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DOG SOLDIERS Arrives On Blu-ray

6/24/2015

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Neil Marshall's 2002 horror masterpiece, Dog Soldiers, has arrived on a beautiful Blu-ray/DVD combo, courtesy of the good folks at Shout Factory. 

This extraordinarily creepy and gory tale of a group of British Army soldiers who face off against a bunch of blood-thirsty werewolves quickly became a cult hit after it was released. It was given a Blu-ray release not too long ago, but now, Scream Factory has unleashed this definitive release upon the public. There has been a little controversy in some circles regarding the picture quality, but according to the director, the original UK print could not be found for restoration. Thus, what we have here is what we get - and it's not bad at all. This is a major improvement on the previous Blu-ray for many reasons, including the treasure trove of extras that are on this particular disc. 

Dog Soldiers isn't for all tastes, but for anyone that is a die-hard fan of the werewolf genre, this is a landmark film that simply cannot be missed. Shout Factory always goes the extra mile when it comes to these releases, and that love and dedication has clearly gone into Dog Soldiers, as well. 

Special features include an in-depth audio commentary from director Neil Marshall, a "making of" featurette, a look at the model of the sets used in the film, a short film from Neil Marshall, a theatrical trailer, and a stills gallery. 

For any fan of Dog Soldiers - or of Shout Factory, in general - this release is a must-own. This goes down in my book as one of the best Blu-rays of the year. Purchase this one as soon as possible!
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DOLLS

6/24/2015

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Shout Factory has released Stuart Gordon’s underappreciated gem, Dolls, on Blu-ray.

The 1987 film opens as a little girl named Judy, her father, and her bitch of a stepmother are forced to take shelter in the home of an elderly couple, as a storm rages outside. They are soon joined by a gentle and naïve man named Ralph, who brings along two annoying goth teenagers.

The elderly couple that owns the house are very polite, but there is an air of mystery about them. The home in which they live creates the perfect atmosphere for the mayhem to come. You see, these sweet old people own these dolls…dolls that are possessed by the souls of criminals who are paying eternal penance for their crimes.

Utilizing the best animatronic and stop-motion animation at the time, these dolls come to horrific life and steal the show, as a result. When it comes to the “evil toy” genre, these creatures run circles around Chucky and his ilk.

Dolls has a fantastical feel to it, obviously, but as I mentioned before, mood and atmosphere play a huge part in the overall success of this film. The acting is sub-par at times, but it is never distracting. This isn’t Oscar material that we are dealing with here, so audiences are encouraged to sit back and enjoy the creepy and colorful ride.

Shout Factory has released this beautiful Blu-ray/DVD combo with a slew of extras that are sure to please fans. The transfer is lovely, and you can see how much care was taken to properly restore the film. Special features include a new ‘making of’ retrospective, two audio commentaries, a storyboard-to-film comparison, a theatrical trailer and a photo gallery.

Be sure to purchase a copy as soon as possible!

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SLEEPAWAY CAMP II: UNHAPPY CAMPERS

6/24/2015

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The good folks at Shout Factory have finally released Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers on Blu-ray.

Let’s just get one thing out of the way: the Sleepaway Camp trilogy isn’t going to win any awards for political correctness. It is doubtful that these films would even see the light of day in times such as these. However, they do exist – relics of cheesy eighties horror that fans of B-grade (maybe Z-grade) cinema can indulge to their hearts delight.

The transgendered psychopath from the first film, Angela, is back – only this time, she has been dubbed “counselor of the week” at Camp Rolling Hills. No one suspects any foul play of any kind on Angela’s behalf. Well, not yet, anyway. As urban legends spread of the horrors that took place at Camp Arawak in the previous film, the campers start to become uneasy after a few of their friends go missing.

It turns out that Angela has a low tolerance for naughty campers – especially the insatiably horny females that seem to dominate the group. As the girls disappear one by one, Angela explains that she had to “send them home”. In reality, she’s burning them alive on grills, scrambling their brains with her electric drill, or dressing up as horror icons and terrorizing the pot smoking teenyboppers.  And then there’s that murder involving a toilet full of shit and leeches.

Things only escalate from their, and soon, some of the braver campers attempt to end Angela’s reign of giddy terror.

Sleepaway Camp II is disgusting, but it’s also good fun. The entire film has a tongue in cheek tone that encourages more laughs than screams. Shout Factory has packaged this film in a lovely Blu-ray/DVD combo pack collector’s edition, featuring original artwork on the slipcover and a treasure trove of special features. 

Special features include:

• Audio commentary from the director and writer
• A Tale of Two Sequels featurette
• Abandoned – a featurette on the filming locations.
• Behind the Scenes footage
• Home video promotional trailer
• Still gallery

This is yet another excellent release from Shout Factory! Fans are encouraged to seek it out.

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Shout Factory presents GHOSTHOUSE and WITCHERY

6/16/2015

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Shout Factory has finally released two films from the famed "La Casa" series on a Blu-ray twofer, and it is worth every penny. 

Going in, you need to know that both Ghosthouse and Witchery are Italian productions, both of which are considered "unofficial sequels" to the Evil Dead series. Other than the aforementioned unofficial association with the Evil Dead films, they have virtually nothing in common with one another. This Blu-ray contains a Z-grade double bill of the highest order. Fans of The Room should take notice, as this is the kind of stuff that only Tommy Wiseau could deem acceptable filmmaking. 

Ghosthouse concerns a ham radio operator and his foreign girlfriend, who spend their time listening in on strange transmissions when they're not busy obsessing over homemade chili. Seriously, guys. These two love chili. 

One night, they hear a distressing cry for help come over the radio, and somehow manage to track down the location from which the message came. Their search leads them to a creepy old abandoned house. They proceed to trespass and snoop around. One look upstairs, and sure enough, they find a ham radio. Only they are not alone. A few other people are there, in a camper beside the house. The transmissions may have come from one of them. But how? And why are they all being stalked by a creepy, dead little girl with a clown doll? All of these questions will be answered by the end of the film. Well, at least some of those questions. Within Ghosthouse, there are plot holes galore - backed by an incredibly annoying film score. And the director seems to have a fascination with exploding glass. Oh, well. It's all in good fun. 

So, grab a bowl of chili, sit back, and enjoy Ghosthouse. You may very well regret it, but you will never forget it. 

Witchery stars David Hasselhoff and Linda Blair. When the film opens, Linda Blair awakens from a strange dream involving a pregnant woman who is being chased by a bunch of men with pitchforks. You see, her family is contemplating the purchase of an old hotel - a place that is currently inhabited by an old witch. Ever since then, the pregnant Linda has been plagued with nightmares, some of them involving old, decrepit cannibal women. Still, she travels to the resort with her family to look over the property, and see if renovations need to be made. 

In the meantime, a young woman and her boyfriend (a horny David Hasselhoff) have taken it upon themselves to explore the resort without permission, as the young, virginal woman is doing research involving witchcraft. She has become obsessed with a particular book on the subject, much to Hasselhoff's dismay. You see, all he wants to do is get inside her panties. So far, all of his attempts have been thwarted. 

The family arrives by boat, just as a storm is approaching. They enter the resort to find Hasselhoff and the virgin, who have much explaining to do, but manage to avoid a huge confrontation. Before long, the storm becomes so bad that it is impossible for them to leave...and the old witch in black who resides on the premises sets out to make their lives a living hell.

As with Ghosthouse, Witchery looks like it was shot on a budget of $1.25, and it there are several moments which are intended to be horrific, but are instead drop dead hilarious. Linda Blair and David Hasselhoff are the stand-outs here, and I'm sure that this is a film that they would erase from their resumes if they could. It was released on VHS here in the US, and given a theatrical release in Italy. Among fans of schlock cinema, it shouldn't be ignored, as it holds a certain naive charm. 

Shout Factory has done right by these films, preserving them in all of their horrid glory. The only special features come in the form of two theatrical trailers. Really, that's all that we need. This is a worthy purchase, and comes highly recommended! 

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    My name is Adam Renkovish. I am a certified Halloween addict. 

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