4K ULTRA HD Review: THE CONVENT (2000)

 

THE CONVENT 

Directed by:  Mike Mendez

Distributed by:  Synapse Films / MVD

  I am not sure how this film avoided my radar, but not only have I never seen THE CONVENT, I have never even heard of it!   I find this very odd, as it was so much fun!   How did I miss this one all these years!!   Here is the basic plot synopsis from the Synapse Films website:

In 1960, a young woman named Christine enters St. Francis Boarding School for Girls and lays waste to the resident nuns. Four decades later, a group of college students head to the long-abandoned building late one night to tag it with their fraternity letters, little knowing that rumors of the place being haunted are terrifyingly true. Stir in a couple of disapproving cops and a band of unlikely Satanists, and the table is set for a feast of demonic infestation and bloodshed that only the grown-up Christine (Adrienne Barbeau, THE FOG, SWAMP THING) can possibly stop.

  

 This film had me hooked from the very beginning.  In fact, this might be one of the coolest movie openings of all time.  The movie shows us young  Christine going into a convent and wreaking havoc, shooting up the place, and burning the priest and nuns.  This is done in slow motion, to the tune of "You Don't Own Me" by Lesley Gore.  This is such an effective opening, and the music is perfect for this opening scene.   

  We don't really know why Christine is doing this, but later in the film we get the full story of why she did it from the adult Christine, played by horror legend Adrienne Barbeau.   Speaking of horror royalty, we also get to see the great Bill Moseley in this film, although I was not a fan of his part.  He plays a cop alongside an interesting casting choice in rapper Coolio.  They play a very comedic pair, which was very reminiscent of the horribly out of place cops in THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT.  The comic relief was not needed in that film, and it wasn't needed here either. 

  

  This film reminded me of movies like, DEMONS, and NIGHT OF THE DEMONS.  If you liked those films, you will love this one.   Although made in 2000, it had more of a feel of a 80's or 90's film, and that is a compliment for sure!    The film was full of some great practical effects, and the makeup effects on the main demon were amazing, utilizing some sort of glowing make up to make it look like her veins were glowing a cool blue color.  Very well done!  

 While I never saw an older version to compare it to, I have to say that his 4K UHD version looks amazing.   Very vibrant colors and super sharp picture!  If you have an older DVD of this film, you'll definitely want to do yourself a favor and make an upgrade to the 4K Ultra HD disc!

  THE CONVENT is available now from Synapse Films and MVD Entertainment and contains the following special features:

• *Limited Edition Combo (4K UHD + Blu-ray) Release of only 4000 units total
• *Limited Edition Slipcover only on this combo release
• *4K remaster of the uncut version supervised and approved by director, Mike Mendez
• *Mastered in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
• *5.1 stereo surround mix from the original 16-track audio masters
• *Cast and crew audio commentary, featuring director Mike Mendez
• *“Lords of Hell” audio commentary featuring Saul and Dickie-Boy
• *Video tour of both THE CONVENT and KILLERS film locations
• *Vintage “Making of” featurette
• *Vintage original studio Electronic Press Kit (EPK)
• *“It’s Always Something with a Virgin” Liner notes booklet from Corey Danna
• *Deleted scene
• *Gore outtakes
• *Still gallery
• *Promotional trailers
• *Reversible cover art

CLICK HERE to watch the trailer

CLICK HERE to purchase the Blu-ray

CLICK HERE to purchase the 4K UHD

Book Review: CONFESSIONS OF A SCREAM QUEEN by Matt Beckoff

CONFESSIONS OF A SCREAM QUEEN
by Matt Beckoff
Published by  BearManor Media

  As horror fans, I think we are all familiar with the term "Scream Queen".   These are the legendary actresses that have graced countless horror films and have somewhat of a cult following.    CONFESSIONS OF A SCREAM QUEEN by Matt Beckoff is an amazing look into the minds, hearts, and careers of some of the top scream queens of all time.

  Here is a brief synopsis of the book courtesy of BearManor Media:

  In Confessions of a Scream Queen, writer Matt Beckoff interviews fifteen legendary "ladies of horror".  Spanning over nine decades of cinema, Confessions is filled with entertaining and informative recollections and personal insights  about Hollywood's best-loved horror films.  Included are some rare and never before seen pictures.

  Ok, so first off, let me give you the list of the 15 Scream Queens interviewed in the book.  They are as follows:

Carla Laemmle

Lupita Tovar

Janet Anngallow

Elena Verdugo

Coleen Gray

Kathleen Hughes

Judith O'Dea

Karen Black

Ingrid Pitt

Jessica Harper

Marilyn Burns

Betsy Palmer

Dee Wallace

P. J. Soles

Adrienne Barbeau


 Now, I'll be the first to admit, even with such a huge horror fan that I am, I did not recognize all the names on this list.  I knew most of them, but some I honestly had never heard of.  It was still interesting to read about them though, as I had seen many of the movies they had been in.  

  I was a little disappointed that my favorite Scream Queen of all time wasn't included, which is the amazing Linnea Quigley.  Other than that, I think Mr. Beckoff was able to put together an amazing lineup.   My favorite one to read about was probably Marilyn Burns, who played Sally in the greatest horror film of all time, THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE.   I had heard about the uncomfortable shooting conditions before, but it was eye opening to hear it told from the actresses personal witness of it.  Marilyn describes many times in the filming where things that should have been faked were actually real, mainly to save on cost.  She described one instance in which she actually got cut with what she thought was a fake knife.   Years later she found out it was in fact a real knife they filmmakers used, and they planned on using it and actually cutting her all along!    Many instances like this were described, which will make me see TCM a lot differently next time I watch it.


CLICK HERE to purchase the book

Blu-ray Review: TALES OF HALLOWEEN (2015)

TALES OF HALLOWEEN
Directed by  Multiple Directors
Distributed by Epic Pictures

  I am a huge fan of anthology movies.  I think it's probably because I have a pretty short attention span, so multiple short stories is much easier for me to sit and watch than one story for 2 hours.   Plus, with shorts there is not much filler, or slow times.  Everything is fit into a short time frame so it's pretty much entertaining the entire running time, as long as it's a good story of course.   There are quite a few horror anthologies, some much better than others.  I honestly had no idea what to expect from TALES OF HALLOWEEN, but after watching it I can easily say it is among the top tier of horror anthologies.   Here is the plot synopsis from the film's official website:

  Named “the best horror anthology since Trick 'r Treat” by Fangoria and “among the best Halloween-themed horror movies ever made” by DailyDead, this critically acclaimed film weaves together ten chilling tales from horror's top directors. Ghosts, ghouls, monsters, and the devil delight in terrorizing unsuspecting residents of a suburban neighborhood on Halloween night. The all-star directorial lineup includes Neil Marshall (Game of Thrones, The Descent), Darren Lynn Bousman (SAW 2,3,4), Lucky McKee (The Woman, All Cheerleaders Must Die), and Mike Mendez (Gravedancers, Big Ass Spider!). Cameos by horror heavyweights such as Barry Bostwick (The Rocky Horror Picture Show), Lin Shaye (Insidious), John Savage (The Deer Hunter), Adrienne Barbeau (The Fog), John Landis (Director of Animal House), Joe Dante (Director of Gremlins), Barbara Crampton (Re-Animator, We Are Still Here), Booboo Stewart (Twilight), Keir Gilchrist (It Follows), Grace Phipps (Fright Night), Pat Healy (Cheap Thrills), Kristina Klebe (Rob Zombie's Halloween), Greg Grunberg (Heroes, Star Wars), Alex Essoe (Starry Eyes), Pollyanna McIntosh (The Woman), and more.

 This movie was so much fun, and I loved each story having been done by a different director.  It's a lot of fun to see all the different types of short stories and see all the different film styles.   This film consists of 10 shorts, which I will list and describe each a little here for you.

1. SWEET TOOTH  (Directed by Dave Parker) - The first film of the movie is a classic "urban legend" type story about a boy who's parents never let him eat his Halloween candy.  The boy killed his parents, and finally was able to eat all his candy.  The legend says that he still roams today, and you must leave part of your candy out for Sweet Tooth, otherwise you'll wind up dead!  This was one of my favorite of the short films.  It had some great gore, and what looked to be all practical effects.

2.  THE NIGHT BILLY RAISED HELL (Directed by Darren Lynn Bousman) -  This is a dark comedic tale about a boy who hangs out with the devil on Halloween, and is coerced into pulling off some crazy Halloween pranks, each one a little more worse than the previous. 

3.  TRICK  (Directed by Adam Gierasch)  -  This was a very creepy tale about a group of kids that attack the people of a house they are trick or treating at.    The man who went to the door to hand out the candy had no idea the cute little girl would end up stabbing him!  Eventually other kids join in and terrorize the people of the house.   Killer kids terrifies me, so this segment was very effective!

4.  THE WEAK AND THE WICKED  (Directed by Paul Solet)  - This was actually one of my least favorite of all the stories.   It centers around a group of bullies that have been terrorizing people since they were young kids.  This time though, they seem to have messed with the wrong person who has someone, or something on their side.

5.  GRIM GRINNING GHOST  (Directed by Axelle Carolyn) - This is a fun story about a lady driving home from a party after listening to ghost stories.  Her car breaks down and she has to walk home alone...or is she?  This is a very simple premise, but  is executed extremely well with some great, creepy imagery.

6.  DING DONG  (Directed by Lucky McKee)  - This is an interesting tale of a husband and wife who lost their son, and is now picking out the perfect replacement from the trick or treaters that come by.

7.  THIS MEANS WAR (Directed by Andrew Kasch & John Skipp)  - This was one of my favorite entries, as it deals with one of my favorite parts of the Halloween season which is the Halloween decorations.  This story is about new neighbors that come in and try to outdo the guy on the street that normally has the biggest and best decorations, ending up in a deadly battle!

8.  FRIDAY THE 31st (Directed by Mike Mendez)  -   This was a weird one, but one of my favorites!  It involves an awesome killer reminiscent of Jason Voorhees, but mixes in some humor and a little weird animated alien.  The results are a funny, but bloody, good time!

9.   THE RANSOM OF RUSTY REX  (Directed by Ryan Schifrin)  -  This is a great kidnapping tale.  The kidnappers think they are kidnapping the kid of a rich businessman, but it turns out, kidnapping this "kid" did the businessman a favor!

10.  BAD SEED  (Directed by Neil Marshall)  -  The final tale is an extremely fun tale about a demon jack-o-lantern.   Man eating jack-o-lanterns running through the streets eating people is a perfect way to end this awesome anthology!

  
  This is a must have for any horror fan in my opinion.  I hope this catches on and we get a new TALES OF HALLOWEEN every year or so, using the same format of multiple short films all made by different directors.  I also have to mention all the awesome cameos from some horror legends, such as:  Adrienne Barbeau, Caroline Williams, Tiffany Shepis, Barbara Crampton, Mick Garris, Stuart Gordon, Felissa Rose, John Landis, Kristina Klebe, Adam Green, and Joe Dante!

  TALES is available now on an awesome Blu-ray/DVD/CD combo pack and contains the following special features:

*  7 Bonus Short Films
*  Feature Commentary
*  Bonus Commentary Tracks on Certain Shorts
*  Deleted Scene (Grim Grinning Ghost)
*  Anatomy of a Scene  (Friday the 31st)
*  Fun Facts  (Pop-On Video Commentary for Selected Segments)
*  Photo Gallery  (Bad Seed)
*  Storyboards  (Ding Dong)
*  Diaries  (23 Videos of Behind-the-Scenes & Interviews)
*  Collectible Trading Cards
*  CD Soundtrack



CLICK HERE to watch the trailer
CLICK HERE to purchase the DVD/BD/CD combo pack