Skinner

I think we have to consider ourselves lucky as film-collectors in the UK.  Skinner (1993) was nigh on lost if it were not for the efforts primarily of its writer Paul Hart-Wilden (along with help from others along the way), added to the fact that the BBFC would once have ruined this with censorship (they've today decide to mercifully leave it complete), as well as the chances of today's easily offended factions of society having something to be offended at being quite high (unfortunately that kind of whining has way more sway than it should, post millennium).  And then factor in that this is now mastered in 4K from an uncut source and put out - with decent extras - on Blu-ray, in the UK as technically the best edition in the world and ever (!), is all in all a miracle to behold.

In essence a tale about a serial-killer, back when they were quite popular on film, Skinner follows around the titular character (Skinner by name and nature - Ted Raimi) as he continues a compulsion to kill and remove/wear his victims' flesh.  Complicating matters is the detail that one of his former victims (a very tragic portrayal by Traci Lords) still lives.  Badly scarred she now seeks out Dennis Skinner in order to eventually execute her own revenge.  Along the way he lodges with an appealing young woman (Ricki Lake, surprisingly), forming a half-complete relationship with her while her husband takes immediate dislike to both the man and the boarding situation.  It's not quite hitting all the nails that could have made this a genuine cult classic, but it's not a million miles away from that classification either.  What I do like about it is its feeling of being a little bit underground, a bit sludgy and taboo.  It's quite nasty in places (very nasty in one particular prolonged sequence), not too fussed about pushing a few buttons as things weren't back then, and quite uniquely grim.

101 Films picked this up for UK distribution and added a few bells of their own.  Firstly the transfer is excellent, widescreen and sourced as mentioned above from a new 4K master using unrated elements that were very close to never seeing the light of day again.  There was once a very rough DVD of the film (succeeding prior VHS tapes and a LaserDisc), the only factor retaining value being its 4:3 presentation (i.e. opened up, as opposed to matted on the new edition).  But of course this new master, most likely now framed as intended, is leaps above anything else in terms of image colour and detail.  Shared with its US (Severin) cousin disc, there's a 20 minute interview with Hungarian-born director Ivan Nagy (shot around 2007 before his death a few years later) where he talks about how he got into directing and what he thought of the script, etc.  His controversial relationship with Heidi Fleiss is more than touched upon too (interestingly, the pursuing woman once nearly killed by Skinner was called Vicky in the script, but renamed Heidi in the filmed version...).  Ted Raimi provides a 15 minute interview where he expresses appreciation for being a part of the film.  The writer himself delivers a 17 minute insight into what he was thinking when he wrote the film and the story of the script essentially being taken away from his (London-bound, self-shooting) intentions through to loss and rediscovery.  Then we have a 10 minute piece that's a lot more fascinating than I expected it to be, a talk with the lucky guy who brought the elements back together in the 90s in order to cut (or recut) it for its then distributors.  Rounding out the extras on the discs are a 14 minute time-coded selection of outtakes from the brutal skinning sequence that centrepieces the film's horror statement, plus a trailer of course.  Aside from Severin's (who shot/compiled the extras footage) tiring inclination to repeatedly insert shots from the film as interviewees talk (e.g. someone mentions a door closing, cut to a shot of Ted Raimi in front of a door...), i.e. I would really just watch the interviews uninterrupted with pointless footage from the pertinent movie, this is a fantastic selection of talks from the people involved in Skinner.

But wait... here in the UK 101 released this (dual format Blu-ray and DVD) as part of their premium Black Label, whereby the standard edition is embellished with a quality slipcase and booklet containing (alongside stills) a fantastic essay by Paul Hart-Wilden detailing his blossoming interest in relocating the elements to Skinner and the arduous decade-long search that ensued, culminating with how it finally landed on Blu-ray in the beautiful edition that we have here.  If you are in the US the Severin disc will probably suffice, but 101 have edged it by putting out the best edition worldwide.  It's also available as a standard version here in the UK for when that Limited Edition goes out of print, but I would grab the LE if I were you.

Cherry Falls

Down in the cosmetically idyllic suburban town of Cherry Falls, somebody is pissed at the teens and bumping them off - but not, as is usually the case, for wantonly mating with one another.  This killer bucks the trend because he/she is bumping off virgins.  The investigating sheriff faces anger from the town's parent population whilst becoming increasingly concerned for his own innocent daughter's welfare as she protects her cherry in the good old fashioned way that few bother to anymore.  There are secrets to be uncovered along the way, as well as clothing - can the sheriff unmask the killer before his own daughter gets it... one way or another?

No doubt triggered by the success of Scream and the consequential revitalisation of the slasher genre, the smartly titled Cherry Falls appeared in 2000 following a 1999 production, kind of under the radar.  Its premise turns one of the genre's established conventions (that of teens having sex leading to their demise) upside down, taking a slightly humorous route in the process.  The writer suggests that the director (Geoffrey Wright of Romper Stomper fame) darkened his script in the act of bringing it to the screen, notably with the depiction of the rape scene, however, the sly winking still shines through (for example, within seconds of the sheriff announcing to the parents at a town meeting that the killer is going for virgins, fighting breaks out among the supposedly mature populace).  The tragic Brittany Murphy is great in the lead role (alongside Michael Biehn as the sheriff), giving you something to care about amidst the mayhem.  The MPAA unfortunately had their own wicked way with this film, making sure it came out in an essentially compromised form - I suspect we'll never see the pre-cut version, which I understand contained much more nudity during the final 'fuck-fest' massacre.  Indeed it's this sequence which really caps the film off with some excitement, and would definitely have been strengthened with an increased chaos factor (I love the bit when the fleeing teens get jammed on the staircase).  All in all Cherry Falls will never be considered a classic of the genre, but it has its redeeming qualities and you get a sense that there was a slightly better film in there had our moral superiors not gotten their way.

101 Films have put this out in the UK in a 1.85:1 edition that largely apes the US Scream version.  The 101 pack contains both Blu-ray and DVD in a neat, distinctive red case.  The picture quality is reasonable although clearly not the product of the kind of full 2K/4K restoration that we've been spoiled with elsewhere.  It looks quite 'digital' (i.e. rather than filmic) but is the best we've had, possibly the best we'll get.  There are options for stereo or 5.1, the latter presenting reasonable sonic spread albeit in a rather odd fashion at times: traditionally dialogue will be fixed to the centre unless there's a good reason to send it to another speaker, whereas here it's quite often spread to the left and right channels as well as the centre.  There's a commentary from the director, and a great 24 minute interview with writer Ken Seldon, who provides just a little insight into the problems occurring during production (e.g. running over schedule to a point where shooting had to be rushed at the end), plus an 8 minute interview with the sheriff's deputy Amanda Anke.  You do get a bit more in terms of extras on the Scream edition, but the 101 dual format release is a cheaper and satisfactory alternative for UK/Europe-based fans to pick up.

Offerings

88 Films continue their somewhat dubiously entitled 'Slasher Classics' range with this obscurity from 1988 (as it's dated at the foot of the end titles), spine numbered 36 for the disc series - apparently the film itself was released in 1989, although it could have ended up direct to videotape.  The tale goes as follows: an outcast child is knocked down a well by his friends (who needs them like these, eh?), only to spend the next decade in an institution due to his catatonic state.  Then one day he perks up, kills the nurse, and escapes.  Making his way back to the hometown he proceeds to also bump off each of the teenagers who were once responsible for bringing his childhood to such an abrupt end.

As it tends to be noted by reviewers, Offerings borrows liberally from Halloween, which is far superior it goes without saying.  Having said that, whilst suspense it notably lacking, this later effort directed by Christopher Reynolds does contain sequences that are likely to evoke amusement in the viewer - the way characters appear only to be bumped off minutes later, a bizarre segment where the teens find an ear on their doorstep, etc.  Naturally there are a handful of killings to behold, one of which makes me wince even though it shows very little gore-wise (this scene, where a guy gets his head jammed in a vice, is also quite funny because he actually thinks for some time it's one of his friends playing a joke on him...).  As the film reaches its climax it gets really cheeky with the Halloween inspiration: not only does the killer become a virtually unstoppable machine, à la Michael, but so too does the music increasingly ape John Carpenter's iconic score; a few notes are changed or dropped, possibly just enough to avoid the makers being sued.  It should be said also that the 'final girl', who inadvertently causes all the trouble back in the childhood days simply by befriending the boy who's to become a killer, is very appealing, although the actress herself (Loretta Leigh Bowman) did not remain in the business.

Previously issued on Blu-ray in the US by Dark Force, 88 bring an identical transfer to the UK shores.  It's touted as a new 2K scan of the original negative, but even though it was shot on 16mm I'm struggling a little with the soft nature of the image: either a) this transfer is not taken from the OCN (though I wouldn't blame 88 for that, they are simply reiterating what they've been told), b) it was taken from the OCN but has had noise reduction applied, or c) I've no idea what I'm talking about.  The colours also look a little pasty, the image lacking dynamism generally.  Personally I would say even 16mm should/can look quite a bit better than this (having seen what has been done with other horror pictures shot on this medium - in fact, a great example of this is Vinegar Syndrome's disc of The Dead Come Home, which I viewed a couple of days later).  The other thing that I would possibly raise issue with is the ratio: it's at about 1.78:1 on both Blu-rays, but the compositions often appear to be a little cramped and I'm guessing that an open-matte transfer would have presented the film better (I don't have the previous DVD's, which I believe were 1.33:1, to see how they stood up).  As I say though, it may be me not knowing what I'm talking about.  Despite my personal reservations, the picture quality could be said to be reasonable for such an obscure slasher movie that could easily have been left to disappear forever.

The disc offers up the same trailer that came with the Dark Force package, but 88 improve on the US edition in a couple of areas, notably the inclusion of an entertaining audio commentary from the Hysteria Continues guys - I quite enjoy listening to these and particularly here the banter enhanced my enjoyment of the film itself.  There's also a reversible cover (essentially eschewing the 18 certificate logo from front and spine, the Slasher Classics banner, plus the photos on the rear).  Therefore the 88 Films Blu-ray is technically the best available version of this moderately enjoyable but not quite classic little movie that is rammed full of slasher staples.

Absurd

One of the notorious 'video nasties' from the early eighties, Absurd (AKA Grim Reaper 2, Horrible, Monster Hunter, etc.) is sometimes considered a sequel of a kind to the equally lurid Anthropophagus, although the two have little in common other than George Eastman (Luigi Montefiori) playing the central role as an inhuman killer, the cause of a number of grisly bloodbaths along the way.  Here the character is on the run from a priest and deemed to be as near to immortal as possible in the sense that his damaged cells regenerate rapidly.  After being hospitalised during the chase his body repairs and he escapes.  A car accident brings him back to the house where (in the opening sequence) he previously attempted to seek sanctuary.  There he reaps bloody havoc on the inhabitants of the house as the Police waste time giving the priest a third degree treatment.

Pretty straightforward plot with hints of a Halloween influence, Aristide Massaccesi/Joe D'Amato's gutmuncher is a little clumsy in places, but aims for the viewer's throat when it comes to the murder setpieces, and lingers over the details in much the same way that Lucio Fulci tended to during his peak.  Annie Belle puts in a particularly convincing turn during the sadistic oven scene, which is pretty hard to watch and compulsive at the same time.  Absurd veers away from the mystical atmosphere of Anthropophagus but replaces it with doses of unique Italian madness to keep the entertainment factor above sea level (for example, there's another bizarre and very amusing kid, whose pitiful tantrum at not having his say on the TV channel really has to be witnessed!).

88 Films funded this Blu-ray restoration through Indiegogo, and the result is very pleasing: the widescreen HD image features a healthy bitrate providing plenty of detail (and grain, though not excessively so) without distracting damage.  This is certainly the best it has ever looked and sounded, and refreshing to see that the film can finally pass through the UK censors without any slicing of the wrong kind going on (it has not really been available in the UK for years).  The BBFC really have nastier things to worry about these days!  There are two versions of the film contained on the disc: the 94 minute English language version, and a shorter Italian language version with optional subtitles.  I watched the former in full, and sampled the latter - they looked about the same in terms of picture quality.

Also on the disc is an entertaining commentary led by the very amiable-sounding Justin Kerswell with his Hysteria Continues friends.  I enjoyed listening to this as there is a balanced mix of information and general observation of a mostly humorous nature.  There are additionally a couple of recently filmed interviews with George Eastman and Michele Soavi (who has a small role in Absurd as a motorbiker who meets an unpleasant fate).

Exclusive to the Indiegogo supporters (although they may have a handful left to sell direct through the 88 store) is a nice quality glossy slipcase.  The main cover of the amaray itself is reversible while there's also a booklet in my edition although I'm uncertain whether that's in the standard release or not as it is touted as 'limited' on the back cover.  The booklet presents an essay on the subject of video nasties; I'm not sure what more can be said about this stuff but if you are relatively new to collecting then it may be considered a concise overview of the phenomenon.  The writing looks at the furore that exploded during the early eighties, as well as its revival in the nineties following the Bulger killing, before going on to encapsulate a very short analysis of each of the thirty nine successfully prosecuted tapes.

A reasonably entertaining film packed into an excellent edition, this is overall an essential release for the horror collector by 88 (part of their Italian range).

I Know What You Did Last Summer

Several teens celebrate the end of term with a margin of excess when they run a poor guy down on country roads, and then rather than owning up to the situation they decide to dump his body in the sea.  The problem being (as if there weren't enough) it looks like he was alive at the moment they pushed him in, meaning that they're now technically murderers.  Forbidding each other to speak of the act ever again they attempt to move on with their guilt-ridden lives.  Then, a year later, they begin receiving notes suggesting that someone saw what happened.  Following that a psychotic individual begins his vengeful murder spree...

Following hot in the dust-cloud left behind by Scream in the new wave of slashers, I Know What You Did Last Summer, released in 1997, appeared at the time to be a second-rate attempt to aspire to the success of Craven's film.  Unsurprisingly the screenplay was written by the man who also wrote Scream and its sequel.  Years on I actually prefer watching Jim Gillespie's less popular foray into this particular sub-genre.  The teen leads are appealing, particularly in the case of young, very sexy Jennifer Love Hewitt and cute Sarah Michelle Gellar.  Freddie Prinze Jr.'s turn as the poor boy stumbling into a rich world is sympathetically likable while Ryan Phillippe is the punchable bully boy really responsible for the whole mess.  Anne Heche also shows up briefly as the messed-up sister of the man run down by the teens.  It's an attractively shot film, efficiently edited with some rousing music along the way.  Taken in the right mood, and without expecting high class cinema, this is one of the most enjoyable entries in the slasher film's final stab at mainstream popularity.  Oh, and occasionally it's quite violent (the killer carrying around a very nasty hook), though the absence of nudity is lamentable.  Is it original?  No, of course not - I don't think I've seen a slasher film that is especially original.  However, it entertains on its own level, and that's the important factor.

The US Blu-ray looks pretty good, backed up by a powerful Dolby TrueHD audio track.  There's also a half hour making-of (in standard definition) and Gillespie's short film Joy Ride along with a couple of other bits.  Surprisingly the director has not been too busy, going on to do D-Tox with Stallone, and Venom but little else.

Anguish

An interesting oddity dating back to 1987, and shot in Barcelona, Anguish (or Angustia, or Im Augenblick der Angst) begins with an uncomfortable depiction of a grown man's homicidal tendencies combined with his close, possibly psychic relationship with his creepy mother, before revealing that this is a film playing in an American cinema.  Some of the viewers become increasingly disturbed by what they're watching on screen, before events in 'real' life begin to imitate those of the celluloid they're experiencing.

What I particularly liked about Anguish is the manner in which it blurs the lines between reality and cinematic fiction, crossing over the events of the two worlds with gradually heightening frequency and intensity.  Whilst it can be uncomfortable viewing at time, with some particularly gruesome sequences spattered throughout (and a little unnecessary animal cruelty in my opinion), the film's fascinating tightrope walk between supposed realities, combined with occasional surrealism, result in an original piece of work, that is often bizarre, captivating, and will beg to be watched repeatedly, until you yourself succumb to its spell of demented hypnosis...

The Germans, as usual edging ahead of many other countries in their selection of enticing catalogue titles for Blu-ray, have put out Anguish (as Im Augenblick...) with an excellent 2.35:1 full HD transfer, and a choice between English (naturally, as shot) DTS HD MA 5.1 or German in the same mode.  German subtitles are there of course, but thankfully they are removable.  At 24 frames per second it runs about 85 minutes.  At times boasting the feel of a classic Dario Argento exercise, the sound mix of this film is really important, reminding me in some ways of the direction they took with Berberian Sound Studio, entwining intricate sound patterns with a deliberately confused transition between realities for both the protagonist and the viewer, and headphone-use or surround listening is encouraged.  The cover is reversible - effectively the same artwork but without the red banner at the top, and missing the huge age restriction that seems to emblazon all German disc releases.  Needless to say it was turned around instantly upon opening...  The disc also comes with an interview and trailers - not exactly padded extras-wise but the very fact that something like this appears on Blu in such an attractive audio-visual presentation is to be rejoiced.

Puppet Master II

A posse of creepy autonomous puppets resurrect their creator in a cemetery during the dead of night.  Returning to the derelict Bodega Bay hotel where they formerly reaped havoc they gradually pick off a team of paranormal researchers that have moved in there temporarily, while Toulon, their exhumed master, masquerades as the new owner of the place.  Toulon himself recognises the resemblance of one of the investigators to his lover from decades previous, who may be reincarnated here in good old Egyptian fashion.

Continuing with a near-identical vein to the first entry in a very long series, Band obviously realised that the formula worked well enough to be a success and decided not to change it much at all.  I do feel that the exploitation elements could have been embellished - gore and nudity are there only in small doses - but essentially the puppets themselves are the draw of the show here, so I guess most of the attention is focussed on them.  They're given life by various means and it's always pleasing to watch stop motion (which makes up much of the technique used) photography in action.  They are suitably sinister designs all round.  The main problem for me is Richard Band's composition, a near relentless whiny soundtrack that rarely seems to consider the on-screen sequence that it is depicting (e.g. you might get the same feel of music in the background for someone walking across a corridor as you would for somebody else being drilled through the head).  I really try to see the appeal in Richard's work but for me his material sometimes strips a film of its dramatic potential.  While the film as a whole could have been tightened up, there are good moments spattered throughout- Charlie Spradling looks as good as ever (remaining somewhat underused in my opinion) and there's a great Action Man sequence with his child owner (who is whipping the soldier - that never happened in Toy Story!) then finding a real living doll...

Puppet Master II (1990) is a relic of the VHS era when films were being churned out specifically with the intention of putting them out in video stores.  The 88 Films Blu-ray is a nice way to experience the film.  The full HD image (1.78:1 running 88 minutes at 24 fps) is lively, bright, and often very attractive to look at - a noticeable improvement over DVD.  The DTS-HD MA audio track makes Band's score sound better than it has any right to.  The extras package is the same as the DVD, with a Charles Band commentary, an introduction to the film itself running a couple of minutes, a 21 minute historical making-of documentary, plus plenty of trailers.  The package is presented with reversible cover art so you can switch it around if you prefer, and an eight page booklet talking about Puppet Master II, the series itself, Band and Full Moon, and contains snippets of information/interview quotes from Charles Band.  It's a nice read, rounding off a good package that improves on its American cousin (which had mere Dolby Digital audio and no booklet or reversible sleeve).

The Last Horror Film

After the relatively huge success (for a low budget gutter level violence-fest [that's a recommendation by the way...]) of Bill Lustig's Maniac Caroline Munro and Joe Spinell were once again paired up following a drive from the original backers, probably in the hope of repeating the financial rewards.  As before, Munro is a celebrity beauty while the 'beast' is Spinell in another unhinged schizophrenic role.  Very unhinged.  His character, Vinny, embarrassingly envisions himself as a world class film-maker as he becomes increasingly obsessed with actress Jana Bates (Munro).  When he hears that she is to appear at Cannes film festival he packs his suitcase and 16mm camera to head off for the exotic region.  During the frenzy at Cannes people begin dying - anyone who seems to have anything to do with Bates.  All the while Vinny is grabbing footage with his camera and occasionally calling back home to lie to his mother that his work is becoming a great success (he doesn't even appear to have completed a film).  He is also working his way ever closer to Bates.

The film sits itself uncomfortably within the slasher sub-genre that was still booming around the time, but it's really unlike anything else that falls into that category.  It's quite kooky in many respects and the more forgiving side of me would suggest that the film's offbeat nature is deliberately humorous at the same time as being marginally satirical.  There is plenty of actual Cannes footage and at its best The Last Horror Film plays as an almost love ode to cinema.  In fact most of the story seems to be an excuse to show off the footage that director David Winters managed to capture on location (there is a certain amount of improvisation evident that can be endearing).

Whilst Maniac was a brutally sleazy affair, this one begins as if it's going to tread in the same footsteps, before veering off to the glossy flair of Cannes.  This is juxtaposed against Vinny's screwed up thoughts and actions, managing to keep one foot in the sleaze pit that spawned it.  Again, Spinell does pull off his messed up character surprisingly well (sometimes too well - witness the freaky transvestite dancing that's perhaps a little too scary): almost a tragic mother-loving train-wreck of a person, unrealistically infatuated with a film star while simultaneously excited by onscreen violence - amusingly at one point, when this characteristic is inter-cut with Bates explaining at a conference that she doesn't feel there is a connection between horror films and psychological disturbance.  Again, I would like to think the irony was a deliberate move.  I do feel that, particularly after the final scene has taken place, this film is supposed to be taken much more lightly than the viewer might initially expect.  There are certainly a couple of funny moments, one of my favourites being when Vinny is stalking the grounds of a castle in which Bates is staying.  It's quite a sight seeing his slightly overweight ass running away from pursuers while he's insistently carrying his bulky camera everywhere he goes.  The mother is quite a highlight too, simply because she is unbelievably badly acted/dubbed by Filomena Spagnuolo (Spinell's real life mother).  I wouldn't say this film always works, and I wouldn't even describe it as very good, but it does have a rather messy personality all of its own somehow, and there is some enjoyment to be derived from its quirks even if it never truly goes to places that could have elevated the whole endeavour.

88 Films have unleashed the 'uncut version' on the UK market, thankfully as a Blu-ray.  Playing in full AVC-encoded HD at 24 frames per second and running to 87:37 (minus 15 seconds for the opening statement) the transfer is taken from several sources.  88 have chosen to include the two previously excised goriest moments (a heart extraction and a chainsaw body split) from the only place they could get them - a VHS tape.  This material literally only lasts a few seconds and I think it's better that it's there than not, so personally I feel this is a good fan-motivated move.  The majority of the transfer has been constructed using either 35mm negative or prints - this means some of the footage can look grainy and appropriately grindhouse, but when it shines this disc really makes the film look way better than you'd ever have expected.  The best material exhibits loads of detail with great depth.  I was very pleased with this presentation.  Audio (billed as LPCM mono but filtering through two channels) is pretty good - the lively music track comes across as bold and enjoyable, dialogue is mostly clean, although there are some patches of hiss and crackle during quieter moments.  For a film of this type I was not overly concerned by anything, but some might find the more damaged elements to be a little distracting.  Somehow I can't imagine The Last Horror Film being better presented than it is on 88's Blu-ray.

The extras are nice: there's an audio commentary with associate producer Luke Walter, an enjoyable interview with Walter (who was also good friends with Spinell) running 23:51, a Lloyd Kaufman introduction (3:38), some grimy promo footage for the doomed Maniac 2 project (8:06), an interview about the project gestation with Mr Lustig, who was invited to direct at one point but Vigilante was happening at the time (3:42), a Q&A session with Caroline Munro from Glasgow in 2011, which is generally unrelated to Last Horror Film but information-packed none the less (11:07), some TV spots, and an 88 Films trailer reel showing off many of their Blu-ray released items (which runs 21:55 in total).  The cover is reversible, with some original cover art on the rear if you want to switch it around, plus the case contains a booklet.  It seems like 88 Films have gone over and above for this crazy Section 3 (i.e. nearly banned in the UK) movie.  It's never going to hit classic status but if you're remotely interested in checking this out or owning it then this is the disc to get.

Stagefright

Originating from a background where he was surrounded by creativity it’s perhaps no accident that Michele Soavi wound up in constructing images himself of some kind - early on as a painter but after developing an interest in cinema he moved on to acting and, later still, assistant directing. It was from many of cinema’s veterans that he learnt most of his behind-the-camera skills, people like Dario Argento, Aristide Massaccesi, Lamberto Bava, and even Terry Gilliam. His own directorial debut came together, therefore, quite late in his career. Owning it on Avatar’s video cassette for a few years I once thought Stagefright (sometimes known as Aquarius or Deliria) was a fairly average slasher, but at the time I was a lot less informed and less educated in the darker genres than I am nowadays. Viewing it now is a different matter. It outlines a simple scenario but one that’s nonetheless powerful in many respects: a theatre director who’s obsessed with extracting the best performances from his actors is selfish in the extreme, displaying little or no concern for the welfare of the people if the production is suffering. Alicia, one of his leading ladies, damages her leg in rehearsal and she heads out the back door to seek some medical advice at the first place she and her friend come across - a psychiatric hospital. Whilst obtaining a personal touch from one of the doctors there the two girls don’t realise that one of the inmates has overcome a guard in his escape, only to hitch an unexpected lift back to the theatre with them. Going back to the car in the storm Alicia’s friend is butchered by the lunatic before he apparently disappears. The body is found (pick axe nicely implanted through her gaping mouth) before the police show up to investigate and subsequently keep watch. Spotting an opportunity for some media attention the director decides to rename the killer in his play after the lunatic who’s responsible for the real-life murder, and persuading his actors that it will be beneficial to their career he gets one of the girls to lock the door and hide the key. Of course the killer hasn’t disappeared but rather hidden himself inside the place and the only person who knows where the key is quickly becomes the second victim: now they’re all trapped in there and the killer has free pickings of the bunch while a rain storm rages on outside.

The premise itself is exciting - a group of people locked in an inescapable building with a stealthy and insane murderer, and it’s largely on that that the success of the film rests. The opening of the film once comprised my principle memory from the video days and it’s surely one of the corniest openings in cinema history, and not a good advertisement for what’s to come or what Soavi is really capable of. Having been cut in the UK (by the original distributor I believe) the film in its uncensored form is also much more violent than I was previously aware of, some of the attacks almost inducing a wince in more mature viewers. The movie doesn’t follow all of the conventions of giallo but there’s enough there to consider classifying the film as such, although we don’t delve too much into the history of the killer or why his mind is so irreversibly twisted, the explanation of which usually constitutes a giallo’s final act. It might be more accurate to describe the result as a slasher movie, though the two sub-genres have always been close cousins in reality anyway - one a more psychodynamic, stylistic precursor to the other. Soavi does go unnecessarily overboard during the film’s final ten minutes or so, including a pretty silly final shot, otherwise aside from that and the embarrassing opening there’s a lot of material here that would highlight Soavi as the new talent to watch in Italian splatter at the time. He later compounded this auspicious promise with The Church, The Sect, and Dellamorte Dellamore, but would subsequently all but recede from the eyes of the fans. Utilising his acting abilities briefly, he also makes an appearance as one of the police officers in Stagefright; Soavi was a recognisable face in Italian genre movies. The score itself really picks up the pace of some of the chase sequences, however Demons fans might notice a remarkable similarity to the second instalment of Lamberto’s franchise - that’s because composer Simon Boswell was the primary driving force behind both soundtracks. The Stagefright score is not a direct rip-off from Demons 2 but the style is unmistakably the work of the same man. Boswell has since proved himself to be a highly prolific and talented artist, later enhancing many films through his music compositions, for example Shallow Grave and Dust Devil. John Morghen fans will be pleased to know he appears in Stagefright as an amusing stereotype gay - plus he’s brutally murdered yet again, as in just about any of his genre appearances - City of the Living Dead’s drill through the brain anyone? For a thrill trip through homicidal violence and cat/mouse chase sequences this film should provide a good evening’s worth of mayhem.

In the UK the first home video release came from Avatar and was superseded ten years or so afterwards by an uncut tape from Redemption. I believe Vipco may have got their dirty hands on distribution rights some time later too. Released on DVD by Anchor Bay in the US several years later, this Blue Underground edition is basically a direct port of the AB disc, offering a very average picture that lacks real depth and detail. Colours are a little wayward and overall the presentation could and should have been improved for this (admittedly cheap) re-release, so I’m a little disappointed by BU’s laziness. The Dolby EX track has some bite but keeps most of the activity down the front - there’s less to complain about here than with the image although I‘d really like to hear an Italian language track at some point, if possible. There was an EC disc (presented open-matte with a theatrical matte viewing option available) released just prior to the first AB outing - it’s difficult to get a hold of nowadays anyway so the BU is currently the easiest way to check the film out.

Maniac

1980, US, Directed by William Lustig
Colour, Running Time: 88 minutes
Review Source: Blu-ray, Region A, Blue Underground; Video: 1.85:1 1080p 24fps, Audio: DTS HD

Frank Zito is a seriously disturbed individual with a penchant for misogynistic violence thanks to mistreatment during childhood at the hands of his mother. New York’s seedier side conceals a man who roams the streets at night looking for women to sexually brutalise, before leaving them scalped and dead - their hair he keeps nailed to mannequins in his morbid and dingy apartment while people of the city become increasingly frightened (following media exposure) of the perverse killer hiding amongst the already flawed inhabitants. Managing to demonstrate an ounce of normality he begins dating a fashion photographer but this only leads to more mutilation and death.

A simplistic storyline is embellished with a deeper analysis of abnormal psychology, taking initiative from the Italian giallo movies that flourished throughout the seventies by adopting a psychodynamic concept that is not so much iterated as implied in the distressing life of Zito. Joe Spinnell portrays an incredibly fu*ked up creature who oozes unhinged pain and hatred, a man who - in apparent attempt to pursue a more conventional lifestyle - temporarily manages to pull off a Mr Nice Guy act to date the corny photographer (Caroline Munro, transferring herself reasonably well from the Hammer period and her brief exposure to fame as a Bond girl), but even this seemingly contradictory turn comes across as slightly creepy. There’s something fascinating about Zito and his homicidal exploits and I suppose it’s understandable that the BBFC had such a big problem with the film back in the eighties (it was repeatedly rejected a certificate and then heavily cut even when Anchor Bay UK finally got it through in 2002). It wasn’t just the female-hating concept that perturbed the censorship body back then; the film is grindingly bloody with some horrific gore effects from maestro Tom Savini, who also bagged himself a bit part in the film to personally exhibit the special effects centre piece - a show stopping head explosion that would have woken Sleeping Beauty up to take notice. Whilst dialogue is often revealed to be slightly odd (though whether that is due to thespian execution I’m not quite sure) there are several suspenseful sequences that combine good directorial and editing capabilities - the strongest of these (assisted by a favourable performance from the actress playing the victim) involves a panic stricken nurse being pursued through the underground by the eponymous killer. Is it possible to sympathise with such an unnerving monster? Lustig makes a case, without preaching, for the fact that he was never in control of what he was to become (as is arguably the situation with any of us), and Zito’s fate was sealed by the treatment perpetrated by his mother that ultimately scarred his mind beyond repair. Maniac was a controversial horror film that hit very hard, confronted its audience with the disturbing concept of a despicable man who was really created by the actions of a person well out of the picture, and perhaps most distressing of all, the film was constructed in a fashion that keeps your eyes and ears glued throughout its duration. Admittedly a film that probably a large portion of the population would prejudgingly hate, Maniac is a highlight from a now classic period.

I understand Maniac was shot on 16mm and as such was never going to look wonderful either in the cinema or on home video. Previously I've viewed the film on duped VHS tape, and the Anchor Bay region 1 DVD several times. This 2001-released disc demonstrated a soft, indistinct image, which is forgivable considering the source. What was really surprising was the fact that the soundtrack absolutely kicked one' ass out of the room - while dialogue and effects were largely centre rooted, the music (courtesy of DD or DTS 6.1) hit you from all directions and sounded great for a low budget film on DVD. During each sequence of violence, bloodshed, or madness, this truly injects an additional slab of potency that’s very much appreciated. Surprisingly selected for a Blu-ray release in 2010, Blue Underground gave the film a bit of a makeover - of course, you can't polish turds, and it shows here. The BD image is marginally more detailed than the DVD, although colour is more saturated (it's arguable which format presents the film more accurately as it could be said the washed-out look suits the material better - never fear, you can just turn down your colour control a couple of notches!). The surround audio (available in a selection of formats including the overkill that is DTS HD 7.1) is probably a more noticeable jump in quality, and Maniac sounds stunning on Blu-ray. The BD comes with a new commentary track, along with the one recorded for the original DVD. There's also a massive batch of trailers and featurettes, as well as the near-hour-long documentary about the life of deceased Joe Spinell (which was on the AB DVD) - some of these extras are present on a second disc (standard definition, probably due to the way this material was recorded in the first place). An uncut print, probably making the film about as good as it possibly can, plus a ton of extras complete the definitive edition of this powerful and thrilling film. Incidentally, Lustig went on to direct another three films with the word ‘maniac’ in the title (example here), but more respectfully founded the DVD/Blu-ray production/distribution wonder that is Blue Underground.

Maniac Cop

1988, US, Directed by William Lustig
Colour, Running Time: 85 minutes
Review Source: Blu-ray, Region B, Arrow; Video: 1.85:1 1080p 24fps, Audio: LPCM Stereo

Two yobs are chasing a nubile young female along the dark streets of New York at night, first wanting her money, then maybe more. An indistinct shadowy figure appears, upon closer inspection turning out to be a particularly well built policeman: the yobs halt the chase and hide in the shadows. Running into the apparent hands of safety the female is relieved that help seems to be available. But the cop brutally kills her. On Manhattan Island there seems to be an officer on the loose who’s killing any random victim who happens to cross his path; detective McCrae is on the case.  With good intention he lets information slip to the press and, following a news report on television highlighting the presence of a ‘maniac cop’ in the city, everybody is suddenly frightened of the Law. One officer soon comes under suspicion thanks to his wife turning up dead and her diary containing details of his mysterious excursions into the night. But all is not what it seems and, while McCrae is convinced that the perpetrator is connected to the police force somehow, he’s not so sure the man is still an actively employed member. But given the nature of the maniac's activities, it seems he’s getting inside information from somewhere. And not only that, following an encounter between the killer and McCrae before a close escape, he proves to be inhumanly strong and almost indestructible.

A few years after making one of the greatest exploitation films ever (Maniac), Bill Lustig returned to his forte of the killer-on-the-loose study, but this time focusing on someone who would, at a glance, be trusted by his potential victims. Nice idea and one that is pulled off well enough thanks to some fitting performances by the likes of Tom Atkins (made for police detective roles; see, for example, Night of the Creeps) as McCrae, Bruce Campbell as The Wrong Man blamed for the spate of violent crimes in the city, and Richard Roundtree as the perpetually angry commissioner. Sam Raimi even turns up in a cameo appearance as a reporter. Initially the viewer thinks this may be comfortably erring towards moral expectation, with the killer cop knocking off villains and other people who deserve death, but it comes as a surprise when he actually brutalises innocent people. His own history is explained at a certain point in the film and this retrospective passage itself provides the story with its most horrific moment, though the nature of occurrences removes any positive moral standing that could have been taken with the film itself (though there are the questionable morals of a couple of characters to take into consideration).  Of course, a positive moral standing is not an obligation for any film.  Rounding out the final act is a pretty exciting car/lorry chase that edges this movie into the uncommon action-horror genre, providing a reasonably satisfying way (without sophisticated expectations) to spend eighty minutes courtesy of exploitation specialists, Bill Lustig and Larry Cohen (Q The Winged Serpent).

Previously I'd owned the Medusa UK videotape, which was fullscreen and missing some of the gorier footage at the request of the BBFC: primarily this affected the attack on Matt Cordell, the slicing (by the editors) here being particularly sloppy. Censorship was to become more professional than this later on (how kind of them…) but the jump cut at one point is ridiculously noticeable. It has since been released on a fairly basic DVD by Optimum in the UK and Elite in the US. The best discs to go for by far have arrived on Blu-ray from Synapse in the US and Arrow in the UK.  The Arrow disc, now uncut, features a stellar image; grainy during nocturnal and some indoor shots, but really dazzling during diurnal shots, especially impressive for aerial photography.  Audio is limited by its eighties source and was never going to amaze.  There are also three featurettes (edited as usual with a pointless excess of footage from the film itself as well as overlong title sequences), some trailers, and a lovely package holding a poster, Arrow catalogue, and booklet for the film.  Overall, a fine package from Arrow.  Technically a slasher film I suppose, this isn’t up there with the nasty Maniac but, script and narrative anomalies aside, it has a moderate amount of entertainment value.

I Still Know What You Did Last Summer

1998, US, Directed by Danny Cannon
Colour, Running Time: 100 minutes
Review Source: Blu-ray, Region B, Sony; Video: 2.39:1 1080p 24fps, Audio: Dolby TrueHD

Hard to believe that this was released a decade and a half ago, give or take a little.  I Know What You Did Last Summer was of course a big hit in cinemas, blazing hot in the smoke left by Scream, and you'd think the success had been preempted considering the speed with which this sequel was rushed into production.  Abandoning logic from the starting line, the second movie has Julie James consistently plagued by nightmares about Mr Fish-hook himself, Ben Willis.  Lucky for her then that she is invited on a trip to the Bahamas when her friend wins a radio competition.  Asking her old flame Ray along she eventually pairs up with the more geeky Will when Ray, unbeknown to her, runs into a little accident on his way to warn them of the terrors to come.  Arriving at the remote island they're rather perturbed to discover it's close of season (no wonder they were giving the f**ker away) and they're pretty much the only holiday (and love) makers there, aside from the resident drug dealer, hotel owner, and one or two other pieces of cannon fodder for later.  Not only that, it's just entering the rainy season and an endless streak of bad weather (not unlike what we're currently experiencing here as part of the UK's wonderful summer) hits the island, plus exit boats are cancelled.  Not only that, but Willis appears to have returned from the dead, fish-hook and raincoat intact, and this guy is real pi**ed at everyone.

Initial opinion of the sequel wasn't good and, looking at general online opinions now, it still isn't!  I watched it first of all via a TV broadcast about ten years ago, and I concurred with what I'd previously heard at that point.  Anyway, the Blu-ray was going fairly cheap online, and having picked up the US Blu-ray of the first film a couple of years ago (it's not, at time of writing, available on Blu in the UK for mysterious reasons) and finding it a source of primal enjoyment, I quite fancied checking this out again.  The film is riddled with cliché, a factor which once upon a time repelled me.  The teens are quite typical of the slasher arena, and every one of them is so corny they almost deserve to be blasted off into space.  The bad boy here is also a cut and paste job, copycatting anything from Halloween to Friday The 13th Part... whatever.  Strangely, however, what I found on this viewing was that the film goes down extremely well with several glasses of spirit: I haven't had so much fun watching a film for ages!  It's difficult to know with certainty whether they were serious when producing this nutball killer-stalks-good-looking-teens outing, but my suspicions that tongues were actually in cheeks were roused by the appearance of Jack Black as a white drug dealer who thinks he's black (still a twerp here, but an loosely amusing twerp for a change) and, more resolutely, Jeffrey Combs (Re-animator himself) appearing as the hotelier - very funny, particularly as the teen characters are all obliviously taking seriously a man we know is there for subtle laughs.  And of course, Jennifer Love Hewitt looked as hot as a branding iron back in these days, and she adorns an array of skimpy, tight-fitting outfits throughout (oddly, and frustratingly, retaining her bikini even whilst taking a sunbed - what, does she want tan lines?!?).  Add to this a bit of gore and some potty but enticing suspense sequences, this is a fun ride from start to finish, and well executed at that.  Whether I could say the same while sober could be another matter.

What's not quite so pleasing as Love Hewitt's shape and everything around it is this Blu-ray presentation - a very lazy disc from Sony.  The image is certainly colourful but rarely does it remind the viewer of a high definition transfer, not often rising much beyond standard definition in fact.  There is a softness throughout that makes this feel like a lost opportunity, particularly given the exotic cinematography and locations on display.  Conversely, the audio track is knockout, and possibly a step up from the DVD I would imagine.  Extras are absolutely pitiful: we get a crap music video of Love Hewitt embarrassing herself as a wannabe pop star, attempting to emulate every other boring modern pop video I've ever had the misfortune of catching; we get a two or three crap trailers; finally we get one of those pi**awful EPK things - five minutes of people talking sh*t, intercut with anything remotely exciting from the film we've just sat through.  The BD for the first film was much better, and more satisfying all round.  My advice: if you haven't got I Still Know... but want it, pick up the Blu-ray because the picture will be marginally better and the audio track is good demo stuff; if you have got the film on DVD, I hate to say it but it's probably not worth upgrading to this disc unless you can get it dirt cheap (at the same time as getting rid of your DVD for a roughly equivalent price...).

Teenage Wasteland: The Slasher Movie Uncut

2010, Author: J A Kerswell, Publisher: New Holland, Softcover, 208 pages

In case you didn't hazzard a guess at the topic based on the title, this tome is a study of the history of slasher movies, taking the reader through the beginnings and influences on the movement right up to whatever was going on around 2008/9 (unfortunately just missing out on Scream 4).  The read takes us right back to the beginnings of cinema through to the likes of The Old Dark House, Peeping Tom and a few others that led up to the real birth of the slasher (IMO) in Psycho.  It wisely whisks us on tours of the German krimi films, and of course the Italian giallo on route before taking time to consider what the Brits and Americans had to offer (including the film before its time, Black Christmas) before the modern version as we know it today was born in the Shape (sorry) of Halloween.  At this point it proceeds year by year along what is considered to be the Golden Age: chapters devoted individually to each year from '78 to '84.  Brief stops are made on the journey to focus a little on what was happening outside of America, before returning to take a more detailed look at the video age (where this type of film lingered on after box office had slowed down considerably) and the whole revival thing that Scream was effectively responsible for.  It concludes with short individual reviews of seminal pieces, which could serve as a 'tick-off' list for newcomers (if you're not a newcomer, you've probably seen all or most of these anyway).

I wouldn't say I'm the greatest fan of this kind of movie, though I do have appreciation for the likes of Halloween and My Bloody Valentine.  Occasionally, if in the mood, this stuff can go down well (and let's face it, who doesn't want to see most irritating teens of the present generation 'get' it one way or another...) - I have a soft spot for I Know What You Did Last Summer, especially when the young Love Hewitt appears in frame, while the deeper and significantly nastier Maniac is a big favourite.  Generally though there are inherent limitations that can instigate boredom more often than not - this stuff goes through the motions and clichés pretty much like nothing else out there.  In light of that, the book makes for a reasonable pick-up over the course of a couple of weeks, its primary problem being a reflection of the very thing that it's talking about: repetition.  Once the history side of the text is over and done with, it winds up going through a routine with most of the films it looks at, which is: brief mention of plot such as masked or pissed off killer knocking off various (usually) teenage victims, before outlinging the box office takings as an indicator of how well it was received (unfortunately neglecting often to think about comparisons between how it was perceived at the time to how it is generally considered nowadays, but then this is probably supposed to be more of a historical approach).  I perhaps think that a film guide (i.e. chronological listings of films containing cast/crew/technical details alongside synopses and other titbits) may have worked better.  The writer does cover a lot, including quite a few pieces that I wasn't previously familiar with, although often he strangely neglects to opine in depth, opting instead to use (as aforementioned) the box office figures to demonstrate whether the film was really worthwhile or not.  And let's face it, who can trust the general public to pick out a great exploitation flick!  The other niggle I must mention - and something like this would be difficult for anyone to avoid given the limited focus - is the excessive use of the words 'slasher' and 'subgenre', something that occurs pretty much every paragraph and once you become aware of it you can't help but become a little distracted!  Perhaps it's just me...

Anyway, the book is colourful (perhaps too colourful - some of the schemes I suspect would be awkward for dyslexia sufferers), pleasantly laid out, and filled with fantastic film and video posters throughout, which is possibly the most attractive aspect of the book from my point of view.  The front/rear covers also fold open to reveal further imagery of interest.  The prose is fairly easy going, even if not especially stylish (hey, I can't talk, but this guy's getting paid for it - I aint!), and this makes for a book that you will likely want on your shelf if you have at least half a passion for the much loved/loathed stalk n' slash genre.  Note this review is based on the UK edition - it has also since been released stateside with the somewhat less 'cryptic' title of 'The Slasher Movie Book', just in case Americans wouldn't be able to figure out the contents based on the original moniker...

Slaughter High

1986, US, Directed by George Dugdale, Mark Ezra, Peter Litten
Colour, Running Time: 91 minutes
Review Source: Satellite Broadcast; Video: 1.85:1, Audio: Stereo

Billed as a 'horror-comedy', Slaughter High (or April Fool's Day as it was shot, plus released in Japan on VHS - note this this not to be confused with another eighties slasher of the same name) kicks off with Caroline Munro playing an American teen who lures nerd-boy loser Marty into the shower for some apparent frolicking and other virginity-losing activity, only for Marty to find when he emerges from a shower cubicle without clothing that he's been the at the butt-end of another high school prank when he's photographed naked before having his head dunked into the toilet. The sadistic bunch of bullies get dragged into detention while one of them - apparently still on the lookout for more 'hilarious' pranks at the expense of Marty's sanity - tricks the nerd into smoking a spliff that results in the laboratory going up in flames and the young lad being scarred mentally and physically. Years later the same bullies arrange a little reunion at the now derelict high school, unaware that Marty is showing up on the same night but with vastly different intentions at heart - the homicidal manifestation of years worth of pent up rage; revenge.

The comedy aspect of this minor slasher from the eighties is to have a variable effect depending on viewer maturity levels I would imagine - very little in the film made my weary eyes crinkle at the other end of a smile, leading me to believe that the label was actually an excuse for the fact that most of the talent present is hopeless. Munro tries her best with a non-English accent, and at least looks very good as usual, while most of the other actors bumble through their lines in a fairly bizarre fashion. I also found it difficult to identify with the bullied boy, Marty, because he's such a rag that he's not even vaguely likable given the brief characterisation shaping him on screen. The deaths and gore effects are at least a little imaginative, plus the location of the abandoned school could have embellished the film with more atmosphere had it been played straight. But with feeble and illogical scriptwork, weak synth scoring, and humour that doesn't work for more than a couple of screen minutes in total, it's difficult to say - beyond the aforementioned gore/deaths, the weirdly offbeat nature, and an admittedly interesting ending - that this is essential viewing for anyone except slasher movie completists.

I viewed this via a Sky broadcast, thoughtfully presented in its original aspect ratio, however following a Lionsgate DVD release in the US a few years ago (both individually and as part of a four-film set), the best version on disc has appeared in the UK courtesy of Arrow Films (from which the above image is obviously taken) - a set that contains reversible cover artwork, poster, booklet, interview, biography of Caroline Munro, and two audio commentaries, as well as the film itself uncut for the first time in the UK. Royal carpet treatment indeed, though whether the film deserves it is as usual down to personal tastes.

Axe

1974, US, Directed by Frederick R Friedel
Colour, Running Time: 68 minutes
Review Source: DVD, R2, Hardgore; Video: 1.33:1, Audio: DD Mono

Three criminals are on the loose in California and the story opens with them waiting for a couple of losers to return home so they can teach them a lesson for some wrongdoing. After beating and killing the losers the mobsters (one showing off a terrible afro that resembles him to Oddbod in Carry on Screaming) head out on the run across the state, stopping only to humiliate a shop assistant in their ongoing search for amusement in the suffering of others. Later through their journey they discover an old farmhouse populated only by what appears to be the helpless combination of a young girl and her paraplegic grandfather - a seemingly perfect opportunity to hold out for a few days. After making themselves unwelcome by asserting their newly claimed territory one of them decides to have his wicked sexually-charged way with the innocent female, only to have his throat slashed following a struggle. After tricking one of the other wayward fools into hiding the body for her she’s soon accosted by one of the others and right in front of her lifeless grandfather too - minutes later the lawless man is finding himself on the nasty end of the titular Axe as his blood is splattered around the room (including the poor grandfather's face!). The group have chosen the wrong house to hide out in it seems…

The opening minutes might bear a vague similarity to an infamous segment of Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction, though perhaps Axe has a little less sheen to it… I was prepared to write this movie off after around half an hour - very little happens and the acting is almost revolting. In fact for the first eight or nine minutes virtually nothing happens and bearing in mind the running time only extends to just over an hour that’s a significant proportion of the total that we’re sitting around effectively watching the paint of the opening set’s walls dry. The three stooges are such a charismatically challenged bunch too that we’re descending into almost irreversible boredom by the twenty five minute mark. Their brief interruption of serenity at a roadside shop - where they proceed to throw fruit, harass the assistant, and fire guns at an apple on her head - is a fairly pathetic affair and it can’t stop our diminishing confidence in the product from dropping out of sight. Then they come across the farmhouse and the oddball family of two that live there and some juice is injected at last. Lisa (the young girl) could be Rosalie from The Child albeit a couple of years older - quite a cold little girl, distanced from her own emotions and disconnected from normal social tendencies partly by her geographically isolated location: a perfect candidate for someone to be pushed over the edge towards homicidal revenge. Her minimal pleasures in life have resulted in a person with little to lose, except virginity, which the criminals are intent on taking. By the conclusion the story has revealed itself to be a very limited but to-the-point exercise which conversely doesn’t really seem like it actually has a point to make anyway. Its existence is based on the moderately brutal despatching of several people who didn’t need to be on the planet in the first place, and preventions beyond that are entirely absent. Hence the short running time. If it wasn’t for some of the hopeless acting on display this perhaps could have been more widely recognised as a noteworthy film, coming as it does from the same era and mode of thinking as the likes of Last House on the Left and Texas Chain Saw Massacre, but its technical and artistic limitations will always prevent an audience of any reasonable scale from being interested in such a molecular dot in the history of cinema. Amidst the rubble that this film creates in its wake there are a couple of satisfying glimmers of light, or darkness, that keep it from drowning in its own occasional gore.

It’s hard to believe British authorities took offence to this one two decades ago and banned it on VHS, but that’s what happened (the highlight sequence - Lisa‘s dismemberment of one of the bodies - is admittedly quite darkly visceral). I’m sure Axe will never be high on anyone’s list for priority restoration so Hardgore’s DVD is almost as good as we might get. Many of these no-budget seventies exploitation flicks look appropriate with an opened-up fullframe negative and that’s pretty much what we have here I believe. Quality is acceptable whilst not providing demonstration material and the weird soundtrack survives equally. Extras are almost non-existent (a theatrical trailer), as is to be expected. Something Weird released a DVD in the US years ago that was quite padded out with little bonuses but most of it had nothing to do with the film in question, however they at least gave the package a little more value seeing as you’re not getting very much film for your money here (SW also generously added a complete bonus film, The Electric Chair, for real masochists). If you can find Hardgore’s DVD cheap enough you might want to check it out, and use it for a coaster if you discover it’s not been a good way to spend an afternoon on a first date (I wouldn’t recommend it…).

Psycho

1960, US, Directed by Alfred Hitchcock

B&W, Running Time: 109 minutes

Review Source: Blu-ray, Region B, Universal; Video: 1.85:1 1080p 24fps, Audio: DTS MA

There’s almost certainly nobody out there who hasn’t already seen this seminal piece of work from one of the field’s most acknowledged and fascinating directors, but just on the off chance I’ll explain the early stages of plot very briefly and without spoilers: an otherwise reasonable woman spontaneously steals a large sum of money from her estate agent employer and heads out to California to meet up with her boyfriend. Being confronted by a cop on the way who can smell something wrong she exchanges her car to divert attention away from herself. After a couple of days driving the exhausted woman is caught in a storm at night and leaves the highway to stop at a lonely motel. Here she meets the manager Norman Bates, a reserved and possibly deep young man who is ruled over by a psychologically deteriorating mother. He looks after the outlaw but soon there is a brutal murder committed on the premises that Norman feels obliged to clear up after and essentially cover up for. It would seem that the owners of the motel hide a disturbing past that collides with the unfortunate arrival of a young woman who has seen the error of her ways, possibly a little too late.

There is extensive analysis of this film elsewhere on the web and in literature so I’ll cover my own opinion with as much brevity as I can. Psycho is almost the grandfather of the slasher film, preceding Halloween (the official birth of the sub-genre) by around eighteen years. Of course there is not the explicit violence on display that would become a staple of the slasher film (especially up into the contemporary era) and there is significantly more of an emphasis on character examination than in even the best that said genre has to offer, but identification marks are present that would mutate over the next few years to become things like, dare I say it, I Know What You Did Last Summer… Anthony Perkins alerted the world to his presence as Norman Bates, a character who exhibits nervousness and a neurotic tendency to hide things, traits that are carried out by Perkins almost too convincingly. Indeed after many viewings the character is incredibly intriguing to watch during some of the long dialogue sequences between him and several of the other people that come by the hotel during the course of the story. Generally I think the other actors do a really good job too, though the side is let down slightly by the iron-jawed boyfriend hero played by John Gavin, a guy who could have contributed to any fifties sci-fi movie quite nicely. The film is shot appropriately in a noir style that elevates the contrast between dark and light and maintains the moodiness while the distinguishing score by Bernard Herrmann is frequently unnerving, and often seems to ape the sound of a knife being quickly driven the through the air… This man made his debut with Citizen Kane; if ever there was an explosive way to begin one’s career that was probably it, but for me he cemented his talents with the likes of Psycho and Cape Fear a couple of years later. With a daring exploration of psychopathic mental breakdown and the manifestation of Hitchcock’s morbid sense of humour combined with a cinematic brutality that was at that point almost unheard of, Psycho deconstructed boundaries in film and remains a powerful viewing experience to this day.

Universal have released Hitchcock’s film to celebrate its fiftieth anniversary, and they seem to have knocked the ball out of the park! There is no comparison between this Blu-ray Disc and its former appearance on DVD - the image on BD is sharp and almost always vivid with non-intrusive grain. Blacks are deep with general greyscales maintained at balanced levels. If ever anyone thinks that old films can’t look good enough to warrant a Blu-ray release then they need to see a comparison between this Universal disc and the DVDs before it - it’s glorious to watch, and a testament to the fact that Blu-ray represents what films should look. This is how I imagine it might have looked when originally seen in cinemas and stamps on anything previous formats have had to offer. Sound is thoughtfully provided in two options: the original hiss-free mono track, and a careful recreation of the soundtrack in surround. The latter is actually very good, keeping dialogue to the front centre whilst opening the music up across the whole field (embellishing its impact), and spreading effects where most appropriate (the storm that Janet Leigh finds herself in is a good example of this, with rain surrounding the viewer). Of course there will always be purists who don’t agree with this kind of modernisation of an old movie’s soundtrack, but nobody can complain with the presence of both options. The film is accompanied by a plethora of extras, including commentary, documentaries, analyses, and an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents based on a Roald Dahl novel. This is a truly brilliant disc from Universal and an example of how to do it right - film fans should have this in their collection. It also happens to be an example of why Blu-ray is the film lover’s dream - it gives us the movie in a manner that surely can’t be bettered on any medium, imitating its source as closely as can be desired (i.e. any greater resolution is surely only going to give us more grain?). I bought the limited edition tin and this attractive steel box is preferable over the standard case in appearance/feel, and because it contains a booklet with further information/images from the production.