| American Horror Project Vol. 1 (Box Set) |
 | Starring: Millie Perkins, Lonny Chapman, Janie Carazo, Herve Villechaize, Sharon Farrell Directors: Matt Cimber, Christopher Speeth, Robert Allan Schnitzer Release Date: February 23, 2016 Run Time: 251 Minutes (3 Films) Format: Blu-Ray Color: Color Audio: English Subtitles: Distributor: Arrow Video | |
| Synopsis – Box Set |
Everyone knows the classic American horror titles: Night of the Living Dead, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and A Nightmare on Elm Street, to name but a few. But we want to tell you a different story – a story of the unsung heroes of American terror… Whether it’s a film that has languished in obscurity, or a movie that’s at risk of being lost due to lack of source materials, American Horror Project is here to ensure that these unique slices of the American Nightmare are brought back into the public consciousness and preserved for all to enjoy.
Volume I of this series presents three tales of violence and madness from the 1970s. Malatesta’s Carnival of Blood (Christopher Speeth, 1973) sees a family arrive at a creepy, dilapidated fairground in search of their missing daughter, only to find themselves at the mercy of cannibalistic ghouls lurking beneath the park. Meanwhile, The Witch Who Came from the Sea (Matt Cimber, 1976), stars Mollie Perkins (The Diary of Anne Frank) as a young woman whose bizarre and violent fantasies start to bleed into reality – literally. Lastly, every parent’s worst nightmare comes true in The Premonition (Robert Allen Schnitzer, 1976), a tale of psychic terror in which five-year-old Janie is snatched away by a strange woman claiming to be her long-lost mother.
Newly remastered from the best surviving elements and contextualised with brand new supplementary material, with American Horror Project we can re-evaluate an alternative history of American horror and film heritage.
| Extras |
- Brand new 2K restorations of the three features
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard DVD presentations
- English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Reversible sleeves for each film featuring original and newly-commissioned artwork by the Twins of Evil
- American Horror Project Journal Volume I – Limited Edition 60-page booklet featuring new articles on the films from Kim Newman (Nightmare Movies), Kier-La Janisse (House of Psychotic Women) and Brian Albright (Regional Horror Films, 1958-1990)
MALATESTA’S CARNIVAL OF BLOOD – SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS
- Brand new interview with director Christopher Speeth
- Brand new interview with writer Werner Liepolt
- Draft Script (BD/DVD-ROM content)
- Production stills gallery
THE WITCH WHO CAME FROM THE SEA – SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS
- Audio commentary with director Matt Cimber, actress Millie Perkins and director of photography Dean Cundey
- Brand new interview with director Matt Cimber
- Brand new interview with Dean Cundey
- Brand new interview with actor John Goff
THE PREMONITION – SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS
- Audio commentary with director-producer Robert Allen Schnitzer
- Brand new interview with composer Henry Mollicone
- Interview with actor Richard Lynch
- Three Robert Allen Schnitzer short films: ‘Vernal Equinox’, ‘Terminal Point’ and ‘A Rumbling in the Land’
- 4 “Peace Spots”
- Trailers and TV Spots
| My Thoughts |
American Horror Project vol 1 Is a box set of three old Horror films which I feel are all a bit odd. The first film for me was the best has it was more Horror as the other two were more Psycho thrillers. The 2nd film well hey its my 2nd favorite. Lots of nudity, still a weird plot but was still a good watch. The 3rd film for me was below average and the least favorite as it was pretty slow. It has a pretty Odd plot but not horror. PQ and SQ all very but the Picture Quality on all the films still have dirt and scratches on the film with the first film with the most noticeable but the 2nd film has it the worst. Not saying its bad as its pretty view-able and pretty sharp on closeups. All the films still have that old look to them.
Overall the box set is a Nice pickup as these are three films I’ve never seen and are pretty hard to find. If you’re a Collector I say pick this up
With that said I give this box set a 3 out of 5. All the films have been reviewed separately and can be found below.
| Malatesta’s Carnival of Blood |
| Starring: Janine Carazo, Jerome Dempsey, Daniel Dietrich Directed: Christopher Speeth Theatrical Release Date: 1973 (USA) Run Time: 74 Minutes Color: Color Audio:English Subtitles: |
| Synopsis |
The Norris family get jobs working at a seedy old carnival as a cover for searching for their missing son who disappeared after visiting said carnival. Eccentric manager Mr. Blood turns out to be a vampire while the evil owner Malatesta rules over a gaggle of ghastly ghouls who watch silent movies when they aren’t feasting on human flesh
| Audio/Video |
Audio Audio Language: Japanese The Sound Quality is pretty good with no distortions. Rating: | Picture Quality Disc Format: Blu-Ray The Picture Quality is good, pretty sharp on close-ups but colors could pop more. Film grain is to be seen along with dirt and scratches Rating: |
| Review |
Malatesta’s Carnival of Blood is Horror film filled with blood, Vampires, Zombies and others who you should not trust. The film is odd bit a good watch, I think I just like horror films that deal with a carnival. The film gets a gory but not crazy, the horror aspect as in the scare not much to say about. The plot is pretty small or Non existent and the Acting is just OK.
Yes the film barely has a plot or just OK acting but the whole Carnival and Creatures and Blood kind of makes the viewer like the film depending on your taste. One thing I wish they threw in a little bit of nudity and expand the storyline.
Overall The film was a decent watch with its fun and bad portions. A Tad slow but hey its a Low Budget B horror. If you like gore, Horror films, odd storylines, if you’re an Arrow Video Collector then I say pick it up
With that sad I give this film I give the film a 3 out of 5 thinks to its oddity, creatures and gore.
| Trailer |
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OB2X98v2_Ek
| The Witch Who Came From The Sea |
| Starring: Millie Perkins, Lonny Chapman, Vanessa Brown Directed: Matt Cimber Theatrical Release Date: February 1976 (USA) Run Time: 83 Minutes Color: Color Audio: English Subtitles: |
| Synopsis |
A disturbed woman is haunted by memories of childhood abuse, which culminates in a murder spree.
| Audio/Video |
Audio Audio Language: English The Sound Quality is good in its Mono format but its age shows a bit when you can hear some clicks and pops Rating: | Picture Quality Disc Format: Blu-Ray The Picture Quality is Good sharp at points but also smooth at points. The colors keep the film looking old but they are still vibrant. Film grain is to be seen but also film dirt and scratches that become more heavy near the end. Rating: |
| Review |
The Witch Who Came From The Sea is a Psycho thriller about a lady who slowly remembers her childhood abuser which sends her in to a killing witch. She also seems pretty crazy and for some odd reason she has a lot of strength. The Lead Lady Millie Perkins does a great job at her role and was a fun seeing her go mad.
The film is slow at times and also has a weird vibe. The film has a decent amount of nudity, flashbacks and some gore. The acting is OK and I wished we had more death and gore. Also it has some funny moments with in the dialogue.
Overall the film was a good watch even though at times it was slow and odd but the concept was good. The whole craziness the lead brings to the screen was fun as it slowly increased. It has its ups and downs but overall all its worth the watch
With that sad I give this film a 3 out of 5. Fun but slow at times and I think its worth the view so pop it in and give this Ball Cutting thriller a chance. Horror and Arrow Video Collectors pick it up
| Trailer |
| The Premonition |
| Starring: Sharon Farrell, Edward Bell, Danielle Brisebois Directed: Robert Allen Schnitzer Theatrical Release Date: February 11, 1978 (USA) Run Time: 93 Minutes Color: Color Audio: English Subtitles: |
| Synopsis |
This Thriller/horror movie tells the tale of a young girl who is terrified that her insane mother will take her away from her beloved foster mother. One day, the crazed real mother attempts to contact the girl at school, but her foster mother has a premonition and gets there in time to protect the girl. Eventually though, the real mother and her boy friend, a carnival clown, succeed and takes her away, leaving the bereaved foster parents to enlist the assistance of a parapsychologist to help them interpret the foster mother’s terrifying dreams and psychic connection to the girl and find her before it is too late
| Audio/Video |
Audio Audio Language: English The Sound Quality is pretty good with no distortions and the levels sound right between the Highs and Lows Rating: | Picture Quality Disc Format: Blu-Ray The Picture Quality is Is good, pretty sharp on close-ups. Colors pop but could pop a tad more. Film grain is presented here but also some dirt and scratches. Rating: |
| Review |
The Premonition is a Horror thriller about child Abduction and bad Dreams. Now I didn’t read the Synopsis so Ill give it to you the way I seen it before I’ve read it. I went in not knowing who the real parents are. The clean-cut and a good decent home or the gritty dirty home filmed with a crazy lady and a burnt faced guy looking to take a kid. But if you read the synopsis it will give it to you straight. I liked not knowing.
The One lady trying to kidnap the child Is pretty crazy and unstable popping up at the kids home trying to snatch her. Now the plot is small but it has two things going on. The whole dream science portion and the psycho kidnapper portion. The film is pretty out there but runs slow. The film also has a following but does get low ratings so it’s not for everyone.
Overall the film was an OK watch but it was to slow and nothing scary about. I did like portions of the film just wished it was filled with more crazy, gore, darker scenes and more Dream / Hallucination scenes.
With that sad I give this film a 2 out of 5. Its worth seeing for horror fans as it might click with a few of you. Pick it up if you’re an Arrow Video collector.
| Trailer |
None
| Buy Box Set |
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