THE WAX MASK -- Blu-ray Review by Porfle

Originally posted on 10/3/19

 

Talk about "Grand Guignol" to the max--the 1997 Gothic gorefest THE WAX MASK (Severin Films) mixes the antique ambience of early 1900s Italy with generous helpings of the extremely morbid and grotesque in this handsomely mounted shocker.

Conceived by Italian horror/giallo maestro Dario Argento (PHENOMENA, TENEBRE, SUSPIRIA) as a vehicle for the ailing Lucio Fulci (DOOR INTO SILENCE, ZOMBIE 3, THE DEVIL'S HONEY), it's a loose remake of the Vincent Price classic HOUSE OF WAX (along with MYSTERY OF THE WAX MUSEUM and numerous other wax museum horror flicks), although that's just a jumping off point for a tale of horror and gore that aims to outdo them all.

With the unfortunate passing of Fulci before filming began, directing chores were handed to first-timer Sergio Stivaletti (THE THREE FACES OF TERROR), previously known mainly for his work in the fields of SPFX and makeup.

Working from a screenplay by Argento, Fulci, and Daniele Stroppa, Stivaletti fashioned a gorgeous-looking film that leisurely unfolds its dark narrative with a keenly efficient style that's never quite as self-consciously arty as Argento's or off-the-hook unhinged as Fulci's yet has its own elegant, colorful appeal.

The story begins with the grisly aftermath of a double murder in a Paris hotel room that's witnessed by a little girl who grows up to be the beautiful Sonia Lafont (Romina Mondello), still troubled by her past even as she gets a job in a wax museum in Rome which specializes in gruesome historical horrors.

The museum is run by the mysterious, creepily eccentric Boris Volkoff (Robert Hossein, RIFFIFI) and features incredibly lifelike wax figures in scenes of death designed to horrify. 

But even more horrific is the reason the figures are so lifelike--namely, each one contains the corpse of a murdered human being who has been processed in the museum's nightmarish basement laboratory and given a severe case of unsightly "wax buildup."

These scenes are the result of director Stivaletti's years of SPFX expertise and are absolutely mind-boggling as we watch one still-living victim, a hapless prostitute from a nearby house of ill-repute, strapped to a table and injected with some volatile serum while Kenneth Strickfaden-style electrical machines spark and crackle. 

But this densely-packed screenplay has a lot more to offer in the way of gory killings, dismemberments, and other carnage before the suspenseful finale in which Sonia's journalist boyfriend Andrea (Riccardo Serventi Longhi), her blind aunt Francesca (Gabriella Giorgelli), and a sympathetic police detective from her childhood (Gianni Franco) fight against time to prevent the hideously disfigured villain and his twisted henchmen from turning Sonia into one of the museum's unholy exhibits.

The Blu-ray from Severin Films features a 4k scan from the original negative supervised by Stivaletti himself. Severin outdoes themselves with this bonus menu loaded with interviews with production principles including Argento, Stivaletti, actress Gabriella Giorgelli, and others, along with vintage behind-the-scenes featurettes.

These bonus features include:

    Audio Commentary with Director/Special Effects Artist Sergio Stivaletti and Michelangelo Stivaletti
    Beyond Fulci: Interviews with Producer Dario Argento, Director Sergio Stivaletti, Producer Giuseppe Columbo, Production Designer Massimo Geleng, Actress Gabriella Giorgelli and Filmmaker Claudio Fragasso
    The Chamber of Horrors: Interviews with Producer Dario Argento, Director Sergio Stivaletti, Producer Giuseppe Columbo, Production Designer Massimo Geleng and Actress Gabriella Giorgelli
    Living Dolls:  Interviews with Producer Dario Argento, Director Sergio Stivaletti, Producer Giuseppe Columbo and Actress Gabriella Giorgelli
    The Mysteries of the Wax Museum:  Interview with SFX Artist Sergio Stivaletti
    The Waxworks Symphony:  Interview with Soundtrack Composer Maurizio Abeni
    The Grand Opening:  Interviews with Producer Dario Argento, Director Sergio Stivaletti and Producer Giuseppe Columbo
    Wax Unmasked: Interview with Film Writer Alan Jones
    Vintage Featurettes: Behind the Scenes, Special Effects, On Set with Dario Argento
    5.1 and 2.0 English and Italian Audio
    English with Closed Captioning, Italian with English Subtitles

Easily one of the best wax museum movies ever made, THE WAX MASK fully exploits the horrific potential of the original HOUSE OF WAX and its ilk like no previous version I've ever seen. Although lacking certain qualities of Argento or Fulci, it more than compensates with a richly-hued, stylized visual sense, lush production values, riveting scenes of carnage, and a fiery, face-melting finale.


Buy it from Severin Films

THE WAX MASK -- Blu-ray Review by Porfle

"SUSPIRIA" (1977) Never-Before-Seen Alternate Ending (video)

 

Dario Argento's original horror classic...

...left viewers aghast in 1977.

But nobody would've been ready for this alternate ending.



I neither own nor claim any rights to this material.  Just having some fun with it. Thanks for watching!

"SUSPIRIA" (1977) Never-Before-Seen Alternate Ending (video)

Romero and Argento Classic "TWO EVIL EYES" Two Disc 4K UHD Blu-ray Set Coming August 24 -- Watch Trailer HERE!

 

"TWO EVIL EYES"

George Romero and Dario Argento's classic tale of horror and suspense gets the royal restoration treatment courtesy of Blue Underground

Two Disc 4K UHD + Blu-ray Set Coming August 24th

"Absolutely not for the squeamish… Romero and Argento fans are not likely to be disappointed by these tales of the supernatural!” – Los Angeles Times

A Double Dose of Terror from the Directors of DAWN OF THE DEAD and SUSPIRIA

 

PRE-ORDER NOW

The Masters of Modern Horror -George Romero and Dario Argento - bring you an unprecedented pair of shockers inspired by the tales of Edgar Allan Poe.

In Romero's The Facts In The Case Of Mr. Valdemar, a conniving wife (Adrienne Barbeau of THE FOG) and her lover use a hypnotic trance to embezzle a fortune from her dying husband, only to receive some chilling surprises from beyond the grave. 

 

Then in Argento's The Black Cat, a deranged crime scene photographer (Harvey Keitelof FROM DUSK TILL DAWN) is driven to brutal acts of madness and murder by his girlfriend's new pet. But will this cunning feline deliver a final sickening twist of its own?

Martin Balsam (PSYCHO), E.G. Marshall (CREEPSHOW), John Amos (THE BEASTMASTER) and Tom Atkins (NIGHT OF THE CREEPS) co-star in this wild horror hit that also features grisly makeup effects by Tom Savini (MANIAC). Blue Underground's acclaimed restoration of TWO EVIL EYES, scanned in 4K 16-bit from the original camera negative, is now presented with Dolby Vision HDR and a new Dolby Atmos audio mix, packed with hours of Extras!

 

NOTE: Publicity stills are NOT screenshots from the 4K master

Bonus Features:

    Ultra HD Blu-ray (2160p) Widescreen 1.85:1 feature presentation and Bonus Extras Blu-ray
    Audio: Dolby Atmos (English); 2.0 DTS-HD (English); 1.0 DTS-HD (French)
    Subtitles: English SDH, Francais, Espanol
    Audio Commentary with Troy Howarth, Author of 'Murder By Design: The Unsane Cinema of Dario Argento'
    Theatrical Trailer
    Poster & Still Gallery
    Two Masters' Eyes - Interviews with Directors Dario Argento & George Romero, Special Make-Up Effects Supervisor Tom Savini, Executive Producer Claudio Argento, and Asia Argento
    Savini's EFX - A Behind-the-Scenes look at the film's Special Make-Up Effects
    At Home With Tom Savini - A personal tour of Tom Savini's home
    Adrienne Barbeau on George Romero
    Before I Wake - Interview with Star Ramy Zada
    Behind The Wall - Interview with Star Madeleine Potter
    One Maestro And Two Masters - Interview with Composer Pino Donaggio
    Rewriting Poe - Interview with Co-Writer Franco Ferrini
    The Cat Who Wouldn't Die - Interview with Assistant Director Luigi Cozzi
    Two Evil Brothers - Interview with Special Make-Up Assistant Everett Burrell
    Working With George - Interview with Costume Designer Barbara Anderson

WATCH THE TRAILER:

Romero and Argento Classic "TWO EVIL EYES" Two Disc 4K UHD Blu-ray Set Coming August 24 -- Watch Trailer HERE!

THE BLACK CAT (1989) -- Blu-ray Review by Porfle

 

Italian horror director Luigi Cozzi wanted to create a tribute to Dario Argento, and in particular Argento's then-unfinished "Three Mothers" trilogy which thus far consisted of SUSPIRIA and INFERNO, when he made the mind-blowing gorefest THE BLACK CAT (Severin Films, 1989).  

The fact that the film has nothing to do with either Edgar Allan Poe or black cats (save for the occasional close-up of one) is a good indication of the degree to which Cozzi threw away any semblance of logic or coherence when he re-wrote Argento collaborator Daria Nicolodi's original script to turn it into one of the most feverish, baffling horror films of the 1980s.

The story focuses on actress Anne Ravenna (Florence Guérin) and her director husband Marc (Urbano Barberini), who, along with his co-writer Dan, has envisioned a grand supernatural horror epic based on a medieval witch named Levana (Argento's "Third Mother"), to be played by Anne. 

 

 

 

Once they sell the idea to the disturbingly eccentric, egomaniacal producer Leonard Levin (Hollywood veteran Brett Halsey, THE DEVIL'S HONEY), who intimidates everyone around him despite being confined to a wheelchair, both writers and lead actress delve into the history of Levana to a degree that turns nightmarish when the ghost of the vengeful hag herself shows up to express her extreme displeasure with the idea.

With that basic premise established, Cozzi uses the idea of nightmares within nightmares to keep us guessing whether or not what we're seeing is real.

We see Anne being terrified by nocturnal assaults from the hideous, pus-oozing Levana, and there are numerous alarming instances concerning Anne's baby, his nanny Sara (Luisa Maneri), and various mysterious characters who appear and disappear inside the house (including a seemingly benign spirit named Sybil) but who may or may not be figments of Anne's imagination.

 

This dreamlike uncertainty gives Cozzi free reign to make the story as wild and unpredictable as he pleases (Cozzi himself has said that this project was his chance to do just the kind of movie he wanted) without worrying about it making any sense or following any restrictive rules of storytelling.

Indeed, we eventually reach a point where trying in vain to follow the plot is forgetten in favor of simply allowing the film's horror, gore, audacious plot twists, and incomprehensible imagery to wash over us in a cheesy, day-glo rush.

All of this is directed in sort of a poor-man's Argento style--the lighting in particular is immediately reminiscent of such films as SUSPIRIA--with elements of the maestro's films included here and there along with a blaring, cringey bad-80s rock score.

 

Horror goddess Caroline Munro (Cozzi's STARCRASH, MANIAC, CAPTAIN KRONOS: VAMPIRE HUNTER) is on hand to give her fans an eyefull as Dan's seductive wife Nora, who may or may not be having an affair with Marc and who may or may not be in league with Levana, who may or may not exist.

The Blu-ray from Severin Films has been transfered in 2K from pristine vault elements for the first time ever. Audio is English mono. Bonus features consist of an interview with Luigi Cozzi and Caroline Munro ("Cat On The Brain") and the film's trailer. The film was originally released in Italy as "Demons 6."

As giddily unhinged as Cozzi's PAGANINI HORROR but with even more freaky, nightmarish imagery (such as evil embryos floating in space via willfully bad SPFX and Levana at her most hideous puking her guts out all over a screaming Anne), THE BLACK CAT flaunts its vintage-cheese production values and revels in being just about the nuttiest Argento tribute (with some Fulci thrown into the mix) that you could ever expect to subject your senses to.


Buy it at Severin Films

THE BLACK CAT (1989) -- Blu-ray Review by Porfle