La Vampire Nue, Les Démoniaques Blu-ray – All Region Powerhouse Indicator 1968, 1974 Starring Christine François, Joëlle Coeur, John Rico Written by Jean Rollin, Serge Moati Photographed by Jean-Jacques Renon Directed by Jean Rollin Which came first, the art of Philippe Druillet or the films of Jean Rollin? There’s an easy answer; Druillet began his…
Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray Severin Films 1981 Starring Susan Tyrrell, Bo Svenson, Jimmy McNichol Written by Stephen Breimer, Boon Collins Photographed by Robbie Greenberg Directed by William Asher As the love-starved auntie with romantic designs on her teenage nephew, Susan Tyrrell delivers a primal scream performance that would send the…
Tormented Blu-ray Film Masters 1960 Starring Richard Carlson, Juli Reding, Susan Gordon Written by Bert I. Gordon, George Worthing Yates Photographed by Ernest Laszlo Directed by Bert I. Gordon As a man bedeviled by the ghost of his jilted lover, Richard Carlson is feeling Tormented, and after a few minutes of this waterlogged spook show,…
The Scarface Mob Blu-ray Arrow 1962 Starring Robert Stack, Walter Winchell, Neville Brand Written by Paul Monash Photographed by Charles Straumer Directed by Phil Karlson The Great Depression made the high-rolling mobsters of the movies seem all the more glamorous; audiences not only sympathized with those sharp-dressed devils, they dreamed about trading places. Even a…
The Panther Women – The Batwoman Blu-ray Powerhouse Indicator 1967/1968 Starring Maura Monti, Ariadne Welter, Elizabeth Campbell Written by Alfredo Salazar Photographed by Agustín Jiménez Directed by René Cardona A garden of unearthly delights, Famous Monsters of Filmland was the Cahiers du Cinéma for middle-school monster fans. But 1964’s July issue opened up a different…
To Die For 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray Criterion 1995 Starring Nicole Kidman, Matt Dillon, Joaquin Phoenix, Illeana Douglas Written by Buck Henry Photographed by Eric Alan Edwards Directed by Gus Van Sant A wide-eyed kewpie doll with the disposition of Lady Macbeth, Suzanne Stone’s only friend is the lens of a television camera—when the…
The Abbott and Costello Show – Season 2 Blu-ray ClassicFlix 1952-54 Starring Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Sid Fields Written by Sid Fields Directed by Jean Yarborough Familiarity breeds contempt someone said, but in the case of Abbott and Costello, that familiarity was an essential part of their appeal. In the late fifties the boys were…
The Whip and the Body Blu-ray Kino Lorber 1963 Starring Daliah Lavi, Christopher Lee Written by Ernesto Gastaldi, Ugo Guerra, Luciano Martino Photographed by Mario Bava, Ubaldo Terzano Directed by Mario Bava The title sequence of Blood and Black Lace may be Mario Bava’s defining moment. Staged in a shadowy fashion salon, the cast is…