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The Wild, Wild Podcast, a show about Italian cult cinema, is the latest addition to the Film Stories Podcast Network. Links and details here:

A new year, the first of many new exciting podcasts to grace the Film Stories Podcast Network, or rather in this case join it as we welcome aboard the Wild, Wild Podcast.

In this entertaining and informative podcast, co-hosts Rod Barnett (of The Bloody Pit and NachsyCast) and Dr. Adrian Smith (historian and writer) explore Italian cult cinema with themed seasons, and have so far covered science fiction, police thrillers, erotic comedies, comic adaptations and more. Favourite directors of the podcast include Antonio Margheriti, Mario Bava, Ruggero Deodato, Sergio Martino and Luigi Cozzi, the latter having featured in a mini-season of his own which culminated in an interview with the maestro live from his Dario Argento museum in Rome (even the podcast theme is based on...

Underway now through July 16, Severin Films‘ annual summer sale is the most ambitious in the company’s history. The Dario Argento’s Opera five-disc box set — which you can preview in an exclusive clip below — is the headliner, but there are nine more releases in addition to exclusive merchandise and big savings on past inventory.

Here’s everything you need to know about this year’s Severin Summer Sale…

Opera

In my eyes — held open with needles, of course — Opera is Argento’s last true masterpiece. While the Italian maestro attained fleeting moments of greatness later in his oeuvre, Opera is the last of his efforts that can hold its own alongside his earlier, career-defining work like Suspiria, Deep Red, Tenebrae, and The Bird with the Crystal Plumage.

Co-written by Argento and frequent collaborator Franco Ferrini, the giallo stars Cristina Marsillach as Betty, a young opera singer whose big break...

New month, new horror recommendations from Deep Cuts Rising. This installment features one random pick as well as four selections reflecting the month of May 2024.

Regardless of how they came to be here, or what they’re about, these past movies can generally be considered overlooked, forgotten or unknown.

This month’s offerings include a self-loathing serial killer, a violinist’s murderous ghost, and a postmodern vamp flick.

Scream, Pretty Peggy (1973)

Pictured: Ted Bessell and Sian Barbara Allen in Scream, Pretty Peggy.

Directed by Gordon Hessler.

The TV-movie Scream, Pretty Peggy first aired as part of ABC Movie of the Week. Bette Davis plays the mother of a reclusive sculptor (Ted Bessell), and after the previous housekeeper goes missing, a local college student (Sian Barbara Allen) fills the position. Little does she know, though, the young employee’s predecessor was murdered — and the killer is still on the loose.

Admittedly,...

‘A deeply twisted shocker… You will never, ever, ever find a psychotic she-monster more blood-chilling than Susan Tyrrell’

Coming Soon

‘An excellent shocker… queasy and wildly ahead of its time… Susan Tyrrell delivers a character unlike any other in horror history’

Mondo Digital

‘Tyrrell steals the show… the sight of her… clutching a machete and chasing a poor unfortunate through a stormy night is once seen, never forgotten!… I heartedly recommend you seek out’

Hysteria Lives

One of the notorious 1980s video nasties Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker has been lauded as ‘Brilliantly insane’ (Cool Ass Cinema) and a ‘horror gem, well-crafted, ripe for analysis… should not go overlooked (Bloody Disgusting) and now, thanks to Severin Films, you can witness the film like never before. The company announces a brand-new Special Edition Dual 4K Uhd and Blu-ray is set for its UK release on 13th May 2024.

In a surprising change of direction,...

He may be king of the monsters and headliner of the longest-running film franchise, but Godzilla isn’t exactly a beacon of consistency. He made his premiere in Honda Ishirô’s 1954 classic Godzilla as an allegorical figure, warning of the dangers of nuclear technology, before eventually settling into a drive-in movie star and a hero for children, as well as those young at heart. That’s a somewhat unlikely legacy, especially considering that the original film ends with the creature’s unambiguous death.

Inspired by King Kong’s popularity in Japan, Godzilla’s filmmakers didn’t have the time or resources to execute the stop-motion movie magic that brought Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack’s King Kong to life (the 1933 monster adventure was re-released in Japan in 1952), but their resourcefulness and ingenuity resulted in a different kind of magic. Tsuburaya Eiji’s pioneering use of suitmation was not...

‘An underrated northern artist whose impact could have been greater given the right breaks. Cliff Twemlow’s story should provide encouragement to the current crop of British indie filmmakers. An essential watch’

*****

Starburst

‘Hugely entertaining documentary about a truly unique character… Jake West paints an affectionate portrait of a genuine one-off, whose work you’ll want to dive into once credits roll’

Dexerto

‘A fascinating man… Cliff absolutely deserves a place in the pantheon of low-budget, guerrilla-style filmmakers and hopefully this documentary will introduce him to an entirely new audience’

*****

Set the Tape

Following its successful festival run and ahead of its digital release in June 2024, Severin Films announces a UK theatrical tour of the acclaimed film Mancunian Man the Legendary Life of Cliff Twemlow.

Tour dates:

3 March – Nottingham Broadway + Q&a with Jake West & David Gregory

13 March – Birmingham – Mockingbird Cinema + Q&a with Jake West

23 March – Exeter – Exeter Phoenix...

Actors do not get to pick the roles that make them stars. They might have an inkling in certain cases that a part has the potential to catapult them off the B-list (look no further than Humphrey Bogart convincing George Raft to surrender the lead in Raoul Walsh's 1941 gangster classic "High Sierra"), but, ultimately, the public chooses. And this can be the source of lifelong agony for actors who envisioned entirely different careers for themselves.

Take Christopher Plummer. The great Canadian actor worked steadily in theater, film, and television for over seven decades. He was equally at home playing Cyrano de Bergerac on Broadway or hamming it up as a paganistic reverend in Tom Mankiewicz's irredeemably silly "Dragnet." He won an Oscar, two Tonys, and two Primetime Emmys, and seemed to be having the time of his life even in the worst of movies (and they don't get...

Featuring: Dario Argento, Marisa Casale, Fiore Argento, Cristina Marsillach, Michele Soavi, Lamberto Bava, Luigi Cozzi, Asia Argento | Written by Simone Scafidi, Giada Mazzoleni, Davide Pulici | Directed by Simone Scafidi

Dario Argento Panico takes its title from an old interview where he said he didn’t want to create a sense of fear in viewers, he wanted to go beyond it and leave them in a state of panic. Its form is also taken from its subject’s past, following him as he isolates himself in a hotel to finish his latest script, something he frequently did early in his career.

I’m not sure that you really can isolate yourself with a film crew looking over your shoulder, but director Simone Scafidi uses this to frame his questions for the interview portions of the film. We actually only see about three seconds of him writing, and are never told what script he’s finishing,...

Genre icon Dario Argento is the focus on the documentary Dario Argento Panico, which had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival back in September – the same time we got our hands on the trailer embedded above. Today, Deadline reports that Dario Argento Panico has been acquired by the Shudder streaming service, and they’re planning to start streaming the in film the U.S., Canada, the UK, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand on February 2nd.

Before we reach that date, the documentary is set to have its U.S. premiere at the IFC Center in New York during their theatrical retrospective Panic Attacks: The Films of Dario Argento, which is set to run from January 31st through February 8th.

Directed by Simone Scafidi and produced by Paguro Film, Dario Argento Panico is said to offer an insightful journey through the life and legacy of the legendary Italian filmmaker,...

George Lucas' zeitgeist-altering epic "Star Wars" came out in May of 1977 to overwhelming audience enthusiasm and massive financial success. Its light, adventurous tone, and pleasantly archetypal characters, not to mention its state-of-the-art special effects, hit a nerve with the general public, and the film was embraced to a degree only seen a few times since in the pop culture firmament. To this day, filmmakers have sought to emulate its success. The only film that ever came close was Luigi Cozzi's 1978 film "Star Crash," a film that nearly matched "Star Wars" in terms of financial success and pop recognition. That last part was a joke, but I encourage y'all to watch "Star Crash" nonetheless. 

However, the version of "Star Wars" seen by audiences in 1977 was notably different from the one that can be seen by audiences in 2023. Over the decades, multiple subtle changes have been made to the original film.

Genre icon Dario Argento is the focus on the documentary Dario Argento Panico, which is having its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival – and with that premiere to take place this Saturday, September 2nd, a trailer for the documentary has arrived online! You can check it out in the embed above.

Directed by Simone Scafidi and produced by Paguro Film, Dario Argento Panico is said to be an immersive deep dive into the creative process and life of Argento. It features exclusive interviews with the legendary filmmaker and insight from other acclaimed directors like Gaspar Noé, Guillermo del Toro and Nicolas Winding Refn about his impact on the horror genre and generations of other directors.

Fiore Argento, Asia Argento, Vittorio Cecchi Gori, Lamberto Bava, Luigi Cozzi, Michele Soavi, Claudio Simonetti, Marisa Casale, Cristina Marsillach, Floriana Argento, Franco Ferrini, and of course Dario Argento himself also appear in the documentary.

Tenebrae and Black Circle - Synapse Films Delivers Terrifying Sci-Fi Horror and Dark, Grisly Giallo in September: "On September 5th, acclaimed Spanish horror director Adrian Garcia Bogliano’s Black Circle comes to Blu-ray in an impressive edition that includes its original soundtrack on CD.

When sisters Celeste and Isa play a mysterious vinyl record from the 1970s, neither had any idea what they would unlock. They soon discover that the record, meant to induce calmness, created duplicates of themselves. As their doppelgängers grow in strength their only hope lies in finding the hypnotist who created the recording years ago. Featuring a mesmerizing score by Rickard Gramfors and a haunting performance by Christina Lindberg (Thriller: A Cruel Picture), Black Circle is a film you won’t soon forget.

The Blu-ray edition includes the original motion picture soundtrack on an included CD; an audio commentary with director Adrian Garcia Bogliano; the original...

Phenomena is a substantially different movie depending on how you first saw it. Audiences in its native Italy were able to see the original 116-minute film as director Dario Argento intended for its initial release in 1985. That cut was pruned down to 110 minutes for international release. In America, however, New Line Cinema cut the picture to 83 minutes before putting it out under the title Creepers in 1986. Finding its audience in the VHS rental market, this was the only version available in the US until DVD came around.

Each version has its advantages and disadvantages. The original integral cut contains everything, but it drags a bit in the middle and there are a few moments that were never dubbed into English. The international version is a bit tighter, mostly trimming frames and sacrificing only a few lines of dialogue. Those who grew up with the Creepers cut may prefer its punchier pace,...

Kaiju movie Tokyo 1960 has been lost but was it actually connected to Toho's Godzilla? The original Godzilla was a bleak, despairing monster movie that accidentally gave birth to a decades-long franchise. The original was a thinly veiled metaphor for the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War 2, but Godzilla slowly morphed from villain to savior of humanity in later entries. He was eventually exported to America for a 1998 movie and Legendary's MonsterVerse movies, and to the latter's credit, they never portray Godzilla is never portrayed as a hero.

More than spawning a series that is still running, Godzilla also inspired countless giant monster/kaiju movies. These include Mothra, Gamera or Gorgo; a young John Carpenter even made a Godzilla Vs Gorgo fan film. The franchise now consists of over 30 movies and various other spinoffs, including animes and video games. The "King of the Monsters" is likely to reign...

On this episode of Daily Dead's official podcast, co-hosts Scott Drebit, Derek Anderson, and Jonathan James discuss Rob Jabbaz's relentlessly intense infection film, The Sadness, as well as the 1991 horror comedy Popcorn, and they also talk about some of their other recent viewing experiences, including Lucio Fulci's The Black Cat, Luigi Cozzi's The Black Cat, Cutting Class, and Everything Everywhere All at Once.

You can listen to the new episode of Corpse Club right now on iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Stitcher, TuneIn, YouTube, Pandora, and SoundCloud!

Looking for more scary good Corpse Club content? Be sure to check out our Corpse Club website and memberships. Not only can you view past episodes, but you can also sign up to be an official Corpse Club member to enjoy a wide range of rewards, including a shirt and pin that are to die for, access to bonus content,...

“She put on that mask and scratched herself, get it? Because of that scratch, she became a demon. An instrument of evil, like they said in the damn movie, you heard it. We got to stop it I tell you, we got to stop the movie!”

They will make cemeteries their cathedrals and the cities will be your tombs… in 4K Uhd and remastered Blu-ray October 19th from Synapse Films! Check out this trailer:

“Perhaps no films better capture the essence of ’80s Italian horror”– Nathaniel Thompson, Mondo-Digital.com

Regarded by horror fans the world over as two of the greatest Italian horror films ever made, Lamberto Bava’s Demons films are not only major cinematic nightmare fuel, but also hugely entertaining splatterfests of the highest order. Synapse’s 2013 Blu-rays remain two of their most popular releases, and now they’re bringing these favorites to 4K Uhd and remastered Blu-ray in brand-new spectacular 4K restorations!

Blue Underground continues to give their catalogue of films the 4K Uhd treatment and next up is George A. Romero and Dario Argento's Two Evil Eyes, which is being released on August 24th!

The Masters of Modern Horror -George Romero and Dario Argento - bring you an unprecedented pair of shockers inspired by the tales of Edgar Allan Poe. In Romero's The Facts In The Case Of Mr. Valdemar, a conniving wife (Adrienne Barbeau of The Fog) and her lover use a hypnotic trance to embezzle a fortune from her dying husband, only to receive some chilling surprises from beyond the grave. Then in Argento's The Black Cat, a deranged crime scene photographer (Harvey Keitelof From Dusk Till Dawn) is driven to brutal acts of madness and murder by his girlfriend's new pet. But will this cunning feline deliver a final sickening twist of its own?

Martin Balsam (Psycho...

Just in time for Halloween, Synapse is releasing a 4K Uhd edition of Demons and Demons 2 from their original 35mm camera negatives!

Regarded by horror fans the world over as two of the greatest Italian horror films ever made, Lamberto Bava’s Demons films are not only major cinematic nightmare fuel, but also hugely entertaining splatterfests of the highest order. Synapse’s 2013 Blu-rays remain two of their most popular releases, and now they’re bringing these favorites to 4K Uhd and remastered Blu-ray in brand-new spectacular 4K restorations! These horrific splatter classics produced by Dario Argento (Suspiria) have never looked or sounded better and are packed with hours of special features, making this the ultimate home video release of these horror favorites.

In Demons, a masked man offers tickets to a horror movie sneak preview at the mysterious Metropol cinema. When a patron is scratched by a prop displayed in the theatre lobby,...

This obscure Italian horror has Christopher Plummer, Donald Pleasence and atmospheric locations — and a making of story that Severin tells in full unexpurgated detail. Never released in an English- language territory, Augusto Caminito’s brooding shocker had four directors. Its commercial chances were derailed by its deranged star, Klaus Kinski, who poses well, molests his female co-stars and sabotages what was supposed to be a high-end horror attraction. Maybe Werner Herzog could wring what he wanted out of Klaus, but the manic prima donna gave everyone else the shaft.

Nosferatu in Venice

Blu-ray

Severin Films

1988 / Color / 1:77 widescreen / 93 min. / Vampire in Venice, Prince of the Night / Street Date March 20, 2021 / Available from Severin Films / 30.00

Starring: Klaus Kinski, Christopher Plummer, Barbara De Rossi, Yorgo Voyagis, Anne Knecht, Donald Pleasence, Elvire Audray, Giuseppe Mannajuolo, Clara Colosimo, Maria Clementina Cumani Quasimodo, Micaela Flores Amaya ‘La Chunga’, Mickey Knox.

Cinematography: Tonino Nardi

Film Editor: Claudio M. Cutry...

Arrow Video have announced brand new 4K restorations of both Demons and its sequel Demons 2, presented in more vivid and terrifying ways than ever before, alongside a wealth of bonus features old and new, making this the ultimate experience in celluloid terror.

In the early 1980s, Dario Argento, the famed horror maestro responsible for such classics as Suspiria and Deep Red, branched out from directing into producing, shepherding the work of his fellow filmmakers to the screen – among them Lamberto Bava, son of the legendary Mario Bava. Together, they crafted two tales of terror that would become synonymous with Italian 80s horror, in which the veil between the real world and the silver screen is torn asunder.

In 1985’s Demons, a motley assortment of unwitting filmgoers accept invitations to a screening at the mysterious Metropol theatre. However, as the brutal slasher film unspools, the horror breaks free from the constraints of the screen,...

With Halloween approaching quickly, we have one final round of home media releases headed our way this week in case you’re looking to pick up some last-minute films to check out this spooky season. Blue Underground is releasing Daughters of Darkness in 4K this Tuesday, and Severin Films is keeping busy with an array of titles, including The Black Cat, Patrick Still Lives, and Shock Treatment.

Vinegar Syndrome also has quite the lineup of films coming home this week, including Grave Robbers, Memorial Valley Massacre, Zombie 5: Killing Birds, and several Amityville sequels. Arrow Video is also showing some love to both Cold Light of Day and The Last Starfighter, and if you’re a big fan of The Monster Squad, you’ll definitely want to check out the Wolfman’s Got Nards documentary.

Other releases for October 27th include Scary Tales, Spine Chiller, Weedjies: Halloweed Night, Attack of the Unknown,...

“You fool! You can not stop me! I am the ninja! No one, nothing can stop me!.”

BearManor Media has published The Cannon Film Guide, a Trilogy of Books About the Movies Released By the Legendary 1980s B-Movie Studio, Cannon Films. Order The Cannon Film Guide Here

Volume One Available Now: Over 500 Pages Covering the Company’s First Five Years under the Leadership of B-Movie Icons Golan and Globus

From 1980 until 1994, The Cannon Group was responsible for the production of more than 200 films. Quantity, rather than quality, was the key to Cannon’s game: their output included many of the 1980s’ most beloved (and notorious) b-movies. Along the way they dipped their toes into every imaginable genre of movies, made stars out of Chuck Norris and Michael Dudikoff, kicked off the ninja and breakdancing crazes, and kept Charles Bronson working into the twilight of his career. While it’s rare...

If you watched an action, sci-fi, or horror movie in the 1980s, there was a good chance it was produced by Cannon Films. The studio — perhaps the last great home of B-movie and exploitation classics — was founded in 1967 but hit its apex between 1979 and 1987, releasing scores of films that (mostly) no one would call high cinema but which delivered thrills, chills and plenty of blood, action, and fire on a budget.

Tapping into the massive market for both high and low concept fare — the 1980s equivalent of drive-in double bill fillers — Cannon, under the leadership of Israeli cousins Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus, were perhaps best known for churning out chintzy crowdpleasers like the Chuck Norris-starring Missing in Action and The Delta Force along with a slew of Death Wish sequels.

But the company also produced titillating titles like Lady Chatterley’s Lover, slasher fare such as Schizoid and New Year’s Evil,...

Stars: Linda Blair, David Hasselhoff, Hildegard Knef, Catherine Hickland, Annie Ross, Leslie Cumming, Robert Champagne, Rick Farnsworth, Michael Manchester, Frank Cammarata, Victoria Biggers, Ely Coughlin, Kara Lynch, Jamie Hanes, Richard Ladenburg | Written by Harry Spalding, Daniele Stroppa | Directed by Fabrizio Laurenti

If you grew up reading Darkside Magazine in the early 90s and regularly frequented your local video rental shop, as I did, you couldn’t help but know all about the UK VHS label Colourbox. Not a huge distributor, at least compared to others at the time, Colourbox were probably one of the most iconic – at least for me – VHS labels the UK had; and that’s mainly thanks to the fantastic line-up of films they released on VHS: Bad Blood, Bad Taste, Creepozoids, Dr. Alien, The Imp, Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers (though without the word “chainsaw” in the title thanks to stupid UK censorship at the time), the ever-awesome Intruder and Ghosthouse.

The runaway success of Alien (1979) begat several imitators; monsters in space came into view again, but the lens was somewhat foggy on most of them. This is the nature of exploitation; take what you feel are the iconic (or most sellable) moments from a film and build upon those. Let’s look to the Italians, as we often do here, and talk about a film that erects an entire story around the chest-burster scene, while continually coming back to said scene. I’m talking about Contamination (1980) of course, Luigi Cozzi’s condemnation of trade relations with South America told in a sobering manner. Or, it’s *checks notes* an energetic mishmash of conspiracy thriller, grossout gorefests, and Invaders from Mars. I’m putting all my money on the latter.

Not released stateside until June of ‘82, Contamination hit the grindhouse circuit and was summarily dismissed as an Alien ripoff by people...

God bless Luigi Cozzi; for fans of Italian fantastic cinema, no creator better represents the pure joy (and absurdity) of his craft. Now, thanks to Severin Films and their great new Blu, we have his first full foray into terror – Paganini Horror (1989), which is as forthright, ludicrous, and fun as the title suggests.

With Starcrash (1978) and Contamination (1980), Cozzi set a place for himself as a maker of derivative yet joyous excursions; no one would ever accuse Starcrash of besting Star Wars, yet it’s actually very different while still originating from the Saturday Serial style of filmmaking. Paganini Horror lays its head on the music video generation and a twisted tale of time travel and revenge. Very ambitious considering the budget, yet Cozzi’s enthusiasm carries through every moment of glorious excess.

We open with a little girl getting home from school via gondola in Venice. She goes to her...

Iconic Universal monsters from beyond the stars, the alien Metalunans seek global domination in This Island Earth, and with the 1955 sci-fi film is coming to Blu-ray on July 9th from Scream Factory, we've been provided with the full list of special features.

From the Press Release: "Los Angeles, CA – One of the all-time classic sci-fi films comes to Blu-ray on July 9, when Scream Factory launches This Island Earth into orbit. Extras are plentiful, and include new audio commentary with author Robert Skotak, a new audio interview with film historian David Schecter, a new interview with filmmaker Luigi Cozzi, a new text-based gallery of information titled Facts about Perspecta Stereophonic Sound by Bob Furmanek, and much, much more.

When atomic scientist Dr. Meacham is chosen to take part in a top-secret research experiment in a remote lab, he quickly discovers that he is really involved in an evil scheme by alien Metalunans to take over Earth.

Dario Argento’s second murder whodunnit is less stylized but almost as enjoyable as his first, Bird with the Crystal Plumage. Reporter James Franciscus and blind ex-detective Karl Malden investigate killings at a fancy genetics institute, but everyone they interview turns up dead. Catherine Spaak is among the suspects in a crime spree with nine clues but no easy solution. Turin locations, a glossy widescreen image and Argento’s polished direction are the draw, along with some fine music cues by Ennio Morricone — who in 1971 scored 24 separate features!

The Cat O’ Nine Tails

Blu-ray

Arrow Video USA

1971 / Color / 1:78 anamorphic 16:9 (Techniscope)/ 112m. / Il Gatto a nove code / Street Date August 14, 2018 / Available from Arrow Video / 34.95

Starring: James Franciscus, Karl Malden, Catherine Spaak, Pier Paolo Capponi, Horst Frank, Rada Rassimov, Aldo Reggiani.

Cinematography: Erico Menczer

Film Editor: Franco Fraticelli

Production Designer: Carlo Leva

Original Music: Ennio Morricone

Written by Dario Argento,...