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‘The Return of Dracula’ Headlines Olive Films’ October Releases
Olive Films October lineup is now available and it’s another good batch with a lot of variety. If straight horror is what you’re looking for Olive has you covered with The Return of Dracula and Special Effects but they’re also provided some anime and sci-fi options as well. Doesn’t look like any of these releases will contain special features which is a bit of a bummer, but at least these are some good new titles to own on Blu-ray. Complete details below.
THE KING OF PIGS
Dir. YEON SANG-HO
Release Date: 10/18/2016Synopsis:
The King of Pigs, a tale of murder, revenge and classism, is the latest film from Korean anime director Yeon Sang-ho (The Fake).
Unflinching in its depiction of violence, The King of Pigs begins moments after the brutal murder of a woman at the hands of her husband, a once-successful businessman, Hwang Kyung-mi (Oh Jeong-se, The Unjust), and flashes back to his school days and the abusive events that have shaped his life and that of his estranged fellow classmate Jung Jong-suk (Yang Ik-june, Always Behind You).
As school boys, both men were considered part of a lower class of student known as “pigs.” Pitted against the affluent, upper-class “dogs,” the “pigs” hope an end to the abuse will come in the form of transfer student Kim Chul (Kim Hye-na, Flower Island), a rebel who will show the cowering students how to fight fire with fire.
THE FAKE
Dir. YEON SANG-HO
Release Date: 10/18/2016Synopsis:
Pastor Sung (Oh Jungse, Running Man), the beloved shepherd to his rural flock, finds himself under the thumb of Elder Choi (Kwon Haehyo, Killer Toon), an unscrupulous man who manipulates him into swindling the villagers out of the money they’re to receive for a relocation project that involves the village being flooded to make way for a new dam.
Realizing that Sung and Choi are not only stealing from the villagers, but putting them in peril, the warnings of a local outcast Min-chul (Yang Ikjune, The King of Pigs) fall on deaf ears. The villagers have come under the spell of these trusted men of God. But Min-chul will not be silenced. When his daughter is put in harm’s way, against all odds, Min-chul unleashes hell on the fakes.
Variety called The Fake, written and directed by Yeon Sang-ho (The King of Pigs), “a ferocious, unsubtle indictment of organized religion” stating that the film “impresses with its backgrounds and richly detailed interiors.”
VILLA RIDES!
Dir. BUZZ KULIK
Release Date: 10/18/2016Synopsis:
Villa Rides!, Buzz Kulik’s (Shamus) sprawling historical adventure set against the backdrop of the Mexican Revolution stars Yul Brynner (The Magnificent Seven) as the Mexican renegade Pancho Villa and Robert Mitchum (The Night of the Hunter) as Lee Arnold, an American fortune hunter for hire. Villa Rides! features a supporting cast that includes Charles Bronson (Messenger of Death) as Villa’s right hand man, Rodolfo Fierro; Herbert Lom (A Shot in the Dark) as the imperious General Victoriano Huerta; Alexander Knox (The Longest Day) as President Francisco Madero; Fernando Rey (The French Connection) as the dutiful soldier Fuentes; and Grazia Buccella (After the Fox) as Fina, the woman who would share the love of both Villa and Arnold. Villa Rides! is written for the screen by the legendary Robert Towne (Oscar-winning screenwriter of Chinatown – 1975) and Sam Peckinpah (Oscar nominee for The Wild Bunch screenplay – 1970) based on the novel by William Douglas Lansford; photographed by Jack Hildyard (Oscar winner for The Bridge on the River Kwai – 1958) and features a rousing score by three-time Oscar winner Maurice Jarre (Lawrence of Arabia – 1963, Doctor Zhivago – 1966, A Passage to India – 1985).
GAS-S-S-S
Dir. ROGER CORMAN
Release Date: 10/18/2016Synopsis:
It’s the end of the world! Get happy!
Gas-s-s-s, a mash-up of the science fiction and comedy genres, is a post-apocalyptic tale viewed through the lens of director Roger Corman (The Trip) featuring a cast of young talents-of-the-day including Cindy Williams (American Graffiti), Bud Cort (Harold and Maude) and Ben Vereen (All That Jazz).
When a military chemical accident (the gas-s-s-s leak of the title) kills everyone on the planet over the age of twenty-five, Earth is left in the hands of the youth. Hippies Coel (Robert Corff, Fright Night) and Cilla (Elaine Giftos, The Student Nurses) will lead the way on a quest for survival joined by boyfriends & girlfriends Hooper (Bud Cort), Coralee (Tally Coppola, The Godfather), Marissa (Cindy Williams), and Carlos (Ben Vereen) in the trippy and darkly comic Gas-s-s-s.
Directed by Roger Corman (The Trip) from a screenplay by George Armitage (Miami Blues), Gas-s-s-s co-stars Alex Wilson (Dirty Little Billy), Alan DeWitt (Tales of Terror), and in a cameo appearance, Country Joe and the Fish musician “Country Joe” McDonald.
STRATEGIC AIR COMMAND
Dir. ANTHONY MANN
Release Date: 10/18/2016Synopsis:
James Stewart (Vertigo) and June Allyson (The Glenn Miller Story) star in director Anthony Mann’s (El Cid) Cold War aviation drama Strategic Air Command. Robert “Dutch” Holland (Stewart), a successful player for the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team, finds his inactive duty status with the U.S. Air Force suddenly active. When Holland, originally tasked with a staff job, is promoted to commanding a B-36 bomber crew, his attempts to balance domestic life with Sally (Allyson as his devoted wife) and service to God and country will test not only his marriage, but also his sense of self.
Shot in VistaVision and Technicolor by the great William Daniels (Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, How the West Was Won), Strategic Air Command features an amazing color palette and stunning aerial photography complimented by a rousing score courtesy of Victor Young (Around the World in Eighty Days, For Whom the Bell Tolls).
Equally impressive is the supporting cast that includes Frank Lovejoy (Try and Get Me), Barry Sullivan (The Bad and the Beautiful), Henry Morgan (High Noon), Jay C. Flippen (The Killing), James Bell (Holiday Inn) and Rosemary DeCamp (Yankee Doodle Dandy).
THE RETURN OF DRACULA
Dir. PAUL LANDRES
Release Date: 10/18/2016Synopsis:
For those who like their vampires with that certain European panache, The Return of Dracula is sure to thrill. Francis Lederer (Terror is a Man) stars as the titular Count – this time using the pseudonym Bellac Gordal – as he travels from his Transylvania home to the United States. In the guise of being a distant relative on vacation, The Count takes up residence at the home of the Mayberry family in sunny California.
Quicker than you can say “I like my stake rare,” The Count … er … Gordal is up to his old nocturnal tricks and comes under the scrutiny of young Rachel Mayberry (Norma Eberhardt, Problem Girls) whom Gordal has set his sights on, which may be her undoing.
The Return of Dracula, directed by Paul Landres (The Vampire) from Pat Fiedler’s script, co-stars Ray Stricklyn (The Lost World), Virginia Vincent (The Hills Have Eyes), John Wengraf (The Pride and the Passion), Gage Clarke (The Bad Seed), Jimmy Baird (The Black Orchid) and Greta Granstedt (They Never Come Back).
SPECIAL EFFECTS
Dir. LARRY COHEN
Release Date: 10/18/2016Synopsis:
From the writer & director of It’s Alive, Larry Cohen’s Special Effects casts a satirical eye on Hollywood, viewed through the prism of the horror film genre. When the fresh-faced Oklahoma country boy Keefe (Brad Rijn, Smithereens) comes looking for his wife Mary Jean (Zoe Tamerlis, Ms .45), a wannabe actress, he soon discovers the seamy side of Tinsel Town when Mary Jean is found dead and he’s the prime suspect.
With a few swipes at Hollywood archetypes (Eric Bogosian as Christopher Neville, a once-revered Wunderkind director; Zoe Tamerlis as Mary Jean look-alike, Elaine, a budding actress who isn’t beyond manipulating the situation for her own benefit), Special Effects offers chills, thrills, shrieks, and a few laughs along the way.
Written and directed by Larry Cohen, Special Effects also stars Kevin O’Connor (Let’s Scare Jessica to Death) and Richard Greene (TV’s Mad Men) in supporting roles.
Scream Factory brought Frank LaLoggia’s 1988 Halloween movie Lady in White to Blu-ray several years back, and now Vinegar Syndrome gives the film a 4K Ultra HD upgrade.
Vinegar Syndrome’s Lady in White 4K release is available now and shipping now!
Watch the trailer below and grab your copy from Vinegar Syndrome today.
This limited edition 4-disc 4K UHD/Blu-ray x 3 set comes with a spot gloss hard slipcase + slipcover combo (designed by Dylan Haley), includes a 40-page perfect bound book and is limited to 8,000 units. It is only available on their website and at select indie retailers.
The full Special Features package includes…
- 4-disc Set: 1x 4K Ultra HD (High Bitrate BD100) / 3x Region A Blu-ray
- 4K UHD presented in Dolby Vision High-Dynamic-Range
- Newly scanned & restored in 4K from its 35mm original camera negative
- Presented in three versions: 126-min Pre-Release Director’s Cut (UHD+BD), the 118-min Extended Home Video Cut (BD), and the 113-min Theatrical Cut (BD)
- New group commentary track with writer/director Frank LaLoggia, alongside actors Lukas Haas, Joelle Jacobi, and Len Cariou for the Pre-Release Director’s Cut
- New commentary track with Frank LaLoggia, moderated by Scott Neumyer for the Extended Home Video Cut
- New commentary track with authors Emma Westwood and Stephen A. Russell for the Extended Home Video Cut
- Archival commentary track with Frank LaLoggia for the Extended Home Video Cut
- “Learning How to Fly” (10 min) – an interview with actress Karen Powell
- “A Snapshot in Time” (9 min) – an interview with actress Lisa Taylor
- “Human Touches” (6 min) – an interview with actress Lucy Lee Flippin
- “Still Relevant” (16 min) – an interview with actress Rose Weaver
- “75% Listening, 25% Editing” (9 min) – an interview with editor Steve Mann
- “Welcome to Willowpoint Falls” (6 min) – a location featurette hosted by Benjamin Scrivens, founder of Fright-Rags
- “Dream Talking: Looking Back” – a visual group commentary for the Pre-Release Director’s Cut with Frank LaLoggia, and actors Lukas Haas, Joelle Jacobi, and Len Cariou (103 min)
- Deleted Scenes with introduction and optional commentary by writer/director Frank LaLoggia (36 min)
- Behind-the-scenes footage with introduction and optional commentary by writer/director Frank LaLoggia (16 min)
- Extended behind-the-scenes footage (73 min)
- Introduction from the 20th anniversary dvd release
- Promotional ‘industry sales’ trailer (7 min)
- 40-page perfect bound book with essays by film historians Molly Henery, Mark H. Harris, and Heidi Honeycutt (limited edition only)
- Multiple radio spots
- Theatrical trailer
- Multiple TV spots
- Workprint trailers (7 min)
- Still gallery
- Reversible sleeve artwork
- English SDH subtitles
1962. Nine-year-old Frankie Scarlatti enjoys a homespun childhood in a rustic Western New York town. The entire community gets into the spirit of Halloween, but then two bullies prank Frankie by locking him in his school cloakroom, leaving him trapped for the night. Alone and afraid, his slumber is interrupted when the ghost of a little girl appears, and Frankie witnesses the specter of her murder by an unseen assailant. Later, while recovering at home, the girl’s ghost appears to him again. With help from his older brother, Frankie begins investigating the circumstances of her death. He soon discovers that her murder was one of several unsolved crimes connected to a local child-killer. As the town’s bucolic veneer fades and long-buried secrets and tensions bubble to the surface, all of the clues to the mystery seem to point towards a huge mansion inhabited by a reclusive woman known as “The Lady in White.”
A nostalgia-driven ghost story wrapped within an intricate murder mystery and coming-of-age drama, writer-director-composer Frank LaLoggia’s passion project Lady in White remains one of the most beautiful and original American horror films of the 1980s. Featuring acclaimed actors Alex Rocco (The Godfather), Len Cariou (Executive Decision), and Sydney Lassick (Carrie, The Unseen), it boasts the first starring role by Lukas Haas (Mars Attacks, Inception) as well as breathtaking photography by Academy Award® winner Russell Carpenter (True Lies, The Lawnmower Man). Vinegar Syndrome is honored to bring this genre masterpiece to 4K UHD, newly restored from its original 35mm camera negative and presented in three versions: its pre-release director’s cut, its extended home-video version, and its original theatrical version, along with an abundance of both new and archival extras.
Paul Lê wrote here on Bloody Disgusting back in 2023, “Over the years, fans have described this film as gateway horror, but they liken it more to The Watcher in the Woods than, say, Hocus Pocus or Casper. There are chilling moments that warrant its PG-13 rating.”
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