Saturday Sinema: Deadly Manor

An old, dark house... A maniac on the loose... An orgy of bloodlust! All the hallmarks of late master of Spanish macabre José Ramón Larraz (Edge of the Axe, Vampyres) are present and correct in 1990's Deadly Manor - the final horror movie from one of the genre's most unheralded filmmakers. Whilst en route to a lake, a group of youngsters make an unscheduled stop-off at a remote, seemingly abandoned mansion where they plan to spend the night. But the property is full of foreboding signs - a blood-stained car wreck in the garden, coffins in the basement, scalps in the closet, and photographs of a beautiful but mysterious woman adorning every corner of the house. Before daybreak, the group will unwittingly uncover the strange and terrifying truth that lurks behind the walls of this dreadful place. The last in a trio of transcontinental slice-and-dice co-productions helmed by Larraz towards the end of the 80s (all of which which he directed under the anglicized moniker of Joseph Braunstein), Deadly Manor - released on VHS in the US under the title Savage Lust - is a fitting capper to the director's prolific career in fear, now finally unearthed for the first time on Blu-ray.

Bonus Materials

• Brand new 2K restoration from original film elements
• High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
• Original uncompressed mono audio
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Brand new audio commentary with Kat Ellinger and Samm Deighan
• Newly-filmed interview with actress Jennifer Delora
• Making a Killing - a newly-filmed interview with producer Brian Smedley-Aston
• Extract from an archival interview with Jose Larraz
• Original “Savage Lust” VHS trailer
• Image Gallery
• Original Script and Shooting Schedule (BD-ROM content)
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Adam Rabalais (TO BE REVEALED)
• FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by author John Martin

Order Here: https://mvdb2b.com/b2b/s/AV257

Apprentice To Murder

Not to be confused with "Redrum"

WAS IT MAGIC, MURDER, OR MADNESS? In early twentieth-century Pennsylvania Dutch Country, young Billy Kelly (Chad Lowe, Highway to Hell) falls in with a charismatic "powwower" or folk magic healer, Dr. John Reese (Donald Sutherland, Don't Look Now), shunned by the rest of the community for his non-conformist beliefs. Together, they investigate the mysterious sickness that is blighting the area, which Reese believes to be the work of a sinister local hermit. But as the plague spreads and the wide-eyed Billy falls ever deeper under Reese's spell, are they doing God's work or the Devil's bidding? Also starring Mia Sara (Legend) and featuring a powerhouse performance by Donald Sutherland - reunited here with Don't Look Now screenwriter Allan Scott - Apprentice to Murder is a chilling and unforgettable tale of the macabre that blurs the lines between conventional notions of "good" and "evil".

Bonus Materials

• Brand new 2K restoration of the film from the original 35mm interpositive
• High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
• Original lossless mono soundtrack
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• New audio commentary by author and critic Bryan Reesman
• New video interview on religious horror cinema with Kat Ellinger, author and editor-in-chief of Diabolique Magazine
• New video interview with cinematographer Kelvin Pike
• New video interview with makeup supervisor Robin Grantham
• Theatrical trailer
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Haunt Love

Order Here:

https://mvdb2b.com/b2b/s/AV230

Mother's Day

Norman Bates
"Psycho"

Happy Mother's Day, to all of you out there who have a paternal role in a child's life. Because as Norman Bates says, well refer to the above image for that quote.

Yeah, I took a turn to the macabre a tad today, but not really, it's more of a nostalgia type of thing. You see there was this Psycho marathon on HBO recently and I sat through it, the danger of channel surfing.

Mother & Son
Norma & Norman Bates

Thus when Mother's Day 2019 arrived I thought it would be a nice twist to honor those out there who know their role by going a little mad, like we all do sometimes 😉

So Cheers to everyone out there who has one of the most important jobs in the world.

Happy Mother's Day to you all!

Mother's Day on Wikipedia -
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother%27s_Day

And All Through The House...

All I Want For Christmas...
Joan Collins & Psycho Santa

With only three days left until Christmas, my Holiday spirit has taken a decidedly macabre turn with memories of a Tales From The Crypt story And All Through The House starring Joan Collins of Dynasty fame.

 After that bitch Joan Collins whacks her husband to death with a fireplace poker, she’s left with the messy problem of how to dispose of the body. Meanwhile, the holiday music on the radio is interrupted by a news bulletin warning residents that a psychotic killer has escaped from a local asylum.

And he’s dressed like Santa, naturally.

The killer Santa ends up on her doorstep. She can’t call the cops, with her husband’s body there in the living room, so all she can do is try to keep Santa from getting in. It’s a tense and CLAUStrophobic  little story that in a twisted way leaves you rooting for the Santa gone wild! 

Merry Christmas indeed!

Tales From The Crypt on IMDB:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096708/ 

Afraid Of Clowns?

Sexy or Scary? You Decide.
Michael Shinafelt
Photo: Dusti Cunningham

It's October 1st my minions and you all know by now what that means, thirty more days until Halloween!!! Boo-yah! 

As you can see I am not clowning around and excited for the upcoming Black Celebration. Yes I just made a reference to a Depeche Mode song that fits the season like that missing piece from a Jigsaw puzzle. (Yes, that was a Saw reference ; )

There are so many reasons to love Halloween more than Christmas. One is Satan, who is my favorite mythological beast. He gets a lot more play this time of year. Two is my favorite horror film of all time is named after it, like duh, the title is John Carpenter's Halloween. Three there is magic in the air, with no judgement calls on the source of it. Four is that Freddy Krueger will be haunting somebody's dreams that night, jamming! Need I go on? I thought not.

Cheers to the month of the macabre on Entertain Me I promise you lots of edgy & downright questionable posts from here on out. All bets are off, and no one is safe...so let's get the party started with Black Celebration below by Depeche Mode, Ghouls! 

Tweet with me if you dare at:

https://twitter.com/MShinafelt 

Portrait Of Margaret Cho - In Blood

Margaret  Cho: Portrait, Bloody Portrait

"I think it's very primal, very ritualistic.” - Margaret Cho

That's Margaret Cho talking about the Dorian Gray like portrait she has hired artist Vincent Castiglia to do of her with 18 millimeters of her own blood. That's right Margaret is going to have a portrait of herself in blood, how truly wonderful!

And I did not make that comment in jest, referring to the quote from Cho above I am completely on the same page as her...I once had a primal piercing done because I wanted to experience something that raw. It was a huge rush!

It was in my ear, they put a sharpie mark on my lobe where they wanted the hole to be, numbed it with ice and then took a double headed hollow needle aimed and jammed it through my ear, the adrenaline rush not to mention the shooting blood was a pretty amazing and an experience I will never forget!

Margaret has known Vincent for a couple of years, but was a fan of his macabre collection of work, painted exclusively with the artist's own blood — long before the pair even met.

"I loved what he was doing, his art is so finely detailed. This is exciting to go through this process of collecting my blood and getting a portrait painted.”

Ms. Cho expects to use her bloody portrait for album covers and tour art once completed.

As a footnote this is the first time Mr. Castiglia has used anyone else's blood other than his own in his work, the piece should prove historical.

Hey, Vincent I am up for it if you ever want to use my blood sometime!

Go Cho!: http://margaretcho.com/

Enjoy Vincent's Work at: http://vincentcastigliaart.com/

TV Watch: American Horror Story: Asylum

I'm so excited, and I'm not gonna hide it..."American Horror Story: Asylum" looks amazingly creepy, violent and scary, everything we horror fans loved about the first installment of the FX anthology series.

From the promo trailers and artwork to the cast of returning and new actors: Jessica Lange as a sadistic nun who runs the asylum anyone??? Are perfection!

Also I am excited to see Adam Levine as one half of the characters referred to as "The Lovers" as I am sure with a character moniker like that he will inherit the "Baring Your Booty" legacy of Dylan McDermott.

Seriously October 17th 10pm on FX can not come soon enough, in the meantime here are some of my favorite images and a clip thrown in for good measure - that are building my anticipation to a....fill in your own blank my fellow AHS fans and have a macabre Labor Day Weekend...Boo!

Sister Sadistic: Jessica Lange

Obligatory Hotttie: Adam Levine

I'll Be Your Nympho Tonight: Chloe Sevigny

http://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/originals/ahs/