Mrparka's Video Reviews for the Week of October 6th (Episode 73)

​​Links
www.youtube.com/mrparka
https://www.instagram.com/mrparka/
https://twitter.com/mrparka00
http://www.screamingtoilet.com/dvd--blu-ray
https://www.facebook.com/screamingpotty/
https://www.facebook.com/mrparka
http://shutupbrandon.podbean.com/
https://www.facebook.com/screamingpotty/
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/shut-up-brandon-podcast/id988229934?mt=2
https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/podbean-70/shut-up-brandon-podcast

Time Stamps
“Anthropophagus” Review – 1:53
“Absurd” Review – 10:19
“The Forest of Lost Souls” Review – 17:34
“Hold the Dark” Review – 22:39
The Weekly Western “Return of the Seven” Review – 31:44
The VHS Voyage “Auntie Lee’s Meat Pies” Review – 41:50
“Shakedown” Pick a movie Review – 47:00
Pick a movie drawing – 55:12
Q&A –56:28
Question of the Week/Viewer’s Answers – 58:18
Contest – 59:06
Update – 1:00:27

Franken-Fatale Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/frankenfatale/

---

Video Version 

---

"Anthropophagus" Blu-Ray Review (Severin Films) 

Written Review by MrParka 
           ​Severin Films brings the legendary Video Nasty “Anthropophagus” to Blu-Ray stateside for the first time. Directed and shot by Italian Maestro Joe D'Amato the film also known as “The Grim Reaper” is a laborious, violent slasher with two of the most iconic gore scenes in Italian cinema history.
A group of tourists decide to stop on a beautiful Greek island. Unbeknownst to them, one of the remaining inhabitants is a towering, disfigured, gut munching monster. As the group wanders the rainy island they are picked off and eaten in increasingly grotesque ways until the film reaches its final intestine-eating climax.
“Anthropophagus” is a fairly slow burn gore fest and it’s made a reputation on that, but it has a little more to offer. The Director was a renowned DP and did double duties on this film. The locations are all shot fantastically, helping the gloomy and rainy setting create thick atmosphere. The handheld shots work well to create suspense. Some of the best camera work involves the confused survivors looking for one of their party; they move away past the middle ground and as they walk out of focus, the camera shifts to show the missing person’s feet being dragged out of frame. Some other stellar camera work that drives the atmosphere home is a candle lit scene where our protagonist searches the desolate mansion on the island. The score is reminisce at times of another Italian oddity, “Burial Ground,” adding a little bit of that nightmare logic feel we all love to state that these films are loaded with.  
Genre fans will recognize a few familiar faces from some other Video Nasties including Tisa Farrow (Zombie), George Eastman (Absurd) also the film’s writer, and Zora Kerova (Cannibal Ferox) as a tarot card enthusiast. The cast does fine although the dubbing is a little comical at times. Eastman is the standout with his rotting face and bulging eyes. Besides the aforementioned, the characters are rather plain and set up to die in horrible deaths with the pregnant wife destined to receive the worst. The gore is effective even if it was accomplished mostly by a trip to the butcher shop. A skinned rabbit doubles as a fetus in one of the film’s most grueling scenes and real guts are featured and even munched on. “Anthropophagus” is guilty of possibility being a little too slow and a little too cheap, but it does accomplish a little more than the cover would suggest; it has atmosphere and with that atmosphere comes a sense of dread. 
“Anthropophagus” looks better than ever and includes both the Italian language and English options. The features on the disc include interviews with George Eastman (Luigi Montefiori), actor Saverio Vallone, FX Artist Pietro Tenoglio, Editor Bruno Micheli, and Actress Zora Kerova. The features in themselves paint a picture of the film’s director Aristide Massaccesi aka Joe D'Amato, the picture is one of a funny and hardworking man who everyone seemed to admire and enjoy being around. The features are a wonderful addition to the release as some of these film makers aren’t often interviewed and we as fans may never get to hear from them again. 

Joe D’Amato’s Gore Classic Now Uncut In 2K For The First Time In America!

It has been called “seriously creepy” (CoolAssCinema.com), “insanely violent” (Nerdist.com) and “truly repulsive” (DVD Talk). It was seized by UK authorities as a ‘Video Nasty’ and accused of being an actual snuff film. Yet even by ‘80s Italian gore-spewing standards, this grueling shocker from sex & sleaze maestro Joe D’Amato (BEYOND THE DARKNESS) still stands as perhaps the most controversial – and extreme – spaghetti splatter epic of them all. Tisa Farrow (ZOMBIE), Zora Kerova (CANNIBAL FEROX) and co-writer/producer George Eastman (STAGE FRIGHT, 1990: BRONX WARRIORS) star in this depraved daddy of cannibal carnage from “Italy’s King of Trash Sinema” (Horrorpedia.com), now featuring a 2k scan from the original 16mm negative – including two of the most gut-retching scenes in horror history – and spurting with all-new Special Features.

Special Features:

Don’t Fear The Man-Eater: Interview with Writer/Star Luigi Montefiori a.k.a. George Eastman
The Man Who Killed The Anthropophagus: Interview with Actor Saverio Vallone
Cannibal Frenzy: Interview with FX Artist Pietro Tenoglio
Brother And Sister In Editing: Interview With Editor Bruno Micheli
Inside Zora’s Mouth: Interview with Actress Zora Kerova
Trailers
Reversible Wrap
Our Anthropophagous Special Edition Blu-ray is also available at a discounted price in our exclusive Man-Eater Bundle which also includes the Absurd Special Edition Blu-ray w/Limited Edition ‘Video Nasty’ Slipcase, Absurd CD Soundtrack, Anthropophagous Monster & Joe D’Amato Enamel Pins, Anthropophagous T-shirt, as well as a very special Limited Edition Anthropophagous Toy Plush Doll.

Severin Films Website – https://severin-films.com/
 
Severin Films Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/severinfilms/
 
“Anthropophagus” Blu-Ray – https://severin-films.com/shop/anthropophagous-bluray/
 
Severin “Maneater” Bundle – https://severin-films.com/shop/maneater-bundle/

---

---

"Absurd" Blu-Ray Review (Severin Films) 

Written Review by MrParka
        Can’t have one without the other, Severin Films is releasing “Absurd,” the spiritual sequel to “Anthropophagus.” Jack of all trades Joe D'Amato returns to direct and is again accompanied by George Eastman, writing and starring as the film’s baddie. 
“Absurd” opens up with the hulking Eastman running in fear from a soon to be found out priest. Eastman is disemboweled trying to hop a large gate and lands himself in emergency surgery. To the hospital staff’s surprise the large man is not only going to pull through, but he is healing at an exceptional rate. Before you can say “Halloween” cash in, Eastman has killed the nurse with a power drill and is out and about causing bloodshed around the town. Before long our killer has his eyes on a babysitter and a pair of kids, one of which is paralyzed. It is up to a grouchy cop and a priest with a secret to take out the regenerative madman for good. 
“Absurd” is a fairly straight forward standard slasher with some gratuitous kills and some decent suspense. Genre fans will be happy to see Annie Belle (House on the Edge of the Park) as a part time nurse /babysitter who manages to fight back even after being burnt in an oven!  The kills in the film rotate from gory to strangulation, when they are shown they garner sympathy as they are focused on in detail. The film brings in a strange subplot involving the kid’s father and the guilt he has from a hit and run that occurred earlier, actually involving the man who later attacks his family. It is sort of amusing to think if he did stop he would have been killed at that point in the film, but instead he is rewarded for doing the wrong thing. Like so many other Italian films that attempt to feel more American, “Absurd” is no different. During the film’s entirety the super bowl is taking place; and like any good “American,” everyone meets up in nice suits and watches the game while eating spaghetti. The final showdown is set up well where our thought to be paraplegic must overcome her disorder and walk to save her life and her brothers. “Absurd,” in short, is a solid “Halloween” cash in with a surprising lack of nudity and some brutal kills. 
Severin Films has done a great job on making “Absurd” look just that. Included on the disc is an alternative cut of the film and some interviews with Actor / Writer / Co-Producer Luigi Montefiore, Filmmaker/Extra Michele Soavi, and an archival interview with Joe D'Amato. The interviews on the discs shed some light on the director, similar to the extras on “Anthropophagus.” Eastman seems to show a bit of sadness as well as disapproval of the way D'Amato’s career turned out. Soavi talks about working with the maestro as a young aspiring film maker and how D’Amato gave him his first real shot by producing his cult film “Stagefright.” It’s always of course a treat to see Joe D’Amato talk himself, he is very candid and friendly, the interview brings the biggest insight on Mr. D’Amato and the most poignant part was from the camel’s mouth himself. I’m not a business man, I’m a filmmaker.  I’m a DP. I am not rich. That sentiment is all I ever needed to hear to respect Mr. D’Amato. 
R.I.P.

Joe D’Amato’s Splatter Epic

Now Authorized & Uncut

For The First Time Ever In America!

Toss away those inferior bootlegs and experience sleaze maestro Joe D’Amato’s infamous follow-up to ANTHROPOPHAGOUS like never before: Borrowing heavily from HALLOWEEN, D’Amato unleashes gut-spewing Greek boogeyman (screenwriter George Eastman) into suburban America for a “gruesome as hell” (CinemasFringes.com) and “incredibly sadistic” (ASlashAbove.com) saga of doomed nurses, butchered babysitters, bio-chemical clergy and some of the most insane splatter scenes in Italian gorehound history. Edmund Purdom (FRANKENSTEIN’S CASTLE OF FREAKS, PIECES) and Annie Belle (HOUSE ON THE EDGE OF THE PARK, LAURE) co-star in this “violence-soaked bloodbath” (Hysteria Lives) and former ‘Video Nasty’ – also known as THE GRIM REAPER 2, ZOMBIE 6, HORRIBLE and MONSTER HUNTER – now featuring a 2k scan from the original negative and gushing with all-new Special Features.

Special Features:

Rosso Sangue: Alternate Italian cut (with optional English subtitles)
The Return of the Grim Reaper: Interview With Actor / Writer / Co-Producer Luigi Montefiore (George Eastman)
D’Amato on Video: Archive Interview With Director Aristide Massaccesi
A Biker (Uncredited): Interview With Michele Soavi
Trailer
First 2500 copies includes Bonus CD Soundtrack
Reversible Wrap
Our Absurd Special Edition Blu-ray is also available at a discounted price in our exclusive Man-Eater Bundle which also includes the Anthropophagous Special Edition Blu-ray w/Limited Edition ‘Video Nasty’ Slipcase, Absurd CD Soundtrack, Anthropophagous Monster & Joe D’Amato Enamel Pins, Anthropophagous T-Shirt, as well as a very special Limited Edition Anthropophagous Toy Plush Doll.
Severin Films Website – https://severin-films.com/
 
Severin Films Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/severinfilms/
 
“Absurd” Blu-Ray – https://severin-films.com/shop/absurd-bluray/
 
Severin “Maneater” Bundle – https://severin-films.com/shop/maneater-bundle/

---

---

"The Forest of Lost Souls" Blu-Ray Review (Wild Eye Releasing) 

It's The Saddest Place In The World. And She Is Happy To Be There.

Two strangers meet in a forest notorious for suicides and decide to learn more about each other. Soon it becomes clear that one of them is there for a much more disturbing reason, and is actually a psychotic killer there to prey upon others and end their sorrow for them.

Bonus Materials
Audio Commentary
Deleted Scenes
Fight Rehearsals
Short Film: Saint John's Night
Trailers
​
Wild Eye Releasing – http://www.wildeyereleasing.com/
 
“The Forest of Lost Souls” Blu-Ray – https://mvdshop.com/products/forest-of-the-lost-souls-the-blu-ray

---

---

"Hold the Dark" Streaming Review (Netflix) 

In the grim Alaskan winter, a naturalist hunts for wolves blamed for killing a local boy, but he soon finds himself swept into a chilling mystery.

“Hold the Dark” Netflix Streaming – https://www.netflix.com/Title/80157072

---

---

The Weekly Western "Return of the Seven" Blu-Ray Review

BETWEEN THE LAW AND THE LAWLESS - SEVEN AGAIN... MAGNIFICENT AGAIN!
Chico one of the remaining members of The Magnificent Seven now lives in the town that they (The Seven) helped. One day someone comes and takes most of the men prisoner. His wife seeks out Chris, the leader of The Seven for help. Chris also meets Vin another member of The Seven. They find four other men and they go to help Chico.
​
“The Magnificent Seven” Blu-Ray Set – https://www.amazon.com/Magnificent-Seven-Collection-Blu-ray/dp/B003DZAM8O/

---

---

The VHS Voyage "Auntie Lee's Meat Pies" VHS Review (​Trans World Entertainment)

A devil-worshiping woman sends out her four beautiful nieces to lure men back to her place so they can be killed, ground up and sold as meat pies.

“Auntie Lee’s Meat Pies” VHS – https://www.amazon.com/Auntie-Lees-Meat-Pies-VHS/dp/6302544297/

---

---

Pick a Movie "Shakedown" Blu-Ray Review (Shout! Factory) 

Synopsis
Whatever you do ... don't call the cops.

A burned-out legal aid attorney (Peter Weller, RoboCop) reluctantly teams up with a renegade police detective (Sam Elliott, Tombstone) to find the truth behind the fatal shooting of an undercover cop by a notorious drug dealer.

Targeted by a syndicate of corrupt cops and drug lords, the duo blast their way through the underbelly of New York in their unrelenting search for the shocking truth behind the crime. Filmed on the streets of Manhattan, Shakedown features some of the most incredible stunt work and chase sequences ever shot, including a death-defying fight scene atop Coney Island's Cyclone roller coaster. Delivering non-stop thrills from start to finish, Shakedown is one the most entertaining high-speed cop films ever made and among the best from action genre vet James Glickenhaus (The Soldier, The Exterminator).

Bonus Features
NEW Introduction By Writer And Director James Glickenhaus
NEW Audio Commentary With James Glickenhaus
NEW Shakedown Breakdown – An Interview With James Glickenhaus
NEW Miles Over The Limit – James Glickenhaus Discusses Miles Davis
Still Gallery
Theatrical Trailer

Shout Factory! Website – https://www.shoutfactory.com/
 
“Shakedown” Blu-Ray – https://www.shoutfactory.com/product/shakedown?product_id=6524

---

---

​​Ask a Question/Answer a Question

​P​lease leave a question below to have it answered on the next show!
Question of the week
What is your favorite Severin Films release and why? 

---

Contest Time!

Answer the question above either on the comments sections below or on YouTube to be entered in a chance to win "Anthropophagus" and "Absurd" on Blu-Ray!

---

---

Podcast Version 

https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/podbean-70/shut-up-brandon-podcast
​
​https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/shut-up-brandon-podcast/id988229934?mt=2https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/podbean-70/shut-up-brandon-podcast
​
https://shutupbrandon.podbean.com/e/mrparka%E2%80%99s-weekly-reviews-episode-73-audio-version/
​

---

---

Update

​4K
1. Puppet Master The Littlest Reich 
Blu-Rays
2. Matinee
3. The Strangers
4. Bat People 
5. Full Moon High
6. Nightmare at Noon 
7. The Beast
8. The Secret of Dorian Gray 
9. Cannonball Run
10. Smokey and the Bandit 
11. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
12. Star Wars the De-specialized Trilogy 
DVD
13. Alien Thunder

---

Film Notes

​Anthropophagus – 1980 – Joe D'Amato 
Absurd – 1981 – Joe D'Amato
The Forest of Lost Souls – 2017 – José Pedro Lopes
Hold the Dark – 2018 – Jeremy Saulnier
Return of the Seven – 1966 – Burt Kennedy 
Auntie Lee’s Meat Pies – 1992 – Joseph F. Robertson
Shakedown – 1988 – James Glickenhaus