Massacre Gun (1967)

Fine, jazzy, Japanese yakuza crime drama from 1967 and as cool as it gets. Starring, Jo Shishido (Branded to Kill and Youth of the Beast) Tatsuya Fuji (In the Realm of the Senses and Empire of Passion) and one of the first films directed by, Yasuhari Hasebe (Female Prisoner 701 Scorpion - Grudge Song and the Stray Cat series) who is considered the creator of the violent pink sub genre. Some pedigree then and not a disappointment, with non-stop action and surely more bullets than I've ever seen (or heard!) for it must have taken about 20 to 50 for each death. Performances are excellent all round, direction tight and confident with splendidly stylish photography. Low key jazz score helps maintain the atmosphere and this would be a great introduction to the world of Japanese 60s crime movies.

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Enter the Ninja (1981)

Officially, Chuck Norris' The Octagon is the film that first introduced ninjas to American cinema, but since "Enter the Ninja" is both blunter about their inclusion and provided stardom for the quintessential on-film shadow warrior, Sho Kosugi, I consider it to be at least as important in igniting the "ninja craze" of the 1980s. A production of our dearly departed Cannon Films, the movie initiates its particular subgenre with relatively tactless hammyness: it's pretty cheesy, and far from being a great martial arts film. Nevertheless, Cannon's made movies that are both far worse technically and far less entertaining. This one's worth seeing, if only for giggles.

The story: a world-weary war veteran-turned-ninja (Franco Nero, Django) visits his expatriate brother-in-arms (Alex Courtney, And the Band Played On) in Manila, where he becomes the only thing standing in the way of a greedy businessman (Christopher George, The Rat Patrol) attempting to seize his friend's plantation by force.

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Frankenstein Created Woman (1967)

By the time "Frankenstein Created Woman" arrived in theaters in 1967, the series, from legendary horror factory Hammer Films, was already three installments into its run. Facing a new cinematic adventure, the producers elected to avoid coarse savagery of the flesh to travel within, sparking to a story concerning the trappable aspects of the human soul. Of course, some gore zone visits were required to please the fan base, yet, for the most part, "Frankenstein Creates Woman" is a movie with ideas, just no real sense of how implement them into a riveting feature. Lead work from Peter Cushing is reliably passionate and regal, and bombshell Susan Denberg makes an impression as an innocent vengeance machine, but the effort lacks a certain macabre zest present in other Hammer Horror endeavors. While it's digestible, with a handful of respectable scenes, the picture doesn't rise to the occasion, reaching its potential as a Frankenstein film with a minor in metaphysics.

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Xerox Ferox: The Wild World of the Horror Film Fanzine Paperback – October 20, 2013

From Famous Monsters of Filmland to Fangoria… and everything in between, Xerox Ferox is much more than a book about monster magazines. It is the first book of its kind to examine the home-grown DIY fanzines that dared to dig deeper than the slick and shiny newsstand mags ever would... or indeed even could. The titles were as lurid as the films that they covered. Gore Gazette. Deep Red. Sleazoid Express. Before message boards, before blogs, before the Internet itself, the fanzine reigned as the chief source of news and information for horror fans worldwide. Often printed on the cheap and sold for the price of postage, madcap mags like Slimetime, The Splatter Times, and Subhuman traveled the globe, creating a thriving network of fans and professionals alike. Xerox Ferox traces the rise of the horror film fanzine, from the Famous Monster-starved kids of the 1960s to the splatter-crazed gorehounds of the Fangoria generation. Featuring in-depth interviews with over fifty writers, editors, and industry pros, Xerox Ferox is the final word on an era that changed the world of fandom forever… Xerox Ferox is the first title to cover the horror film fanzine phenomenon and culture in encyclopedic depth. The book also contains lengthy chapters that deal with the New York zine scene and the hub of its grindhouse activity, Times Square. In many ways, the book works as time capsule of that era-writers and filmmakers including Jimmy McDonough, Bill Landis, Mike McPadden, Steve Puchalski, Roy Frumkes, and Buddy Giovinazzo share their memories of the movie houses of Forty Second Street-and the dangers that were encountered while visiting them. Not limited to New York City, Xerox Ferox also concentrates on the drive-in theaters of the south. Other topics discussed include commercial Super-8 horror films of the 1960s and 1970s, the home video revolution of the 1980s, regional exploitation films, low budget filmmaking, and of course, self publishing, networking, and distribution.

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Mondo Macabro : Weird & Wonderful Cinema Around the World Paperback

Mondo Macabro : Weird & Wonderful Cinema Around the World Paperback – April 15, 1998
The author of "Immoral Tales" now brings readers into the exotic, erotic, and eccentric international film scene. Fully illustrated, this book includes an Indian song-and-dance version of "Dracula"; Turkish version of "Star Trek" and "Superman"; China's "hopping vampire" films, and much more. 332 illustrations. of color photos.
"Sometimes it feels like there's nothing left to discover. Bookshelves bend under the weight of tomes devoted to all things 'cult,' 'B,' or obscure. Films you might once have crossed town to see now turn up on new video labels every week. [But] for those who still value the shock of the new, the special kind of thrill that comes from confronting previously unsung greatness, ... there are plenty of strange new worlds left to explore.... Mondo Macabro is a peek into the treasure trove of fifty years of film from around the world. We've sifted through the dross and picked out the dusty jewels."

Those who enjoy horror movies, and bizarre movies of all types, will find Peter Tombs's Mondo Macabro: Weird and Wonderful Cinema Around the World a welcome companion on the shelf next to their (and Cathal Tohill's) Immoral Tales: European Sex & Horror Movies 1956-1984. With the help of three other writers (Giovanni Scognamillo, Diego Curubeto, and David Wilt), Tombs gives us an overflowing cornucopia of well-written descriptions of movies made in Hong Kong, the Philippines, Indonesia, India, Turkey, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, and Japan. Each section provides film-historical background on the individual countries and studios, a handy folklore primer on the indigenous monsters and myths that appear in the films, plenty of movie stills and poster art, and portraits of important personalities such as Brazil's José Mojica Marins (creator of the infamous evil persona Zé do Caixão, a.k.a. Coffin Joe).

As horror-fantasy writer Ian McDowell writes, "The sheer range of bizarre cinema that Tombs covers is amazing. My only serious cavil involves his first chapter, one of three on Hong Kong cinema. I know that he leaves the mainstream fare to others, but he still makes some odd statements about the timing of the golden age of Chinese martial arts films."

Best of all, Tombs prizes the pungent, if sometimes raw, flavors of individual creativity and local traditions, so his book is especially helpful for distinguishing between horror films that are unique to a country or region, those that are hybrids of Western models and local themes, and those that are mere copies of Western films. Mondo Macabro also includes top 10 lists from five world cinema experts, tips on where to find the videos, and an index of film titles. --Fiona Webster

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Sadist with Red Teeth / Forbidden Paris (Double Feature)

THE SADIST WITH RED TEETH (1971)

Daniel gets out of the hospital where he has been cured for "vampirical obsessions". But his life takes a weird turn as he transforms into a vampire and starts to kill women. Despite his young fiancee's support, Daniel's fate is definitely doomed. (aka: Le sadique aux dents rouges) 

FORBIDDEN PARIS (1969) 

Also know as: Paris Interdit

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Hitler (1962)

Richard Basehart delivers an incendiary performance as history’s most notorious madman in this searing exposé of the private life of Adolf Hitler. A semi-factual account of the Füehrer’s rise and fall, this rarely seen film follows Hitler’s political career from the failed Beer Hall Putsch of 1923 to his suicide in a Berlin bunker at the end of WWII. Inspired by a 1959 interview with a woman who claimed to be his lover, Hitler mixes historical fact with the theory that impotence and an Oedipal complex fueled the Füehrer’s psychotic quest for power. Costarring John Banner (Hogan’s Heroes) and Cordula Trantow in a Golden Globe®-nominated* performance as the Füehrer’s beloved niece Geli, Hitler was the final film directed by Stuart Heisler, whose career spawned hits in a wide range of genres including mystery (The Glass Key), comedy (Along Came Jones), musicals (Blue Skies) and drama (Storm Warning). ~ Source: WarnerBros.com

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70s Grindhouse Black Exploitation (3 Disc DVD)

Classic Blaxploitation classics are bundled into this exciting 3 disc DVD pack. Stars include Jeanne Bell, Rod Perry, Jimmy Witherspoon, Fred Williamson & Uschi Digard.

FEATURE FILMS INCLUDE:
• TNT Jackson (1979)
• The Black Godfather (1974)
• Black Cobra (1981)
• Black Cobra 2 (1990)
• Black Cobra 3: The Manila Connection (1990)
• The Black Gestapo (1975)
• The Black Six (1974)

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Eyes Without A Face (1962)

At the very end of last year’s critical/cinephile favorite Holy Motors, there’s an inexplicable moment (within the context of the narrative, though the whole movie is pretty inexplicable) in which Edith Scob, playing the limo driver who’s been conveying Denis Lavant from one bizarre “appointment” to another, dons a blank-faced, alabaster mask and tells someone she’s coming home. That creepy mask pays homage to Scob’s role, over half a century earlier, in Georges Franju’s Eyes Without A Face,a singularly disturbing horror film that inspired everything from Michael Myers’ featureless mug in the Halloween series to Billy Idol’s hit single of the same name (in which backup vocals whisper the film’s original French title, Les Yeux Sans Visage). Unlike many genre efforts of decades past, this one has lost none of its potency over the years, mostly because it isn’t scary as much as it is unnerving. Its horror involves not the usual booga-booga, but the lengths to which desperate yet coldly rational people will go to achieve a grotesque goal.

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Baron Blood (1972)

After spending several years exploring more contemporary genres, director Mario Bava (BLACK SUNDAY) returned with BARON BLOOD to the gothic as a setting for a gruesome thriller. Working with producer Alfredo Leone, Bava crafted a film that is loyal to the bylaws of traditional horror, but is infused with a more modern visual style.

An American professor (Antonio Cantafora) travels to the estate of his ancestor, the sadistic Baron Otto von Kleist, seeking the truth beneath his notorious reputation. When he and his assistant Eva (Elke Sommer) read aloud an ancient incantation, the Baron's spirit is resurrected, leading to a series of violent deaths within the haunted castle.




SPECIAL FEATURES:
• Mastered in HD from the 35mm negative
• Audio commentary by Tim Lucas, author of Mario Bava: All the Colors of the Dark
• Alternate title sequences
• Original theatrical trailers
• Radio spots
• Original trailers of other Bava films

~ Source: KinoLorber.com

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Rhinemann Exchange, The (1977)

One of four miniseries comprising NBC's Best Sellers anthology, The Rhinemann Exchange was adapted from the Robert Ludlum novel of the same name.

Stephen Collins stars as American intelligence officer David Spaulding, who under cover of his musician father's concert tours embarks upon a number of fact-finding missions in Europe just before WW2. Once hostilities break out, Spaulding relocates to Aergentina, there to exchange industrial diamonds for a secret gyroscope needed for the American war effort. Naturally, the Nazis are equally interested in those diamonds, putting Spaulding in any number of perilous predicaments. 

Lauren Hutton costars as Leslie Hawkewood, one of those ravishing "mystery women" so common to espionage fiction. Originally running 5 hours and telecast in three segments on March 10, 17, and 24, 1977, The Rhinemann Exchange was later rebroadcast as a four-hour, two-part "TV movie." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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Crimewave

In 1985, a young Michigan director named Sam Raimi teamed up with a pair of sibling screenwriters, Joel and Ethan Coen, to make a slapstick-noir comedy called Crimewave. It’s a testament to how poorly the results were received—and how the production embittered just about everyone involved—that this meeting-of-the-minds has slipped into relative obscurity over the years, despite the household-name status its collaborating auteurs have achieved.

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