Witness "THE HOWLING REBORN" from Anchor Bay Films -- coming to Blu-ray and DVD October 18th

A legendary horror franchise that redefined a genre returns to scare a new generation...

ANCHOR BAY FILMS “BAYS” AT THE MOON WITH "THE HOWLING REBORN" ON BLU-RAY™ AND DVD

A New Moon Rises October 18th

BEVERLY HILLS, CA – Get ready to run with the pack again, as Anchor Bay Entertainment unleashes The Howling Reborn October 18th on Blu-ray™ and DVD. An all-new, original chapter directed by Joe Nimziki, the much anticipated Anchor Bay Films release stars Lindsey Shaw (“Pretty Little Liars,” “10 Things I Hate About You”), Landon Liboiron (Fox’s upcoming series “Terra Nova,” “Degrassi: The Next Generation”) and Ivana Milicevic (Casino Royale, Vanilla Sky). Described within industry circles as “Twilight with bite,” The Howling Reborn deftly combines romance, action and thrills that will have audiences worldwide embracing their inner lycanthrope! SRP is $26.98 for the DVD, and $29.99 for the Blu-ray™. Pre-book is September 21st.

Anchor Bay SVP of Marketing Jennifer Roberts stated:  “We couldn’t be more thrilled with the picture, and are excited to get “The Howling: Reborn” out as quickly as possible for this Halloween. We truly believe this picture will re-launch the franchise and lead to even bigger and better new chapters ahead.”

The creatures for The Howling Reborn were brought to life by 2010 Academy-Award® nominee Adrian Morot (300, Night at the Museum 2), and the score produced by award-winning composer Klaus Badelt (Gladiator, Pirates of the Caribbean).

On the eve of his high school graduation, Will Kidman (Liboiron) finally looks up from his books to catch the eye of the girl he’s longed for the last four years –the mysterious Eliana Wynter (Shaw). He’s always been the shy kid, flying under the radar, but when he discovers a dark secret from his past— that he is heir to a powerful line of werewolves -- he finds he has a choice to make between succumbing to his primal nature, or turning against his own, and maintaining his humanity. In order to fight the destiny of his legacy, and save Eliana – as well as himself – he must battle not only his growing blood lust but an army of fearsome beasts bent on killing him, Eliana...and then, us all.

Bonus features on The Howling Reborn Blu-ray™ and DVD will include filmmakers’ commentary and a behind-the-scenes featurette.

The Howling began enthralling fans more than 30 years ago, with the 1977 publication of Gary Brandner’s best-selling novel and the 1981 film adaptation written by Academy Award® nominated screenwriter John Sayles (Lone Star, The Spiderwick Chronicles) and directed by Joe Dante (Gremlins, InnerSpace). The film’s success ushered in a new era of screen werewolves, as well as the six “Howling” sequels that followed.

Buy it at Amazon.com:
DVD
Blu-Ray

Witness "THE HOWLING REBORN" from Anchor Bay Films -- coming to Blu-ray and DVD October 18th

"Good Neighbors" Stalks Blu-ray & DVD September 27

YOU NEVER KNOW WHO MIGHT BE LIVING NEXT DOOR

A Terrifying Adventure That Will Chill Viewers To The Bone Arrives On DVD And Blu-ray Debut September 27 From Magnolia Home Entertainment

“What a deliciously dark surprise!” Fangoria.com
“If you have the chance to see this film, do so.” TwitchFilm.com

LOS ANGELES, CALIF. – Following its critically acclaimed debut at the 2010Toronto Film Festival, the haunting thriller Good Neighbors will terrify on Blu-ray Disc and DVD September 27 from Magnolia Home Entertainment. From writer/director Jacob Tierney (This Is My Father) this “gem that’s well-worth checking out” (Bloody Disgusting.com) stars Scott Speedman (Underworld: Evolution, Barney’s Version, “Felicity”), Emily Hampshire (The Trotsky) and Jay Baruchel (She’s Out Of My League, Knocked Up, Tropic Thunder).

Set in Quebec, Good Neighbors follows three neighbors as they bond over a recent string of murders taking place in their community. As the trio learns more about each other and the horror of what lies outside escalates, dark secrets unfold and they soon learn that nowhere is safe. Combing smart dialogue, strong performances and jarring thrills, this riveting mystery is loaded with unique bonus features including the making of Good Neighbors and HDNet: A Look at Good Neighbors. The Good Neighbors Blu-ray and DVD will be available for the suggested retail prices of $29.98 and $26.98 respectively.

Synopsis
When a recent string of murders terrorize their community, neighbors Spencer (Scott Speedman) and Louise (Emily Hampshire) quickly bond over their shared fascination with the tragic events. When a new tenant named Victor (Jay Baruchel) arrives in the building, all three quickly hit it off, but they soon discover that each of them has their own dark secret. As the violence outside mounts, the city retreats indoors for safety. The more time these three spend together in their apartment building, the clearer it becomes that what they once thought of as a safe haven is as dangerous as any outside horror they could imagine.

Buy it at Amazon.com:
DVD
Blu-Ray

"Good Neighbors" Stalks Blu-ray & DVD September 27

"Secrets In The Walls" Arriving On DVD September 20

Jeri Ryan Stars In The Paranormal Thriller Arriving On DVD September 20 From RHI Entertainment And Vivendi Entertainment

UNIVERSAL CITY, CA – When a family moves to their dream house life seems perfect until things start to go bump in the night in Secrets in the Walls, a chilling thriller arriving on DVD September 20 from RHI Entertainment and Vivendi Entertainment. Single Mom Rachel Easton relocates her two daughters from a crowded Detroit apartment to a beautiful old house in the suburbs to get the fresh start they need. Everything goes according to plan until they start to hear terrifying cries from beyond the walls. When the haunting intensifies and the fear escalates, Rachel must unravel a horrifying secret and solve the 50-year-old mystery that has been haunting the house in order to save their lives.

Previously premiering on Lifetime Movie Network, the paranormal thriller stars Jeri Ryan (“Body of Proof,” “Star Trek: Voyager”), Kay Pananbaker (“No Ordinary Family”, Fame), Peyton List (Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules), and Oscar and Golden Globe nominee Marianne Jean-Baptiste (“Without a Trace”, Takers). Just in time for Halloween, the modern-day haunted house mystery Secrets In The Walls will be available on DVD for the suggested retail price of $14.93.

Synopsis:
Rachel Easton (Jeri Ryan, TV’s “Body of Proof”) just purchased a dream home. It’s spacious, charming and offers a new beginning for her and her daughters, But as the days pass, a sinister evil begins to take possession of their lives and the home’s violent past slowly becomes clear. Tormented by terrifying screams, distant scratches and a haunting female figure, Rachel will do everything she can to remove the insidious darkness hell-bent on haunting her family forever.

Buy it at Amazon.com

"Secrets In The Walls" Arriving On DVD September 20

Celebrate "STRAW DOGS" 40th Anniversary Blu-ray on September 16

EVERY MAN HAS A BREAKING POINT

Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of a Sam Peckinpah Classic, The Blu-ray Disc Arrives For The First Time Ever September 6

Theatrical Remake Premieres Everywhere September 16

Los Angeles, CA (August 11, 2011) – How far will one man go to protect his wife and his home? One of the grittiest and controversial thrillers of all-time and banned in the United Kingdom for over 18 years, STRAW DOGS debuts on Blu-ray Disc September 6 from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. Released in celebration of the film’s 40th Anniversary and in anticipation of the upcoming theatrical remake, this violent and suspenseful tale from legendary director Sam Peckinpah (The Wild Bunch, The Getaway) stars two-time Academy Award® winner Dustin Hoffman* (The Graduate, Little Fockers) and Susan George (Mandingo, The House Where Evil Dwells).

To escape the Vietnam-era chaos in the U.S., American mathematician David Sumner (Hoffman) moves with his British wife Amy (George) to an isolated English village. Their presence provokes antagonism among the village’s men. Escalating from routine bullying to vicious brutality, David finds his pacifist self being backed into a corner and responds in the violent and gruesome manner he abhors.

The STRAW DOGS Blu-ray has been carefully restored and is presented with all-new 5.1 audio.

*1980; Best Actor in a Leading Role; Kramer vs. Kramer
1989; Best Actor in a Leading Role; Rain Man

STRAW DOGS Blu-ray Special Features
--Original Theatrical Trailer
--Three Original Television Spots

Follow Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment on Twitter @FoxHomeEnt

STRAW DOGS Blu-ray (Catalogue # M125141)
Street Date: September 6, 2011
Screen Format: Widescreen
Audio: English: 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
Subtitles: English, French & Spanish
U.S. Rating: R
Total Run Time: 118 minutes
Closed Captioned: Yes

Buy it at Amazon.com

Celebrate "STRAW DOGS" 40th Anniversary Blu-ray on September 16

BEREAVEMENT -- DVD review by porfle

I haven't seen Stevan Mena's MALEVOLENCE yet, but it's just as well since BEREAVEMENT (2010) is a prequel to the 2004 slasher.  Now I can watch the rest of the story in chronological order, with the addition of a planned third film to complete the trilogy.  In the meantime, this middle entry stands on its own as a well-made and absorbing horror tale that's more than just a wallow in torture porn.

In the small Pennsylvania town of Minersville (hmm, I wonder if that's anywhere near Coaltown) a serial killer is abducting women and killing them in his abandoned slaughterhouse of horror.  Continuing the family business in such an unorthodox way is Graham Sutter, whose psyche was twisted like a pretzel as a kid when forced by a domineering father to slaughter animals.  Now, haunted by the old man's ghost, Sutter kills his victims seeking some kind of redemption that I never was too clear on, but it doesn't really matter. 

A few miles down the road, farmer Jonathan Miller (Michael Biehn) and his wife have adopted his late brother's teenage daughter Allison (Alexandra Daddario, THE ATTIC) who finds the rural life stifling after Chicago and rebels when Jonathan disapproves of her new boyfriend William (Nolan Gerard Funk).  While jogging one day, Allison spots a little boy in a window of the old slaughterhouse and investigates.  Her subsequent discovery of Sutter's crimes will involve her and her new family in a nightmare of terror and death.



The little boy, Martin, is well-played by young Spencer List, whose sister Peyton portrays the Millers' daughter Wendy.  Martin, kidnapped by Sutter five years earlier to be his surrogate son, has a disease which makes him unable to feel pain and thus has no empathy for Sutter's victims.  We're never quite sure what's going on in his head--is he good or evil?  With his silent, unaffected manner and cold eyes, he's one creepy kid.

Mena (whose previous film was the 2007 mockumentary BRUTAL MASSACRE: A COMEDY) takes full advantage of his locations and contrasts some beautiful photography of wide open skies and rolling farmland with the foul decay of the slaughterhouse (an actual building that's one of those ideal "found" locations for a film).  The murders are shocking but he doesn't linger too long on them--much of the film's first half is a leisurely-paced introduction to Allison and the Millers which gives us time to get to know and care about them. 

We also see Sutter going through a lot of inner turmoil while raising Martin to be a junior version of himself, continuing the deadly cycle started by his father.  Brett Rickaby (THE CRAZIES) throws himself into the role and emphasizes the character's pathetic, almost sympathetic qualities as much as his sadism.  As a screen serial killer, Sutter is interesting but not scary, certainly not in a traditional slasher-film kind of way. 

In fact, I was beginning to wonder when BEREAVEMENT would start trying to be scary, until I realized that's not what Mena is going for here.  The film is shocking, to be sure--Sutter's meathook murder of a captive waitress is strong stuff--and has its fair share of gore, but it's more of a dark and somber emotional experience than a screamfest. 

Around the halfway mark it becomes unsettlingly apparent what a disturbing turn this story is going to take when the characters we've come to depend on to eventually make everything okay prove unable to do so.  This keeps the viewer off-balance and on edge as Mena ruthlessly toys with our emotions and expectations.  The downbeat and wildly violent finale, in which Sutter goes on a rampage against the Miller family and Martin finally shows his true colors, is a disheartening cavalcade of carnage that we feel helpless to stop.
 


Biehn is his usual awesome self as you might guess, giving us a strong character to lean on when things get bad, and Alexandra Daddario brings a haunting quality to Allison in addition to a couple of other outstanding assets.  The always-interesting John Savage makes a welcome appearance as William's bitter wheelchair-bound dad, Ted, who hates Chicago.  Other supporting players are fine as well, including a diminutive Chase Pechacek as the younger Martin.  Valentina de Angelis makes the most of her screen time as Melissa, the Sutter victim whose demise is the most horrific.

The DVD from Anchor Bay is in 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen with Dolby 5.1 sound and subtitles in English and Spanish.  Extras include a making-of featurette, a "First Look" short, deleted scenes, director's commentary, theatrical trailer, TV spot, a stills gallery, and the film's screenplay (DVD ROM). 

BEREAVEMENT may not satisfy those looking for the fun, giddy scares of a traditional slasher flick.  But as a disturbing, above-average shocker that confounds expectations and puts our emotions through the wringer, it's well worth checking out.


Buy it at Amazon.com:
DVD
Blu-Ray

BEREAVEMENT -- DVD review by porfle

"GHOST HUNTERS: SEASON 6: PART I" coming September 13 to Blu-ray and DVD from Image Entertainment

“GHOST HUNTERS: SEASON 6: PART 1”

COMING TO BLU-RAY™ AND DVD FROM IMAGE ENTERTAINMENT

Syfy Channel Ratings Champ is back with Another Season of Fright and Chills August 11, 2011

“Ghost Hunters,” America’s favorite paranormal investigation series, brings ever more astonishing discoveries, eerie historical facts and tingling revelations to light with the release of “Ghost Hunters: Season 6: Part 1.”  On September 13, Image Entertainment once again joins forces with Grant Wilson, Jason Hawes and The Atlantic Paranormal Society as they investigate and reveal shocking stories of the netherworld.  The DVD set will be available for an SRP of $24.98. The series will also be available on Blu-ray™ for the first time, at an SRP of $29.98. The 3-disc set includes the series’ 100th live broadcast, deleted scenes and additional creepy content. Pre-book is August 16.

“Ghost Hunters,” currently in its seventh season on the Syfy Channel, continues to be the #1 paranormal franchise on cable television.  In Season 6, the TAPS gang takes on their biggest case yet: Alcatraz, the former military prison known worldwide for the countless claims of paranormal activity witnessed within its walls. Other spine-tingling investigations this season include some of the team’s most thrilling locales, including cases at the famous Philadelphia Zoo, the historic Otesaga Resort Hotel in Cooperstown and the home of abolitionist and author Harriet Beecher Stowe.  Prepare to be scared with some of the most unforgettable episodes of the series.

The spine-tingling adventures taken on “Ghost Hunters: Season 6: Part 1” will certainly keep any fan of the series awake all night:

Alcatraz Live
Fort Ticonderoga
Shamrock Spirits
Phantoms of Jersey
Touched by Evil
Haunted Reform School
Ghosts in the Attic
Inn of the Dead
Spirits of the Night
Norwich State
Haunted Hotel
America’s First Zoo

The more they uncover, the more questions arise.  Somewhere lays the truth between myth, reality and folklore.  The fun is in the frights as “Ghost Hunters: Season 6 Part 1” takes on a whole new world of adventure! 

“Ghost Hunters: Season 6: Part 1” Blu-ray™
Genre:             Mystery/Suspense, Special Interest, Television, Ghosts, Haunted Houses, Myths/Legends
Rating:             Not Rated
Languages:      English 
Format:           Enhanced for 16x9 TVs
Audio:             Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Subtitles:          N/A
Year:               2010
SRP :                $29.98
Street Date:     September 13, 2011
Pre-Book:       August 16, 2011
UPC:               014381722055
Cat#:               ID7220PGBD

“Ghost Hunters: Season 6: Part 1” DVD
Genre:            Mystery/Suspense, Special Interest, Television, Ghosts, Haunted Houses, Myths/Legends
Rating:            Not Rated
Languages:      English 
Format:           Enhanced for 16x9 TVs
Audio:             Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Subtitles:         N/A
Year:              2010
SRP :               $24.98
Street Date:     September 13, 2011
Pre-Book:       August 16, 2011
UPC:               014381718829
Cat#:               ID7188PGDVD

Buy it at Amazon.com:
DVD
Blu-Ray

"GHOST HUNTERS: SEASON 6: PART I" coming September 13 to Blu-ray and DVD from Image Entertainment

THE TENANT -- DVD review by porfle

It's fitting that THE TENANT (2010) takes place in a mental institution, because the movie itself suffers from a split personality.  The first half is a moody little creeper that has the potential of slowly but surely developing into something good, while the second half abruptly morphs into a stalker-killer flick whose story depends on the utter stupidity of its characters.
 
The film opens with venerable actor Bill Cobbs doing his bit to lend some star power to the credits by stopping by the asylum and dropping off a few heads he's procured from the local morgue.  Dr. Newman (Randy Molnar, who resembles a cross between a doughey Val Kilmer and a hungover Rip Torn) uses them in his DNA experiments while neglecting both his patients and his pregnant wife Olivia (Georgia Chris). 

When Olivia threatens to leave him unless he stops his experiments, devoted nurse Ms. Tinsley (Sylvia Boykin) injects her with spinal fluid taken from one of the patients, a homicidal cannibal named Arthur (the great Michael Berryman in fine form).  The result is a set of mismatched twins--one normal, the other a deformed monster. 



This half of THE TENANT is slow and low-key, with a darkly morbid (and at times slightly comic) mood and some good performances by the leads.  Writer-director Ric La Monte adds some nice touches here and there, such as Olivia's melancholy rendition of Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" on an untuned piano, and a queasily unsettling ultrasound image.  Things come to a head with the mildly horrific birthing scene, which promises to switch the story into high gear. 

What we're hoping for at this point is "Herbert West, Re-Animator" meets "It's Alive", but what we get instead is an SUV filled with deaf-school kids breaking down in front of the abandoned asylum twenty-some-odd years later.  Attractive instructor Liz (Aerica D'Amaro) urges surly ex-con driver Jeff (J. LaRose) to break into the place so the kids can have shelter for the night.  But as soon as everyone's inside, they're trapped by a sliding steel door and stalked by a hulking human monstrosity--namely, Dr. Newman's bouncing baby boy, now fully grown.

As you might have already guessed, (a) nobody is able to get a signal on their cell phone, and (b) these dopes can't wait to go wandering around on their own.  The result is your usual stalker flick with occasional moments of excitement amidst long stretches of tedium.  We don't even get the expected perks of the "dead teenager" flick, such as gratuitous sex and nudity--the deaf kids do little besides signing a few random comments to each other.  We learn nothing about them except that they don't like getting killed.

Character behavior is often painfully illogical--Liz and the other bickering adults keep leaving the helpless kids huddled by themselves, and when two of them are violently abducted by the monster (he yanks them right through a wall), the kind of frantic emergency action that rational adults would take in order to rescue them is nowhere to be seen.  "How would I realistically react if someone was attacked by a big, hairy maniac right in front of me?" is a question that the script never seems to deal with.



There are some good things about this half of the movie, chief among them being a stellar monster makeup and body suit worn by towering actor John Kyle (billed as "Adam"), which is reminiscent of, among other things, the creature from Tobe Hooper's FUNHOUSE.  Director La Monte pulls off a really effective intro to the beast when one of the instructors suddenly encounters him face-to-face in a dark basement and is killed via some good old-fashioned gore effects. 

Kyle continues to be a menacing presence throughout, and some of the action manages to generate moderate suspense here and there.  There's a twist later in the story that's not too hard to figure out--even I saw it coming without really thinking about it--and the film ends with another surprise that isn't all that stunning. 

The DVD from Indican Pictures is in 16x9 widescreen with Dolby sound.  No subtitles.  Extras include a behind-the-scenes featurette, deleted scenes, a blooper reel, and a trailer. 

If the entire movie were as good as the first half, I would give THE TENANT a fairly strong recommendation.  The second half, though, is just by-the-numbers stuff that's hardly any better than the cheapo stalker flicks we used to rent back in the 80s.  If you happen to find yourself similarly conflicted sometime, this just might be the movie to fit your mood.


 
Buy it at Amazon.com:
DVD
Blu-Ray

THE TENANT -- DVD review by porfle

SUPER HYBRID -- DVD review by porfle

While I have a pretty limber suspension of disbelief, I think it pulled a hamstring trying to keep up with SUPER HYBRID (2010).  A car that's possessed by evil spirits (like CHRISTINE) is one thing, but a car that is itself a shape-changing creature--which, after millions of years of evolution, can turn into different motor vehicles to lure tasty humans into its plush interior--is stretching things a bit.  Especially when it has a big, toothy monster head and a bunch of tentacles writhing under the hood.

The movie opens with some nice overhead shots of Chicago at night as the camera descends all the way to street level, where we see the sleek, flat-black muscle car already stalking its prey.  After devouring a couple of would-be car thieves, it gets T-boned (in a well-staged crash stunt) and hauled to the city garage. 

These opening shots give SUPER HYBRID a glossy, expansive look that will disappear when the story gets shoehorned into that three-level garage for the rest of the film.  Tilda (Shannon Beckner) shows up for work about the same time that the evil car is whacking another mechanic named Hector.  The other characters include Tilda's nephew Bobby (Ryan Kennedy), grease monkeys Gordy (Adrien Dorval) and Al (Josh Strait), ditzy secretary Maria (Melanie Papalia), and Oded Fehr (THE MUMMY) as their dour boss Ray, who runs the place like he's still commanding an Army platoon.



It isn't long before they start noticing that the strange black car doesn't feel like metal or fiberglass, moves by itself, and seems to growl.  When it starts attacking them, Ray comes up with a brilliant idea--capture it and sell the story to the news.  This sounds great until they start dying one by one, while the script again strains credulity by making escape from the parking garage impossible and throwing in the old "my cell phone doesn't work" trope for good measure. 

How do we know what the thing is and how it came to be?  Well, college student Bobby took a marine biology class once so he's able to reel off an egghead lecture about animals that can lure their prey by resembling rocks and plants.  Which, of course, is how this man-eating whatchamacallit has mechanical moving parts and an electrical system, knows all the various makes and models of every car ever made, and whizzes up and down the highway looking like something out of GONE IN 6O SECONDS.

What follows is a series of action setpieces with some tense character interplay in between, all of which takes place in the cramped confines of a single interior location.  Eric Valette's direction is sound and the acting is fairly good (Oded is the standout, as you might guess), with some bristling conflicts between the craven Ray and an increasingly frantic Tilda. 



But there's only so much you can do with cars crashing around in a parking garage for an hour-and-a-half before things begin to get a little monotonous.  Although they hatch a plan to capture Super Hybrid around the halfway point, it takes them forever to implement it.  Meanwhile, we watch more cars getting smashed and people being chased around and around.

As for the SPFX, I could happily go the rest of my life without seeing another bad-CGI tentacle.  But this car is loaded with them, not to mention that snapping dino-croc head where the air filter should be.  It's a really dumb idea for a movie monster and would've been a lot more convincing if we were only told that the car was alive rather than being shown in such a goofy-looking way.  The practical effects--that is, car crashes and stuff--are fine.  More fakey CGI shows up in the finale, when we get our first good look at the mysterious monster without its chassis.

The DVD from Anchor Bay is in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen with Dolby 5.1 sound and subtitles in English and Spanish.  Included as an extra is a 34-minute making-of featurette, "Under the Hood of 'Super Hybrid'."

If you're in the mood for a low-budget version of ALIEN with a car instead of an alien and a parking garage instead of a spaceship, and you aren't expecting something on the level of CHRISTINE, you can probably have some fun watching SUPER HYBRID.  Just don't be surprised if your suspension of disbelief goes bungee-jumping out of the movie every time that car grabs somebody with those damn CGI tentacles or growls like a junkyard dog.



Buy it at Amazon.com:
DVD
Blu-Ray

SUPER HYBRID -- DVD review by porfle

THE ATTIC -- movie review by porfle

If you have agoraphobia--the fear of open and public places, or, in some cases, simply going outside--then the worst place you could live would probably be a haunted house. 

That's exactly what happens in THE ATTIC (2008), when college student Emma Callan (Elisabeth Moss, "The West Wing"), her parents, and her older brother move into an old two-storey house in the sticks where another young girl went mad thirty years earlier.  In a flashback, we see her being haunted by what appears to be a creepier version of herself.  Sure enough, Emma starts seeing her own double wandering around the house, which usually results in one of those "gotcha!" moments--not exactly terrifying, but sometimes they do make you jump.

Following the apparition into the attic, Emma has a vision in which she's surrounded by witchcraft symbols, and in a daze she falls backward through the door.  The handsome paramedic who comes to her aid, Trevor (Jason Lewis, "Sex and the City"), also doubles as a local police detective and offers to help Emma find out what's going on while getting romantically involved with her as well.  Emma soon discovers that she had an identical twin named Beth who was born with a partially-deformed brain and only lived for a few days.  She begins to suspect that her parents, from whom she's grown increasingly distant as her emotional problems worsen, have somehow raised Beth from the dead in order to replace her. 

As the film progressed, I became more and more taken with Elisabeth Moss' performance as Emma.  She's interesting to watch as we wonder if her character is in fact seeing all of this or is actually becoming psychotic.  Her overbearing father is played by the always-strange John Savage (THE DEER HUNTER), and NIGHT OF THE COMET fans will recognize Catherine Mary Stewart as her mother.  Emma's mentally-challenged older brother Frankie is played by the scriptwriter, Tom Malloy, who does the usual "sweetly-retarded" schtick.  Also look for SIN CITY's diminutive Clark Middleton as Dr. Cofi, a cranky paranormal investigator.



Kindly psychologist Dr. Perry (Thomas Jay Ryan) tries to help Emma but she suspects him of being in league with her parents.  Everything they do seems suspicious to her, but we never know if they're really plotting against her or if it's all in her mind.  Meanwhile, the sympathetic Trevor seems too good to be true.

Mary Lambert, who directed the minor classic PET SEMETARY and the recent MEGA PYTHON VS. GATOROID, does a pretty decent job and comes up with a few nice touches here and there.  For the most part it's a somewhat better-than-average example of the haunted house genre that we seem to see a lot of these days.  Lambert manages to generate a fair amount of suspense and maybe a surprise or two that you won't see coming--without resorting to a lot of flashy effects or hokey-looking CGI, thank goodness--but much of this material suffers from being overly familiar while not making a whole lot of sense at times.

Before it's over, at least one family member is brutally murdered, and the bullet-riddled resolution is well-played if a bit confusing.  It doesn't happen in the attic, though--in fact, hardly anything happens up there.  But I guess out of all the other rooms in the house, THE ATTIC makes the best-sounding title.


Buy it at Amazon.com

THE ATTIC -- movie review by porfle

"BKO: Bangkok Knockout" Arriving On Blu-ray and DVD August 30

FROM THE DIRECTOR AND FIGHT CHOREOGRAPHER OF BORN TO FIGHT AND THE ONG BAK FRANCHISE -- "BKO: BANGKOK KNOCKOUT"

Only The Strong Will Survive In The Action-Packed Thriller Kicking Its Way To Blu-ray Disc And DVD August 30 From Magnolia Home Entertainment

 “The action is extreme, extremely dangerous and extremely fun.” - Twitch Film


When a group of old friends come together they end up doing more then talking about the past in BKO: Bangkok Knockout, arriving on Blu-ray Disc and DVD August 30 from Magnolia Home Entertainment. From Director and Fight Choreographer, Panna Rittikrai (Ong Bak Franchise, Born To Fight), Thai action cinema legend, action superstar and mentor to many of today’s top martial arts legends including Tony Ja (Ong Bak), Dan Chupong (Dynamite Warrior) and Jija Yanin (Chocolate), BKO: Bangkok Knockout takes fight sequences to a whole new level.

A group of ex-marital arts students attend a reunion party to reminisce about their old ‘fight club,’ but this reunion is not all fun and games when some of the members are kidnapped by a group of deadly assassins, leaving the remaining members to save their friends in the ultimate battle for survival. Packed with death-defying action and highlighting a range of martial arts disciplines from Muay Thai to Capoeira, Kung Fu to Tai Chi, the BKO: Bangkok Knockout Blu-ray Disc and DVD features explosive bonus materials including a behind-the-scenes featurette and an international trailer, and will be available for the suggested retail price of $29.98 and $26.98, respectively.

Synopsis

A group of ex-marital arts students attend a reunion party to reminisce about their old ‘fight club’ but things go array when a bomb is set off and everyone is left unconscious. When everyone wakes up only to realize that some of their friends have been kidnapped by a group of assassins who are coming after them next.  Now the only way to survive is to fight their way out.

Buy it at Amazon.com:
DVD
Blu-Ray

"BKO: Bangkok Knockout" Arriving On Blu-ray and DVD August 30

MEDIUM RAW: NIGHT OF THE WOLF -- DVD review by porfle

I'd rather a movie be a total failure than to show a lot of potential and then disappoint.  But for a low-budget feature made by fledgling filmmakers, MEDIUM RAW: NIGHT OF THE WOLF (2010) is just good enough to make its shortcomings all the more frustrating.

Writer-director Andrew Cymek's visual talents are apparent from the start, as he displays a keen cinematic eye that makes this movie a real morbid pleasure to look at.  Dark, moody, and oppressively atmospheric, the look of the film matches its foreboding premise of a mysterious killer known as "The Big Bad Wolf" who has already kidnapped fourteen young girls who were never seen again.  His calling card is the scrawled question: "Are you the woodcutter?"

Johnny (Cymek) watches his own sister snatched away and is still haunted by the sight when, years later, he's the detective in charge of the case when the Wolf belatedly reappears.  Cymek sort of resembles an "NYPD Blue"-era Ricky Schroeder and is good at conveying a deep melancholy in the role.  When he and his partner Elliot (John Rhys-Davies in little more than a cameo role) track down and capture the killer, it's spooky and harrowing enough to bode well for the rest of the movie.



Things keep looking up as we enter the insane asylum where the Wolf, otherwise known as Harold Grierson (Greg Dunham), will be stowed away under heavy guard along with a host of other intensely dangerous crazies including the cannibalistic Mabel (Sandi Ross), a human gorilla named Benny who hates the color red (the late Andrew Martin of pro-wrestling fame), and giggling toe-freak Oliver (Shawn Lawrence).  This place is like Hannibal Lecter's dungeon in SILENCE OF THE LAMBS only more so, with set design that might've been conceived by H.P. Lovecraft.  The fact that the whole thing was done on the cheap in the basement of a church is extremely impressive.

Johnny's estranged wife Jamie (Cymek's real-life spouse Brigitte Kingsley) is an idealistic psychiatrist who thinks she can get through to these nuts but is proven wrong when there's a power failure and all the cell doors spring open.  Johnny, who's there to kill Grierson to avenge his sister, finds himself having to protect all the trapped civilians from a bunch of escaped psychos, including a little girl named Sabrina (Kristina Morgan) and her grandmother. (Naturally, Sabrina wears a little red riding hood in case we miss the connection.)

With a set-up like this, you'd think that we're in for a grueling ordeal of terror, right?  Wrong.  The trouble is, the bad guys in this equation just aren't very scary, and Cymek too often goes for action and humor when what we really want is flat-out horror.  Benny's big breakout is more like an episode of "The Hulk" than anything else as he stomps around roaring and throwing people, while toe-obsessed Oliver is just plain funny.

A lengthy setpiece featuring a captive Jamie in the kitchen with Mabel, who's delightedly whipping up a mess of human vittles, is entertaining but played too much for laughs--some of Jamie's mortified "takes" are almost Zucker-level stuff.  Several other characters seem to be there solely for comic relief as well, and even Grierson is pretty ineffectual as a Lecter-like boogeyman.



After everybody's done running around in the dark eluding the bad guys for awhile, the action comes to an old-school cliffhanger climax with Jamie trapped in a cage that's slowly sinking into a vat of water while Johnny battles the Wolf.  It's right about this time that we begin to realize how hokey-looking that metal wolf suit really is, which doesn't help.  Still, the sequence does generate some suspense even though we've given up on "scary" for some time now.  A final reference to Little Red Riding Hood comes off pretty well, too.

What makes this film worth watching, more than anything else, are the visuals.  The photography is beautiful, with deep blacks highlighted by imaginative lighting effects in almost every shot and consistently interesting direction by Cymek.  I did find the chapter titles distracting and unnecessary (after the power goes off, we really don't need the words "Night of the Wolf" to tell us what's about to happen), and the abrupt switches between serious and comic give the film an inconsistent tone.

As Dr. Parker, the clearly unhinged director of the asylum, William B. Davis gives the best performance I've seen from him since he was puffing coffin nails on "The X-Files."  He really gets into the role and proves once and for all what a fine actor he is.  Standouts also include Sandi Ross as Mabel and Shawn Lawrence as Oliver, with pro wrestler Jason Reso (WWE's "Christian Cage") likable as Johnny's parter Pete and child actress Kristina Miller holding her own as Sabrina.  As Jamie, Brigitte Kingsley is okay until called upon to emote, but this matters little in light of the fact that she happens to be drop-dead gorgeous.

The DVD from Anchor Bay is in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen with Dolby 5.1 sound and Engish subtitles.  Extras include a thoughtful commentary by Andrew Cymek, deleted and extended scenes, an alternate ending, and a trailer.

MEDIUM RAW: NIGHT OF THE WOLF works best when it's dead serious, and the fever-dream visuals are allowed to wend their way into our imaginations.  The more pedestrian action that takes place within this setting didn't do that much for me, but what these low-budget filmmakers have managed to accomplish on an aesthetic level is a thrill unto itself.


Buy it at Amazon.com

MEDIUM RAW: NIGHT OF THE WOLF -- DVD review by porfle

THE CLINIC -- DVD review by porfle

The title and box cover may conjure up images of medical mayhem a la DR. GIGGLES or some Lovecraft-inspired hospital horror, but THE CLINIC (2010) is something different altogether.  More of a blood-tinged thriller than a gory body count flick, this Australian production relies more on mystery, suspense, and some kooky plot twists to hold our attention.

We know we're in for a well-photographed and competently directed film when it opens with a beautiful helicopter shot descending upon a single car traveling down a desert highway.  The very pregnant Beth (Tabrett Bethell) and her fiance' Cameron (Andy Whitfield, SPARTACUS: BLOOD AND SAND) are headed for her mother's house for Christmas when they decide to spend the night in an isolated motel. 

But when Cameron returns to their room after a food run, Beth has vanished without a trace.  The creepy hotel manager Hank (Boris Brkic) claims ignorance, and when a frustrated Cameron attacks him the local cop (Marshall Napier) slaps on the cuffs.  So it's up to Cameron to somehow escape from custody and search for his missing bride-to-be.



Meanwhile, Beth wakes up naked in a bathtub, with a fresh Cesarean scar and no baby.  This is where THE CLINIC goes "Twilight Zone" and becomes a slowly-unfolding mystery that gets more inexplicable at every turn.  Wandering through the deserted slaughterhouse, Beth encounters other women who share her predicament, including Veronica (Freya Stafford), a doctor, and Ivy (Clare Bowen), whose decision whether or not to get an abortion seems to have been made for her.  Alison (Sophie Lowe) remains silent until her terrified screams reveal that there's a killer stalking them.

There's a strong emotional element to the story as the women discover their babies locked in cages, but can neither get to them nor discern which of them is theirs.  Color-coded tags on the infants' wrists correspond to ones which have been surgically implanted in the mothers' bodies, a fact that brings about most of the bloody mayhem to follow.  As all this unfolds, we're given teasing glimpses of shadowy observers impassively watching it all via closed-circuit cameras.

I don't really want to reveal much more than that, but the identity of their ruthless attacker and the motives behind it all are pretty unsettling.  Suspense builds as the women run for their lives while trying to find out what's going on and how they got there.  I was reminded of Dean Koontz, whose novels often involve a female lead who finds herself in a maddeningly inexplicable life-or-death situation fraught with ever-increasing peril. 



The finale involves a couple of plot twists that some viewers may find hard to swallow.  This didn't really bother me--I was sufficiently swept along with it all not to get hung up on an improbability or two.  In fact, I found the over-the-top stuff kind of cathartic after the long build-up, with the big reveal coming as an adequate payoff to the mystery.  After the final tragedy of these events hits home, there's a bittersweet coda to the story that's rare in movies such as this, ending the film not on a total downer but on a wistful note that's rather moving.

Director James Rabbitts' screenplay is simple but effective, with some clever touches here and there.  The acting is fine--Bethell carries the film with a strong, emotional performance and gets ample support from the rest of the cast, particularly Freya Stafford as Veronica and Liz Alexander as the loathesome Ms. Shepard.  A subtle, sinewy musical score compliments the action.

The DVD from Image Entertainment is in 2.35:1 widescreen with Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound and subtitles in English and Spanish.  The sole extra is the film's trailer.

THE CLINIC is a harrowing, adult survival tale that, while somewhat hokey at times, doesn't depend on gory, spectacular kills to thrill and titillate its audience.  In fact, you may actually find yourself not wanting the characters to get killed.  Crazy, huh?


Buy it at Amazon.com:
Rated DVD
Unrated DVD

THE CLINIC -- DVD review by porfle

THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW 50TH ANNIVERSARY: FAN FAVORITES on DVD September 20th from Image Entertainment

“Oh, Rob!” -- Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of a true American TV classic!

On September 20, Image Entertainment will release twenty classic episodes of the beloved ‘60s television sitcom with The Dick Van Dyke Show 50th Anniversary Edition: Fan Favorites.  These special selections from the iconic, groundbreaking comedy series will be available in their entirety on 5 DVDs for an MSRP of $24.98.  In addition, each set contains a collectible lenticular card, spotlighting a memorable scene from a classic episode.  Pre-book is August 23rd.

A winner of 15 Emmy® Awards – including Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, and Best Comedy – “The Dick Van Dyke Show” has remained in viewers’ affections for five decades.  With a terrific cast that includes Dick Van Dyke (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, “Diagnosis Murder”), Mary Tyler Moore (“Mary Tyler Moore Show,” Ordinary People), Rose Marie (“Alan Richter Controls the Universe”) and Morey Amsterdam (“Love, American Style”) it is still a popular hit in reruns on stations like Nick at Nite and TV Land.

Episodes:
The Sick Boy and the Sitter, Big Max Calvada, Coast to Coast Big Mouth, Dear Sally Rogers, Where Did I Come From?, That's My Boy??, It May Look Like a Walnut!, October Eve, 100 Terrible Hours, Uhny Uftz, Never Bathe on Saturday, The Secret Life of Buddy and Sally, Oh How We Met the Night That We Danced, My Blonde-Haired Brunette, 4½, The Alan Brady Show Goes to Jail, What's in a Middle Name?, The Curious Thing About Women, All About Eavesdropping, One Angry Man.

The Dick Van Dyke Show 50th Anniversary Edition: Fan Favorites also includes the following special features: 
Original Pilot Episode
Interviews with Cast and Producers
Behind-the -scenes featurette
Rare rehearsal footage
Emmy® Award telecast with clips honoring show

The conundrums of a married and working life do not change, nor does the appeal of brilliant comedic writing and acting.  Always relevant and funny, these fan favorites will encourage you to revisit old friends:  as well as get new viewers to visit the Petrie household!

The Dick Van Dyke Show 50th Anniversary Edition: Fan Favorites DVD Collection
Genre:             Comedy, Television, 60s, Sitcom
Rating:             Not Rated
Languages:      English 
Format:           1.33.1
Audio:             Dolby Digital Mono
Subtitles:          N/A
SRP:               $24.98
Street Date:     September 20, 2011
Pre-Book:       August 23, 2011
Length:            500 minutes
UPC :               014381734621
Cat#:               ID7346PBDVD

Buy it at Amazon.com

THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW 50TH ANNIVERSARY: FAN FAVORITES on DVD September 20th from Image Entertainment

DYLAN DOG: DEAD OF NIGHT -- DVD review by porfle

In the tradition of HBO's CAST A DEADLY SPELL, in which Fred Ward played an old-school private eye in a world filled with monsters and the supernatural, DYLAN DOG: DEAD OF NIGHT (2010) gives us Brandon Routh as a monster-hunting P.I. in a New Orleans that's overrun with vampires, werewolves, and zombies. 

Currently working as a sleazy bedroom dick, Routh's Dylan Dog gets drawn back into his former life when an antiques smuggler is killed by a werewolf.  According to the victim's daughter, Elizabeth (Anita Briem), the only item missing from his collection is the Heart of Belial, a silver cross containing a vial of monster blood which, injected into one of the undead, will create an unstoppable beast under the control of the one who wields the artifact. 

Dylan's return to the dark underworld (which, in fact, sometimes resembles UNDERWORLD with all its vampires and werewolves, not to mention BLADE) reacquaints him with old fiends and puts him in the middle of an impending war between the wolves and the vamps.  His reluctant partner Marcus (Sam Huntington, NOT ANOTHER TEEN MOVIE) finds out about zombies the hard way--by becoming one.  A lot of the film's lowbrow humor stems from Marcus' difficult transition from living to undead, especially when he discovers that a zombie's diet consists mainly of maggots and worms.  In one scene, he seeks help from a support group known as C.O.L.D. (Coalition of Living Dead).



The film starts out with a superficial bad-comic-book air that threatens to get tiresome pretty quick.  Fortunately, once Dylan settles back into his old ways and starts taking on various denizens of the night in a succession of encounters both physical and verbal (and armed with wooden-tipped bullets and silver knuckledusters), things get interesting enough to make the story worth sticking out to the end.  It's all still a bit on the lightweight side and nowhere near as good as its influences (a Fred Ward type is sorely missed in the lead role) yet the filmmakers manage to instill everything with a fair amount of enthusiasm and imagination. 

Routh acquits himself adequately as the manly action hero of the story, but as an actor he's no Ed Norton.  Classing things up a bit is Peter Stormare (FARGO) as Dylan's old friend Gabriel, head of a werewolf clan whose members are being killed off by an unknown attacker.  Taye Diggs also comes off pretty well as vampire playa Vargas, owner of a nightclub where vamp blood is sold to humans as a drug.  Vargas' ambition to become king of the vampires makes him a formidable opponent for Dylan.  Olympic weightlifter and WWF wrestler Kurt Angle plays beefy werewolf Wolfgang with a sufficient amount of beef.



Old-style monster fans will be pleased to find a minimum of CGI in evidence here.  Digital trickery is used mainly in transitions from human to monster or from monster to even worse monster, after which we get a variety of nicely-executed makeups and other practical effects including a couple of full-body suits.  Most of the digital bells-and-whistles are saved for the big finale (in which the Heart of Belial is finally used to create the super-monstrosity we've all been waiting for) although even here, the SPFX don't go as far overboard as they might have. 

The DVD from 20th-Century Fox Home Entertainment is in 2:35.1 widescreen with Dolby 5.1 sound and English and Spanish subtitles.  There are no extras. 

The main reason I kind of liked DYLAN DOG: DEAD OF NIGHT is that it isn't loaded with CGI werewolves that look like big cartoony coyotes and emo-teen vampires that sparkle.  This is old-fashioned Halloween-type monster stuff, and, while not all that memorable, it'll do until something better comes along.  Still, the set-up for a sequel at the end doesn't exactly have me on pins and needles.



Buy it at Amazon.com:
DVD
Blu-Ray

DYLAN DOG: DEAD OF NIGHT -- DVD review by porfle