Blu-ray Review: MADHOUSE (1974)

MADHOUSE

Directed by:  Jim Clark

Distributed by:  Eureka Video

  Once again I get the privilege of watching and reviewing a film I have always known about, but had never watched for one reason or another.   1974's MADHOUSE stars the legendary Vincent Price, one of my all time favorite horror icons.  I really should make a point of watching all his films.  I have seen many of them, but there are still quite a few I have not.   I was glad to check MADHOUSE off the list of his films I have seen!  

Here is the basic plot synopsis from the Eureka! website!

Paul Toombes (Price) is an actor whose trademark role is the enigmatic and terrifying Dr Death, a skull-faced serial killer and the central antagonist of a long-running series of horror films. When Toombes’ fiancée Ellen (Julie Crosthwait) is murdered in mysterious circumstances by an assailant dressed as Dr Death, the actor wonders if he has succumbed to madness – a question he will be forced to reckon with again when, years later, people begin dying on the set of a new television series based on his most famous character.

  This was such a fun film, and pretty tame by today's standards.  It does have a couple of creepy images, including the skull makeup/mask of the killer and one instance of a woman's head coming off after a decapitation.  I know it sounds bad, but it's one of the cleanest, bloodless decapitations I have ever seen!   It's exactly the type of decapacitation you would expect to see in a rated PG horror film!  That's right, MADHOUSE is rated PG!  Of course, these were the days before the creation of the PG-13 rating, so most likely this is a PG-13 film by today's standards.  

  I thought it was really neat how they used clips from older Vincent Price films in the movie, to show his character's past films.  We see clips from THE HAUNTED PALACE,  THE RAVEN, and THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM, just to name a few. 

 The movie was pretty tame overall, but it kept me entertained for the entire running time, a quick 89 minutes.   Also of note, is an appearance from another Horror icon, Peter Cushing.    You can't go wrong with both Cushing and Price in a film together!  

 I would definitely recommend MADHOUSE to any horror fan.  Don't expect a lot of blood and gore, but do expect the strange charm that comes with any Vincent Price film.  I don't know what it is about him, but I love anything he is involved with!  

MADHOUSE comes out tomorrow, 6/22, and contains the following Special Features:

• Limited edition O-card slipcase featuring original poster artwork [2000 copies]
• Limited edition booklet featuring new writing on Madhouse by genre film expert Christopher Stewardson and an archival interview with director Jim Clark conducted by John Hamilton, originally published in The Dark Side [2000 copies]
• 1080p HD presentation on Blu-ray
• Original English mono audio
• Optional English subtitles (SDH)
• New introduction to Madhouse by horror novelist Stephen Laws
• Lights, Camera, Murder! – new video essay on Madhouse by horror and gothic scholar Mary Going
• Audio commentary by film historian David Del Valle
• Archival making-of featurette
• Stills Gallery
• Original theatrical trailer

CLICK HERE to purchase the Blu-ray 

Please note, this is a Region B release only.  You must have a Region B player, or Region Free player to play this disc. 

Check out the amazing Horror related artifacts over at Minimuseum.com!!

 

 

  If you are into Horror Collectibles, or any Historical Collectibles, Mini Museum is the place for you!   I don't remember how I found out about this company, but I sure am glad I did!   Mini Museum was launched in 2014 and was founded on a love of Science and History.    This company makes small, historical artifacts in special keepsake display cases.   You can literally own a piece of history!  

 Why am I talking about this on a horror blog?  Well, in addition to the Science and History related items, there are quite a few Horror related items as well!  

 Did you know you can own a piece of brick from Dracula's castle?  That's right, you can own a piece of Cetatea Poenari, which was once the home of Vlad III, better know to you and me as Vlad The Impaler!   

 I love my piece of brick from Dracula's castle, and I also got a vial of soil from the base of the castle.   

  These are awesome artifacts and definitely a cool conversation starter when your friends see this displayed at your house! 

 If these artifacts displays aren't your thing,  you can also get these same specimens in a locket, or necklace!

  You can also get this cool sample card of Dracula's soil which has been sealed with resin into the shape of a coffin!

CLICK HERE to purchase the soil card!

CLICK HERE to purchase the  Castle Brick and Soil Bundle for a special low price!!

  If that's not cool enough, Mini Museum has something new coming up for all you WALKING DEAD fans!   

  A Kickstarter project was made for the creation of one of the coolest WALKING DEAD items I have ever seen!   It's a one of a kind Lucite acrylic display featuring 32 screen-used props, costumes, and set pieces from THE WALKING DEAD!   Item's on this amazing collectible include pieces/specimens from the following items:

*  King County Sheriff's Patch

*  Rick's Boots

*  Walker Blood

*  Carl's T-shirt

*  Glenn's Jersey & Machete

*  Daryl's Vest

*  Hershel's Pants

*  Michonne's Katana

*  D Block Prison Sign

*  The Governor's Shirt

*  Carol's Trench Knife

*  Rick's Shearling

*  Daryl's Bandana & Diamond Knife

*  Terminus Sanctuary Sign

*  Morgan's Staff

*  Alexandria Wall

*  Rick's Hatchet

*  "Lucille" - Negan's Bat

*  Hilltop Brick

*  Savior Lineup

*  Moss Walker

*  The Kingdom Gates

*  Oceanside Cabin Sign

*  Sanctuary Shootout

*  Metal Head Walker

*  The Bridge Dynamite

*  Alpha's Knife

*  Princess' Goggles

*  Commonwealth Brick Wall

*  Daryl's Crossbow Bolt

  

  The Kickstarter campaign has already been fully funded, but you can still pledge and get this awesome acrylic display or some other cool WALKING DEAD items if you hurry!   The Kickstarter campaign will be closing soon!

Blu-ray Review: CRADLE OF FEAR (2001)

CRADLE OF FEAR

Directed by:  Alex Chandon

Distributed by:  Unearthed Films / MVD Entertainment

  Once again I am here to review a film I have always known about, seen the box art countless times when perusing my local video store, yet have never watched.  Hopefully most of you are old enough to remember video stores!   I recall seeing the original DVD cover art on the shelf, but for whatever reason I just never picked it up.  

  Well, I wish I would have back then, because I have been missing out for years on a very interesting and entertaining movie!   Before I go any further, here is the basic plot synopsis from the Unearthed Films website:

Cradle Of Fear (2 Disc Limited Collector's Edition) is a brutal anthology-style horror film centered around notorious child murderer Kemper, who seeks revenge on those responsible for his imprisonment.

Confined to a padded cell in a local asylum, Kemper orchestrates his vengeance from afar, commanding a mysterious figure known only as "The Man" to carry out a series of increasingly savage murders targeting the families of those who put him away. As the body count rises, Detective Nielson--who has a personal history with Kemper--struggles to make sense of the escalating violence and its seemingly supernatural orchestration.

Blending interconnected storylines with extreme gore and shock-driven set pieces, the film has gained a cult reputation as one of the most notorious entries in British horror cinema, featuring Dani Filth of Cradle of Filth in a central role.

 I have always loved Anthology films, and this one is done really well.  Unlike other Anthology films, where they break each story up into it's own chapter, sometimes even putting the new segment title up on screen between each film, this plays as one continuous movie.  In fact, if you didn't know this was an Anthology pic, you would just assume this film was all over the place and made zero sense!  So definitely go  in knowing these are 4 separate stories that just all tie in together. 

  The first story shows you the downside to what was otherwise a satisfying one night stand, complete with a spider-baby hybrid impregnation!

 The second film involves a burglary gone wrong, and shows how things can spiral out of control very quickly when you can't trust your accomplice!

 The third instalment was probably the most interesting to me, as an amputee who is missing his leg goes to extreme measures to get a replacement leg.   Unfortunately, the leg has a mind of it's own and is apparently very upset about being removed from it's original body!

 The final instalment was my personal favorite, as it involves a man who is obsessed with violent images and snuff films on the internet.   He comes across a website where you can can watch real murders.  Not only can you watch, if you pay a fee, you can actually choose how the person is killed.   You get to choose the weapon used, how to use it, and where on the victims body to use it.   This one is terrifying to me, because it makes me wonder if something like this could really be out there on the dark web.  It wouldn't surprise me in this crazy world! 

Now, I have to be honest, this film has not aged well in some aspects.  Certain scenes were very obvious CGI, almost to a laughable degree.  I am mainly talking about a car crash scene that is hard not to snicker at when watching.   That is a very small part though, and didn't keep me from enjoying the film at all.    All the gore effects are done with practical effects and are extremely well done.   Head smashing, stabbings, eye gouging, decapitations, and one of the most realistic amputations I have ever seen on film make up just a few of the incredible gore effects in this film. 

 Unearthed Films has always been the leader in releasing some lesser known, non-mainstream extreme films, especially those with extreme gore.   This newest release is a perfect addition to their already amazing catalog of films. 

 CRADLE OF FEAR is out now on Blu-ray and contains the following special features:

DISC ONE: FEATURE & EXTRAS

• Some Making of Cradle of Fear
• Important Words
• The Special German DVD Making of Thingy Something for Cradle of Fear
• Behind the Scenes
• Gallery
• Trailers

DISC TWO: SHORT FILM COLLECTION & EXTRAS

• Alex Chandon's Shorts Collection Including:
• Chainsaw Scumfuck
• Bad Manor
• Bad Karma
• Drillbit
• Night Pastor
• Bullshit News
• Film Extremes 3 Promo
• Borderline
• Shorts Outtakes
• Shorts Behind the Scenes Gallery
• Shorts Trailers

CLICK HERE to purchase the 2-disc limited collector's edition Blu-ray direct from Unearthed Films

CLICK HERE to purchase the 2-disc limited collector's edition Blu-ray from MVD Entertainment

Movie Review: MODELS VS. WEREWOLVES (2026)

 

MODELS VS. WEREWOLVES

Directed by:  Danny Draven

Distributed by:  Full Moon Empire

 If you are a fan of Full Moon Films, you are going to love their newest feature!  I had the privilege of attending the world premiere of MODELS VS. WEREWOLVES at this year's Texas Frightmare Weekend on May 23rd.   I am a huge fan of Full Moon, so I was expecting something really fun with this one.  I am happy to say that it did not disappoint.  In fact, it was even more fun and entertaining than I had hoped for!!  

 Now don't get me wrong, if you are not familiar with the films from Full Moon,  you aren't going to see an Oscar winning film by any means, but that is ok.  That is not what Full Moon strives for.  They just put out fun and entertaining films they know their fans will love and they hit a home run with this one!  Here is the basic plot of the film from IMDb.com:

Five young models go to an Airbnb in the woods for a full moon that comes once every five hundred years. What starts off as the perfect girl's trip quickly becomes a nightmare as a pack of ancient werewolves are awoken by the new moon.

 Again, this was such a fun film.  The Werewolf effects were done really well, with a nice blend of CG and practical effects.   The acting was actually really good,  and the dialog was so much fun.  This is definitely a horror/comedy, and the comedy did not disappoint!  It was fun watching in a big crowd of people and hearing everyone's reactions.   This was also one of Full Moon's gorier films, with lots of blood being spewed thanks to the werewolves.   Now I will say the blood effects were a little too CG heavy for my liking, but that didn't keep  me from enjoying this film at all.     Also, I must note that legendary horror actress Dee Wallace makes a small, yet hilarious appearance in this film, and she really holds her own against one of the werewolves!   I really want to say what happens, but I don't want to spoil it, but let's just say it drew a huge laugh and applause from the audience! 

 Horror fans will love this as well as comedy fans.  There is really something for everyone in this latest release from Full Moon!

Check out the trailer for MODELS VS. WEREWOLVES!

MODELS VS. WEREWOLVES will be streaming soon, so keep your eyes out for it!  This is one you won't want to miss!