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UK correspondent Lee Broughton returns with coverage of a well-realised Spaghetti Western, Michele Lupo’s irony-laden semi-comedy Ben & Charlie. The film’s eponymous anti-heroes are played by fan favourites Giuliano Gemma and George Eastman and the duo receive great support from a number of familiar faces including Marisa Mell, Aldo Sambrell and Giacomo Rossi Stuart.

Ben & Charlie

Region-Free Blu-ray

Explosive Media GmbH

1972 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 113 min. / Amigo, Stay Away; Amico, stammi lontano almeno un palmo / Street Date, 28 October 2021 / Available from Explosive Media / £22.99

Starring: Giuliano Gemma, George Eastman, Vittorio Congia, Luciano Lorcas, Giacomo Rossi Stuart, Remo Capitani, Nello Pazzafini, Marisa Mell, Aldo Sambrell, Roberto Camardiel.

Cinematography: Aristide Massaccesi

Production Designer: Dario Micheli

Film Editor: Antonietta Zita

Original Music: Gianni Ferrio

Written by Luigi Montefiori and Sergio Donati

Produced by Lucio Bompani

Directed by Michele Lupo

Charlie (George Eastman) patiently waits outside of a Mexican prison so that he can give his...

Maverick director Robert Aldrich’s one foray into grand-scale epic filmmaking is returned to crystal clarity in this fine import disc, a restoration from original Italian film elements. Stewart Granger’s Lot allies his Hebrew tribe with the notorious cities of evil, and almost loses his soul to Anouk Aimée’s wicked Queen Bera. Pier Angeli is the slave who becomes Lot’s wife, and Rossana Podestà is the daughter taken by Stanley Baker’s rapacious prince. Second unit director Sergio Leone whips up a terrific battle scene (maybe), Ken Adam provides the spectacular sets and Miklós Rózsa the powerful music score. And yes, the explosive finish involves hellfire, brimstone and the Biblical Pillar of Salt.

Sodom and Gomorrah

Explosive Media

All-region Blu-ray

1962 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 154 and 117 min. / Street Date December 9, 2021 / Available from Amazon.de /

Starring: Stewart Granger, Pier Angeli (Anna Maria Pierangeli), Anouk Aimée, Stanley Baker, Rossana Podestà, Rik Battaglia,...

Hello, everyone! We’ve got a bunch of new home media releases on tap today including a handful of classic films and some new genre offerings as well. Mvd is showing some love to The House on Sorority Row and Mortuary (1983) with Special Edition Blu-rays, and Cauldron Films is resurrecting The Crimes of the Black Cat and Beyond Terror in HD as well. As far as new horror goes, Arrow Films has put together a stellar home release for Threshold, Scream Factory is releasing Dark Spell on both formats, and if you haven't had a chance to check out A Nightmare Wakes yet, Rlje Films has you covered.

Other releases for July 6th include Scott Pilgrim vs. the World 4K, Doors, Medusa, Claw, Hell’s Bells, Scarecrow County and Sharks of the Corn.

Beyond Terror

Their Nightmare Was Further than Fear... It was Beyond Terror ! After a drug-fueled night of violence,...

“Another day to live through. Better get started.” Those are the first weary words spoken by Dr. Robert Morgan (Vincent Price) in 1964’s The Last Man on Earth (based on Richard Matheson’s 1954 novel I Am Legend), and the resignation in their delivery reflects that in a world gone to hell, perhaps the most dangerous thing of all is not the undead knocking outside on your door, but the loneliness and guilt that live with you on the inside. These painful emotions gain even deeper meanings as the film unleashes empathy along with its creatures of the night, making it an entertaining, thought-provoking, and timeless addition to Halloween movie marathons more than 55 years after its initial release.

While Price brought an eclectic array of mischievous and macabre villains to life on screen throughout his career, in The Last Man on Earth, he plays a character with no hidden agendas or evil schemes.

Review by Roger Carpenter

Before Joe D’Amato became Joe D’Amato, he was Aristide Massaccesi, a respected cinematographer and camera operator. As such, he was largely responsible for the look of films ranging from low-budget spaghetti westerns to gialli such as Umberto Lenzi’s A Quite Place to Kill and, most famously, Massimo Dallamano’s What Have You Done to Solange. Massaccesi first co-directed several small films before directing the war film Heroes in Hell as well as the giallo Death Smiles on a Murderer, both in 1973.

But D’Amato, who would use his famous pseudonym for the first time in 1975, would become (in)famous for his extreme horror titles and adult films beginning in the late 70’s and continuing until his death in 1999. He is perhaps most famous for his string of over-the-top gorefests like Beyond the Darkness (Aka Buio Omega), Anthropophagus, and Absurd as well as his...

As we get closer to the Memorial Day holiday here in the States, we have a new batch of home media releases this week for those of you looking to spend some quality time on your couches getting caught up with some fantastic films over the upcoming long weekend. Arrow Video has put together a special edition of Joe D’Amato’s Death Smiles on a Murderer, and Scream Factory is keeping busy with their Blu-rays for both Of Unknown Origin and The Vampire and the Ballerina, and for those of you looking to upgrade your Jurassic Park films, there’s a new 4K 25th Anniversary Collection featuring every film in the franchise that should scratch that itch.

Other notable releases for May 22nd include The Matrix in 4K, I Kill Giants, Soft Matter, Daphne & Velma, and Devil’s Weekend.

Death Smiles on a Murderer: Special Edition

A haunting and dreamlike gothic horror/giallo hybrid,...

Death Smiles On A Murderer starring Klaus Kinski and Ewa Aulin will be available on Blu-ray from Arrow Video on May 22nd

A haunting and dreamlike gothic horror/giallo hybrid, Death Smiles on a Murderer is a compelling early work from the legendary sleaze and horror film director Joe D Amato, here billed under his real name Aristide Massaccesi.

Set in Austria in the early 1900s, Death Smiles on a Murderer stars Ewa Aulin, as Greta, a beautiful young woman abused by her brother Franz and left to die in childbirth by her illicit lover, the aristocrat Dr. von Ravensbrück. Bereft with grief, Franz reanimates his dead sister using a formula engraved on an ancient Incan medallion. Greta then returns as an undead avenging angel, reaping revenge on the Ravensbrück family and her manically possessive brother.

Presented here in a stunning 2K restoration, D Amato s film is a stately...

Review by Roger Carpenter

During the first half of the 60’s Mario Bava created several genuine horror classics that remain high-water marks in the genre over a half century later. Films such as Black Sunday (1960), Black Sabbath (1963), The Whip and the Body (1963), and Blood and Black Lace (1964) either pushed the boundaries of horror or helped to establish cinematic tropes still used in modern horror. Always saddled with shoestring budgets and bad deals, Bava nevertheless remained optimistic in the face of his cinematic struggles. A case in point is the troubled production of Kill, Baby…Kill! which ran out of money midway through the shoot. The cast and crew were so loyal to Bava they worked for free to finish the film—a film, by the way, which only had a 30-page script with no dialogue when filming commenced. Bava had the actors make up their own lines, preferring to resolve...

Oh, man. The home entertainment releases for October 10th are bonkers, as we have a ton of brilliant offerings making their way to Blu-ray and DVD this Tuesday. Edgar Wright’s Baby Driver hits multiple formats this week, and we also have the unrated cut of Wish Upon to look forward to as well. Scream Factory is digging up The Poughkeepsie Tapes (finally) for their Blu/DVD Combo release, and Criterion Collection has put together a stunning presentation for The Lure.

Cult cinema fans will want to pick up the new Blu-rays for Kill, Baby… Kill and The Green Slime, and for those looking for some new horror experiences, Temple, Open Water 3, and Demonic come home on October 10th.

Baby Driver (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, 4K Ultra HD/Blu/Digital, Blu/Digital & DVD)

Baby (Ansel Elgort) – a talented, young getaway driver – relies on the beat of his personal...

When a filmmaker creates a number of movies that qualify for masterpiece status, it becomes nearly impossible to quantifiably conclude which one stands above the rest as his or her single greatest achievement. We have our favorites, of course, but can any of us really name which of Hitchcock’s films is his definitive best? Or Kurosawa’s? Or Spielberg’s? The same is true of Mario Bava, the great Italian director who made films across a number of genres but who is best known for his work in horror. How does one name a single “best” movie from the man responsible for Black Sunday and Blood and Black Lace and The Whip and the Body and Black Sabbath? It’s like naming a favorite child.

While his 1966 movie Kill, Baby... Kill! isn’t always named as being one of Bava’s best, it absolutely deserves to be part of the conversation and is,...

This remake of a pre-Code classic adds amazing European locations, glorious Technicolor and entire armies on the move, yet doesn’t improve on the original. Producer David O. Selznick secured Rock Hudson to play opposite Jennifer Jones, but the chemistry is lacking. Why did the man spend twenty years trying to top Gone With the Wind?

A Farewell to Arms

Blu-ray

Kl Studio Classics

1957 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 152 min. / Street Date April 18, 2017 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95

Starring: Jennifer Jones, Rock Hudson, Vittorio De Sica, Mercedes McCambridge, Elaine Stritch.

Cinematography: Oswald Morris, Piero Portalupi

Production Designer: Alfred Junge

Art Direction: Mario Garbuglia

Film Editors: John M. Foley, Gerard J. Wilson

Original Music: Mario Nascimbene

Written by Ben Hecht from a play by Laurence Stallings from a novel by Ernest Hemingway

Produced by David O. Selznick

Directed by Charles Vidor

What happens when a major Hollywood producer thinks he has all the answers?...

It creeps and leaps and slides and glides along the wall… and then it eats your face, dude. Mario Bava and Riccardo Freda’s ultimate monster mastication epic now looks sensationally gory, thanks to a full restoration. Arrow’s disc has pretty much everything, including two transfers and two audio commentaries. And Savant has a guilty admission to make — it was the tripe, the whole tripe, and nothing but the tripe.

Caltiki, The Immortal Monster

Blu-ray + DVD

Arrow Video USA

1959 / B&W / 1:66 widescreen / 76 min. / Caltiki, il mostro immortale / Street Date April 11, 2017 / Available from Arrow Video / 39.95

Starring: John Merivale, Didi Sullivan (Perego), Gérard Haerter, Daniela Rocca, Giacomo Rossi-Stuart, Daniele Vargas, Arturo Dominici, Gay Pearl

Cinematography: John Foam (Mario Bava)

Special Effects: Mario Bava

Film Editor: Mario Serandrei

Original Music: Roberto Nicolosi

Written by Filippo Sanjust

Produced by Bruno Vailati

Directed by Robert Hamton (Riccardo Freda) & Mario Bava

Who says that Blu-ray is dying?...

At the height of the Italian giallo boom in the early 1970s, scores of filmmakers turned their hand to crafting their own unique takes on these lurid murder-mystery thrillers. Emilio P. Miraglia may not be as well-known as Dario Argento or Mario Bava, but he did direct a distinct pair of thrillers that are out today on Blu-ray from Arrow Vide0: The Red Queen Kills Seven Times and In The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave.

In The Red Queen Kills Seven Times (1972), an age-old family curse hits sisters Kitty (Barbara Bouchet) and Franziska (Marina Malfatti) following the death of their grandfather Tobias (Rudolf Schündler). Every hundred years, so the legend goes, the bloodthirsty Red Queen returns and claims seven fresh victims. Was Tobias just the first… and are Kitty and Franziska next?

Director Emilio P. Miraglia once again combines a conventional giallo whodunit narrative with supernatural chills,...

By Tim Greaves

Two early 1970s Italian Gothic chillers from director Emilio Miraglia have been released in the UK in a dual Blu-ray/DVD box set. Bearing the tantalising umbrella title "Killer Dames", it could equally be looked upon as a Marina Malfatti set, since the actress occupies a prominent role in both of the films contained therein.

A prolific assistant director throughout the first half of the 60s, Emilio Miraglia's fourth spin in the director's chair following a trio of crime thrillers was also his first foray into terror terrain. 1971's The Night Evelyn Came Out of Her Grave (o.t. La Notte Che Evelyn Usci Della Tomba) concerns English aristocrat Lord Cunningham (Anthony Steffan), a man devastated by the passing of his titian-haired wife Evelyn, who he suspected was being unfaithful. Struggling to overcome his grief over her death and rage at her perceived infidelity, Cunningham lures...

Bass house is all the rage nowadays in the major U.S. dance music markets, so it’s exciting to see an outfit from across the pond offer up a fresh take on the genre. Hailing from the UK and Switzerland, former fidget house duo Defunct! (comprised of Jack Stuart and Slade Templeton, respectively) has offered up a decidedly European take on the style in the form of the On The Floor Ep.

Where many of the bass house tracks put out by the likes of Jauz or Jvst Say Yes adopt the adrenaline-pumping characteristics of electro house, the new sound of Defunct! incorporates decidedly UK sophistication into the formula. In addition to heavily modulated bass lines, funky percussive elements, soulful vocal samples and club-friendly sound design give each track more of an intelligent groove than what’s being spoon fed to entry level electronic music fans.

After all, Defunct!

Special Mention: The Last Wave

Directed by Peter Weir

Written by Tony Morphett and Peter Weir

Australia, 1977

Genre: Psychological Thriller

The tagline reads, “The Occult Forces. The Ritual Murder. The Sinister Storms. The Prophetic Dreams. The Last Wave.”

Peter Weir follows up on his critically acclaimed masterpiece Picnic at Hanging Rock with this visually striking and totally engrossing surrealist psychological thriller. Much like Picnic, The Last Wave is built around a mystery that may have a supernatural explanation. And like many Peter Weir movies, The Last Wave explores the conflict between two radically different cultures- in this case, that of Aboriginal Australians and the white Europeans.

It is about a white lawyer, David Burton (Richard Chamberlain), whose seemingly normal life is rattled after he takes on a pro bono legal aid case to defend a group of Aborigines from a murder charge in Sydney. The mystery within the mystery surrounding...

The first Vincent Price collection from Scream Factory was a pure treasure. When October rolls around, almost nothing puts me in the Halloween mood like a constant stream of Vincent Price films on my TV. Never did I think that Scream could improve upon their original price collection, but when the films that would be included in this new set were announced, I was shocked. The first Vincent Price Collection has some really solid Price films, mostly of a Poe nature, and it was one of the most exciting releases of the year for fans of classic horror. The second set, drops the Poe theme(mostly), and includes some of Price’s most famous, well-regarded films, including a couple of my favorites. The list of films is impressive, and there are extras on most of the films. The packaging is consistent, and equally pleasing to the eyes. Scream Factory’s...

The first Vincent Price collection that was released by Scream Factory is a thing of beauty. It was announced recently that they would bringing us a second collection of Vincent Price films on Blu-ray, and I couldn’t be any more excited about it than I already am. Well, maybe I can be, because Scream Factory just released the full details of the set, and it’s going to be a good one. Check out the press release below, and please click here to pre-order your own copy of this collection, which streets on October 21. Man, October is really upon us, isn’t it?

The Vincent Price Collection II

Featuring The First-ever Blu-ray™ Presentation Of

The House On Haunted Hill (1959), The Return Of The Fly (1959),

The Comedy Of Terrors (1963), The Raven (1963),

The Last Man On Earth (1964), The Tomb Of Ligeia (1964),

And Dr. Phibes Rises Again (1972)

In Stores Everywhere On October...

They said it couldn’t be done. A fifth year of 31 Days of Horror? 31 more terror, gore and shower scene-filled movies worth highlighting? But Rejects always say die and never back away from a challenge, so we’ve rounded up the horror fans among us and put together another month’s worth of genre fun. Enjoy! Synopsis Also known as Operation Fear, Curse of the Living Dead, Don’t Walk in the Park and many other titles, this Mario Bava flick tells the story of a small Carpathian village plagued by a series of bloody murders where the victim is left with a gold coin in her heart. Will the scientific-minded Dr. Paul Eswai (Giacomo Rossi-Stuart) survive a supernatural test? Is the town witch (Fabienne Dali) helping or is she behind the murders? What lies at the mysterious Graps Estate? And which hut does Vigo the Carpathian from Ghostbusters 2 live in? Killer...

Usually, this spot is reserved for our weekly rundown of the new movies available to stream on Netflix Instant but August is a dead month and there is nothing notable streaming this week. Doesn’t look like there will be for another couple weeks either, so let’s pick the best horror movies available to stream on Netflix right now:

Let Me In / Let the Right One In

Let Me In

Rated R | 2010

Flickchart Ranking: #482

Times Ranked: 9558

Win Percentage: 63%

Top-20 Rankings: 22 Users

Let the Right One In

Rated R | 2008

Flickchart Ranking: #63

Times Ranked: 78814

Win Percentage: 65%

Top-20 Rankings: 404 Users

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The Exorcist

Rated R | 1973

Flickchart Ranking: #281

Times Ranked: 309191

Win Percentage: 49%

Top-20 Rankings: 4116 Users

Directed By: William Friedkin

Starring: Ellen Burstyn • Max von Sydow • Lee J. Cobb • Linda Blair

________________________________________________

The Evil Dead

Rated Nr | 1981

Flickchart Ranking: #350

Times Ranked: 129936

Win Percentage: 49%

Top-20 Rankings: 511 Users

Directed By: Sam Raimi

Starring: Bruce Campbell • Ellen Sandweiss • Betsy Baker...

Here’s another helping of immorality and mayhem courtesy of Emilio Miraglia, the man responsible for one of my favorite gialli, The Red Queen Kills Seven Times (which, ironically, was glimpsed in last week’s Saturday Nightmare, New Year’s Evil, under the Us title - Blood Feast).

This film, the first of Miraglia’s only two forays into giallo cinema, isn’t as accomplished as its successor but has plenty of perversity to keep things interesting. If you’ve come to expect ludicrous plot twists, unscrupulous characters, sexual debauchery and a solid dose of murder, then you’ll find much to love about this atmospheric little shocker.

To put it mildly, Alan Cunningham has issues. As the Lord of a sprawling estate, the smarmy playboy spends his evenings luring attractive young women to his castle where he tortures them before savagely killing them. It seems as though Alan has...

Curious to know what frightful films and devilish discs will be available to view in the privacy of your own digital dungeon this week? Fango's got you covered.

Below the jump you'll find the full list of titles arriving in-stores this Tuesday, August 11, 2009 in our weekly version of the famous Fangoria Chopping List - updated with all the last-minute additions and deletions.

Note: Clickable links lead to Amazon.com

Alien Tresspass - Image DVD & Bd

A flying saucer, ray guns, body snatching and a one-eyed monster from outer space! It’s all here in this action-packed sci-fi adventure! Eric McCormack stars as an astronomer who gets possessed by a friendly alien bent on saving our humble planet. But even with the help of a lovely diner waitress, is he any match for the Ghota, a one-eyed evil alien on a murderous rampage?

Bad Boy Bubby (Bd)

L.A. Weekly called it "disturbing and compelling,...

Code Red DVD just sent Fango the specs for a trio of upcoming releases set to hit retailers later this summer.

On August 18th, Code Red DVD will unleash The Strangeness. It is 1980 and the price of gold is soaring. Old timers warn would be prospectors to stay away from the Gold Spike Mine. It has stood as a ghastly reminder of the horrors of a century before when the earth violently shook and over twenty miners were killed, their bodies stripped of flesh. The residents of Basin City talked of the grisly murders only in whispers from which legends of The Strangeness grew. A small group of explorers innocently make their way to the Gold Spike. Only one knows the incredible secret of the mine, and here the nightmare begins.....!

Nightmare USA's Stephen Thrower described the film as having, "Ominous atmosphere, flashes of humour, and a truly startling monster!