YOU SHALL NOT PASS!

…without taking a quick look at all the great cult news this week! As you may have guessed from the title, I’ve been having a bit of a geek-out recently and going fanatic over fantasy films. After watching the upcoming Dawn Of The Dragon Slayer, I struck up the courage and plowed my way through Middle Earth via a marathon of the extended Lord Of The Rings trilogy with only a few stale slices of lembas bread to keep me going. It was a long and perilous journey, but it was definetly worth it! So, I’m going to head off and battle some orcs, free some hobbits and slay some dragons. Enjoy this week’s newsletter, my precious.

THE CULT LABS FILM NIGHT!

Before I get stuck into this week’s newsletter and all the cult news, here’s just a quick message about the Cult Labs Film Night. This coming Monday (the 6th), we’ll be running our monthly film night at 9pm. “What’s the film?” I hear you cry using my telepathic powers. Well, this month’s Film Night film is none other than that flaming-hot revenge exploitation flick, The Exterminator. So, be sure to join us at 9pm! Just stick on the film at exactly 9pm, join us on Twitter (leaving @CultLabs in each of your tweets) as we talk about the film as it plays. These are always a lot of fun so don’t miss it! For more information, Nosferatu@Cult Labs has put together a thread for this event, so give that a quick read when you can. See you all on the 6th!

THE BEST THINGS OUT NOW!

This week saw the release of a truly great realese; Shameless’ Four Flies On Grey Velvet. Released for the first time ever on DVD and Blu-Ray, this version of the film is not only totally uncut but the longest version ever with its inclusion of the legendary “missing forty seconds.” Add to that the fact that this release also contains the original English audio remastered in HD exclusively for this Shameless release from the original magnetic soundtrack and available for the first time since the film’s original theatrical opening in the 1970s and you’ve got yourself the definitive version of the film! The Shameless DVD and Blu-Ray also comes with two very attractive reversible artwork panels (take a sneak peak), a new and exclusive interview from the film’s writer and assistant director, Mr. Luigi Cozzi (Contamination, Godzilla),alternative opening and closing credits and a whole host of other Argento goodies. If that tickles your taste buds then you, dear reader, get a gold star for having such great taste in film.

Shameless’ ultimate release of Dario Argento’s last in his ‘animal’ trilogy of films (The Bird With The Crystal Plumage, The Cat O’Nine Tails), Four Flies On Grey Velvet is out now and can be ordered here. Don’t be afraid to let us know what you thought of this DVD/Blu-Ray over in the film’s review thread. If you’re after a little more info, just head on over to the Official Forum for all the details you’ll possibly want and more!

Also out this week are two new Arrowdrome releases; Tobe Hooper’s freaky The Funhouse and Brian DePalma’s twisting and enthralling thriller, Obsession. Two fantastic films which are well worth getting your mits on! For more details on these releases you can have a glance at the releases’ Official Forums (The Funhouse or Obsession’s). Both are out now and are available from Amazon. Go on, you know you want to…

If that’s not enough Cult Film goodness then I present to you Rolling Thunder; another fine cult movie that’s you’re bound to enjoy that’s also out this week. Staring Tommy Lee Jones and William Devane, Rolling Thunder is the daddy off all revenge flicks and is guarenteed to get those juices pumping through your veins and keep you hooked…getit? Hooked? The villian has a hook for a hand…I’ll get my coat. Rolling Thunder is out now on Double Play (both DVD and Blu-Ray) from Studio Canal and can be ordered here.

COMING SOON!

But wait, there’s more! Oh yes, plenty more. Here’s a quick round up of all the great releases coming out in the not too distant future…

Red Scorpion (Arrow Video, Blu-Ray). For those who are regular members on the Cult Labs Forum you’ll know that due to some technical issues, the Red Scorpion Blu-Ray release has been delayed slightly by a week. Bit of a bummer that news but, like they say, good things come to those who wait and this film is pretty damn good! Dolph Lundgren stars in this excellent eighties action romp. But don’t just take my word for it, the reviews are going crazy with this one. As Attack From Planet B’s review explains, Red Scorpion “is an orgy of machine-gun fire and explosions, that make the A-team look like a bunch of girl-guides!” I couldn’t have put it better myself! Visit the Official Red Scorpion forum for a whole host of great stuff including this rather neat GIF. Red Scorpion on Blu-Ray can be pre-ordered here.

Holy Flying Circus (FreeMantle Media Enterprises, DVD) – Silly walks. Dead parrots. Spam. Spam. Spam. Spam. Eels and hovercrafts. Tinny Words. The Spanish Inquisition. Spam. Lumberjacks. Spam. If any of that makes any sense then this is a must have! What are you waiting for man (or woman), pre-order this now! You won’t regret it, nudge nudge, wink wink.

Dawn Of The Dragon Slayer (Anchor Bay, DVD and Blu-Ray) – The film that resparked my fascination with dragons and the fantasy side of fiction. Dawn Of The Dragon Slayer is a fantastic film that any Lord Of The Rings and Merlin fan would absolutly love! The plot is riverting, the acting and directing is superb and the dragon is one mean-looking beast! If you feel like slaying some hellish reptilian flame-spurting creature then Dawn Of The Dragon Slayer is the perfect film. There’s a whole new section on the Cult Labs forum dedicated to this release with many great threads dedicated to the film and to dragons (from Skyrim to Spyro, from Harry Potter to The Hobbit‘s), it’s all here! Dawn Of The Dragon Slayer is out on the 13th of Feb and can be pre-ordered here - perfect for welcoming in the Chinese New Year and the ideal gift for any fantasy or film fan this Valentine’s!

Urban Explorers (Anchor Bay, DVD & Blu-Ray) – Like Horror? You’ll love this film to bloody pieces! I first got to see this at, I believe, it’s premier at FrightFest and thought it was incredible! So gory, so claustrophobic, so intense, so violent, so disturbing and so highly recommened! This is one of the few horror films in which you actually root like mad for the good guys. I cannot recommend this high enough for all horror fans out there! Cult Labs have created a new mini-forum for this release with lots of great threads to get stuck into. Check it out…if you dare – just don’t expect to come back alive. Urban Explorers is out on DVD and Blu-Ray from Anchor Bay on the 5th of March and can be pre-ordered from here.

A Horrible Way To Die (Anchor Bay, DVD & Blu-Ray) – Or perhaps you’re after a more ‘mature’ adult horror film? Well look no further than A Horrible Way To Die which is due for release on the 19th of March. Winner of the Best Screenplay (Simon Barrett), Best Actor (AJ Bowen) and Best Actress (Amy Seimetz) at the 2010 Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas, A Horrible Way To Die is Wingard’s third feature, after the promising debut Home Sick and the well-received Pop Skull. Visit the new forum and let us know what your most horrible way to die would be.

Corman’s World (Anchor Bay, DVD & Blu-Ray) – Ladies and gentlemen, my dear readers, it’s time to bow your head in honour…it’s Roger Corman! The God of Exploitation Cinema gets a very nice documentary dedicated to the hundreds of superb films we all love with Corman’s World. Where would we be without Death Race: 2000, Piranha, Attack Of The Crab Monsters or The Masque Of The Red Death? This fantastic documentary contains so much Corman greatness, even ol’ Jack Nicholson gets teary-eyed. We’ve set up a new forum for this one too, so you can talk away about Corman classics to your hearts content. Corman’s World is out on the 26th March and can be pre-ordered here.

THE TWILIGHT ZONE

This week in The Twilight Zone section of the Forum, the topic of the week is all about the greatest twist endings of the show. Now I have to be careful how I word this to avoid spoiling anything, but The Twilight Zone is known and loved for its brilliant endings, some of the best being (in my personal opinion) Five Characters In Search Of An Exit, To Serve Man and The Eye Of The Beholder. But what’s yours? Let us know on this week’s Topic Of The Week!

Also on the forum, the Super Competition for the complete 5th Season of The Twilight Zone has just ended, but at the time of writing it’s still going! So, check out the competition if you haven’t done so already to see if you’ve won or not.

The 5th Season of The Twilight Zone is out this coming Monday (the 6th of Feb) and what a set it is! Available on either DVD or Blu-Ray this package includes some of the shows finest moments such as The Dummy and Nightmare At 20,000 Feet along with a whole plethora of extras including a fascinating documentary about Rod Serling, his life and the work he produced such as The Twilight Zone, Night Gallery and much more. To pre-order yours so you’ll recieve it straight away, just head to Amazon. For more information on this release head to the Specs Thread.

PRISONER: CELL BLOCK H

This week in the Official Prisoner: Cell Block H forum, we’re discussing the most moving and emotional moments of the show. Perhaps the moment that sticks out in my mind above all other instances is the Christmas episode in which the inmates are locked up in their cells over the holiday as a sombre and rather moving christmas carol is sung above it. Powerful stuff! Very moving. But what is your most saddening Prisoner moment? The end? Share your thoughts with us on the Topic Of The Week.

Don’t forget that the Prisoner: Cell Block H – Volume 11 box set has been delayed slightly and moved back to the 20th of Feb. So there’s still plenty of time to Pre-order this volume and get it sent straight to your doorstep on the day of release. It makes things just that little bit simplier…and cheaper! You can pre-order this volume online from Amazon or any other good onlne retailers.

THE GRINDHOUSE PROJECT

Fans of James Coburn, obscure trailers and Spaghetti Westerns are all going to be extremely happy this week. As we
have all of them listed over at the GHP. Enjoy!

Below are my picks for the best of The GHP this week:

3rd February 2012 HELLFIRE VIDEO CLUB: COBURNCABANA Cube Cinema Bristol details

5th February 2012 NIGHT OF THE TRAILERS Roxy Bar and Screen – London details

5th February 2012 FILMIC: SPAGHETTI WESTERN SUNDAY The Watershed Cinema – Bristol details

Remember, if you haven’t seen it on the big screen, it’s almost like you haven’t seen it at all.

Follow The Grindhouse Project on Twitter at @The_GHP

WIN! WIN! WIN! BECAUSE WE’RE GENEROUS LIKE THAT!

In this week’s competition we’re giving away Arrow Video’s fantastic upcoming release of Red Scorpion All you have to do is try and work out which famous celebrities these children grew up to become. This competition ends Sunday, so hurry!

As I write this I’ve just recieved word from Attack From Planet B who are currently running their 2nd Anniversary Shameless Competition – more details can be found by clicking me.