Another week of goodness hits the video store with Tony Todd and his final performance in Final Destination: Bloodlines leading the way. But let’s see what else is coming our way with this week’s haul of movie goodness…shall we?
A truly special kind of love story from cult director Frank Henenlotter about a woman with seven clitorises & a passion for murderous sex who meets a man with a 24 inch drug addicted penis. 2008.
In the near future, laboratory created zombies are unleashed upon the world! Amid the chaos and carnage, Aya vows to avenge her father s murder. With samurai sword in hand and wearing nothing but her trademark bikini and cowboy hat, Aya sets off to settle the score.
On the path of vengeance, the chubby Katsuji and the gun-toting Reika join Aya. Together, they slash and shoot their way through hordes of the walking dead to reach the final showdown with a mad scientist and Aya s own sister!
CHANBARA BEAUTY THE MOVIE: VORTEX
The scientific discovery of a potion for immortality results in the creation of a zombie army that escapes from a laboratory and goes on a global, gory killing spree. Now the sisters Aya and Saki must team up to face a new nemesis that will put their strength and skills to the ultimate test!
In 1970, young first-time director Dario Argento (Deep Red, Suspiria) made his indelible mark on Italian cinema with The Bird with the Crystal Plumage – a film which redefined the ‘giallo’ genre of murder-mystery thrillers and catapulted him to international stardom.
Jess Franco delivers a 60’s psychotronic colonial pulp poison-kisses, spies and scientists in a jungle lair of deadly seduction. Christopher Lee, Richard Greene, Tsai Chin, Jesús Franco, 1968.
From his secret lair deep within the South American jungle, international super-villain Fu Manchu and his sadistic daughter Lin Tang reveal their latest diabolical plot for world domination: ten beautiful women are infected with an ancient poison so deadly that one kiss from their lips will bring instant death and lead to a global plague.
Starring Isabella Rossellini, Kyle MacLachlan, Dennis Hopper. A severed human ear found in a field leads a young man to investigate a mysterious nightclub singer and the criminals who kidnapped her child. David Lynch (1986)
Wonderfully goofy cult horror that gave the world the acronym C.H.U.D. (Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers). John Heard, Daniel Stern, 1984.
From the subterranean depths it crawls! Director Douglas Cheek’s cult ’80s favorite C.H.U.D. is the ultimate underground movie experience.
In 1920, one brilliant movie jolted the postwar masses and catapulted the movement known as German Expressionism into film history. That movie was The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, a plunge into the mind of insanity that severs all ties with the rational world. Director Robert Wiene and a visionary team of designers crafted a nightmare realm in which light, shadow and substance are abstracted, a world in which a demented doctor and a carnival sleepwalker perpetrate a series of ghastly murders in a small community. This authoritative edition of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is a 4K restoration scanned from the (mostly) preserved camera negative at the German Federal Film Archive.
Based on Clive Barker’s horror legend The Candyman, a murderous soul with a hook for a hand, is accidentally summoned to reality by a sceptic grad student researching the monster’s myth. Bernard Rose, 1992.
It’s just a typical day in the lives of the employees, customers and passersby of a Los Angeles car wash – but what a day! Richard Pryor, Antonio Fargas, George Carlin, Michael Schultz, 1976.
A diabolical plot to freeze oceans threatens global collapse in this pulpy villain’s lair. Christopher Lee, Richard Greene, Tsai Chin, Jesús Franco, 1969.
Christopher Lee returns as the diabolical super-villain who, along with his sadistic daughter Lin Tang, creates a fiendish new chemical weapon that will turn the seas into a giant block of ice. But when his archenemy Nayland Smith tracks the madman’s trail of kidnapping, murder and massive global destruction, he himself becomes trapped in Fu Manchu’s impenetrable lair of cruelty.
A tough American cop battles a cult of killers, delivering justice with sunglasses and a matchstick, in this ’80s action flick. Sylvester Stallone, Brigitte Nielsen, Reni Santoni, George P. Cosmatos, 1986
Fresh from the global success of Rambo: First Blood Part II, Sylvester Stallone and director George P. Cosmatos re-teamed for the iconic 80s action-thriller Cobra, this time waging a one-man crusade against crime on the streets of Los Angeles.
A privileged man-child arrives at the beautiful and remote coastal cabin of his estranged father, whom he hasn’t seen in 30 years. He quickly discovers that not only is his dad a jerk, he also has a shady past that is rushing to catch up with him.
Neil Jordan directs this atmospheric adaptation of ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ (via Angela Carter), exploring the story’s adult subtexts. Angela Lansbury, 1985.
A newlywed couple is held captive in a remote lake house by a maniacally optimistic inventor and his sour wife who are desperate to finance his dream project with a half-baked blackmail plot. Rich Sommer, Ella Rae Peck, John Speredakos. Chris Skotchdopole
After blacking out during his wedding night, Shane (Rigo Garay) and his new wife, Leah (Ella Rae Peck), head to a remote house for their honeymoon. Their plans to find wedded bliss are hampered when there is a knock at their door. It’s the waiter, John (John Speredakos), and the bartender, Rose (Lorraine Farris), from the reception blackmailing Shane for something he can’t remember doing.
A Korean nun battles a centuries-old demon and patriarchal power in a possession thriller that fuses horror tradition with spiritual revolt. Song Hye-Kyo, Jeon Yeo-been, Lee Jin-wook, Hyeok-jae Kwon, 2025
A father-daughter duo accidentally hit a unicorn and must dodge its vengeful family and a greedy biotech family. Paul Rudd, Jenna Ortega, Will Poulter, Téa Leoni, Richard E. Grant, Alex Scharfman, 2025.
Japanese biker gangs clash in explosive battles, embodying rebellion and raw horsepower in this action-packed film. Teruo Ishii, 1975
Leather up and get ready for the ride of your lives, in this high-octane biker movie by cult director Teruo Ishii with a cast headed by Sonny Chiba!
Iwaki (Koichi Iwaki) is a motorbike mechanic with big dreams of racing professionally. Then temptation arrives in the shapely form of Mayumi (Junko Matsudaira). Does Iwaki take the straight and narrow option, or opt for a more dangerous road?
Alejandro Jodorowsky’s legendary surreal, biblical spaghetti “eastern” midnight movie follows a gunfighter as he reaches the top and becomes a holy man. 1970.
Plagued by a violent and recurring nightmare, a college student heads home to track down the one person who might be able to break the cycle of death and save her family from the grisly demise that inevitably awaits them all
ALL SIX MOVIES TOGETHER!
A socially awkward man pursues friendship with his new neighbour, leading to unexpected and dark consequences. Tim Robinson, Paul Rudd, Kate Mara. Andrew DeYoung. 2024.
A police lieutenant in spiritual crisis tracks a rash of murders seeming to copycat a long dead serial killer. George C. Scott, Brad Dourif, William Peter Blatty, 1990.
Based very loosely on a story by H. P. Lovecraft, a group of scientists create a resonator to stimulate the pineal gland, and open up a door to a parallel (and hostile) universe. Jeffrey Combs, Barbara Crampton, Stuart Gordon, 1986.
Christopher George (PIECES), Andrew Prine (BARN OF THE NAKED DEAD) and Richard Jaeckel (THE DARK) star in this “bloody, sexy and immortal trash classic” (Mondo Digital) about an 18-foot-tall ursus arctos horribilis on a carnivorous rampage through a state park full of campers, and the ranger, chopper pilot and naturalist who must stop it.
Harmony Korine’s debut feature is a gritty, surreal portrayal of a small town’s decay, exploring the lives of its eccentric, troubled residents. Jacob Sewell, Jacob Reynolds, Chloë Sevigny, 1997.
Todd Solondz’s controversial “Happiness” unveils the dark underbelly of suburban life, following a cast of damaged souls—from pedophiles to phone-sex addicts—as they desperately seek love amidst their existential despair. Philip Seymour Hoffman, 1998.
In this 1985 campy horror-comedy cult classic, a rock band arrives in a small town for a gig, only to be brutally murdered by a bizarre family of killers. Through the power of their music, the band is resurrected as flesh-eating zombies, seeking revenge on their murderers while continuing to rock out.
David Hess of THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT infamy stars as a charismatic psychopath who, with his equally unhinged sidekick (Giovanni Lombardo Radice of CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD), turns a get-together of chic New Yorkers into an ordeal of class warfare and sexual violence. Annie Belle (ABSURD), Christian Borromeo (TENEBRAE) and Lorraine De Selle (WILD BEASTS) co-star in this notorious Video Nasty.
When a beloved varsity quarterback disappears during the “Satanic Panic” of the late 1980s, a struggling high school rock band of outcasts realizes they can capitalize on the town’s sudden interest in the occult by building a reputation as a Satanic metal band, until a bizarre series of murders, kidnappings and reported “supernatural activity” triggers a leather-studded witch hunt that leads directly back to them.
The John Wick Franchise!
From visionary director Ridley Scott, this spectacular epic of courage, honor and adventure stars Orlando Bloom as Balian, a young Frenchman in medieval Jerusalem during the Crusades. Having lost everything, Balian finds redemption through a heroic fight – against overwhelming forces – to save his people and fulfill his destiny as a knight.
Ladyhawke is the enchanting tale of a lady (Michelle Pfeiffer), a knight (Rutger Hauer) and a pickpocket known as the Mouse (Matthew Broderick). Once the knight and the lady were lovers. Now the curse of an evil bishop (John Wood) keeps them “always together, eternally apart.” By day she is a hawk, by night he is a wolf. To end the evil spell, the knight vows to break into the bishop’s stronghold. With help from the Mouse. Directed by Richard Donner and photographed by three-time Academy Award winner” Vittorio Storaro, Ladyhawke is “the most congenial spot for happy ever-aftering since Camelot”
The Last Temptation of Christ, by Martin Scorsese, is a towering achievement. Though it initially engendered enormous controversy, the film can now be viewed as the remarkable, profoundly personal work of faith that it is. This fifteen-year labor of love, an adaptation of Nikos Kazantzakis’s landmark novel that imagines an alternate fate for Jesus Christ, features outstanding performances by Willem Dafoe, Barbara Hershey, Harvey Keitel, Harry Dean Stanton, and David Bowie; bold cinematography by the great Michael Ballhaus; and a transcendent score by Peter Gabriel.
A young girl discovers a magical creature and embarks on a journey to protect her village from dark forces. Helena Zengel, Finn Wolfhard, Emily Watson. Isaiah Saxon. 2025
The brilliant and controversial Naked, from director Mike Leigh, stars David Thewlis as Johnny, a charming and eloquent but relentlessly vicious drifter. Rejecting anyone who might care for him, the volcanic Johnny hurls himself around London on a nocturnal odyssey, colliding with a succession of other desperate and dispossessed people and scorching everyone in his path. With a virtuoso script and raw performances from Thewlis and costars Katrin Cartlidge and Lesley Sharp, Leigh’s depiction of England’s underbelly is an amalgam of black comedy and doomsday prophecy that took the best director and best actor prizes at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival.
Nordic Noir with Nikolaj Coster-Waldau double feature: Nightwatch (1994) / Nightwatch: Demons Are Forever (2023)
Full of captivating performances and foreboding suspense, Nightwatch and Nightwatch: Demons Are Forever represent the high watermark of Nordic Noir and are a must-have for any genre film aficionado.
In this Chinese adventure, two sisters venture into enemy territory to recover their father’s lost dagger and restore his honour during the Song Dynasty. Song Tianshuo, Zhang Xintong, Zhang Kai. Feng Xiaojun. 2024
During the Song Dynasty, the commander of the army, General Yang Ye, heroically sacrifices himself. A decade later, his daughters set out to reclaim his lost nine-ring golden dagger and restore honor to their homeland. Facing enemy attacks, they unite with an old ally to outwit foes and ensure the dagger’s safe return.
Eight different actresses play a pregnancy-obsessed woman throughout her life in this interesting drama from Todd Solondz. Jennifer Jason Leigh, Ellen Barkin. 2004.
Ever since she was small, Aviva has desperately wanted a baby. Now a teenager – with thoughts and feelings her well-meaning parents Joyce (Ellen Barkin, Drop Dead Gorgeous) and Steve (Richard Masur, The Thing) don’t quite know how to handle – she’ll stop at nothing to make that dream a reality.
Newly restored Criterion edition of Wim Wenders’ moving character study of a man searching for his estranged wife. written by Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright Sam Shepard. Nastassja Kinski, Harry Dean Stanton.
The young Jennifer Corvino (played by Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Connelly) is sent to a private Swiss academy for girls where a killer is on the loose, brutally murdering students. Jennifer is a “gifted” girl with the strange ability to communicate with insects, and Dr. McGregor (Donald Pleasence, John Carpenter’s HALLOWEEN series, ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK) enlists her to help locate the killer.
In this hilarious feature from Please Don’t Destroy (Saturday Night Live) produced by Judd Apatow (The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Superbad, Bridesmaids), three deadbeat co-workers fend off hairless bears, desperate park rangers and a hypocritical cult leader while searching for a priceless treasure.
South Korean horror film following 2 priests who confront a demonic possession threatening a young girl’s life and faith. Kim Yoon-seok, Gang Dong-won. Jang Jae-hyun. 2015
Outstanding Japanese horror where a group of young friends tangle with strange phenomenon related to a creepy website. As their city grows emptier by the day, they must solve the mystery before all is lost. Kiyoshi Kurosawa (2001)
Incarcerated for assault and manslaughter, a man (Siu-wong Fan) survives in a futuristic prison by resorting to more extreme violence.
This devilishly erotic hardcore double-feature with enough sex to send unclean souls straight to Hell! In SEX AND SATAN (also known as THE SEXORCIST and UNDRESSED TO KILL), a young reporter for an occult magazine investigates a story about a Satanic cult! In TWICE IS NOT ENOUGH (1976) an incestuous brother/sister team con “simple minded little mama’s boys” by extorting them with sexual games.
Underrated cult classic about a co-ed trying to unravel the mysterious deaths in her boardinghouse before she becomes the next victim. Barbara Steele, Yvonne De Carlo, Cameron Mitchell, 1980
Hayao Miyazaki’s critically-acclaimed wondrous & dazzling fantasy animated masterpiece.
Jerri Blank (Amy Sedaris) is a forty-seven year old ex-con who decides to return to her childhood home after thirty-two years working the streets and in prison. Upon her arrival, she discovers her father is in a self-induced coma. Hoping to wake him, Jerri decides to turn her life around by picking it up exactly where she left off – as a high school freshman. But for a former boozer, user, and loser, hanging with the `in-crowd is going to be harder than turning tricks!
It’s yogurt, it’s a parasite, it’s corporate satire with a slime budget. A new dessert becomes a deadly addiction, leading to a battle against a corporate conspiracy. Michael Moriarty, Andrea Marcovicci, Paul Sorvino, Larry Cohen, 1985
It has been called “grisly,” “sick,” and “perverse,”, as well as “raw,” “unshakeable,” and “the movie that redefined horror.” It was attacked by churches, banned by governments, and acclaimed by only the bravest of critics. It stunned audiences worldwide and set a new standard in movie terror forever. Today writer-producer-director Tobe Hooper’s dark, visionary tale remains unparalleled in its impact as perhaps the most frightening motion picture ever made.
Tim Travers, Penniless Genius Ostricized Narcissist, invents a time machine to travel back and kill his younger self and unmake reality. When his plan fails, he discovers something even more terrifying: Himself.
It is before the dawn of time. Strange, savage beasts roam the earth, foraging for human flesh. Fierce tribesmen prey on the weak and innocent. Mystic sacrifices appease the gods. Yor (Reb Brown, Space Mutiny) is the mightiest warrior of his era. But his own past and true identity are shrouded in the mists of time. He knows he doesn’t belong in this world, but his only clues to the fleeting memories of his past are the gold medallion around his neck and the beautiful priestess held prisoner in a forbidden city. She wears a matching medallion. Yor is determined to rescue her to find her and the answers, even at the risk of losing his life. The talisman takes him on an incredible journey, joined first by the sensuous cavegirl, Ka-Laa (Corinne Clery, Moonraker), then by the lusty priestess, Roa (Ayshe Gul). He learns the secrets of the mummified fire people and outwits the brutal fur-draped barbarians of the Northern hills. But it is on a floating island where an army of robots and a psychotic scientist await him that Yor’s destiny lies.
Movies should arrive on Thursday/ Friday. Cheers!
