America’s olden independent label, VCI Entertainment has a real knack for bringing obscurities into the mainstream sphere, from Hollywood’s golden age to Mexican horror classics, often via stunning restorations.
It’s been almost a year since I sampled VCI Entertainment’s catalogue of Dirk Bogarde classics. Now I have the pleasure of once again of reviewing a title starring the distinguished British actor; the highbrow war-drama King and Country. Set in the muddy trenches at Passchendaele on Western Front during the First World War, an officer …
Made literally off the back of Universal’s Frankenstein and Dracula, utilising free-standing sets on the studio’s backlot, brothers Victor and Harold Halperin, created the first feature-length zombie film, White Zombie, in just 11 days. Now the long-admired independent horror classic has a home on Blu-ray thanks to America’s oldest independent label VCI Entertainment. Set down …
What would horror movies be without spiders? Whether they’re dangling somewhere in the background or terrorising the hero, those eight-legged freaks never fail in setting the mood. VCI Entertainment stir up our arachnophobia with the drive-in classic Kiss of the Tarantula, released on Blu-ray and DVD earlier this year, in a complete duel format edition. …
VCI Entertainment pride themselves on being a boutique label filled with hidden gems, such as their very polished 2016 release of Lalo Benedek’s (The Wild One) The Night Visitor, on Blu-ray for the first time. Obscure to say the least, this unique Swedish psychological thriller stars Max von Sydow as insane asylum prisoner named Salem, …
Closing out 2018 in style, VCI Entertainment released Mario Bava’s giallo triumph Blood and Black Lace on Blu-ray in a complete 2-disc set fitted with numerous extras for hard-core fans. Translated as Six Women for the Murderer from its original Italian title of Sei donne per l’assassino, the foreign mystery-horror follows murder in a scandalous …
VCI Entertainment stock a large selection of classic British cinema, including a considerable portion of celebrated English actor Sir Dirk Bogarde’s filmography. I recently had the opportunity to check out the label’s double feature Blu-ray release of two such titles, Campbell’s Kingdom and Agent 8 ¾ (Hot Enough for June) from director and long-time Bogarde …
Blu-ray Review: Campbell’s Kingdom & Agent 8 3/4 Read More »
Vengeful spirits have come in many forms on the big screen, but a prohibition era gangster would definitely be among the rare. Curtis Harrington (Night Tide) gives audiences one such scenario in Ruby, where a criminal spectre comes calling on his old girlfriend Ruby Clair and his former associates who violently gunned him down sixteen …
From a festive-themed community dance to a climactic scene within a lush pumpkin patch, Dark Night of the Scarecrow certainly has an appetising Halloween flavour. Despite not knowing of the appealing trait, I couldn’t help but wish I was watching the popular TV movie on October 31st. Produced by CBS Fox on the back of …
Blu-ray Review: Dark Night of the Scarecrow (TV 1981) Read More »
Completely restored, uncut and presented in glorious widescreen, What the Peeper Saw is an intriguing horrific thriller about a young woman named Elise who suspects her seemingly innocent step-son of murdering his real mother, and now fears she may be next. Having recently seen the trailer presented on Umbrella Entertainment’s lasted volume of Drive-In Delirium, …
Not all that long ago, exploring a director’s early filmography would often be a short venture with a number of titles having not make the convenient leap to home video. In recent years the rise of many independent distributors have provided a great service to audiences by unearthing many cinematic obscurities. One such label and …
Blu-ray Review: Children Shouldn’t Play with Dead Things (1972) Read More »