Terror Beyond Belief! Synapse Films' Standard 4K Release of Dario Argento's TENEBRAE is Now Available!

SYNAPSE FILMS' 2-DISC EDITION OF "TENEBRAE," IS A MORE WALLET-FRIENDLY WAY FOR FANS TO OWN THEIR BEAUTIFUL 4K RESTORATION OF DARIO ARGENTO'S MUCH-CELEBRATED GIALLO!

Back in July of this year, Synapse Films released a Limited (to 8,000) Edition 3-Disc set of TENEBRAE, which included the recreated 90-minute UNSANE cut, as well as a collectible booklet, a double-sided poster (featuring the Italian and Japanese poster art), and a half-dozen double-sided lobby card reproductions! However, the price-tag on that bad boy was pretty hefty, starting at $65 or higher depending on the retailer! Thankfully, Synapse has made their fantastic 4K restoration of the film far more attainable with this new 4K/Blu-ray combo, which retains all of the bonus features (save one) from the limited edition release! If TENEBRAE is your Argento film of choice (personally, my favorite will always be DEEP RED) and you somehow don't own it, or are looking to upgrade from DVD or Blu-ray, then this 2-disc set deserves a spot in your collection!

Synopsis: Italian horror master Dario Argento elevates the giallo genre to new heights with 1982's TENBRAE, a darkly humorous and notoriously grisly murder-mystery that many consider to be one of his finest works. Now, Synapse Films, in conjunction with Arrow Video makes this gory suspense classic available in a new 4K restoration! American mystery author Peter Neal (Anthony Franciosa, DEATH WISH II) comes to Rome to promote his newest novel, Tenebrae. 

A razor-wielding psychopath is on the loose, taunting Neal and murdering those around him in gruesome fashion just like the character in his novel. As the mystery surrounding the killings spirals out of control, Neal investigates the crimes on his own, leading to a mind-bending, genre-twisting conclusion that will leave you breathless! Co-starring John Saxon (A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, NIGHTMARE BEACH), Daria Nicolodi (PHENOMENA), John Steiner (CALIGULA), and featuring beautiful cinematography by Luciano Tovoli (SUSPIRIA), this stunning all-new 4K restoration includes hours of extras!


Disc Specs:
Not Rated | Color | 101 minutes | Region Free & Region A
Video - 2160p (HDR10) & 1080p Widescreen (1.85:1)
Audio - English & Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0


Extras:

• NEW! 4K RESTORATION OF THE FILM FROM THE ORIGINAL CAMERA NEGATIVE (2022)!
• Original Italian and English front and end titles and insert shots!
• Audio commentary by authors and critics Alan Jones and Kim Newman!
• Audio commentary by Argento expert Thomas Rostock!
• Audio commentary by Maitland McDonagh, author of Broken Mirrors/Broken Minds: The Dark Dreams of Dario Argento!
• Yellow Fever: The Rise and Fall of the Giallo - A feature-length documentary charting the genre from its beginnings to its influence on the modern slasher film, featuring interviews with Dario Argento, Umberto Lenzi, Luigi Cozzi and more!
• Being the Villain - A newly edited archival interview with actor John Steiner!
• Out of the Shadows - An archival interview with Maitland McDonagh!
• Voices of the Unsane - An archival featurette containing interviews with writer/director Dario Argento, actresses Daria Nicolodi and Eva Robins, cinematographer Luciano Tovoli, composer Claudio Simonetti and assistant director Lamberto Bava!
• Screaming Queen - An archival interview with Daria Nicolodi!
• The Unsane World of Tenebrae - An archival interview with Dario Argento!
• A Composition for Carnage - An archival interview with Claudio Simonetti!
• Archival introduction by Daria Nicolodi
• International theatrical trailer
• Japanese "Shadow" theatrical trailer
• Alternate opening credits sequence
• "Unsane" end credits sequence
• Image galleries

The only thing (other than the poster, lobby cards, and packaging) that sets this new 2-disc set apart from the pricier limited edition is the UNSANE disc. If having the shorter U.S. cut is imperative, then snag a copy ASAP from Diabolik DVD! Otherwise, you should be good to go with this standard edition from Synapse Films! The restoration work is top notch, and the there is so much bonus material that you'll have to spend the better part of a day (or two) to get through all of it! If you're convinced that you need TENEBRAE in your collection, then order a copy of this 4K/Blu-ray combo now from AMAZON, BULL MOOSE, DIABOLIK DVD, or direct from SYNAPSE FILMS!

If This Movie Doesn't Make Your Skin Crawl, It's on Too Tight! - BLACK CHRISTMAS Comes to 4K UHD on December 6th!

BOB CLARK'S OTHER HOLIDAY CLASSIC ARRIVES JUST IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS WITH A NEW 4K TRANSFER AND NEWLY RESTORED MONO & 5.1 AUDIO TRACKS!

Roughly six years ago, Scream Factory graced us Horror fans with their 2-Disc Collector's Edition Blu-ray of BLACK CHRISTMAS, and now it's time for all of us to consider double-dipping! Scream's latest release of the film boasts a new 4K transfer that is guaranteed to be a notch above the two different masters contained on the previous release, plus a painstakingly restored Mono track and  5.1 mix for the film! This is big news because this particular upgrade remedies the audio issues that angry fans pointed out on the 2016 Scream Factory Blu. As an added bonus, several new special features have been added to this 3-disc set to further sweeten the deal, which should make all of us collectors feel a tad better about buying the same movie all over again! (HA!) Could this be the definitive release of BLACK CHRISTMAS that we've all been waiting for? Let's take a closer look and find out!

Synopsis: The college town of Bedford is receiving an unwelcome guest this Christmas. As the residents of sorority house Pi Kappa Sigma prepare for the festive season, a stranger begins to stalk the house. A series of obscene phone calls start to plague the sorority and it becomes clear that a psychopath has more than merriment on his mind. As the police try to trace the phone calls, they discover that nothing is as it seems during this BLACK CHRISTMAS.


Disc Specs:
DISC ONE

Rated R | Color | 98 minutes | Region Free
Video - 2160p Widescreen (1.85:1)
Audio - English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono & DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1

DISC TWO
Rated R | Color | 98 minutes | Region A
Video - 1080p Widescreen (1.85:1)
Audio - English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono & DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1

DISC THREE
Rated R | Color | 98 minutes | Region A
Video - 1080p Widescreen (1.78:1)
Audio - English Dolby Digital 5.1

 

Extras:
DISC ONE (4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY)

• NEW! 2022 4K Scan Of The Original Camera Negative!
• In Dolby Vision (HDR 10 Compatible)
• NEW! 2022 DTS-HD Master Audio Mono – A Restoration Of The Original Mono Track!
• NEW! 2022 Restoration Of The 5.1 Audio, Restoring Missing Dialogue, Music And Sound Effects!
• Audio Commentary With Director Bob Clark!
• Audio Commentary With Actors John Saxon And Keir Dullea!
• Audio Commentary With Billy (Actor Nick Mancuso)!
• Audio Interview With Director Bob Clark!
  

DISC TWO (BLU-RAY)

• NEW! 2022 4K Scan Of The Original Camera Negative!
• NEW! 2022 DTS-HD Master Audio Mono – A Restoration Of The Original Mono Track!
• NEW! 2022 Restoration Of The 5.1 Audio, Restoring Missing Dialogue, Music And Sound Effects!
• Audio Commentary With Director Bob Clark!
• Audio Commentary With Actors John Saxon And Keir Dullea!
• Audio Commentary With Billy (Actor Nick Mancuso)!
• Audio Interview With Director Bob Clark!
• NEW! Black Christmas: Restoring The Sound – Brett Cameron Discusses The Hundreds Of Hours Put Into The Restoration Of The Film’s Audio Track For This Release!
• NEW! Newspaper Ad Gallery By Drive-In Asylum!
  
  

DISC THREE (BLU-RAY)

• 2006 Critical Mass HD Master (1.78:1) – DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
• Film And Furs – Remembering Black Christmas With Art Hindle!
• Victims And Virgins – Remembering Black Christmas With Lynne Griffin!
• Black Christmas Legacy!
• 40th Anniversary Panel At FanExpo 2014 Featuring John Saxon, Art Hindle, Lynne Griffin & Nick Mancuso!
• On Screen!: Black Christmas Featurette
• 12 Days Of Black Christmas Featurette
• Black Christmas Revisited Featurette
• Archival Interviews With Olivia Hussey, Art Hindle, Margot Kidder, Bob Clark, & John Saxon!
• Midnight Screening Q&A With Bob Clark, John Saxon And Carl Zittrer!
• Two Scenes With A New Vocal Soundtrack
• Original Theatrical Trailers (English And French)
• Original TV And Radio Spots
• Alternative Title Sequences
• Still Gallery

So to sum this release up: It contains all of the previous extras (plus a few new ones), a new 4K transfer, and restored audio? Seems like this is in fact the definitive release of BLACK CHRISTMAS to me! Scream Factory's 3-Disc Collector's Edition will be available to own on Tuesday, December 6th and should cost between $30 - $35! If you're ready to take the plunge you can pre-order a copy now from AMAZON, BULL MOOSE, DIABOLIK DVD, or directly from SHOUT! FACTORY. I should also note that Shout! has an exclusive (limited to 500) BLACK CHRISTMAS BUNDLE for sale on their site as well, which includes an 18 x 24 poster (featuring the original theatrical artwork), and a set of cool enamel pins! If you've got $97 to burn, or think that it'd make a great Christmas gift, grab one HERE!

Watch Out For Cannibals in the Streets! - Kino Lorber Brings CANNIBAL APOCALYPSE to Blu-ray on 03/17!

ANTONIO MARGHERITI'S EXPLOITATION CLASSIC FINALLY ARRIVES ON BLU-RAY DISC, THANKS TO THE EFFORTS OF KINO LORBER STUDIO CLASSICS!

2020, as awful as it's been so far, has been marked by an amazing series of Blu-ray announcements! And among the titles I've been most looking forward to was Antonio Margheriti's CANNIBAL APOCALYPSE. (Read my review for it HERE.) Featuring a great cast, a fantastic score, and one of the craziest character demises in film history, this Italian cannibal epic is finally coming back into print, with an all new 4K restoration and audio commentary! God Bless Kino Lorber Studio Classics for putting out this release!

Synopsis: The horrors of war take on a whole new meaning for Vietnam vet Norman Hopper (John Saxon - NIGHTMARE BEACH, EVIL EYE, QUEEN OF BLOOD), whose quiet domestic life in Atlanta is shattered by the return of Charlie Bukowski, a combat buddy who dredges up terrifying flashbacks of flesh eating and bloodshed in the war-torn jungles. Now on the run from the law after taking a bite out of an unwilling victim, Charlie begs Norman to help him get out of town with another fellow veteran, Tom (Tony King - REPORT TO THE COMMISSIONER, THE RAIDERS OF ATLANTIS).

Soon the ragtag team of cannibals are fighting for their lives, spreading a deadly contagion through the city before heading into the sewers for a gut-wrenching climax no one will soon forget! One of the most infamous Italian horror films of all time, CANNIBAL APOCALYPSE was heavily censored in many countries where it played under such titles as CANNIBALS IN THE STREETS and INVASION OF THE FLESH HUNTERS. Now you can finally experience this thrilling collision of action-packed combat and monstrous horror from cult director Antonio Margheriti (THE LONG HAIR OF DEATH, CASTLE OF BLOOD, TAKE A HAD RIDE, KILLER FISH) in its original gory splendor for the first time in fully restored HD! Not for the faint of heart or those with full stomachs!

Disc Specs:
Rated R | Color | 96 minutes | Region A
Video - 1080p Widescreen (1.66:1)
Audio - English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono

Extras:

• NEW! 4K RESTORATION OF THE FILM!
• NEW! Audio Commentary by Film Historian Tim Lucas!
• CANNIBAL APOCALYPSE REDUX: Documentary Featuring John Saxon, John Morghen (Giovanni Lombardo Radice) and director Antonio Margheriti!
• NEW! CANNIBAL KING: Interview with Actor Tony King!
• APOCALYPSE IN THE STREETS: A Video Tour of Filming Locations
• European Theatrical Trailer
• Japanese Teaser
• Alternate U.S. Opening Sequence

I'm super excited for this release, and am glad to see that the majority of the extras from the previous Image Entertainment DVD release have been ported over! Kino's CANNIBAL APOCALYPSE Blu-ray is due out on March 17th (i.e. tomorrow) and should cost between $18 - $25! If you enjoy Italian cannibal cinema, order yourself a copy of this flick today from AMAZON, BULL MOOSE, DIABOLIK DVD, or directly from KINO LORBER!

Kino Lorber Brings NIGHTMARE BEACH & WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE to Blu-ray on October 1st!

MOTORCYCLING MADMEN AND VENGEFUL BOUNTY HUNTERS HIGHLIGHT KINO LORBER'S LATEST RELEASES!

I watched NIGHTMARE BEACH A looong time ago, under its alternate title of WELCOME TO SPRING BREAK, but I don't remember much about it. (Doesn't the killer electrocute victims with his motorcycle or some such nonsense? I seem to recall that.)

WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE is a Rutger Hauer action flick that I've overlooked somehow. Watching "The Rut" take on KISS' Gene Simmons (who plays a terrorist in the film) sounds like it'll be a real hoot! Both films have been remastered (in 4K & 2K respectively), and come with audio commentaries and interviews! Continue onward for the full scoop on these discs Vault Dwellers!

NIGHTMARE BEACH (1989)

Synopsis: From Umberto Lenzi, notorious director of such Euro-sleaze classics as PARANOIA, SEVEN BLOODSTAINED ORCHIDS, SPASMO, EYEBALL, and CANNIBAL FEROX  comes NIGHTMARE BEACH (aka WELCOME TO SPRING BREAK), a shockingly gory tale of a madman in a motorcycle helmet who is taking out young co-eds all over the sparkling sands of South Florida during Spring Break.

As the body count creeps up, Miami detective John Saxon (A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, BLACK CHRISTMAS, EVIL EYE) tries to keep ahead of the curve in this carnage-packed slasher gem from the maestro of macabre. Featuring a rollicking score by Goblin's Claudio Simonetti (SUSPIRIA, DAWN OF THE DEAD, THE HEROIN BUSTERS) and co-starring the great Michael Parks (KILL BILL VOL. 1 & 2 and TV's THEN CAME BRONSON).

Disc Specs:
Not Rated | Color | 90 minutes | Region A
Video - 1080p Widescreen (1.85:1)
Audio - English & Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0

Extras:

• NEW! 4K REMASTER OF THE FILM!
• Audio Commentary by Film Historian Samm Deighan!
• Nightmare Rock: Interview with Composer Claudio Simonetti!
• Reversible Blu-ray Art
• Theatrical Trailer

Kino Lorber's Special Edition of NIGHTMARE BEACH is now available on Blu-ray disc, and should cost between $18 - $20! Add Umberto Lenzi's oddball slasher movie to your collection today and order a copy from AMAZON, BULL MOOSE, DIABOLIK DVD, or directly from KINO LORBER!

WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE (1986)

Synopsis: Nick Randall (Rutger Hauer) is an urban bounty hunter, a lethal professional who collects society's garbage for a living. Malak Al Rahim (Gene Simmons) is an international terrorist with a plan to turn Los Angeles into a bloody battlefield. But when the CIA uses Randall as bait to trap the madman, the hunter becomes the hunted. And when the violence hits Randall's home, the bounty becomes a mission of very personal vengeance.

Robert Guillaume, William Russ, and Mel Harris co-star in this action-packed thriller which features a final showdown that critics and fans alike called one of the most explosive climaxes of the decade!

Disc Specs:
Rated R | Color | 106 minutes | Region A
Video - 1080p Widescreen (1.78:1)
Audio - ?

Extras:

• NEW! 2K REMASTER OF THE FILM!
• Audio Commentary by Director Gary Sherman and Executive Producer Arthur M. Sarkissian!
• Interview with Gary Sherman!
• Interview with star Mel Harris!
• Two Theatrical Trailers

With Kino Lorber's release of this movie, you are one step closer to owning Rutger Hauer's complete filmography! (Here's hoping THE HITCHER and/or SPLIT SECOND aren't far behind!) WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE (SPECIAL EDITION) will cost you between $18 - $20, and is currently available from AMAZON, BULL MOOSE, DIABOLIK DVD, and KINO LORBER!

WANTED ON BLU-RAY: BLOOD BEACH (1981)

WANTED ON BLU-RAY: 

BLOOD BEACH (1981)

Rated R | Color | 92 minutes

Greetings Vault Dwellers, and welcome to the inaugural post for the News Vault's newest column! The WANTED ON BLU-RAY series will focus entirely on films that are currently out of print (in North America). It will also focus on films that have only been released on VHS or DVD in the past, but have yet to make the leap to high-definition!

And I could think of no better film to kick things off, than the "lost" 1981 creature feature, BLOOD BEACH!

Synopsis: "Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water.... you can't get to it!" So says legendary veteran actor John Saxon in BLOOD BEACH!

Something strange is afoot (or rather underfoot) at both Santa Monica and Venice Beach. People disappear, sunbathers are mauled, and one unlucky attempted rapist loses his manhood! What is lurking beneath the popular sandy tourist destination, and can it be stopped?!

Jeffrey Bloom's slow-burn fright flick preceded TREMORS by nearly a full decade, and gave us a subterranean terror that sucks its victims down into the sand. BLOOD BEACH features a solid cast, with Saxon as an overtaxed police captain, and Burt Young (Paulie from the ROCKY films) as a cynical smart-mouthed cop, formerly from Chicago.

The film may not be for all tastes as it has a slow pace and a rather anti-climactic ending, plus you barely get to see the film's resident monster. That being said, the movie does rise above its shortcomings with its creepy atmosphere, eerie soundtrack, and awesome supporting characters!

Burt Young as Sgt. Royko.

Availability: This film is currently out of print! BLOOD BEACH had two brief theatrical releases in 1981 and 1982 before quietly making its way to VHS through a now defunct company called Media Home Entertainment. It was a staple of the Horror section in most video rental shops, but as DVD began to take over, BLOOD BEACH never made the leap to the new format here in North America. It did however get released on DVD in other countries, including Germany (Region 2) and Japan (Region Free). BLOOD BEACH has also found new life (and fans) via the bootleg circuit at various conventions.

Current Rights Holder: Get ready to follow me down the rabbit hole Vault Dwellers! From what I've gathered from several sources, the reason we don't have BLOOD BEACH in any modern format here in The States, is due to the uncertainty of who actually owns the distribution rights. General consensus is that the film is in some sort of legal limbo, though others have theorized that director Jeffrey Bloom has regained the rights to the film and is looking to release it on his own at some point. (Note: This is just hearsay and I do not have any confirmation on that!) And still others say that the real issue is that there aren't any decent prints left to strike a new transfer from. (Anyone think of trying the Library of Congress?)

Tracking its history, BLOOD BEACH was released theatrically in 1981 by the "Jerry Gross Organization," and then in 1982 by Compass International Pictures, who also released John Carpenter's HALLOWEEN, TOURIST TRAP, ROLLER BOOGIE, FADE TO BLACK, HELL NIGHT, and other cult favorites. On the home video front, Media Home Entertainment (view logo HERE) gave BLOOD BEACH its VHS release, along with other genre fare, including HALLOWEEN, I COME IN PEACE, several entries in the NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET series, and various Cannon Films titles.

Only Media was ballsy enough to release a movie like this.

Now this is where things get interesting: In 1993, Media Home Entertainment quit operations after years of downsizing, and sold off their film library. Among the companies that snapped up their titles were 20th Century Fox (under their FOX Video label), Image Entertainment (who released various Media titles on Laserdisc), and a little budget label called Video Treasures. (I knew them best as the company that released various Godzilla titles to VHS with some pretty snazzy cover art.)

Now personally, I don't think Fox or Image has the rights to BLOOD BEACH gang, but I do feel very strongly that Video Treasures might. Why's that? Because that little company eventually morphed into Anchor Bay Entertainment, a label many of us Horror fans came to love back in the late 90s. And seeing as how they released a bunch of Compass International titles to DVD, it stands to reason that they may have retained the rights to BLOOD BEACH.

If that is somehow true, that means that the current rights for Jeffrey Bloom's creature feature, currently reside with Lionsgate! Yeah, you read that right: Lionsgate bought out Anchor Bay/Starz in December of 2016! So the purveyors of the popular Vestron Video Collector's Series may actually (unknowingly?) have the distribution rights to BLOOD BEACH! Yes, I know it's a long shot, but dammit, I want to believe!

I need the clarity of Blu-ray to find out WHAT THE HELL THIS IS!

Blu-ray Wishlist
If the rights issues surrounding BLOOD BEACH are finally resolved, and it actually comes to the Blu-ray format, here is what I'd love to see:

• A 4K (but I'd totally settle for 2K) restoration of the film from the best print available. (A tall order, I know.)
• Audio commentary with Director Jeffrey Bloom.
• Interviews with Cast & Crew, including John Saxon, Burt Young, Marianna Hill, et al.
• Original theatrical trailer.
• Behind-the-scenes footage, especially of the film's monster!
• Poster, behind-the-scenes photos, and/or stills galleries!
• Location visits to where the film was shot in Santa Monica.

For the time being, it looks like we'll have to rely on 35mm screenings of battered prints, bootlegs, and YouTube to enjoy BLOOD BEACH. But if anything changes, you can guarantee that I will let you all know! In the meantime, stay tuned for more WANTED ON BLU-RAY entries, along with your daily dose of genre movie and Blu-ray news!