It’s Black Friday which means it is sale time everywhere, but in cult cinema releasing world it means that labels are throwing out some specialized packages to entice fans. This Black Friday Severin Films are unleashing Severin Blu-ray releases of wild exploitation, foreign, and shock cinema sure to please fans, and we got our hands on copies of FIVE of them. So here are reviews of what we have, to help you dear reader, make some informed decisions with your Black Friday purchases.
Ballad of Blood
Director: Ruggero Deodato
Cast: Carlotta Morelli, Edward Williams
Country of Origin: Italy
Writer: Scott MacDonald
After a few decades of not making films Ruggero Deodato returns with Ballad in Blood. Ballad in Blood follows the trio of Lenka, Jacopo, and Duke who wake up in the middle of the night after a Halloween night full of sex and partying to find Lenka’s roommate Elizabeth murdered. Immediately Lenka begins to lose it, and starts to clean up the scene, and the three try to resolve what to do. Slowly their memories begin to comeback partially on their own, and also from the videos on Elizabeth’s phone and laptop.
The story is a fictionalized retelling of the Amanda Knox/Meredith Kercher murder, but done in an over the top Ruggero Deodato way. The film throws good taste out the window right away, and keeps it that way the entire time, and honestly, I wouldn’t ask for it any other way. Anyone asking for a casebook version of events is not going to get it here. It seems Deodato took the bare minimum facts about the case, picked a side, and went to town to tell his version of the story.
The film is presented with a 1080p transfer and English stereo soundtrack. Everything looks and sounds fine, this is a recent movie afterall. Extras include an interview with Deodato, a featurette on Amanda Knox, a film historian interview, a pair of cast and crew interviews, a behind the scenes piece, and a trailer. RECOMMENDED.
House on the Edge of the Park
Director: Ruggero Deodato
Cast: David Hess, Giovanni Lombardo-Radice
Country of Origin: Italy
Writer: Scott MacDonald
This seems to be the month for Deodato releases over at Severin HQ. We are getting a PACKED re-release of his second most notorious film, the HOUSE ON THE EDGE OF THE PARK, starring Giovanni Lombardo Radice and David Hess as a pair of mechanics, who are ready for a night on the town when a pair of yuppies cause them to stay late, and then invite them a boring party in the ‘burbs. This party, of course, gets out of control due to our dynamic duo.
House on the Edge of the Park is nowhere near as violent or over the top as its reputation lets on, but it is nonetheless INTENSE. This is mostly from the performance of Last House on the Left’s David Hess, who dominates the whole film with his presence. Radice offers a great performance as well, and has great chemistry with Hess.
Severin presents the film in an excellent 1080p transfer. I cannot say how it compares to the Code Red, but this is very natural, filmlike with excellent detail. Audio is handled with both English and Italian mono and they sound crisp and clear. Where this package REALLY EXCELS is in the extras department, it kicks off with a commentary with Bruce Holecheck and Art Ettinger. We then get interviews with Deodato, then one with cinematographer Sergio D’Offizi, and one with Giovanni Lombardo-Radice. There is then an archival interview with David Hess, and with set designer Antonello Geleng. The absolute treat of this set is Deodato Holocaust a feature length documentary exploring Deodato’s career film by film. There are then deleted scenes, a trailer, and a CD soundtrack. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Bloody Pit of Horror
Director: Max Hunter
Cast: Mickey Hargitay, Walter Brandt
Country of Origin: Italy
Writer: Scott MacDonald
This one makes me reallllyyyyy happy. Bloody Pit of Horror is one I found in the 90’s and have loved ever since. The film follows a group of photographers and models wanting to take photos in a gothic horror setting they end up in the castle of Travis Anderson (Mickey Hargitay). The castle was the home, centuries earlier of the notorious “Crimson Executioner”, who was killed for his misdeeds in an iron maiden type device. At first the group is booted from the castle, but then allowed to stay the night, and that’s when things get really sticky for the group as the “Crimson Executioner” begins to enact his vegeance via his moral code against the group.
Bloody Pit of Horror is sheer fun all the way through. No one will accuse it of being a masterpiece, but it cheap and cheesy Italian schlock at its finest with great torture set pieces. The performance by Hargitay coupled with the Crimson Executioner costume make this one an absolute most see, and somehow this has not seen a Blu-ray release UNTIL NOW. The audio is in English and Italian mono, with a 1080p transfer. It’s not a perfect transfer, and soft in places, but is an upgrade from the Image/SWV DVD release by and large. Extras incldue an alternate opening and commentary by David DeCouteau and David Del Valle. There is also the film’s infamous trailer. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Black Candles
Director: Jose Ramon Larraz
Cast: Helga Line, Carmen Carrion
Country of Origin: Spain
Writer: Scott MacDonald
I’ve been a fan of Eurohorror since the late 90’s which may not seem as long a time for some people, but at the time just finding Eurohorror films on tape or the bourgeoning DVD format was exciting. At least without having to hit a VSOM, Video Mayhem, or Blackest Heart Media. The only 2 Jose Larraz films that were seemingly available at the time were Vampyres (of course) and Black Candles, and at the time I cherished them both, because, they both felt SO DIFFERENT from everything else I was seeing, and to be fair to Black Candles no other film I had ever seen had goatsex (I can now bring that number up to two, thanks to Island of Death). Anyway, I digress. We now live in world where Larraz has finally been given the respect he has long deserved in the world of home video cinema releasing with most of his films been given releases in one form or another. We are not on the SECOND Blu-ray release of Black Candles, which now feels like an outlier in his filmography.
The film is the last of his British made film cycle with films like Whirlpool and Symptoms accompanying it. It follows Carol (Vanessa Hidalgo) and Robert a married couple who go to visit Carol’s sister Fiona (Helga Line) in the English countryside after the mysterious death of Fiona’s husband (occult and sexual related as seen in the film’s opening moments). As it turns out Carol, herself, it quite involved in Satanic ritual, as is the local priest.
Black Candles is a bizarre film that reminds me of another British lensed occult entry Virgin Witch in that they both seem like they use horror trappings to lead to softcore sex, though to be fair to Black Candles, this film is MUCH better than Virgin Witch. Larraz manages to create a desolate and creepy atmosphere in between all the carnal goings on.
Severin presents the film in a very solid 1:85:1 1080p transfer with an English mono track for audio. The visuals look very solid and film like without much in the way of issues. Audio comes through nicely. Extras include another excellent commentary from Naschy-casters Troy Guinn and Rodney Barnett. There is a documentary on Helga Line, an interview with Gavin Baddeley, and another on Spanish Horror. Recommended.
Forbidden Door
Director: Joko Anwar
Cast: Fachry Anwir, Marsha Timothy
Country of Origin: Indonesia
Writer: Scott MacDonald
The most I knew about the film’s of Joko Anwar before I popped the Forbidden Door into my player is that he had directed the remake of Satan’s Slave, and he has a reputation as Indonesia’s gorier, answer to David Lynch. So I knew whatever was waiting for me, it was going to be delirious and messed up. I was not wrong, and I was not disappointed.
Fachry Anwir plays Gambir, a famous sculptor who is known for his work of pregnant women. His fame is causing him stress, and his stress is causing him to be impotent. This is affecting his relationship with his wife and his Mother. His wife wants him to get her pregnant, and his Mom wants to be a Grandmother, and tracks his sperm count. One day while in his cellar he finds a hidden door, that his wife umm, forbids him to enter. At the same time he finds clues to a secret society that depicts very dark things happening to people including the torture of a child by his parents. Gambir is lured into this and finds increasingly bizarre and dark things happening (lots of spoilers).
This is a really dark and bizarre film shot in a neo-comic-noir style. There are elements that even I had a hard time with, but at the same time the film was twisting so hard, I just went with it, to see how it would end up. I would say that towards the end the film starts to lose it’s way, before packing some punches in right before the conclusion. Anyway, I hope this is the beginning of more Severin releases of Anwar’s film, because more of his stuff definitely needs to hit over here. This is wild, unpredictable stuff.
The Blu-ray is presented 1:85:1 in a 1080p transfer and looks marvelous. Colors pop, blacks are deep, there are no major issues. Audio is presented in an HD strereo track in Indonesian and comes through crisp, clear, and again no issues. Extras include an commentary with Anwar, an interview with Anwar, deleted and extended scenes with commentary by the director Herosase footage, a poster and still gallery and trailers. RECOMMENDED (but, this one is most definitely not for everyone).