American Genre Film Archive Sets The Blu-ray Debut Of Tina Krause's Limbo For Sept. 1

If you are a genre fan, then the name Tina Krause is not unknown to you.  You could call her a Scream Queen, some even call her the “Indie Horror Queen,” but by any calling, if you are worth your salt, you know her by her work.   The Vampire's Seduction, Shriek of the Lycanthrope, Curse of the Swamp Creature 2, Psycho Sisters, Witchouse 3: Demon Fire, Zombiegeddon, Penny Dreadful and more … my gosh it is an impressive list; a gold mine of genre delights.

But even the most diehard of Tina Krause fans may not know that some 20 years ago she directed and wrote a film, and if it were not for the American Genre Film Archive (AGFA), her film, Limbo, would remain forever lost.  

Way, way, way back then, the story goes, she wrote and directed Limbo, it was produced on a shoestring and it took something like five years to find a home entertainment company willing to release it.   30 VHS copies and that was it.

So, unless you were one of the lucky ones to track down a VHS copy, or were fortunate enough to catch the AGFA screening last year at the Billy Wilder Theatre in Los Angeles, then Limbo will be brand new to you.  For Krause fans Limbo will be a must.

AGFA has tabbed Sept. 1 as the Blu-ray debut date for Limbo.

Those who have seen the film, describe it as creepy, experimental and even “Lynchian,” perhaps influenced by David Lynch’s Blue Velvet and Eraserhead.   In any case, a three-day haze follows a chance encounter at a restaurant (Krause plays the waitress) as the “one-night stand” takes a turn from sex and pleasure to violence, murder and insanity.

Bonus goodies including commentary by writer/director Tina Krause, a behind-the-scenes documentary, two short films Answering Machine (by Krause) and Eaten Alive (featuring Krause) and the 2019 Fantastic Quest Q&A session.

 

Mill Creek Entertainment Preps New Blu-ray Collectible Promotion For Oct. 13

Mill Creek Entertainment has a deal all lined up on Oct. 13 for those who love to collect affordable Blu-ray releases of their favorite films that is as easy as One, Two, Three!

Available for the first time on Blu-ray on Oct. 13 from Mill Creek Entertainment will be actor-turned-director Sean Penn’s 2001 film adaptation of the Friedrich Dürrenmatt 1958 short novel, “The Pledge: Requiem for the Detective Novel,” which was shortened for its theatrical release to simply, The Pledge.

Jack Nicholson stars as detective Jack Black, who we meet on the day of his retirement party.   The festivities are interrupted with news that the body of a young girl has been found … brutally murdered.

Out of instinct, habit, and technically he is still on the job, Black tags along to the crime scene and later meets with the girl’s mother, Margaret Larsen (Patricia Clarkson), and makes her a “pledge” that he will find her daughter’s killer.

It could have been a very short movie and the pledge honored in no time.   A suspect by the name of Toby (played by Benicio Del Toro) is tracked down and while being grilled, snatches a gun from one of the deputies and kills himself.   Case closed!!

But Black is not so sure.   Toby doesn’t fit the description of the “giant” that the little Larsen’s daughter gave to her grandmother … the details do not fit.   Thus begins a quest for the real killer, which brings the loner Jack Black love and family for the first time in his life.   Ironically, this miracle is snatched from him when his obsession to fill the “pledge” clouds his judgment. 

The Pledge, that’s one.   We told you that this Mill Creek Entertainment Blu-ray promotion on Oct. 13 would be as easy as One, Two, Three.    Here’s the “Two,” the double-feature Blu-ray presentation of director Anthony Drazen’s 1994 film adaptation of Sheila Ballantyne’s 1982 coming-of-age novel, Imaginary Crimes, teaming Harvey Keitel with Fairuza Balk as father and daughter at odds with each other, and director Bruce Beresford’s 1994 mystery/thriller, Silent Fall, starring Richard Dreyfuss, Linda Hamilton and Liv Tyler, with Dreyfuss a therapist working with an autistic child who witnessed the murder of his parents.

This double-bill of Imaginary Crimes and Silent Fall is the first time that either film has been on Blu-ray.  That’s two!

So, you’ve probably figured out by now that the “Three” in this Oct. 13 Blu-ray promotion from Mill Creek Entertainment is a triple-feature!!   And, you’ve probably already surmised that all three films in the collection are available for the first time on Blu-ray.

The triple-feature is comprised of director Jeremiah S. Chechik’s 1996 interpretation of Diabolique, teaming Sharon Stone with Isabelle Adjani, filmmaker John Badham’s 1997 art forgery thriller, Incognito, starring Jason Patrick and Irène Jacob, and director Mary Lambert’s 2000 film release of The In Crowd, featuring Lori Heuring (Prom Night, Wicked Little Things, Mulholland Drive) and Susan Ward (as Meg Cummings in the Sunset Beach soap opera).

Filmmaker Stephane Demoustier's The Girl With A Bracelet Makes It Domestic DVD Debut On Sept. 22 From Icarus Films

France’s premiere film production and distribution company, Distrib Films, will teaming up with Icarus Films on Sept. 22 for the domestic DVD debut of writer/director Stéphane Demoustier’s film remake of the Argentinian crime drama from writers Ulises Porra and Gonzalo Tobal, Acusada, which was retitled The Girl with a Bracelet.

This is an A-list thriller out of France.   If you like your courtroom dramas, Anatomy of a Murder, To Kill a Mockingbird, even A Few Good Men, then The Girl with a Bracelet is going to be on your must-see list.

In the opening prologue, we see the Bataille family enjoying a vacation at the seashore, which is suddenly interrupted by the arrival of the police.   The teenage daughter, Lise (Melissa Guers in her film debut), is questioned and then taken into custody.

The mystery begins.   It is now sometime later and Lise is about to stand trial for the murder of her friend.   The how and the “why” of it will unfold in the courtroom.   Lise is not a good defendant, she doesn’t project a lot of warmth, but does that mean that she’s a psychopath capable of cold-blooded murder?

As the trial unfolds, details about Lise are introduced, none of which point to her innocence, but rather paint a dubious picture about her behavior, especially relating to her sexual proclivities.   Even her parents, Bruno (Roschdy Zem — Days of Glory, The Cold Light of Day, Bad Faith, etc.) and Céline (Chiara Mastroianni — Ready to Wear, Beloved, etc.), seem to have their doubts as the trail progresses … have they raised a monster?

As we mentioned, this is an A-list French thriller that opened at the Locarno Film Festival in August of last year, worked the festival circuit throughout the rest of 2019 and then opened theatrically in France in February of this year.   Icarus Films had it poised for theatrical launch this year, but the Covid-19 pandemic scrubbed those plans.  

Domestic audiences will have their first chance to catch The Girl with a Bracelet on DVD this coming Sept. 22.   It is presented in French with English subtitles.

 

Dark Side Releasing Looks To Oct. 13 For The Domestic DVD Debut Of Submerged

Dark Side Releasing, with sales and distribution expertise provided by MVD Entertainment Group, looks to Oct. 13 for the domestic DVD debut of the Down Under horror/thriller, Submerged, from the writing and directing team of Ben McKenzie and Phil Moore.

The question that dogs you throughout Submerged goes something like this.   Is Lindsay (Ella Roberts) grieving from the loss of her parents and allowing that grief to play tricks with her emotional well-being, or is the photographs that she is taking — which show young girls being murdered — real.   It’s clever.

The story jumps a bit about in time, with flashbacks used to fill in details.   Is there a serial killer on the loose — with a long reach over time — and what secrets does the little town of Willow Point (out near Adelaide … wine country) harbor.   Lindsay is our guide to the picturesque landscape, a landscape that belies the danger … how quickly death can come on a pleasant day with no warning.

Bonus features include commentary from the filmmaking team of Ben McKenzie (who appeared as a contestant on the Aussie television series, Australian Idol) and Phil Moore (Mortal Fools, Old Mates) and a Q&A session with the filmmakers and cast members.

 

Wild Eye Releasing Targets The DVD Debut Of Director Daniel Emery Taylor's It's Just A Game For Oct. 13

Wild Eye Releasing, with sales and distribution support provided by MVD Entertainment Group, will be bringing writer/director Daniel Emery Taylor’s It’s Just a Game to the DVD marketplace on Oct. 13.

Bored, the four young ladies chat among themselves and hit upon the idea of summoning “Mother Murder” … it’s a game, you know.   Sounds like some goofy fun.   A game, so what could possibly go wrong?

Filmmaker Daniel Emery Taylor (The Hospital, The Hospital 2, Camp Massacre), working with a familiar crew and a smart cast, has assembled a final genre film that certainly belies its tight budget.   Once complete, Taylor worked the festival circuit, with stops at the Bloodstained Indie Film Festival, Hot Springs International Horror Film Festival and Mad Monster Party 2019 … and then Wild Eye Releasing got wind of the positive buzz and picked it up for the home entertainment packaged media market.

Indeed, It’s Just a Game could be among the top must-see indies during this Halloween season as this innocent game of “Mother Murder” becomes a night of carnage.

Back to our young ladies, Ruby (Sarah Kopkin) is sort of the leader of the group, with the mousey Brianna (Hannah Cohen-Lawlor) along for the ride.   Take special notice of Brianna, as she will become the focal character as the events of the evening unfold.  She is the type of teen that the high school mean girls love to pick on.  

In any case, the silly game begins and before you can say mother-may-I there’s something of a home invasion.  Enter Brother Thaddeus (played by Taylor) and his wandering band of “creative,” impromptu thespians; a performance art theatre group ready to give new meaning to the game of “Mother Murder” (think: band of serial killers). 

Brother Thaddeus sits back and enjoys the show as his chief enforcers, Sister Amelia (Leah Hudspeth — Driven, Union, Deimosimine) and Brother Marco (Alex Zuko, who previously worked with Hudspeth in Union and Deimosimine) take charge of the proceedings.   Other members in this murderous little group include Skullgirl (Rachel Marshall — Confessions of a Graverobber, In Their Eyes), Sister Daphne (Mallory Ivy), a couple of Pigmen … and of course, Mother Murder (Cassandra Bryson — Confessions of a Graverobber, American Slasher: Part II).

Just a game, huh?   Ask Brianna, that is, if she survives the night!!

Bonus features for the DVD release of It’s Just a Game on Oct. 13 include commentary from writer/director Daniel Emery Taylor.

 

 

 

Bayview Entertainment Tabs Sept. 29 For The DVD Debut Of Director White Cross' Mummy Dearest

Just in time for the Halloween promotional season, where all the good little ghouls get primed for scares, chills and thrills, comes word this week from Bayview Entertainment that director White Cross’ Mummy Dearest will be available on DVD on Sept. 29.

Scarlett Healy (Jennifer Cozza James) is wheelchair-bound and has a choice.  Well, not much of a choice, she can either fend for herself or move in with her daughter, Autumn (Anna Sherman — The Dorm), who sets rules, including no comments or suggestions about how she is living her life or who she is sleeping with.   Nice digs, though, so move in she does.

It seems that Autumn has found a bargain and with her boyfriend Frank (Mike Valley — Hatchet Jack, Goddess of Love), she has moved into one of those classic “Hollywood Hills” type houses.   A house, as it turns out, with a history. 

Scarlett settles in, bites her tongue and tries to make the best of it, but in no time a neighbor by the name of Quinton (Quinton Aaron — The Blind Side) stops by to tell her that the place is haunted.   He also suggests that the last tenants moved in … but never moved out.

As the story progresses, Scarlett begins to unravel mentally, thinking that she can make connections to the past, people have been murdered in the house … and Frank, it seems, might be the connection.   But remember, Scarlett can’t speak of Frank to Autumn, or out she goes.   The hallucinations quicken, Cleopatra (played by former Playboy Playmate of the Month, Nikki Lee ) appears in a vision and Scarlett sees herself being buried in the backyard as, you guessed it, a mummy.  

Also on hand in this tale of creeping madness are the likes of Tara Reid, Michael Paré and Lou Ferrigno.

Vinegar Syndrome Announces Its Sept. 01 Film Restoration Slate

Vinegar Syndrome has revealed a three-strong film restoration slate for delivery as Blu-ray product offerings on Sept. 01.

Heading the list is a new 2K restoration (from the film’s 35mm interpositive) of director Arthur Allan Seidelman’s 1987 mystery, The Caller, teaming Malcolm McDowell with Madolyn Smith (Urban Cowboy, 2010, All of Me).

This is a strange movie on two counts, the first is the storyline, which is simply weird (will get to that in a moment), the second is the film’s very odd production and distribution history.

Charles Band had some indie success in the 1970s with films like End of the World, Laserblast, Tourist Trap and then launched his own “studio,” Empire Pictures and delivered The Ghoulies, Re-Animator … and then he went on a production rampage that ended in financial disaster.   He learned his lesson from this and would later launch Full Moon Entertainment, which survives to this day (in various forms over the years).

In any case, it was during this “production rampage” that Band’s Empire Pictures produced The Caller, which was so odd that it opened as an arthouse picture at the Cannes Film Festival in May of 1987.   It followed this up with screenings at Mystfest in Italy the following month and then the financial collapse and things got weird.

Instead of finding a theatrical window for the film, it was licensed to Trans World Entertainment for a direct-to-video VHS release in 1989.   This restoration by Vinegar Syndrome paves the way for The Caller’s Blu-ray debut on Sept. 1.

Now to the film itself.   “The Girl” (Smith) lives in a cabin in the woods.   “The Caller” (McDowell) shows up and claims that his car has broken down and he needs a little help.

One of them, either “The Girl” or “The Caller,” is a mouse and the other is a cat (metaphorically speaking) … and we know how that will play out.   The problem is, the two keep switching roles with their mind games … and the first thing you notice is that they seem know an awful lot about each other.   Not strangers, but have they done this before?   Hmmmm … odd.

They accuse each other of all sorts of things, she’s a killer, he’s a cop sent to investigate, but during their “cross-examinations” each blows gaping holes in the other’s story.   Intense, weird and suspenseful.  

A mystery of sorts is playing out, but as the viewer it is tough to ferret-out exactly what the “real” game is … remember the 1972 film, Sleuth, with Michael Caine and Laurence Olivier going at other, that’s pretty much what The Caller is for most of its running time.   And then it shifts to the world of The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits … now that was weird.

Bonus goodies include a video session with director Arthur Allan Seidelman (two-time Emmy nominee, with virtually all of his work in television … mini-series, series episodes, MOWs, etc.), which is titled “Boiling Over,” and an audio-only session with writer Michael Sloan.

Rounding out the Sept. 1 restoration slate from Vinegar Syndrome are director Alfred Sole’s “Canadian Mountie/Cheerleader Camp/Serial Killer” comedy, Pandemonium, starring Tom Smothers, Carol Kane and Judge Reinhold, and director Gary Graver’s 1981 adult film, Indecent Exposure, starring Veronica Hart, Jessie St. James and Georgina Spelvin.