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Hammer Horror’s ‘Paranoiac’ Getting a UK Blu-ray Release
Final Cut Entertainment is set to release Hammer Horror’s Paranoiac on region B Blu-ray on November 20th. This thriller may not be the most popular of the Hammer films but given that it was helmed by the legendary Freddie Francis it does bring a certain level of importance with it. Francis is likely known in most circles for his DP work that nabbed him two Oscars, but he also directed a number of films including some of the best from both Hammer and Amicus, including one of my personal favorites Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors.
This won’t mark the Blu-ray debut for Paranoiac as it was released stateside last year by Universal as part of their 8-film Hammer Horror collection, however, I don’t believe that set contains any special features for Paranoiac — though I could be wrong because I do not have it. If you’re in Europe or a major Hammer/Francis fan with a region free player this new release may be more to your liking since it does come with a making of feature that runs nearly 30 minutes. At any rate, Paranoiac is a fun film from a very important filmmaker so the more widely available it becomes, the better.
And more importantly the mask in this film is truly frightening.
Synopsis:
While the wealthy Ashby siblings – brutish alcoholic Simon (Reed) and his emotionally unstable sister, Eleanor (Janette Scott) – are waiting to come into their vast family trust fund, Simon plots to have his sister certified insane after she claims to have seen an apparition of their long-dead brother, Tony (Alexander Davion), wandering around the estate.
Extras:
The Making of Paranoiac (27 mins)
Stills Gallery
Trailer
Are you ready to go back?
After a record-breaking box office run and an extended cut re-release, A24 and director Kane Parsons’ Backrooms is heading home to Digital.
Backrooms will be available to rent or buy this Tuesday, July 14.
In the film, Chiwetel Ejiofor stars in Backrooms as the owner of Cap’n Clark’s Ottoman Empire, who discovers a strange doorway in the basement of the furniture showroom. He sets out to explore the mysterious, liminal space, walking headfirst into a creepypasta nightmare.
Renate Reinsve (A Different Man) also stars in Backrooms.
Will Soodik wrote the screenplay.
I wrote in my review, “Backrooms is at once complex and sparse, but never repetitive. It might be set in 1990, but it effectively captures modern anxieties and isolation in a way that frequently makes your skin crawl. While the journey ultimately loses steam by its cryptic end, Parsons’ visual representation of the human psyche disturbs like no other.”
YouTube prodigy Kane Parsons makes his feature directorial debut based on his creepypasta-inspired video series, which debuted in 2022 and has amassed over 190 million views to date.
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