DEMONS (1985) (Synapse Films Blu-ray Review)

Title: Demons
Director: Lamberto Bava 
Writer: Dario Argento, Lamberto Bava, Dardano Saccehti, Franco Ferrini
Cast: Urbano Barberini, Natasha Hovey, Karl Zinny, Fiore Argento, Paola Cozzo, Fabiola Toledo  
Year: 1985
Min: 88

Blu-ray released by: Synapse Films 

Specs:  

Sound: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (Stereo)
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (Mono)
Image: 

Resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.66:1

Plot- On the Berlin subway Cheryl (the lovely Natasha Hovey, below on the left) gets off her stop and is followed by a mysterious, and admit ably creepy masked man (Michele Soavi, who would go to direct some excellent Italian horror of his own). He does so to hand her tickets to a free screening at the Metropol, a newly opened movie theater. She goes to the movie with her pretty friend Kathy (Paola Cozzo). At their seats they are joined by too super preppy guys, who are attracted to both girls and flirt with them. They all sit down to watch the movie with the rest of the movie theater's audience, which include a bunch of different folk including a blind dude and his cheating wife and a pimp and two of his hookers. One of these said hookers, Rosemary (Geretta Geretta) earlier put on a demonic mask that was on display on a mannequin in the theater lobby. 

The movie soon starts, and it is an ultra-violent slasher flick. In this movie, a dude puts on a similar mask to one Rosemary cut herself with, earlier; and the movie character cuts himself, too. And, as he bleeds on camera, so does Rosemary in the theater. And, as he ends up becoming a demon in the movie, so does she. When the other hooker goes to check on her, she slashers her. Soon, others fall victim to this as they become demons themselves and turns others into demons, with the movie theater audience is trapped in the theater. There is no way out, and no way to stop the ever growing demon horde.

Review- Demons is an 80s Italian, headbanging, classic gorefest. A full throttle, non-stop assault on the senses, it's one of the most fast paced, unrelenting horror movies ever made. It's a cult classic, and a true heavy metal horror masterpiece. I first saw it when I was a kid and fell in love it from the first viewing I had renting it. It has everything I could ask for then and now: nonstop action, graphic gore, gorgeous European women, and, of course, kick ass metal music. A couple of years later, I would buy it on VHS and watch it ad nauseam, eventually getting the Anchor Bay DVD (one of my earliest DVD purchases due to my love of the movie).

Admit ably the movie isn't perfect. The acting ranges from OK to pretty bad. The plot is pretty straightforward and not the most complex. However, it is in its simplicity that the movie truly succeeds. Once it starts (which really doesn't take that long), it NEVER stops and is always exciting and fun. Bava keeps the momentum up and, somehow, it never tires you out. In fact, you are always involved and entertained, a true adrenaline rush, of which many actual action movies could only dream of being.

Being a righteously unrated gorefest, the bloodletting is awesome and truly graphic. Among the acts of mayhem are: eye gouging, throat ripping, hangings, slashings, stabbings, slicings, impaling, pulsating and oozing transformations, and lots more blood and slime spilled, sprayed, and splattered. This all handled excellently by Sergio Stivaletti who does some truly spectacular practical FX work. Aside from the amazing splatter, the demons, themselves, look awesome and frightening.

They add to appealing look of the movie. Bava makes a great use of colors, with reds and shadows playing a big part in adding some visual flair and style to the proceedings. But, with him and Dario Argento producing (as well as them both being involved in script, along with others), how can this movie not look great?

 

Speaking of looking great, holy crap, is there ever a bevy of beauties in this movie! Aside from Hovey and Cozzo as the two female friends, who we mainly follow through the course of the flick, there are quite a few stunners in small roles. Among them is the absolutely gorgeous Nicoletta Elmi as Ingrid the usherette (above). With her long legs and long, fiery, red, wavy hair she ranks among the most beautiful women in Italian genre cinema. There is some skin thrown in, as well. Memorably giving some very nice boobage is Bettina Ciampolini as punk/ rocker chick Nina (below). I recall the first I saw this as a kid, I got, as Beavis would say, a stiffee!

The heavy metal and rock music is fucking killer. Let's not kid here, the metal music is a big part as to why this gore loving headbanger loved this movie so much. Kick ass songs from Motley Crue, Accept, Saxon, Billy Idol and more drive this movie to the motherfucking stratosphere. That is conjunction with the thumping and driving musical score by Claudio Simonetti. In all, it is one of the finest horror soundtracks ever!

Picture- Holy fuck, does this Blu-ray look great!! This is a stunning transfer from a movie that is over two decades old. The colors are rich and vibrant, with deep blacks and constant and excellent flesh-tones. It ranks among the best looking 80s horror titles ever!

Sound- You can watch it either in the original mono or stereo. Both sound great, but unless you are a purist, stereo is the way to go. The action scenes and the thrilling and rocking soundtrack will have your system thumping and pumping along. This disc sounds as amazing as it looks and vice versa.

Extras- This is a budget version of Demons. There is a limited edition steelbook version of it, also from Synapse Films, packed with extras. It runs at a much higher price (of course). Anyways, this version only comes with the rather cool trailer. If you are OK with not spending a lot and forfeiting the extras, then go for this. There has a been a recent price drop, making it an even cheaper disc to own, hence (part of) the reason for me reviewing it, now.

Final Thoughts- One of the finest Italian horror flicks, and one of the best 80s horror movies from anywhere in the world, Demons is an essential splatterfest. Sure it is kind of empty headed, but it is so much fun and action packed that any normal fan won't give a flying fuck. Further fuel injected by graphic gore and kick ass heavy metal music this fucker just plain rocks! With a flawless looking picture and killer sound the disc's specs are simply phenomenal. If you are OK with not spending the dough on the limited edition steelbox, and thus not having the special features, then this is the absolute and inarguable way to go.

Movie: 4.5 out of 5
Picture: 5
Sound: 5
Extras: 1

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GODZILLA 1984/ THE RETURN OF GODZILLA (Blu-Ray Review)

Title: Godzilla 1984/ The Return of Godzilla
Director: Koji Hashimoto 
Writer:  Hideichi Nagahara, Tomoyuki Tanaka (story "The Resurrection of Godzilla") 
Cast: Ken Tanaka, Yasuko Sawaguch, Yôsuke Natsuki, Shin Takuma, Keiju Kobayashi,  
Year: 1984
Min: 103

Blu-ray released by: Kraken Releasing 

Specs:  

Sound: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Japanese: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Image: 

Resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1

Plot- Some 30 years after the original attack on Toyko by Godzilla in 1954, he returns! A boat is missing and a reporter goes looking for it. When he does find it, he discovers its' crew slaughtered, and only one survivor, who claims to have seen the Big-G. And, that it is in fact giant monster that attacked the boat. To ease fears the Japanese government decides to keep things hush-hush. However, a Soviet sub is soon sank by Godzilla, prompting the Japanese to release the truth as tensions had begun to mount between the US and the USSR. Both governments want Japan to nuke Gozilla, however they refuse to confirm. They must find another way to stop the monster, as he reaches land and demolishes Toyko.

Review- American audiences best know this movie as Godzilla 1985, where it was edited and had a bunch of Raymond Burr shit added (basically the same shit that they did when they released the original classic Gojira, here as Godzilla: King of the Monsters). I actually caught it when it played in the movies as a small child. I was so pumped to see it! I was a huge Godzilla fan, and I remember loving it. I would watch it again when it aired on TV. However, it was never released on DVD, only VHS. In fact it was forever on Horrorhound magazine's list of horror movies not on DVD/ Blu-ray.

Thank Godzilla, then for Kraken Releasing who have not only put it out, but in it's uncut original non-Raymond Burr edit. It would've been nice to have them both on one release, but fuck it. This version rocks! The movie is darker, and more violent, in its original cut. In fact, so good  is this version, that it definitely places it among the best Godzilla flicks, something that many say the American cut just isn't.

The acting is solid, and the human interactions are well handled. We care what they have to say, and that is many times one of the harder things the weaker entries in franchise have conveying. The pacing is pretty good, as it builds up to Godzilla coming on land. Once he does, the movie is just awesome.

 The destruction scenes are rousing and violent. There is lots of humans dying onscreen, including a brutal scene where Godzilla immolates a group of soldiers with his fire breath. The miniature work is solid, as well. And, the Super-X is a kick vehicle introduced to do battle with him. I always loved this scene and vehicle as a kid. It still holds up, well today.

Sadly, after this battle is over the movie flatters a bit. The way that they choose to deal with Godzilla isn't terribly bad, but it does feel a little lackluster. The other problem is Godzilla, himself. Mind you the suit looks great, but the mechanical Godzilla debuted for this movie doesn't. He looks decidedly fake. Which is a shame, because the movie is meant to be a return to the more horror aspects of the first film, with Godzilla's first heel role in ages (for those of you keeping score the last movie before this one was the kick ass The Terror of Mechagodzilla, wherein the King of the Monsters was playing babyface to a tagteam of evil).

Picture- The pic quality here is good, but not great. Night and dark scenes look too soft and grainy. However, day time scenes look very good. In these scenes, there is some good rich colors with solid skin tones.

Sound- You can watch this one in Japanese or English DTS Master Audio 5.1. The dubbing is fucking terrible, of course. But, the action scenes sound killer in either version. Explosions and roaring will make your fucking unit rumble. It's a hell of a sound mix!

Extras- Sadly, it is pretty barebones, as we only get the Japanese trailer, and nothing else. The American trailer ain't here, cause, well we already discussed that that version ain't here either.

Final Thoughts- A superior edit to the American cut, the coming of this movie is long overdue. The fact that it is on Blu-ray is enough of a reason to celebrate. Violent, dark, and, mostly serious, it ranks among the best films in the franchise. The pic quality is good, but I do wish it could've been a little better. However, the sound is fucking devastating. Genre and Godzilla fans take heed and buy this one. Since you can get it a cheap price (10 freaking bucks!), there is no excuse for not owning it.

Movie: 3.5 out of 5
Picture: 3
Sound: 4
Extras: 1

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NYCC 2016- Sun: Cosplay, Megan Massacre, and Lucha Underground!

Sunday, Oct. 9, 2016, may have been the last day of NYCC, but I also think that it was one of the most fun ones. At least it was for me, but it all went by all too quickly! Though, I suppose one could say that about all of comic con. Anyways, here are the highlights, for me:

I have become a big fan of Rick and Morty and the Sun cosplay of this awesome and funny cartoon was on point! I mean, this trio, above and below, even had a Mr. Poopy Butthole (the character wearing a little tophat)! He is my favorite character on the show and needs some merch made of him! There was also a Mr. Meeseeks (the blue character from the second pic, below). He rules, too!

Here is some more of my favorite cosplay from this the last day of comic con 2016:

As a HUGE Universal Classic Monster fan, this gets best group cosplay of the con from me. I mean look, the Gillman (AKA the Creature from the Black Lagoon), even has his beauty with him!

This lovely Harley Quinn, below, was cosplayed by the gorgeous Lydia Vengeance.

 

 

 

 Always hanging with the lovely ladies of Gotham City! 

 The lovely Kate Ogden as Rosalina.

 

As I mentioned over on my Chiller Oct. 2016 write-up after my doggy Topi's illness and passing, I got very much into adult coloring books. Being that I was already a fan of the beautiful and talented tattoo artist, Megan Massacre; I was happy to see that she was signing copies of her amazing and beautiful coloring book Marked in Ink. I saw this a chance to say "Hi" (last time I saw her I was interviewing Pink Cigar at her store, Grit N' Glory last year), and get her book signed, no less! She was very sweet. She asked me if I colored the books. I told her the story about my little angel, and she was glad that her book could help my anxiety and such. She is so beautiful and awesome in person!

You can see the coloring book above to the bottom left, and her inside autograph is below. The rest of the above stuff is the other swag that I bought at comic con on Sun.

Finally, I attended the Lucha Underground panel, which was the perfect way to end this awesome day. I have said many times my disdain for the current state of wrestling on TV. However, Lucha rules. They are the BEST wrestling TV, by far, and are THE only wrestling that I follow religiously. It was cool to see them talk about their future plans for the company, including touring (which they are starting to do!) and more merch (yes!).

 

Yup that is the legend Rey Mysterio there. The blonde to his right is the beautiful Taya. And, next to her is Catrina, one of the most beautiful women in all of wrestling! To Rey's left is the gorgeous Ivelisse.

And, so ends comic con 2016. I actually missed cosplaying, which I did the day before, on this day. Next year, I promise to do it for two days, not just one. I still have one or two more write-ups for you guys, including a post with my interviews with cosplayers from that Sat. 

My Previous NYCC 2016 Posts

(Video) We Talk "Man Vs. Rock" at NYCC 2016

(Video) An Interview with the Creator of Lady Death, Brian Pulido at NYCC 2016

NYCC 2016- Sat- My 1st Ever Con Cosplay: The Punisher, Part 1

NYCC 2016- Fri, Part 2: Cosplayers Galore!

NYCC 2016- Fri, Part 1: More Cosplay, Toys, and Babes   
NYCC 2016- Thurs- Cool Toys & Awesome Cosplay!  
(Video) Truly Awesome and Beautiful Cosplayer Aurora O'Brien Talks to Us at NYCC 2016

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(Video) Ruby LaRocca & Rich Mallory Talk "Sociopathia" with Us at Chiller Theatre- Oct. 2016

At the Oct. 2016 edition of Chiller Theatre, I got to conduct an interview with serial killer flick Sociopathia's co-writers and co-directors, Rich Mallery and scream queen, the beautiful Ruby LaRocca. I loved the movie, and it was great to hear from them about their indie horror flick. You can see the interview in the video below.

 

Camera work and video editing by BAS Photography & Design 

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(Video) We Talk "Man Vs. Rock" at NYCC 2016

On the first day of NYCC 2016, I got to talk to Victor DeTroy, and he told us all about the comic-book Man Vs. Rock. It sounds really cool and wild, and you can learn all about it in the video below.

 

Camera work and video editing by Negative Pop.

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"Doctor Butcher M.D.".- He's Still Making House Calls! (Blu-ray Review and Retrospective)

Also known as Zombie Holocaust (Zombi Holocaust), Doctor Butcher M.D. is one of the wildest and most fun of the extreme gore films that Italy was putting out in the 70s and 80s. It's legacy has made into one of the quitessential gorehound favorites.

Our story begins as a rash of limb robbing from corpses is occurring at hospitals and morgues across New York City. Soon, one hospital worker is caught chomping down on a human heart (hey, when you get hungry, ya gotta eat, right?). Our heroes, anthropology expert and morgue assistant Lori ( the beautiful Alexandra Delli Coli) and Dr. Peter Chandler (Ian McCulloch from Lucio Fulci' Zombie) come to the realization that this all has to with a cannibal tribe. They are head off to the Asian islands, where said tribes can be found, accompanied by his assistant George (Peter O'Neal), and his hottie reporter girlfriend Susan (Sherry Buchanan). There they meet Dr. Obrero (Donald O'Brien), who Peter knows. They ultimately end up on an island where there not only cannibals but zombies, as well! Soon they begin to fall prey to them both. And, they learn that the good Dr. Obrero has been conducting experiments to resurrect the dead, resulting in the aforementioned zombies!

When, Zombie Holocaust was bought and distributed in the US, it underwent the ingenious title change and an even more ingenious ad campaign. They also added a 2.5 minute opening showcasing some zombies and taken from an unfinished flick called Tales that'll Tear Your Heart Out. They also re-edited some stuff for pacing reasons, as well as changed the musical score. The result was a HUGE hit in grindhouse theaters and, eventually, on VHS.

The movie was released, in the movies, by Aquarius Releasing, who also released bunch of exploitation movies, including Make Them Die Slowly (Cannibal Ferox) and Buried Alive (Beyond the Darkness). There is an excellent interview with Terry Levene, from Aquarius, on the brand new Severin Films Blu-ray release, where he talks about advertising these movies and more. It's a fascinating talk about an era long gone, of grindhouse sleazefests being played in Times Square. Levene knew how to promote movies like this, as there was a fucking Doctor Butcher M.D. flatbed truck (left) that ran promotions of it. Can you imagine a movie like this doing that today? Fuck no.

The movie, itself, might be seen by some film snobs as bad. But, fuck those people. As a good amount of its appeal is found in its inherit cheesiness. The acting ranges from adequate to bad, but it's always memorable and fits the film nicely. The makeup FX are much in the same vein. Some of it is great, some is far from that. One hilarious moment has the aforementioned cannibal that chewed on a human heart jumping out the window to escape capture. When he hits the floor we see it's a mannequin whose fucking arm falls off! The next shot is our actor with his arm intact! Too fucking funny!

The extreme gore in this movie rocks motherfucking hard. Cannibalism, bullet hits, brain surgery, autopsies, machetes to the head, immolation, a spectacular motor-blade to the head, throat slicing, and more make this S.O.B. hit a 10 on the splatter-meter. Yet, unlike most cannibal movies there is not a single once of mean spiritedness, and even better, no, real or otherwise, violence against animals.

This being an Italian flick, we also get lovely ladies and skin. And, said skin all comes from our lead lady, Alexandra Delli Coli, who has a truly spectacular body. She is fully naked and shows us some great full frontal, including her blonde bush!

There are also some choice bits of dialogue, many coming from the good Doctor Butcher, himself. Perhaps the best one is when he tells our hero how is "Determined to have" his "brain!" It's fucking classic! Both he and McCulloch play great against each other and are endlessly likable.

I first saw this flick on Shriek Show's old DVD release, which means I saw it in its original Italian cut. I fucking loved it! It would be a movie I would pop in every so often and even showed my friends, who had a blast watching it, too. But, now you can see both cuts on the aforementioned Severin Blu-ray release. The movie looks damn good, though, ya gotta understand that this movie will never look great due to its budget and inherit quality. The added beginning in Doctor Butcher looks particularly haggard, but there is something of an added charm in that, I think.

The sound is great regardless of which version you put in. Loud and pumping, the 2.0 mix really adds to giving it new life. Then there is the exhaustive special features, which I have only just begun to watch! They include a shitload of interviews with cast members and people from the exploitation film world (in particular those connected to old Times Square), trailers, and even documentaries of then vs. now NYC. It's all fascinating not just if you are a fan of this classick but of exploitation horror, in general .

The packaging is really cool, as you get a double sided cover, featuring poster art from both version of the movie. And, a limited amount of them come with a fucking barf bag! How fucking kick ass is that?!

The overall result is one of the best Blu-ray releases for horror fans this year. The movie has endured for this long because it is everything gore loving horror fans and B-movie fans want. Highly recommended, this Doctor is ready to come to your house in high definition!

Movie: 3.5 out of 4
Picture: 3 out of 5
Sound: 3.5
Extras: 5

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Chiller Theatre Oct 2016 (Updated!)

Yesterday, Oct. 29, 2016, was another amazing time at my favorite con: Chiller Theatre!! This time around I went with my friend, Baldwin. At the con, I met some celebs, got some swag, wore a little cosplay, and just had a freaking blast!

The very first celeb I went up was the beautiful Crystal Lowe. I been a long time fan of her, probably since I saw her in the way too fun Final Destination 3. But, it's the sometime underrated and totally awesome Black Christmas (aka Black Xmas) remake that I got signed by her. She told me that she thought more would be coming up to her wanting to get FD3 stuff signed, but it turned, I like many others, wanted Xmas signed. I told her that it has been a tradition of mine to watch it every Christmas season, since it came out. Lowe was incredibly sweet in person and loved talking to me and all her fans. She is also, as you can see for yourself, simply stunning.

The next person I went up was the gorgeous Lauren-Marie Taylor, aka Vickie of Friday the 13th Part 2. The gorgeous Kirsten Baker, also of the same sequel, was suppose to be sitting next to her but was at lunch. I would meet her later. Anyway, I told Taylor that she and Kirsten were big crushes of mine growing up, and they were. She said was faltered as she had never been anyone's crush (what? come on! She's beautiful!!), and that Kirsten was everyone's crush, male and female!

As I said, later I met Kirsten, who wore her Mickey Mouse tee like she does in the movie!! Both of them were so sweet to me, that I swear to God they made my day! Kirsten even said I was cute! I was the happiest 12 year old 40 year old guy, you could have ever met! The picture below ranks as one of my favorite Chiller pics, ever!

I have been into adult coloring books since last year when my little doggy Topi had gotten ill with cancer. I started with a Star Wars one, but after her passing my friend Baldwin gave me a couple more for my birthday. They help a lot with my anxiety. I saw one called The Beauty of Horror by Alan Robert in Barnes and Nobles the other day. So when I saw the artist, himself, was selling and signing his book at the con, I jumped at buying it since it was fucking cool!

I had not seen my friend Ruby LaRocca in what was a couple of years. It was great to see and catch with her and meet Rich Mallery. I loved their movie Sociopathia, and I got to interview them about it. That will be up in the near future, so stayed tuned!

 

From then it was on to the Chiller party! I partook in the costume contest in my Punisher cosplay. I knew I wasn't gonna win, but it was so much fun! Below are all the winners:

I love being in cosplay! Expect to see me at more cons like this!

There were lots of great costumes. Here are some of my favorites:

 

 Pretty Woman cosplay! BTW, she is way more beautiful than Julia Roberts. Just saying.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 With The Thing cosplayers who were AWESOME! Probably one of the coolest cosplays that I have ever seen!

With a gorgeous Wednesday Adams!

We didn't have a room this year, so we didn't see much of the concert, as we had to leave earlier than usual. But, we saw a little of it and enjoyed it, of course. In fact, we had a great time, and here's to returning to Chiller next year!!

 

Below is a picture of all the swag that I got at Chiller and below that, my autographs:

I hope you all have a happy and safe Halloween!

Photography by BAS Photography & Design and myself

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