The Horror Geek – News, Rants and Reviews From The Horror Geek!

Fangoria, the long running horror magazine that many of us grew up on, is looking to broaden their horizons yet again. They’ve teamed up with Lightning Media to create the brand new Fangoria Frightfest. Think After Dark Horrorfest or the Ghosthouse Underground releases and you’ll know exactly what’s in store.

Fango and Lightning have combined forces to bring you eight new horror flicks on DVD, VOD, and Digital Download. One of the films, chosen by viewers, will get a big screen theatrical release next month. So, after you’ve viewed the flicks, be sure to head over to the official site and make your voice is heard. To help set the tone, I’ve got a look at the cover art for each of the new DVD releases — and I must say, the majority of them are really pretty cool looking.

Check out the gallery for a better look at the artwork after the break as well as the plot synopsis for each title.

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It’s hard to believe that Death Race 2000 is 35 years old now, but it’s still just as much campy fun as it was back in 1975. It’s a relic of a bygone era, yet its odd social commentary is just as relevant today as it was back then – perhaps even moreso. In this regard, Death Race 2000 is sort of like Romero’s Dawn of the Dead – it’s not as good a film overall, but it is eerily prescient in predicting the future.

While we’ve passed the year 2000 without an event like the Transcontinental Road Race – a cross country rally where cartoonish drivers and their navigators travel from one coast to the other while scoring points for running down innocent pedestrians – the film’s commentary on the media and sensationalism of violence as entertainment seem quite valid. Maybe that’s a stretch on my part, but I don’t think so – I think some of the most profound commentary on our society was reflected in the cult films of that era.

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George Romero’s latest zombie opus, Survival of the Dead is currently available on VOD and at select theaters. However, if you’re holding out for a DVD release, news broke last week that August 24th was the date you were waiting for. On that day, retailers will start selling copies of the Ultimate Undead Edition of the film, a two-disc collector’s set sure to be filled with all sorts of goodies.

Wal-Mart’s website has the DVD up for pre-order, including a single disc edition for those who don’t want to pay for a bunch of supplements they’ll never watch. Even better, they’ve got our first look at the cover art for the film. That’s it at the top of the post.

Here’s the film’s plot synopsis:

When the idyllic retreat of Plum Island falls victim to the zombie plague, a new breed of clan war breaks out. On one side is the camp who want to exterminate all undead with a wickedly diverse array of brain-splattering headshots. On the other, devoted family members take the stance that “zombie-ism” is a disease, the undead have rights and they must be kept alive until a cure is found. Unable to simply “agree to disagree,” the two clans go to war and make their island microcosm a whole hell of a lot bloodier. An undead parallel to the tribal wars that are plaguing our own society today, SURVIVAL OF THE DEAD exposes the futility of such conflict and the need for tolerance of the beliefs of others. Plus it’s got zombie horses in it!

I haven’t watched a Puppet Master flick in years, but that may change this June.

News hit yesterday that the newest installment in the long-running franchise, Puppet Master: Axis of Evil, will be landing on DVD this June 15th. No details on the extras (if there are any…) but here’s the plot breakdown.

In a stateside hotel during the height of World War II, young DANNY COOGAN dreams of joining the war effort. Following the murder of hotel guest Mr. Toulon by Nazi assassins, Danny finds the old man’s crate of mysterious PUPPETS and is suddenly thrust into a battle all his own. He discovers that Nazis MAX.

If you’ve found yourself wanting to see porn starlet Sasha Grey in another mainstream film where she doesn’t insert a multitude of male appendages into her various orifices, you’re in luck. Media Blasters’ new Fresh Meat imprint has snagged the US DVD distribution rights to Smash Cut.

The film, which features the actress in her second mainstream film role (following up her buzz-worthy turn in Steven Soderbergh’s The Girlfriend Experience) finds Grey starring alongside genre legend David Hess.

Here’s the plot breakdown:

SMASH CUT stars Sasha Grey as television news celebrity April Carson who hires private investigator Isaac Beaumonde (Jesse Buck) to help find her missing sister, a stripper known as Gigi Spot (Jennilee Murray). Following a bloodstained trail, Carson goes undercover and auditions for a role in a low budget horror movie.  Soon, she shockingly discovers that the movie’s director, Able Whitman (David Hess), is not only the killer but that he has utilized her sister’s body parts to pump up the ‘realism’ for his new production!  When Whitman requires more ‘props’ for his film, he sets off on a crimson-splattered killing spree. Now, only intrepid reporter April and the celebrated private detective stand between the demented director and his unquenchable thirst for reel slaughter at 24 frames per second!

Expect to find the film at DVD retailers everywhere on March 23rd.

It seems like we’ve been waiting forever for Marcus Dunstan’s The Collector to make its way to DVD, but that’s set to change on April 6th. We’ve had that release date penciled in for awhile now, but what we didn’t know was what to expect in terms of supplemental materials featured on the disc. That changed today.

Here’s what Vivendi-Universal is promising:

Ok, so that list is a little vague (music video? Really? Care to clue us in?), but at least it’s something. Check out the official plot synopsis and trailer below.

An underground edge-of-your-seat spine-chiller, garnering a $7.7 million box office, The Collector follows the story of Arkin, a handyman and ex-con who aims to repay his debt to his ex-wife by robbing his new employer’s country home. Little does he know, a far worse enemy has already laid claim to the property – and Arkin finds himself a reluctant hero trapped by a masked “Collector” in a maze of lethal invention. Featuring gripping performances from Josh Stewart (Law Abiding Citizen), Madeline Zima (“Californication”) and Andrea Roth (“Rescue Me”), The Collector is the directorial debut of screenwriter Marcus Dunstan (Saw IV- VI, Feast I- III).

Good news for lovers of the late and sorely missed Godfather of Gore, Lucio Fulci. My Horror Squad colleague Scott Weinberg spotted a listing for a Blu-ray version of City of the Living Dead over at DVD Active.

Blue Underground is the company responsible for this new version of the intestine-spewing, drill bit-to-the-head Italian splatter epic. The film–also commonly known as The Gates of Hell–will be available on regular DVD, but the new Blu-ray is the version you’re going to want to grab. Extras for the Blu-ray disc include three brand new goodies: “Acting Among the Living Dead – Interview with Star Catriona MacColl”, “Entering the Gates of Hell – Interview with Star Giovanni Lombardo Radice”, “Memories of the Maestro”. I’d be all over that for those three things alone–if I owned a Blu-ray player.

The discs are scheduled to be in stores on May 25th. Check out the new cover art above.

One of my favorite under-the-radar films of last year was Glenn McQuaid’s I Sell the Dead. The film turned up on IFC’s VOD service, but most people missed it. I reported news earlier that it was slated to come to DVD at the end of March. Now, Dread Central has scored a look at the cover art and supplemental materials for the disc. Looks like it’s shaping up to be a nice release.

That’s the cover art above. Extras on the disc include:

Check out my review if you’re on the fence about this one. I Sell the Dead hits retail on March 30th.

UK fright fans got a chance to check out The Descent Part 2 in theaters last December. Unfortunately, American audiences will have to make do with a DVD release as opposed to catching it on the big screen.

DVD Active is reporting that Lionsgate will bring Jon Harris’ sequel to Neil Marshall’s cult chiller to American home video audiences on April 27th. I’m ambivalent about this–to be honest, there are films that I don’t really need to see in a theater, and The Descent Part 2 falls squarely in that category. I’m perfectly content to watch it from my couch.

Here’s the synopsis:

Dazed, bloodied and speechless with trauma, Sarah Carter emerges alone from the Appalachian cave system where the events of THE DESCENT took place. Local sheriff Redmond Vaines forces her back underground to help the rescue team which is desperately searching for her five missing girlfriends. As the team moves deeper into the caves, Sarah’s flashes of fractured memory intensify and she begins to realizes the full horror of the would-be rescue mission. Only Sarah knows the terror which lurks in the shadows of the caves. But they are about to encounter a new tribe of crawlers, inbred, deformed and even more viciously feral than those Sarah faced before.

No word yet on what extras might be included with the disc, but I’ll keep you posted as we get closer to April 27th.

If you like your slashers old school, then news that Code Red is preparing a new DVD release for 1982′s cult classic Madman should definitely brighten your Monday.

Originally released on DVD by Anchor Bay back in 2001, the film has long been out of print. IFC keeps it in regular rotation, which has helped a whole new generation of slasherphiles appreciate its considerable (and cheesy) charms, but news of it being available again to own certainly warms my black heart.

Details on what the disc will include in terms of supplements are still being hammered out. What we do know is that the commentary track with director Joe Giannone, writer Gary Sales, and stars Tony Fish and Paul Ehlers will be jumping to the new version.

STYD is also speculating that the new disc will feature cast interviews and a tour of the film’s various shooting locations led by Ehlers himself.

Here’s the simplistic plot description from IMDB:

At a summer camp for youths, cockey pre-teen calls out the name of mass serial killer “Madman Marz”. Suddenly, counselors are being maimed and slaughtered in various ways by the backwoodsman who has returned when his name was called.

No official release date has been announced, but it seems safe to assume that we’ll see Madman sometime in 2010.