Trailer of the Week: Igor and the Lunatics (1985)

Here's a Troma release from NYU film school grad and award winning playwright Jocelyn Beard. Director Billy Parolini is producing a documentary, A Man Called God, about actor Christopher St. John and cult leader Sai Baba.

Trailer of the Week: Spookies (1986)

For this week's trailer, I've selected Spookies, a disjointed haunted house flick from New York that both confounded and amused me when I first saw it. When I was putting together the Regional Horror Films book, I found a number of articles and interviews online that detailed its troubled production history -- one that involved two separate directors and crews, as well as a lot of bad feelings.

Now Max Evry over at The Dissolve has gathered all of the major participants from both stages of filming for what has to be the definitive oral history of Spookies/Twisted Souls.

You an read second-phase director Genie Joseph's account here. The official Spookies fan page is on Facebook.

Trailer of the Week: Ms. 45 (1981)

Abel Ferrara's Ms. 45 isn't quite a horror film, but it does trade on some horrific imagery. My review of the new Drafthouse Films Blu-ray will appear in the upcoming issue of SCREEM.

Trailer of the Week: Brother From Another Planet (1984)

John Sayles makes his only directorial contribution to the horror/sci-fi genre with this satirical New York indie.

Trailer of the Week: Shriek of the Mutilated (1974)

Here's another favorite that turns 40 this year: Ed Adlum and Ed Kelleher teamed with Mike and Roberta Findlay to deliver this ridiculous slice of Sasquatch-cum-cannibalism cinema.

Trailer of the Week: Silent Night, Bloody Night (1974)

Christmas-themed horror, now on disc from Code Red with a new transfer.

Code Red Delivers Silent Night, Bloody Night

Everyone knew Code Red was planning to release a new version of Invasion of the Blood Farmers on disc, but I was certainly surprised to see that the company had paired it with another New York horror film, Theodore Gershuny's Silent Night, Bloody Night (here under its Death House title), creating a double feature that veers from ridiculous to sublime and back again.


Silent Night, Bloody Night is an excellent low-budget film, but for years has only been available in murky, full-frame versions via public domain DVD collections. Code Red has released it in a much-improved 1.85.1 transfer clocking in at 85 minutes.

Blood Farmers is presented at 1.78.1, and includes a feature-length commentary by very funny producer Ed Adlum, who I interviewed for my book.

For more on Blood Farmers, see my Jack Neubeck interview. For more on the Gershuny film, see my write up here.

The Brain That Couldn't Keep Its Shirt On

Shout! Factory continues to impress with its unending deluge of genre titles. This summer saw the release of Charles B. Pierce's The Town that Dreaded Sundown (featuring an essay by yours truly as a bonus feature) along with The Evictors.


In September, the label is releasing two budget multi-film packs under the "Movies 4 You - Sci-Fi Classics," which will include eight titles. Some of these were previously released under the "Midnight Movies" banner, but a few are new to disc.

But the biggest news regarding these collections is that the second volume will not only include the New York schlock classic The Brain that Wouldn't Die, but also that film's long-rumored (and long-missing) racy "international" footage featuring actress Adele Lamont with slightly less clothing than in the U.S. version. According to Shout!'s own Cliff MacMillan that footage will be included as an extra (it's also missing its soundtrack).

Volume 1 includes Beyond the Time Barrier (a low-budget film shot in Texas), The Angry Red Planet, The Man From Planet X, and The Time Travelers; volume two also has another Texas film, The Amazing Transparent Man, along with Reptilicus and The Neanderthal Man.

In August, Shout!'s Scream Factory imprint will release another four pack, the "All Night Horror Marathon," which includes The Outing (1987), yet another Texas film, and The Vagrant (1992), which was written by Scarecrows (1988) scribe Richard Jeffries.

Trailer of the Week Gandolfini Edition: Shock! Shock! Shock! (1987)

Little known fact: James Gandolfini, who died suddenly last week, made his film debut in this New York-lensed, black-and-white indie production. His face is in shadow, and his voice is dubbed, but it's him.


You can read a nice review of the film, which was a mainstay of the old Rhino Records catalog, over at Bleeding Skull. And here's a short piece written by the guy who dubbed his voice.

Co-director Todd Rutt later worked on the subversive faux kiddie show Wonder Showzen, and the other co-director, Arn McConnell, exists online under the guise of Craven Lovelace.

There's no real trailer for this flick, but here's Gandolfini's brief appearance:

Trailer of the Week: The Godfather of Gore (2010)

Well-received documentary on H.G. Lewis directed by New York filmmaker/historian Frank Henenlotter.

Banned Aid

Things have been pretty quiet here so far in 2013, but I did want to alert you to a few interesting posts over on some other blogs that we follow.

First, the always delightful William S. Wilson over at Video Junkie Strikes Back From Beyond the Grave has delivered a lengthy, detailed review of Roberta Findlay's final, unreleased New York horror film, Banned (1989).

As it turns out, it's a pretty awful horror/comedy, but we're still itching to see it. So what gives, Media Blasters? Check out the review, which includes some screen caps and this nifty admat.

While you're at it, head over to Temple of Schlock, where guest reviewer Stephen Bissette has offered up a nice review of the Vermont-lensed film Dark August (1976). There's also some nice coverage there of the Florida film Force of Impulse (1961) and Paul Kener's early film The Streak Car Company (1975).

Merry Christmas on Mars!

Grab a plate of Christmas turkey and watch one of my favorite holiday films in its full, unadulterated form -- Santa Claus Conquers the Martians. What else have you go to do today? Merry Christmas!

Trailer of the Week: The Werewolf of Washington (1973)

With the upcoming election, it's hard not to think of this funny fright flick from Milton Moses Ginsberg, one of the filmmakers profiled in my upcoming book!

Get Troma-Tized for Free!

For regional horror fans, Lloyd Kaufman's Troma Entertainment is one of those companies you have a love-hate relationship with. You love that the company released some of the most off-the-wall titles during the heyday of East Coast independent horror/sci-fi, but you hate the slapdash treatment most of those titles have had on the company's DVD releases (not to mention the sometimes deliberately awful films the company has produced over the past couple of decades).

Imagine my excitement (really) when I saw that the company had begun posting full-length features on its YouTube channel. I haven't had a chance to check the quality or presentation of the films, but at least you now have a chance to view most of the company's regional horror titles online, including several that went out of print on DVD, or were only available in multi-film sets (usually saddled with one or two inferior titles).

Of particular interest to regional horror-philes:

There's Nothing Out There!
Scream Baby Scream
The Capture of Bigfoot
Blood Hook
Nightbeast
Blades
Plutonium Baby
Redneck Zombies
Croaked (actually, Rana: The Legend of Shadow Lake)
The Toxic Avenger (which will actually cost you $2.99 to view)

Of course, they're holding back some choice titles like The Children, Mother's Day, and Class of Nuke 'Em High, but perhaps they'll add them later or make them available for a fee.

Trailer of the Week: Don't Go in the House (1980)

Brutal, despairing slasher/pyromaniac flick from New York. How about that German poster?

Trailer of the Week: Lurkers (1988)

Roberta Findlay's best horror film? You be the judge.

Trailer of the Week: The Burning (1981)

Filmed in New York at almost the same time as Madman (1982), and based on the same urban legend. Also one of the first Miramax releases!

Trailer of the Week: Madman (1982)

One of two regional slasher films, both made in New York and both based on the same urban legend.

Trailer of the Week: Silent Madness (1984)

Originally released in 3D! Filmed partly in New Jersey!

Trailer of the Week: Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964)

Kiddie matinee fun from New York State. Merry Christmas!