Shameless Screen Entertainment

[HarryLime]

Shameless Screen Entertainment

UK start-up specializing in giallo and other Euro-trash, i.e. Torso, New York Ripper, Phantom of Death, Killer Nun, Venus in Furs, and Fulci's The Black Cat. Maybe not that big a deal for US collectors--we have most of these--but some of these titles are being released on DVD for the first time in the UK.

[colinr0380]

Interesting to see the turn around from all prints of New York Ripper being escorted out of the country only a few years ago to this latest release seemingly only having 34 seconds of cuts to the razorblade scene.

The release that is most intriguing is Phantom of Death, which was directed in 1988 by Ruggero Deodato and stars Michael York, Donald Pleasance and Edwige Fenech, with an appearance by Giovanni Lombardi Radice.

It probably goes without saying, but Radice is perhaps most famous for his insane role in Cannibal Ferox, which on the US disc has a fantastic duelling commentary (though they are recorded separately) between Radice, who hates it (and is surprisingly candid about Leticia's role in the drug trade at the time being one of his primary reasons for accepting the film!), and the director Umberto Lenzi, trying to make justifications for the animal violence. It is a film that even makes Cannibal Holocaust look tame in its excesses.

Radice also had various memorable deaths in Cannibal Apocalypse (the origin of the grisly image of being able to see straight through a wound to action occuring on the other side of it that has been picked up by From Dusk Till Dawn and The Quick and the Dead among others?) Michele Soavi's Stagefright-Aquarius (which also features David Brandon aka the angel Ariel from Jubilee, who seems to have gone into a long career in Italian films following his debut in Jarman's film, most recently appearing in Asia Argento's Scarlet Diva and Soavi's 2002 St Francis TV movie which NoShame has released) and Lucio Fulci's City of the Living Dead. Also he previously worked with Deodato in House on the Edge of the Park.

Not to mention a role in the "20 years later" sequel to Big Deal On Madonna Street, which I have not seen.

Wonderfully he has turned up in small parts in a couple of Hollywood films recently, such as Scorsese's Gangs of New York and was the priest who hands baby Damien over to the Ambassador at the beginning of the recent Omen remake!

It seems that this release of Phantom of Death (classfied under an alternate title as Off Balance) is unedited after previously having been edited by 18 seconds.)

[Cold Bishop]

It probably goes without saying, but Radice is perhaps most famous for his insane role in Cannibal Ferox, which on the US disc has a fantastic duelling commentary between Radice, who hates it (and is surprisingly candid about Leticia's role in the drug trade at the time being one of his primary reasons for accepting the film!), and the director Umberto Lenzi, trying to make justifications for the animal violence. It is a film that even makes Cannibal Holocaust look tame in its excesses.

He also had various memorable deaths in Cannibal Apocalypse (the origin of the grisly image of being able to see straight through a wound to action occuring on the other side of it that has been picked up by From Dusk Till Dawn among others?) Michele Soavi's Stagefright-Aquarius and Lucio Fulci's City of the Living Dead. Also he previously worked with Deodato in House on the Edge of the Park.

Not to mention a role in the "20 years later" sequel to Big Deal On Madonna Street, which I have not seen.

Wonderfully he has turned up in small parts in a couple of Hollywood films recently, such as Scorsese's Gangs of New York and was the priest who hands baby Damien over to the Ambassador at the beginning of the recent Omen remake!

Radice always did a great job in his films no matter how bad they were, or how little he thought of them. I always hoped he would get a "Tarantino-esque" revival of sort (which he asks for in the Cannibal Apocalypse featurette) and I always felt he could of done a lot more than just be a lynchpin for italian horror films. Good to see he's at least getting decent bit parts.

[colinr0380]

DVD Outsider reviews of New York Ripper (I'll stick to my uncut Anchor Bay copy!) and Phantom of Death.

[L.A.]

The Bronx Warriors Trilogy in December

[djvaso]

Cannibal Holocaust: The BBFC Advice

[colinr0380]

I'm very surprised that the lingering turtle dismemberment scene is being passed (especially since it is gleefully carried out by two of the main actors in the film, which rather undermines the idea that this was something that was always going to happen outside of the purposes of the film, even if it was eaten afterwards) but can totally understand why that muskrat scene is still beyond the pale. That still haunts my nightmares.

I assume that the also mentioned '21st Century edit' version with the toned down animal cruelty will be the same as the one that was included as an option with the US Grindhouse edition?

[colinr0380]

Four Flies on Grey Velvet on Blu coming in December.

[antnield]

The Digital Fix on Cannibal Holocaust.

[antnield]

The Digital Fix on The House on the Edge of the Park.

[L.A.]

Four Flies on Grey Velvet on Blu coming in December.

Release date January 30th 2012.

[TMDaines]

Four Flies on Grey Velvet Review

[pointless]

Michele Soavi's film The Sect (1991) Blu-ray - new 2K restoration - early 2016 release

[colinr0380]

I'll bump this thread to confirm that Shameless have just brought out the pair of Blu-ray releases of Michele Soavi’s horror films The Church (from 1989) and The Sect (from 1991). They’re not specifically connected but its always made practical sense to pair them up when talking about them, as they both deal with strange cultists and ritualistic murders. The Church was originally an entry in the Demons series (and has a number of elements from the Demons films in it structurally, such as people getting inexplicably trapped in a building, in this case a church, possessed and murdered by strange forces. More on this from Mr Sausage's post), but was given a standalone release instead without being shackled to the Demons ‘brand’! The Sect is far stranger, with a few surprising names in the cast (Kelly Curtis and a rather elderly Herbert Lom! The latter getting a bizarre Turin shroud-inspired death scene!), Manson-style cults and supernatural events. While I’m not sure its an amazing film (I much prefer Stagefright and Dellamorte Dellamore out of Soavi's filmography so far), simply the bizarre nature of the plot still lingers in the memory, and I'm more than happy to upgrade from my old VHS copy of it after all these years.

There's also the surprising composers attached to each film. The Church is scored by Keith Emerson, Philip Glass and Goblin! And The Sect has a score by Pino Donaggio.

Both films feature the English dubbed version (which was all I have previously been familiar with) and the Italian track with subtitles too. They’re both limited edition Blu-rays too unfortunately (of 3000). I’ll also link here the Mondo Digital reviews of The Church and The Sect.

[What A Disgrace]

Umberto Lenzi's Almost Human is coming from Shameless on Blu-ray, hot on the heels of 88 Films' releases of The Cynic, The Rat and the Fist and Syndicate Sadists.

[What A Disgrace]

All the Colours of the Dark is coming on May 29.

[What A Disgrace]

Sergio Martino's Torso and Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh are coming out on August 7 and July 10, respectively.

This leaves only The Case of the Scorpion's Tail unreleased, as far as Martino's early run of giallo go.

[M Sanderson]

Anybody on these forums ever watch and comment upon the films and the releases when they actually come out?

I need to know, without wasting my money, whether these are DNR'd, smeary, waxy transfers. Regarding The Church and The Sect.

Can anyone help?

[PianoMan88]

Anybody on these forums ever watch and comment upon the films and the releases when they actually come out?

I need to know, without wasting my money, whether these are DNR'd, smeary, waxy transfers. Regarding The Church and The Sect.

Can anyone help?

My guess is that very few members have purchased these Shameless releases (I'm in this group). It is quite rude though to ask for help and start out with a comment that insinuates that people here do not comment on the films and quality of releases. If you took even a minute you would find out quite the opposite.

Now if you are talking about this thread specifically then yes, very few comments, likely again because very few of us purchase from this line of releases.

There are better ways to ask for help. My two cents.

[PianoMan88]

Here's some info on the disc with a couple of screenshots on La Chiesa (The Church):

https://newzobhotel.blogspot.ca/2016/12 ... eless.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Thornycroft]

There are reviews and screencaps for both The Church and The Sect up at Mondo Digital.

[Adam X]

I've heard that The Church is fine, The Sect not so much. But this was true on DVD too. Personally, I'm waiting on the Code Red releases before making any decisions. I really like both films, but neither label are known for their exacting quality control.

[M Sanderson]

Anybody on these forums ever watch and comment upon the films and the releases when they actually come out?

I need to know, without wasting my money, whether these are DNR'd, smeary, waxy transfers. Regarding The Church and The Sect.

Can anyone help?

My guess is that very few members have purchased these Shameless releases (I'm in this group). It is quite rude though to ask for help and start out with a comment that insinuates that people here do not comment on the films and quality of releases. If you took even a minute you would find out quite the opposite.

Now if you are talking about this thread specifically then yes, very few comments, likely again because very few of us purchase from this line of releases.

There are better ways to ask for help. My two cents.

Hi, throughout these forums, there's endless discussions about if such and such label will re,ease such and such film, when someone's order is going to arrive, about what the transfer will be like - and then nada when the film is released.

Even on the forums for better known labels such as Eureka and Arrow. Once the film is actually out, it's maddening and frustrating how quiet everyone goes.

Surely it's the point if he forum to discuss the caliber of the actual releases.

[M Sanderson]

I've heard that The Church is fine, The Sect not so much. But this was true on DVD too. Personally, I'm waiting on the Code Red releases before making any decisions. I really like both films, but neither label are known for their exacting quality control.

Thanks for the response.

Labels such as Shameless don't seem to put their films out for review so it's always a risk buying them.

[M Sanderson]

There are reviews and screencaps for both The Church and The Sect up at Mondo Digital.

Thanks. Yeah I'd seen before and I thought Thompson was a bit sketchy.

He's reviewed films before and left out information when transfers have been compromised. Then when a new, better release comes out, he compares them, and afterward points out the shortcomings of the older one.

I'm thinking, from the Japanese DVD of Antonioni's The Passenger (terrible) to the German special edition of Argento's Trauma (a shocking release).