Category: DVD/BLU-RAY

The holiday season receives a dose of troubling behavior in "White Reindeer," a darkly comic tale of mourning from writer/director Zach Clark. Working with a limited budget, the helmer brings to the screen an unusual tale of mourning, employing persistent Christmas cheer as a mocking reminder of false sincerity while we watch a woman's life fall to pieces. Sounds like a treat, right? Well, in many ways "White Reindeer" is a delight, with a sharp script of surprises and an impressively bewildered lead performance from Anna Margaret Hollyman contributing to an amusing, vaguely horrifying journey into psychological paralysis, soaked in eggnog and scored to the repetitive sounds of seasonal hits. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1991's "Devil Rider" endeavors to blend genres, pairing a western with a horror film, using unknown black magic to put a demonic cowboy on the hunt for characters just trying to get their '90s on. It's an odd concept from writer Bud Fleisher and director Vic Alexander, who attempt something semi- epic with a severely limited budget, hoping to catch a ride on waning trends in slasher cinema with this offering of violence and survivor panic. It's not a slickly made picture, which might keep it enticing for some viewers, but execution is lacking, with Alexander struggling to craft a consistent chiller, while Fleisher has limited command of character and incident. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The Sundance Film Festival was once a place where idiosyncratic moviemakers could share their visions with a sophisticated audience capable of understanding the quirks and horrors contained in these features. In the early 1990s, the Festival offered a special magic, with 1992 the year of "Reservoir Dogs," "Brother's Keeper," "Johnny Suede," "Mississippi Masala," and "The Living End." Emerging as one of the more popular Sundance titles of this year was "In the Soup," with writer/director Alexandre Rockwell offering a dark comedy about the frustrations of ambition, the realities of unrequited love, and the determination of opportunists. A black and white ode to French cinema, John Cassavetes, and New York City atmosphere, the endeavor gave Rockwell a career, establishing his unusual sense of humor and love of actors, with stars Steve Buscemi and Seymour Cassell often the only reason to stay invested in this semi-meandering offering of indie storytelling. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1990's "The Amityville Curse" is generally regarded as the fifth installment of "The Amityville Horror" franchise, but it remains loosely connected to previous chapters in the saga. It's a brand name cash-in offering from the producers, who hope to lure viewers into yet another round of domestic terror with a deadly house, with the series embracing its turn into a cursed object genre experience. For this round, a nightmare for new homeowners emerges from a confessional booth in a basement, with the screenwriters trying to stay connected to the Catholicism of the original endeavor while inching the picture into a psychological freak-out situation. "The Amityville Curse" (based on a book by Hans Holzer, who spent most of his latter years profiting from the "Amityville" experience) is silly, very silly, and perhaps that's the main reason to stick with the effort, which doesn't have any scares, just campy offerings of behavioral meltdowns and dimwit characters who fail to recognize trouble when it first visits them. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

"Fair Game" is a 1986 Australian production that seeks to provide big thrills without the burden of nuanced dramatic engagement. It's an exploitation film, and simplicity isn't such a bad idea when it comes to action and suspense, but director Mario Andreacchio and writer Rob George don't have a lot of story to share with this visual exercise, and the characters they do have are often portrayed cartoonishly, confusing the tone of this endeavor, especially once it starts to reach some dark areas of revenge. "Fair Game" is effective as a cinematic offering of suspense, and the production works hard to deliver a strong sense of style and violent engagement. It isn't a consistently riveting presentation of rage, but the stretches that do work provide a nice B-movie charge of screen activity. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

In the 1980s, Director Tobe Hooper signed a three-picture deal with Cannon Films, who gave him money to make "Lifeforce," time to craft "Invaders from Mars," and a demand that he return to the source of his greatest creative success, delivering a sequel to his iconic 1973 shocker, "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre." It's not easy to make a follow-up to a movie known for its distinct take on berserk horror, but Hooper and screenwriter L.M. Kit Carson try to make deafening magic happen again with "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2," which returns to the wilds of Texas to explore more hellraising with Leatherface and his demented, cannibalistic family. Hooper and Carson aren't completely committed to replicating the previous feature, delivering a wild first half that that successfully reintroduces a terrible threat with a different approach, turning the whole thing into a John Waters production, only with more extreme violence (sold with triumphantly macabre artistry by Tom Savini and his team). "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2" is bonkers, with Hooper trying to combat repetition by going deeper into lunacy, attempting to blend black comedy with grisly encounters, and it works for little while, providing a freewheeling exaggeration of genre extremity, nicely performed by an impressively committed cast. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Writer/director Jeff Lieberman made a name for himself with strange genre offerings, building a career with 1976's "Squirm" and 1978's "Blue Sunshine." He pushed through the 1980s working on projects such as "Just Before Dawn" and "Remote Control," eventually stepping away from helming opportunities to manage other professional obligations. "Satan's Little Helper" is Lieberman's return to duty, with the 2004 endeavor aiming to revisit his sense of humor with a darkly comedic tale of murder involving a serial killer and the little boy who worships him. "Satan's Little Helper" aims to be cheeky and merciless, which is a strange tonal combination for anyone to manage, requiring a special creative touch that Lieberman struggles to maintain, unable to generate an inviting flow of mischief to help viewers understand how he wants them to react. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The demands of temptation are examined in 1981's "Pandora's Mirror," which pits star Veronica Hart against the lure of an enchanted mirror and all the desire it offers. It's adult cinema with some sense of class and storytelling ambition, presenting erotic vignettes from writer/director Shaun Costello (billed as "Warren Evans"), who attempts to create a sensorial experience with the endeavor while enjoying the time travel aspects of the tale. Of course, there's not a major budget to fully realize the premise, but Costello gets the effort up and moving quickly, replicating the romance novel experience with the feature, which is actually quite engaging between scenes of carnal activity. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

"Grand Jete" is a German production about the timeless love between a boy and his mother. Well, perhaps not timeless. And "love" here means "a sudden sexual relationship." Screenwriter Anna Melikova has the challenge of bringing Anke Stelling's book to the screen, making sense of incest and profound psychological problems, which aren't easy to watch. Director Isabelle Stever tries to find her own way to approach such a sensitive topic, electing to fully immerse the picture in a sensorial viewing experience, hoping to generate a special mood to best approach a troubling tale of obsession. "Grand Jete" doesn't go full Haneke, but it comes close, making the viewing experience both compellingly and irritatingly uncomfortable as Stever tries to put together a puzzle of mental illness, keeping away from dramatic structure for as long as possible. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

If you were a filmgoer in the 1980s, perhaps you were thinking, "This James Bond movie needs more ninjas." Or maybe, "This ninja movie needs more James Bond." Well, 1986's "Unmasking the Idol" is going to be your best friend, as director Worth Skeeter attempts to merge the worlds of martial arts and superspy adventures, delivering all the excitement he can with a very limited budget, unknown actors, and sets left over from previous productions. Ambition runs pretty high here, as Skeeter strives to make a big impression with his action extravaganza, trying to deliver furious battles and elaborate escape plans while offering a tongue-in-cheek take on 007-style antics featuring a British secret agent. "Unmasking the Idol" isn't sturdily built, lacking a great deal of momentum in the second act, but it's a fun romp for the most part, as Skeeter really wants to entertain with this effort, doing what he can to delight viewers. And if you're thinking, "Does this James Bond movie about ninjas contain a supporting performance from a baboon wearing a gi?" The answer is yes. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Juvenile delinquent cinema meets the horror rush of the 1980s in "Buried Alive," which takes its influence from the works of Edgar Allan Poe. There's a black cat, sounds emerging from mysterious places, and the spread of madness, but the feature isn't committed to the finer points of gothic terror. It's more of a slasher-like endeavor, exploring the developing nightmare of an all-girl school terrorized by a masked madman with a fetish for killing people slowly, getting off on the memory of their expiration. Director Gerard Kikoine hopes to add some gasoline to the viewing experience, investing in a hyperactive style for the picture, aiming to generate sensorial overload to best capture the feeling of a psychological break. Such hustle is appreciated, but the effort's storytelling skills leave much to be desired, with "Buried Alive" soon breaking down into seemingly random scenes of character interactions and horrible events. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1985 was a major year for the "Night of the Living Dead" brand name. In July, George Romero added another chapter to his undead saga with "Day of the Dead," which disappeared from U.S. theaters fairly quickly. Original co-writer John A. Russo also delivered a zombie experience for the summer season, taking a co-story credit on "The Return of the Living Dead," with writer/director Dan O'Bannon making his helming debut with the endeavor. Romero went somber with his vision for a zombie apocalypse, while O'Bannon goes wild, eventually, with "The Return of the Living Dead," electing for a more comedic version of a monster rampage, trying to separate himself from the competition with a punk rock soundtrack, unabashed exploitation, and a tone of hysteria that either delights or repulses, depending on the scene. O'Bannon isn't big on style, and his sense of pace leaves much to be desired, but he has a vision for physical horror and zombie threats, with the last half of the picture capturing a pure cinematic insanity that's rarely found in the genre. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1975's "Saturday Night at the Baths" presents a time and place for audiences during the decade, with co-writer/director David Buckley offering a snapshot of celebratory happenings involving the gay community. Instead of simply making a documentary about time at the Continental Baths, the production hopes to touch hearts and minds with this drama, which examines one man's journey of sexuality, making discoveries about himself while working in a scene he doesn't fully understand at first. "Saturday Night at the Baths" is no great offering of storytelling, but it does have a distinct fingerprint when it comes to detailing a moment in history, capturing the jubilance of performance and the thrill of living free, with Buckley understanding more about the scene than the demands of dramatic structure. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1987's "Mutant Hunt" presents a future world New York City that mostly, definitely looks like the New York City of 1987. Writer/director Tim Kincaid ("Bad Girls Dormitory," "Breeders") is dealing with the lowest of budgets and the shortest of shooting schedules with the endeavor, which offers an ambitious tale of a cyborg attack and the mercenary squad hired to bring the machines down. "Mutant Hunt" doesn't offer the tightest screenwriting and performances struggle, but technical achievements are quite impressive for the B-movie, which attempts to pull off a level of violence and oddity that keeps the viewing experience compelling, delivering a bit more punch than the average bottom-shelf offering. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1994's "Red Sun Rising" is an attempt to give star Don "The Dragon" Wilson something just a little different to play. The respected martial artist and B-movie hero is tasked with a slightly heavier load of drama to carry in the feature, portraying a Japanese policeman dealing with guilt and rage while trying to seek revenge for the loss of his partner. The action is mostly found in Los Angeles, and Wilson does his thing very well, smashing opponents and dealing with fight choreography while director Francis Megahy tries to build a picture around him. Unfortunately, "Red Sun Rising" isn't all that compelling a police story, struggling to merge supernatural elements with street violence, while the overall effort to turn Wilson into a leading man doesn't take, with such a calculated career move blocking the view of a passable actioner. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1979's "Goldengirl" is an adaptation of a 1977 novel by Peter Lear, which follows the development of a promising track star put on the road to glory by the men in control of her, for various reasons. Developed for television, the material hopes to pull suspense from the eponymous character's physical and emotional journey, while something of a detective story develops during the run time, adding a touch of mystery to a picture that constantly teeters on the edge of melodrama. "Goldengirl" has an initial drive to explore the questions surrounding the runner and her special abilities, but it doesn't sustain intrigue, losing its footing as it drags out the central plot, offering a limp conclusion to an otherwise passably engaging look at athletic trials and biological tinkering. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

In 2020, director Tyler Cornack delivered "Butt Boy." The cult-ready effort tracked the desperation of a man and his battle with the unholy power of his rear end, with Cornack's production team, Tiny Cinema, creating a detective story about a most unusual event. The endeavor wasn't without tonal and humor problems, but it managed to find ways to make pronounced oddity amusing, instead of the usual helping of obnoxiousness. Tiny Cinema is back with…er, "Tiny Cinema," with writers Ryan Koch, William Morean, and Cornack (who also directs) creating an anthology film about the wonders of madness and the pains of trickery, sold with a defined sense of the absurd. "Tiny Cinema" is quite the viewing experience at times, mixing genuine hilariousness with a slow-burn sense of shock value, sold with lively, committed performances and a weird "Twilight Zone" vibe from Cornack, who creates consistent chapters in this tour of crazy ideas and desperate characters. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The producers had it. They had it. 1998's "Halloween H20" ended on a perfect note of rage and catharsis, giving Laurie Strode the conclusion she deserved after running from Michael Myers for two decades. There was nothing left in the Strode saga to mine, making the final minute of the feature deeply satisfying and refreshingly blunt. And then the movie made money. A sizable amount too, reigniting interest in a brand name that was slowly fading away. Profit was suddenly substantial, motivating Dimension Pictures to cough up a continuation solely out to sponge up the remaining financial potential of the revived series, settling on 2002's "Halloween: Resurrection," putting Curtis back in action for an extended cameo that's a complete disservice to her character, while the rest is a dreadful display of bad acting and lame suspense, resulting in the worst chapter of the long-running franchise. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1995's "Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers" didn't do what it was supposed to do. The idea was to continue what was teased in "Halloween: The Revenge of Michael Myers," picking up years later to examine the evil that powers the masked brutalizer, going deeper into cult origins or weird science, depending on which version of the movie was viewed. The sixth installment of the "Halloween" franchise was largely denied by the public, who moved on to other genre offerings that year, necessitating a grand rethinking of creative direction for the brand name. Instead of going forward, the producers elected to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the original "Halloween" by going backwards, talking actress Jamie Lee Curtis into returning to the saga as Laurie Strode, preparing a proper reunion between brother and sister. 1998's "Halloween H20" is meant to be a return to basics, focused on putting Laurie back into the line of fire, once again pursued by Michael Myers and his tireless quest to obliterate his sibling. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

In 1989, the "Halloween" series made a bold creative choice to end on a cliffhanger with the fifth installment, "The Revenge of Michael Myers." Instead of being offered finality (at least the temporary stuff), the picture paved the way to another sequel, creating a mystery the production had no intention of solving right away, keeping things open for as many follow-ups as possible. Suddenly, there was a man in black busting head ghoul Michael Myers out of prison, with this development raising plenty of questions about motivation and relationships. Fans were set for a grand turn in the franchise's dramatic direction, and then…nothing. Six years later, "Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers" arrived, offering new studio leadership (Harvey and Bob Weinstein) and a strange sense of closure, with the gap in years forcing the production to give in to perceived audience craving for blood and guts, gradually losing focus on everything that began in "The Revenge of Michael Myers." Read the rest at Blu-ray.com