From the Press Release:
‘This intense, twisty thriller unfolds in the darkest corners of a man’s mind. Recently released from prison, mild-mannered Carl (Toby Jones) quietly attempts to move on with his life. Just as he embarks on his first date in 15 years, Carl’s fresh start is shattered by the sudden reappearance of his domineering mother (Anne Reid) whose presence awakens within him a deep-seated trauma. What unfolds is a brain-warping puzzle as reality and illusion, past and present collide and explode in violence.’
My Thoughts on the Film:
Toby Jones is no stranger to genre films, appearing in a great many sci-fi, horror, and thrillers over the years. Though I always like his work, I’m not always keen on the pictures themselves; a couple thrillers he’s done spring to mind as just being far too slowly paced. I am happy to report that Kaleidoscope, directed by Toby’s brother Rupert, is not among those. This is a fascinating small scale thriller of a man spinning out in his own madness. The Joneses keep things interesting, visual, and moving at a good clip, bringing the film to a satisfying and surprising conclusion. Definitely a fun little Friday night thriller to check out.
Special Features include:
- The making of Kaleidoscope featurette
- Working in the Studio featurette
- Keeping up with the Joneses featurette
- Theatrical Trailer
King Cohen’s trilogy of killer mutant babies is indeed again alive in Scream Factory’s brilliant new Blu-ray box set. Any horror Blu-ray collector MUST pick up this set; it features stunning new 2K scans of all three films from Warner Bros (If you’re like me you haven’t seen these since VHS, to see them at theatrical level image is mind blowing. Grain and colors are pristine), a vast array of extras, and original poster and VHS art on the sleeves and reverses. This is the first time any of the trilogy is in 1080P and the boxes are going to display great on your horror shelves, my advice is DO NOT WAIT, pre-order your copy today, you will not be sorry.
From the Press Release:
‘It’s Alive is the first film of the classic trilogy from writer/director Larry Cohen about murderous mutants – and its birth was chillingly mid-wived by the crucial contributions of two Academy Award® winners*: makeup master Rick Baker (who created the makeup and “played” the infant monster) and composer Bernard Herrmann.
Is it human? Is it a beast? Whatever it is, It Lives Again in this second film in cult filmmaker Larry Cohen’s Alive Trilogy. Once again, Cohen brings to the screen a hideous threesome of mutant baby monsters that are the evolutionary response to man’s polluted environment. These frightened creatures lash out with deadly claws at what they don’t understand. There are only three, but they could reproduce into uncontrollable millions if someone doesn’t destroy them. Fredric Forrest (Apocalypse Now) and Kathleen Lloyd (The Car) star as the loving parents of one of the monstrous creatures. Parental love, however, is no match for these hell-spawned mutants. Their wild blood binge must be stopped. Will the next stage of their evolution become our last?
In It’s Alive III: Island Of The Alive, Michael Moriarty (Q: The Winged Serpent) and Karen Black (Trilogy of Terror) star as Stephen and Ellen Jarvis, the distraught parents of one of the new mutant children. They’ve watched in horror as government death squads roamed the earth, shooting the humanoids on sight. They’ve suffered through the court hearings that sentenced their child and other surviving mutants to a remote, uninhabited island. And their nightmare continues … because the abandoned creatures are now grown … and they are coming back home to the society that created and rejected them. And no one who stands in their way will live.’
Special Features include:
IT’S ALIVE:
- NEW 2K scan of the original film elements
- NEW Cohen’s Alive: Looking Back at the It’s Alive Films featuring interviews with writer/producer/director Larry Cohen, actors James Dixon, Michael Moriarty and Laurene Landon and more…
- NEW It’s Alive at the Nuart: The 40th Anniversary Screening with Larry Cohen
- Audio Commentary with writer/producer/director Larry Cohen
- Radio Spots
- TV Spots
- Theatrical Trailer
- Still Gallery
IT LIVES AGAIN:
- NEW 2K scan of the original film elements
- Audio Commentary with writer/producer/director Larry Cohen
- Theatrical Trailer
- Still Gallery
IT’S ALIVE 3: ISLAND OF THE ALIVE:
- NEW 2K scan of the original film elements
- NEW interview with Special Effects Makeup Designer Steve Neill
- Audio Commentary with writer/director Larry Cohen
- Trailer
- Still Gallery
From the Press Release:
‘A Scotland Yard inspector’s search for a missing film star leads him to a haunted house. The house sets the framework for four separate tales of terror written by the author of Psycho, Robert Bloch, and starring horror icons Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee and Ingrid Pitt. All four stories center on the mysterious fates of tenants who have leased the mansion over the years.’
My Thoughts on the Film:
The press release is too modest about the cast. In the four stories, you’ll spot recognizable faces from famous franchises ranging from Star Wars to Lethal Weapon to Absolutely Fabulous, it’s quite fun to play ‘where do I know them from’ as you watch. All four stories are beautifully macabre (though I’ve never found 60’s and 70’s English horror particularly scary) and they are stylistically sublime. Pair this with Scream Factory’s Tales from the Crypt/ Vault of Horror double feature Blu-ray and you’ll have a memorable English Horror Anthology Night.
Special Features include:
- NEW Audio Commentary by film historian/author Troy Howarth
- NEW interview with second assistant director Mike Higgins
- Audio Commentary with director Peter Duffell and author Jonathan Rigby
- Vintage Featurette – A-Rated Horror Film – featuring interviews with director Peter Duffell, actors Geoffrey Bayldon, Ingrid Pitt and Chloe Franks
- Theatrical Trailers (English and Spanish)
- Radio Spots
- The Amicus Radio Spots Collection
- Still Gallery
Adam Ruhl is a writer and life long Cinephile. He is the Executive
Cinema Editor of Pop Culture Beast’s Austin branch; covering festivals,
conventions, and new releases. When not filing reports, Adam can be
found stalking Alamo Drafthouse Programmers for leads on upcoming
DrafthouseFilms titles. Adam once blocked Harry Knowles entrance to a
theater until he was given extra tickets to a Roman Polanski movie.