Clive Barker's classic RAWHEAD REX gets new BD release!

 This is something I have been hoping and waiting a long time for .  Clive Barker's film RAWHEAD REX is finally getting re-released!   An old DVD is available, but it is long out of print and very hard to come by.  Some copies have gone for around $100 on eBay recently.   I had always wondered why this film hasn't had a re-release over the years, and I had pretty much given up on it. 

 Well, the wait is over!  The great folks at Kino Lorber have recently announced that they are in fact releasing RAWHEAD REX!  They will release a 4K restoration of the film theatrically, and then a Blu-ray later in the fall.   No exact release date has been announced yet, but be sure to follow Kino Lorber on Facebook and Twitter to keep up with the details!


CLICK HERE to watch the RAWHEAD REX trailer
CLICK HERE to visit the Kino Lorber website

I hope you all had a great wonderful Holiday weekend!!

 Sorry for the lack of posts lately, but it was a very busy week this past week getting ready for Christmas!   My family had a wonderful day yesterday, and I hope yours did as well!

 While presents aren't the reason for Christmas, of course, they are a fun added bonus!  Especially if you get some cool horror related presents!!  This year, I just gone one horror related present, but it was a doozy!  I got the Arrow UK release of the HELLRAISER:  SCARLET BOX Blu-ray box set!  This release is pretty amazing and includes the first 3 HELLRAISER films, a 4th disc about the legacy of Clive Barker including some of his short films, and a 200 page hardback book about Clive Barker and the Hellraiser films.   This was my favorite gift for sure this year!


 So, leave me a comment, let me know what your favorite gift was, especially if it was anything horror related!

  Merry Christmas!

DVD Review: CLIVE BARKER ORIGINS: SALOME AND THE FORBIDDEN

CLIVE BARKER ORIGINS:  SALOME AND THE FORBIDDEN
Written and Directed by:  Clive Barker
Distributed by MVD Entertainment

  If you are a fan of Clive Barker, you will definitely want to check out SALOME & THE FORBIDDEN,  two short films made by Barker back in the 70's.   SALOME was made in 1973 when Barker was only 21 years old.  THE FORBIDDEN was filmed in 1978 when Barker was 26.   It is very interesting to get to see these early works of Mr. Barker's.   These two short films have been released together on one DVD from MVD.  Here is a bit about the films from the MVD website:

  In 1970s Liverpool, Clive Barker and a small group of friends from college made two short films. "Salome" (1973) and "The Forbidden" (1978) feature early footage of Barker, who also did most of the special effects, and Doug Bradley, who went on to fame as Pinhead in the "Hellraiser" films. Also included are interviews with Barker, Bradley and other key players. Contains graphic violence and nudity. "Salome" is an 18-minute version of the tale based on the Oscar Wilde play and "The Forbidden" is a 35-minute short.

  These films are very strange to say the least.  There is very little to no dialog in the films.  They are very "art-house" type films full of weird, creepy imagery and scenes.  Seeing as how they were shot in the 70's on pretty cheap film equipment, the quality is pretty bad so keep that in mind when you go to view these films.  Also, if there were plots for these films, I sure couldn't find them upon viewing these short films.  I'm not sure if plot is really what Barker was concentrating on here, though.   I think these were filmed more as a showcase for his special effects and creepy imagery.

  It's pretty amazing to see what Barker went on to do when you compare these early films to his more modern stuff.  I think everyone would agree that the HELLRAISER films were his greatest achievement.  Some of the imagery is similar and it is very interesting to see how he started his career.  

  Included on this DVD is a great interview with a young Clive Barker about his early films.  This was a very interesting interview I had never seen before and to me, makes this DVD worth the purchase for sure.   The DVD is available now from MVD.


CLICK HERE to purchase the DVD

 

 

 

 

Book Review: THE PAINTER, THE CREATURE, AND THE FATHER OF LIES: A COLLECTION BY CLIVE BARKER Edited by Phil and Sarah Stokes

 
 
THE PAINTER, THE CREATURE, AND THE FATHER OF LIES:  A COLLECTION BY CLIVE BARKER
Edited by Phil and Sarah Stokes
Published by Earthling Publications

 Most horror fans are very familiar with the name Clive Barker.   Some might know him just from his films  (HELLRAISER, NIGHTBREED), but most will also know him as a brillian author and quite an amazing artist as well.    Barker's "Books of Blood" series is considered one of the greatest horror anthologies every printed, and most everyone is familiar with his "Abarat" series, and his story, "The Hellbound Heart", which was the basis for the film HELLRAISER.

 While Barker has written many novels and short stories, he has also written hundreds of introductions, forewords, and short pieces for other people's work as well.  You will find most all of those collected here, together for the first time.  Here is the synopsis of the book from the Earthling Publications website:

 From the man who has brought you twenty books of dark fiction and fantasy, unforgettable horror movies such HELLRAISER and CANDYMAN, and countless paintings and illustrations, this is the first-ever collection of Clive Barker’s nonfiction. Representing more than 25 years of writing, THE PAINTER, THE CREATURE, AND THE FATHER OF LIES contains:

* All the introductions he’s written for his own works (prefaces in fiction and non-fiction books, liner notes on CDs/laserdiscs/DVDs, introductions in graphic novel adaptations, text of theatre playbills, and more);
* All the forewords and afterwords he’s written on other people’s works (books, graphic novels, etc.); and
* Essays and articles written for magazines on the horror genre and other topics.

These have never been collected together and many are nearly impossible to track down. Furthermore, from Barker’s personal archives: a couple of unpublished pieces, including an unused self-penned introduction to Volume 1 of the BOOKS OF BLOOD from 1983 written from the point of view of a demon interviewing Clive Barker.

The editors, Phil and Sarah Stokes, who operate the official Clive Barker website at www.clivebarker.info, have spent the past several years compiling these 100 separate pieces to produce a truly definitive work. This collection features a new foreword by Barker, an introduction by the Stokes, and new illustrations by Barker. The numbered and lettered edition will contain bonus material: cover images for the majority of publications in which the nonfiction pieces were first published.

If you haven’t read any of Barker’s nonfiction, you’ll find that it’s just as compelling, enjoyable, and well-written as his fiction. These pieces cover the inspirations for his works, insights into the creative process, and musings on art and the horror genre. Not currently scheduled to be published anywhere else, don’t miss this landmark collection from a modern master of horror and dark fantasy.

 

 That is a very lengthy synopsis, but that is necessary to tell you what all you will find inside this book.

Along with all the linear notes Barker wrote to his movies, it is the lesser known writings that I found so interesting in this book.  Some of the writings I found so interesting were ones like the linear notes he wrote for the LORD OF ILLUSIONS unrated laser disc, something I had never read since I never owned a laser disc player!  Barker also wrote an introduction to the Imajica card game rule book and even more obscure, an open letter to the editors of 100 U.S Newspapers that he wrote back in 1997 where he, along with P.E.T.A., was requesting that they stop publishing stories about hunting and killing animals in the Outdoors sections of their newspapers, saying these kinds of stories belong on the obituary pages!  

 There is very rare and obscure stuff like this all throughout this amazing book.  The regular hardcover is out of print at this time, but keep your eyes peeled for a second printing which I'm sure will happen at some point.  But, true Clive Barker fans will want to purchase the limited edition signed copy which is still available on the Earthling Publications website.  The limited edition is limited to 250 numbered hardcovers, is bound in leather and housed in a cloth-covered slipcase, and signed by Clive Barker and Phil and Sarah Stokes!  This limited edition sells for $125.  While that seems like a lot of money, you are getting a very rare collectible signed by Clive Barker himself.  I would say that is actually quite a bargain, especially when you consider the out of print regular hardcover sells on Amazon.com for over $100!

 Any Clive Barker fan will need a copy of this book in their personal library.  Don't miss out on your chance to get this great book and rare collectible!

CLICK HERE to order the signed, leather bound, limited edition copy of the book