Night of the Demons 2 - Blu-ray Review - Olive Films

Angela's throwing another party

Released by: Olive Films

Release Date: February 19, 2013

Production Year: 1994

Region Code: A

Running Time: 1:35:47

Audio: English DTS-HD MA 2.0

Video: 1080p (1.78 Aspect Ratio)

Subtitles: None

THE FILM:

It’s Halloween and the teenagers from St. Rita’s High School want to party at the neighborhood’s haunted house. For years, the Hull House has sat in eerie silence – tales of its haunted past have turned into gory jokes and no one really believes anything ever happened there. However, Angela (Amelia Kinkade), the hostess from hell is summoning her army of teen demons to the blood-curdling contest between the school’s priests and herself, the princess of darkness. What was intended as an innocent evening of fun and games turns into hell raising, life threatening ordeal… they wanted fun, now they’re in the trick-or-treat party of their lives! Stylishly directed by Brian Trenchard-Smith (Dead End Drive-In, Leprechaun 4: In Space).

I have always enjoyed "Night of the Demons 2" as much as "Night of the Demons." It is nice to once again say hello to Amelia Kinkade portraying the bewitching, Angela. She also goes on to reprise the role of Angela again in "Night of the Demons 3." I find the film to be pretty fun and entertaining. It does a good job at portraying the horny teenagers and other stereotypical characters like the shy good girl, the bad girl, jocks, and so forth. The film also features an attractive cast. So there's some eye candy for everyone. The film contains just the right amount of funny lines, so that it remains a horror title without crossing over to the horror-comedy realm. 

AUDIO:

The sole option on this Blu-ray of "Night of the Demons 2" is an English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track. It does an adequate job at balancing the dialogue with the creepy sound effects and chilling soundtrack. The audio quality is excellent. 

VIDEO:

"Night of the Demons 2" parties its way on to Blu-ray courtesy of Olive Films. The film is presented in 1080p with a 1.78:1 Aspect Ratio. Colors and skin tones in the film look good for the most part. They can look a bit light at times due to the lighting used during filming. However, the abundance of lighting results in a very detailed looking picture. Close ups look terrific with the amount of detail that can be seen. Even wide shots look very good and have a nice amount of sharpness. Black levels look fairly good. There is a nice layer of film grain present throughout. I only noticed a small amount of white specks during the early part of the film. The picture quality is really quite pleasing. 

SPECIAL FEATURES:

Audio Commentary - This track features Director Brian Trenchard-Smith and Cinematographer David Lewis. One of the first things mention and is surprising is that the film was shot in 20 days, despite the studio wanting it done in just 18 days. The pair spend a fair amount of time talking about the lighting in various scenes, with David Lewis doing the majority of the commenting on that subject. They also discuss stories about the cast, settings, effects and other aspects of the production. Fans should enjoy this commentary as the duo cover a variety of topics and Brian Trenchard-Smith does a fine job of often talking about what is happening on the screen at the time.

IN CONCLUSION:

An entertaining film with a really nice Blu-ray release thanks to Olive Films. If you are a fan of the movie, you should add this release to your film library. It's a solid release with great audio and video quality. If you liked the first film and have yet to see this sequel, this should be a safe blind buy for you. 

OVERALL: 3.5 / 5

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Sweet Sixteen, Trick or Treats and The Cheerleaders - Come to Blu-ray From Code Red DVD

Code Red DVD has released three new titles to Blu-ray. They are "Sweet Sixteen", "Trick or Treats" and "The Cheerleaders." All three have been remastered in high definition, are limited edition titles and available exclusively through Screen Archives Entertainment.

SWEET SIXTEEN (1983 / 1700 EDITION) (BLU-RAY)
Starring: Don Stroud, Bo Hopkins, Aleisa Shirley
Directed By: Jim Sotos

Synopsis:
When Melissa Morgan (Aleisa Shirley), a sexy big-city girl, moves to a small Texas town, she creates quite a stir with her beauty and promiscuous attitude. She's 15 going on 25, and all the boys at her new school are anxious to get to know her. But when the younger brother of a local hellraiser (Don Stroud) is brutally murdered, the town sheriff (Bo Hopkins) must try to solve the killings before the killer strikes again. Along to help him is his Nancy Drew-ish daughter (Dana Kimmell, Friday The 13th 3-D).

SPECIAL FEATURES

On camera interview with star Bo Hopkins, director Jim Soto and actress Alicia Shirley

TRICK OR TREATS (1982 / 1050 EDITION) (BLU-RAY)
Starring: Carrie Snodgress, David Carradine, Steve Railsback, Jackelyn Giroux, Peter Jason, Chris Graver, Jillian Kesner
Directed By: Gary Graver

Synopsis:
Five years after his wife, Joan (Carrie Snodgress, THE FURY), had him wrongfully and deliberately committed to a mental institution so she could live with her boyfriend (David Carradine, KILL BILL, TV's KUNG-FU), Malcolm (Peter Jason, 48HRS) escapes on Halloween night and arrives back at his old house to murder her, except Joan is not home but she's out with her boyfriend while babysitter Linda (Jacqueline Giroux, THIS IS HIJACK) is looking after Malcolm's 10-year-old son Christopher (Chris Graver), an equally psychotic and demented practical joker until, under cover of darkness, Malcolm shows up and planning on making a visit. Steve Railsback (STUNT MAN, LIFEFORCE), Paul Bartel (EATING RAOUL), Jillian Kesner (RAW FORCE), John Blyth Barrymore Football great Dan Pastorini and Tim Rossovich co-star. Written, produced & director by the late Gary Graver! Magical advisory by Orson Welles!!!

SPECIAL FEATURES

• Brand New Hi-Def master from the original 35mm camera negatives!
• Audio commentary with stars Jackie Giroux, Peter Jason, Chris Graver, Cinematographer R. Michael Stringer, moderated by Sean Graver
• Audio interview with Steve Railsback

1.78.1 (16x9)

THE CHEERLEADERS (1973 / 1020 EDITION) (BLU-RAY)
Starring: Stephanie Fondue, Denise Dillaway, Jovita Bush
Directed By: Paul Glickler

Synopsis:
When reluctant virgin Jeannie (homely looking Stephanie Fondue) joins Amoroso High cheerleaders, she's welcomed into their wild world of teenage teases, lesbian love, horny jocks and more. But now the fix is in on the season's big game, and the sexy squad has a plan to suck out the energy of the entire opposing team. Can the girls help their school win the championship? Will Jeannie find someone to pluck the cherry from her sundae? And most of all, is anyone safe from the unleashed lust of THE CHEERLEADERS? ALL-NEW HI-DEF MASTER CREATED BY CODE RED DVD!

SPECIAL FEATURES

Audio commentary with director Paul Glickler and writer Ace bandage.

1.78.1

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Arrow Video Announces November UK Titles

Arrow Video UK announced their November titles today. They include "The Jacques Rivette Collection", "The Honeymoon Killers" and "Nekromantic 2."

This collection of elusive masterpieces from the New Wave director features home video premieres for three features and the 13-hour (8 episode) Out 1, in both its Noli me tangere and Spectre versions. In a newly restored collection with brand new extras, comprising 16 discs, an extensive book of writing and deluxe packaging, limited to just 3000 copies on DVD and Blu-ray! Released 20th November.

The Jacques Rivette Collection brings together some of the director’s hardest to see works, each restored, newly translated and debuting on home video for the first time in UK.

Out 1 is one of the crowning achievements of Rivette’s remarkable career. Conceived as a television mini-series, this near-thirteen-hour monolith consists of eight feature-length episodes revolving around two theater troupes, blackmail and conspiracy. Multiple characters introduce multiple plot-lines, weaving a rich tapestry across an epic runtime.

Originally screened just the once in its full-length version in 1971, Out 1 was then re-conceived by Rivette as a four-and-a-half-hour feature. Making use of alternative and unseen footage, the director renamed this version Out 1: Spectre as an acknowledgement of its shadow-like nature. Both are presented in this boxed-set, fully restored and with newly-translated English subtitles.

Complementing Out 1 are two ‘parallel films’, Duelle (une quarantaine) and Noroît. The former sees Rivette head into fantasy territory: the Queen of the Sun (Bulle Ogier) and the Queen of the Night (Juliet Berto) search for a magical diamond in present-day Paris. The latter is a loose adaptation of The Revenger’s Tragedy and a pirate tale, starring Geraldine Chaplin (Nashville, Cría cuervos). Also included is Merry-Go-Round, in which Joe Dallesandro (Flesh for Frankenstein) and Maria Schneider (The Passenger, Last Tango in Paris) are summoned to Paris, kickstarting the most surreal of all Rivette’s mysteries.

LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS

• Limited Edition Collection [3,000 Copies]
• High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentation of all films from brand new 2K restorations of the films with Out 1 supervised by cinematographer Pierre-William Glenn
• Original mono audio (uncompressed PCM on the Blu-rays)
• Optional newly-translated English subtitles for all films
• The Mysteries of Paris: Jacque Rivette’s Out 1 Revisited - a brand-new feature length documentary by Robert Fischer and Wilfred Reichart containing interviews with actors Bulle Ogier, Michael Lonsdale and Hermine Karagheuz, cinematographer Pierre-William Glenn, assistant director Jean-François Stévenin and producer Stéphane Tchalgadjieff, as well as rare archival interviews with actors Jacques Doniol-Valcroze and Michel Delahaye, and director Jacques Rivette
• Scenes from a Parallel Life: Jacques Rivette Remembers - archive interview with the director, in which he discusses Duelle (une quarantaine), Noroît and Merry-Go-Round, featuring additional statements from Bulle Ogier and Hermine Karagheuz
• Brand-new interview with critic Jonathan Rosenbaum, who reported from the sets of both Duelle (une quarantaine) and Noroît
• Exclusive perfect-bound book containing new writing on the films by Mary M. Wiles, Brad Stevens, Ginette Vincendeau and Nick Pinkerton

The Honeymoon Killers - one of the great cult true-crime thrillers (based on the notorious 1940s “Lonely Hearts” killing spree) is presented here a gleaming new 4K restoration. Extensive extras include new cast and crew interviews and discussion of both the film and the real-life context. Released 10th November.

One of the great cult true-crime films, hailed by genre aficionados and highbrow cinephiles alike (François Truffaut said it was his favorite American film), The Honeymoon Killers is a compelling dramatization of the true story of the notorious ‘Lonely Hearts Killers’. 

Two mismatched lovers, overweight nurse Martha Beck (Shirley Stoler, Seven Beauties) and con man Ray Fernandez (Tony Lo Bianco, God Told Me To), concoct a plan to lure unsuspecting victims via lonely-hearts ads. But this is no lip-smacking killing spree but a memorably intense study of loneliness and the lengths to which desperate people will go to keep what they once thought they’d never have.

The only film directed by opera composer Leonard Kastle (with additional material by an uncredited Martin Scorsese), shot in stark black and white and incongruously scored by Gustav Mahler, The Honeymoon Killers is a complete one-off in American cinema. Veteran critic Derek Malcolm wrote “At that time, we’d not seen that kind of film, a super-realist depiction of the banality of evil. It came like a clap of thunder.”

SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS

• High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentation of a brand new 4K restoration
• Original mono audio (uncompressed PCM on the Blu-ray)
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Love Letters, a video piece by Robert Fischer featuring actors Tony Lo Bianco and Marilyn Chris and editor Stan Warnow
• Folie à Deux: Todd Robinson, director of Lonely Hearts, explores the true story of the Lonely Hearts Killers
• Body Shaming: Todd Robinson explores the film
• Beyond Morality: Fabrice du Welz, director of Alleluia, discusses the film that inspired him
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly-commissioned artwork by Jay Shaw
• Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring No Average Killers, Johnny Mains’ extensive new essay on the film and its real-life inspiration, plus archive materials

Nekromantik 2: Once prosecuted in its native Germany as “glorifying violence”, Jörg Buttgereit’s notorious cult classic arrives on home video for the first time in the UK - fully uncut! Release Date: December 7, 2015. NOTE: The release date has been pushed back to December 7th from its formerly announced November release.

RETURN OF THE LOVING DEAD

Monika isn’t like other young women. She shares her small flat with Rob, a recently disinterred corpse which serves the object of her affections. But then the good-natured Mark comes into her life, and she finds herself torn between the prospect of a ‘normal’ life with a living partner and her overwhelming love for her rotting bed-fellow.

Once prosecuted in its native Germany for “glorifying violence”, Jörg Buttgereit’s follow-up to his ground-breaking Nekromantik is just as shocking as its reputation would suggest. But it’s also a profoundly moving (if decidedly twisted) love story, and a thought-provoking meditation on death – that most mysterious aspect of the human condition.

3-DISC DIRECTOR-APPROVED LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS

• New High-Definition transfer of the feature from the original 16mm camera negative, supervised by producer Manfred Jelinski
• High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations
• Optional English subtitles
• Limited Edition packaging featuring new artwork by Gilles Vranckx
• Individually-numbered #/3,000 Certificate
• Exclusive Limited Edition 100-page book

DISC 1 [BLU-RAY] & DISC 2 [DVD] – NEKROMANTIK 2
• Audio commentary with Jörg Buttgereit, co-writer Franz Rodenkirchen, and actors Monika M. and Mark Reeder
• Brand new interviews with Buttgereit and Reeder
• The Making of Nekromantik 2 – vintage documentary featuring a wealth of behind-the-scenes footage, viewable with two different audio tracks: an English commentary with Buttgereit, Franz Rodenkirchen, Monika M. and Buttgereit biographer David Kerekes, and a German-language audio track featuring radio interviews with Buttgereit and Rodenkirchen, subtitled in English
• Outtakes Reel
• Nekromantik 2 Livekonzert – footage from the 2011 live performance of the film score in Berlin, featuring Monika M.
• Nekromantik 2 Livekonzert – the complete 20-track audio recording of the Berlin concert [DVD-ROM content]
• A Moment of Silence at the Grave of Ed Gein - Jörg Buttgereit short film
• Two Buttgereit-directed music videos: ‘Rise Up’ by Die Krupps (1997), starring Monika M., and ‘Die Frau in der Musik’ by Stereo Total (2007)
• Complete collection of Buttgereit feature film trailers: Nekromantik, Der Todesking, Nekromantik 2 and Schramm
• Extensive image gallery

DISC 3 [CD] – NEKROMANTIK 2 SOUNDTRACK – LIMITED EDITION EXCLUSIVE
• CD featuring the complete Nekromantik 2 soundtrack
100-PAGE BOOK - LIMITED EDITION EXCLUSIVE
• Exclusive perfect-bound book featuring new writing on Nekromantik 2 from Electric Sheep editor Virginie Selavy alongside archive pieces, all illustrated with new artwork and original archive stills
+ MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED!

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Insidious: Chapter 3 - Coming to Blu-ray

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment announced that it is releasing "Insidious: Chapter 3" to Blu-ray and DVD on October 13, 2015.

Synopsis:

Go back to the beginning… if you dare… in this chilling prequel that takes place before the unforgettable haunting of the Lambert family. Paranormal investigators Tucker (Angus Sampson) and Specs (Leigh Whannell) team up with the psychic Elise (Lin Shaye) to help Quinn (Stefanie Scott), a teenage girl who believes that her late mother is trying to make contact. At first, Elise’s horrific past makes her reluctant to use her ability, but when Quinn’s desperate father (Dermot Mulroney) begs for assistance, she agrees to venture into The Further. There, she finds a ruthless supernatural entity with a voracious craving for the souls of the living. It’s the darkest chapter yet in this spine-tingling portrayal of evil unleashed.

Written and directed by Leigh Whannell, INSIDIOUS: CHAPTER 3 was produced by James Wan (Insidious Franchise, The Conjuring, Furious 7), Jason Blum (Whiplash, The Purge) for Blumhouse Productions and Oren Peli (Paranormal Activity). 

Special Features:

Origin Story: Making Chapter 3 Featurette
Deleted Scenes (Blu-ray exclusive)
Being Haunted: A Psychic Medium Speaks Featurette (Blu-ray exclusive)Cherry Glazerr: Tiptoe Through the Tulips Featurette (Blu-ray exclusive)

Macabre Creations Featurette (Blu-ray exclusive)
Stunts: The Car Crash Featurette (Blu-ray exclusive)




 

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Nail Gun Massacre - 88 Films Announces Blu-ray Specs

Cheaper than a Chainsaw!

UK distributor 88 Films announced the final specs for their September 28, 2015 Blu-ray release of "Nail Gun Massacre."

No pennies??? No plot??? No problem!!!

With innovation comes influence - and so it was that, in 1985, another group of backwoods filmmakers from the Lone Star State gave us another legendary Texas-set splatter-shocker: NAIL GUN MASSACRE.

An icon of the VHS age, sleazier and cheesier than any of its contemporaries- and featuring more power tool plasma-spillage than you can shake a chainsaw at - NAIL GUN MASSACRE introduces a motorcycle-helmet wearing psychopath with a range of amusing one-liners. This mysterious marauders get their kicks from tracking down tempestuous teenagers and lowbrow locals so that they can be turned into human pin cushions. The motivation behind this macabre path of plasma-provocation may be linked to a psycho-sexual crime that took place years prior - although the local police force are understandably baffled as each new dead body turns up...

Never before released in the UK, 88 Films is proud to welcome this notorious late night beer 'n' pizza pot-boiler, restored and remastered from the original 16mm materials, into the Slasher Classics Collection! Don't expect high art, but do expect a bloody good time - because few slice and dice pictures pack in more mayhem than NAIL GUN MASSACRE!


SPECIAL FEATURES

• Available to watch in both 4x3 and 16x9 versions, transferred in HD from original 16mm materials.
• Audio commentary with Texas Frightmare Weekend creator Loyd Cryer
• Alamo Drafthouse Screening
• Interview with Director Terry Lofton
• Interview with SFX and music supervisor, Whitey Thomas
• Locations of Nail Gun Massacre featurette
• Q&A, hosted by Joe Bob Briggs
• 88 Films Trailer Reel
• Reversible sleeve with alternate poster Artwork

TECHNICAL SPECS

• Region Code: Region Free
• Picture Format: HD 1080p 1.33:1 & 1.78:1
• Audio Format:DTS-HD MA Mono
• Language: English
• Certification: 18
• Running Time: 85 Mins Approx

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Bloodsucking Bastards - Cities Announced for Theatrical Release

WORK. IT SUCKS THE LIFE OUT OF YOU.

"Bloodsucking Bastads" opens in theaters and On Demand Sept 4th! Here are the cities where you can see it in all its gory glory on the big screen:

Austin
Chicago
Columbus
Dallas
Denver
Detroit
Houston
Los Angeles
Lubbock
Minneapolis
Philadelphia
Seattle
Tampa

For more details on specific venues please head on over to the official website and follow the Facebook page.

You can also read more about the film in our previous article.

 

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UPDATE - The Sicilian Connection - Coming to Blu-ray from Code Red DVD

Code Red DVD has announced plans to bring Ferdinando Baldi's 1972 film, "The Sicilian Connection" to Blu-ray on September 15, 2015. 

The film stars Ben Gazarra (Anatomy of a Murder, The Big Lebowski, Road House) as an American narcotics agent posing as a nightclub owner in order to get inside information on a smuggling operation. 

The film also stars Silvia Monti (A Lizard in a Woman's Skin, The Fifth Cord), Fausto Tozzi (El Cid, Chino), Jess Hahn (Topkapi, The Mysterious Island) and Malisa Longo (A Cat in the Brain).

Language: English
Color
Run Time: 100 Minutes Anamorphic Widescreen, 2.35:1
Region A
Rated: R

Brand new HD transfer from Italian vault element.

US TRAILER.

***UPDATE***

Screen Archives Entertainment has said the Blu-ray is now available to order and ship. Click here to order.

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The Devil of Kreuzberg - Movie Review - Carnie Films

Could you kill a dream?

Synopsis:

Linda and Jakob are happily in love until one night, Jakob begins to have horrific nightmares in which Linda appears as a darkly seductive creature. Tormented by these visions, Jakob asks his best friend Kurt to murder Linda for him, thus beginning a slow descent into madness. Unbeknownst to the two men, Linda is acting under the control of an ancient family curse. Will her love for Jakob overcome the powers of death? Will Kurt give in to his violent urges and kill to protect his friendship? Is there a way to escape the Devil of Kreuzberg?


"The Devil of Kreuzberg" (2015) stars Sandra Bourdonnec, Ludwig Reuter and Suleyman Yuceer. The film was directed by Alexander Bakshaev (who also served as a producer), written by Pippo Schund and produced by Mathis Vogel. Running Time: 48:34

The film opens with Kurt (Suleyman Yuceer) standing on a street. He looks around at the marquees of a few adult shops before taking a large swig of what one would presume to be some type of alcohol, given his unsteady appearance. The scene fades and soon we find ourselves watching Linda (Sandra Bourdonnec), at first dancing alone, and then joined by Jakob (Ludwig Reuter). As the title and opening credits play, the couple dance as we are treated to an eerie song.   

We once again follow Kurt, who is now on an elevator with another man. I liked the bit of camera trickery in this scene. One odd thing though is when the woman's boyfriend is shot and killed, she comes running up to Kurt and halfheartedly pounds on his chest not displaying as much agony as one might expect.

We soon learn that Kurt and Jakob know each other and are actually friends. Meanwhile, Linda visits a statue, to pray for Jakob and the nightmares that plague him. She is seemingly contacted by the statue via telepathy. It seems Linda is not of this world and must soon leave, despite the fact that she wants to remain here with Jakob. She is told that Jakob will die and she must kill him like her mother killed her husband, because they are the Karnsteins'. Jakob approaches Kurt and says that Linda needs to die in order for him to sleep peacefully. Kurt seems to scoff at the idea, or does he? We then watch Kurt as he is about to take another life but for some reason, hesitates, and lets his mark get away for a little while. Then it becomes a game of cat and mouse as Kurt stalks his prey in a parking garage. 

Jakob and Kurt meet up once again and after a brief discussion, an odd impromptu dance scene occurs, complete with some slow motion sequences. Possibly the oddest dance scene I have seen since Crispin Glover in "Friday the 13th: Part IV." Next the pair get back to business with Jakob telling Kurt that Linda is the devil. Before you know it, Jakob is asleep, having a nightmare concerning Linda and two other women. Once he comes to, Jakob again approaches Kurt about killing Linda. 

Eventually we see Kurt following Linda and he pulls out a gun. His hand shakes as he ponders the request his friend tasked him with. Since I don't want to spoil the story, I won't go any further. 

I did enjoy the film but I was left with some questions. The Karnstein name is familiar to me, although the stories don't really seem to be linked. They could be, but then it would be lost on anyone unfamiliar with the name . I feel that the story would have benefited by some explanation about "the fog" and Linda's curse. Delving in to Kurt's profession a little bit could have helped flesh out his character. We see what he is doing. But we never really find out the motivation behind it. The same could be said for Linda. I would like to mention that the music used in the film is terrific. At times it reminded me of a 1970's giallo with its haunting melodies. It really did a great job at helping set the mood. The film also benefits from some of the great buildings used in the film. The graveyard scene also adds more imagery to an already cold and bleak setting. Overall, I felt that the actors did a nice job. The film had good pacing, except for the second dance scene with Jakob and Kurt. That did not seem to help move the story along in any way and the film would have flowed a little better without it. I think "The Devil of Kreuzberg" may require a second viewing to take in and digest everything that happens. 

OVERALL FILM RATING: 3 / 5

Be sure to visit the films Facebook page.

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