WEIRD WEDNESDAY: Equinox (1970)

Posted on by

Also known as The Equinox … A Journey into the Supernatural and The Beast, this movie was directed by Jack Woods and Dennis Muren. It started as a $6500 film that Muren made with his friends Dave Allen, Jim Danforth and Mark McGee while he was in business classes at Pasadena City College. Strangely enough, Ed Bagley Jr. was one of the cameramen!

Producer Jack H. Harris hired editor Woods to add enough footage to make this a full-length film. When the final movie was released, Muren was listed as the associate producer, even though he directed the entire movie and created many of the effects.

Four teenagers — David Fielding, Susan Turner, Jim Hudson (Frank Bonner, who would go on to be Herb Tarlek on WKRP in Cincinnati) and Jim’s girlfriend, Vicki — have gone looking for a lost scientist named Dr. Arthur Waterman, who is played by Fritz Leiber. Leiber isn’t just any actor. Nope, he’s one of the foremost fantasy authors of all time and the person who actually came up with the term sword and sorcery. He was brought into this project by Famous Monsters of Filmland editor Forrest J. Ackerman.

They have a picnic — as you do when you’re in the foreboding woods — then make their way to a mysterious castle. They also learn that Dr. Waterman’s cabin has been destroyed, and even worse, the demon Asmodeus (played by Jack Woods, the new director, when he’s a park ranger at least) is hunting them with his army of monsters. He really goes after them once they get a book of spells from an old man inside a cave. Those monsters — a giant ape and a green-furred giant — are marvels of stop-motion. Our heroes barely escape as the ape kills the old man.

It turns out the book belonged to Dr. Waterman, who used it to conjure demons of his own, but lost control of a tentacled beast that destroyed his home. After Asmodeus kills Jim, he reveals his true form as a winged demon. Dave and Susan are killed before our remaining teens, Dave and Susan, make their way to a cemetery.

After a battle with Asmodeus, they destroy the demon with a giant cross, which causes the cemetery to explode, killing Susan. Another giant monster appears and tells Dave that he will die in one year and a day, which drives him insane. The movie quickly moves to that time, where we see Susan — now looking totally evil — showing up at his insane asylum.

The entire crew that made this movie did so much more afterward. Muren would go on to become a nine-time Oscar-winning visual-effects artist for his work on Star Wars and Jurassic Park. Danforth would create matte and stop-motion work for The Thing, Creepshow, Clash of the Titans, and Prince of Darkness, among others. Mark McGee, who was in high school when he worked on this film and was already writing for Famous Monsters (he’s the one who got connected with Leiber and brought Forry along to be a doctor’s voice), wrote the scripts for Sorority House Massacre II and Sorceress, both movies directed by Jim Wynorski. Finally, David Allen would go on to work on everything from Flesh Gordon, Laserblast and The Howling to Full Moon efforts like the Puppet Master series and The Dungeonmaster.

You can see the influence of Equinox on movies like Evil Dead and Phantasm. It’s the bridge between the Ray Harryhausen stop motion movies they loved and the occult-tinged efforts that would make up 1970s genre films. This is a movie packed with ideas and talent.

WEIRD WEDNESDAY: Emma Mae (1976)

Posted on by

Jamaa Fanaka may have been one of the leading directors of the L.A. Rebellion film movement, but he’s probably best known for his Penitentiary films. Born Walter Gordon, he changed his name so that anyone seeing his movies would know that he was black. Working alongside one of the professors in the African Studies department at UCLA, he came up with the name Jamaa Fanaka, which means “through togetherness we will find success.”

Emma Mae is his first full-length movie, written when he was still in college. It’s the story of a young woman (Jerri Hayes) moving from the deep south to Los Angeles, where she falls in love with Jesse Amos (Ernest Williams III), who soon goes to jail along with Zeke (Charles David Brooks III) for fighting the police.

Also known as Black Sister’s Revenge, it follows Emma Mae as she tries to raise cash to get her man out of jail, starting with a car wash and ending with a bank robbery, only to learn that he never loved her. She then beats him into oblivion, a moment not often seen in film. She reclaims who he is and moves on.

Fanaka would make wilder pictures, but this is an excellent introduction to how he was trying to tell the black experience, even if it is episodic and wanders a bit.

You can watch this on YouTube.

VISUAL VENGEANCE ON TUBI: Laurin (1989)

Posted on by

EDITOR’S NOTE: Did you know that Visual Vengeance has a ton of movies on Tubi? It’s true. Check out this Letterboxd list and look for reviews as new movies get added. You can find this movie on Tubi.

As of late, I’ve noticed that several of my favorite films fit into a very specific genre for which there’s no prescribed name. If it had one, it would probably be something like, “coming of age while the supernatural lurks around the corner.” 

The best examples of this very unique genre include the Czechoslovakian surrealist film Valerie and Her Week of Wonders, The Lady In White, Lemora: A Child’s Tale of the Supernatural and, while not explicitly otherworldly, movies such as Alice Sweet Alice, Picnic at Hanging Rock and The Little Girl Who Lived Down the Lane. All of these fit this mold in their own ways, with the only modern film I can pick as relevant being The VVitch. 

That brings us to the West Germany film Laurin. A film that has been rarely seen outside its native country — which always lends the lure of the occult to the proceedings — it’s a perfect example of these films.

Laurin is a nine-year-old girl who lives with her grandmother in a quiet Bavarian town. Since the death of her mother — whose relationship with Laurin’s father was primal and lusty, as evidenced by them nearly making love in front of her — and the seafaring disappearances of her father — which increase after her mother’s death — she has retreated into a world of school time drudgery punctuation with moments of sinister make-believe. By night, she finds herself haunted by visions of a dilapidated castle owned by a man in black and his sinister dog, where each window finds a child trapped and clawing at the glass. These waking dreams find themselves standing side-by-side with a true nightmare: her friends and classmates are disappearing, one by one.

I’ve always been struck by how these films apply the supernatural to the worries that the journey from adolescence to adulthood creates. As one’s body and feelings toward sexuality change, so too does how we see the world. And while the terror of child abduction is very real, to a child, the only form of explanation must be a fairy tale monster. 

Laurin is a sumptuous affair, one that contrasts the dreary and washed out world of adulthood with the kaleidoscopic fantasies of childhood; the kind of dreams that only Mario Bava could properly light, color and frame. 

Without revealing the end of this film, the sunlight rising that would often proclaim victory over the Satanic feels rather hollow. As Martin Mathias, the hero of George Romero’s Martin would tell us — much further along than adolescence — “There’s no real magic ever.”

I’ve often wondered about the time in my life when I went from having my destiny controlled to being in charge of it myself. The questioning that ensued and learning the fact that adults didn’t have every answer is perfectly essayed here. In my experience, horror films remain the most honest of all genres. Despite cloaking our fears in the capes, cowls and fangs of the nosferatu, they hold up a mirror to ourselves. Whether or not you appear in it is up to you, dear reader.

NOTE: This article originally ran in Drive-In Asylum #17, which you can get right here.

VISUAL VENGEANCE ON TUBI: Saurians (1994)

Posted on by

EDITOR’S NOTE: Did you know that Visual Vengeance has a ton of movies on Tubi? It’s true. Check out this Letterboxd list and look for reviews as new movies get added. You can find this movie on Tubi.

Directed, written, produced, starring and edited by Mark Polonia, this movie makes Carnosaur look like a 5D CGI spectacle by comparison, but come on. It was shot by a teenager in Pennsylvania and has the energy that that statement embodies.

I mean, what’s your tolerance for stop motion dinosaurs on green screen and Amiga graphics? You’re either the kind of person that looks at this and thinks it’s complete junk or you get obsessed and can’t turn away. There’s really no in-between. You know what side I end up on, because I’ve seen so many Polonia films, like the sequel to this, Saurians 2. Hell, I even have a signed copy.

Explosions wake up two dinosaurs, who proceed to destroy most of Mark’s hometown, Wellsboro, PA. It looks like this movie is all him and not as much of his brother John, who does show up as an extra. And Mark cares about you, his audience, so much that he even has his future wife do a shower scene.

But yeah. Rubbery dinosaurs.

VISUAL VENGEANCE ON TUBI: Nightmare Asylum (1992)

Posted on by

EDITOR’S NOTE: Did you know that Visual Vengeance has a ton of movies on Tubi? It’s true. Check out this Letterboxd list and look for reviews as new movies get added. You can find this movie on Tubi.

Todd Sheets has disavowed this movie but it’s still got its charms. Lisa (Lori Hassel) wanders through, well, a Nightmare Asylum for around an hour. There’s a creepy family, some killers, a Leatherface-like big boss and a zombie pit at the end, all in a movie that was shot at various points with several different groups of people and then edited into whatever this is.

The star of the whole thing is The Devil’s Dark Side Haunted House where this was made. It’s already got some cool lighting and fog, plus you get to see some horror icons inside an SOV. Sheets is a big fan of Fulci and you can see the absolute movie idea from The Beyond in this, except that sound goes in and out so much and the video quality defines murky and this only dreams of the budget of the cheapest of Italian film.

But man, I do love Enochian Key’s songs and Gustav Holst’s “The Planets,” which is super classy compared to what’s happening inside the movie.

The good news is that Sheets really improved as a filmmaker without losing the strange energy that is all over the place here. That makes me so happy.

WEIRD WEDNESDAY: Emanuelle in Bangkok (1976)

Posted on by

Italian movie logic: Emanuelle in Bangkok is the sequel to Black Emanuelle, and Black Emanuelle 2 is not.

Photojournalist Emanuelle (as always Laura Gemser) and her archaeologist friend Roberto (Gemser’s husband Gabriele Tinti) are on a series of journeys, whether it’s to meet a Thai king or explode caves in Casablanca or meet a special masseuse or being too close to Prince Sanit (Ivan Rassimov) or Roberto forcing her to choose between him and a female lover Debra (Debra Berger, who was in the Tobe Hooper version of Invaders from Mars).

Like all the D’Amato Emanuelle movies, these films go from narrative to travelogue to mondo, with simulated moments of lovemaking standing in stark contrast to real moments of horrifying violence, like a battle between a mongoose and a snake. And that ping pong trick that other movies joke about? This movie has it.

Yet it’s also a movie that synchronizes pistons on a ship with the first lovemaking scene like high art and has a heroine that refuses to be possessed no matter how many men try to destroy her, breaking hearts and remaining independent and perhaps it’s my hope for a better world and my innocence that I see something life-affirming in the Black Emanuelle films, a series of movies devoted to softcore lovemaking interspersed with brutality. But hey — that’s me.

WILD EYE RELEASING IS NOW A VINEGAR SYNDROME PARTNER LABEL!

Posted on by

Founded in 2006, Wild Eye Releasing has carved out a name as a driving force in low-budget, underground, and outsider cinema, earning a cult following among filmmakers and fans alike. Wild Eye champions horror, action, sci-fi, exploitation, arthouse, documentaries, and vintage gems from across the globe, delivering them worldwide via home video, digital and theatrical avenues. They also produce their own in-house features and mockbusters like the fan-favorites Cocaine Shark, Amityville in Space and the Ouija Shark and Jurassic Shark series, while proudly distributing VHS era classics such as Splatter Farm, Zombie Bloodbath, Bloody Muscle Body Builder in Hell and The Necro Files via their sister imprint, Visual Vengeance.

Here are the first three partner label releases:

The Disco Exorcist: Rex Romanski is a 1970s disco god and notorious porn stud who beds the wrong beauty—voodoo priestess Rita Marie. Now, only Rex can stop her wicked wave of possession, bloodshed, and revenge before she takes his newest flame, Amoreena Jones, straight to hell.

Extras include 2025 commentary with director Richard Griffin and producer Ted Marr; archival 2012 commentary with Griffin, Marr, Sarah Nicklin and Michael Reed; a deleted scene; an image gallery and trailers. Yes, yes, you get a slipcover too. Get it from Vinegar Syndrome.

Model Hunger: A former model (Lynn Lowry) cast aside by the beauty-obsessed entertainment industry takes brutal revenge on young, attractive women. But when a new couple (Tiffany Shepis, Carmine Capobianco) moves in next door, they begin to suspect something sinister. The list of missing girls is growing—and all signs point to Ginny’s basement. What horrors has she been hiding all these years… and who will survive her hunger for revenge?

This has a complete and uncensored Director’s Cut; commentary with director Debbie Rochon; another Commentary with producer / co-writer James Morgart and Adam Torkel; a third commentary with Rochon and David Marancik; an essay by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas; a Debbie Rochon career retrospective; interviews with Rochon, Morgart, composer Harry Manfredini; Lowry and Shepis; a short film; a music video; a 24-page booklet with new introduction and short story and a reversible sleeve featuring alternate art. Get it from Vinegar Syndrome.

Asylum of Darkness: After awakening in a mental asylum, a patient plans his escape to freedom while fighting off supernatural forces in both the real world, and some that may only live inside his head. But once on the outside,  he learns that the life awaiting him is more twisted and dangerous than anything he could conjure in his head, one that is luring him back to the asylum forever. Starring genre icons Richard Hatch (Battlestar Galactica), Tim Thomerson (Near Dark, Trancers, Air America), and Tiffany Shepis (Sharknado, Tales of Halloween).

This film has a director supervised transfer from the original 35mm elements; an introduction by director Jay Woelfel; two commentaries (director Jay Woelfel and actor Nick Baldasare; the other by Tony Strauss of Weng’s Chop Magazine) interviews with Woelfel, Thomerson, Amanda Howell, Brian Spears, John Ellis and Scott Spears; an FX demo reel; deleted scenes; a trailer; short films and a 12-page booklet by Tony Strauss. You can get this from Vinegar Syndrome.

TWO NEW VISUAL VENGEANCE RELEASES IN 2026!

Posted on by

Visual Vengeance has so many cool things coming in 2026, and I can’t wait! You can learn about all of the other Visual Vengeance releases here.

Colony Mutation: When genetic scientist Meredith Weaver finds out about her husband’s affair, she doses him with an experimental and very unstable serum, which causes his body parts to separate from his torso and take on monstrous lives of their own, all of them now craving human flesh. Soon, he’s stalking the streets in search of young women to quench the now insatiable hunger of his evil appendages.

Tom Berna’s rarely seen, stop-motion heavy Super 8mm body horror plays out like an alternate universe Lifetime movie directed by David Cronenberg that delivers both the gruesome FX set pieces, but also serves as a cautionary tale of male sexual addiction and unchecked passion.

This has a new, director supervised 2K transfer and restoration from original Super 8 film elements; commentary from producer/ director Tom Berna and a second commentary from Tony Strauss of Weng’s Chop Magazine; interviews with Berna, star David Rommel and music composer Patrick Nettesheim; an archival public access interview with Tom Berna; alternate VHS and DVD cuts; the original script; an image gallery; a teaser trailer; stick your own VHS stickers; a booklet with liner note sby Tont Strauss; a poster and a limited edition O-Card with art by Justin Coons. You can get this from MVD.

The Paranormal: Something is haunting the Englewood movie theater – an unseen force that comes alive after dark. Paranormal investigator Kyle Jennings is called in, but the moment he steps inside, the nightmare begins. The theater seals itself shut, the screen tears open like a doorway, and the low-budget zombie movie playing suddenly becomes real. With the undead spilling into the aisles, Kyle must uncover the source of the disturbance before the entire theater becomes a feeding ground, and the only clues may be trapped inside the film itself. First time ever on disc, following its 1998 VHS release, this is a long-overlooked and scarcely distributed film. Todd Norris’ The Paranormal is one of the outstanding lost achievements of the SOV era. Smart, sharply structured, and performed with an unexpected level of polish, it pushes well beyond the scrappy expectations of its budget. Norris brings a true filmmaker’s eye to every frame, blending genre thrills with an apparent affection for the moviegoing experience itself. For fans who think they’ve seen every corner of the Shot-on-Video landscape, The Paranormal is a revelation, and proof that the video format was capable of far more than it was ever given credit for.

This has a new director-supervised transfer from original tape elements, two commentaries (one by director Todd Norris and the other with Norris and composer Paul Roberts); new cast and crew interviews; Norris and Todd SHeets interview; bloopers; deleted scenes; The Paranormal Channel 5 TV Airing Bumpers; short films; trailers; a poster; Stick Your Own VHS stickers; a limited edition O-CARD featuring art by Uncle Frank; a Ghost Finder; a promo flyer and original sleeve art by The Dude. Get it from MVD.

ARROW VIDEO SHAW SCOPE VOLUME 4 BOX SET: Black Magic II (1976)

Posted on by

A hospital is plagued by black magic that can only be stopped by a married pair of physicians from Hong Kong, Dr. Zhongping Qi (Ti Lung) and his wife, Ciuling (Tanny). The skeptical wife volunteers for a ritual, uncovering an evil, zombie-controlling wizard, Kang Cong (Lo Lieh), who sustains his youth by drinking human breast milk.

Directed by Meng-Hua Ho and written by Kuang Ni, the paragraph above does describe the story, but so much happens that it can barely contain the wildness of this movie. An exotic dancer named Miss Hong (Terry Liu) ages while having sex, eyeballs are destroyed like Fulci took a trip to Hong Kong, nails go through the heads of zombies, sex causes mayhem, and doctors have to treat worms under the skin and pus-filled growths that appear to be human faces.

The evil black magician decides he wants Dr. Zhensheng Shi’s (Lam Wai Tiu) wife, Margaret (Lily Li), so he possesses her and brings her to his manor, shaves all her pubic hair, burns it, and then turns her into his breast milk machine. The very next day, she’s fully pregnant and gives birth to a bloody mutant. This is but another hurdle for our heroes to jump over. Yet even when a witch doctor fails against the voodoo dolls of Kang Cong, what hope do they have?

This was released in the U.S. as Revenge of the Zombies.

The Arrow Vide0 release of this film, part of the Shaw Scope Volume 4 set, has a high definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation, newly restored in 2K from the original negatives by Arrow Films. There’s a commentary track by critic Samm Deighan and a U.S. opening. You can get this set from MVD.

ARROW VIDEO SHAW SCOPE VOLUME 4 BOX SET: Black Magic (1975)

Posted on by

In 1974, Shaw Brothers collaborated with Hammer on The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires. That ignited a desire not only to make martial arts films, but also supernatural ones. And man, as the studio goes on, these movies grow more deranged in the very best of ways.

Ho Meng-Hua (The Mighty Peking Man, Oily Maniac) directed this, and it only hints at how far Hong Kong horror would go. Lang Chia Chieh (Lo Lieh) wants to be with Mrs. Zhou (Tanny Tien Ni), but she’s in love with Xu Nuo (Ti Lung), who only wants to be with the love of his life, Wang Chu Ying (Lili Li Li-li). To win her, Lang Chia Chieh goes to the magician Shan Chen Mi (Ku Feng) and has him cast a spell on Mrs. Zhou. It works, if only for a night, and she soon learns that she, too, can turn to the spirit world to win over the lover she wants.

These magic spells are incredibly organic and gross. Like, you need to cut off someone’s finger and leave it under your intended person’s bed until it turns into a pile of maggots. Or to kill someone, you put worms directly under their skin.

There’s a lot of soap opera in this, but every time you think it’s getting slow, someone gets half-naked or makes a possessed rice ball with blood and breast milk, so you can never say it’s bad. It’s just the first course for how completely out there these movies will get.

The Arrow Video release of this film, part of the Shaw Scope Volume 4 set, has a high definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation, newly restored in 2K from the original negatives by Arrow Films. It has commentary by critic James Mudge. You can get this set from MVD.