XTRO Comes to Blu-ray on May 28th From Second Sight Films!

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HARRY BROMLEY DAVENPORT'S BIZARRE SCI-FI CLASSIC GETS AN HD RESTORATION AND NEW EXTRAS IN THIS REGION FREE RELEASE!

XTRO is one of those films that you see once and never forget! From Maryam D'Abo birthing a fully grown man, to the design of the freakish alien creatures, there's something traumatizing for everyone in this surreal British Sci-Fi/Horror yarn.

While it has been released in the U.S. on DVD several times over the years, XTRO has never (to my knowledge) made it to Blu-ray here in the States! Overseas however, there's been several editions containing various cuts of the film. And now, Second Sight Films' new release looks to trounce all that have come before it, thus securing its position as the definitive release of XTRO!

Synopsis: Three years after being abducted by aliens, Sam Philips (Philip Sayer) returns to Earth a "changed man." After undergoing a metamorphosis and being "born again," Sam seeks out his wife and son (Bernice Stegers & Danny Brainin). But their family reunion swiftly takes a turn for the weird, as it is revealed that Sam has come back to claim young Tony and take him back to an alien world. What follows is a series of strange occurrences involving killer toys, mutations, a black panther, and lots of gooey practical effects!

Written and directed by Harry Bromley Davenport, XTRO is an exercise in nightmarish surrealism and has gained a strong cult following nearly four decades after its theatrical release. Originally lambasted by critics (including Roger Ebert), XTRO is now regarded as somewhat of a classic, and has since generated two sequels (XTRO 2: THE SECOND ENCOUNTER and XTRO III), with a franchise reboot on the way!

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Disc Specs:
Rated R | Color | 87 minutes (uncut version) | Region Free
Video - 1080p Widescreen (1.77:1)
Audio - German & English Dolby Digital 5.1 & 2.0

Extras:

• NEW! HD restorations of the extended cut(s) with optional alternate endings, plus international and original UK video versions! (i.e. Four versions of the movie!)
• NEW! Xploring Xtro - A 57-minute documentary featuring interviews with Harry Bromley-Davenport, Mark Forstater, Bernice Stegers, Susie Silvey, Tim Dry (Tik), Sean Crawford (Tok), Robert Pereno, Alan Jones, and Craig Lapper!
• NEW! The World of Xtro - Featurette with Dennis Atherton, Harry Bromley-Davenport, and Mark Forstater!
• NEW! Beyond Xtro - Featurette with Harry Bromley-Davenport and Mark Forstater looking ahead to new reboot XTRO: THE BIG ONE, including exclusive test footage!
• Loving The Alien: A Tribute to Philip Sayer featuring exclusive Brian May music tribute.
• Xtro Xposed - Archival interview with Harry Bromley-Davenport.
• Soft cover book with new writing by Kevin Lyons plus behind-the-scenes stills and promo material!
• Original soundtrack CD!
• Rigid slipcover with both original UK theatrical and video artwork!

Second Sight Films' 3-Disc Limited Edition Blu-ray of XTRO is due out on May 28th in the UK and will reach some U.S. retailers by June 8th! If you're a fan of this film, you can secure a copy right this minute at AMAZON, BULLMOOSE, or DIABOLIK DVD! Though the price tag is pretty hefty ($40 - $50!), it is doubtful that anyone else will manage to top this release in our lifetime! Scope out the HD trailer below for this upcoming Blu-ray and get excited Xtro-verts!

Help Fund the Restoration, and Blu-ray Release, of William Fruet's BLUE MONKEY!

CODE RED DVD TURNS TO HORROR FANS TO HELP RAISE FUNDS FOR A FULL RESTORATION OF WILLIAM FRUET'S LONG OUT OF PRINT CREATURE FEATURE!

UPDATE (03/20/2018): Having been unable to reach Bill Olsen via e-mail or social media, I had to take matters into my own hands and get a refund directly from GoFundMe. For the details of what happened with this abruptly cancelled crowdfunding campaign, and learn how you can get your money back, CLICK HERE.

UPDATE (03/13/2018): Apparently the crowdfunding campaign was canceled by Bill. I've reached out to him on social media to inquire about the status of the restoration, and to see if refunds are going to be issued to the people that donated! Stay tuned for updates!

Our bi-weekly WANTED ON BLU-RAY column has been doing quite well Vault Dwellers, and there are plenty of titles on the short list that I can't wait to shine a spotlight on. Imagine my utter surprise when one of those titles, BLUE MONKEY, suddenly popped up in my Facebook news feed just the other day.

It seems that Bill Olsen, the owner and operator of Code Red DVD, aims to bring this obscure creature feature to Blu-ray. But unlike his previous efforts in releasing Cult, Horror, and Exploitation classics, this time Bill is looking to crowdfund a high-def restoration of BLUE MONKEY! Just what is this mysterious "azure ape" film I keep mentioning?

Synopsis: A handyman working in an eccentric old woman's greenhouse comes into contact with a strange plant and ends up going to a nearby hospital after pricking his finger on the thornless flower. (We later learn it was more likely an insect bite.) Once he arrives in the ICU, he vomits up a rather large larvae, and begins to succumb to an illness that is liquefying his body from the inside out! Soon the disease is spreading throughout the hospital, leading to a government quarantine of the facility.

Trapped and desperately seeking a cure, the hospital staff fails to keep tabs on a group of precocious kids from the pediatric ward. The children find the insect that was birthed from the unfortunate handyman, and end up pouring a substance onto it (later found to be a growth hormone) that causes it to grow to gigantic proportions.

"HA! Your cans of RAID are now useless puny humans!"

Soon, the giant insect makes itself a nest in the utility tunnels beneath the hospital, and begins laying eggs. It's up to Dr. Rachel Carson (Gwynyth Walsh), Detective Jim Bishop (Steve Railsback), and an entomologist named Elliot Jacobs (Don Lake) to stop the creature, and find an antidote for the growing epidemic!

As for the film's misleading title, I've heard two reasons behind it: The first is that the movie was originally going to have a primate-like creature on the loose. The second is that the title (which was originally GREEN MONKEY, but changed because no one wanted people to equate this film with deadly AIDS-carrying monkeys) sort of refers to a creature that one of the kids in the film has nightmares about. Regardless, this movie has absolutely no monkeys in it at all!

The lack of colorful apes aside, if this Canuxploitation flick sounds enticing to you at all, then please consider pledging $30 ($25 for the Blu-ray + $5 for shipping) towards Bill Olsen's GoFundMe campaign for BLUE MONKEY's restoration! Let's work together to give this long-requested film a Blu-ray release worth owning Vault Dwellers! And if you're not too keen on donating any money, please share the crowdfunding page on Facebook and Twitter to help spread the word!

The most complete version of 1925's THE LOST WORLD is now available on Blu-ray!

REDISCOVERED FOOTAGE AND AN ALL-NEW 2K TRANSFER MAKE THIS BLU-RAY THE DEFINITIVE RELEASE OF THE LOST WORLD!

Out of the handful of silent films I've sen, THE LOST WORLD is easily my favorite. It is arguably one of the most important movies in cinematic history, and for the longest time has only been available in bargain-priced public domain DVD releases that contained the abridged 63-minute cut of the film.

Then in 2012, Image Entertainment released a 93-minute "restored version" of THE LOST WORLD. Though the quality of the transfer left a little to be desired, it was amazing to see a half-hour of never before seen footage! And now, we have a whopping 110 minutes of THE LOST WORLD to gawk at, thanks to Blackhawk Films, Lobster Films, and Flicker Alley!

Synopsis: True to its title, the 1925, 10-reel version of The Lost World effectively disappeared from circulation in 1929 all known positive prints destroyed a move by First National Pictures to help clear the way for another creature film utilizing special effects and Willis O Brien's cutting-edge animation techniques: KING KONG! For more than 80 years, only abridged editions of THE LOST WORLD remained in existence... until now!

Follow Professor Challenger, played by the inimitable Wallace Beery, as he and a crew of curious explorers embark on an expedition in search of a mythical, prehistoric plateau in South America. Along for the adventure are eminent scientist Summerlee (Arthur Hoyt, the director s brother), sportsman Sir John Roxton (Lewis Stone), journalist Ed Malone (Lloyd Hughes) and Paula White (Bessie Love), whose father disappeared on the same plateau. The party is not there long before the lost world of the jungle begins to reveal its secrets: a primitive ape-man, a Pterodactyl flying through the air, a massive Brontosaurus feeding upon the trees, the vicious Allosaurus, and many more monstrous beasts of the Jurassic age.

Flicker Alley, Lobster Films, and Blackhawk Films are thrilled to present the world-premiere Blu-ray edition of Arthur Conan Doyle's THE LOST WORLD, the most complete version of the film ever released! This visually stunning 2K restoration, accomplished by Lobster Films, features newly-discovered scenes and special effect sequences, incorporating almost all original elements from archives and collections around the world. Renowned silent film composer Robert Israel contributes a new and ambitious score, performed by a full orchestra in 2016!

Disc Specs:
Not Rated | Color (tinted) | 110 minutes | Region Free
Video - 1080p Fullscreen (1.33:1)
Audio - LPCM 2.0 (Orchestrated music only.)

Extras:

• Audio Commentary: Feature-length audio essay by Nicolas Ciccone, amateur filmmaker and film historian.
• Deleted Scenes: Restored outtakes from a 1925 original nitrate transfer of THE LOST WORLD. 
• R.F.D., 10,000 B.C. (1917): Short film directed by Willis O'Brien for producer Thomas Edison. 
• The Ghost of Slumber Mountain (1918): Short film written and directed by Willis O'Brien in a new 2K restoration by the Dinosaur Museum. 
• Creation (1930): Unfinished film directed by Willis O'Brien that nonetheless convinced Merian C. Cooper to hire O'Brien for KING KONG. 
• Image Gallery: Featuring original production, exhibition, and promotional materials. 
• Booklet Essay: "The Lost World: Secrets of the Restoration" by Serge Bromberg of Lobster Films.

The reviews are in and this restoration of THE LOST WORLD is a definite must-have! It boasts the longest, and most complete cut of the film, a beautiful new transfer, a newly orchestrated soundtrack, and a fantastic array of extras! You can order it now from AMAZON or BULLMOOSE! The price is a bit steep, but in this case, the pricetag seems warranted!