Spasmo (Umbero Lenzi) - Scorpion Releasing

[Brian81]

Originally Posted by cakefactory

It would be nice to see a release of "The Lady in Red Kills 7 Times" that doesn't come in a two pack with a silly plastic figurine and cost an arm and a leg for a subpar transfer too, but hey!

You know that the case for this one was independent of the big box, right? ANOTHER release that I didn't see as subpar...

No Shame was a great indie label, I miss them...

[billyearle]

Originally Posted by logboy

... I would prefer BDs of any Giallo I missed the dvd for first time around and have recently looked at Germany, but so far ge only spotted films I've already seen and I'm nog really a double-dip buyer. can you point out any releases you've spotted, in case there's any of interest to me? I onky know a couple of shops online for German releases.

shop.dtm.at and diabolikdvd are the two sites I know. Except for The Psychic, I can't remember most of the giallo titles cause they're in German usually. The Lorelei is the only one I remember being not expensive, but I don't know how good it is, and it may be more horror than giallo (a good thing for me) but I just don't know if it's worth buying.

Originally Posted by logboy

expanded (almost 90 minutes) version of the OST in the last year, via beat records on limited CD >

http://www.beatrecords.it/shop.asp?l...odotto=CDCR123

... and more recently on vinyl (black or coloured vinyl), via death waltz records.

http://deathwaltzrecordingcompany.co...eluxe-edition/

i'm keen on lenzi before the 80's, particularly the giallo and polizioteschi films, but can never keep track of the editions that are subbed, dubbed or just decent with their transfers. caught up with a couple of german DVDs recently - expensive, but reliable transfers i hear. would buy into the OST CDs but i've not seen many of the films that they're connected to.

I had to get the 2CD too, but I think the single disc version was a much better listen. So, I wouldn't recommend paying too much for the double if it's OOP already.

[UniSol GR77]

JESUS CHRIST I totally missed this, one of the best Giallo movies of all times, unique and original. I love this movie to the nth degree.
I'm so happy to get it on blu-ray!

[dsman71]

I hope the rental store that I shop at has it to rent..Id like to check this one out

[logboy]

Originally Posted by billyearle

shop.dtm.at and diabolikdvd are the two sites I know. Except for The Psychic, I can't remember most of the giallo titles cause they're in German usually.

I've found one or two sites, both in Germany and Austria, but I have the same trouble with titles. poster artwork is often used for sleeves, but they don't register with German titles. not keen on english dubs, but that's about as much as you can expect most of the time. not many sites cover dvd releases to any great extent either, now be has settled in.

... I have the 2CD OST for lizard. hugely frustrated that cd issues are often OOP or very expensive, and newer issues seem to be pitched at vinyl collectors, not music buyers, who, as far as I'm concerned, might buy on cd too.

[babybreese]

Originally Posted by billyearle

The Lorelei is the only one I remember being not expensive, but I don't know how good it is, and it may be more horror than giallo (a good thing for me) but I just don't know if it's worth buying.

The German BD of LORELEY'S GRASP is a bogus upconvert from the German DVD. It's not very pretty and also this transfer lacks the correct day for night tinting found on the BCI DVD release, so all the night scenes take place in broad daylight. They dropped the price quickly after it came out, so if you need this title, it's better than nothing but I was severely disappointed.

[Akijama]

Here is the BluRay art for SPASMO, the Blu and the DVD will be hitting retail sometime in July. Blu will be 29.95 and DVD will be 19.95. The BluRay will include both English and Italian audio w/ English subtitles, vintage interview with Umberto Lenzi, and an original trailer.

https://www.facebook.com/scorpionrel...type=1&theater

[HorrorBlu]

I was scrolling by and thought this was the Canadian snake film Spasms from William Fruet.

Never seen this one, but I might give it a try. I've really enjoyed all of Umberto Lenzi's films that I've seen, especially his cheesy late '80s fare like Ghosthouse, Hitcher In The Dark, and Welcome To Spring Break. Not as familiar with his '70s work.

[redrunner97]

Looks great!

[Brian81]

I need to pull the DVD out...

Wonder if the interview is the same one as on the Shriek Show DVD.

[mca213]

Morriconne's score for this is amazing - best part of the film.

[dallywhitty]

Originally Posted by mca213

Morriconne's score for this is amazing - best part of the film.

I think that's true for a lot of films he scored. I watched Who Saw Her Die? recently and the music was easily the best thing about it.

Regarding Spasmo, I remember seeing the poster art for this in a Total Film article about video nasties, although why this and such films as Cataclysm and The Sexorcist were featured is beyond me as they weren't actually on the nasties list. Hell, I don't even think they made the Section 3 list. Anyway, 88 Films are releasing Spasmo over here as part of their Italian Collection line so I'll probably pick it up.

[cakefactory]

Almost all his scores for giallos are stunning, and they're so damn varied. Short Night of the Glass Dolls, Who Saw Her Die, Bird with the Crystal Plumage and Lizard with a Woman's Skin all have incredible scores and their most memorable themes don't sound remotely like each other. I thought there was plenty to like about Who Saw Her Die apart from the score (it's really interesting as a companion piece to Don't Look Now, and there's a deep sense of melancholy and loss that you almost never get in Giallos apart from a couple key entries like Footprints on the Moon or What Have You Done to Solange), but that the score is wildly unique and certainly the most attention-getting thing about it. The electronically manipulated and echoed children's choir during the stalking scenes...

I can't wait to get this, I just watched Torso last night and Suzy Kendall is great. The last 20-30 minutes of that are masterful and she's much of the reason why. Giallos aren't at all known for strong acting, but a few of the regulars in them were way better than the material called for, particularly Florinda Bolkan, Suzy Kendall and Edwige Fenich.

[dallywhitty]

Originally Posted by cakefactory

I thought there was plenty to like about Who Saw Her Die apart from the score (it's really interesting as a companion piece to Don't Look Now, and there's a deep sense of melancholy and loss that you almost never get in Giallos apart from a couple key entries like Footprints on the Moon or What Have You Done to Solange), but that the score is wildly unique and certainly the most attention-getting thing about it. The electronically manipulated and echoed children's choir during the stalking scenes...

It wasn't a bad film and I wouldn't say no to watching it again. Frankly, though, my main reason for watching it was to see George Lazenby in a non-Bond role and the poor guy looked so unhealthy in it! The horrible moustache didn't really help.

[Cujo]

Originally Posted by mca213

Morriconne's score for this is amazing - best part of the film.

Well, it and Suzy Kendall, anyway. Of Lenzi's gialli, Knife of Ice is my favorite, but this would be a close second. I look forward to upgrading. My old Shriek Show DVD crapped out on me.

[Brian81]

With Lenzi still being alive, it's too bad they couldn't release this film with and WITHOUT the Romero additions. Lenzi dislikes the inserts, after all.

I threw the DVD on last night. It's better than I remembered. I wouldn't really call it mediocre. It's pretty good. Also, it is far from kitschy, so maybe I was confusing it with another giallo in one of my earlier replies.

[ScorpionReleasing]

Originally Posted by Brian81

With Lenzi still being alive, it's too bad they couldn't release this film with and WITHOUT the Romero additions. Lenzi dislikes the inserts, after all.

I threw the DVD on last night. It's better than I remembered. I wouldn't really call it mediocre. It's pretty good. Also, it is far from kitschy, so maybe I was confusing it with another giallo in one of my earlier replies.

No one can find this "urban legend" footage regarding the Romero shot inserts. I can sit on the title until one ever finds it, but I have my suspicions it's a myth, as by now, it should have turned up in the grey market somewhere, but it did not. Has Romero himself ever said publicly he shot inserts for a film called SPASMO?

[Brian81]

Originally Posted by ScorpionReleasing

No one can find this "urban legend" footage regarding the Romero shot inserts. I can sit on the title until one ever finds it, but I have my suspicions it's a myth, as by now, it should have turned up in the grey market somewhere, but it did not. Has Romero himself ever said publicly he shot inserts for a film called SPASMO?

I don't know. I just watched the Lenzi interview on the Shriek Show disc and he says something to the effect that Romero added scenes to the film without his approval. I really don't know anything more than that. Oddly enough, there is also something mentioned about a lack of graphic violence and nudity but nothing looks out of place visually and both of these things are minimal in the film to begin with. After watching the interview, I was under the impression that what is on the Shriek Show disc already contained Romero inserts. Maybe it really doesn't.

If the cut that was on that release, or the release that you guy are doing, is actually the director's cut to begin with (meaning there's none of these rumored Romero scenes in it), I'd say there's zero reason to sit on it. Maybe I've confused what Lenzi was talking about with what's on the DVD and the two things are different.

[Blu Titan]

This release is going to be fun .

[Brian81]

Well, according to Rewind @ DVDcompare.net, the Shriek Show DVD is the Italian cut. I don't know if it's accurate but it probably is. That would explain why there's a lack of the gratuitous blood and nudity that Lenzi talks about on the DVD. So ScorpionReleasing, is your release the same cut of the film as on that DVD? Since you said that you haven't found that rumored footage, I guess I should assume it is.


Time to rid of that DVD in prep for picking up the BD...