July is halfway over Vault Dwellers! And though this week will serve as a bit of a breather before Scream Factory unloads a heavy dose of John Carpenter next week, as always there are some titles of interest for us collectors.
The long-touted Collector's Edition of TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY with "EndoArm" is finally available, though it is relatively pricey. (Ack! It's nearly $200!) It's Limited to 6,000 units, and each one apparently has James Cameron's signature on the base!
The rest of this week's release slate is rounded out by some bargain-priced DVDs (and collections), as well as some new Hollywood fare, including RAMPAGE and Blumhouse's TRUTH OR DARE. To see the entire list of this week's new DVDs & Blu-rays, scroll on down!
NEW TO DVD & BLU-RAY
Andover
Blumhouse's Truth or Dare (Unrated Director's Cut)
Capps Crossing
Corbin Nash
Danny Trejo Double Feature: Border Cross & Cage of Glory
The Expanse: Season 3
Frank McKlusky, C.I.
Isle of Dogs
Modus: Season 1
Rampage (2018)
Super Troopers 1 & 2 Collection
Super Troopers 2
You Were Never Really Here
NEW TO BLU-RAY
The Case of the Scorpion's Tail (Special Edition)
Church of the Damned / Bad Magic (Double Feature)
Doom Asylum (Special Edition)
Enter the Devil (Limited Edition)
The Housemaid
Isle of Dogs & The Fantastic Mr. Fox (Double Feature)
The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean
The Quick & The Dead (4K UHD)
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (Limited Collector's Edition with "Endoarm")
NEW TO DVD
Amityville Prison
The Antithesis
Bear With Us
Kung Fu Traveler 2
Son of Zorn: The Complete Series
Stiffed
Wayward Pines: The Complete Second Season
Young Dillinger (1965 - Warner Archive Collection)
NEW DVD TITLES FROM "FILMS AROUND THE WORLD"
Bloodthirsty Butchers
Cut-Throats Nine
Flesh-Eating Mothers
The Inheritor
Stigma
The Suckling
NEW MULTI-FILM COLLECTIONS ON DVD 4-Film Collection: Disaster
Contains: 10,000 Days, Metal Tornado, 10.0 Earthquake, and Seattle Superstorm.
4-Film Collection: Horror
Contains: Spliced, Frozen, Greystone Park, and John Carpenter's The Ward.
4-Film Collection: Western
Contains: Sweetwater, Echoes of War, Gunless, and Autumn Blood.
SLASHER AND GIALLI FANS WILL DEFINITELY WANT TO OWN ARROW VIDEO'S LATEST SPECIAL EDITION BLU-RAYS!
Chalk up two more great Arrow releases for films that I'm not super familiar with. I'm a fan of some of Sergio Martino's other films (e.g. THE GREAT ALLIGATOR, ISLAND OF THE FISHMEN), and I do enjoy the occasional giallo film, so THE CASE OF THE SCORPION'S TALE is a must-see for yours truly! And I love slasher movies in general, so I'm definitely interested in DOOM ASYLUM as well! Continue reading Vault Dwellers to find out more about this duo of stellar releases!
THE CASE OF THE SCORPION'S TALE (1971)
Synopsis: One of the major consequences of Western Europe s post-war Economic Miracle was the proliferation of international travel. Eager to tap into audiences desire to experience the glamor of the jet set lifestyle, the popular filmmakers of the day rushed to make the most of the exotic locales at their disposal.
Arguably no other giallo captured this trend as vividly as The Case of the Scorpion s Tail. The film begins in London, where Lisa Baumer (Evelyn Stewart - THE PSYCHIC) learns that her husband has died in a freak plane accident. Summoned to Athens to collect his generous life insurance policy, she soon discovers that others besides herself are keen to get their hands on the money and are willing to kill for it.
Meanwhile, private detective Peter Lynch (George Hilton - THE STRANGE VICE OF MRS. WARDH) arrives to investigate irregularities in the insurance claim. Teaming up with a beautiful reporter, Cléo Dupont (Anita Strindberg - YOUR VICE IS A LOCKED ROOM AND ONLY I HAVE THE KEY), Lynch resolves to unearth the truth... before he too ends up on the wrong end of the murderer s straight razor.
The second giallo by genre master Sergio Martino (TORSO, THE SUSPICIOUS DEATH OF A MINOR), THE CASE OF THE SCORPION'S TAIL combines stunning views of Athens and the Greek coastline with brutal bursts of violence, a typically tangled script by Ernesto Gastaldi (DEATH WALKS ON HIGH HEELS), and a cast overflowing with Euro cult talent, including Alberto de Mendoza (A LIZARD IN A WOMAN'S SKIN), Janine Reynaud (Jess Franco's SUCCUBUS) and Luigi Pistilli (A BAY OF BLOOD).
Disc Specs:
Not Rated | Color | 90 minutes | Region A
Video - 1080p Widescreen (2.39:1)
Audio - Enlish & Italian LPCM Mono
Extras:
NEW! 2K restoration of the film from the original camera negative!
Newly translated English subtitles for the Italian soundtrack
Audio commentary with writer Ernesto Gastaldi, moderated by filmmaker Federico Caddeo (in Italian with English subtitles)!
NEW! Interview with star George Hilton
NEW! Interview with director Sergio Martino
NEW! Analysis Sergio Martino s films by Mikel J. Koven, author of La Dolce Morte: Vernacular Cinema and the Italian Giallo Film!
NEW! Video essay by Troy Howarth, author of So Deadly, So Perverse: 50 Years of Italian Giallo Films.
Theatrical trailer
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Chris Malbon.
FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by Rachael Nisbet and Howard Hughes, and a biography of star Anita Strindberg by Peter Jilmstad!
Arrow's Special Edition Blu-ray of THE CASE OF THE SCORPION'S TAIL arrives at retailers Tuesday, July 17th and should cost between $24 - $28! You can order Sergio Martino's classic giallo now from AMAZON, BULLMOOSE, or DIABOLIK DVD!
DOOM ASYLUM (1987)
Synopsis: If you thought SEX AND THE CITY 2 was a stomach-churner, you ain't seen nothing yet! Long before playing one of Carrie Bradshaw's best gal pals, actress Kristen Davis found herself up against an altogether different kind of horror in 1987's DOOM ASYLUM: a riotous mix of gore, gags and goth girl groups galore!
When a group of horny teens wind up on the grounds of a creepy abandoned asylum, they think they've found the perfect place to party. Little do they know that inside the building's crumbling walls lurks a freakishly deformed maniac, driven to madness by the tragic loss of his fiancée in a car accident. With an array of grisly surgical tools at his disposal, it's only a matter of time before the youngsters begin meeting various splattery ends at the hands of the ghoulish Coroner.
Helmed by director Richard Friedman (SCARED STIFF, PHANTOM OF THE MALL: ERIC'S REVENGE), and also starring Penthouse Pet of the Year 1988 Patty Mullen (FRANKENHOOKER), DOOM ASYLUM combines outlandish gore and a wise-cracking villain to create one of the most wildly entertainingly blood-spattered slashers of the late '80s
Disc Specs:
Not Rated | Color | 77 minutes | Region Free
Video - 1080p Widescreen (1.85:1 & 1.33:1)
Audio - English LPCM Mono
Extras:
NEW! 2K restoration from the original camera negative! (Featuring both 1.85:1 and 1.33:1 versions of the film!)
NEW! Audio commentary with screenwriter Rick Marx!
NEW! Audio commentary with The Hysteria Continues!
NEW!Tina’s Terror – An interview with actress Ruth Collins!
NEW! Movie Madhouse – An interview with director of photography Larry Revene!
NEW!Morgues & Mayhem – An interview with special make-up effects creator Vincent J. Guastini!
Archival Interviews with producer Alexander W. Kogan, Jr., director Richard Friedmanm and production manager Bill Tasgal.
Still Gallery
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Justin Osbourne.
FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Fully-illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing by Amanda Reyes.
Arrow Video's Special Edition Blu-ray of DOOM ASYLUM is also coming out on Tuesday, July 17th, and should cost between $24 - $28! Order your copy of this once obscure slasher flick now from AMAZON, BULLMOOSE, or DIABOLIK DVD!
