The Worldweird DVD News Roundup!!!

Here's some very interesting crap for you to ponder:
Several Fab DVD announcements for the digitally deprived!

First stop, Fulci!
from the Severin Films website:



PERVERSION STORY aka ONE ON TOP OF THE OTHER

What is the Most Incredible Thing a Woman ever did for $1,000,000?

AN EXQUISITELY CRAFTED THRILLER... Guaranteed To Keep You On The Edge Of Your Seat! - THE SPINNING IMAGE

In a controversial career that flayed every envelope of cinematic excess, nothing can prepare you for this stunning thriller from the infamous director of ZOMBIE and THE BEYOND. Jean Sorel (BELLE DE JOUR) stars as an arrogant San Francisco doctor trapped between his sultry mistress (Elsa Martinelli of BLOOD AND ROSES) and an amoral stripper (Marisa Mell of DANGER: DIABOLIK) who bears an uncanny resemblance to his recently deceased and possibly murdered wife. What follows has been called Fulci's first true masterpiece, where sexual obsession, cruel deception and depraved murder all come together in one unforgettable PERVERSION STORY.

John Ireland and Faith Domergue co-star in this gripping giallo - also known as ONE ON TOP OF THE OTHER - that features eye-popping nudity, provocative locations (including the gas chamber at San Quentin) and a badass jazz score by Riz Ortolani (MONDO CANE, KILL BILL). Severin Films is proud to present PERVERSION STORY in a startling new transfer from the original vault negative thought to be lost for more than 35 years!

Colour / 1.85:1 / 16x9 / 103 mins / Not Rated / $29.95 / Reg 0 (NTSC) / DVD 5
English / Italian Dolby Digital 2.0 / English Subtitles
UPC 891635001155 / Item SEV1109

Director: Lucio Fulci

Starring: Marisa Mell, Jean Sorel, Elsa Martinelli, John Ireland...

Aka: Una sull'altra / One on Top of the Other / Una historia perversa

Extras:
# Rare bonus CD featuring music by Riz Ortolani
# Theatrical trailer
# Lucio Fulci bio

Yowza! Out Feb. 27, 2007!!

Next, New Franco and Bava DVDs from Dark Sky Films!

COUNT DRACULA!




A highly atmospheric adaptation of the classic Bram Stoker novel, directed with panache by auteur Jess Franco. Screen icon Christopher Lee portrays the titular Count Dracula, who flees the cold confines of his Carpathian castle for the shores of England, where he must feed on the blood of beautiful Lucy (Soledad Miranda), and Mina (Maria Rohm) in order to grow youthful and stay alive.

Also featuring excellent performances by Herbert Lom as Van Helsing and Klaus Kinski ( as Renfield, as well as an ominous score by Bruno Nicolai , COUNT DRACULA is presented for the first time on DVD in the U.S.

Special Features:

- "Beloved Count" - Jess Franco featurette
- Christopher Lee reads Bram Stoker's Dracula
- Soledad Miranda essay
- Still Gallery

KILL BABY, KILL!




The greatest ghost story ever told!

Kill, Baby… Kill is an Italo-Gothic classic from the macabre mind of Mario Bava, the maestro who gave us Black Sunday, Black Sabbath and Blood and Black Lace.

In a remote Balkan village, the bodies of several townsfolk are discovered with gold coins embedded in their hearts. Arriving from the city, an investigating physician (The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave, Giacomo Rossi Stuart) and his beautiful assistant (Erika Blanc of The Devil’s Nightmare) conclude that the dead are victims of suicide, and that the coins have been inserted postmortem as talismans to ward off evil. Meanwhile, a pretty young girl with long blonde hair is seen wandering the village streets by night…

Long lost to obscurity for decades since its American release, Kill, Baby… Kill has been lovingly restored on this deluxe DVD from Dark Sky, larger than life and twice as frightening!

Special Features:

- "Kill, Bava, Kill!" featurette with Lamberto Bava
- Commentary with biographer Tim Lucas
- Still Gallery
- Trailer

Reviews:

“Scene after scene of hallucinatory intensity”
- Mondo Digital

“Bava’s greatest achievement”
- Slant Magazine

Very nice! Out Feb. 27 and March 27, 2007, respectively!

Thirdly, More Anchor Bay re-issues from Blue Underground.

You get A BULLET FOR THE GENERAL, KEOMA and TEXAS ADIOS - again, same discs as the old except with the BU logo affixed to its cover. Cheap and limited too, as with the earlier Italian Horror stuff.
Out on March 27, 2007
Enjoy!

And Finally, ...

Oh man. From the Synapse blog:

Just wanted to give you all a VERY long over-due update on what's happening in the world of Synapse Films.

Right now, I'm in Los Angeles working every single day on the transfers for the seven Toei films we are doing in conjunction with Panik House Entertainment. Here's the list of films (I'll get to the status on other releases toward the end):

Edogawa Ranpo Zenshu: Kyofu Kikei Ningen
[aka Horror Of The Malformed Men]

Kaidan Hebi-onna
[aka Snake Woman's Curse]

Yoen Dokufu Den : Hannya no Ohyaku
[aka Sexy Deadly Legend: Female Demon Ohyaku]

Yoen Dokufu Den : Hitokiri Okatsu
[aka Sexy Deadly Legend: Quickdraw Okatsu]

Yoen Dokufu Den : Okatsu Kyojo Tabi
[aka Sexy Deadly Legend: Okatsu's Epic Journey]

Gincho Wataridori
[aka Wandering Ginza Butterfly]

Gincho Nagaremono Mesuneko Bakuchi
[aka Wandering Ginza She-Cat Gambler]

Currently, just as I write this, I'm in the studio on Reel 4 of Malformed Men. We've finished the video transfers of Female Demon Ohysku, Ginza Butterfly and Ginza She-Cat Gambler. You'll be happy to know these transfers FAR exceed our expectations. Because of the age of the films (going on almost 40 years old for some of these), I expected them to be, well, somewhat of a mess... they aren't. Actually, the transfers have, so far, been quite stunning. The colors and detail in the elements are just jaw-dropping! Sure, they will need a bit of work (I'm just that way... I'm too much of a perfectionist to let some things go), but I assure you that these transfers of the titles I've done so far are some of the best work we've done. And, yes, we are transferring them in high-definition!

No date set yet for these and Matt, from Panik House, and I still have to chat about any extras, but these will be released sometime in 2007, along with our releases of MADAME O, PARTY 7 and KARAOKE TERROR. 2007 will be a big year for Asian films from Synapse!

As for the rest of what Synapse is working on right now, next week I'm coordinating the materials for Christina Lindberg's EXPOSED (aka EXPONERAD), LUCKER [The Director's Final Cut] and BASKET CASE 2. We are also finishing up the audio and commentary mix for BLACK ROSES!



Incredible! More Pinky Violence! More Christina Lindberg! More, More, More cinematic madness! We can never get enough it seems...

Thanks to the Undead Film Critic and the helpful folks at the DVD Maniacs Forum for the many tips and leads!