DVD Review:VAMPIRES MUMMIES AND MONSTERS(1971, 1982, 1988)*** out of ****
ROGER CORMAN COLLECTION:VAMPIRES,MUMMIES & MONSTERS-LADY FRANKENSTEIN(1971), THE VELVET VAMPIRE(1971), TIME WALKER(1982) & GROTESQUE (1988) *** out of **** Directed by Mel Welles,Stephanie Rothman,Tom Kennedy and Joe Tornatore Starring Rosalbi Neri(Sara Bay), Joseph Cotton, Celeste Yarnell, Michael Blodgett, Ben Murray, Austin Stoker, Linda Blair, Guy Stockwell, Tab Hunter Approximately 90 minutes each feature,Rated R Released by New Horizons Home Video & Shout Factory Home Video
Once again Shout Factory Home Video delves into the vaults of Roger Corman's New World Pictures & New Horizons/Concorde to bring us this eclectic collection of B-movie horror and science fiction films released in both the 1970's & 1980's which some of these films have not received an official video release in some time. The four films included in this two DVD disc set are LADY FRANKENSTEIN and THE VELVET VAMPIRE on disc 1 and TIME WALKER and GROTESQUE on disc 2.
LADY FRANKENSTEIN(**1/2 out of ****) made in 1971 is an Euro Horror film written and directed by American character actor Mel Welles( who played Mr. Mushkin in Roger Corman's classic cult horror comedy THE LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS) starring Joseph Cotton(THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES, BARON BLOOD) as Dr. Frankenstein and sultry Euro sex queen Rosalbi Neri(THE CASTLE OF FU MANCHU, AMUCK!) aka Sara Bey as Dr.Frankenstein's sexually voracious daughter(the Lady Frankenstein of the title).This film was in public domain in various bootleg video and DVD copies thruout the years but Shout Factory Home Video not only managed to get a pristine digitally remastered version of this film but also included both the uncut more sexually and violent European cut of the film as well as the much shorter and censored version of this movie. As it is, LADY FRANKENSTEIN is quite watchable and even almost enjoyable despite the usual excesses in gore and sex scenes that were much abundant in the early 1970's especially in Italian films of that era which this film was made in. There is also a TV and movie trailer of the film as well as a photo gallery
THE VELVET VAMPIRE(*** out of ****) made in 1971 on the other hand is quite a welcome surprise since it was currently unavailable on video with the exception of a Embassy Home Video VHS release in the early 1980's which was of very poor viewing quality.There was a recent bootleg DVD release by Cheezy Videos that was equally unwatchable but now Shout Factory Home Video finally managed to obtain a digitally remastered widescreen print of the film that is truly glorious to watch. Director Stephanie Rothman was a Roger Corman veteran of his Filmgroup. AIP days and the first female director not only hired by Corman but the first woman to direct horror films since she previously co-directed TRACK OF THE VAMPIRE(1966) with Jack Hill for Corman. Here Rothman makes a modern film version of Le Fanu's Carmilla since that same year there were other film version of the material such as Hammer's Karnstein trilogy(THE VAMPIRE LOVERS, LUST FOR A VAMPIRE & TWINS OF EVIL),Edwin Kummel's DAUGHTERS OF DARKENESS and Spain's THE BLOOD SPLATTERED BRIDE.
But Rothman's film version of the Le Fanu tale is more closer in style and plot line to DAUGHTERS OF DARKNESS made in the same year since Celeste Yarnell plays a hundred years old vampire called Diane LeFanu who seductively takes under her wing a young hippie married couple played by Michael Blodgett (BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS) and Sherry Miles(THE TODD KILLINGS) to stay in her faraway sumptuous home located in the California desert. Of course Ms. Lefanu has plans in seducing both the husband and the wife before taking their blood for substanance but the young wife is keen to LeFanu's scheme and confronts the lady vampire to try to prevent her from making her husband and herself vampires. Ms. Yarnell is excellent and sexually alluring in her portrayal as the female vampire and Blodgett and Miles are just adequate in their roles. Ms. Yarnell also does an amusing audio commentary about the making of the film and there is also the film's trailer and photo & poster gallery
TIME WALKER(** out of ****) made in 1982 is a composite science fiction/ horror film which deals with an alien extraterrestrial being that originally appears as a mummy since scientists discover him in an ancient Egyptian ruin and when revived, runs amok trying to communicate with his race in order to be picked up to be brought back to his home planet, but also containing a deadly flesh eating virus on it that is deadly to humans who come into contact with it. Ben Murray(TV's ALIAS SIMTH & JONES) is the scientist who discovers the being and ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13's Darwin Josten and Austin Stoker play detectives on the trail of the murderous alien being.Although the film has an interesting original premise,unfortunately it is pedestrianly scripted and directed and the cast routinely goes thru their paces without much interest despite some effective gore and violence sequences with the film ending on a cliffhanger leaving the door open for a sequel!. The DVD extras are a movie trailer for the film and interviews with the film's producer and TIME WALKER actor Kevin Brothy
GROTESQUE (*1/2 out of ****) made in 1988 is the weakest film of this DVD set not only in video quality since it was sourced from a previous VHS video release and released in full screen version not like the other three films in this DVD set that were all released in anamorphic widescreen. Made during the late 1980's mad slasher horror movie craze when it was dying down,this is a very low budgeted Grade Z movie surprisingly co-produced by the film's main star Linda Blair(THE EXORCIST, SAVAGE STREETS, CHAINED HEAT) who barely appears herself in the first third of this movie and then dissapears from the rest of the film. Blair and Donna Wilkes play sisters visiting their father played by Guy Stockwell a veteran Hollywood makeup man living in a cottage in the woods. They are besieged by a violent young punk gang who killed all of them except Blair whose injuries send her in the hospital never appearing in the film again, The girl's uncle played by Hollywood veteran heartthrob of the 1950's Tab Hunter who decides to take vigilante revenge against the gang by using his deformed insane nephew to hunt them down. The film is rather badly written and directed with the film's plot going into various directions without making any sense whatsoever then getting to ending that is mind blowing nonsensical that proves that film's makers didn't really knew how to end this film. GROTESQUE has no DVD extras compared to the other four films released in this two disc DVD set but at least the other three films are worth watching for horror/sci-fi genre fans.
Once again Shout Factory Home Video delves into the vaults of Roger Corman's New World Pictures & New Horizons/Concorde to bring us this eclectic collection of B-movie horror and science fiction films released in both the 1970's & 1980's which some of these films have not received an official video release in some time. The four films included in this two DVD disc set are LADY FRANKENSTEIN and THE VELVET VAMPIRE on disc 1 and TIME WALKER and GROTESQUE on disc 2.
LADY FRANKENSTEIN(**1/2 out of ****) made in 1971 is an Euro Horror film written and directed by American character actor Mel Welles( who played Mr. Mushkin in Roger Corman's classic cult horror comedy THE LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS) starring Joseph Cotton(THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES, BARON BLOOD) as Dr. Frankenstein and sultry Euro sex queen Rosalbi Neri(THE CASTLE OF FU MANCHU, AMUCK!) aka Sara Bey as Dr.Frankenstein's sexually voracious daughter(the Lady Frankenstein of the title).This film was in public domain in various bootleg video and DVD copies thruout the years but Shout Factory Home Video not only managed to get a pristine digitally remastered version of this film but also included both the uncut more sexually and violent European cut of the film as well as the much shorter and censored version of this movie. As it is, LADY FRANKENSTEIN is quite watchable and even almost enjoyable despite the usual excesses in gore and sex scenes that were much abundant in the early 1970's especially in Italian films of that era which this film was made in. There is also a TV and movie trailer of the film as well as a photo gallery
THE VELVET VAMPIRE(*** out of ****) made in 1971 on the other hand is quite a welcome surprise since it was currently unavailable on video with the exception of a Embassy Home Video VHS release in the early 1980's which was of very poor viewing quality.There was a recent bootleg DVD release by Cheezy Videos that was equally unwatchable but now Shout Factory Home Video finally managed to obtain a digitally remastered widescreen print of the film that is truly glorious to watch. Director Stephanie Rothman was a Roger Corman veteran of his Filmgroup. AIP days and the first female director not only hired by Corman but the first woman to direct horror films since she previously co-directed TRACK OF THE VAMPIRE(1966) with Jack Hill for Corman. Here Rothman makes a modern film version of Le Fanu's Carmilla since that same year there were other film version of the material such as Hammer's Karnstein trilogy(THE VAMPIRE LOVERS, LUST FOR A VAMPIRE & TWINS OF EVIL),Edwin Kummel's DAUGHTERS OF DARKENESS and Spain's THE BLOOD SPLATTERED BRIDE.
But Rothman's film version of the Le Fanu tale is more closer in style and plot line to DAUGHTERS OF DARKNESS made in the same year since Celeste Yarnell plays a hundred years old vampire called Diane LeFanu who seductively takes under her wing a young hippie married couple played by Michael Blodgett (BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS) and Sherry Miles(THE TODD KILLINGS) to stay in her faraway sumptuous home located in the California desert. Of course Ms. Lefanu has plans in seducing both the husband and the wife before taking their blood for substanance but the young wife is keen to LeFanu's scheme and confronts the lady vampire to try to prevent her from making her husband and herself vampires. Ms. Yarnell is excellent and sexually alluring in her portrayal as the female vampire and Blodgett and Miles are just adequate in their roles. Ms. Yarnell also does an amusing audio commentary about the making of the film and there is also the film's trailer and photo & poster gallery
TIME WALKER(** out of ****) made in 1982 is a composite science fiction/ horror film which deals with an alien extraterrestrial being that originally appears as a mummy since scientists discover him in an ancient Egyptian ruin and when revived, runs amok trying to communicate with his race in order to be picked up to be brought back to his home planet, but also containing a deadly flesh eating virus on it that is deadly to humans who come into contact with it. Ben Murray(TV's ALIAS SIMTH & JONES) is the scientist who discovers the being and ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13's Darwin Josten and Austin Stoker play detectives on the trail of the murderous alien being.Although the film has an interesting original premise,unfortunately it is pedestrianly scripted and directed and the cast routinely goes thru their paces without much interest despite some effective gore and violence sequences with the film ending on a cliffhanger leaving the door open for a sequel!. The DVD extras are a movie trailer for the film and interviews with the film's producer and TIME WALKER actor Kevin Brothy
GROTESQUE (*1/2 out of ****) made in 1988 is the weakest film of this DVD set not only in video quality since it was sourced from a previous VHS video release and released in full screen version not like the other three films in this DVD set that were all released in anamorphic widescreen. Made during the late 1980's mad slasher horror movie craze when it was dying down,this is a very low budgeted Grade Z movie surprisingly co-produced by the film's main star Linda Blair(THE EXORCIST, SAVAGE STREETS, CHAINED HEAT) who barely appears herself in the first third of this movie and then dissapears from the rest of the film. Blair and Donna Wilkes play sisters visiting their father played by Guy Stockwell a veteran Hollywood makeup man living in a cottage in the woods. They are besieged by a violent young punk gang who killed all of them except Blair whose injuries send her in the hospital never appearing in the film again, The girl's uncle played by Hollywood veteran heartthrob of the 1950's Tab Hunter who decides to take vigilante revenge against the gang by using his deformed insane nephew to hunt them down. The film is rather badly written and directed with the film's plot going into various directions without making any sense whatsoever then getting to ending that is mind blowing nonsensical that proves that film's makers didn't really knew how to end this film. GROTESQUE has no DVD extras compared to the other four films released in this two disc DVD set but at least the other three films are worth watching for horror/sci-fi genre fans.
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