Review Category: DVD/Blu Ray

Arriving more like an assault on the senses than a traditional film release, Realm Of The Damned is a gore- filled, thrashing metal, comic book concoction that delivers everything you would expect, and leaves subtlety to lesser music forms. Brutal, bold and never less than brazen, this is an animated comic that plays like an extended music video, and understands exactly who its audience is.

Breaking free from the guitar cacophony exists a simple, yet well written narrative. Supernatural beings have taken over the earth and only one man – who also happens to be a bit of a baddie when he feels like it – can save humanity. To do so, the aptly named Van Helsing must team up with his natural enemy to rid the world of a demon who threatens us all, and so on.

Based on an original comic, animators Craig Hinde and Reece Saunders have taken artist Pye Parr’s stylish work and given it a twist. Imagine a graphic novel, where the individual panels have one or two moving parts and you’ll have a rough idea how Realm Of The Damned works. Dialogue is lifted directly from the page and given an extravagant, scene-chewing exuberance that reflects the over-the-top visuals and droning, heightened musical score. Familiar names from the dark corners of the metal world adorn the cast list like leather-clad trophies, with Morbid Angel’s David Vincent bringing thunderous tones to Van Helsing and Jill Janus voicing Vampire Commander Athena, and everyone does seem to be having enormous fun. The stand out is Dani Filth, from Cradle Of Filth, who voices the big, bad demon Balaur and Van Helsing’s one-time ally The Werewolf King. Filth brings a gravitas to the roles, a larger-than-life delivery demanded by the nature of the characters.

As a film, Realm Of The Damned doesn’t quite hold together, as scenes that work in the source material don’t always lend themselves to this new format. Emphasis falls on the voice work to carry the emotion and heft of a scene and this is often either too extreme as to be almost comical, or lacking altogether.

As an extended heavy metal music video, however, or an experiment in what can be done with adapting a graphic novel, Realm Of The Damned must be admired. It isn’t for everyone – the musical style itself will see it that – but it is an interesting concept, and shows what can be done differently in the genre.

REALM OF THE DAMNED / CERT: 18 / DIRECTOR: TOM PATON / SCREENPLAY: ALEC WORLEY / ILLUSTRATOR: SIMON PARR / STARRING: DAVID VINCENT, JILL JANUS, DANI FILTH / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

Peter Brook’s adaptation of the classic William Golding novel, comes to blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

 

When a plane full of young students from a boy’s school crash lands on a deserted island, they struggle to survive and attempt to maintain order amongst themselves while free of adult rules and control.

 

Golding’s tale of the cruel and feral nature of humanity is a staple for English classes up and down the country. The 1963 adaptation by theatre director Peter Brook, attempts to bring the book to the screen, but only partially succeeds.

 

Opening with static pictures that deftly reveal how the children end up on the island, it’s not long before fractures start to show and lines are drawn. Chubby, glasses wearing asthmatic Piggy (Hugh Edwards) meets the bold Ralph (James Aubrey) on the beach. These two are the sound mind of the group, attempting to create some order from the chaos of the situation. However, children will be children and a personal betrayal foreshadows the cruelty that will come. Things only get worse as Jack (Tom Chapin) and his choir boys appear. Jack asserts his authority and declares that he leads the choir as hunters. The fight for dominance begins as Jack moves towards violence after getting fresh blood on his hands, while Ralph and Piggy try to keep a semblance or rule and order.

 

The film is in such a hurry to move itself along. It barrels at such a quick pace, that though it never drags during its ninety minute running time, it does mean that its characters are thinly sketched. The main characters never manage to break away from being thematic archetypes, Ralph the good guy trying to keep a structure, Jack the chaotic dictator who feels they should only hunt and wants to be a leader himself. As the film tries to hit the dramatic points of the novel, it struggles to give them any resonance. Simon’s descent in to madness, a powerful and disturbing strand in the novel, is barely felt as he feels like a fringe character only just graced with a name. This means that when certain characters meet their fates, they aren’t keenly felt. In its attempts to stay child friendly, it also glosses over some of the more disturbing aspects of the book and its characters, and the madness that envelopes the group. It lends itself better to a more visceral and bold adaptation.

 

The ideas and plotting of Golding’s novel shines through, but this adaptation fails to find its power as it feels the need to rush through to the end.

 

LORD OF THE FLIES (1963) / CERT: PG / DIRECTOR & SCREENPLAY: PETER BROOK / STARRING: JAMES AUBREY, HUGH EDWARDS, TOM CHAPIN, ROGER ELWIN / RELEASE DATE: 28TH AUGUST

After the sequel to Return of the Living Dead made an unsuccessful grab at the teen market, Brian Yuzna was given the job of making a darker third film and did just that. The comedy of the first two parts is ditched and what we get is a shot at a romantic zombie-horror. In this instalment Trioxin is being used by a sinister secretive project (aren’t they always?) in the US army to try and create the ultimate soldier for the battlefield; one who does not need to eat or sleep and moves relentlessly forward. It’s a classic Big Dumb Idea from the movies, and you don’t need us to tell you that things quickly go wrong during tests.

 

Also there is Curt, the son of one of the project’s leads, and he has used his father’s keycard to sneak into the facility with his girlfriend Julie to try and impress her. When Julie is killed in a bike accident Curt has the grand thought that she needs to be resurrected as a zombie. You know, because he can’t live without her. Curt is probably the most aggressively stupid character in the history of movies. A bold claim you might think, but really, he’s a total asshat who manages to get nearly everyone he comes into contact with killed in horrible ways.

 

Julie is none too pleased to wake up dead and craving brains with a hunger she can only temporarily hold off by pushing whatever sharp object she can find into her skin. This leads to a great reveal later in the film that underlines the story is not really the thing. This is all an excuse to go batshit with the practical effects. From Julie’s transformation to the various zombies throughout (of which there are plenty) the FX companies involved must have felt like their Christmases had all come at once. If you’re into practical effects you will too, and even though some of them are at best a bit shonky now the fact it was all done on a virtually no-budget is all the more impressive.

 

Any connection you have to the characters or their plight is limited, and it’s worth repeating that Curt is the most insufferably selfish, dumb-as-piss lead, the type that can ruin your enjoyment of a film. Fortunately, it’s made up for by Melinda Clarke as Julie who gives it a real go at trying to invest the proceedings with heart. It’s not a great film by any stretch, but come for Clarke’s performance and stay for the gore and you’ll probably have a good enough time. This new release comes with a nice print and plenty of solid extras too.

 

RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD 3 / CERT: 18 / DIRECTOR: BRIAN YUZNA / SCREENPLAY: JOHN PENNEY / STARRING: MELINDA CLARKE, J. TREVOR EDMOND, KENT MCCORD / RELEASE DATE: 28TH AUGUST

C.H.U.D 2: Bud the Chud (a title that just rolls off the tongue) is firmly a product of the ‘80s including questionable hairstyles, VHS aerobic workouts, a soundtrack that consists of slap bass and electric guitar solos that feels like it’s going to give way to a Huey Lewis and The News song at any moment, and its very own rock pop theme song.

The plot has one of the weirder set ups this writer has ever had to describe. Deemed too catastrophic and expensive to continue, the C.H.U.D (which stands for cannibalistic humanoid underground dwellers) experimental military programme is discontinued. A chemical trial that reanimated humans, it had the nasty side effect of making each infected host a cannibal, along with the ability to pass on the infection through their bites. Disappointed army Colonel Masters (The Man from U.N.C.L.E’s Robert Vaughn) keeps their last test (the eponymous Bud played by Gerrit Graham) subject frozen until he can have the programme reopened. Meanwhile, friends Steve (Brian Robbins, curly mullet, double denim – the loveable but troublesome funster) and Kevin (Bill Calvert, big glasses, major curtains hairstyle – the loveable intellectual) get detention during science class. While kept back to tidy up, they accidentally lose the corpse that the class were going to dissect next lesson. Instead of telling the teacher and getting in trouble they decide to steal another corpse. Heading to the disease centre to find a frozen replacement. Guess who. After accidentally waking him up, Bud goes on a flesh eating rampage, Chudding the townspeople (including a young(ish) Rich Hall). Steve and Kevin, along with their best friend Katie (Tricia Fisher, smarter than the other two, contractually obliged to appear in a bikini and be bait) have to save the town from the acronymed menace.

C.H.U.D is by now a largely forgotten entry in the b-movie horror genre from the 1980’s. The sequel moves away from the horror aspects and towards teen comedy, not entirely successfully. It’s only sporadically funny, raising a few chuckles here and there but nothing that you’ll remember after it’s finished. The tar slicked monsters of the first film are jettisoned for humans with bad skin and sharp teeth, with the performances turned straight towards slapstick.

It’s entertaining enough but it’s hard to see how much of an audience still exists for C.H.U.D 2: Bud the Chud. It might get some nostalgia mileage but we can’t imagine many people are fondly speaking about it with the warm glazed expression of someone recalling their youth. As for cult status, it’s not genuinely good or weird enough, nor a so-bad-it’s-fun b-movie for it to register any impact. In the end, we think C.H.U.D 2: Bud the Chud, will disappear back into forgotten history.

C.H.U.D 2: BUD THE CHUD / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR: DAVID K. IRVING / SCREENPLAY: M. KANE JEEVES / STARRING: BRIAN ROBBINS, BILL CALVERT, TRICIA FISHER, ROBERT VAUGHN, GERRIT GRAHAM / RELEASE DATE: 28TH AUGUST

When you’ve made a film frequently described as one of the most terrifying ever made, at one time banned outright here, a movie reviled as ‘grubby’ and exploitative but equally praised as a work of art and one of the greatest ever horror films, then the question of how to do a follow up becomes a real challenge. Do you try and repeat the formula of the original, risking diluting what makes it special? If you’re Tobe Hooper you go in a completely different direction. So, some 12-plus years after the first The Texas Chain Saw Massacre we get a brave second part that trades building terror and doom-laden atmosphere for black comedy, plentiful gore and power-tool subtle satire and commentary.

 

The tale of a borderline psychotic Dennis Hopper (of course) tracking down those who killed his nephew Franklin all those years before and encountering the Sawyer clan, now living below an amusement park, is something to behold. It’s amazing the difference three decades can make in a film’s reputation. Although it wasn’t exactly warmly received, time has been kind to this sequel and it’s a valid reassessment. It might not have met expectations at the time but it’s an entertaining expansion of the Leatherface story, an ambitious blackly comic fable of parody, horror and excess that deserves attention.

 

There’s a lot going on here, none of it pleasant, and plenty of meat to digest (if you will). Hooper and his team should be commended for trying something genuinely different. It’s not perfect and it won’t appeal to everyone, indeed some might find the almost constant pitch of hysteria (as opposed to the first film’s sustained menace) off-putting. Despite this, it’s interesting (take that as a compliment) and considering its place in the franchise and horror history itself has much to recommend.

 

This new Arrow release comes with a solid HD print that shows off the great funhouse set and art direction throughout and is stuffed with extras to compliment the film. Chief among them is 6-part feature length documentary ‘It Runs in the Family’ which covers pretty much everything about the making of the film. A further welcome addition of context comes from the great Stephen Thrower in his interview Still Feelin’ the Buzz. If that’s not enough for you there’s two commentaries, one with Hooper, the other with cast members and special effects superstar Tom Savini. Substantially, all of this extra information proves necessary, as the sequel is quite something to get to grips with, dense as it is with ideas and dark humour. For those who are fans already or those new to it, it’s a great package, and a worthy purchase.

 

THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE 2 / CERT: 18 / DIRECTOR: TOBE HOOPER / SCREENPLAY: L. M. KIT CARSON / STARRING: DENNIS HOPPER, CAROLINE WILLIAMS, BILL JOHNSON, BILL MOSELEY / RELEASE DATE: 21ST AUGUST

Long abused by home media releases, The Slayer thankfully arrives uncut and with a glorious new scan on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video. Hiding behind a generic slasher flick title, this relatively unsung classic concerns an ill-fated trip to a deserted island for troubled artist Kay, her husband David, Kay’s brother Eric and his wife Brooke. Kay has always had ‘bad dreams’ but recently they have become increasingly bleak and disturbing. David and Eric hope a break will snap Kay out of it but they could not be more wrong.

 

Once on the island, and with no one else around, a storm moves in and strands the group. They try and initially make the best of it but Kay’s dreams of death and violence start to seemingly come true. Someone, or indeed something, is on the island with them and Kay is convinced it is a presence from her dreams breaking through into the real world. There’s an ambiguity about what is happening and that helps The Slayer stand out from other contemporary films. There’s multiple ways to read the movie if you so choose.

 

What isn’t ambiguous is that it’s an absolutely beautifully shot film (DOP Karen Grossman is a star), tightly controlled by director J.S. Cardone and deliberately paced. It makes fantastic use of the Tybee Island locations and rather than a cheap slasher is actually an elegant, haunting horror. You could argue not much actually happens if you wanted to be critical but it certainly doesn’t harm the film.

 

As for this release, to compliment the restored print that shows off how visually arresting the film is, Arrow have packed in substantial extras that make this essential. We get two audio commentaries, one with Cardone (plus cast and crew) and one with The Hysteria Continues. If that’s not enough, there’s an isolated score and audio interview with composer Robert Folk. This is a welcome addition as Folk’s score is another reason The Slayer is so good, a wonderful soundtrack that becomes another character itself.

 

If you want more there’s an audience reaction track and Q&A from when the film was shown at the island’s theatre, restored to its glory and far from the dilapidated mess that features in the movie. There’s a 10-minute plus, interesting revisit to the locations on Tybee Island (like the score, the location is integral to the film’s success) and a near-hour long making-of documentary that features contributions from many of those who made the film, including Cardone. First pressings also come with a booklet featuring liner notes.

 

This is a welcome release that finally does The Slayer belated, deserved justice. Very highly recommended.

 

THE SLAYER / CERT: 18 / DIRECTOR: J. S. CARDONE / SCREENPLAY: J. S. CARDONE, WILLIAM R. EWING / STARRING: SARAH KENDALL, FREDERICK FLYNN, CAROL KOTTENBROOK / RELEASE DATE: 21ST AUGUST

Angela (Gina Gershon) and Brian (Nicholas Cage) are a couple who seem to have it all. A big house, a beautiful daughter and a loving relationship. However when a mysterious woman (Nicky Whelan) moves into town with her young daughter, things start to take an unexpected turn. After offering her a place to stay, what starts as a blossoming friendship soon turns into a web of lies, deceit and manipulation.

 

Directed by Jonathan Baker in his first feature film, Inconceivable is a predictably dull affair with nothing new to offer. Containing weak performances by Gina Gershon, who tries to unsuccessfully pout her way through the 106 minute running time and Faye Dunaway, who is given some of the most cringe inducing pieces of dialogue imaginable. There’s not a whole lot to keep viewers entertained in this subpar thriller, with characters who are about as flimsy as the paper they’re printed on, Inconceivable fails at the basic task of making us care about the events that are unfolding on screen..

 

Nicky Whelan however is able to make the most of a bad script, portraying the mysterious Katie with devilish delight. With murder and mischief going hand in hand, she looks to be enjoying herself in the stereotypically silly, femme fatale role. Nicholas Cage is also solid in what is surprisingly an understated performance. Popping in and out whilst occasionally spouting lines of dialogue, it’s strange to see Cage portray a character that would usually be reserved for an ageing actress. Admittedly one does have to applaud Inconceivable for its female driven cast, however it’s a shame that they’re let down on almost every level.

 

With a weak script by Chloe King, Inconceivable ends up being an inferior version of other movies from the past, with Single White Female and The Hand That Rocks the Cradle being two prime examples from within the genre. Jonathan Baker’s directing also leaves a lot to be desired with the majority of interactions between the cast looking painfully stilted and contrived.

 

Overall, Inconceivable is a mundane, televisual-looking, failure. Boasting two Academy Award winners, it’s sad to see them both in a film which is devoid of both competence and creativity. Although it’s promising to see a female driven cast, they’re severely let down by a generic script and poor direction. With twist and turns you’ll be able to see coming from a mile off, Inconceivable is nowhere near as clever as it believes itself to be. So do yourself a favour and avoid this at all costs.

INCONCEIVABLE / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR: JONATHAN BAKER / SCREENPLAY: CHLOE KING / STARRING: GINA GERSHON, NICHOLAS CAGE, NICKY WHELAN, FAYE DUNAWAY / RELEASE DATE: 28TH AUGUST

Letting go of someone you loved is often that of a personal journey, despite perhaps the helping hands of many who offer their support, yet with the passing of a parent, particularly that of a mother, a young child may even be more tormented. Dealing with grief is a concept that has been explored thoroughly throughout the age of cinema, as well as the exploration of the unknown, which both collide in the psychological thriller Voice From The Stone, based on Silvio Raffo’s novel of the same name. Set within the foggy landscapes and creepy homesteads that have become a staple in these types of movies, this is a dark, slow-burning mystery that offers intriguing atmosphere and solid performances, but only ends up becoming a disappointingly average affair.

 

The problem is that this film doesn’t grip with quite the hold it should’ve had, and only ends up missing out on all the opportunities to make most of its concepts and themes. Directed by Eric D. Howell and written by Andrew Shaw, this is a purposeful paced story that’s less about the spirits of a dead mother and more about the relationships that are formed or torn apart as a result of the loss. As our central protagonist, Verena (played by Game of Thrones’ Emilia Clarke), comes to be seduced by the voices seemingly coming from within the walls and she lets go of her scepticism, as well as her inhibitions since learning that she bears resemblance to the deceased mother of the child she’s been instructed to look after.

 

Even though the initial concept is compelling enough and the actors are clearly trying their best to make do with what’s given to them, there is very little momentum to drive the story forward, and that has to do with the overall execution being very pedestrian. The first two thirds are very slow since all we see is Verena stumbling about in confusion, her ear pressed to a wall or a rock as the young Jacob stares at her in silence, and the father drawing nearer to the point of wanting to craft a nude sculpture of her. By the time we get to the third act, a dark turn of events ensue and the story takes a huge shift into something altogether more different than what has gone on before, and it’s almost as if Howell and Shaw succumbed to generic psychological horror tropes, and as a result, it just makes the film very inconsistent in tone and narrative structure.

 

Poor Emilia Clarke seems to have this bad luck of appearing in movies that have ranged from mediocre to downright bad, like Dom Hemingway, Terminator: Genisys and Me Before You; now, you can add Voice From The Stone to the pile. This is a mixed bag of a film that benefits from having a strong, brooding, foreboding atmospheric look to it, as well as some neat ideas, but there are lapses in cohesion and we never once feel any attachment or connection with any of the central characters, and if we can’t find them engaging, then you can’t find the movie engaging. Hopefully Emilia Clarke will find the perfect movie in the future, but unfortunately, this isn’t it.

 

VOICE FROM THE STONE / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR: ERIC D. HOWELL / SCREENPLAY: ANDREW SHAW / STARRING: EMILIA CLARKE, MARTON CSOKAS, CATERINA MURINO / RELEASE DATE: 28TH AUGUST

Also known, somewhat more appropriately, as The Man with The Severed Head, this 1973 French/Spanish co-production directed by Juan Fortuny (Les Délinquants) stars Paul Naschy, Spain’s answer to Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing and Vincent Price all rolled into one (he was flexible). Naschy plays Jack Surnett, a gang leader out to rip off a jewellery store. Not being the smartest cookie in the jar, he botches the job and gets a police bullet in the head. His only hope for survival is that most impossible of medical procedures: a brain transplant.

 

Luckily for him, his crew know of a doctor who, in turn, connects them to a mad professor called Teets (you read that right). Teets has the skill to perform the operation but can’t use his hands anymore so suggests his wife does it with him shouting directions. And who better to donate a brain than Surnett’s demented arch rival known only as ‘The Sadist’?  The transplant goes ahead (pun intended) and Surnett gets a brain even more vile than his own. Can you guess what happens next? We suspect you can.

Crimson comes from a prolific era of Euro horror production many genre fans celebrate for its sensuous atmosphere, inventive plotting and elegant use of locations to disguise a general lack of budget. You’d guess none of that from this utterly pedestrian and predictable effort that shoots at softcore exploitation, Frankenstein-esque horror and tense gangland drama but misses on all counts. When he’s given the chance here, Paul Naschy has some fun as a bandaged-up transplant terrorist, conducting a leeringly violent rampage with admirable gusto. But considering the top-billing, he spends an uncomfortable amount of screen time horizontal on an operating table or in bed. It’s almost as though he’s worked out the film is so lousy he’s best off waiting out the running time and collecting the cheque.

 

There are a few bright spots amid the often interminable running around and in-fighting among gang members; the nightclub where we meet The Sadist has possibly the most bizarre cabaret act of the 1970s, the ensuring decapitation sequence is unintentionally very funny indeed, the transplant operation itself is rather well shot and the jazzy soundtrack livens things up. But it’s small change.

 

As we’re now used to expecting from even the most risible of 1970s Euro schlock remasters, the quality of the picture on this Black House release is excellent and the version here delivers enough gratuitous nudity and bloodletting to distract from the frequent periods where the plot grinds to near standstill. If you want to check out Naschy’s work, there are so many better places to start – Vengeance of the Zombies, Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll or Night of the Werewolf to name but three. He may not have been in the same league as Cushing, Lee or Price (far from it), but – given a decent script – he knew how to sell a monster.

 

CRIMSON / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR: JUAN FORTUNY / SCREENPLAY: JUAN FORTUNY, MARIUS LESEOUR, H.L. ROSTAINE / STARRING: PAUL NASCHY, ROBERTO MAURI, RICARDO PALMEROLA / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

When a credits sequence presents its cast ‘in order of appearance’ and yet the final character you’re introduced to is the seventh name you read, you get the impression the filmmakers involved are more interested in appearances than reality. Such is the problem throughout Project Eden Vol. 1, where almost every decision stems from the desire to make everything look or sound like it’s from a better movie – with no thought to the logic of either the characters or the narrative.

 

Evelyn (Fradenburgh) is the widowed mother of a boy who exists in a limbo between being awake and lacking consciousness, who after six years the authorities have decided it’s time to put to sleep. Upon going home to ponder this eventuality, Evelyn is disturbed by Ethan (Hansen), an ex-military man (like Evelyn’s late husband) whose own daughter suffered from the same condition, and who sort-of implies that Evelyn’s son is at the centre of a global conspiracy. With fake FBI officers hot on their tails, the pair head over the border in search of answers from an increasingly unlikely series of obvious guru types – none of whom seem willing to speak with any kind of beneficial clarity.

 

This isn’t even a case of the substance being hamstrung by the style, as the dialogue, direction and performances are all deeply clunky; it’s the kind of film where the supporting characters are defined by the eccentricity they’ve each been given, where hiding in plain sight is taken to an idiotic degree (‘They’ll never think to look for us in this, the only building within view’) and where the dialogue alternates abruptly between being toe-curlingly expositional and barely bothering to explain what’s going on. Fradenburgh’s Evelyn is given to taking on trust and subsequently acting upon a vast amount of very loosely given and never substantiated information, whereas the subsequent narrative reverses and character developments are so heavily signposted it’s astonishing she can’t see them coming.

 

Project Eden is very pretty – someone evidently got a new drone for Christmas – but the acting is all just a little too intense and self-conscious, and such humour as there is forced and incongruous. It’s incredibly woolly-minded, the eventual revelation about humanity’s situation being potentially interesting but ill thought through and clumsily presented. The hippies versus heavies scenario desperately wants to favour the freethinkers (prior to revealing them as anything but) while being too in awe of its guns and chases.

 

This is confused and heavy-going, and thanks to its ‘Part one of two’ nature rather unsatisfying. It is, however, entirely possible that it will find a welcoming audience among the kind of viewers who enjoy superficial profundity and lots of talking in really deep voices.

Special Features: The Concept / Journey to Eden, Building a Set / Waipu – A Day on Set / Sounds of Eden / Trailers

 

PROJECT EDEN VOL. 1 / CERT: M (AUSTRALIA) / DIRECTOR: ASHLEE JENSEN, TERRANCE M. YOUNG / SCREENPLAY: ASHLEE JENSEN, TERRANCE M. YOUNG / STARRING: EMILY FRADENBURGH, PETER CHRISTIAN HANSEN, MIKE DUPOD, CLIFF SIMON, ERICK AVARI / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW (AUSTRALIA); UK RELEASE TBA