Review Category: DVD/Blu Ray

PARADISE COVE

Undemanding fans of derivative by-the-numbers thrillers are likely to be the prime audience for this shlocky little tale that merrily marries all the clichés of films like Fatal Attraction and Basic Instinct with the more recent trend for ‘home invasion’ stories, albeit with the invader here taking residence underneath the house rather than aggressively violating it. Todd Grinnell (the Poundland Paul Rudd) and Mena Suvari (wearing the slightly haunted look of an actor wondering whatever happened to her once-promising career) are Knox and Tracey Bannett, a young couple trying for a baby (a tediously recurring plot point) who move to Malibu to ‘flip’ Knox’s mother’s beach house following her death. Unfortunately, there’s a wild-eyed, dishevelled mad woman living under the house; she bears a bitter grudge against Knox’s Mom and she’s not keen to move on from her cosy little nook overlooking the sea. She ignores Knox’s polite offer of help and his suggestion that she might want to move on and she eventually begins to wage a one-sided psychological war of attrition on the young couple in her attempts to claim what she sees as rightfully hers.

We’ve been here before, of course, in umpteen straight-to DVD/streaming movies and even though we can predict the story beats long before they actually arrive, Paradise Cove still manages to be mundanely engaging, thanks particularly to a standout performance by True Blood’s Kristin Bauer van Straten as the borderline bonkers Bree, squatting underneath the beach-house entertaining her druggie friends, reading cheap paperbacks and – eek – lighting the odd barbecue. Bree presents as actually quite a sympathetic character once we learn of her tragic past – a former model married to a film producer whose life fell apart when her husband and young son were killed in a car crash. But things, as ever, aren’t quite what they seem and as Bree ramps up her campaign against Knox and Tracey, it’s clear that she’s a deeply troubled and downright dangerous woman.

Paradise Cove is highly watchable trash often undermined by the implausibility of its script and the narrative gymnastics it takes to manoeuvre its characters to where they need to be. Plot holes and odd inconsistencies abound. At one point, Bree is arrested for wilfully demolishing the new bay window the pair instal in the beach house. She’s released on bail but the Police later dismiss Knox’s concerns about her, telling him he has no evidence and making it quite clear that they’re not interested… so why did they arrest her and lock her up in the first place? But to overthink Paradise Cove is to entirely miss the point. You’ll be here for the odd jump, the nice scenery, and the inevitable final confrontation between Bree and her unfortunate victims, which hurtles as deeply into over-the-top territory as you might expect. Paradise Cove is neither big nor clever but it’s harmless, dumb fun, and if nothing else it might just make you check out what’s going on in the bowels of your own home. Hang on… what’s that noise coming from the cellar..?

Release Date: Out Now (US/Canada)

THEY CAME FROM BEYOND SPACE (1967)

What better to gladden the heart in difficult times than settling down to watch a big hammy slice of long forgotten micro-budget British sci-fi? Who can resist a film in which the legendary Michael Gough turns up playing ‘The Master of the Moon’? Who can think badly of a film in which the heroes melt a shelf full of sports trophies to fashion silly helmets to help them ward off the baleful influence of hostile body-possessing aliens? Welcome to They Came From Beyond Space, a 1969 Amicus Production from the Milton Subotsky/Max Rosenberg partnership who had recently brought Doctor Who and his Daleks to the big screen (the film even reuses some leftover props and sets from the second Doctor Who movie) and directed with some reluctance by Freddie Francis who was already a bit peeved at the quality of some of B-movies he was finding himself lensing.

A shower of meteorites land in formation (a plot device reused in the first Jon Pertwee Doctor Who serial the following year) in a field in Cornwall and a top team of boffins are dispatched to investigate the site. They uncover strange, angular space crystals that quickly take them over and they seal the area off as they work on a mysterious unearthly project. Dr Curtis Temple (Robert Hutton), recovering from an accident that required a metal plate to be inserted into his head (pay attention, this becomes important later on in the film), travels to join the team but discovers that strange alien shenanigans are afoot when he sees a rocket launched from the crash site, heading for the moon. Before long a strange disease starts to spread around the area which is quickly quarantined and the contagious bodies are secretly disposed of (by sending them off to the moon). Temple discovers that a cabal of disembodied aliens led by the inestimable Mr Gough are operating from a base on the moon and are using the bodies of the diseased victims (who aren’t actually dead) to restore their physicality. Temple and his friend Farge (Zia Mohyeddin) and love interest Lee Mason (Jennifer Jayne), freed from alien control, travel to the moon for a final and somewhat less than dramatic confrontation with the Master of the Moon and his minions.

They Came From Beyond Space is shameless tosh but hugely enjoyable. Early sequences create a pleasing Quatermass-like atmosphere of creeping dread and paranoia as humans fall under alien control but this quickly fades away when the film crashes into a hokey concoction of utter silliness – the aforementioned alien-resistant helmets and Temple and co. travelling to the moon with nothing more than a tin hat on their heads. Any unlikely pretensions towards credible science fiction are jettisoned well before the limp ‘is-that-it?’ finale, which brings the film to a juddering and utterly undramatic conclusion. Quite rightly considered as – how can we put this politely? – one of UK cinema’s less accomplished genre movies, They Came From Beyond Space is still a harmless and fun ninety minutes that looks pleasingly sharp and colourful on this new Blu-ray transfer, accompanied by a fond and chatty commentary from film historian David Del Valle and filmmaker David Decoteau.

Release Date: March 8th

CURSE OF THE BLIND DEAD

There are certainly some nasty and gruesome moments in Italian director’s Raffaele Picchio’s Curse of the Blind Dead. These fleeting pieces are unfortunately book ended by a drab and boring experience, punctuated by poor acting.

Based on two short stories by 19th century Spanish writer Gustavo Adolfo Bécque – we begin in the middle ages with the Knights Templar, about to sacrifice a new born baby, a ritual that will supposedly save the world. The Knights are stopped by a rabble of townsfolk and burnt at the stake. We jump to a post-apocalyptic future, which really amounts to people wandering in the woods, complete with dirty clothing. Lily (Alice Zanini) is pregnant and is taken in by a cult, led by the impressively bearded Abel (Bill Hutchens) however he quickly imprisons her and her father (Aaron Stielstra) wanting to complete the human sacrifice that the Templars were attempting all those years ago.

When the demonic Templars turn up, they are excellent; looking suitably monstrous. They proceed to massacre the cult, complete with spine ripping and entrails eating. As with the most enduring demonic stories, the supernatural can be temporarily stopped but not defeated, surely a spin-off for these undead knights is needed. As mentioned, the rest of the film is a chore – you must take Picchio’s word that it’s the future, as we spend most of it in an old barn. The dialogue and acting are awful, but the nail in the coffin, is having to sit through three traumatic births, in a film that registers under 90 minutes, that’s too much.

LOVECRAFT COUNTRY: SEASON ONE

Set against the backdrop of 1950s Jim Crow America, Atticus Freeman (Jonathan Majors) sets out on a road trip with his friend Letitia (Jurnee Smollett) and Uncle George (Courtney B. Vance) in search of his missing father, encountering terrors human and supernatural.

Lovecraft Country is bold and ambitious. Showrunner Misha Green – backed by Jordan Peele – has drawn on the racial inequality of the time, blending it with Lovecraftian horror, to produce something strikingly original and entertaining. The production is as lavish as it is imaginative, the abhorrent racial atrocities undiluted and the fantastical elements inventively realised.

But something is also amiss in Lovecraft Country.

The series plays out like a compendium of stories, all connected in some way to the central theme. This provides the writers and designers the opportunities their creative minds demand, and free from any restriction each episode pulses with energy and invention. But this creativity leaves the central tale somewhat redundant and lacking cohesion. While Majors and Smollett, and their characters, revel in the variety this brings – there being nods to everything from Indiana Jones to The Goonies – some of the supporting cast struggle to find their place in this world. While providing a focus for every character in turn is laudable it does at times lead to confusion in the narrative.

Any hope of insight from the Blu-ray extras is quickly dashed, there being only the routine interviews and featurettes. Perhaps more exploration into the Lovecraft connection would have been of interest?

There is no doubt Lovecraft Country is a thoroughly enjoyable, pulpy romp. The notion of setting what is essentially a racial drama against Lovecraftian themes – the writer infamous for his problematic views – is endlessly intriguing, and the visuals are at times awe-inspiring. There are flaws but the conviction and energy in Green’s vision shines through.

THE OWNERS

Three scrotes look to make out like bandits by robbing the safe in an old couple’s house. That’s the initial premise in this shocker that is the feature debut for Julius Berg. The story is loosely based on a French graphic novel Une nuit de pleine lune by Yves H. Hermann, and swings from being tense and traumatic to ludicrous in minutes.

The thugs – Nathan (Ian Kenny), dim-witted Terry (Andrew Ellis), and Gaz (Jake Curran), the latter being a borderline psychopath – are joined inadvertently by Nathan’s girlfriend Mary (Maisie Williams), who just wants the car to get to work. When they can’t get into the safe, Gaz spends time trashing as much as he can while Terry sits and watched Pipkins on the TV. When the titular owners return, things begin to get really nasty. The older couple are played Sylvester McCoy (as a very different type of doctor that we’re used to) and Rita Tushingham (A Taste of Honey), and their reluctance to give up the code for the safe leads them to being tied up under the threat of torture. Over the course of the night, the balance of power takes a severe shift.

Sometimes it’s difficult to enjoy a film including such unlikeable characters, in fact, with The Owners, we’re practically willing them to get their just deserts at the hands of the elders. What happens, though, is something quite different. Rather than painful revenge, there’s something much more sinister at play. McCoy and Tushingham are superb in their roles as the doddery doctor and his wife, who despite suffering from dementia has a vicious streak. Despite being pivotal to the plot, Maisie Williams seems a little underused and isn’t given the chance to display the talent so evident in Game of Thrones. After showing great promise as a cat-and-mouse home invasion caper, the result is a tad muddled and a damp squib, but by no means a disaster.

Release Date: Out Now (VOD) March 1st (DVD) check out our interview with Sylvester McCoy here.

DEMONS 1 & 2 (4K)

CERT: 18 | FORMAT: BLU-RAY, 4K UHD | RELEASE DATE: 22ND FEBRUARY

It’s probably safe to say that most Starburst readers will be familiar with this pair of Lamberto Bava masterpieces, but just in case… Demons (1985) takes us to a cursed movie theatre where the movie on screen bleeds into real life, with the invite-only audience finding themselves at the mercy of marauding demonic entities. Non-stop mayhem, chaos, carnage and hysteria, gory practical effects, quotable dialogue, striking colours and a rip-roaring rock n’ roll soundtrack make it one of the most perfect midnight movies ever made.

The sequel, 1986’s Demons 2, sets the action in a fancy apartment building where the demons invade a young woman’s birthday party. As their numbers increase, other residents find themselves in danger, including a bunch of lycra-clad ladies and musclebound hunks (in very short shorts) who provide massive amounts of entertainment. It’s just as eye-catching and generally groovy as the first film, but the craziness is amped up even further, with children and pets getting in on the action this time. And it’s not every day you get to see an upside down abseiling demon…

This latest reissue, of which there have been many over the years, features brand new 4K restorations of both films from the original negatives. It certainly looks great, although there’s a bit of a wobble at one point during Demons 2 which lasts long enough to make you question whether your eyes are playing up a bit. Whether the 4K upgrade provides enough of an improvement over previous Blu-rays is questionable though, and there are some issues with audio levels that will have you fiddling with your TV settings for ages but ultimately settling for hovering over the volume button for the duration of both films.

Alongside a ton of archival extras, there are a couple of new “visual essays” which, while undoubtedly interesting, might have been better received if they were included in this set’s booklet – they would’ve made for fascinating reading but come across a little dry when read aloud. A new audio commentary for both films – one by the Hell’s Bells podcast ladies and the other by critic Travis Crawford – are more lively, although maybe not quite as interesting as the previously-released (and also included here) commentaries with the actual cast and crew.

Demons and Demons 2 are a pair of cracking films, no doubt about that, and absolutely deserve a place in any horror fan’s collection. This set does a great job of rounding up as much content as possible and there are a few physical extras that collectors will enjoy, but overall there’s still a slight question mark over whether or not it’s an essential purchase for owners of previous releases.

HELLRAISER JUDGEMENT

Once you’ve reached the tenth entry in a franchise, you can really only expect eternal suffering while you watch, especially in a horror franchise. But it’s a relief to say that Hellraiser Judgement isn’t an hour and a half of pain; it’s actually a very solid entry.

There’s nothing particularly new or interesting about the plot (as a serial killer murders people by the ten commandments, both the police and Cenobites hunt for the perpetrator for different reasons – it’s Se7en meets Hellraiser), but it is slickly made, and we’re not just talking about the layer of grease that seems to stick to the film. It’s far better put together than any film by this point in the franchise has any right to be. It’s not at the level of the first three but it does keep you interested and entertained.

Hellraiser Judgement certainly isn’t a subtle film. It’s all exposed breasts and exposed cartilage, with scenes made purely to shock and unsettle, and while it never reaches scary, it does create some effective images and sequences that you’ll enjoy and remember as long as you don’t mind plunging your hands into the muck. It even has some Cenobite admin, which is something we haven’t seen before and is surprisingly enjoyable.

The extras for this release are a blooper reel and some deleted and extended scenes, so nothing to write home about but I don’t know how much interesting insight could really have been offered behind the scenes of this film. Hellraiser Judgement certainly isn’t a miraculous rise from the dead for a series long buried, and now Pinhead is just a horror figurehead it should really be left to die unless we have a miraculous reboot from intelligent filmmakers like Jordan Peele, but if you’re curious, it’s a fun enough watch.

Release Date: March 1st

PULSE (1988)

This oddity from the ‘80s might not have the profile of some films of its ilk, but highlights another horror tale told from the perspective of a youngster.

The kid in question in David (Joey Lawrence), who has been dragged from the comfort of his mum’s house in Colorado to spend the summer with his father (Cliff De Young) and his new wife (Roxanne Hart). Things start to go wrong when the sulky brat is left alone and the TV goes on the fritz. He then develops an obsession with the house opposite. The owner of which murdered his wife before being electrocuted when he was smashing everything up in a fit of madness. Or is there more to it as the electronic current seems to have a life of its own and wants David dead.

Pulse is a small story perhaps better suited to an episode of Tales from the Darkside or the like, but despite the rather dated nature, works quite well. As Joey Lawrence is our ‘in’ to the story, it’s good that he is a quietly impressive young actor (he would improve even more with Blossom). The terror that electricity invokes brings back memories of those ‘don’t forget to unplug the TV at night’ public information films that would appear when broadcasts didn’t go on through the night (kids today will never understand the fear of going to bed and worrying if the house would burn down because you left it plugged in). Unlike other electrically-charged films, Pulse doesn’t attempt to give a convoluted explanation for what’s happening, and merrily gets on with the job in hand, which is providing some impressive jolts.

The Eureka release might not be packed with special features but what is there is interesting enough for a film of this level. Pulse is fun and undemanding and surprisingly effective when it comes to tension and (electric) shocks.

MINDWARP (1991)

Hats off to Eureka for resurrecting this forgotten VHS title, which has a forward-thinking premise and two members of horror royalty to recommend it.

The film is set in the year 2037, where people spend most of their time hooked into a virtual reality world called Infinisynth. Judy (Marta Martin) has had enough and wants something real, so is banished to the post-apocalyptic wasteland above ground. She’s saved from a pair of mutant cannibals (called Crawlers) by Stover (Bruce Campbell), but before long the pair are captured by the underground dwellers led by Seer (Angus Scrimm). Stover is put to work while Judy is set to become a vessel of reproduction.

The first film produced by Fangoria magazine, Mindwarp doesn’t contain as much gore as you’d expect. The story is a mix of The Omega Man, Mad Max 2, and A Boy and His Dog, and does suffer from trying to be too clever. The VR angle is way ahead of its time, but it leads to an ending that is a bit of a copout. Fans of Groovy Bruce may be disappointed in his portrayal here, as there is little of the swagger and humour we’re used to, but he still makes an impression even though he’s underused. It’s directed adequately by Steve Barnett, but the script by John Brancato and Michael Ferris (under their pseudonym Henry Dominick) ties itself up a little too much.

Eureka’s release looks good, although the main bonus features – Campbell and Scrimm filmed at a Fangoria convention in 1990 – are of typical hand-held VHS quality. The booklet adds context to the film and it’s nice to see the reprinted Campbell profile from the US Gorezone mag.

Although Mindwarp isn’t the unearthed gem it could be, it’s a fun, if flawed, watch.

Release Date: February 22nd

DEATH TRIP

Four friends, an isolated cottage, and a host of sinister locals. When a dismembered body is found in the woods, Kelly (Kelly Kay) and her friends face a desperate fight for survival in the bitter Canadian wilderness. Or do they? With Kelly suffering terrible nightmares and hallucinations, can she separate fantasy and reality for long enough to lead her friends to safety? It’s your typical cabin-in-the-woods horror film, but this time: Canada.

If a little novelty goes a long way, director James Watts’s micro budget Indie makes the most of its chilly winter environment. For a film of this budget and scale, Death Trip looks great, like a really cheap Fargo. It sounds solid too, with a suitably jangly and discomforting soundtrack setting an effective mood. Even the cast are a cut above the usual super low-budget lot, making this death trip a more tolerable experience than most.

Still, its limitations are there, and most noticeable in the languid pacing, overly talky script and lengthy runtime. Watts disguises the fact that not much happens for the first hour with nightmare sequences, a house party and the odd creepy non-sequitur, but it’s not enough. Most of it is just the friends – and their extra friends – either talking in circles or running around in circles. At 100 minutes, it’s kind of a slog. In this respect, Death Trip perfectly encapsulates the experience of being stuck at a tiresome house party, just wanting to leave.