// Category Archive for: Blu-Ray

Blu-Ray Review: Deranged

By Brad Henderson

Most people know names like Dahmer, Manson, Gacy, and Bundy, but one name always seems to slip under the radar when serial killers are mentioned: Ed Gein. Some might think that name sounds familiar; most people know of the films The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Psycho, and Silence of the Lambs. All were inspired by the slayings of Ed Gein and his weird, emotionally f-freaking-uped mind.

Arrow Films recently released a film called Deranged. It is also based on Gein’s life and comes pretty close to the actual storyline. Even for 1974, Deranged pushes all sorts of limits; it has a dark and unexpectedly twisted side. About midway through the film it takes a turn into the unknown, into the psyche of Ed Gein. We get to see his disturbed mind from the inside out.

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Blu-Ray Review: The Incredible Melting Man

By Brad Henderson

The Incredible Melting Man is one of the most recent releases from Scream Factory and this viewing was actually a first for me. If I had watched it as a child, I’m guessing I would have had a different feeling about this . . . movie? The story is basic: An astronaut is exposed with radiation, and then he begins to melt and kill. He shows some emotion but then it ends. Boom.

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Blu-Ray Review: Swamp Thing

By Brad Henderson

Horror buffs, film fans, and even non-die hard moviegoers know about Swamp Thing. What started as a comic book, oozed into a movie, a sequel, and both animated and live-action television series.

The story of Swamp Thing is actually pretty cool; an incredibly intelligent man (Alec, played by Ray Wise) is working on a top-secret project involving a hybrid plant that can survive and even thrive in extreme situations and environments. A group of soldiers led by a crazy doctor obsessed with immortality tries to steal the formula that Alec is working on. Guess what happens? Yep, Alec manages to get covered in the formula, and Swamp Thing is born.

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Blu-Ray Review: Antiviral

By Brad Henderson

How far would people go to be closer to their favorite celebrity? We already know society is obsessed with celebrities, with mimicking their features and hair. Come on, you have seen this: Aniston’s hair, Jolie’s lips, Lopez’s buttocks, and the list keeps going. This is the basis of the story that Brandon Cronenberg follows with Antiviral, but he takes it to the next level.

Brandon Cronenberg (yes, David Cronenberg’s son) delivers a haunting look into the obsession with celebrities and the public and how far people will go to be like their idols.

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Blu-Ray Review: Trance

By Less Lee Moore

Trance is a very odd film. Director Danny Boyle has crafted a good career out of odd films, mostly because he refuses—admirably—to hew to one specific genre. Trance is particularly Boylean then, veering from genre to genre at a discombobulating pace.

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Blu-Ray Review: The Burning (Collector’s Edition)

By Brad Henderson

There are a plethora of slashers from the ’80s, and a few stand out for numerous reasons. Some of these films have an iconic killer or a bizarre story line; some may have pretty sweet kills, or they may be so silly it’s funny. The Burning has none of these attributes, but it’s still awesome.

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Blu-Ray Review: The Howling (Collector’s Edition)

By Brad Henderson

I remember asking my mother when I was ten or so why there weren’t any good werewolf films. There were many vampire films and ghost stories, but werewolf films were a little scarce (still are in my opinion). My mother asked, “Have you seen Silver Bullet or The Howling?”

I later went to my All Movie Guide on my computer (before IMDb was being used regularly) and looked them both up. A few days later, my mother came home with a brown lunch bag and unceremoniously handed it to me. I held it for only a second, wondering what title it could be. My mother bought me VHS surprises all the time, in fact many still sit on my shelves, so I had an inkling of what was in the bag. Peeking inside, I saw The Howling on the Embassy label.

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Blu-Ray Review: Ninja III: The Domination

By Brad Henderson

There are many words for Ninja III: The Domination but so little time to express the awesomeness of this weird piece of cinematic gold. Yes, it is the third film in a trilogy produced by Golan-Globus. No, it has nothing to do with the previous two films, but don’t let that stop you from watching this eccentric, romantic ninja flick. I said it, romantic. I imagine Scream Factory has a very long list of films that they want to release under their label, and I’m very glad that Ninja III: The Domination was part of their grand scheme.

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Blu-Ray Review: The Fog: Collector’s Edition

By Brad Henderson

Many of you already know about a company called Shout! Factory. Some of you know that they now have a subgroup that specializes in horror, known as Scream Factory, which has been releasing films on their label since last year. Their horror catalog is growing, and hopefully will continue indefinitely. Their latest releases for the month of July are The Incredible Melting Man and The Fog, the latter a horror classic from the master of horror himself, John Carpenter.

The Fog is an original idea composed by Carpenter and Debra Hill, a simple story, yet pulled off with such finesse. Carpenter haunts you with his mesmerizing score and his beautiful, well-crafted shots.

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Blu-Ray Review: The Rambler

By Less Lee Moore

The Rambler is like a Jim Thompson science fiction novel adapted into a film. Its panoply of bizarre characters could be interpreted as either being influenced by David Lynch and Alejandro Jodorowsky or just pretentious. Yet, most of the seemingly random bits make a strange kind of sense in the world of an already nonsensical film. Everything is so specifically odd that it must mean something and not be an accident. There are only a few times when things appear to be weird for the sake of it. These scenes persist for so long they transform from disgusting to hilarious. Perhaps that’s the point.

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