFey (Ariauna Albright) who was burned at the stake during the Salem Witch Trials, in which this gathering is held for in retribution of they’re ancestors. Fast forward 300 years to the present time, Elizabeth resurrects her malevolent ancestor during a pagan ceremony to conduct murderous deeds against her party guests as retribution. This same group of party guests happens to be descendants of the towns’ people who burned Lilith at the stake centuries ago. As each party guest has flashbacks of that fatal night, they see the past and what their ancestors did to Lilith. One by one they are killed by Lilith under Elizabeth’s control. This is a campy horror witch themed film done well and unforgettable, with reminisces of another similar classic, Night of the Demons. Witchouse is well written and produced. It’s not one to miss, and definitely one to own. Get your copy today directly from Full Moon Entertainment, Streaming or on DVD from Amazon.

X-Ray (Hospital Massacre) (1982)

2016-03-28T14:24:00.000-04:00

X-Ray aka Hospital Massacre is a Valentine’s Day (V-Day) Slasher directed by Boaz Davidson, in vein of many other classics like My Bloody Valentine. It’s V-Day, 1961 two childhood friends Susan Jeremy (Barbi Benton) and Young David (Michael Romano) plays with a train set before receiving a valentine’s card delivered at the front door. Instantly laughing off the probability that their stubborn classmate Harold could have a crush on her, Susan is seen by Harold peeking in the window, brushing off the valentine card. Harold is angered and sets off on an insane rampage killing Susan’s friend David by hanging him through his neck on a coat hanger. Fast forward, 19 years, Susan is grown up and a divorcee with a daughter named Eva (Tammy Simpson) and her ex-husband Tom (Jimmy Stathis). It is V-Day once again and Susan arrives for a routine medical check-up at the local hospital. Susan is trapped in an elevator while one of her doctors reports to a request to report to the ninth floor as she is ambushed by a maniac wearing a surgical mask and clothing and killed off, along with the other staff associated with Susan in the hospital leaving Susan stranded inside the hospital without a clue that a maniac is about to perform a full autopsy on her, the story leaves you to believe if it is Harold who killed her friend 19 years prior who is back for revenge on rejection. In this check-up that became a nightmare, this non-stop heart pounding thriller / horror will leave you feeling like you need a routine checkup yourself. X-Ray also known as Hospital Massacre is now available for streaming on Amazon Prime and on a DVD/BluRay Combo pack released by Scream! Factory and is packed with bonus commentary.

Schizoid (Murder by Mail) (1980)

2016-03-27T21:04:00.000-04:00

Schizoid Aka (Murder by Mail) is an American horror film directed and written by David Paulsen staring Klaus Kinski and Christopher Lloyd. The story revolves around a young advice columnist Julie (Marianna Hill) who begins receiving threatening notes of murder and other gruesome acts. She attends a routine therapy session with another group of young women who unfortunately, are stabbed and killed one by one by a mysterious killer. Her friends and the police believe that the murder notes she received is a hoax since the note talks about murder with a gun and not a knife. Throughout the film it becomes more apparent that there is someone closer to her that is responsible for the murder notes. Is it Pieter (Klaus Kinski) her therapist who has sex with his patients before they get murdered? Many motives present themselves in this Thriller as everyone who surrounds Julie, even her ex-husband Doug (Craig Wasson), seems to be disturbed enough to commit these heinous acts. With more murder notes, tensions tighten as the young advice columnist begins to not know who to trust. She wonders if she is next. If not, why? This edge of your seat thriller will keep you guessing and is a must see for any fan of the murder mystery genre. Originally released in 1980, it recently was re-released as a double feature by Scream! Factory which was released on BluRay and includes a bonus interview with Donna Wilkes. This film is packed with insatiable actions by Klaus Kinski and Christopher Lloyd. This film is a must own for any fan of their work.

Killer Party (1986)

2016-03-24T21:51:00.000-04:00

Killer Party is a classic retro 80’s horror film directed by William Fruet. The story begins with three best friends, Vivia (Sherry Willis-Burch), Jennifer (Joanna Johnson), and Phoebe (Elaine Wilkes) as they pledge to a sorority. Vivia previously played a prank on the sorority and she finds out that is why the three were accepted. Now it is April fool’s Day and the sorority throws a party for a fraternity to be held at an old abandon house where Alan, a fraternity pledge, was killed twenty-two years before during a hazing prank. At the party someone or something does not want them in the house and the haunting begins with an unseen figure. Is it the ghost of Allen? Or is it something more demonic? Joining the girls at the fraternity party are Blake (Martin Hewitt) and Martin (Ralph Seymour) when eventually things take a turn for the worse and Jennifer ends up possessed by a demon and hunts down Vivia and Phoebe with a trident. The chase pursues as the film takes a thrilling turn when the demon attempts to possess each of the girls and tries to kill everyone. Killer Party reminds me of the classic Night of the Demons which will definitely be reviewed soon as this too is one not to miss out on. Killer Party is available on DVD and Streaming on Amazon Prime.

The Dead Pit (1989)

2016-03-24T11:26:00.000-04:00

The Dead Pit is a thrilling horror directed by Brett Leonard. The film starts with a crazed doctor / serial killer Dr. Ramzi (Danny Gochnauer) who performs open brain experiments on his patients, eventually turning them into crazed blood thirsty zombies. Within the confines of the asylum his colleague Dr. Gerald Swan (Jeremy Slate) finds out what he is doing in the cellar with the missing patients and ends up killing him and sealing up the cellar chamber with the patients and him in it, hoping that he can look past the gruesome experiments’ his partner performed within the asylum. Twenty years later the asylum is run by his partner who is a bit more kind on the human psyche, when one day a Jane Doe (Cheryl Lawson) appears complaining that she remembers her memory being removed and nothing else diagnosed with amnesia. Meanwhile during an eruption of earth quakes the seals to the chamber break open releasing the angry spirit of Dr. Ramzi and the zombie patients onto the unsuspecting new patients within the state institute. With Jane Doe’s acquaintance at the hospital Christian Meyers (Stephen Foster) they fight the relentless army of zombies finding their weakness and entombing them back to where they came from. The Dead Pit is a fun Horror/Thriller with many convincing actors and well done effects, this blast from the past is a must see. The Dead Pit is now available on DVD.

Night School Aka Terror Eyes (1981)

2016-03-20T10:28:00.000-04:00

Night School Aka Terror Eyes is an American Slasher film directed by Ken Hughes and written by Ruth Avergon. The plot surrounds a series of decapitation of college coeds in Boston. Upon its release, England placed the film under the video nasty category. The film opens up with Anne Barron (Meb Boden) a teacher’s aide at a local daycare center in Boston, waits on a carousel with the last child to be picked up. Suddenly, a mysterious assailant pulls up in a motorcycle and begins to circle around the carousel pulling out a kukri and decapitates Anne. Detective Judd Austin (Leonard Mann) is assigned to the case and discovers her head in nearby in a bucket of water. He finds out that she had been attending night classes at Wendall College where a series of similar acts of decapitation have been happening to coeds. Detective Austin and his partner Taj (Joseph Sicari) begin to suspect the murders may be linked to Professor Vincent Millett (Drew Snyder) who has a habit of getting too close with his students. Pulse raising chases, a killer wearing a motorcycle helmet and a meat clever and brutal decapitations stream throughout the film, keeping you guessing whether it could be Professor Millet or Eleanor Adjai (Rachel Ward) a foreign exchange student who also has close relationships with the students. Night School is a must see Thriller/Horror Film of the Slasher genre that’s a must see for any fan of the classics. Night School is available for purchase on DVD and available for streaming through Amazon.

Crawlspace (1986)

2016-03-19T11:00:00.001-04:00

Crawlspace is a classic claustrophobic journey into the horror realm, featuring two major stars in horror, Talia Balsam (Lori Bancroft) and Klaus Kinski (Karl Guenther), produced by Robert Bessi along side with ex-producer Charles Band of Full Moon Entertainment and written and directed by David Schmoeller. Guenther, is a physician and has a nasty habit of trapping, capturing and torturing young women to death by means of a secret crawlspace designed as air vents in every apartment building that he manages. Lori Bancroft, a single young college student answers an ad about a vacant apartment, oblivious that a few unfortunate incidents occurred there previously. She agrees to rent the apartment and Guenther couldn’t be happier. Guenther writes daily in his journal detailing his addiction in torturing and killing and how it is the only way he can feel “life". He keeps one of his victims as a pet, cutting out her tongue and keeping her in a cage. Guenther enjoys spying on his clients through the air vents in each apartment. He uses the crawlspace throughout the entire apartment building to spy on his tenants and plants various contraptions in the apartments to frighten and manipulate them. Later in the film, between the weirdness of Guenther’s stalking and killing, Josef Steiner (Kenneth Shippy) visits Guenther after years of searching for him. Steiner claims that his brother died at the hands of Guenther, who practiced euthanasia, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Steiner shows Guenther a picture of his father dressed in a World War II SS Nazi uniform along with papers depicting torture devices his father designed for use in the concentration camps. Steiner visits Bancroft and is informed of Guenther’s dark past. Now aware of this new knowledge, Bancroft sets out to find the cause of the strange happenings in her apartment. Bancroft now realizes she is being terrorized by Guenther and enters his apartment where she discovers the crawlspace, which many are booby-trapped while Guenther gives chase. Crawlspace is a must see for any fan of the thriller or horror genre. Released on BluRay, DVD and Amazon Prime by Scream! Factory Crawlspace is a must own.

Blood and Lace (1971)

2016-03-18T20:48:00.000-04:00

Blood and Lace is a horror film directed by Philip S. Gilbert, quite unknown until its first release last year. The movie starts off with a brutal first-person hammer killing scene by an unseen killer on an unsuspecting prostitute and her john in bed. Quickly it turns out that young Ellie Masters (Melody Patterson) was just having a nightmare of what had happened to her mother. Now, young Ellie is living in an isolated orphanage run by sadistic Mrs. Deere (Gloria Grahame) and her handyman. Grief stricken, Ellie sets off to seek and find her real father. According to Harold Mullen (Milton Selzer) a social worker at the orphanage, informs her that she is under strict orders by Mrs. Deere, to stay within the confines of the orphanage. Angered, Ellie escapes the orphanage grounds and is soon caught by a local detective Calvin Carruthers (Vic Tayback). Carruthers was a good friend of her mother’s and warns Ellie that her mother’s killer is still on the loose and she is not safe to be out alone. Throughout the film things become worse for Ellie at the orphanage when it becomes more apparent that the hammer-wielding killer is now stalking her. This unraveling and revenge seeking Horror/Thriller is a must see with many twists and unforgettable shocks that no one would have ever guess. Recently released as a combo pack for the first time on BluRay/DVD by Scream! Factory Blood and Lace is packed with bonus commentary, theatrical trailer an alternate opening and is not one to miss!

Killer Workout (Aerobicide) (1987)

2016-03-12T08:45:00.000-05:00

In the heyday when fitness, image and homicide ran rampant Killer Workout aka Aerobicide was released among the populous, directed by David A. Prior. The story surrounds a twin sister Rhonda Johnson (Marcia Karr) who runs a fitness club in LA whose Sister Valerie was burned and disfigured badly during a tanning bed session in a salon. Throughout the film the club sees a major loss in membership as members are murdered by an unknown assailant. Luckily, Detective Lt. Morgan (David James Campbell) launches an investigation into the gym to find who has been killing members associated with the gym. The film can also be considered a thriller with more than one exciting twist and non-stop synth-pop, leggings, and jazzercise. Is the killer an obsessed lover who just won’t take no for an answer? Or is there a deeper routed problem possibly linked to Rhonda’s sister linked to these murders being committed on beautiful, perfect club members? With heavy sleuthing and captures of more than one possible suspect, Detective Morgan will sure get to the bottom of the case to bring justice to those killed. Deeper issues begin to surface that surround her sisters tanning incident and through-out the film various possible suspects come into question leaving you guessing until the end of the film. Killer Workout is a must see and must own film recently released on DVD and BluRay by Slasher // Video.