Arrow Awards!

Home Cinema Choice has named Arrow Video as DVD Label of the Year and City of the Living Dead has won Best Packaging! Congrats all round - take a gander...

DVD News: City of the Living Dead

You may remember I worked on most of the extras of the forthcoming DVD and Blu-Ray of Lucio Fulci's "City of the Living Dead" so I'm delighted to say that early reviews and comments have been very encouraging - long may they continue.
Here is a selection so far of reviews that have appeared online:

DVD Beaver

Film School Rejects

MyReviewer

Geek Planet Online

SGM

Blu-Ray News: City of the Living Dead

Well, now I can finally talk about the upcoming Lucio Fulci classic "City of the Living Dead" DVD and Blu-Ray from Arrow Film, that I worked upon with my two colleagues at High Rising Productions, Calum and Naomi.

As you can see it is a pretty comprehensive package and very much a labour of love for all concerned in making it. I hope that everyone really enjoys the extras and I think we have perhaps put together the definitive edition of City of the Living Dead! Really looking forward to the feedback from the fans, so why not head over to Cult-Labs and sign up. Arrow always listen to ideas and opinions, so go make yourself heard!



The DVD and Extra Features:

City of the Living Dead will be released on two-disc DVD (£17.99) and single-disc Blu-ray (£22.99). The full list of extras is as follows:

* Newly recorded audio commentary by actor Giovanni Lombardo Radice
* Audio commentary by actress Catriona MacColl and author Jay Slater
* Introduction to the film by star Carlo De Mejo
* ‘Carlo Of The Living Dead featurette (17 mins, featuring Carlo de Mejo)
* ‘The Many Lives And Deaths Of Giovanni Lombardo Radice’ featurette (50 mins)
* ‘Dame Of The Dead’ featurette (25 mins, featuring Catriona MacColl)
* ‘Fulci’s Daughter: Memories Of The Italian Gore Maestro’ featurette (27 mins, featuring Antonella Fulci)
* ‘Penning Some Paura’ featurette (18 mins, featuring Dardano Sacchetti)
* ‘Profondo Luigi: A Colleague’s Memories Of Lucio Fulci’ featurette (17 mins, featuring Luigi Cozzi)
* Catriona MacCall and Giovanni Lombardo Radice Q&A session at the Glasgow Film Theatre (20 mins)
* ‘Fulci In The House – The Italian Master Of Splatter’ featurette.

Released May 24th - Pre-Order now from Amazon.co.uk

Blu-Ray News: The New York Ripper

Italian director Lucio Fulci's controversial investigative slasher The New York Ripper is coming to Blu-ray Disc and DVD on September 29 courtesy of indie publisher Blue Underground.

The raw and bloody 1982 cult classic comes to Blu-ray in its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio with 1080p video and Blue Underground's signature double audio dip: 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and 7.1 Dolby TrueHD.

The New York Ripper bonus features include"I'm an Actress!" – Interview with Zora Kerova; NYC Locations Then and Now; and the Theatrical Trailer

Retail list pricing for The New York Ripper on Blu-ray has been set at $29.95.

Source: The HD Room

Zombi Q & A

I very much enjoyed a screening of Lucio Fulci's Zombi at the Glasgow Film Theatre last night, with the added bonus of the star, Ian McCullough introducing the film and then doing a little Q & A afterwards! One snippet of nice info was that while he was over in the US doing the Chiller Convention, he was told that Zombi would be heading to Blu-Ray very soon!

DVD Release: Cat in the Brain

More Fulci madness from Grindhouse Releasing! Looking forward to this release very much and it should be an improvment over the UK Hardgore release!

Grindhouse:

"Grindhouse Releasing and Box Office Spectaculars are proud to present the North American DVD premiere of Italian horror maestro Lucio Fulci's ultra-violent classic CAT IN THE BRAIN.

The late, great Lucio Fulci is revered by horror movie fans around the world as the Italian "Godfather of Gore" for directing such films as ZOMBIE, THE BEYOND, and THE GATES OF HELL. CAT IN THE BRAIN is Fulci's ultimate statement about his own work, a masterpiece of cinematic dementia that echoes Hitchcock's PSYCHO, William Castle's STRAIT-JACKET, David Lynch's ERASERHEAD and Fellini's 8 1/2.

CAT IN THE BRAIN stars Fulci as himself in the twisted tale of a horror film director driven insane by his own creations. Tormented by visions of bizarre violence, murder and mayhem, Fulci seeks help from a sinister psychiatrist who draws him into a vortex of madness and death....like a cat, stalking the darkest corridors of the director's mind and clawing his sanity to bloody shreds.

Since its original release in 1990, CAT IN THE BRAIN has become a sought-after gem for Fulci fanatics, difficult to find and banned in the UK for its extreme graphic violence. The movie has won acclaim from modern masters of the macabre including Clive Barker and Eli Roth, director of HOSTEL and CABIN FEVER.

Grindhouse Releasing's deluxe edition of CAT IN THE BRAIN boasts a high-definition, widescreen anamorphic transfer of Fulci's uncensored director's cut, along with an amazing collection of bonus features.

Produced by Bob Murawski, the film editor of Sam Raimi's SPIDER-MAN 1, 2 & 3 and ARMY OF DARKNESS, this long-awaited release continues the commitment to excellence that established Grindhouse as a leader in the horror DVD market with its definitive editions of THE BEYOND, I DRINK YOUR BLOOD, PIECES, and CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST."

The 2-disc CAT IN THE BRAIN collector's set includes:

• An eye-popping, psychedelic lenticular 3-D cover, limited to the first 2,500 units only!
• Never-before-seen, in-depth interviews with Lucio Fulci and star Brett Halsey (REVENGE OF THE CREATURE, RETURN OF THE FLY, GODFATHER 3)
• English and original Italian-language soundtracks
• Lucio Fulci's heroic appearance at the 1996 FANGORIA Weekend of Horrors in New York City
• An extensive gallery of stills and poster art from around the world
• Exclusive liner notes by Antonella Fulci, acclaimed horror novelist David J. Schow, and director Eli Roth
• Original theatrical trailer

Buy this DVD at HKFlix.com

Review: The New York Ripper

After a long hiatus and a little more free time I have decided to start writing DVD reviews again for 10k Bullets and I will be reviewing all of UK distributor Shameless Films catalogue starting with their 1st release from October 2007 - Lucio Fulci's "The New York Ripper"

Interview: Paura and Fulci

Nice Interview with Mike Baronas in regards to the upcoming Lucio Fulci DVD "Paura"

Click HERE for the interview over at SexGoreMutants!

Another online interview with Mike has appeared over at FilmFanAddict so check it out too!

Paura: Lucio Fulci Remembered

"During down time as Supplement Producers for Media Blasters’ Shriek Show line of DVD releases, Mike Baronas & Kit Gavin walked from one end of Rome to the other interviewing folks for a massive Lucio Fulci book of the same name that was to serve as a companion piece to Stephen Thrower’s Beyond Terror.

With that project currently in publishing purgatory, Baronas decided to compile the 4 years worth of on-camera interviews he had accumulated and create this tribute DVD to his long-beloved director and to fans of Fulci’s work in the hope of shedding some light on who really he was, what he was like to work with and what he means to Italian cinema’s rich history."

A really nice DVD to pick up here folks, especially as Kit Gavin is someone I've talked to quite a bit about Euro Cinema. The DVD is available in 3 flavours, $25 (DVD standalone), $35 (autographed by Giovanni Lombardo Radice) or $275 (Collectors DVD plus the autographs of around 50 EuroCult legends)

The DVD is available now from HERE

Upcoming Fulci on DVD: Perversion Story (aka: Una Sull'Altra)

Source: Severin Films

Coming from Severin Films on February 27th, is the long out of print Fulci classic "Una sull'altra" or to give it, it's english title "Perversion Story"

What is the Most Incredible Thing a Woman ever did for $1,000,000?

AN EXQUISITELY CRAFTED THRILLER... Guaranteed To Keep You On The Edge Of Your Seat! - THE SPINNING IMAGE In a controversial career that flayed every envelope of cinematic excess, nothing can prepare you for this stunning thriller from the infamous director of ZOMBIE and THE BEYOND. Jean Sorel (BELLE DE JOUR) stars as an arrogant San Francisco doctor trapped between his sultry mistress (Elsa Martinelli of BLOOD AND ROSES) and an amoral stripper (Marisa Mell of DANGER: DIABOLIK) who bears an uncanny resemblance to his recently deceased and possibly murdered wife. What follows has been called Fulci's first true masterpiece, where sexual obsession, cruel deception and depraved murder all come together in one unforgettable PERVERSION STORY. John Ireland and Faith Domergue co-star in this gripping giallo - also known as ONE ON TOP OF THE OTHER - that features eye-popping nudity, provocative locations (including the gas chamber at San Quentin) and a badass jazz score by Riz Ortolani (MONDO CANE, KILL BILL). Severin Films is proud to present PERVERSION STORY in a startling new high definition transfer from the original vault negative thought to be lost for more than 35 years!.

Colour / 1.85:1 / 16x9 / 103 mins / Not Rated / $29.95 / Reg 0 (NTSC) / DVD 5 English / Italian Dolby Digital 2.0 / English Subtitles UPC 891635001155 / Item SEV1109

Director: Lucio Fulci

Starring: Marisa Mell, Jean Sorel, Elsa Martinelli, John Ireland...

Aka: Una sull'altra / One on Top of the Other / Una historia perversa

Extras: Rare bonus CD featuring music by Riz Ortolani Theatrical trailer

Whiggles goes to town on Fulci's Lizard!

Over at Whiggles, Mike MacKenzie has done the definitive DVD comparison of all the versions of "Lizard in a Woman's Skin" and it's quite frankly excellent so go check it out...like now!

Lizard DVD Comparison

Shriek Show speak up about Lizard in a Woman's Skin!

Hugo from the Cinema Extreme Forums has had word from Media Blasters who were the first to bring "Lizard in a Woman's Skin" to DVD albeit in a version that not everybody was entirely happy about.

Hugo wrote:

"Hello there at Media Blasters, I don't know if the news already reached you but there's a very decent Italian print of Lizard available from Cecchi Gori. It's uncut and 1.85:1.Only downfall is the lack of an English option. Some info can be found here: http://dvdtrash.blogspot.com/2006/07/new-italian-lizard-in-womans-skin-dvd.html If I remember correctly I read some time ago that whenever a better source would surface,Shriek Show would consider a rerelease of the movie.Provided that they can get the rights for it. I guess it was John Sirabella himself who said that. I hope you can do something with it in the (near) future? Cheers and keep putting out the great movies!

Hugo"

MB replied saying:

"Hi Hugo, We know about it and we knew about it some time before the release. We do plan on doing a new release of the film with this new source. We do not have a date for it yet. -rareflix.com"

This is good news and it will be nice to have an updated version with an English audio track as well.

Lizard DVD Comparison

Scene comparisons to judge the quality from the different versions available:

Click on each image for a larger view.

Federal "Una Lucertola con la Pelle Di Donna" (R2, PAL, Italy)

Shriek Show "Schizoid" (R1, NTSC, US)


Shriek Show "A Lizard in a Woman's Skin" (R1, NTSC, US)



Italian version looks like the best version quality-wise, as the image seems to be warmer and little brighter. Just my opinion and as always I'm open to any helpful comments!

New Italian Lizard in a Woman's Skin DVD: 1st Look!

Just got the new Lizard DVD from Thrauma and I have to say it looks pretty good and is the longest and most complete version available (unfortunately for non-Italian speakers there are no English options, but I'm sure this version will be licensed out for the US market soon.)

Some screencaps:

DVD Cover

Menu

Extras Menu

Screencaps

Extras:

- Intervista esclusiva al prof. Paolo Albiero (Interview with Fulci expert, Professor Paolo Albiero) (34:00)
- Scena inedita (Missing Scene cut out due to the original audio not syncing with the image, rather than having an audio dropout, this scene with Anita Strindberg is included as an extra) (0:24)
- La censura e le versioni del film (History of the films censorship) (6:00)
- Titoli di testa italiani originali (Original Italian Titles) (1:04)
- Biografia del regista e degli attori principali (Bios of Fulci, Sorel & Bolkan)

Another Lizard Update!

Ok, the new Federal Video DVD of "Lizard in a Woman's Skin" was released July 6th in Italy and according to folk on the Nocturno and CGHV forums, we might just be onto a winner. The DVD runs 98:15 (PAL) and appears to have have the lesbian scenes, the vivisection scenes and the murder scene with the boxcutters intact. These scenes seem to be of a lower quality as they seem to have got them from a different source. The DVD case says "Versione Integrale" (Full Uncut Version) and the extras include:

La censura e le verisoni del film (The history of the films censorship problems)
Scena inedita (Deleted Scene)
Titoli di testa italiani originali (The original Italian credits)
Intervista a Paolo Albiero ( studioso del cinema di Fulci ) (Interview with a Fulci expert)
Biografie (Bio's)

Only downside is the lack of English subs, but what a time to start learning Italian.

To protect myself from flack - I would take this info as 99% accurate as you just never know but my copy is being ordered asap!

Lizard Update!

I may have good news regarding this never ending saga of the forthcoming Italian DVD release of Lucio Fulci's "Lizard in a Womens Skin" - Reports from Italy say the release date has been put back to the middle of June (some say the 4th, the 8th or the 13th) because Federal Video (part of Cecchi Gori) (allegedly) have now got an uncut version of better quality compared to that of MediaBlasters original release. They are also working on more extras as well.

You can refer to my earlier posts here, here and here for an overall picture of the situation.

A Lizard without a Tail!

Bad news regarding the Cecchi Gori R2 release of Lucio Fulci's "Lizard in a Woman's Skin", it is definitely the cut version with the best transfer, probably the same master used in the Shriek Show release. Federal Video who are releasing it through CG, say that for the full uncut version, they only had access to a version in very bad condition. They add that they have been searching for a good uncut master and may know more later in the year, but for the moment according to Videoarcheologia.it the DVD will be released on 13/6.

Unfortunately hopes were raised with the possibility of an uncut release, but alas no joy for now. There must be good quality uncut elements out there, hopefully someone looks a bit harder next time. If there is anymore news, I'll be sure and post it.

Source: CGHV & Videoarcheologia.it

Lizard update

Right, according to Cecchi Gori, the version of Fulci's Lizard that they have is excellent quality and the right format, however it only runs 95mins, which I believe means they still have the CUT version.

Extras:

- Interview with Prof. Paolo Albiero, expert on the cinema of Fulci
- Info about the different versions and cuts of the film (!)
- Bios of cast and crew.

No word on audio options yet.

This is all still TBC at the moment. Stay tuned for more updates.

Source: CGHV

Fulci's "Lizard in a Womans Skin" - New Release?

Word from Italy, the Cecchi Gori Home Video forums to be exact, is that they will be releasing "Lizard in a Womans Skin" very soon onto the Italian R2 market. The moderator of the forums Kenagh, as soon as he announced the impending release, has been inundated with requests about aspect ratio, AV quality and most importantly will they release it uncut and in widescreen unlike Shriek Show's release. It was reported today that they will have more information about the release next week. Fingers crossed that it's good news!

Source: CGHV