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Stars: Penny Irving, Robert Tayman, Barbara Markham, Patrick Barr, Ray Brooks, Sheila Keith, Dorothy Gordon, Ann Michelle, Ivor Salter | Written by Pete Walker, David McGillivray | Directed by Pete Walker

Directed by Pete Walker, House of Whipcord is an unsettling yet engaging example of British exploitation cinema, blending horror and social commentary into a dark and disturbing narrative. It’s a film that’s both of its time and oddly timeless, as it critiques moral authoritarianism through the lens of a sadistic prison system masquerading as a reformatory for wayward young women.

Plot Overview

The story centres around a young French model, Anne-Marie (Penny Irving), who, after a string of rebellious behavior, is lured into a twisted correctional institution by her seemingly charming new boyfriend, Mark E. Desade (played with eerie charm by Robert Tayman). The institution is run by Mark’s fanatical mother, Mrs. Wakehurst (Barbara Markham), and her sadistic staff,...

The Death Wheelers are coming to the UK! Well, they are coming to Blu-ray / DVD in the UK, anyway. Don Sharp’s PsychoMania aka The Death Wheelers (1973) follows Tom, a motorcycle gang leader, who kills himself and is successfully resurrected from the dead by his mother and a very knowledgeable cult. Psychomania will be released via the British Film Institute (BFI) on Blu-ray / DVD in the UK on September 19th:

From Blu-ray.com: “Look Out! The Living Dead motorcycle gang is on the rampage, wreaking havoc in their small English town. For gang leader Tom (Nicky Henson), however, mere earthly violence is not enough: he’s obsessed with the occult and is convinced that he can kill himself and then return from the dead – with the help of a frog-worshipping cult and his seance-conducting mother (Beryl Reid). Remarkably, Tom succeeds and soon joins the ranks of the walking – and riding – dead!

Kino Lorber's recent acquisition of the Redemption Films' catalog was highlighted by the bundled releases of many of Jean Rollin's early films. However, Redemption goes far beyond just one filmmaker. This Tuesday sees the release of a couple of British horrors with their own reputations, quite apart from Rollin. First, from 1972 comes the supernatural/occult chiller, Virgin Witch, starring future British TV stars Vicki Michelle and Ann Michelle, unrelated. The second is a first wave slasher film from 1978 by Alan Birkinshaw called Killer's Moon. Between the pair there is nothing extraordinary, but as a pair, they reflect both the predominant attitudes in cinema in their own times as well as the vast difference a few years can make in standards and styles.Virgin Witch is...