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HORRORS OF SPIDER ISLAND West Germany (1960)
Something Weird Video (Image Entertainment)
Not Rated
| B&W | 77 Min. | R0 - NTSC

DVD Released: November 14, 2000

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Featured as one of the final "experiments" of Mystery Science Theater 3000's 10-year run, this loony bit of Euroschlock is every bit as entertaining in its "stand-alone" form. On their way to Singapore for a gig, a group of curvaceous, badly-dubbed showgirls and their beefy manager Gary (Alex D'Arcy) wind up stranded on a remote Pacific island after their plane crashes. (In one of the film's most ridiculous scenes, WWII stock footage of a B-24 bomber plunging earthwards in flames is intercut  with tight close-ups of the women screaming.) To their relief, the famished castaways soon discover a cabin in the jungle. But their joy is short-lived when they find the body of a dead man within, suspended in a giant spider web... With its cast of buxom, scantily-clad women, atrociously dubbed dialog, kitschy jazz score, goofy spider puppet and bare-chested, dress pants-wearing monster  — who in many shots isn't even wearing his fright make-up and claws — Horrors Of Spider Island is chock full of knee-slapping moments, with or without the presence of the wisecracking MST3K crew. Be warned, though; your patience may be tested after "GARY!" is hollered for the umpteenth time.  • • •  Considering the convoluted route this obscure film had to go through before its DVD release, any audio-visual flaws in the transfer are minimal. Something Weird provides the usual assortment of gonzo extras: liner notes, a gallery of exploitation movie posters set to a succession of "Horrorama" radio spots, plus three spider-themed short subjects — including a hilarious one with actress-model Joi Lansing (The Atomic Submarine) belting out "Web of Love" while a costumed, middle-aged male dancer thoroughly embarrasses himself. - B. Lindsey
Extra Cheese   Film: 5 | DVD: 7
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TOUCH OF EVIL U.S.A. (1958)
Universal Home Video
Not Rated
| B&W | 105 Min. | R1 - NTSC

DVD Released: October 31, 2000

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A noble Mexican cop (Charlton Heston) squares off against a corrupt American detective (Orson Welles) in a seedy border town... The story goes that producer Albert Zugsmith hired Orson Welles to play the heavy, but was only able to secure star Charlton Heston when he promised the latter to allow Welles to write and direct the picture. The end result was steeped in all the drama and turmoil typical of Welles, and would prove to be the final film he would direct for a major American studio. In adapting the pulp novel Badge of Evil, Welles artfully blends suspense, sleaze and a sense of personal tragedy, elevating the film above and beyond its source material. It’s easy to see how the film could have become another back lot cheapie in the hands of a lesser director, but Welles turns it into one of his very best pictures. The casting is as inspired as it is bizarre. Though third-billed, Welles naturally dominates the proceedings his portrayal of the morally degenerated Hank Quinlan escapes caricature to become a three-dimensional figure of tragic proportions; he cannot be called a hero, but neither is he the one-dimensional bad guy he could have developed into. It’s hard to imagine many directors making themselves look as bad as Welles does here, as he plays up his significant weight gain and makes himself look unbelievably rumpled and seedy. The impression is of a man on a downward spiral his flaw being similar to that of Citizen Kane as a man with greatness in his grasp who allows his appetites to get the better of him. The casting of Charlton Heston as Vargas has always inspired chuckles, and don’t think Welles bought it, either at one point his character makes a sardonic wisecrack to the effect that Vargas doesn’t look at all Mexican. True, Heston doesn’t really look right for the part, but within that handicap he gives one of his stronger performances. The character is interesting in that he is set up as the conventional square-jawed hero, but as delineated in Welles’ script he is less interesting than Quinlan, even coming across a bit boorish at times. The supporting cast includes memorable roles for Akim Tamiroff, Dennis Weaver and Marlene Dietrich, as well as unbilled cameos from Joseph Cotten and Mercedes McCambridge. Loaded with absolutely stunning imagery including a rightly celebrated opening shot and set to an insanely sleazy and catchy score by Henry Mancini, Touch Of Evil is Orson Welles at his very best; essential viewing.
• • •  Universal’s release is in dire need of an updated special edition. The disc presents the same 1.85/16x9 transfer present on their laser disc edition, which coincided with the re-editing of the film according to Welles’ famous memo to Universal. As had been the case with so many of his films, Welles fell out of favor with the producers over his meticulous working methods and was ultimately banned from the editing room. Upon viewing their initial cut of the picture, Welles fired off a 58-page memo begging for some editorial and soundtrack alterations; many of these requests were denied at the time, but the project was finally undertaken in the late 1990s. This edition does not represent a true director’s cut, but it does reflect the changes Welles tried to encourage Universal to make in 1958. The transfer looks very good indeed the materials are in excellent shape, blacks are appropriately deep, whites are clean, and the grey scale is accurately rendered. The mono soundtrack also packs a lot of punch, and Universal has seen fit to include Welles’ memo as an on-screen text extra. Though satisfying in terms of its presentation of the reconstructed edit, one remains hopeful that Universal will give the film a proper SE treatment that will incorporate the other two edits of the film (’58 theatrical cut and longer European cut).
- T. Howarth
Cult Classic   Film: 10 | DVD: 8
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THE BEYOND Italy (1981)
Anchor Bay Home Entertainment
Not Rated
| Color | 89 Min. | R0 - NTSC

DVD Released: October 10, 2000

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I've finally seen Lucio Fulci's notorious horror film via Anchor Bay's October 2000 DVD release, and my feelings are mixed. I expected to like it a lot less than I actually did. Fulci establishes a credibly creepy atmosphere; some of the set-pieces are marvelously photographed. The opening pre-credits sequence, set in 1927 and shot in a sepia tone recalling old photos, is very well executed (and will evoke winces from even the most jaded). The music score is memorable and — for a Fulci zombie pic — the acting's actually pretty good. In these regards it's superior to a very similar Fulci effort, City Of The Living Dead. That being said... Like City, the plot of The Beyond doesn't make a whole lot of sense. (We do, at least, get a tidy Twilight Zone-ish ending here instead of the former's head-scratching "What the hell???" conclusion.) And yes, it's ridiculously gory in some parts, particularly the scene involving some laughably phony spiders that devour a man's face. Since the rest of the makeup effects in this 20 year old shocker are quite good —genuine nightmare fuel, in fact — this one scene really hurts the movie. The spider idea, when there was obviously only enough money in the budget to wrangle three real tarantulas, was incredibly dumb in retrospect. The entire sequence should have been cut. Gorehounds will doubtless revel in this movie, which also holds things of interest for anyone who likes creepy, atmospheric chillers. It's the second-best of the three Fulci "living dead" flicks I've seen (Zombie being the superior of the trio), but certainly falls short of the Italian director's intriguing, offbeat gialli A Lizard In A Woman's Skin (1971) and Don't Torture A Duckling (1972).  • • •  Anchor Bay has done a splendid job here, it must be said. Video and (especially) audio quality are truly excellent — presenting the film in anamorphic 2.35:1 widescreen with a choice of either a top-notch 5.1 Surround mix or the original Italian mono. The DVD features a plethora of interesting and worthwhile extras, including a hidden Easter Egg showcasing what has to be the goriest movie trailer in human history, a promo for Fulci's Cat In The Brain. (The AB edition covered here has been OOP for some time now.)
- B. Lindsey
Blood 'n' Guts   Film: 5 | DVD: 10
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THE 1000 EYES OF DR. MABUSE West Germany (1960)
Allday Entertainment
Not Rated
| B&W | 99 Min. | R0 - NTSC

DVD Released: July 18, 2000

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This disc was a real find. It's a terrific way to introduce American audiences to the sinister world of Dr. Mabuse (pronounced "Ma-BOO-za"), the seemingly immortal German super-criminal who's the villain in a series of European thrillers dating from the Silent Era. 1000 Eyes marked the return of master director Fritz Lang to the subject of Dr. Mabuse as well as his native Germany, where this low-budget but tightly constructed film was made. In the intricate scenario almost nothing can be taken at face value; characters and events may very well not be what they seem. Disparate strands of plot — a bizarre murder during a traffic jam, a rich American industrialist visiting Germany on NATO business, a suicidal mystery woman with a dark secret, a psychic who foresees assassinations — each have threads all leading to the same place: a hotel built by the Gestapo during World War II. Who is the sinister man with the club foot? Why did Howard Vernon (The Awful Dr. Orlof) shoot the TV reporter with the weird-looking "needle" gun? Is that bald guy who keeps popping up really an insurance salesman? Could the nefarious Dr. Mabuse, believed dead for almost 30 years by the West German police, really be spinning a web of subterfuge, blackmail, and murder from the plush environs of the Hotel Luxor? You'll have to check in to find out.  • • •  
Marvelously packaged with some terrific extras (particularly the audio commentary) and presented in both its original German (with subtitles) and English-dubbed versions, fans of obscure European cinema can't afford to miss this DVD. Equal parts crime drama, noirish mystery, and James Bond espionage flick, The 1000 Eyes Of Dr. Mabuse proved to be such a genre-bending entertainment that I immediately snapped up Allday's second release in the series, 1962's The Testament Of Dr. Mabuse. - B. Lindsey
Cult Classic   Film: 7 | DVD: 8
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TORSO Italy (1973)
Anchor Bay Home Entertainment
Not Rated
| Color | 92 Min. | R0 - NTSC

DVD Released: March 21, 2000

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When one of their female classmates is brutally murdered by a sadistic sex killer, four foxy college girls leave the city for the perceived safety of a country villa owned by one of the girls' father. Naturally these nubile co-eds are given many opportunities to shed their clothes before discovering that the killer has trailed them to their rural sanctuary... Helmed by Sergio Martino, Torso is an Italian murder mystery/suspense thriller in the giallo style popularized by directors Mario Bava and Dario Argento. Despite some genuinely effective moments of terror, it can't hold a candle to such earlier Martino works as The Strange Vice Of Mrs. Wardh and All the Colors Of The Dark. Unconvincing gore and clumsily translated dialog don't help matters. It's not a complete turkey by any means, however. Some of the stalking scenes do generate goose bumps — particularly the one in the woods — and there are attractive European actresses in it who frequently cavort in the nude. Typical of the genre, the music score greatly enhances the imagery. Although giallo fans will likely find things of interest in this film, they'd be better off revisiting Argento or superior Martino as far as armchair-gripping chills are concerned. Torso is a giallo that just doesn't quite gel. Still worth a look at any rate, if only for the naked babes and the occasionally effective set-piece or two. • • •   Anchor Bay's DVD presentation is commendable. This is the  uncut European version, never seen in the U.S., including a few seconds of generally unconvincing gore effects and a lot more nude women. Audio/video quality is quite good; the picture has been enhanced for 16:9 TVs. Extras: You get the humorously-narrated American trailer, the psychedelic European trailer, English and subtitled Italian language tracks, and an insert card featuring a reproduction of the film's Italian poster under its more lurid native title, I Corpi Presentano Tracce di Violenza Carnale ("The Bodies Bore Traces of Carnal Violence").
- B. Lindsey
Update This DVD went OOP in 2005.
TORSO Trailer (MP3)
Blood 'n' Guts Bare Flesh   Film: 5 | DVD: 5
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BRIDE OF THE MONSTER U.S.A. (1956)
Image Entertainment
Not Rated
| B&W | 69 Min. | R0 - NTSC

DVD Released: February 15, 2000

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Not as endearingly bad as Ed Wood's famous Plan 9 From Outer Space but it comes hilariously close. In his last film role (while alive, anyway) a frail, elderly Bela Lugosi triumphs over adversity — chiefly the entire production — in conjuring a few flashes of the old Hollywood spirit in his portrayal of the power-mad Dr. Eric Vornoff. The not-so-good doctor will stop at nothing to perfect his own race of atomic supermen with which to conquer the world, including kidnapping the local yokels and subjecting them to one failed experiment after another. This eventually draws the attention of the police (who are pretty slow on the uptake) and an intrepid female reporter. Ms. Reporter is captured by Vornoff's lumbering, ox-like servant Lobo (the immortal Tor Johnson) and is held prisoner at the mad doctor's extremely rustic manor near Swamp Lake, where Vornoff squints and makes weird hand gestures at her. The police eventually arrive, Lobo turns on his master and much unintentional hilarity — Ed Wood style — ensues. There's a moral to the story, too: Never tamper in God's domain. Any fan of Wood, Tim Burton's bio-pic about Wood, Bela Lugosi, or Mystery Science Theater 3000 (which 'experimented' on this film in its fifth season) is guaranteed to be entertained. Bela's immortal "Jungle Hell" monologue is priceless.  • • •  
While the Image DVD, part of the Wade Williams Collection, features a pretty good print of Bride Of The Monster, the only extra is a well-worn trailer. Still, this is the kind of flick which only folks who've already seen and can appreciate its peculiar charms will want to buy anyway. You're either in league with Bela's race of atomic supermen... or you're not. - B. Lindsey
Bela's Jungle Hell (MP3)
Extra Cheese   Film: 6 | DVD: 5
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THE TINGLER U.S.A. (1959)
Columbia TriStar Home Video
Not Rated
| B&W | 82 Min. | R1 - NTSC

DVD Released: September 7, 1999

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This classic '50s "gimmick" picture from B-movie impresario William Castle (the original House On Haunted Hill) is wonderfully presented here. The incomparable Vincent Price plays Dr. Warren Chapin, a dedicated scientist who unwittingly discovers the secret of the "Tingler" — a hideous, physical manifestation of human fear. The centipede-like creature 'appears' along the spinal column of people who undergo a severe fright. In the course of his research Chapin devises a method of surgically removing the Tingler and trapping it alive, with all sorts of unforeseen — and dire — consequences. (Lesson # 1: Never bring monsters into the house when you've a wife that wants to kill you.) Price's performance perfectly treads the very fine line between over-the-top hammery and camp. ("This pistol can put a hole in you the size of a medium grapefruit," he smoothly intones, and we buy it.) Though the entire concept behind the origin of the creature is patently ridiculous, Price sells it to us with the consummate bravado of a carnival barker. The scene in which he experimentally injects himself with LSD to generate fear — the first use of the drug in the movies — is an absolute hoot; the unique color-enhanced fright sequence (bright red blood with everything else in the shot remaining black and white) is also a treat.  • • •  Columbia TriStar gave this charming chestnut a fitting treatment for its 40th anniversary DVD in 1999. The movie has never looked or sounded better and is presented in letterbox format. A number of bonus features are included; the Scream For Your Lives! featurette, about William Castle and the making/marketing of The Tingler, is a particular delight. I can only imagine the reactions of audience members in the few theaters in which Castle rigged a random number of seats with (mild) electric shocks! - B. Lindsey
Cult Classic   Film: 6 | DVD: 9
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THE PHANTOM U.S.A. - Australia (1996)
Paramount Home Video
Rated PG
| Color | 100 Min. | R1 - NTSC

DVD Released: May 25, 1999

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The only superhero with the balls to wear a bright purple suit! Now to be fair, the Phantom has a long and venerable history — Lee Falk's jungle crimefighter was really the first of the modern masked superheroes. Falk may have borrowed from Tarzan here and there but the costumed paladins who followed, chiefly Batman, certainly stole ideas from his "Ghost Who Walks". As scripted by the late Jeffrey Boam (Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade), this modestly budgeted 1996 film does a fine job of upholding the Phantom's traditions, presenting one of the smoothest superhero 'origin' tales among the many such pics made in the last two decades. We're introduced to the necessary backstory, then the hero himself, with a minimum of fuss that segues effortlessly into the main plot (which could've come straight out of a Doc Savage novel). Unfortunately some of the action set-pieces don't quite deliver or are just plain ridiculous, such as one in which the Phantom's horse outruns a low-swooping plane! and the special effects, especially the CGI, are a bit dodgy. Keeping things afloat is the cast, fully embracing the cornball spirit of the thing, notably Billy Zane (Titanic) in the title role. (Only Treat Williams, as the villain, occasionally goes overboard into outright hamminess.) Since the Phantom costume has no room for padding a la the modern Bat-suit, Zane had to get in tremendous shape to be physically convincing, which he is. He plays the Phantom totally straightfaced, albeit with a wry sense of humor, staying true to the comic strip character in every respect. Some nice period detail and a grand score by composer David Newman also contribute to the positive side of the ledger. In sum, The Phantom is a seriously flawed yet still highly entertaining throwback to the adventure yarns of yore. If you have a fondness for those old cliffhanger serials and/or pulp heroes of the 1930s you'll be on the right wavelength for this. Makes for a great family-friendly double bill with Disney's The Rocketeer (1991).  • • •  A strictly bare-bones DVD, but the film looks and sounds great via a colorful anamorphic (2.35:1) transfer and robust Surround mix. Given the long history of the Phantom character it would've been nice to get some kind of historical featurette — it's a sorely missed opportunity. (Only the theatrical trailer is included.) At least the price is right... The disc's still in print (as of 2007) and pretty cheap. - B. Lindsey
Action-packed   Film: 6 | DVD: 5
 
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