Blu-ray Review: DOCTOR BUTCHER M.D. (1980)

DOCTOR BUTCHER M.D.
Directed by  Marino Girolami (as Frank Martin)
Distributed by CAV Distribution / Severin Films

  If you are a fan of Italian zombie films, then you will love DOCTOR BUTCHER M.D.   If you are a fan of Italian cannibal films, then you will love DOCTOR BUTCHER M.D.  If you are a fan of mad doctor movies, you will also love DOCTOR BUTCHER M.D.!   Ha!   This is one horror film that you truly can't categorize into a sub-genre.  It's part zombie film, part cannibal film, and party mad scientist/doctor film.   It's almost as if the filmmakers couldn't figure out what type of horror film they wanted to make, so they just put a little bit of everything into it!  That is fine with me, because it gives us one of the most entertaining horror films I have seen in quite some time!  Here is some basic info and plot synopsis courtesy of the CAV website:

  It sparked riots on 42nd Street, spawned a generation of gorehounds on VHS, and forever set an insane standard for Italian mad doctor/zombie/cannibal carnage worldwide: Ian McCulloch (ZOMBIE), Alexandra Delli Colli (THE NEW YORK RIPPER), Sherry Buchanan (TENTACLES) and Donald O'Brien (EMANUELLE AND THE LAST CANNIBALS) star in this blood orgy of gut-munching, eyeball-gouging and face-chopping originally known as ZOMBIE HOLOCAUST, which a notorious American distributor would then re-edit, re-title and re-release as a certified grindhouse masterpiece.
  Severin Films now presents both films fully restored for the first time ever from original vault elements discovered in Manhattan and Rome, and loaded with all-new Bonus Features that finally reveal the unbelievable truth behind its bizarre history, infamous marketing and still-deviant legacy.

  As I stated above, this is a highly entertaining film, and contains a little bit of everything for every horror fan.  I love Italian zombie films...there is something about their zombies that are just so much better than the ones in our films.  These zombies all look very decayed and dirty, which is how I would think they should look.  It reminded me a lot of Fulci's zombies or the zombies from the 1981 film, BURIAL GROUND.  The gore in this film is pretty amazing, with some very realistic looking throat slits and some guttings.   This film has tons of blood and gore which should satisfy all you gore lovers out there! 

  Included in this awesome set is both cuts of the film, the American cut called DOCTOR BUTCHER M.D. and the original Italian cut called ZOMBIE HOLOCAUST, presented here for the first time ever uncut in HD!    This is the definitive version of this film to have, so I highly suggest pre-ordering this one now!   The film is set for release on July 26th, but can be preordered now from the Severin Films website.  The Blu-ray and DVD will contain the following special features:


DISC 1 DOCTOR BUTCHER MD
*  Featurette: Butchery & Ballyhoo: Interview with Aquarius Releasing's Terry Levine
*  Featurette: Down On The Deuce: Nostalgic Tour Of 42nd Street With Temple Of Shock's Chris Poggiali and Filmmaker Roy Frumkes
*  Roy Frumkes' Segment Of Unfinished Anthology Film 'Tales That Will Tear Your Heart Out'
*  Featurette: The Butcher Mobile: Interview with Gore Gazette Editor & Butcher Mobile Barker Rick Sullivan
*  Featurette: Cutting Doctor Butcher: Interview with Editor Jim Markovic
*  Illustrated Essay: Experiments With A Male Caucasian Brain (...and other memories of 42nd Street) by Gary Hertz
*  Theatrical Trailer
*  Video Release Trailer 1
*  Video Release Trailer 2

DISC 2 ZOMBIE HOLOCAUST
*  Featurette: Voodoo Man: Interview With Star Ian McCulloch
*  Featurette: Blood Of The Zombies: Interview With FX Master Rosario Prestopino
*  Featurette: Filmmaker Enzo Castellari Remembers His Father Director Marino Girolami
*  Featurette: Sherry Holocaust: Interview With Actress Sherryl Buchanan
*  Featurette: Neurosurgery Italian Style -Interview With FX Artist Maurizio Trani
*  Featurette: New York Filming Locations Then Vs. Now. A look at the Big Apple locales as they are today
*  Audio Bonus: Ian McCulloch Sings Down By The River
*  International Trailer
*  German Trailer


CLICK HERE to watch the trailer
CLICK HERE to pre-order the 2-Disc Blu-ray
CLICK HERE to pre-order the 2-Disc DVD