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Horror Fuel

Blu-ray Review: Ecco (1963) and The Forbidden (1966)

If you’ve never seen an entry from the world of Mondo documentaries steel your loins and prepare for a world of debauchery, boobs, bloodshed, boobs…and boobs. Speaking of which… Our putrid pals at Severin have just released yet another collection of Mondo entertainment with a Blu-ray containing two prime examples of the genre; 1963’s Ecco and 1966’s The Forbidden! Ecco, made in Italy but released stateside by American Mondo maven Bob Creese, features narration courtesy of George Sanders of all fucking people (you know, the voice of Shere Khan from Disney’s The Jungle Book)…and what is The Big G jawin’ about? A whole bunch of rando shit, including (but not limited to) A German dueling club, Japanese babies listening to the radio, karate, a cotillion contrasted with some sort of hobo hoedown (yeah…so far things are more “mundane” than “mondo”, a circus motorcycle stunt, mountain-based monasteries…after those yawn inducing sites we get a (chicken) blood drenched Satanic ceremony. Okay Ecco,

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Feb 5, 2019
Horror Fuel

Blu-ray Review: Mondo Freudo and Mondo Bizarro (1966)

If you are unfamiliar with the world of Mondo documentaries I can sum things up for you real quick; boobs and/or blood, fake-ass footage passed off as the real deal, and often a strong need for bleach eye drops. Let’s begin, shall we? Those sexy devils over at one of my fav houses of horror (and the bizarre); Severin Films have taken it upon themselves to wallow in the sea of bad taste and tackiness (one of my most cherished hang-outs boils n’ ghouls) and bring us two mondo docs on one lil’ ol’ Blu-ray…namely 1966’s Mondo Freudo and Mondo Bizarro. Mondo Bizarro, from Producers Bob Cresse and Lee Frost, begins as it should with a voyeuristic hidden camera view of a woman’s changing room…totally legit with it’s multiple cuts and camera angles…see what I was talking about up yonder boils n’ ghouls? Via the magic of stock footage we are whisked away on a whirlwind journey to the Bahamas

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Feb 3, 2019
Horror Fuel

Blu-ray Review: Jack the Ripper (1959)

Scotland Yard Inspector O’Neill (Eddie Byrne) is hella pissed due in no small part to his department’s stunning failure in clappin’ some irons on ol’ Saucy Jack (Jack the Ripper to you boils n’ ghouls). To help solve the case O’Neill calls for his old chum, New York City Detective Sam Lowry (Lee Patterson, sporting a 1950’s pompadour that must have been all the rage in 1888). Soon the Dublin Dynamo and…Sam…are balls deep in red herrings and sinister suspects, all of whom could potentially be the horrific hooker hacker. While this is going on, our man Sam gets a case of the hornies for Anne Ford (Betty McDowall), the ward of tight-ass A-number one…namely Dr. Tranter (John Le Mesurier), which goes over with the good Doctor like a rather large turd in a perfectly good punch bowl. Anyway, will our heroes save the day and discover who is behind the murder biz, or will Jack slip silently into the

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Feb 2, 2019
Horror Fuel

Blu-ray Review: Double Dragon (1994)

In the amazing future year 2007, the villainous businessman/shadow monster Koga Shuko (Robert Patrick, who looks absolutely preposterous and gobbles up scenery like he’s hitting the mac n’ cheese trough at the local Golden Corral) lords over the city of New Angeles. Not for nothing, he has also come in possession of half of a mystical medallion (called the Double Dragon) that when made whole grants it’s owner some of those mystic powers the kids are so into these days. Well, humanity can breathe easy as the other half is in the possession of Satori (Julia Nickson) and her two adopted sons Billy and Jimmy Lee (Scott Wolf and Mark Dacascos)…underground karate tournament fighters and favorite targets for Bo Abobo (Nils Allen Stewart…who seems to be having the time of his life in the role…as does everyone in this thing honestly), leader of the Mohawk Gang and frequent steroid abuser. Soon Shuko kills Satori, tuns Abobo into an outrageous monster,

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Jan 30, 2019
Horror Fuel

Blu-ray Review: Audition (1999)

Audition is a classic fright flick that catapulted the absolutely insane mother fucker that is Takashi Miike in to the hearts of gonzo cinema lovers worldwide (though he was already el hombre in his home turf of Japan thanks to some rather bloody fare such as Fudoh: The New Generation) and most of you gore hounds have certainly laid your eerie eyeballs on it at some point since it’s release 20 fuckin’ years ago (holy shit…). Anyway, if you haven’t here’s a brief sinister synopsis before I get into why this new Blu-ray edition comin’ your way from Arrow Video and their beastly bedfellows MVD Entertainment is worth your hard earned dough… Shigeharu Aoyama (Ryo Ishibashi), a middle-aged widower, is catching static from his 17-year-old son, Shigehiko (Tetsu Sawaki) to get back on the dating bicycle and join the Tour De Trim (so to speak). At the urging of a pal, Aoyama begins hiding auditions for a new wife, and

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Jan 26, 2019
Horror Fuel

Blu-ray Review: The Fifth Cord (1971)

After a New Year’s Eve murder attempt goes tits-up, booze-soaked journalistic fuck-up par excellence Andrea Bild (Franco Nero) is called upon to report on the case. As fate, and the screenplay, would have it, the killer strikes again, this time sealing the deal. Before long the body count rises as does suspicion against our boy Andrea; which makes him rather keen on solving the case! Much closer to the giallo genre…in fact with it’s black gloved killer and jaw-dropping style it definitely is one, then the previous Luigi Bazzoni flick we examined in this creepy column (The Possessed for those keeping score at home…the review for which can be found right here!), The Fifth Cord is a pretty solid fright flick. Though filmed in color, the film’s limited palette offers the same chiaroscuro visuals that made the aforementioned The Possessed so gorgeous, and Nero turns in yet another world-weary and brilliant performance. Adding to the surreal aesthetics are a pre-occupation

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Jan 13, 2019
Horror Fuel

Blu-ray Review: The Possessed (1965)

Bernard (Peter Baldwin), a sad sack novelist, decides to use that classic cure-all, namely horniness, and sets off to rekindle a relationship with his ex-lover Tilda (Virna Lisi); who works as a maid at a remote hotel located next to a lake. Everything seems hunky-goddammned-dory with the hotel’s owner, Enrico (Salvo Randone) and his daughter Irma (Valentina Cortese)…but it seems Tilda has pulled a David Copperfield and vanished. Having fuck-all to do, Bernard begins investigating the disappearance and ends up spiraling farther down a rabbit hole of perversion, insanity, and murder! The Possessed, comprised of it’s heavily art house influenced style and dark and deadly themes definitely stands as a strong and stylish fore-runner of the beloved murder heavy giallo genre. Directors Luigi Bazzoni, Franco Rossellini present the material with gobs of style and chiaroscuro visuals, but there are definitely moments where the concentration on aesthetics definitely hamper the clarity of the film’s storytelling (a problem also present in a

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Jan 13, 2019
Horror Fuel

Blu-ray Review: Dis (2017)

An ex soldier named Ariel (played by genre legend Bill Oberst Jr.) strolls through a forest, unaware he is about to enter hell…or a very close approximation of it. You see, those trees hide one bad motherfucker that is cultivating a garden of magical mandrakes, and he needs killer kum to make those wicked weeds grow strong and tall! While the above sinister synopsis may seem a tad light (and with a film that runs sixty minutes light plot can be expected) I can promise you that you are in for one hell of a fucked up ride with Dis. Let’s start off with the more refined side of things and offer praise for leading man Oberst Jr.; this dude is an acting powerhouse and always brings a sense of weight and realism to any role he plays, and this is no exception…hell he brings a ton of gravitas to the first twenty minutes of the film and he doesn’t

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Jan 13, 2019
Horror Fuel

Blu-ray Review: Howling III (1987)

Anthropologist Harry Beckmeyer (Barry Otto) witnesses some old-ass footage that purportedly shows a werewolf, and hears of a lycanthrope on the prowl in Siberia, so does what any rational human being would do; contacts the President of the United States and warns him of a worldwide werewolf epidemic. Spoiler: Prez blows that shit off. Wonder why? Meanwhile, comely marsupial werewolf Jerboa (Imogen Annesley) has fled from her abusive home and has been discovered living on the streets by Donny Martin (Leigh Biolos) who gets her a gig starring in the fright flick ‘Shape Shifters Part 8′. Jerboa reveals she is a real life werewolf, but Donny being the typical red-blooded male fucks her anyway…I mean, it’s only half bestiality, so it’s all good, right bro? (shudder) Soon Jerboa’s estranged family come a-lookin’ for her, and Beckmeyer crosses their path…and falls in love with a werewolf ballerina…and then ancient phantom werewolves are summoned…and there’s an award show…and a baby werewolf…and…and…ME FUCKIN’

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Jan 13, 2019
Horror Fuel

Blu-ray Review: Maniac (1980): 3 – Disc Limited Edition

Frank Zito (Joe Spinell) didn’t exactly have the best of childhoods what with growin’ up the son of an abusive prostitute and all…but damn it; a boy’ll love his mommy no matter her faults. You can just imagine how ol’ Frank feels when his mother finally buys the farm courtesy of a car accident…yup, he’s all broken up all right…so much so that he wanders ol’ Manhattan-town and murders rando women (hookers, disco chics, nurses…Tom Savini…wait, what?!!) whom he scalps and places their hairy brain flaps on top of mannequins that he keeps littered around his unreasonably terrifying (and purple) studio apartment. All this horror biz does get put on hold here and there however when Frank meets a gorgeous photographer (Caroline Munro)…a girl that makes him function like an actual human being…but how long will that last? Comprised mainly of a series of hardcore murder-filled vignettes hung on the barest skeleton of a plot (lunatic kills women and keeps

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Dec 29, 2018

More from Blu-Ray

Horror Fuel

Blu-ray Review: Ecco (1963) and The Forbidden (1966)

If you’ve never seen an entry from the world of Mondo documentaries steel your loins and prepare for a world of debauchery, boobs, bloodshed, boobs…and boobs. Speaking of which… Our putrid pals at Severin have just released yet another collection of Mondo entertainment with a Blu-ray containing two prime examples of the genre; 1963’s Ecco and 1966’s The Forbidden! Ecco, made in Italy but released stateside by American Mondo maven Bob Creese, features narration courtesy of George Sanders of all fucking people (you know, the voice of Shere Khan from Disney’s The Jungle Book)…and what is The Big G jawin’ about? A whole bunch of rando shit, including (but not limited to) A German dueling club, Japanese babies listening to the radio, karate, a cotillion contrasted with some sort of hobo hoedown (yeah…so far things are more “mundane” than “mondo”, a circus motorcycle stunt, mountain-based monasteries…after those yawn inducing sites we get a (chicken) blood drenched Satanic ceremony. Okay Ecco,

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Feb 5, 2019
Horror Fuel

Blu-ray Review: Mondo Freudo and Mondo Bizarro (1966)

If you are unfamiliar with the world of Mondo documentaries I can sum things up for you real quick; boobs and/or blood, fake-ass footage passed off as the real deal, and often a strong need for bleach eye drops. Let’s begin, shall we? Those sexy devils over at one of my fav houses of horror (and the bizarre); Severin Films have taken it upon themselves to wallow in the sea of bad taste and tackiness (one of my most cherished hang-outs boils n’ ghouls) and bring us two mondo docs on one lil’ ol’ Blu-ray…namely 1966’s Mondo Freudo and Mondo Bizarro. Mondo Bizarro, from Producers Bob Cresse and Lee Frost, begins as it should with a voyeuristic hidden camera view of a woman’s changing room…totally legit with it’s multiple cuts and camera angles…see what I was talking about up yonder boils n’ ghouls? Via the magic of stock footage we are whisked away on a whirlwind journey to the Bahamas

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Feb 3, 2019
Horror Fuel

Blu-ray Review: Jack the Ripper (1959)

Scotland Yard Inspector O’Neill (Eddie Byrne) is hella pissed due in no small part to his department’s stunning failure in clappin’ some irons on ol’ Saucy Jack (Jack the Ripper to you boils n’ ghouls). To help solve the case O’Neill calls for his old chum, New York City Detective Sam Lowry (Lee Patterson, sporting a 1950’s pompadour that must have been all the rage in 1888). Soon the Dublin Dynamo and…Sam…are balls deep in red herrings and sinister suspects, all of whom could potentially be the horrific hooker hacker. While this is going on, our man Sam gets a case of the hornies for Anne Ford (Betty McDowall), the ward of tight-ass A-number one…namely Dr. Tranter (John Le Mesurier), which goes over with the good Doctor like a rather large turd in a perfectly good punch bowl. Anyway, will our heroes save the day and discover who is behind the murder biz, or will Jack slip silently into the

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Feb 2, 2019
Horror Fuel

Blu-ray Review: Double Dragon (1994)

In the amazing future year 2007, the villainous businessman/shadow monster Koga Shuko (Robert Patrick, who looks absolutely preposterous and gobbles up scenery like he’s hitting the mac n’ cheese trough at the local Golden Corral) lords over the city of New Angeles. Not for nothing, he has also come in possession of half of a mystical medallion (called the Double Dragon) that when made whole grants it’s owner some of those mystic powers the kids are so into these days. Well, humanity can breathe easy as the other half is in the possession of Satori (Julia Nickson) and her two adopted sons Billy and Jimmy Lee (Scott Wolf and Mark Dacascos)…underground karate tournament fighters and favorite targets for Bo Abobo (Nils Allen Stewart…who seems to be having the time of his life in the role…as does everyone in this thing honestly), leader of the Mohawk Gang and frequent steroid abuser. Soon Shuko kills Satori, tuns Abobo into an outrageous monster,

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Jan 30, 2019
Horror Fuel

Blu-ray Review: Audition (1999)

Audition is a classic fright flick that catapulted the absolutely insane mother fucker that is Takashi Miike in to the hearts of gonzo cinema lovers worldwide (though he was already el hombre in his home turf of Japan thanks to some rather bloody fare such as Fudoh: The New Generation) and most of you gore hounds have certainly laid your eerie eyeballs on it at some point since it’s release 20 fuckin’ years ago (holy shit…). Anyway, if you haven’t here’s a brief sinister synopsis before I get into why this new Blu-ray edition comin’ your way from Arrow Video and their beastly bedfellows MVD Entertainment is worth your hard earned dough… Shigeharu Aoyama (Ryo Ishibashi), a middle-aged widower, is catching static from his 17-year-old son, Shigehiko (Tetsu Sawaki) to get back on the dating bicycle and join the Tour De Trim (so to speak). At the urging of a pal, Aoyama begins hiding auditions for a new wife, and

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Jan 26, 2019
Horror Fuel

Blu-ray Review: The Fifth Cord (1971)

After a New Year’s Eve murder attempt goes tits-up, booze-soaked journalistic fuck-up par excellence Andrea Bild (Franco Nero) is called upon to report on the case. As fate, and the screenplay, would have it, the killer strikes again, this time sealing the deal. Before long the body count rises as does suspicion against our boy Andrea; which makes him rather keen on solving the case! Much closer to the giallo genre…in fact with it’s black gloved killer and jaw-dropping style it definitely is one, then the previous Luigi Bazzoni flick we examined in this creepy column (The Possessed for those keeping score at home…the review for which can be found right here!), The Fifth Cord is a pretty solid fright flick. Though filmed in color, the film’s limited palette offers the same chiaroscuro visuals that made the aforementioned The Possessed so gorgeous, and Nero turns in yet another world-weary and brilliant performance. Adding to the surreal aesthetics are a pre-occupation

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Jan 13, 2019
Horror Fuel

Blu-ray Review: The Possessed (1965)

Bernard (Peter Baldwin), a sad sack novelist, decides to use that classic cure-all, namely horniness, and sets off to rekindle a relationship with his ex-lover Tilda (Virna Lisi); who works as a maid at a remote hotel located next to a lake. Everything seems hunky-goddammned-dory with the hotel’s owner, Enrico (Salvo Randone) and his daughter Irma (Valentina Cortese)…but it seems Tilda has pulled a David Copperfield and vanished. Having fuck-all to do, Bernard begins investigating the disappearance and ends up spiraling farther down a rabbit hole of perversion, insanity, and murder! The Possessed, comprised of it’s heavily art house influenced style and dark and deadly themes definitely stands as a strong and stylish fore-runner of the beloved murder heavy giallo genre. Directors Luigi Bazzoni, Franco Rossellini present the material with gobs of style and chiaroscuro visuals, but there are definitely moments where the concentration on aesthetics definitely hamper the clarity of the film’s storytelling (a problem also present in a

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Jan 13, 2019
Horror Fuel

Blu-ray Review: Dis (2017)

An ex soldier named Ariel (played by genre legend Bill Oberst Jr.) strolls through a forest, unaware he is about to enter hell…or a very close approximation of it. You see, those trees hide one bad motherfucker that is cultivating a garden of magical mandrakes, and he needs killer kum to make those wicked weeds grow strong and tall! While the above sinister synopsis may seem a tad light (and with a film that runs sixty minutes light plot can be expected) I can promise you that you are in for one hell of a fucked up ride with Dis. Let’s start off with the more refined side of things and offer praise for leading man Oberst Jr.; this dude is an acting powerhouse and always brings a sense of weight and realism to any role he plays, and this is no exception…hell he brings a ton of gravitas to the first twenty minutes of the film and he doesn’t

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Jan 13, 2019
Horror Fuel

Blu-ray Review: Howling III (1987)

Anthropologist Harry Beckmeyer (Barry Otto) witnesses some old-ass footage that purportedly shows a werewolf, and hears of a lycanthrope on the prowl in Siberia, so does what any rational human being would do; contacts the President of the United States and warns him of a worldwide werewolf epidemic. Spoiler: Prez blows that shit off. Wonder why? Meanwhile, comely marsupial werewolf Jerboa (Imogen Annesley) has fled from her abusive home and has been discovered living on the streets by Donny Martin (Leigh Biolos) who gets her a gig starring in the fright flick ‘Shape Shifters Part 8′. Jerboa reveals she is a real life werewolf, but Donny being the typical red-blooded male fucks her anyway…I mean, it’s only half bestiality, so it’s all good, right bro? (shudder) Soon Jerboa’s estranged family come a-lookin’ for her, and Beckmeyer crosses their path…and falls in love with a werewolf ballerina…and then ancient phantom werewolves are summoned…and there’s an award show…and a baby werewolf…and…and…ME FUCKIN’

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Jan 13, 2019
Horror Fuel

Blu-ray Review: Maniac (1980): 3 – Disc Limited Edition

Frank Zito (Joe Spinell) didn’t exactly have the best of childhoods what with growin’ up the son of an abusive prostitute and all…but damn it; a boy’ll love his mommy no matter her faults. You can just imagine how ol’ Frank feels when his mother finally buys the farm courtesy of a car accident…yup, he’s all broken up all right…so much so that he wanders ol’ Manhattan-town and murders rando women (hookers, disco chics, nurses…Tom Savini…wait, what?!!) whom he scalps and places their hairy brain flaps on top of mannequins that he keeps littered around his unreasonably terrifying (and purple) studio apartment. All this horror biz does get put on hold here and there however when Frank meets a gorgeous photographer (Caroline Munro)…a girl that makes him function like an actual human being…but how long will that last? Comprised mainly of a series of hardcore murder-filled vignettes hung on the barest skeleton of a plot (lunatic kills women and keeps

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Dec 29, 2018
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