Welcome to the first newsletter of October! Term is in full swing, I’ve started teaching, I’m busier than ever… And I’ve lost my voice. Which means that, assuming my students were listening to begin with, they now won’t be able to hear me. Thank God, then, for Cult Labs were I can type and type regardless of how sore my throat is! Of course, that could be a good or bad thing depending on how you feel, but it’s good for me!

Now, getting sentimental, I would just like to say a big thank you to my fellow forum mods who have all welcomed me back so warmly since last week. It’s much appreciated and, as a thank you, I’m giving them their own newsletter section where they can pass on messages (via me) to all our forum members. More on that later. Also coming up I have news on new releases, peeks at exclusive trailers and more Prisoner Cell Block H stuff so, hold on, it’s going to be an action-packed newsletter week!

Sarah@Cult Labs.

NEW RELEASES FROM SHAMELESS SCREEN ENTERTAINMENT!

You might have noticed the rather cool looking cover art for Fulci’s Box of Terror at the top of this newsletter. This gorgeous design has been created by poster artist, Graham Humphreys, exclusively for Shameless Screen Entertainment and evokes the glorious Video Nasty era in which Fulci was a key player. The set includes a collection of Fulci’s US and UK films, New York Ripper, Manhattan Baby and The Black Cat plus a collector’s booklet adapted by Stephen Thrower from his highly acclaimed book, Beyond Terror – The Films of Lucio Fulci. The set is out on DVD on 25 October 2010… Just in time for Halloween! Let us know what you think over on the official thread.

Also out over the next few weeks are individual releases of Enzo G. Castellari’s  The Bronx Warriors Trilogy: The Bronx Warriors, Escape From the Bronx and The New Barbarians. I know many people on the forums have said how they are keeping their gorgeous tin boxsets in mint condition. The only problem with this, of course, is that the films have to stay in the box! With these individual releases, you can have a set to keep and a set to watch. The first of these, The Bronx Warriors is out on DVD on 11 October 2010. You can find out more details, including the trailer, over on the official thread!

ON THE INSIDE

The last few weeks have been a veritable feast of Prisoner Cell Block H memories and the time is drawing near for the release of Volume 5, which is out on DVD from Shock Entertainment and FremantleMedia Enterprises on 11 October 2010. Sam@Cult Labs has been continuing to update the blog with lots of Prisoner goodies but I think that this week he has surpassed himself with this article on Prisoner‘s famous theme tune, On the Inside. The song was a No. 1 hit in Australia for Lynne Hamilton in 1979 and, 10 years later, it became a No. 3 hit in the UK after the broadcast of Prisoner. You can check out Lynne performing the song on Top of the Pops on the blog and then chat about it on the official thread!

GUILLERMO DEL TORO EXCLUSIVE UK TRAILER

Last week I told you about the Guillermo Del Toro Collection coming to Blu-ray on 25 October 2010 from Optimum Home Entertainment. This week I can point you in the direction of the exclusive UK trailer, which really showcases the beauty of Cronos, The Devil’s Backbone and Pan’s Labyrinth. You can find the trailer here. Why not watch it and then share your thoughts over on the official thread?

NOT LIKE OTHERS ON DVD

Also out on 25 October 2010 is Not Like Others, which will be released on DVD from Chelsea Films. Not Like Others is for fans of movies such as Martin, The Hunger and Let The Right One In who are looking for their next bloody fix of intelligent and “realist” vampire fare. It’s the debut feature from writer-director Peter Pontikis and tells the story of Vera (Jenny Lampa) and Vanja (Ruth Vega Fernandez), a pair of vampire sisters, bloodsucking outcasts struggling to live a secret life in semi-isolation in the bleak suburbs of Stockholm. Pontikis’ highly original and almost existentialist take on vampire lore uniquely and refreshingly presents the protagonists as sympathetic characters, resulting in a surprisingly heartbreaking story of two sisters whose common dependency upon human blood and each other become the very things that threaten to tear them apart. For more info and the trailer, check out the blog.

THERE’S SOMETHING GOING ON AT THE LABORATORY

Well, how’s that for a news-heavy week? Well, it is getting close to the Cult Labs equivalent of a May Day Festival… except it’s in October and it’s called Halloween! But, never fear, we simply use it as an excuse to watch more great films and discuss them. We don’t burn anyone in a giant Wicker Man. Or, at least, we haven’t so far… While I scour the surrounding area for virginal policemen, why don’t I bring you up to speed on what’s caught my eye at the Labs this week?

Get to Know Your Fellow Cultists

Here’s a thread that hasn’t been updated in a while but is a great tool to help all of us on the forums get to know each other. So, if you haven’t filled it in already, head on over and do so now. The thread was created by Nosferatu@Cult Labs and asks you a few simple, Cult Labs-related questions to help us all learn the basics about each other. Did you know, for example, that Nos’s favourite horror film is The Exorcist? Or that pedromonkey‘s favourite non-horror director is Quentin Tarantino? Or that antmumford is “a film loving, DVD collecting guy with a passion for all things zombie and Jackie Chan”? No? Well then, head on over to this thread to learn about your fellow Cult Labbers, and let us know about you too!

Arrow Video – Bare Behind Bars

“If everything that has been achieved so far with Arrow Video was for a single reason – surely it is that we could all revel in the glory of an AV released Women in Prison film?” says Almar at the start of this thread. And it would seem that, from the responses so far to the announcement that Arrow will be releasing Bare Behind Bars, a lot of you agree! This thread also announces the launch of a more fun-priced range of Arrow releases of which Bare Behind Bars will be the first. These will feature reversible artwork but will be simpler releases to fill in the gaps between the more lavish Arrow fare. Keep your eyes glued to this thread for more information as it comes!

Soundtracks Thread

What’s your favourite film soundtrack? Do you share the seemingly universal love for Profondo Rosso/Deep Red? Do you share the joy pedromonkey and I find in the 10 Things I Hate About You OST? Perhaps you agree with Mahoney32 on The Good, the Bad and the Ugly or with Pete on Salon Kitty? There are so many great soundtracks out there that this could prove a really interesting thread. Even some poor films have amazing soundtracks so have a think about your favourites and share them with us here.

Favourite Artists

Over in the Cult Arts section you can find this thread on forum members’ favourite artists. There’s a lot of love on this thread for poster and pulp artists but if your tastes are more classical, that is welcomed too. Aurora75, Gigantor, and bigandya all share details of their favourite artists and their favourite work and Reaper@Cult Labs rather sweetly names his wife as his favourite and links to an amazing Wicker Man painting she has done. So what about you? Do you have a fave? Let us know here!

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“I can’t even think how many time I’ve been off the beaten track since and seen piled-up stones too.” – Either someone’s playing a prank or Blair Witch traumatised the blob more than he realises!

MODS & ROCKERS

And here it is, the new mod section of the newsletter! Thank you to iluvdvds for coming up with a title for me! This section will normally just be a wee short one that lists any reminders or pointers that the mods have told me they would like to make. It is worth forum members checking this section weekly as it will let you know anything important that’s going on. As it’s the first week, I’m just going to pass on a few general notices:

• Please make sure you are always courteous to other members. Cult Labs is a friendly community and we don’t tolerate rudeness or bullying of our members. You don’t have to like everyone, but if you can’t say anything nice, then don’t say it.
• If you feel discouraged from posting by certain members’ behaviour then you can e-mail us in complete confidence or send a private message to any of the mods.
• It never hurts to check the forum rules. They can be found here and while we don’t want to be heavy-handed, we’d appreciate it if you could stick to them.

So, there you have it, the first mod section. If any of the mods (forum, technical, competitions, etc.) want me to include anything in this section then just let me know!

KYLE’S COMP CORNER

This week, Kyle is giving away a copy of Higanjima – Escape From Vampire Island on either DVD or Blu-ray. To be in with a chance of winning a copy of this live-action film based on the best-selling manga series, head on over to the Comp Corner now… Good luck!

WELCOME NEWBIES!

This week I’d like to say a big “hi there” to sacrilege, Eastwood, Kenro199x and Mr. Krinkle! Hope you all have an excellent time here!

AND FINALLY…

Before I go, here’s a little reminder that if you haven’t already signed up to receive this newsletter in your inbox each week, you can do so using this link. All this means is that every Thursday you get a little bit of me in your inbox. Not literally though. That’d be a bit gross.

Remember, if you have any comments, feedback or anything you’d like to see featured in the newsletter, PM me at Sarah@Cult Labs or drop me a line on the newsletter thread!

Until next week,

Sarah@Cult Labs.