There are quite a few bat shit crazy horror films that exist in this world. I’m not talking about just the bizarre films, I’m talking about the shit that makes you wonder what the hell you just watched and what the hell was going on during filming. Night Train To Terror is one of those films that make you say “WTF” in the beginning, middle, and end. After it is all over you still don’t know if what you saw was real.
Ruggero Deodato is one of the most underrated directors and it dumbfounds me. Most people know of Cannibal Holocaust and they may know Deodato directed it, but he has done so much more and made some amazing films aside from that gorefest.
Along with gems like House on the Edge of the Park, Cut and Run, The Washing Machine, Body Count, and The Barbarians, Deodato made a victorious effort with the unforgettable “buddy apocalyptic” film The Raiders Of Atlantis. Yeah, I said buddy apocalyptic film.
Bat shit crazy. Those are the three words that sum up The Visitor most easily.
Drafthouse Films has brought us some fantastic films over the course of the last couple of years: Bullhead, Klown, The Act Of Killing, I Declare War, and many others. They also are dipping into older films that are “lost” or just need a better release such as Miami Connection, Wake In Fright, Ms. 45, and most recently, The Visitor.
When you really get into VHS collecting it does two things to you: First, you get to see some crazy, weird titles that are not spoken about too often (if ever). It feels good to discover and watch these movies and tell your other film friends about the gems you have seen. Second, it’s very depressing. It’s depressing because some movies have been lost and will never be seen or heard of again. You probably think that you can find the film somewhere, either online through a torrent or a DVR in another country. You’re wrong. There are some titles that are gone and people just can’t find them.
In Rocktober Blood, Billy “Eye” Harper is the front man for a heavy metal band and one night he goes insane killing people in the recording studio. On that same night, Billy Eye dies after a blood-soaked battle with one of the band members. After that the band continues on with the female singer fronting the band. One year after Billy’s death, he is back and is intent on killing his former band members.
Punk Vacation is on Blu-Ray. Say it with me, Punk Vacation is on Blu-Ray.
Dark Entries has quickly become one of my favorite labels, via both their new releases as well as their reissues of more obscure New Wave and dance music from the ’70s and ’80s. Their most recent reissues are from Big Ben Tribe, Lè Travo, and Victrola.
Ted V. Mikels is one of the best things to ever happen to film. Well, that might be an exaggeration, but Mikels did have a couple of cool films back in the day that have recently been released in a collection from Vinegar Syndrome: The Doll Squad and Mission: Killfast. Vinegar Syndrome put these two films in a beautiful Blu-Ray combo and it is definitely the highlight of my year so far. Until they released this Blu-Ray, I had seen Mikels’s film The Corpse Grinders, but nothing else, and now I want to seek out everything that he has ever done.
Back in the ’80s there was an actress named Juliette Cummins who has remained one of my favorites until this day. Bringing up her name probably won’t ring a bell, but she was in such flicks as Friday The 13th Part 5: A New Beginning, Psycho 3, Slumber Party Massacre 2, Running Hot, and Deadly Dreams. (Psst. . . this post is about Deadly Dreams.) Ever since I can remember, Juliette Cummins has been a favorite of mine and I love every film she is in. Yeah, the films are pretty badass to begin with, but she makes the films better.
Sex comedies are my forte. I’m in love with them, even the bad ones. It doesn’t matter to me if they’re bad because I find something enjoyable out of each of them. There are a lot of sex comedies but there are some real gems hidden about all the boobs and sand. One of those flicks is Valet Girls.
With these films you can’t go on expecting a plot. Usually there’s a very simple story with lots of boobs and running from the villain or trying to overcome some obstacle and having to raise money for it. Valet Girls is about a singer who wants to make it big so she becomes a valet girl? What?
Like I’ve said countless times already, there are thousands upon thousands of movies that have never been released on DVD or Blu-Ray. That’s kind of the whole point of this VHS Visions feature: to make people aware of some amazing films that have never seen the light of day and hopefully shed some light on them, so that distributors are aware that there is a market for these movies.