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Considered by many to be “Brazil’s Freddy Krueger,” the horror icon known as Coffin Joe was played by the late José Mojica Marins, who wrote, directed and starred in a series of outrageous movies from 1964 to 2008. They’re collected together for an Arrow Video Blu-ray set that was announced earlier this year, fittingly titled Inside the Mind of Coffin Joe.

The 6-disc Blu-ray set will be available on Blu-ray and available to stream on Arrow from January 15, 2024, and you can exclusively watch the official trailer down below!

“Newly restored from the best available elements and packed with extras, Inside the Mind of Coffin Joe is a love letter to one of the great iconoclasts of horror who forged his films in the face of military dictatorship and religious censorship to become Brazil’s national Boogeyman.”

Here’s everything you need to know about the upcoming set, which features:

Brand...

Considered by many to be “Brazil’s Freddy Krueger,” the horror icon known as Coffin Joe was played by the late José Mojica Marins, who wrote, directed and starred in a series of outrageous movies from 1964 to 2008. They’re collected together for an Arrow Video Blu-ray set that was just announced this morning, fittingly titled Inside the Mind of Coffin Joe.

The 6-disc Blu-ray set will release in the US, UK, and Canada on November 28, 2023.

“Newly restored from the best available elements and packed with extras, Inside the Mind of Coffin Joe is a love letter to one of the great iconoclasts of horror who forged his films in the face of military dictatorship and religious censorship to become Brazil’s national Boogeyman.”

Here’s everything you need to know about the upcoming set, which features:

Brand new 4K restorations of all films High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentations Original lossless...

With his short film “Zombie Mariachi”, Khavn takes the viewer for a short lapse of time into a parallel world in which an angry older man suddenly attacks and harasses a young one. It is night and the image is drenched in red, a harbinger of a bloody event.

But the film cleverly counteracts expectations, because instead of a turbulent action-horror story, the camera follows a young musician, a mariachi, as he meets his colleagues for poker in a poorly lit tavern. The camera is wobbly and nervous, as is the look of the mariachi as he looks around the room and observes those present. Khavn did the cinematography himself. He was supported by Andrew Leavold, who makes an appearance as a raving zombie hunter at the beginning of the film.

These zombies are harmless, it seems. They shuffle through the streets with their clouded look, which reminds of that of drug addicts.

April 9th is set to be a fun day for cult film fans (but perhaps a bad day for their bank accounts), as we have tons of great titles headed to Blu-ray and DVD this week. Scream Factory is bringing The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires home on Tuesday, and for you giallo aficionados out there, you’ll definitely want to add The Iguana With The Tongue of Fire to your personal collections as well. Agfa is resurrecting Blood Lake this week, and Severin is keeping busy with their impressive Hemisphere Box of Horrors set as well.

Other notable home media releases for April 9th include Moon Child, The Amityville Murders, Matriarch, and The La Llorona Curse.

Blood Lake: Special Edition

Blood Lake is the most fascinating -- and stupefying -- shot-on-video slasher that ever escaped from 1987. A group of unhinged party animals, including adolescent horn-dog Lil' Tony, embark...

It was all the way back in 2007 that Australian director Andrew Leavold brought us The Search For Weng Weng, a so-strange-it-must-be-true documentary exploration of the diminutive Filipino cult film star Weng Weng. Standing less than three feet tall, Weng Weng starred in a string of film oddities - most notably a flagrant James Bond knock off titled For Your Height Only - much of which is chronicled in Leavold's film. But as much as is in the film there's more to tell in the story of Weng Weng. So much more, in fact, that Leavold has now published a companion book that he is touring with along with an on screen companion - The Lost Films Of Weng Weng - that features edited down...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

Stars: Pam Grier, Margaret Markov, Sid Haig, Lynn Borden, Zaldy Zshornack, Laurie Burton, Eddie Garcia, Alona Alegre, Dindo Fernando | Written by H.R. Christian | Directed by Eddie Romero

It’s obvious with a title like Black Mama, White Mama you know the type of film you are going to be getting…. A prison women exploitation flick, its known for Pam Grier, Margaret Markov and Sid Haig and fits into the “Grindhouse” style quite well. Arrow Video have brought the film to Blu-ray in the UK and as usual provides plenty of special features; but is it worth your time?

When Lee (Grier), a tough prostitute and Karen (Markov) a revolutionary are sent to a tough women’s prison they immediately clash with a hatred of each other. When they are packed off to a maximum security prison they are chained together, but soon find themselves on the run during an ambush of their transport.

It’s safe to say that a lot of my fellow cinephiles reading this have at least one cinematic obsession. You may devote a lot of time and money building up a library of films and merchandise relating to that specific obsession. Some devote Facebook pages, blogs and books to their cinematic pride and joy. Then of course you get people like Andrew Leavold. For around 15 years he owned Trash Video, Australia’s largest cult film rental shop. Not only that, but he is a filmmaker and of course, all round film nut. One of his upmost passions is Filipino cinema. So much so that he has lectured on the subject at universities all over the world and has a book on the subject soon to be released. His vast research on the subject even helped form the basis of Mark Hartley’s documentary, Machete Maidens Unleashed. Not only obsessed...

The fifth annual Brisbane Underground Film Festival continues the scrappy little fest’s continuing mission to bring a little bit of cinematic oddballness to an underserved spot on the globe. The fest takes place on Jan. 8-10 at the Brisbane Powerhouse.

The fest kicks off on Jan. 8 with some local flavor, the documentary Gone Lesbo Gone, directed by Jarret Gahan, which takes a look at the making of an ambitious, but extremely cult level exploitation film, Lesbo-a-Go-Go. This will then be followed by an examination of a cult following on a galactic scale: Lil’ Bub & Friendz, directed by Andy Capper & Juliette Eisner, which brings the Internet cat video phenomenon to the big screen.

The real highlight of the fest, though — according to the Underground Film Journal — is Usama Alshaibi‘s incredibly personal and thought-provoking documentary American Arab, which examines the Arab experience in a post-9/11 world through personal recollections as...

The 8th annual Sydney Underground Film Festival is a power-packed event featuring outrageous cult films, provocative documentaries and wild short films that will run September 4-7 at its usual haunt, The Factory Theater.

Opening Night: The fest opens with Housebound, a New Zealand horror comedy by Gerard Johnstone about a woman in trouble with the law who comes to believe that her family home is haunted. The film will be preceded by a performance by Renny Kodgers and a free pizza party; and followed by an after party.

Closing Night: The fest will close with the controversial German teen sex comedy Wetlands directed by David Wendt. The film will then be followed by a late-night after party.

Highlights: Usama Alshaibi‘s must see documentary American Arab — an intimate, socially relevatory and essential film — screens at 4 p.m. on Sept. 6. Read the Underground Film Journal review of American Arab.

Jorge Torres-Torres...

Fantasia International Film Festival 2014 runs July 17 to August 6. Follow all of our coverage here. Once upon a time the Filipino film industry was second only to Hollywood in the number of films they released per year. That time was the ’70s and ’80s, but the odds are slim that you can even name a single locally-produced movie during that period. Pre and post Apocalypse Now the Philippines was the go-to locale for film productions looking for cheap crews, crazy stuntmen and geography that included everything from gorgeous jungles to bustling slums, but while foreign visitors churned out memorable features of varied quality local filmmakers struggled to make their mark beyond their own borders. That changed in 1981 with a little film called For Y’ur Height Only and its even smaller star, Weng Weng. A James Bond spoof ostensibly for kids, the lead was a 2’9″ man trained in karate and the art of wooing the ladies, and...

The 18th annual Fantasia International Film Festival will be taking place once again in Montreal and the first wave of programming has been announced, revealing an eclectic mix of genre films from around the world:

“Montreal, June 19, 2014 – The 18th annual Fantasia International Film Festival is gearing up to take Montreal by storm with three weeks of inspiration and excitement starting July 17 until August 5, 2014. Our full 2014 lineup of programming and special events will be revealed shortly, but in the meantime, here’s an early First Wave Announcement of several selected highlights and info to whet your appetite.

Unveiling Our 2014 Poster Art: Fantasia Pays Tribute To Three Legendary Figures Of The Fantastic

On May 7 of last year, Ray Harryhausen, filmmaker and stop-motion special effects pioneer, passed away at the age of 92. Mr. Harryhausen created some of the most beloved and innovative fantastic film imagery of all time in such classics as The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad...

The grandaddy of all film fests, Fantasia 2014, is set to kick off on July 17th, and we have this year's artwork to share along with the first wave of event and film announcements.

From the Press Release:

The 18th annual Fantasia International Film Festival is gearing up to take Montreal by storm with three weeks of inspiration and excitement starting July 17 until August 5, 2014. Our full 2014 lineup of programming and special events will be revealed shortly, but in the meantime here’s an early First Wave Announcement of several selected highlights and info to whet your appetite.

For this year’s edition and onwards, Fantasia will be returning to the freshly renovated Concordia Hall Cinema as its main base, which now features an even larger screen, new seating, and upgraded projection and sound.

Unveiling Our 2014 Poster Art: Fantasia Pays Tribute To Three Legendary Figures Of The Fantastic

On May 7 of last year,...

Genre festival to open with Jacky in the Kingdom of Women [pictured]; other titles include Guardians of the Galaxy, Boyhood, The Harvest and Suburban Gothic.

Riad Sattouf’s Jacky in the Kingdom of Women will receive its Canadian premiere as the opening film of this year’s Fantasia International Film Festival.

The Montreal-based genre festival runs July 17-Aug 5 and has also announced it will hold a special screening of Guardians of the Galaxy.

Other first wave announcements include six world premieres: Leo Gabriadze’s Cybernatural; Jean Luc Herbulot’s Dealer; Aik Karapetian’s The Man in the Orange Jacket; Sarah Adina Smith’s The Midnight Swim; Dan Bush’s The Reconstruction of William Zero; and Richard Bates Jr’s Suburban Gothic.

Fantasia has also announced six international premieres, including John McNaughton’s The Harvest and Park Jae-hyun’s The Huntresses, and ten Canadian premieres such as The Mo Brothers’ Killers and Mike Cahill’s I Origins.

Richard Linklater’s critically...

It is that time of the year again in which we start preparing for our favourite film festival in the world. For the unfamiliar, Sound On Sight has delivered some of the best coverage of the Fantasia Film Festival since we first launched back in 2008. In the past we’ve published up to 55 reviews, dozens of features and recorded six podcasts dedicated entirely to the three and a half week long event. So be sure to come visit us again and again throughout the months of July and August, as we will surely be all over the 2014 edition. The 18th annual Fantasia International Film Festival is taking Montreal by storm, starting July 17 until August 5, 2014. They’ve just released their new poster and along with the first wave of films, and as expected, Fantasia’s programmers aren’t disappointing. Here’s the press release. Enjoy!

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Montreal, June 19, 2014 – The 18th annual Fantasia...

Monster Pictures have released the brand new trailer and poster for Andrew Leavold’s feature documentary The Search for Weng Weng – Leavold’s obsessive quest to find out what happened to Weng Weng, the 2’9” kung-fu kicking ‘James Bond’ of Filipino cinema and one of his country’s biggest stars in the 1980’s.

Fresh from it’s success at Udine Film Festival this month, The Search for Weng Weng was shot over seven years in Manila. Leavold’s search plunged him into the history of Filipino ‘B’ movies and even took a surreal turn to land him at Imelda Marcos’ birthday party, as he tried to uncover what happened to the diminutive star, known also as ‘Agent 00’. The film will premiere at the Cannes Film Festival market on Tuesday 20th May, and has been selected for Sheffield Doc Fest next month.

Almost a decade ago Australian trash cinema aficionado Andrew Leavold...

Those of you lucky enough to have seen 80s Filipino action oddity For Your Height Only will be familiar with the legacy of Weng Weng, and now there's a new documentary doing the rounds that pries open the legend of the pint-sized leading man, and Twitch has an exclusive first look at the trailer.The Search For Weng Weng is Andrew Leavold's obsessive quest to discover exactly what became of the 2'9" kung-fu kicking 'James Bond' of Filipino Cinema - one of his country's biggest stars throughout the 1980s.The film recently screened at Udine's Far East Film Festival and will receive its UK premiere at Sheffield Doc Fest next month. It will also be making its market debut at Cannes next week, courtesy of Monster Pictures.Shot...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...

London-based Asian film festival to open with the UK premiere of Erik Matti’s On the Job and features a focus on the Philippines.

The sixth Terracotta Far East Film Festival (Tfeff), one of the UK’s biggest showcases for contemporary Asian cinema, is to open with the UK premiere of Erik Matti’s On the Job, which debuted at Directors Fortnight during the Cannes Film Festival 2013.

The festival, which will be held in two central London venues from May 23 to June 1, will comprise 24 films. It will close with the international premiere of Judge!, attended by director Akira Nagai.

Tfeff’s Spotlight On section will focus on the Philippines and director Matti will attend the opening ceremony of the strand with his film, On the Job.

The spotlight strand will be hosted by the Institute of Contemporary Arts (Ica) from May 23-27, which will also feature a double bill dedicated to award-winning Filipino actor Felix Roco. He will...

Australian filmmaker Andrew Leavold is on a quest. For the past 6 years and armed with a camera he's been on this quest, searching for Filipino cult movie superstar Weng Weng, and shooting a documentary along the way. Now, armed (literally) with a Weng Weng shoulder tattoo and 100 hours of footage and interviews - including what looks like a bizarre encounter with Imelda Marcos - Leavold is ready to cut all his footage down into a 90-minute feature documentary to bring the definitive story of Weng Weng to the world.Fittingly called The Search for Weng Weng, the doco needs the final funds to get over the line, and has started an appeal on Kickstarter (a name that martial arts star Weng Weng would surely...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...

"I had no interest in doing another documentary after 'Not Quite Hollywood,'" says Australian director Mark Hartley. It's kind of a weird statement, since I'm talking to Hartley specifically because he made another documentary, a thoroughly entertaining chronicle of American exploitation filmmaking in the Philippines called "Machete Maidens Unleashed" ("Not Quite Hollywood" focused on exploitation films from Hartley's homeland). Packed with great interviews and movie clips, edited with panache and wit, and featuring some incredible anecdotes about Roger Corman's B-movie factory of the 1970s, New World Pictures, "Machete Maidens" certainly doesn't feel like the work of a disinterested filmmaker. So how'd we get here, chatting about his film the day after a gala screening at Fantastic Fest? I asked Hartley what changed his mind, whether he thinks there are feminist messages in Women in Prison movies, and the morality of enjoying stuntwork that could have cost someone their life.