SEVERIN BLACK FRIDAY SALE!

Severin Films has their annual Black Friday Sale coming this Friday, November 29, led by the North American UHD premieres of the now-restored Delicatessen and Antiviral.

The weekend webstore event also features the North American Blu-ray premiere of Lamberto Bava’s long-unseen The Mask of Satan; a pair of worldwide UHD premieres from director Bruno Mattei and screenwriters Claudio Fragasso and Rossella Drudi with Rats: Night of Terror and Hell of the Living Dead, both with bonus soundtrack CDs and all-new novelizations; the worldwide UHD premieres of the landmark cannibal shockers Eaten Alive, directed by Umberto Lenzi, and Slave of the Cannibal God directed by Sergio Martino; the North American UHD premiere of Ruggero Deodato’s grisly Last Cannibal World; the worldwide UHD premiere Aldo Lado’s controversial Night TRain Murders with 5 hours of special features and bonus Ennio Morricone soundtrack CD; and the worldwide disc Premiere of Jess Franco’s sexy Altman-esque mosaic Thong Girls.

The Severin webstore will also be offering exclusive bundles, all-new Severin merch, a Saturday-only box set sale and 50% off most Severin/Intervision library titles. The sale will take place from 12:01am EST on 11/29 to 11:59pm PST on 12/2 at Severin’s site.

Read any of the linked titles to see a full article.

Delicatessen: In UHD for the first time ever in North America, co-writers/directors Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro’s film about odd jobs and strange neighbors, circus stars and troglodytes, fresh meat and true love is now available from Severin, restored in 4K from the original camera negative by StudioCanal under the supervision of Jeunet.

The North American UHD premiere will be released as a 3 disc collection with an incredible 6 hours of new and archival Special Features curated exclusively for this edition, including commentary from Jean-Pierre Jeunet, interviews with the co-directors and producer Terry Gilliam, short films and an exclusive booklet by Claire Donner of The Miskatonic Institute Of Horror Studies.

Eaten AliveThe UHD of Umberto Lenzi’s film has so many extras, including commentary by Nathaniel Thompson and Troy Howarth; an interview with Lenzi; a Deodato Meats Lenzi featurette; the documentary Me Me Lai Bites Back; interviews; newly discovered alternate footage; a trailer and an exclusive booklet by Claire Donner Of The Miskatonic Institute Of Horror Studies.

Rats: Night of Terror: Director Bruno Mattei and screenwriters Claudio Fragasso and Rossella Drudi take us to 225 A.B. (After The Bomb), as a gang of scavengers discover a seemingly abandoned city – including sets originally built for Once Upon a Time In America – only to become prey for millions of flesh-hungry rats. This has been scanned in 4K from the original camera negative for the first time ever and has 3 hours of new and archival special features and a bonus CD of the recently discovered/remastered soundtrack, plus”Under The Black Sky” by Pornographie Exclusive, a Severin produced music video with Geretta Geretta.

Slave of the Cannibal GodAfter creating some of the best gialli of the ‘70s, director Sergio Martino entered the cannibal cycle here. When a British scientist disappears in the jungles of New Guinea, his wife hires an American anthropologist lead her deep into a green inferno of graphic violence, steamy nudity and several of the most notorious scenes in the entire genre. Scanned in 4K from the original camera negative with over 3 hours of special features, this has a new interview with Martino, audio commentary by Claire Donner of the Miskatonic Institute Of Horror Studies and more.

Hell of the Living Dead: It’s no accident that Severin used our review for sales copy for this, reminding viewers that this movie is “absolutely insane.” What began as the epic global zombie apocalypse screenplay by Claudio Fragasso and Rossella Drudi became – via the inimitable vision of director Bruno Mattei and a fraction of the original budget – this wild effort, now on UHD and scanned in 4K from the original camera negative for the first time in America, complete with a CD of its soundtrack.

Last Cannibal WorldFor the first film in his unofficial Cannibal Trilogy, director Ruggero Deodato created this film, which is presented in UHD for the first time ever in North America, now scanned in 4K from the original negative with over 2½ hours of special features and a webstore exclusive blu ray disc containing the alternate U.S. version of the film, as well as commentary by Deodato, moderated by Freak-O-Rama’s Federico Caddeo.

Thong GirlsThis 1983 production from writer/director Jess Franco can finally be experienced as one of his most surprising and heartfelt offerings of the decade. It’s summer’s end in the resort city of Benidorm, where seductive foreigners, conniving hustlers, gullible tourists and insatiable celebrities all come together in a barbed confection that’s part sunny comedy, part Nashville-style satire and totally, unmistakably, sexy Franco fun. It’s scanned in 2K from the original camera negative with over 2 hours of new special features, such as Francomania’s John Dixon and William Morris and more of Stephen Thrower’s journeys in the land of Franco.

Night Train MurdersFor far too long, this 1974 shocker directed by Aldo Lado has been dismissed as a Last House On the Left knockoff. Now it can be experienced as it should be, on its own merit, in UHD for the first time ever. Scanned in 4K from the original camera negative with over 5 hours of special features — such as commentary by Aldo Lado, moderated by Freak-O-Rama’s Federico Caddeo, and a soundtrack CD — this is why Severin remains one of the best physical media labels.

AntiviralThe award-winning debut feature by writer/director Brandon Cronenberg has been scanned in 4K from the 35mm protection internegative supervised by Brandon Cronenberg and cinematographer Karim Hussain with 3 hours of new and archival special features.

The Mask of Satan: From writer/director Lamberto Bava comes a modern-day reimagining of his father’s classic Black Sunday! also known as Demons 5: The Devil’s Veil, this is scanned in 2K from the original camera negative for the first time ever in North America and has an interview with Bava.

Plus! The first ever release of the Rats: Night of Terror soundtrack, as well as Morricone’s Night Train Murders score and the Goblin’s Hell of the Living Dead soundtrack including a bonus track by OG UK punk band Peter & The Test Tube Babies “Zombie Creeping Flesh” among others.

Plus! Two brand new, epic novelizations by Brad Carter, co-produced by Encyclopocalypse: Virus: Hell of the Living Dead and Rats: Night of Terror! Carter consulted with original screenwriters Claudio Fragasso and Rossella Drudi about their original visions and has penned two ultimate publications in the fine tradition of splatter-filled pulp novels.

There’s also a Saturday box set sale with 50% off the following movies:

  • All The Haunts Be Ours: A Compendium Of Folk Horror Vol. 1
  • The Complete Lenzi/Baker Giallo Collection
  • Cushing Curiosities
  • Danza Macabra Vol. One: The Italian Gothic Collection
  • Danza Macabra Vol. Two: The Italian Gothic Collection
  • The Dungeon of Andy Milligan Collection
  • The Eurocrypt of Christopher Lee Collection Vol 1
  • The Eurocrypt of Christopher Lee Collection Vol 2
  • House of Psychotic Women Rarities Collection
  • The Incredibly Strange Films of Ray Dennis Steckler
  • Nasty Habits: The Nunsploitation Collection
  • Violent Streets: The Umberto Lenzi/Tomas Milian Collection
  • The Sensual World of Black Emanuelle
These movies will be half-off for the first time!

New merchandise includes a Severin 2024 tour shirt; a Slave of the Cannibal God shirt; a Last Cannibal World shirt; a Rats: Night of Terror long sleeve; a Medusa Video/Severin logo shirt, hoodie and sticker; a Merlin Video/Severin shirt; a Zombie Creeping Flesh button; a directed by Vincent Dawn sticker and a Severin Zippo lighter.

Bundles include:

  • The Everything Bundle: Just like the name says, everything in the sale for $540.
  • Just the Discs: $340
  • Tanto/Mattei Bundle: Hell of the Living Dead, Rats: Night of Terror, Rats book, Medusa sticker, Virus book, Merlin Video shirt, Zombie Creeping Flesh button, directed by Vincent Dawn sticker, Medusa Video shirt of hoodie. $235 for the hoodie bundle or $205 for the t-shirt bundle.
  • Cannibale Bundle: Eaten AliveLast Cannibal World and shirt,  Slave of the Cannibal God and shirt: $165

Learn the rules of the sale here and be at Severin’s site right after Thanksgiving. I know I will!

ARROW VIDEO BOX SET RELEASE: Shaw Scope Volume 3

After the release of Shaw Scope Volume 1 and Volume 2, this third set is bringing even more excitement thanks to Arrow Video. With no delay, here’s what is on this version!

The One-Armed Swordsman

Return of the One-Armed Swordsman

The New One-Armed Swordsman

The iconic One-Armed Swordsman trilogy, directed between 1967 and 1971 by wuxia cinema godfather Chang Cheh, made household names of stars Wang Yu and David Chiang and set the gory template for many of the films to come.

The Lady Hermit

Cheng Pei-pei is a virtuous swordswoman called upon to stop a vicious warlord.

Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan

Chor Yuen’s scandalous film has a lady of the night becoming an expert in every deadly skill she can to get get revenge on those who enslaved her.

The 14 Amazons

Cheng Chan directed nearly all of Shaws’ finest starlets as they portray the real-life women of the Yang dynasty, avenging their fallen menfolk in battle.

The Magic Blade

Clans of Intrigue

Jade Tiger

The Sentimental Swordsman

Chor Yuen adapted several beloved novels by consummate wuxia storyteller Gu Long to the big screen, four of which are in this set.

Avenging Eagle

Killer Constable

Buddha’s Palm

Bastard Swordsman

Wuxia would change with these films created by Sun Chung and Kuei Chih-hung’s films in the 70s and even further in the 80s thanks to Taylor Wong and Lu Chun-ku.

Each film is a new 2K remaster from the original source materials and comes with extras and commentary tracks.

It all comes in a huge box that has an illustrated 60-page collectors’ booklet featuring new writing by David West, Jonathan Clements and Dylan Cheung, plus cast and crew listings and notes on each film by Ian Jane. There’s also new artwork by Chris Malbon, “Kung Fu Bob” O’Brien, Tom Ralston, Ilan Sheady, Tony Stella and Jolyon Yates and an exclusive CD of music from the De Wolfe Music Library as heard in several Shaw Brothers classics.

Plus a bonus disk that has the South Korean version of Killer Constable, an appreciation of director Chor Yuen; interviews with stuntwoman Sharon Yeung, actor Ti Lung, director Chor Yuen, screenwriter Sze-to On, actor Ku Feng and actor Eddy Ko; an appreciation of Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan from 2003 by academic Sze Man-hung, musician Kwan King-chung and filmmaker Clarence Fok; and an appreciation of Chor Yuen’s career by film historian Sam Ho.

This is a must buy. I’ve been loving filling in my collection with these high quality Shaw Brothers releases. They make movies that you’ve seen so many times look as if they were new.

You can get it from MVD.

SEVERIN BOX SET RELEASE: All the Haunts Be Ours: A Compendium Of Folk Horror Vol. 2

All the Haunts Be Ours: A Compendium Of Folk Horror Vol. 2 offers 24 movies from 18 countries, many of them making their debuts on blu ray, along with 55+ hours of special features and a 252-page hardcover book of new folk horror fiction by Ramsey Campbell, Cassandra Khaw and Eden Royce with illustrations by Drazen Kozjan.

Curated and produced by Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched creator Kier-La Janisse, this set builds on the initial box to go deeper, finding films that I’ve always wanted to see as well as several that were until now unknown to me, including:

There’s also a gorgeous book that gives an overview of each movie, so if this is your first time entering the world of folk horror, you’ll have a guide. I’d been so excited that Litan and The Ninth Heart were being released by Severin but as I’ve watched the set, I’ve discovered several new favorites along the way.

With no hyperbole, I would say that this is an essential set, whether you are a physical media collector, a horror lover or just want to watch something different. The fact that the world is a much smaller place now thanks to the internet has allowed us to watch movies in perfect versions that we’d only heard of or read of in books. At best, we would see fifth generation VHS tapes that were so filled with static and noise that often we couldn’t see the image and unless you spoke the native tongue, you’d have no idea what was happening.

This set gifts us with near-perfect transfers of these films along with subtitles and bonus features to give us better insight into what we’re watching. Plus, the box art design by Luke Insect carries through the booklet that holds all of the discs. What an overall package by Severin, who have been pushing the standards of their releases with each new offering.

Want to watch more? Here’s a Letterboxd list of the films that have been mentioned in Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched. To learn more about how this set was made, please read our interview with its curator, Kier-La Janisse.

If you’d rather listen, the interview is part of these two special episodes of the podcast:

All the Haunts Be Ours Volume 2 can be ordered now from Severin.

There’s also a special bundle that you should know about.

Limited to 750 pieces, this also comes with a folk horror-themed Severin logo tote, a Hand of Glory tea infuser, a paper puppet theater for The Ninth Heart, a Corpse Roads tea towel and a double-sided Blood On the Stars zine. You can also get this from Severin.

If that’s not enough…

There’s also a Woodlands Days and Dark booster pack for the oracle cards that Severin released with the first set. This has twenty new cards and a fabric bag to hold them. You can also get this from Severin.

RADIANCE FILMS BOX SET RELEASE: Daiei Gothic: Japanese Ghost Stories

Radiance Films has just released this new set, filled with a collection of three of Japan’s most famous ghost stories that have haunted people for centuries. Beyond releasing Rashomon and series of movies featuring Gamera, Zatoichi, the Yokai Monsters and Daimajin, Daiei also released several dark horror films. And hey — they even had their own baseball team, the Daiei Stars, which later became the Daiei Unions, who are now known today as the Chiba Lotte Marines.

Radiance’s set has three horror visions from Daiei that have “elegant visuals and ominous shadows rival the best of Terence Fisher or Mario Bava, while their iconic female ghosts would greatly influence Asian genre cinema, from Hong Kong fantasy spectacles such as A Chinese Ghost Story to J-Horror.”

Here are the films in the set:

The Snow Woman: Directed by Tokuzo Tanaka (Zatoichi), this finds a woodcutter who must keep his oath to a vengeful female spirit or pay the ultimate price.

The Ghost of Yotsuya: Directed by Kenji Misumi (Lone Wolf and Cub), this is the story of a woman who comes back from the grave as a disfigured spectre set to haunt her husband and his new wife.

The Bride from Hades: Directed by Satsuo Yamamoto (Shinobi), this ghost story has a handsome samurai so enchanted by a courtesan’s beauty that he doesn’t realize that she’s not alive.

The Daiei Gothic set is a must have, as it allows you to have three imaginative and gorgeous Japanese horror classics in your library for one low price. I’ve seen these before on YouTube with washed out colors and imperfect subtitles. Seeing them in this set was a revelation.

The Daiei Gothic: Japanese Ghost Stories box set from Radiance Films has new 4K restorations of each film, all inside a newly designed box with artwork by Time Tomorrow. There’s also a limited edition 80-page perfect bound book featuring new writing by authors Tom Mes, Zack Davisson and Paul Murray, newly translated archival reviews and ghost stories by Lafcadio Hearn. This is a limited edition of 4,000 copies presented in a rigid box with full-height Scanavo cases for each film and removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings.

You can order this set from MVD.

ARROW VIDEO BOX SET RELEASE: J-Horror Rising

J-Horror gets its start in the Japanese horror films of the 1980s. There were definitely Japanese horror films before, but the country seemed to find some unique influences from this point on that influenced other nations — particularly America — to be influenced by them instead of the other way around. As J-Horror pushed the horror form away from gore, it created atmospheric films of dread.

These haunted house-style films can be traced to several places. Certainly, Hausu is an early take on the haunted house genre, as is Sweet Home, which went on to form the basis of the Resident Evil video games.

In Colette Balmain’s Introduction to Japanese Horror Film, the idea of the family being destroyed is horrifying. That’s why so many of these films explore the breakup of the family unit and mothers often become monstrous specters of metaphysical death and destruction.

To get the whole story of J-Horror, I turned to someone who knows way more about it than me, Jennifer Upton, the author of Japanese Cult Cinema: Films From the Second Golden Age Selected Essays & Review. You can get it an Amazon.

Here’s what she had to say:

Although the first Japanese horror film is widely acknowledged as Onibaba, the term J-Horror did not become popular until the ‘90s and aughts when films like Ringu and Ju-On The Grudge became international sensations.

Unlike a Universal monster film or an ‘80s slasher, when you watch a J-Horror movie, you are watching Japan’s history going back all the way to the Edo Period unfold before your eyes. The stories are often thematically similar or an outright re-telling of ancient tales featuring ghosts, yokai or oni, originally made popular in the Noh and Kabuki plays of Japan’s past.

Like their theatrical forefathers, these films offer a slower pace than western audiences are accustomed to, relying instead on quietly disturbing sequences dripping with atmosphere achieved through lighting and sound design.

The major difference between western horror and J-Horror is in the films’ sense of sadness, loss and inevitability. In J-Horror, even a happy ending isn’t really all that happy. Although a ghost or vengeful spirit may be temporarily sated, the trauma left behind is almost always intergenerational and self-perpetuating. It’s precisely because the films in this set didn’t enjoy the global success of its contemporaries that we J-horror fans must gorge upon it like fresh sushi. To the rarely seen Noroi in particular, I say, “Get in my belly!”

Thanks Jenn!

Now, Arrow Video has released a box set of seven movies that are example of this the horror films that emerged in Japan at the turn of the millennium.

Shikoku: A young woman returns after many years to her rural birthplace, only to find her best friend from childhood has died by drowning when just sixteen. The dead girl’s mother, the local Shintoist priestess, has embarked on the region’s famous pilgrimage – but why is she walking backwards?

Isola: Multiple Personality GirlThe aftermath of the devastating Kobe Earthquake of 1995 creates fissures in the already fractured mind of a high-school girl, allowing an unwelcome intruder to set up home in her head and leaving a volunteer worker with psychic powers to determine which of her personas is the fake one.

Inugami: A teacher from Tokyo finds himself drawn to a local papermaker, only to find himself the subject of some hostility from her extended family, who have long ties to the region and are rumored to be the descendants of the guardians of ancient evil canine spirits.

St. John’s WortThe art designer for a horror-themed videogame is forced to confront her childhood traumas when her colleagues ask her to gather visual materials from the creepy gothic mansion she has inherited from her estranged artist father.

Carved: The Slit-Mouthed WomanHome isn’t the safest place for the potential child victims of the slit-mouthed mother and killer in this disturbing supernatural horror.

Persona: A new craze for wearing ceramic masks sweeps the students of a high school, unleashing a wave of anonymous juvenile delinquency.

Noroi: The Curse: An investigative reporter into paranormal phenomena is forced to confront horrors beyond his wildest imagination after learning about an ancient folkloric demon.

This set includes an illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing by Eugene Thacker, Jasper Sharp, Anton Bitel, Amber T., Mark Player, Jim Harper and Sarah Appleton; a double-sided foldout poster featuring newly commissioned artwork by John Conlon and packaging with newly commissioned artwork by John Conlon.

You can get it from MVD.

ARROW VIDEO BOX SET RELEASE: The Nico Mastorakis Collection

I’ve been enjoying so many of the Arrow Video Nico Mastorakis releases, including BloodtideNightmare at Noon.com for MurderDeath Has Blue EyesThe WindThe Zero BoysHired to Kill and Bloodstone.

Now, they’ve released a box set containing six of the director, writer and producer’s movies.

Mastorakis started as a newspaper reporter, getting an exclusive interview with the exiled Princess Soraya and posing as a member of Giannis Poulopoulos’ band to get on Aristotle Onassis’ yacht, hiding a camera behind the strings of his guitar to break the news that the Greek businessman was marrying Jackie O. He also hosted 22 different radio shows, brought The Beatles and The Rolling Stones to Greek ears, and produced the early recordings of Vangelis Papathanassiou before he would become Vangelis.

If that’s not enough, he was one of the first creators on Greek television and was forced off the air twice for speaking freely. He was also part of an infamous interview with students arrested during the Athens Polytechnic uprising that led to them being threatened if they did not comply with being presented on TV.

Unable to work in Greek television after this, he started making movies like Island of Death and The Greek Tycoon, based on his knowledge of Onassis. He’s made scores of movies since then, as well as coming back to Greece where he became involved in television and radio, just like the old days.

He’s a fascinating person. The films that he made are the perfect cable or video rental era time capsules of movies you just had to see or bring home because the descriptions were just so weird. I’m so into this box set, which has the following movies:

The Time Traveler: A widow (Adrienne Barbeau) of an astronaut and her young son come across a mysterious man (Keir Dullea) with uncanny powers on a beach in Greece.

Sky HighThree American jocks on holiday in Greece are given a tape by a mysterious figure, who begs them to not let it fall into the wrong hands before being shot by an unseen assassin.

Terminal ExposureTwo carefree beach photographers accidentally photograph a murder and immediately set after the assassin: a tall, gorgeous blonde with a rose tattoo on her behind.

Glitch!Two bumbling burglars throw the house party of the century in the luxury home of a Hollywood producer until a group of mobsters show up determined to collect what the producer owes them – no matter what.

Ninja Academy: Take a martial arts school, throw in a snotty rich kid, a clumsy geek, a paranoid survivalist, two beach joggers, a cool secret agent and a mime…and you get this movie.

The Naked Truth: Two friends decide to pass as women and pose as makeup artists for a local beauty pageant to elude a vicious mafia boss. It seems like the perfect cover, until the mafioso gets the hots for one of them.

This Arrow Video box set includes Nico’s Self Interviews, six brand new interviews with writer, director and producer Nico Mastorakis where he looks back on how the films in this collection came to be, featuring behind-the-scenes footage and cast and crew interviews. You also get an illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the career Nico Mastorakis by critic Barry Forshaw and limited edition deluxe packaging with reversible sleeves featuring newly commissioned artwork by Colin Murdoch.

Get it from MVD.

September Drive-In Super Monster-Rama 2024 Primer

September Drive-In Super Monster-Rama is back at The Riverside Drive-In Theatre in Vandergrift, PA on September 27 and 28, 2024. Admission is still only $15 per person each night (children 12 and under free with adult) and overnight camping is available (breakfast included) for an additional $15 per person. You can buy tickets at the show but get there early and learn more here.

The features for Friday, September 27 are The RavenThe TerrorThe Little Shop of Horrors and Attack of the Crab Monsters. Saturday, September 28 has The BeyondOperaCemetery Man and A Blade In the Dark.

For a list of all of the movies that have ever played the Monster-Rama, click here.

Here are the two drinks I’ll be bringing Friday!

The Raven (from this site)

  • 1 oz. vodka
  • 1 oz. rum
  • 1 oz. blue curacao
  • 1 oz. Chambord
  1. Mix all ingredients with ice in a cocktail shaker.
  2. Pour into a glass, then top with Chambord.

Audrey 3

  • 2 oz. Midori
  • 1 oz. triple sec
  • 1 oz. vodka
  • 1 oz. lemon juice
  • 2 oz. pineapple juice
  1. Shake it all in a cocktail shaker and pour into a glass.
  2. Feed me Seymour.

Here are the drinks I’ll be bringing Saturday!

Hurricane Emily

  • 3 oz. Malibu rum
  • 1 oz. high proof rum
  • 1 oz. Passoa
  • 3 oz. passion fruit juice
  • 2 oz. orange juice
  • 1 oz. lemon juice
  1. Pour juices over ice.
  2. Mix in your alcohol and stir.

Dellamorte Dellamore

  • 2 oz. tequila
  • 2 oz. cider
  • .5 oz. lemon juice
  • .5 oz. Cointreau
  • .5 oz. Campari
  • 2 dashes orange bitters
  • Dash of cinnamon
  1. Mix all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice.
  2. Pour in a glass and enjoy. Feel free to top with more cider.

A recap of every Visual Vengeance release

Specializing in analog salvage and distribution. SOV, cult, horror and sci-fi action, Visual Vengeance has had some amazing releases over the last few years. Here’s a list of all of their current and future releases, which will be updated as new films are added.

Visual Vengeance on Blu-ray

Visual Vengeance on Tubi (Letterboxd list)

Visual Vengeance on VHS

Visual Vengeance films shown at Nitehawk Cinema (and other theaters)

Shot On Shitteo Film Festival at Atlanta Film Freak Society

Trailers on YouTube and Blu-rays for movies not available on Blu-ray yet

Teased on social media

Interviews I’ve done with Visual Vengeance directors

You can follow Visual Vengeance on social media on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. You can watch trailers here.

Despiser coming from Visual Vengeance!

After losing his job and his wife, Gordon crashes his car and lands in purgatory, where he’s attacked by fanatics and enslaved souls. He’s soon saved by a quirky band of freedom fighters from different historical eras, all of whom died in noble sacrifice. Reluctantly joining their cause, Gordon embarks on a wild adventure through surreal, hellish landscapes to battle the Despiser, the malevolent ruler of the realm. Facing shifting realities, monstrous creatures, and intense car chases over lava oceans, their journey leads to the ultimate showdown to save all of humanity.

Phillips Cook’s quirky, non-stop menagerie of machine gun battles, early CGI masterwork and endless array of monsters make it one of the most unique direct to video features of the VHS and early DVD era. Cook painstakingly crafts a green screen netherworld steeped in brutal violence, religious mythology and action movie tropes, all filtered through a dream-like, hallucinogenic lens that never once takes its foot off the gas.

Bonus features for Despiser include:

  • Producer-supervised SD master from original tape source
  • Commentary with director Philip J. Cook and stars Mark Redfield and Gage Sheridan
  • New 2023 Interview with director Philip J. Cook and star Mark Hyde
  • Commentary with Sam Panico of B&S About Movies — Hey! That’s me! — and Bill Van Ryn of Drive-In Asylum
  • The Making of Despiser
  • Deleted Scenes
  • Blooper Reel
  • Outtakes Reel
  • Despiser: Storyboard To Animation
  • Original DVD Menu Animated Intro
  • Behind The Scenes Gallery
  • Image and Art Gallery
  • Despiser Trailers
  • Visual Vengeance Trailer
  • Outerworld Trailer
  • Invader Trailer
  • Optional French audio soundtrack
  • Optional English Subtitles
  • Folded mini-poster
  • “Stick your own” VHS sticker sheet
  • 2-Sided Insert
  • Reversible Sleeve With Original VHS Art
  • Limited Edition Slipcase – FIRST PRESSING ONLY

You can preorder this now from Diabolik DVD!

Kung-Fu Rascals coming from Visual Vengeance!

When their village is threatened by an ancient dark lord known as The Bamboo Man, a master thief and his two sidekicks steal a map and set off on a quest to find the only superpower in the land big enough to save their home and rid the world of evil. But these Rascals will have to kick, punch and fart their way through every ninja, monster and mutant in sight before they can restore peace.

A frantic, eccentric and loving homage to Asian cinema in all its forms, Kung Fu Rascals is part old school chop socky movie, Kaiju flick and Power Rangers episode rolled into one. The directorial debut from legendary Hollywood special effects artist Steve Wang (The Monster Squad, Predator, The Guyver, Drive), this Super 8 epic showcases both his monster make-up mastery and sharp action movie sensibilities. The first time ever on Blu-ray, Kung Fu Rascals features hours of bonus features, including commentaries, rare BTS footage and a brand new feature-length documentary on the making of the film.

Bonus materials include:

  • Director-supervised SD master from original tape elements
  • The Making of Kung Fu Rascals: Brand New Feature Length Documentary
  • The Reunion of the Three Rascals
  • Commentary with director Steve Wang, Actor Johnnie Saiko, Actor Troy Firman, Composer & Actor Les Claypool III and Actor Ted Smith
  • Commentary with Kung Fu Rascals superfans Justin Decloux and Dylan Cheung
  • Steve Wang & Les Claypool III Meet Again
  • Chris Gore Interview: Distributing Kung Fu Rascals on VHS
  • Behind The Scenes Video Diaries
  • Original Kung Fu Rascals Super 8 Short Film
  • Steve Wang Short Film: Code 9
  • Complete Film Threat Video #6 BTS Article
  • Stills Gallery
  • Behind The Scenes Image Gallery
  • Visual Vengeance Trailer
  • “Stick Your Own: VHS Sticker Set
  • Reversible Sleeve Featuring Original VHS Art
  • Folded mini-poster
  • 2-sided insert with alternate art
  • Optional English subtitles
  • 12 page mini comic book – FIRST PRESSING ONLY
  • Limited Edition Slipcase by The Dude – FIRST PRESSING ONLY

You can preorder it now from Diabolik DVD!