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

Blu-ray Review: THE GRAPES OF DEATH (1978)

THE GRAPES OF DEATH
a.k.a. "Les raisins de la mort"            
Directed by  Jean Rollin
Distributed by Kino Lorber/Redemption Films

  If you are not familiar with Kino Lorber and Redemption Films, you really need to be.  They have been putting out some amazing Blu-ray releases over the last few years, including lots of films from the late, great, Jean Rollin.    The latest release that I watched was THE GRAPES OF DEATH, one of the scarier and gorier films from Rollin's body of work.   Here is the basic plot of the film from the Kino Lorber website:

  The polluted wine produced for a village's annual Grape Harvest Festival has left all but a few rabid with some chemically- engendered form of zombiism. They may saunter about like sleepwalkers, but these are not the zombies of George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead (1968); they are, rather, oozing transmitters of an impassioned insanity that can only be termed anarchy.

 This is a very interesting film, as the "zombies" are caused by a physical sickness, one that turns their skin into oozing mounds of puss and blood.  Yes, that is gross for sure, but seeing it on film is even worse!   Rollin did an amazing job with this one, greatly increasing the amount of blood and gore that are usually found within his films.   

  Like his other films,  THE GRAPES OF DEATH is very atmospheric and gives off a very creepy mood.   Rollin always uses great set pieces and great locations for his films.  Unlike his other films, he focuses on story and horror elements rather than just nudity and sexuality like a lot of his other films. 

  If you've never seen a film by Jean Rollin, this is a great on to start with.  THE GRAPES OF DEATH is available now on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Entertainment and contains the following special features:

*  Mastered in HD from the original 35mm negative
*  Introduction by Jean Rollin
*  Interview with Jean Rollin, by Patrick Lambert and Frederick Durand (2007, 49 min.), in which Rollin discusses his varied literary influences
*  16-page booklet with an essay by Tim Lucas, editor of Video Watchdog
*  Original theatrical trailer
*  Original trailers of other Rollin films


CLICK HERE to watch the trailer
CLICK HERE to purchase the DVD or Blu-ray

DVD Review: BLOOD CAR

BLOOD CAR
Directed by  Alex Orr
Distributed by Horizon Movies / Kino Lorber

I have to admit I had never heard of BLOOD CAR when it arrived on my doorstep for review.  It had a pretty ridiculous story and looked to be very low budget, so needless to say I was not expecting much going into this film.   Fortunately, my first feelings about this film were proven to be 100% wrong after viewing this film.   This film was a blast and one of the better horror/comedy films to be released in years!   Here is the basic plot synopsis from the film's press release:

  In the all-too-forseeable future, gas prices approach $40 a gallon, causing some Americans to abandon their vehicles and others to seek alternate sources of fuel. When a mild-mannered schoolteacher (Mike Brune) invents an experimental engine that thrives on blood, he attracts the attention of two women who vie for his affection: Denise (Katie Rowlett), the proprietress of a butcher stand, and Lorraine (My Girl's Anna Chlumsky) who runs a rival veggie stand in a grim urban landscape. But Archie's need for speed soon surpasses his body's ability to regenerate fluids, so he takes desperate measures to satisfy the Blood Car's thirst.

  First and foremost, this movie was just flat out FUN!   This is a truly entertaining movie.  It had buckets of gore, but at the same time, gallons of laughter!  The acting was very good, and it was a lot of fun to see Anna Chlumsky on screen again.  I know she has done a lot of acting, but I had not seen here since MY GIRL back in 1991!  The main character played by Mike Brune was very likeable and played the role of Archie perfectly.   It was fun to watch him go from a guy that cried when he killed a squirrel to someone that didn't think twice about throwing a man (or woman) into the trunk of his car for "fuel"

  I really hope more people start talking about this film and checking it out.  I think it is an instant cult classic from director Alex Orr. 

  I highly recommend BLOOD CAR to all fans of the horror-comedy genre.  The DVD is available now from Kino Lorber.  It contains the following special features:

*  Theatrical Trailer
*  The Adventure  (short film)
*  The $100 Short Short  (short film)


CLICK HERE to watch the trailer
CLICK HERE to purchase the DVD