#eurocine

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Jess Franco Friday!

[brokehorrorfan]

The Hand That Feeds the Dead will be released on Blu-ray and DVD on January 19 via Full Moon Features. The 1974 Italian horror film stars Klaus Kinski.

Sergio Garrone (SS Experiment Love Camp) and Yilmaz Duru co-direct from a script by Garrone. Katia Christine, Carmen Silva, Erol Tas, Marzia Damon, and Ayhan Isik round out the cast.

The Hand That Feeds the Dead has been newly remastered in high definition from the original 35mm negative with 5.1 surround and 2.0 stereo audio options. No special features are included.

Klaus Kinski stars as Professor Nijinski, whose work with experimental skin grafts with his mentor has been aborted by a lab fire that has left his wife Tania (Katia Christine) now hideously burned, her face a bloody mass of flayed flesh and tissue. Nijinski vows to continue his research, venturing into the village with his hypnotized henchman (Erol Tas) to kidnap and murder local young woman and remove their skin, transplanting it onto his tortured wife's ruined skull. Will Nijinkski get away with his hideous crimes and bring his beloved back to her previous luscious luster? Or will the long arm of the law put an end to his tirade of murder and mad science?

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Angel of Death (Commando Mengele)

Writing credit Jess Franco

Today we are doing Jess Franco Friday adjacent as Angel of Death was directed by Andrea Bianchi (Burial Ground). Over the course of several years Franco attempted to direct Howard Vernon and Antonio Mayans in a story about Dr. Josef Mengele in South America with the juxtaposition of the poor river folk and the wealthy Germans who were hiding in mansions. It was to be called Gentes del Rio. The story he wanted to tell never came to fruition, but Eurocine was not above reworking the script and handing it over to Bianchi for a sleazier Mengele story about the Fourth Reich (the goons, helicopter, and banners were emblazoned with 4R) and genetic mad science. Vernon was again cast as Mengele and the players were filled out with a bevy of Franco regulars including Mayans, Chris Mitchum, Jack Taylor, and Fernando Rey. The film is most definitely a Bianchi work though Franco is sometimes given a directing credit. The film is not in Franco’s style though a few of shots look like they could be his, especially a signature shot of involving the camera zooming out from a reflection in a mirror. The movie has a lot of poor martial arts. They try to cover some of it up with slow motion and Chris Mitchum’s mullet. It looks like Howard Vernon had some fun chewing up the scenery in the film. This is a fairly late entry to the Nazisploutation genre and it doesn’t pack the sleazy punch of the earlier ones. I hope to someday to see what remains of the version that Franco filmed showing the dynamic between the wealthy Mengele and the poor river people, or I just want the excuse to see Lina Romay in another film.

[brokehorrorfan]

Panther Squad is available on Blu-ray and DVD exclusively from Full Moon Direct as part of the Eurocine Collection. It’s $19.95 for the Blu-ray and $9.95 for the DVD.

The 1984 action/exploitation film stars B-movie icon Sybil Danning alongside Jack Taylor, Karin Schuber, and Donald O'Brien. Pierre Chevalier directs.

Panther Squad has been newly remastered in high definition from the original 35mm negative. Special features are listed below.

Special features:

Audio commentary with star Sybil Danning, moderated by Delirium magazine editor Chris Alexander (new)

Sybil Danning starring as Ilona aka The Panther, a hotter than Hades heroine who packs a punch and looks lethal poured into her barely-there leather outfit. When a famous astronaut is held captive by a group of murderous environmental extremists, world leaders turn to The Panther Squad, a group of vicious (and viciously sexy) female mercenaries to search, rescue...and destroy. Will they succeed? Naturally, and they'll look sexy doing so!

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Jess Franco Friday!

[grindhousecellar]

Revenge in the House Of Usher is the on screen title for the Wizard video release and it is the most common name used when referring to the Eurociné release of this film, however the first release was titled El Hundimiento de la Casa Usher (The Fall Of the House Of Usher). I don’t believe there are known copies of this directors cut.

The Ace Video release decided to cash in on the zombie craze and name their release Zombie V: Revenge in the House Of Usher. This was a bold choice considering the lack of zombies or even Killing Birds in this film.

Eurociné took the original director’s cut, mashed it up with a good chunk of the original The Awful Dr. Orloff and called it Nervos or as this print is titled Neurosis: The Fall Of the House Of Usher.

Someday I hope to see the original cut as Jess intended it but I’d be happy just tracking down El Crimen de Usher (The Crime of Usher) the Spanish release with added scenes of gore.

Jess Franco Friday!

[grindhousecellar]

Three different releases of a Eurociné print.

Wizard Video

Ace Video / Edde Video Home Entertainment

Image Entertainment: The Euroshock Collection

Jess Franco Friday!

[grindhousecellar]

Jess Franco Friday !