MOTEL HELL, PUMPKINHEAD IN NEW BLU-RAY VERSIONS

SHOUT! FACTORY has recently released two horror classics, MOTEL HELL and PUMPKINHEAD. I remember seeing MOTEL HELL at the theater and couldn't believe what I was watching -- it's both weird and darkly funny. PUMPKINHEAD, on the other hand is a straight-ahead teen monster movie -- how can you go wrong with a totally cool monster and starring Lance Henriksen?

Here's the 411 from SHOUT! FACTORY:

MOTEL HELL SYNOPSIS

It takes all kinds of critters to make Farmer Vincent’s fritters!

You really are what you eat with Farmer Vincent's smoked meat in this creepy horror yarn which "packs a punch that goes way beyond mere terror" (Boxoffice). Vincent's popular products contain a special ingredient that the psychotic farmer and his sister would literally kill to keep a secret! Starring Rory Calhoun (Angel), Nancy Parsons (Porky’s), Nina Axelrod (Time Walker, Cobra) and John Ratzenberger (Cheers), and directed by Kevin Connor (From Beyond The Grave, At The Earth’s Core), this darkly funny flick "just might be your cup of meat" (L.A. Herald Examiner)!

BONUS FEATURES

NEW 4K Transfer From The Original Camera Negative

NEW Restored Stereo Audio Track

Audio Commentary With Director Kevin Connor, Moderated By Dave Parker

"It Takes All Kinds: The Making Of Motel Hell" – Featuring Interviews With Kevin Connor, Producers/Writers Robert Jaffe And Steven-Charles Jaffe And Actor Marc Silver

"Shooting Old School" With Cinematographer Thomas Del Ruth

"Another Head On The Chopping Block" – Interview With Actor Paul Linke

"From Glamour To Gore" – Interview With Actress Rosanne Katon

"Ida, Be Thy Name" – A Look Back At Motel Hell's Frightful Female Protagonist, Ida Smith

Theatrical Trailer

NEW To This Edition – Original Teaser Trailer

NEW To This Edition – TV Spots

Behind-The-Scenes Still Gallery

Poster And Production Still Gallery

CAST AND CREW

Rory Calhoun Vincent Smith

Paul Linke Bruce Smith

Nancy Parsons Ida Smith

Nina Axelrod Terry

Wolfman Jack Reverend Billy

Elaine Joyce Edith Olson

Dick Curtis Guy Robaire

Monique St. Pierre Debbie

Rosanne Katon Suzi

E. Hampton Beagle Bob Anderson

Kevin Connor Director

Robert Jaffe Written By

Steven-Charles Jaffe Written By

Tim Tuchrello Writer

Frank Cotolo Writer

Herb Jaffe Executive Producer

Robert Jaffe Producer

Steven-Charles Jaffe Producer

Austen Jewell Associate Producer

PUMPKINHEAD SYNOPSIS

"Vivid, stylish, atmospheric" – The Hollywood Reporter

When a group of teenagers inadvertently kill his only son, Ed Harley (Lance Henriksen, Aliens) seeks the powers of a backwoods witch to bring the child back to life. But instead, she invokes "Pumpkinhead" – a monstrously clawed demon which, once reborn, answers only to Ed's bloodlust. But as the creature wreaks its slow, unspeakable tortures on the teens, Ed confronts a horrifying secret about his connection to the beast – and realizes that he must find a way to stop its deadly mission before he becomes one with the creature forever. A terrifying parable of revenge and possession, Pumpkinhead also stars Jeff East (Deadly Blessing), Joel Hoffman (Slumber Party Massacre II) and Kerry Remsen (A Nightmare On Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge).

BONUS FEATURES

NEW 4K Scan From The Interpositive Film Element

NEW 5.1 And 2.0 Audio Options

Audio Commentary With Co-Screenwriter Gary Gerani And Creature & FX Creators Tom Woodruff, Jr. And Alec Gillis, Moderated By Filmmaker Scott Spiegel

Night Of The Demon – An Interview With Co-Writer Richard Weinmann

The Redemption Of Joel – An Interview With Actor John D’Aquino

The Boy With The Glasses – An Interview With Actor Matthew Hurley

Pumpkinhead Unearthed – A Six-Part Documentary On The Making Of The Film

Remembering The Monster Kid – A Tribute To Stan Winston

Demonic Toys – A Look At The Creation Of A Pumpkinhead Action Figure

Behind-The-Scenes Footage

Theatrical Trailer

Still Gallery

CAST AND CREW

Lance Henriksen Ed Harley

Jeff East Chris

John D'Aquino Joel

Kimberly Ross Kim

Joel Hoffman Steve

Cynthia Bain Tracy

Kerry Remsen Maggie

Florence Schauffler Haggis

Brian Bremer Bunt

George 'Buck' Flower Mr. Wallace

Stan Winston Director

Ed Justin Poem

Mark Patrick Carducci Story

Stan Winston Story

Richard Weinman Story

Mark Patrick Carducci Screenplay

Gary Gerani Screenplay

Bill Blake Producer

Alex De Benedetti Executive Producer

Howard Smith Producer

Richard Weinman Producer

FANGERS 'N MASH - BRITISH VAMPIRE DVD FROM SHOUT FACTORY

Coming Tuesday is a new DVD release from SHOUT FACTORY called DEAD CERT. It's another entry in the vampire cycle that still seems to have some legs despite being a little long in the tooth after deluge from the last year or so.

Here is some info from the official DEAD CERT site, UK.net:

"The second feature from British director Steve Lawson (Just For The Record), the vampires-meet-gangsters horror romp Dead Cert marks a welcome return to a fun, almost traditional British horror filmmaking style that affectionately evokes the spirit of the contemporary-set movies of Amicus and Hammer – particularly the latter’s ‘Dracula A.D. 1972’ and ‘The Satanic Rites Of Dracula’.

An inventive hybrid of the vampire and Cockney gangster movie genres that comes complete with all the standard ingredients of both – creepy monsters, beautiful, scantily-clad women, tough-talking wise guys, guns, stakes, gratuitous bloodshed and a seemingly crazy vampire hunter – Dead Cert features a star-studded cast of familiar British acting talent that includes Craig Fairbrass (The Shouting Men; The Bank Job; Rise Of The Footsoldier), Billy Murray (Rise Of The Footsoldier; Essex Boys), Dexter Fletcher (Kick-Ass), hot newcomer Lisa McAllister (How To Lose Friends And Alienate People; Pumpkinhead: Ashes To Ashes), Steven Berkoff (44 Inch Chest), Dave Legeno (Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince), Jason Flemying (Clash Of The Titans; Kick-Ass) and, in a brilliantly judged cameo, Danny Dyer (Dead Man Running; Adulthood).

When respected but small-time gangster Freddie ‘Dead Cert’ Frankham (Craig Fairbrass) is unexpectedly given the chance to make a tentative leap into the big leagues with the opening of his new nightclub in London’s East End, he doesn’t quite realize what he is getting into. Unknown to Freddie and his partners, the club stands on the former site of a Black Church, established as a temple of evil in the 17th Century by a Romanian warlord-turned-vampire known as The Wolf. Flushed out of the city by emissaries of the Vatican during the Great Fire of London, and since then exiled in mainland Europe, The Wolf and his undead disciples have now returned to England to continue their diabolical plans to expand their legions and overcome mankind.

On the opening night of the club, Freddie is approached by an uninvited guest in the form of Dante Livienko, an Eastern European businessman, gangster and drug-dealer with a fearsome reputation. Livienko and his associates want ownership of the club and are prepared to make Freddie an offer he can’t refuse in order to get what they want. But to Freddie, his new, legitimate business means far more to him than money and he’s not about to give up his hard-earned turf without a fight. What he doesn’t know, but is soon to find out, is the man he is about to cross is a 500-year-old vampire determined to rebuild his empire of evil on its original, unhallowed site.

Produced by horror specialists Black & Blue Films and recalling the previously mentioned Hammer classics, as well as later vampire movies such as ‘Vamp’ and ‘The Lost Boys’, Dead Cert is a bloodsucking feast with more bite than most and one that horror fans will defininely enjoy getting their teeth into - especially now that it has been selected for the opening night of the prestigious FrightFest horror film festival.

Dead Cert (cert. 18) will be released on DVD by Momentum Pictures and distributed in the United States by SHOUT FACTORY on 27th September 2010. Special Features include: audio commentary; ‘Making of’ featurette."



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KILLER DOUBLE FEATURE FROM SHOUT FACTORY

Releasing next week from SHOUT FACTORY, the outfit committed to those with a retro fetish, is their first "Killer Double Feauture" DVD containing BAD DREAMS (1988) and VISITING HOURS (1982). Here's the lowdown:

BAD DREAMS -- In the mid-1970s the members of the love cult Unity Fields sought “the ultimate joining” by dousing themselves with gasoline and committing mass suicide. A young girl blown clear of the fiery explosion was the only survivor. Thirteen years later, Cynthia (Jennifer Rubin, Screamers) awakens from a coma inside a psychiatric hospital with only buried memories of that horrific day — but now her fellow patients are each being driven to their own violent suicides. Has the sect’s leader (Richard Lynch, Deathsport) returned to claim his final child? Bruce Abbott (Re-Animator) co-stars in the intense shocker Bad Dreams from director Andrew Fleming (The Craft) and producer Gale Anne Hurd (Punisher: War Zone, The Incredible Hulk).

Special Features:
Anamorphic Widescreen Transfer (1.78:1)
New Dolby Digital 5.1 Soundtrack
Commentary with Writer/Director Andrew Fleming
Interviews with Actors Jennifer Rubin, Bruce Abbott, Richard Lynch and Dean Cameron
The Special Effects of Bad Dreams
Behind the Scenes of Bad Dreams' Original Ending
Theatrical Trailer

VISITING HOURS -- Academy Award®–winner Lee Grant (Best Supporting Actress in 1975 for Shampoo) stars as outspoken TV journalist Deborah Ballin, whose crusade against domestic violence enrages a creepy loner (a truly disturbing performance by Michael Ironside, Scanners) in Visiting Hours. He brutally attacks the anchorwoman in her home, but Ballin survives and is hospitalized. Her assailant is enraged; he is haunted by a horrific childhood trauma . . . and now he has hidden himself inside the hospital to finish what he started. Can anybody — including her concerned boss (William Shatner), a frantic nurse (Linda Purl, Happy Days) or Deborah herself — stop the psycho’s killing spree before it reaches sick new extremes?

Special Features:
Anamorphic Widescreen Transfer (1.78:1)
Theatrical Trailer, Radio and TV Spots

BAD DREAMS TRAILER


VISITNG HOURS TRAILER


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SATURDAY SHOCK THEATRE

Did you know that aliens live among us? Well, if you slept through the last 30-plus years and missed TV shows like THE TWILIGHT ZONE, THE OUTER LIMITS, THE INVADERS, and THE X-FILES, here's a newsflash for ya' -- they do!

Conspiracies of the alien kind have had a keen interest in the Earth's small screen for a lot of years. And, very few shows have portrayed our universal brethren as anything like hospitable . . . including DARK SKIES, a short-lived, but riveting series of a few years back. Even science wundergenius Stephen Hawking has warned not to be so excited to meet up with the unknown critters lurking among the stars.

Now, SHOUT! FACTORY has released the entire run in a way-affordable box-set available this January 18.

Since today is Stephen Hawking's birthday (69 years-old), it is befitting to launch this new MONSTER MAGAZINE WORLD film series, SATURDAY SHOCK THEATRE with the announcement of the DARK SKIES release. In the meantime, keep watching this blog!

DARK SKIES: THE DECLASSIFIED COMPLETE SERIES

Starring Eric Close and Megan Ward

Secrets and Conspiracies Spill from All 19 Original Riveting Episodes,

Extensive DVD Bonus Content, Special Booklet and much more!

OWN THE COLLECTIBLE 6-DVD BOX SET ON JANUARY 18, 2011

FROM SHOUT! FACTORY

An idealistic Congressional aide discovers evidence of aliens living among us. When he stumbles into the government’s longtime cover-up, his life changes forever. In the landmark television series Dark Skies, freedom fighter John Loengard declares that “history as we know it is a lie,” and sets out to find the truth before it’s too late. He and girlfriend Kim Sayers embark on a cross-country crusade, attempting to derail plans by the sinister alien “Hive.” Majestic-12, a covert government agency assigned to secretly fight the aliens, monitors Loengard; and Capt. Frank Bach is ready to silence him---or quietly aid his quest. Call it alternative history or call it the unthinkable truth. Either way, call it… Dark Skies.

Created by Bryce Zabel and Brent V. Friedman, Dark Skies, a brilliantly intense sci-fi drama, explored the thrilling intersection of history and mystery, politics and paranoia. Starring Eric Close (Without a Trace), Megan Ward (General Hospital, Boomtown) and the late J.T. Walsh (The Negotiator, Pleasantville), the series, set in the turbulent 1960s, won devoted fans throughout its 1996-97 run on NBC. Besides its fresh focus on the debate over UFOs, the show also incorporated historic figures’ participation into its plots: Bobby Kennedy, Jack Ruby, Timothy Leary, J. Edgar Hoover and other famous names helped to advance the story.

Fifteen years after Dark Skies first aired on network television, the entire series will finally be unleashed for the first time on DVD when Shout! Factory debuts the Dark Skies: The Declassified Complete Series DVD box set on January 18, 2011, marking the 50th anniversary of President Kennedy’s inauguration. Newly remastered, this collectible 6-DVD box set includes all 19 episodes, an international TV pilot, a special commemorative booklet featuring a behind-the-scenes essay by Zabel, and extensive bonus content. The show’s creators Bryce Zabel and Brent V. Friedman, along with stars Eric Close and Megan Ward, discuss the series and their roles in an intimate look back Signal To Noise: Uncovering Dark Skies. Dark Skies: The Declassified Complete Series is a must-have for fans of science fiction, mystery and intrigues. This collectible DVD box set is priced to own at $44.99 SRP.

With fast-paced writing and innovative twists, Dark Skies offered alternative answers for that mysterious crash in Roswell, New Mexico, and the secrets surrounding JFK’s death in Dallas: was the president killed because he planned to tell the country the truth about UFOs? The period drama chronicled America’s path, in official Washington as well as small-town Main Street, from the roar of Cape Canaveral’s space-race excitement, through the haze of Viet Nam and the groovy “summer of love.” Everywhere, Hive aliens lurked, ready to “implant” ordinary citizens—including Kim, and John Loengard’s own brother—while moving toward the goal of world domination and “singularity.”

Dark Skies won an Emmy® for its edgy opening sequence, and received four Emmy® nominations during its run. The show’s richly detailed look, often embellished with real news footage, featured iconic, accurate touches of the times: chrome-grilled cars, TV dinners, and pastel telephones. Musically, Dark Skies offered an eclectic soundtrack of the 1960s, whether folk, rock, or in between. Recognizable names from real life enhanced the show’s premise: Howard Hughes’ famous fear of germs leads the reclusive billionaire to join John and Kim in their search for a Hive tunnel; Attorney General Bobby Kennedy orders a meeting with the pair on a country road; and music artist Jim Morrison has relevant, if volatile, information. Other familiar names cropping up in Dark Skies include Marilyn Monroe, Ronald Reagan, Hubert Humphrey, Colin Powell, Gerald Ford, Norman Schwarzkopf, Carl Sagan, Dan Rather, the Beatles and columnist Dorothy Kilgallen —all realistically portrayed in dramatic reminders of a different era.

For sci-fi enthusiasts and imaginative observers of history, Dark Skies: The Complete Series is a gem of a time capsule, revisiting a familiar period in history with new angles on what we know—or think we know.

Dark Skies: The Declassified Complete Series DVD Bonus Features:
International pilot
Cast & creator commentaries
Signal To Noise: Uncovering Dark Skies– A 3-part intimate look back with creators Bryce Zabel & Brent V. Friedman and stars Eric Close & Megan Ward
Network promos
The Dark Skies Glossary
Original sales presentation
EPK
Never-before-seen Season Two proposal
…And more!




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