Contents THE AVENGERS


With the help of Optimum Entertainment's new box set import,
Kim Newman explores Britain's most enduring TV spy franchise, beginning with the surviving episodes of Season 1 and the complete Season 2, in the order they were taped!


DVD Spotlight:
MATT HELM LOUNGE


Kim Newman reviews Sony's MATT HELM LOUNGE, a box set collecting the four films based on Donald Hamilton's spy hero, starring Dean Martin: THE SILENCERS, MURDERERS' ROW, THE AMBUSHERS and
THE WRECKING CREW!


Also Reviews of...


3 SECONDS BEFORE EXPLOSION

THE BEAST IN SPACE: UNRATED VERSION

BOLLYWOOD HORROR COLLECTION VOLS 2 & 3

DANTE'S INFERNO

DEAD OF NIGHT

DETECTIVE BUREAU 2-3: GO TO HELL BASTARDS!

EXPERIMENTS IN TERROR 3

FIVE

GOTH KILL

THE GRUDGE 3

HEROSTRATUS

LOVE GODDESSES OF BLOOD ISLAND

NATURE'S GRAVE

RIPLEY UNDER GROUND

STARLET

DIE TEuFELSWOLKE VON MONTVILLE

TOKYO!

TREASURES IV: AMERICAN FILM AVANT GARDE 1947-1986



Plus...


Ramsey's Rambles:
Ramsey Campbell on EDEN LAKE!


AVI Watchdog:
Brad Stevens covers Bob Dylan's RENALDO AND CLARA!


Audio Watchdog:
Douglas E. Winter reviews the music of Erich Wolfgang Korngold on CD, RESIDENT EVIL 5 and more!


Biblio Watchdog:
Reviews of HORROR CINEMA, CALIGARI'S HEIRS: The German Cinema of Fear After 1945 and Bruce G. Hallenbeck's COMEDY-HORROR FILMS: A Chronological History, 1914-2008.


Video WatchBlog:
Just when we think we've seen everything, guest blogger David Kalat turns up IL RAGGI MORTALI DEL DR. MABUSE, an Italian cut of THE DEATH RAY MIRROR OF DR. MABUSE that adds a number of never-before-seen sequences and qualifies as a substantially more entertaining picture!



Other contributors featured in this issue:

Anthony Ambrogio, Michael Barrett, John Charles, Bill Cooke,
Shane M. Dallmann, Sheldon Inkol, Tim Lucas, Richard Harland Smith, Eric Somer, and Brett Taylor.

Contents

It's Not Too Late

VIRUS vs. DAY OF RESURRECTION

VW returns to its roots with a meticulous comparison of three different versions of Kinji Fukasaku's 1980 apocalypse epic

- "the best B-movie in the whole world," sez David Kalat!


DVD Spotlight:
UNIVERSAL CULT HORROR COLLECTION


Kim Newman reviews TCM'S not-sold-in-stores box set, comprised of such Golden Age collectables as MURDERS IN THE ZOO, HOUSE OF HORRORS, THE MAD DOCTOR OF MARKET STREET, THE MAD GHOUL and THE STRANGE CASE OF DOCTOR RX!



Also Reviews of...


ALL THE RIGHT NOISES,
ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: THE VERY FIRST ALVIN SHOW,
CRANK 2: HIGH VOLTAGE,
FANEX FILES: SAMUEL Z. ARKOFF,
FANTOMAS,
FEAR(S) OF THE DARK,
FORCE OF IMPULSE,
HONEYMOON OF HORROR,
THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME,
THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME: ULTIMATE EDITION,
THE INUGAMI FAMILY,
LATE BLOOMER,
MONSTER X STRIKES BACK: ATTACK THE G-8 SUMMIT,
PHANTASM II,
REPO! THE GENETIC OPERA,
SAUNA,
THE STEPFATHER,
STUDIO ONE ANTHOLOGY,
TELL NO ONE,
THE WARRIOR



Plus...


Ramsey's Rambles

Ramsey Campbell on Cellat!


Audio Watchdog

Douglas E. Winter on THE EROTIC & PAINFUL OBSESSIONS OF JESS FRANCO!


Biblio Watchdog

Reviews of Alex Cox's X FILMS: True Confessions of A Radical Filmmaker, and Gregory Lamberson's CHEAP SCARES! Low Budget Filmmakers Share Their Secrets!



Other contributors featured in this issue:

Michael Barrett, John Charles, Bill Cooke, Shane M. Dallmann,
Charlie Largent, Tim Lucas, Eric Somer, and Brett Taylor.

Contents THE BLU PLANET:
Return to Ape City in High Resolution


Bill Cooke takes the occasion of the Blu-ray exclusive PLANET OF THE APES: 40-YEAR EVOLUTION to look affectionately back at one of the most beloved and humanistic science fiction film series of all time!






The Rising of
THE SUBMERSION OF JAPAN


David Kalat explains how Toho's 1970s disaster epic THE SUBMERSION OF JAPAN changed the rules for all Japanese sci-fi to follow, including its 2006 remake THE SINKING OF JAPAN and its parody THE WORLD SINKS EXCEPT JAPAN!




DVD Spotlight:
KARLOFF & LUGOSI HORROR CLASSICS


Bill Cooke reviews KARLOFF & LUGOSI HORROR CLASSICS,
a two-disc set collecting THE WALKING DEAD, FRANKENSTEIN 1970, YOU'LL FIND OUT and ZOMBIES ON BROADWAY!






Also Reviews of...


AUGUST RUSH,

BAD BOY BUBBY,

COLD SOULS,

Jose Benazeraf's Le Concerto de la Peur and Bob Cresse-reworked US version NIGHT OF LUST,

The Czech horror film THE CREMATOR,

FANTASTIC MR. FOX,

DEAD SNOW,

THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE,

TWILIGHT'S Robert Pattison in THE HAUNTED AIRMAN (based on Dennis Wheatley's THE HAUNTING OF TOBY JUGG),

The Turkish giallo Kadin Dusmani,

MAN OF VIOLENCE,

MOON,

Prix de Beaute starring Louise Brooks,

SCROOGE,

STAR MAIDENS,

THE TERMINAL MAN,

TWO BEFORE ZERO,

THE UNINVITED (remake of the Korean horror sleeper A TALE OF TWO SISTERS),

YOU THE LIVING.



Plus...


Video WatchBlog:
Tim Lucas reminisces about growing up with PLANET OF THE APES and the rise of the downbeat ending.


AVI Watchdog:
Brad Stevens on John Huston's elusive 1970 film, THE KREMLIN LETTER.


Ramsey's Rambles:
Ramsey Campbell on Michelangelo Antonioni's directorial debut STORY OF A LOVE AFFAIR.


Audio Watchdog:
Douglas E. Winter reviews the recent soundtrack releases of PANIC IN THE YEAR ZERO, THE ROAD, WHITE LUNAR, RED CLIFF, NATE AND HAYES and TREASURE PILE.


Biblio Watchdog:
J. Todd Kingrea and Brett Taylor review David Flint's ZOMBIE HOLOCAUST: HOW THE LIVING DEAD DEVOURED POP CULTURE and Giulia D'Agnolo Vallan's JOHN LANDIS.

Contents Reviewed in this issue:

Frank Henenlotter's BAD BIOLOGY

Werner Herzog's THE BAD LIEUTENANT PORT OF CALL: NEW ORLEANS

The Roger Corman-produced THE BEAST WITH A MILLION EYES

Juliet Mills possessed by the Devil in BEYOND THE DOOR

THE FINAL DESTINATION

More silent shorts found in GEORGES MeLIES ENCORE: NEW DISCOVERIES

Romy Schneider scintillates in HENRI-GEORGES CLOUZOT'S INFERNO

Charles Laughton as Inspector Maigret in THE MAN ON THE EIFFEL TOWER

Jess Franco's latest madness PAULA-PAULA

AIP turkey THE PHANTOM FROM 10,000 LEAGUES

George A. Romero's latest zombiefest SURVIVAL OF THE DEAD

Gay culture documentaries THAT MAN: PETER BERLIN and WRANGLER: ANATOMY OF AN ICON

Oliver Reed and Geraldine Chaplin face a sterile future in Z.P.G. (ZERO POPULATION GROWTH)


Ramsey's Rambles

Ramsey Campbell on the Turkish spy film ALTIN COCUK!


AVI Watchdog

John Charles reviews three Paul Naschy rarities!!


Audio Watchdog

Douglas E. Winter on JERRY COTTON: FBI'S TOP MAN, THE SPAGHETTI EPIC and ERASER!



Plus...

Tim Lucas looks back on 20 years of VIDEO WATCHDOG!



Other contributors featured in this issue:

Michael Barrett, Shane M. Dallmann, David Kalat, Kim Newman, Eric Somer, Sam & Rebecca Umland.

Contents Close Encounters with THE ASTOUNDING SHE MONSTER

Tim Lucas chronicles his life-long love affair with the sexiest movie poster of all time!



And the latest round of DVD reviews, including...


AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON: FULL MOON EDITION

THE COLLECTOR

COPKILLERS

CRACK IN THE WORLD

DEATH CURSE OF TARTU

THE DIRTY GAME

DRAG ME TO HELL

GIRLY

THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE WEIRD

GOODBYE GEMINI

GORILLA AT LARGE

HALLOWEEN II ~ UNRATED DIRECTOR'S CUT

INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL

IT CAME FROM KUCHAR

MISS MEND

MYSTERY ON MONSTER ISLAND

ORPHAN

PANDORUM

PEACOCK

SAW VI: UNRATED

STING OF DEATH

TAXIDERMIA

VAMPYRES (Blu-ray) R


Ramsey's Rambles

Ramsey Campbellrides out on the horror western THE BURROWERS!


Audio Watchdog

Douglas E. Winter peruses the life of Michael Mann's MANHUNTER on vinyl and compact disc.


Biblio Watchdog

Reviews of two "new and revised editions" of classic texts: Bill Warren's KEEP WATCHING THE SKIES! American Science Fiction Movies of the Fifties--The 21st Century Edition, and Maitland McDonagh's BROKEN MIRRORS/BROKEN MINDS: THE DARK DREAMS OF DARIO ARGENTO.


Things From the Attic

Tim Lucas reviews Charter Entertainment's long-OOP VHS release ROAD TO SALINA, starring Mimsey Farmer and Rita Hayworth!

Contents Ted Rusoff

Il Mostro della Fona Roma

Any fan of Italian horror and exploitation knows the voices, if not the names,
of Ted Rusoff and his late wife Carolynn de Fonseca. In this historic interview,
John Charles chronicles a major player's career on soundtrack and onscreen,
along with his reminiscences of his colleagues in dubbing!


Video WatchBlog

Peter Fernandez on Titra Sound Corporation

Tim Lucas interviews the late actor, voice artist and director about his experiences
working for New York's leading dubbing company over a thirty year period!


DVD Spotlight

Kim Newman reviews Sony's ICONS OF SUSPENSE,
collecting a half-dozen new-to-video thrillers from Hammer Films, including
THESE ARE THE DAMNED, CASH ON DEMAND and NEVER TAKE SWEETS FROM A STRANGER!



DVD reviews, including...


THE BUSHWHACKER,
THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO,
DARK CITY,
DEAD & BURIED,
DEATH JOURNEY,
DINNER WITH A VAMPIRE,
THE ECLIPSE,
THE MACHINIST,
MEAN JOHNNY BARROWS,
NEW YORK CONFIDENTIAL,
THE PIED PIPER,
RACING FEVER,
SITA SINGS THE BLUES,
TERROR CIRCUS,
TETRO,
WALTZ WITH BASHIR


Ramsey's Rambles

Ramsey Campbell on Leni Riefenstahl's THE BLUE LIGHT.


AVI Watchdog

John Charles on the Italian war films BATTLE OF THE COMMANDOS, DIRTY HEROES, COMMANDO ATTACK, THE LEGION OF NO RETURN and A PLACE IN HELL.


Audio Watchdog

Douglas E. Winter on INCEPTION, THE SIGNAL and THEATER OF BLOOD.


Biblio Watchdog

Anthony Ambrogio reviews Reynold Humphries' THE HOLLYWOOD HORROR FILM, 1931-1941, and Brett Taylor reviews CALIGULA AND THE FIGHT FOR ARTISTIC FREEDOM by William Hawes.