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While his work might not enjoy the iconic status of the Columbia Pictures classics that formed a key part of the retrospective programming at the 72nd Locarno Film Festival, Samuel Fuller is a director who’s nevertheless had a significant influence on the kind of independent cinema that the event seeks to champion. However, a screening of Fuller’s penultimate feature, Street of No Return, which formed part of this year’s Histoires de Cinema section at Locarno, couldn’t help but seem like an outlier in today’s film landscape.

After its visually striking opening sequence sees a gang war waged in the streets of an absurdly rundown, almost post-apocalyptic city, the 1989 film follows a homeless man (Keith Carradine) as he tracks down a former lover (Valentina Vargas) and seeks revenge on the drug dealer (Marc de Jonge) who cut his throat and ended his career as a chart-topping,...

Earlier this year, we caught word that Arrow Video’s 4K box set release of the first four Hellraiser movies (get it Here) would include a workprint cut of the 1996 installment, Hellraiser: Bloodline (watch that one Here), allowing fans the chance to see what the movie was going to be like before Dimension Films started tinkering with it. Now that the Arrow Video box set is available, JoBlo’s own Lance Vlcek has a copy of the Hellraiser: Bloodline workprint – and in the video embedded above, he offers his review of this cut of the film, comparing it to the theatrical version we’ve been watching for over twenty-five years. To hear all about this Hellraiser: Bloodline workprint vs. theatrical cut match-up, hit play on the video!

Hellraiser: Bloodline was a famously troubled production, with director Kevin Yagher leaving the project when distributor Miramax / Dimension demanded substantial reshoots. Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers...

The fourth installment of the Hellraiser franchise, Hellraiser: Bloodline, was the last film of the series to be released theatrically. It was also notorious for its troubled production, eventually leading director Kevin Yagher to walk away when Miramax demanded reshoots. Miramax then brought in Joe Chappelle to complete the film.

When Yagher saw the finished cut of Hellraiser: Bloodline, post reshoots, it’d become so removed from his vision that he had his name removed from the credits using the Alan Smithee pseudonym, as did Chappelle. While Yagher’s version of the prequel/sequel is lost to time, Arrow’s Hellraiser: Bloodline Workprint assembles the footage Yagher shot, offering fans the closest we’ll ever get to a Director’s Cut. Arrow’s workprint makes for a more coherent and fascinating version of the troubled franchise installment.

Hellraiser: Bloodline spans time, tracing a family lineage that began with Philippe “Toymaker...

On March 8, 1996, the fourth film in the "Hellraiser" film series, "Hellraiser: Bloodline," was released in theaters. It purported to be the final film in the series, as it would feature the death of Pinhead (Doug Bradley), the demonic sadomasochist summoned from the rough sex dimension via an elaborate magical puzzle box. 

"Bloodline" took an impressively ambitious narrative tack, taking place over three time periods, several centuries removed from one another. It began in 1796 with the original maker of the puzzle box, then fast-forwarded to the present and caught up with Pinhead and a descendent of the puzzle-maker. Its third act took place in 2127 on board a space station where Pinhead would be summoned to torture astronauts. 

At the time, "Hellraiser: Bloodline" was largely dismissed by audiences. It didn't get good reviews, and many looked askance at the idea of Pinhead in space. It came at a time when several horror...

The mythology of "Hellraiser" is well known to Clive Barker fans the world over. Certain determined souls, having exhausted the sensual pleasures available to the earthly plane, seek out the Lament Configuration as a means of pushing themselves further. The configuration is a puzzle box that is solved by rotating it just such and sliding one's fingers carefully across a smooth surface. When manipulated correctly, the box slides apart, rotates, and slides back together. When solved, the box ethereally reaches across dimensions to a realm of pure physical experience.

Stepping out of this realm are the Cenobites, supernatural sadomasochists whose own search for the ultimate lustful pleasure has pushed them into a space of constant sensory overload. Their bodies are mutilated with hooks, wires, and nails. They wear black leather outfits that are a cross between S&m fetish wear and a heavy-duty toolbelt. They carry handheld torture devices around their waists.

In just a few weeks, we’ll be getting a new entry in the Hellraiser franchise. A reboot directed by David Bruckner, starring Jamie Clayton as Pinhead, that’s set to be released through the Hulu streaming service on October 7th. In anticipation of the new film, we’re looking back at one of the previous Hellraiser movies. One that could be considered The Black Sheep – or one of the black sheep in a franchise that has several of them. The one we’re looking at today is Hellraiser: Bloodine (watch it Here). To find out what we had to say about it, check out the video embedded above.

Hellraiser: Bloodline was initially directed by Kevin Yagher, then Joe Chappelle came in to handle the reshoots. The film is credited to the non-existent Alan Smithee. Scripted by Peter Atkins, it has the following synopsis:

Three generations of the same family...

If one hundred people put together a list of the worst ways that horror franchises have jumped the shark, I’m pretty sure “sent the villain into space” would be near the top of ninety-nine of them. Sending a franchise villain to space is essentially saying, “Screw it, I’m all out of ideas for this character.” This would seem particularly true of a character like Pinhead, as the Hellraiser series has always been about grue-filled erotic fantasy and never even played in the same ballpark as science fiction. Given that the original Hellraiser is my all-time favorite movie, one might think that I’d see it as sacrilege to launch one of the great villains into the stars. Well, you’d be wrong, because against all logic, I firmly believe that Hellraiser: Bloodline manages to make it work.

Before writing this piece, I did make sure to go back...

Two clips from Milla Jovovich’s serial killer thriller “Faces in the Crowd”, which finds the “Resident Evil” zombie fighter facing off against a serial killer. And no, she doesn’t get any slow-motion action scenes in this one. Or at least, we don’t see any in these two first clips from the movie, going straight to DVD and Blu-ray October 25, 2011. Anna (Jovovich) may be the only survivor of serial killer Tearjerk Jack’s horrendous reign, but left with “face blindness,” she is completely unable to identify him — or anyone else. Now, with only a loyal detective’s (Julian McMahon) face familiar to her, she cannot trust anyone as she struggles to resume her normal life, and, plagued by fear and a vindictive Jack, struggles to survive. Starring Milla Jovovich, Julian McMahon, Sarah Wayne Callies, Michael Shanks, Sandrine Holt, Marianne Faithfull, Valentina Vargas and directed by Julien Magnat. Get...

We have an exclusive clip from the upcoming thriller Faces in the Crowd, which arrives on Blu-ray and DVD October 25. Click on the video player below to watch a scene where Milla Jovovich's Anna wakes up in a hospital and doesn't remember her friends.

Click to watch Exclusive: Waking Up!

Anna (Milla Jovovich) may be the only survivor of serial killer Tearjerk Jack's horrendous reign, but left with "face blindness," she is completely unable to identify him - or anyone else. Now, with only a loyal detective's (Julian McMahon) face familiar to her, she cannot trust anyone as she struggles to resume her normal life, and, plagued by fear and a vindictive Jack, struggles to survive.

Special Features:

Digital Copy of the film

Faces in the Crowd comes to theaters October 25th, 2011 and stars Milla Jovovich, Michael Shanks, Sarah Wayne Callies, Julian McMahon, Adam Harrington, Sandrine Holt, Valentina Vargas,...

This upcoming thriller is the feature film directorial debut of writer-director Julien Magnat. The cast includes Milla Jovovich, Sarah Wayne Callies, Julian McMahon, Michael Shanks, Sandrine Holt, Marianne Faithfull, Valentina Vargas and Anthony Lemke. Official synopsis: A serial killer has been terrorizing the city. An innocent bystander witnesses his latest attack, but while fleeing, she falls from a bridge and is knocked unconscious. When she awakes in hospital, she can't recognize family, her boyfriend, or even her own face in the mirror. She is diagnosed to with prosopagnosia, or 'face blindness'. She is incapable of recognizing the same face twice. Every time she looks at someone, it's like she's never met them before. Being the only witness, she is hunted by the killer, leaving...

When she isn’t starring in Paul W.S. Anderson action flicks, Milla Jovovich dabbles in more interesting projects here and there. Most recently she was part of the overlooked Stone, as well as the highly underrated A Perfect Getaway. We’ll just forget about the horrendous The Fourth Kind and jump right to her upcoming film, Faces in the Crowd. We have the first trailer for Julien Magnat‘s thriller also starring Julian McMahon, Sarah Wayne Callies, Michael Shanks, Sandrine Holt, Marianne Faithfull and Valentina Vargas.

The concept of face blindness the film brings up reminded me of an excellent Radiolab episode titled Strangers in the Mirror. It is a fascinating story that should serve as a nice counterpart to this drama. Check out the new trailer below via Dread Central and I’ve embedded the Radiolab episode as well underneath.

Synopsis:

A serial killer has been terrorizing the city.

The international trailer for the Milla Jovovich-starring psychological thriller Faces in the Crowd, from director Julien Magnat, has made its way online and can be watched below!

Click to watch Faces in the Crowd - International Trailer!

The horror-thriller centers on a woman (Milla Jovovich) living with face-blindness after surviving a serial killer's attack. As she lives with her condition, one in which facial features change each time she loses sight of them, the killer closes in.

Faces in the Crowd comes to theaters September 2011 and stars Milla Jovovich, Michael Shanks, Sarah Wayne Callies, Julian McMahon, Adam Harrington, Sandrine Holt, Valentina Vargas, Anthony Lemke. The film is directed by Julien Magnat.

Rank the week of August 2nd’s Blu-ray and DVD new releases against the best films of all-time: New Releases Rio

(DVD & Blu-ray | PG | 2011)

Flickchart Ranking: #3463

Times Ranked: 1625

Win Percentage: 52%

Top-20 Rankings: 16

Directed By: Carlos Saldanha

Starring: Jesse Eisenberg • Anne Hathaway • Leslie Mann • Jemaine Clement • Jamie Foxx

Genres: Adventure • Adventure Comedy • Animal Picture • Animation • Comedy • Family

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Soul Surfer

(DVD & Blu-ray | PG | 2011)

Flickchart Ranking: #6816

Times Ranked: 243

Win Percentage: 55%

Top-20 Rankings: 5

Directed By: Sean McNamara

Starring: Helen Hunt • Craig T. Nelson • Dennis Quaid • AnnaSophia Robb • Kevin Sorbo

Genres: Drama • Family Drama • Sports Drama

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The Final Destination

(DVD & Blu-ray | R | 2009)

Flickchart Ranking: #5287

Times Ranked: 5225

Win Percentage: 31%

Top-20 Rankings: 2

Directed By: David R. Ellis

Starring:

Genres: Horror

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The Perfect Game

(DVD & Blu-ray | PG | 2009)

Flickchart Ranking: #13940

Times Ranked: 28

Win Percentage: 61%

Top-20 Rankings: 0

Directed By: William Dear

Starring: Clifton Collins, Jr. • Cheech Marin • Moisés Arias • Jake T. Austin...

Actor Christian Slater can't shake the memory of his first on-camera love scene - because he filmed it just after losing his virginity.

The Hollywood star was 17 years old when his 1986 film The Name of the Rose was released, and admits his lack of experience in the sack sent him into a frenzy.

And Slater insists it was his co-star Sean Connery's advice that helped during the explicit scene with actress Valentina Vargas.

Slater says, "I had just lost my virginity the year before. So to go from doing that to shooting a love scene... I remember I talked to Sean Connery about it and told him I was nervous before going in there and he just said, 'Well, all I can tell you boy is breathe, remember to breathe'."...