COMING SOON TO BLU-RAY

I'm sure many genre fans were eagerly awaiting the first Mario Bava film to hit Blu-ray. Thanks to the enterprising Arrow, BAY OF BLOOD will make its hi-def debut late September in the UK. Hop over to their forums where you'll find a friendly and knowledgeable bunch of like-minded individuals, and make sure you vote in THE BEYOND poll while you're there. Arrow are seriously considering a Blu-ray release for Fulci's classic, providing the elements pass muster. Just click HERE

You can also vote for cover artwork for both of the aforementioned releases.

DRAG ME TO HELL. BLU-RAY

This frenetic, endlessly entertaining film sees Sam Raimi going back to his roots and having an absolute ball doing what many would say he does best.
DRAG ME TO HELL opens in Pasadena, where a Mexican couple take their young son to a medium. Following the theft of jewelry from a band of gypsies, the little boy has been plagued by sights and sounds of a demonic nature, and the power from beyond the grave is sufficient to defeat his would-be saviour.
40 years later, ambitious loan officer Christine Brown (Alison Lohman) is vying for promotion with her backstabbing co-worker, and hopes to demonstrate she's as tough as nails by turning down a mortgage extension by a down-on-her-luck gypsy who begs her for another chance. Christine just about survives a terrifying assault when the gypsy mounts a revenge attack, and finds her problems have only just begun as a series of physical and visual manifestations propel her towards the medium who must once again do battle with the forces of darkness.

With a multitude of 'JUMP' moments, and a nice mixture of gross-out horror and pure slapstick, DRAG ME TO HELL scores highly on entertainment with its breathless style rampaging through a remarkably quick 99m running time. Depending on your mood, you'll either be rooting for the main players or hoping they get their just deserts as almost every member of the cast is driven by greed and self-advancement. I have to say I enjoyed every minute, and we even get a nice old school nod to the classic NIGHT OF THE DEMON towards the end.

Lionsgate's Blu-ray contains 2 versions of this film, including the 'Unseen'version which adds several snippets not seen at the cinema; mostly extra blood during the scenes where she squirts blood from her nose, and is covered by the gypsy's brain matter.
Overall, this is one of the best Blu-ray transfers I've seen to date, and it's hard to find any problems regarding picture quality. Fleshtones are wonderfully vivid, and colours repeatedly pop, while night-time scenes reveal bags of detail.
Fingers crossed it won't be too long before Raimi hooks up with horror again.

LET THE RIGHT ONE IN

Based on 'Let Me In' - a 2004 novel by John Ajvide Lindqvist - Tomas Alfredson's splendid feature film has been attracting rave reviews all over the world since its release in 2008. With Lindqvist on board for the screenplay, Alfredson creates a troubled winter wonderland where 12-year-old Oskar makes friends with a young girl named Elie who declares "I've been 12 a long time". Suffering bullying at school on an almost daily basis, Oskar eventually confides in his new acquaintance, initially unaware that her nocturnal habits include a dependence on human blood in order to survive.

As her watchman Hakan proves himself not up to the task of supplying her essential nourishment, Elie must fend for herself while Oskar battles against the bullies and his own concerns regarding just who or what Elie really is.
Here, Oskar's pain of growing up in the real world is contrasted by the plight of a vampire child who will never change physically, with both of them forced to survive in harsh, unforgiving terrain.
While LET THE RIGHT ONE IN contains moments of feral savagery, there are many instances of sheer poetry in dialogue and imagery; a gesture here, a sentence there, all propelling this story into a fantastique world where childlike innocence mutates into something altogether different.
This really is an extraordinary work, standing proudly alongside genre greats of recent years. Indeed, for my money, it's up there with Abel Ferrara's THE ADDICTION as one of the most challenging vampire films of the last few decades, though for entirely different reasons.

On Blu-ray, LET THE RIGHT ONE IN benefits from an outstanding transfer. The snow-laden landscape looks of the purest white, while the colour ranges from vibrant to dull reflecting the narrative shifts. As much of the film takes place at night, solid blacks are important and that's just what we get. A worthwhile commentary track is included, together with 4 deleted scenes. While it's likely their addition would not have significantly improved the film, it's good to be able to watch them here.

Here's a trailer to whet the appetite of any of you yet to see this remarkable coming-of-age tale. Please, don't miss it.

NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD IN HD

George Romero's NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD is set for its second Blu-ray release in the UK, this time from Network.
We're promised a brand-new transfer taken from original 35mm film elements.
Check out this Blu-ray clip posted on youtube, which bodes well for this release.



NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD is slated for release on 26th October.

THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE BLU-RAY

Tobe Hooper's savage, unrelenting nightmare has a chequered history here in the UK.
THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE was refused a cinema release back in 1974, and was only granted certificates for cinema and home video in 1999. The retirement of BBFC head honcho, the late James Ferman, opened the door for many previously outlawed films: indeed, Ferman had found the whole Chain Saw experience to be so intense that he declared it was impossible to make any cuts to this film and make it available for public viewing.
So, Hooper's film simply gathered dust here, though the thriving UK fanzine community ensured those who really wanted to see the film could do so, courtesy of third-gen bootleg tapes which were always at the top of most peoples 'swap lists'.
Now, the Blu-ray format has caught up with Chain Saw in the form of the 'Seriously Ultimate Edition'. Thanks to Second Sight Films, this 16mm journey into darkness looks as good as one could hope for. Happily, this transfer retains the grain 'n' grit but also looks sharp and colourful in places, echoing Hooper's intention that his film should no longer be the victim of heavy, heavy grain Ala the early theatrical screenings.

With an impressive roster of juicy extras, TCM comes over as an even greater accomplishment, with the excellent 'The Shocking Truth' documentary giving us the low-down on exactly what went into the making of this film, and the heavy toll it took on those involved; particularly Marilyn Burns who deserved some kind of medal for her participation. With tales of The Mafia and reminiscences from the heat of on-screen battle , Dave Gregory's doc acts as a valuable record of the filming and the legend that simply refuses to lay down and die. Of course, there are cast and crew members sadly no longer with us and they are remembered in the moving 'In Memoriam' segment of the 'Flesh Wounds' featurette.

The film itself still holds up as one of the most enduring in Horror Cinema. I find it every bit as difficult to sit through as my first Chain Saw experience many years ago. It's a relentless, in-your-face production and it's testament to the power of this film that many of us still go away thinking we've seen more than was actually shown. There's only a modicum of blood spilt onscreen, but the charnel house atmosphere and endlessly imaginative set designs combine with committed performances to fashion a true genre heavyweight. With just an 80 minute running time, Hooper's film seems a lot longer, and I offer that observation as a compliment.

With Blu-ray releases for DAWN OF THE DEAD and NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD on the horizon, Blu-ray is starting to become a fitting home for some of our favourite movies. For the target audience, these are the sort of releases that sell Blu-ray players and it's nice to see THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE receive such reverential treatment.
Initially, this will be a HMV exclusive here in the UK, but will be more widely available early next year.

SUSPIRIA HITS BLU-RAY

11th March 2009. Dario Argento's SUSPIRIA will be released in Italy on Blu-ray. No further details at present, but this news does get the blood pumping.

As Bob Hoskins said in BRAZIL, "I fink that we will have a little look".

BLU FOR YOU

Early days yet, but so far I've been mightily impressed with the Blu-ray player my wife won a couple of weeks ago. While we don't really have the cash to splash out on a bunch of new discs, my monthly subscription to Lovefilm rentals has enabled me to check out a few titles, and a couple of Xmas presents have started what looks like being a s-l-o-w-l-y growing collection. No problems with that whatsoever. We count ourselves extremely fortunate to have won a Blu-ray. It's a Bush, loads films far quicker than I thought would be the case and delivers stunning picture quality. Yes, it's an entry-level player and won't be as good as the Panasonic's or Sony's of this world, but it'll do just fine for us. I have 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY and ZODIAC director's cut waiting until I get a dozen or so spare hours, and I've rented THE DARK KNIGHT, MAMMA MIA and INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE . Nolan's film in particular looks simply wonderful, and I wasn't in the least surprised to read it had shipped over 100,000 copies in the UK on the day of release. A word of praise, too, for MAMMA MIA. I'd seen the stage show in London the year it was released, and went away with mixed feelings but greatly enjoyed the film. Sure, you can pick any number of holes in this production but it made us smile and that's a valuable commodity in the current climate.

Of course, Blu-ray won't shift the number of units it was originally hoped for in 2009 as the current recession will continue to bite for some time to come. However, this format has shipped in impressive numbers, with many mouth-watering titles to come. The likes of the ALIEN movies, LORD OF THE RINGS, STAR WARS and other blockbusters will be mega sellers, and tempt many folks to take the plunge. The cost of players has already come down and will doubtless continue to do so, while the deals on software will get better and better. While it may be some time before we get the likes of Bava, prime time Argento and Hammer product on Blu-ray, the format will get there, I'm sure. Plenty to look forward to!

BLU CHRISTMAS

Major surprise yesterday, as a Blu-Ray player turned up at our place. The missus had worked her magic once again in a competition. While the player is an entry-level model, we count ourselves extremely lucky to own one. Of course, we have no Blu-Ray discs to play but are able to take advantage of Lovefilm's excellent rental service and have amended our 'wants list' to a stack of Blu discs. Looking forward to future rents, including BLACK NARCISSUS, THE DARK KNIGHT, THE SEVENTH SEAL and HALLOWEEN to name but a few.

BUDGET BLU-RAY FROM SIGMATEK

Just discovered that a company called Sigmatek have released a budget priced Blu-Ray player. The SBR-1000 can be found on Amazon UK for £153.00. This particular model uses Sony/Nichia blu laser technology, which is cheaper to produce than typical Blu-Ray lasers. This model will support 1080p (24/60), but a lack of reviews so far means it warrants further investigation when time permits.

ANOTHER REASON TO GO BLU: DEAD AND BURIED

Those of you who own a Blu-Ray player or are currently considering taking the plunge may well be interested by this forthcoming release from Blue Underground.

It's available to buy from 27th January 2009, and we're promised:

Audio Commentary #1 with Director Gary A. Sherman
Audio Commentary #2 with Co-Writer/Co-Producer Ronald Shusett and Actress Linda Turley
Audio Commentary #3 with Cinematographer Steve Poster
Stan Winston's Dead & Buried EFX
Robert Englund: An Early Work of Horror
Dan O'Bannon: Crafting Fear
Theatrical Trailers

BLUE GOES BLU

A friend of mine asked me to log onto to Blue Underground's web site after I finished work today, and suggested I check out the Blu-Ray section. No further information was volunteered. I'd known for a while that BU intended to release selected titles on this new format and last checked their site just over a week ago. So, I headed over there and saw the Blu-Ray section had been updated. You can check out the list of opening titles by clicking on http://www.blue-underground.com/blu-ray.php
I'm certainly excited by the likes of MANIAC, THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE and THE STENDHAL SYNDROME appearing on Blu-ray and look forward to future announcements. While we are unable to afford a Blu-Ray player at the moment, our new television at least means we are one step closer .
The TV my wife won in the radio comp arrived one week ago. Although it wasn't a Pansonic (as we'd been lead to believe), we are delighted with our new set. It's a 32" Samsung - a perfect size for our small one-room flat - HD ready, and the picture quality is way better than our old secondhand TV. The sound is also a massive improvement which is particularly nice as I suffer from Meniere's Disease which has taken away a chunk of hearing from my right ear; a condition which will likely get worse and not better, so I'm advised. Now, I can make out dialogue a lot better than before, and this makes the DVD experience a lot more pleasurable. As for the Sky HD prize.... well, we could not get permission to have a dish installed on the building but Sky have agreed that my mother can have the receiver for one year's free viewing, which will replace her old Sky box for that period and enable her to record programmes onto the built-in hard drive(and save around £360 on subscriptions in the process). Now, I just have to see if the missus can win a comp for a Blu-ray....