Scorpion Releasing has posted the tentative cover art for the Blu-ray release of Janet Greek's 1988 horror film, "Spellbinder." The Blu-ray is scheduled to be released in January by Kino Lorber. So far the news of extras that will be included on the Blu-ray are:
Audio Commentary with director Janet Greek
Interview with actor Anthony Crivello
Theatrical Trailer
Synopsis: Across a dark street in Los Angeles, a beautiful young woman is being brutally assaulted by an abusive boyfriend. Young lawyer Jeff Mills (Tim Daily, "Wings") rushes to the woman's defense... and crosses into a world of unimaginable evil. On the surface, the young woman, Miranda Reed (Kelly Preston, "Jerry Maguire"), is a dream come true, the perfect lover, a miracle healer and a soulmate. But before two days have passed, Jeff lives a real-life nightmare, an encounter so intense, death is almost merciful. Because, Miranda is a fugitive from a bloodthirsty cult and they want her back. Back by the Unholy Night of the Winter Solstice. Back in time for a human sacrifice.
Screen Archives Entertainment has the 1976 killer bear movie "Grizzly," available for pre-order on Blu-ray from Scorpion Releasing. The Blu-ray is scheduled for a late-September release. This post-Jaws, nature-runs-rampant thriller was directed by William Girdler ("Day of the Animals," The Manitou"). The film stars Christopher George ("Graduation Day"), Andrew Prine ("The Lords of Salem"), Richard Jaeckel ("Day of the Animals") and Joan McCall ("Devil Times Five").
Synopsis:
When an eighteen-foot, two-thousand-pound grizzly bear starts mauling campers and hikers at a state park, a park ranger (Christopher George) springs into action. But the job is too big to tackle alone, so he enlists the aid of a naturalist (Richard Jaeckel) and a helicopter pilot (Andrew Prine) to take this freak of nature down. Meanwhile, the giant grizzly, not content with picnic baskets, continues to kill indiscriminately, leaving pools of blood and piles of body parts in his wake. Can the ranger and his cronies end the grizzly’s reign of terror without resorting to excessively extreme measures?
SPECIAL FEATURES
16 x 9 Widescreen (2:40)
Watch in either unfiltered master or DVNRed master
Fun Facts and Trivia segment with your hostess
Brand New 5.1 Surround sound, created from the films original three stripe Mag.
Isolated ME track
JAWS WITH CLAWS, featurette with producer David Sheldon, writer Harvey Flaxman, actors Joan McCall and Andrew Prine
Scorpion Releasing has announced that they are planning to bring Jim Wynorski's 1990 film, "The Haunting of Morella" to DVD on November 17, 2015.
"The Haunting of Morella" stars David McCallum (NCIS, The Man From U.N.C.L.E.), Nicole Eggert (Charles in Charge, Baywatch), Lana Clarkson (Scarface, Barbarian Queen) and Maria Ford (Slumber Party Massacre III).
Synopsis: A witch is put to death in Colonial America, leaving her husband and infant daughter behind. Seventeen years later, the daughter has grown up and stands to inherit money set up by her mother's family. Now that the stage is set, the mother wants to return to life by taking over her daughter's body.
The DVD will be made from a brand new HD master made from the films Inter-positive.
Flirtatious young sorority sisters who are days away from graduation set out to throw one last decadent celebration. Unbeknownst to them, the strict matron of their house hides a horrendous secret thought long buried. A gruesome accident is witnessed by a hideous fiend, hidden within the once nurturing dwelling, which triggers a rampage of death and destruction. Before the end, the peril faced by this sisterhood will push them to the bring of annihilation. And rivers of blood will drown all who enter... The House on Sorority Row.
As a long time fan of the film, this movie falls in to a category for me that I compare to "comfort food." Every time I revisit it, it feels like spending time with an old friend. Yes. It is a slasher film and I find comfort in that. Call me weird but there are several films that fit in to that category for me including "Black Christmas" (1974) and "My Blood Valentine" (1981). I have always found Vicki (Eileen Davidson) to be quite likable despite her being a "bad girl" in the film. Perhaps that is why I find her likable. She has an attitude about her, she won't be pushed around and she's not afraid to break the rules.
AUDIO:
This Blu-ray comes with a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 audio track. It does a fairly good job overall. It is far from perfect, with some slight hissing here and there. The track would benefit from a good cleanup. However, it still does a good enough job that should please most fans. Thankfully the dialog is not difficult to understand and I never noticed it being drowned out by the terrific Richard Band score or the sound effects used in the film.
VIDEO:
"The House on Sorority Row" graduates to Blu-ray thanks to Scorpion Releasing. The film is presented in 1080p with a 1.78:1 Aspect Ratio via a new high definition master created from the original internegative. This release also features the pre-credit sequence, re-timed to how the Director originally intended. The video quality really looks nice. Scorpion Releasing did a very nice job with their remastering of the film. It is so nice to be a slasher fan and see a treasured (by me at least) 80's classic, given new life in the age of high definition. There are some instances of specks and spots here and there but they are minor and nothing I found to be distracting. Colors in the film look good and not washed out. Skin tones have a nice, natural appearance throughout. Black levels look fairly good, even in the darker scenes. There is a fair amount of fine detail present in the brighter close ups and as is normally the case, less of it in darker or wide shots. I found the film grain to look fine throughout, except in some of the darker scenes where it is a bit heavier. Again, that tends to be the norm in most cases. I have learned to expect that and being a fan of film grain, it would have to be overly aggressive to bother me.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
Nearly all of the special features from the Scorpion Releasing DVD were ported over for the Blu-ray release except for the option to watch the film as "Katarina's Nightmare Theater."
Audio Commentary #1 - This track features stars Eileen Davidson and Kathryn McNeil and Director Mark Rosman. A fun, laid back commentary that feels like old friends reminiscing over old times. The ladies seem to have some fond memories of their time making the film. They do a nice job of talking about what is happening on the screen, throughout the film. I prefer this commentary over the second track, mainly due to it being more fun to listen to while watching the film.
Audio Commentary #2 - This track features Director Mark Rosman moderated by Katarina Leigh Waters. The one starts off by talking about the opening sequence and how it was intended to be in black and white, which it now is on the Blu-ray. Mr. Rosman covers a variety of topics including the budget, cast, sets, the band that appears in the film, death scenes and more. It is mentioned how Lois Kelso Hunt's (Mrs. Slater) voice in the film, was dubber over due to her voice not being as deep and husky as they would have liked. This was a pretty informative commentary track.
Interview with Star Harley Jane Kozak(41:39) - The interview starts with Miss Kozak talking about how she got her part in the film. She mentions how she and several other girls were on soap operas at the same time they were making the movie. Harley talks about going to the films premiere and what it was like to watch her own death scene. She also talks about some other cast members, the set, the remake, including how she thinks all of the male characters in the remake were very unlikable, and a number of topics involving the film.
Original Pre-Credit Sequence(2:06) - Here is the sequence the way it used to look with the bluish hue.
Alternate Ending/Story Board/Still Gallery(7:11) - Mark Rosman narrates over a photo from what he wanted the ending of the film to be, where Kathryn McNeil's character would have been killed. Then we move on the a comparison of storyboards and the film. Finally, we see a number of stills from the film.
Trailers(6:13)
DISC 2 (DVD) SPECIAL FEATURES:
Interview with Star Kathryn McNeil by Katarina Leigh Waters(14:24) - Kathryn talks about her past and current career, the films production, the director, cast members, the nasty swimming pool and more.
Interview with Co-Star Eileen Davidson by Katarina Leigh Waters(7:13) - Eileen discusses her career, the film, the premiere of the film and other topics.
Interview with Director Mark Rosman by Katarina Leigh Waters(21:22) - Mr. Rosman talks about his career and some of the people he has met and worked with over the years. He also talks about the ad campaign, including the poster for the film and how it doesn't exactly represent the same type of film that was being made.
Interview with Composer Richard Band (45:15) This in depth interview with Mr. Band covers his music used in the film. He also talks about several films he worked on including "Parasite", "Dr. Heckyl & Mr. Hype", "The Dungeonmaster", "Re-Animator" and "Ghoulies." Richard mentions how it felt to be conducting an orchestra that is playing your own music. Watching the interview you get to see how he has had an amazing career in music. If you're not familiar with Richard Band, you should take a look at his filmography on IMDB or his own website because you will surely recognize a number of the films he has worked on in his storied career.
Interview with Producer Igo Kantor(10:11) - Mr. Kantor talks briefly about the work he had done on the film. He also talks about some other films he has been involved in over the years.
Katarina's Trailers - "Final Exam" (1:30), "Double Exposure" (2:52), "The Incubus" (1:27), "Terror" (1:41), "Humongous" (1:12)
IN CONCLUSION:
I have been a fan of "The House on Sorority Row" since the first time I watched it, years ago. I was really excited when this Blu-ray was announced and Scorpion Releasing did not disappoint. This was a huge upgrade for me since I had only owned the old Elite Entertainment DVD. This has been a slasher that I always watch at least once a year. Scorpion Releasing did a great job with this release. It has never looked better than it does now. Plus it has some very nice extras with the commentary tracks and interviews. Slasher fans should own a copy of this film.
She was only a little girl. She lived in a great big house... all alone. Where is her mother? Where is her father? Where are all the people who went to visit her? What is her unspeakable secret? Everyone who knows is dead.
Above, is the tentative (reversible) cover art for the 1976 film, "The Little Girl Who Lives Down The Lane" directed by Nicolas Gessner. Walter Olsen from Scorpion Releasing is working on some extras for the Kino Lorber Blu-ray. There's nothing official yet, but it sounds like we may get an interview with Martin Sheen and possibly a commentary track with the director.
Quiet, withdrawn 13-year-old Rynn Jacobs (Jodie Foster) lives peacefully in her home in a New England beach town. Whenever the prying landlady (Alexis Smith) inquires after Rynn's father, she politely claims that he's in the city on business. But when the landlady's creepy and increasingly persistent son, Frank (Martin Sheen), won't leave Rynn alone, she teams up with kindly neighbor boy Mario (Scott Jacoby) to maintain the dark family secret that she's been keeping to herself.
Kino Lorber will be bringing the 1977 film "The People That Time Forgot" to Blu-ray. They are hoping to have it out in November. Walter Olsen of Scorpion Releasing will be producing some extras for the release. The only information available on special features so far is there should be a couple interviews.
When a message is found from lost explorer Bowen Tyler (Doug McClure) detailing a prehistoric world at the center of the Arctic Circle, fellow adventurer Ben McBride (Patrick Wayne) gets a newspaper to sponsor a search. The search takes McBride to the tropical oasis Tyler wrote about, the isle of Caprona, where he meets a feisty cavegirl named Ajor (Dana Gillespie). She explains that Tyler has been kidnapped by a warrior tribe called the Naga. Now it's up to McBride to rescue him.
Directed by Kevin Connor, the film stars Patrick Wayne, Doug McClure and Sarah Douglas.
Walter Olsen of Scorpion Releasing announced the details for the upcoming Blu-ray release of Lisa (1990) that Kino Lorber will be releasing.
The film was directed by Gary Sherman (Dead & Buried, Poltergeist II) and stars Staci Keanan (Step By Step, My Two Dads), Cheryl Ladd (Charlie's Angels), D.W. Moffett (Switched at Birth, For Your Love), Jeffrey Tambor (Transparent, Arrested Development). The Blu-ray is scheduled to be released September 22, 2015
Synopsis: The film is about a teenage girl who lives with her mother and has too much time on her hands. Lisa and her friend get the phone numbers of men by using the license plates from their cars. They then call these men for something fun to do. Unfortunately for Lisa, she happens to call a crazy killer and trouble ensues.
Blu-ray Special Features
Audio Commentary with Director Gary Sherman On camera interview with star D.W Moffett On camera interview with Gary Sherman and Editor Russ Albert Original Trailer BD-50/Dual layered
