Bayview Entertainment Selects Aug. 29 For The Blu-ray Debut Of Writer/Director Jason Impey's Creep-Out Horror Tale Home Made

Bayview Entertainment has a freshly-minted Blu-ray edition of actor, writer/ director Jason Impey’s all-out-creepy horror film, Home Made, ready for eager genre aficionados to enjoy on Aug. 29.

Jack Hess is a filmmaker, played by filmmaker Jason Impey, which makes the whole premise of the film ever so — how does one say this, without causing offense — creepy.   You see, Jack Hell is trying to make the perfect snuff film, which leads one to wonder if writer/director Jason Impey is drawing upon some personal experience in the matter.

There is also the style of the film, which seems to be a put-on.   Going over the top in goofy antics, which take the edge off the mission that filmmaker Jack Hess is on.   He’s relentless in his purpose and his amateur-hour filmmaking style quickly gives way to the notion that the snuff film is simply his psychotic rationalization of why he wants to kill attractive young women (or anyone else who takes him off mission).

As a filmmaker, Jack Hess is a train wreck, a captured beauty is put in front of the camera to beg, but the outcome is already predetermined.  The real filmmaker, Jason Impey, has over 100 directing credits, so he knows his snuff (pun intended).   

 

As just a touchstone of examples, Calling Nurse Meow is a hoot-and-a-half, Grim Places, Clownsloitation, his contributions to the Grindsploitation anthology series are priceless, and don’t forget Zombie Lover … it’s a long list, including the documentary VIPCO: The Untold Story.   

 

On the surface, with Home Made, you are looking at a sick, inept filmmaker on a mission.   Below the surface, Home Made is very disturbing.  

 

From Bayview Entertainment on Blu-ray this coming Aug. 29.  You decide.

 

 

 

 

Radiance Films Has A Blu-ray Limited Edition Of The Messiah Of Evil Lined Up For The Halloween Promotional Season With An Oct. 24 Release Window

Radiance Films, with domestic sales and distribution expertise provided by MVD Entertainment Group, has its own entry in the forthcoming Halloween promotional season … a season that genre fans look forward to each year with keen anticipation.

This one is a keeper!  This would be a new 4K film restoration of the best-surviving film elements (Academy Film Archive) of the husband and wife writing and directing team of Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz’s 1973 horror classic, The Messiah of Evil.

 

Sometime in the summer of 1971, Willard Huyck hooked up with some business associates down in Texas and they came up with the financing for a film that Huyck and Katz would write and direct.   Sometime in the early fall of that same year production began in California and at some point it wrapped, but nothing came of the film — perhaps funding dried up.

 

Skip ahead to 1973 and the surprise summer hit, American Graffiti (connecting the dots yet?), which was written by Huyck and Katz … directed by George Lucas, who was Huyck’s classmate at USC.   How American Graffiti got made is another story, but let’s just say that when you make a film for something like a million dollars and it grosses in the neighborhood of $140 million, lots and lots and lots of doors suddenly open up.

The Messiah of Evil resurfaces and gets a limited theatrical release in 1975 … and then resurfaces again and again under different name — Return of the Living Dead, Revenge of the Screaming Dead, Night of the Damned and Dead People. 

With that sort of track record, you might suspect that it would just quietly disappear.  Instead, over the years the film has developed a following … cult status, if you will.

So, what does Radiance Films have lined up for the Oct. 24 limited edition Blu-ray release of The Messiah of Evil? 

 

We begin with commentary by critics and horror experts Kim Newman and Stephen Thrower, a vintage interview with Huyck by Mike White (“Projection Booth Podcast”) a “visual essay” by Kat Ellinger and a newly-prepared documentary on the film (details to follow).

 

 

 

Amazon Takes Head-Scratching Path To Sept. 12 Blu-ray And DVD Launch Of Director Ben Affleck's Air

DVD and Blu-ray editions of director Ben Affleck’s Air will arrive on Sept. 12.

So that’s how it’s done.   Amazon buys MGM and sets out to demonstrate how movies are marketed and distributed.   A grand experiment, perhaps.  But with the venerable MGM brand name you do have something to work with.

 

The latest example of the confusing ways that Amazon works — call it mixed messages, or something — is actor, producer and director Ben Affleck’s biopic titled Air … the “Air Jordan” story of how Nike courted and eventually signed Michael Jordan to promote their product.

 

Some sources say the production budget was $70 million — with Affleck, Matt Damon and Jason Bateman attached you can see that.   Other sources say $90 million … let’s split the difference and call it an $80 million film.

 

Deadline broke the story back in April of 2022 that Ben Affleck would direct the as yet untitled story about Air Jordan and Nike … it would be an Amazon Studio release (not MGM), which meant an $80 million film was likely going direct to streaming.

 

Exactly how many new Amazon Prime households would that add?   Seems like a very expensive way to attract marginal subscribers when you are a fully established streaming source.

But what do we know!   In any case, somewhere along the line the plan changed (reports surfaced that the film tested well) and it was slotted into South by Southwest in March of this year as a surprise closer … a theatrical launch followed on Apr. 05.  The domestic box office came in at $52.4 million.

Since this is Amazon, right in the middle of the film’s theatrical run they elected to stream it beginning on May 12.   

 

So, what do you think happened when Amazon supplied helpers with a pristine master of the film?  The question answers itself.

Since May 12 there have been crickets.   Was Amazon going to spend $80 million making a film starring Affleck, Damon and Bateman and not release it to the home entertainment packaged media marketplace?   Just let “helpers” fill the void?

 

Perhaps someone came to their senses, who knows … does it matter?   Sept. 12 is the release date for both DVD and Blu-ray editions (legitimate ones), which means that the ARR is an impressive 158 days (industry norm right now for a film with this box office profile is right around 80 days).   There appear to be no bonus materials included.   Thank you, Amazon.

 

 

 

 

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment Tabs Sept. 26 For The Release Of Blu-ray And 4K Ultra HD Editions Of Loki: Season One • WandaVision To Follow In November • Mandalorian In December

It has been a head-scratcher for months and months and months.   Why is Disney sitting on all those Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm/”Star Wars” series and not releasing them on Blu-ray?   

Instead, they stream on Disney+ and are immediately picked off by “helpers” to supply an eager fan base who want to collect and own as physical media products.   A blizzard of pirated products has continued for month after month after month and nothing from Disney.  

 

All of that just changed with four release announcements all at once — details on one, the others to follow.

 

Here is what Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment has beginning on Sept. 26 — and timed for the Oct. 06 arrival of the second season — there will be both double-disc Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD editions made available for Loki: Season One. 

 

Product details are supplied for that release (more on that in a moment).

Next, WandaVision: The Complete Series will follow on Nov. 28 and two weeks later (Dec. 12), Star Wars: The Mandalorian - The Complete First Season and Star Wars: The Mandalorian - The Complete Second Season will find their way home as Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD buying options.

 

As mentioned, all of these series — and more — have been out as soon as they appeared on Disney+ from various domestic “helper” or “void-fillers,” which some might refer to as pirates or bootleggers, but that is so last century (we don’t even count China, Sri-Lanka and other “honey pot” foreign sources in mix).

 As for Loki: Season One, the bonus goodies include a gag reel, deleted scenes, and a trio of production featurettes — “Designing the TVA,” “The Official TVA Orientation Video” and “Assembled: The Making of Loki.”

 Details for the other three aforementioned series will follow in the weeks ahead.

 

Lionsgate Home Entertainment Targets Sept. 12 Director Sam Bodin's Haunted House Thriller Cobweb • "Helpers" Are Quick To Take Advantage Of The Early Digitial Window

Director Sam Bodin’s haunted house thriller, Cobweb, will be making its way to the home entertainment packaged media marketplace on Sept. 12 as stand-alone DVD and Blu-ray buying selections.

The ARR is a zippy 53 days and box office receipts for the film’s July 21 limited theatrical release remain unreported.   

 

This is a Val Lawton-like horror entry … the “monster” just taps, taps, taps on the walls and when eight-year-old Peter (Woody Norman — C’mon C’mon), finally makes contact, “she” — claiming to be Sarah — remains unseen.   

 

Sarah eventually convinces him that his parents, Carol (Lizzy Caplan) and Mark (Antony Starr) are the real monsters.  The pair live up to that billing and behave as if their own son is a bother, a pesky little nuisance … Peter comes to find that disturbing.

 

We won’t give away the MacGuffin here, but Bodin’s Cobweb has all the right elements for a Halloween-season theatrical release, not a mid-summer limited run.  It feels rushed … almost thrown away as an afterthought.   Why?

 

This feeling of being rushed is amplified by the Aug. 11 VOD/Digital window.   That is a full 30 days before the “real” DVD and Blu-ray editions are available.  

That misplaced window, while it may generate immediate cash-flow for Lionsgate, opens up the film to “helper” activity — a pristine master supplied willingly by the studio — and that’s exactly what has happened.  Early “helper” DVD and Blu-ray editions are now available.

 

Bonus goodies for the legit versions — consumers can’t tell the difference (or don’t care) and may skip the extras for a “helper” copy already in hand — are a trio of production featurettes: “Becoming “The Girl,” “Through the Eyes of a Child” and “A Primal Fear.”

 

Film Masters Doubles-Up With Both Blu-ray And DVD Editions Of Beast From Haunted Teamed With Ski Troop Attack On Oct. 24

On the surface the latest announcement from Film Masters seems a bit odd, but when you dig down it makes all the sense in the world.

We are talking about the Oct. 24 Blu-ray (also available on DVD) double-feature combination of director Monte Hellman’s Beast from Haunted Cave and Roger Corman’s Ski Troop Attack.

 

According to Roger Corman, in his book titled “How I Made a Hundred Movies in Hollywood and Never Lost a Dime,” he set out to shoot Sky Troop Attack and for production cost reasons he selected Deadwood in the Black Hills of South Dakota.   

 

The script for the film was written by Charles “Chuck” Griffith, who is well-known to genre fans for serving up such classics as It Conquered the World (1956, Corman directing), Attack of the Crab Monsters (1957, Corman directing), Not of This Earth (also 1957, Corman directing), Creature from Haunted Sea (1961, yes, Corman directing), Death Race 2000 (1975, which Paul Bartel directed) and the horror/comedy classic, Little Shop of Horrors (1960, Corman directing).

 

Since they were already there, with a cast and with a crew, Corman — a genius for such things — elected to hold over much of the cast, the crew and had another Griffith script all lined-up.   

 

This would none other than Beast from Haunted Cave, with Roger’s brother Gene producing and newcomer Monte Hellman as the director.  Hellman would become a cult icon with his back-to-back films in 1966 — The Shooting and Ride in the Whirlwind with Jack Nicholson — which were produced by … Roger Corman.

Common members to the cast and crew for both films were Michael Forest (as Lt. Factor and as Gil), Sheila Carol (aka: Sheila Noonan — as Frau Karl Heinsdorf and Gypsy Boulet), Frank Wolff (as Sgt. Potter and Alex), Wally Campo (as Pvt. Ed Ciccola and Byron) and Richard Sinatra (as Pvt. Herman Grammelsbacher and Marty).   Cinematography was handled by Charles Hanawalt, the film editor was Anthony Carras and Charles D. Brown did the sound.

To get German and American troops — who could ski — Corman recruited members from the two local high schools.  As he describes it in his book, he had something of a casting coup with a skier on the German squad who could actually speak German.   

 

But, he broke his leg and being on a tight budget and an even tighter schedule, Corman stepped in to play the part — look for the German leader with the extra-large goggles (so that long shots with someone who could actually ski would match up).

 

The creature in Beast from Haunted is Christopher Robinson, who also did the visual effects.  Double-duty for everyone!!

 

Ski Troop Attack is a new HD scan from the original 16mm reduction print, while Beast from Haunted Cave is a new 4k scan from 35mm archival elements.  There are two viewing options for Beast from Haunted Cave — the original theatrical cut (65 minutes) and an extended television version (an additional seven minutes worth of footage).

 

As to bonus goodies, Tom Weaver and Larry Blamire provide commentary on Beast from  Haunted Cave and C. Courtney Joyner and Howard S. Berger team for commentary on Ski Troop Attack, plus there is the special feature from Ballyhoo Motion Pictures titled “Hollywood Intruders: The Filmgroup Story: Part One.”

Dark Force Entertainment's Next Blu-ray Drive-In Double Feature Arrives On Oct. 24 Featuring Smokey And The Judge And Alien Thunder

Back to the drive-in for a double-feature on Oct. 24! 

That’s the news from Dark Force Entertainment, sales and distribution support provided by MVD Entertainment Group.

 

The Blu-ray release of Drive-In Double Feature, Volume 19 certainly is an interesting pairing, especially being toplined by a newly prepared scan — from the original CRI (Cintel Raw Image) digital files (and with color correction) — of writer/director Dan Seeger’s 1980 release of Smokey and the Judge (aka: Makin’ It), starring Gwen Owen (as Margo), Cathy Carson (as Carol) and Juanita Curiel (as Maria) as the singing group “Hot.”

 

If this is not ringing any bells, don’t feel bad, the film was made and released to take advantage of Smokey and the Bandit … and the film’s leading ladies are actually real-life recording artists whose only screen credits are Smokey and the Judge.   The storyline is built-around the trio delivering a half-dozen songs in various seedy places … some familiar faces pop up here and there, including Rory Calhoun.

 

It came and went quickly, had VHS releases both in 1981, re-titled as Makin’ It in 1985 and then Televista followed with a DVD (likely scanned from the VHS) in 2007 … one of the popular “helper” sites put out a DVD in 2019 (likely a knock-off of the Televista DVD).   Now on Blu-ray, this is the one.

 

Teamed with Smokey and the Judge is director Claude Fournier’s 1974 based-on-history Canadian adventure Alien Thunder, which was retitled for domestic consumption as Dan Candy’s Law.

 

Starring Donald Sutherland as a Mountie on a relentless revenge mission, Dark Force Entertainment’s Blu-ray presentation of Alien Thunder in a new scan from the Cinemascope original internegative.   Should be absolutely gorgeous!