November 13, 2015

In this day and age of high def home entertainment, thankfully there’s no shortage of labels putting out really great horror, sci-fi and cult titles on Blu-Ray on a regular basis. But one of the more boutique indie DVD labels out there has got to be Twilight Time.

A lot of genre fans have caused a stir regarding obtaining some of their horror titles, most of which sell out rather quickly, and curse them when people on Amazon or eBay jack up the price. But those people don’t understand how Twilight Time works and the unique nature by which they do business. We’ve done two full episodes of the Killer POV podcast with TT’s Nick Redman that go into great detail about how they operate, both of which you can listen to right here on episode 77 and here on episode 118. It’s rather simple. There are only 2 retailers on the internet that offer Twilight Time titles, and that’s Twilight Time themselves via their website, or Screen Archives. Most are capped to avoid people over buying multiple copies and later reselling them. And if you keep tabs on their Twitter or Facebook page, they usually post when there are low numbers on specific titles.

It’s Friday the 13th and maybe you’re craving some new genre material out of the norm. Well, just in case you missed these, we wanted to give you a check list to some of the latest Twilight Time movies that should be on your radar and in your collection.

10 TO MIDNIGHT

10 to Midnight (1983), directed by veteran J. Lee Thompson, stars the implacable Charles Bronson as a steely cop facing off against a wily serial killer (Gene Davis) and briefly going down for the count before he rises to take vengeance. Also starring Lisa Eilbacher, Andrew Stevens, Geoffrey Lewis, and Wilford Brimley.

COUNT YORGA, VAMPIRE

Count Yorga, Vampire (1970) gives us an elegant titular character, an old-world undead gent (Robert Quarry) making his elegantly bloodthirsty way in modern-day Los Angeles. Posing as a hip medium, he attracts young lovelies to his mansion by holding séances; one bereft boyfriend (played by producer Michael Macready) enlists the help of vampire fighter Dr. Hayes (Roger Perry). Also starring Michael Murphy, and distributed by the deathless exploitation factory, American International Pictures.

JOHN CARPENTER’S VAMPIRES

John Carpenter’s Vampires (1998) stars the irrepressible James Woods as a Vatican-sanctioned vampire slayer assisted by a wise-cracking sidekick (Daniel Baldwin) and a naïve young priest (Tim Guinee); they’re pitted against a centuries-old vamp (Thomas Ian Griffith) in an attempt to retrieve a religious relic that will allow the nocturnal types to stalk the world in the full light of day. Also starring Maximilian Schell and Sheryl Lee, and featuring a terrific score by the versatile Carpenter.

SCREAM AND SCREAM AGAIN

Kind of a horror movie, kind of an espionage film, and in some sense a piece of science fiction, Scream and Scream Again (1970) features turns by three icons of the horror genre: Vincent Price, Christopher Lee, and Peter Cushing. All are involved in a wild “plot” connecting Great Britain to some unnamed totalitarian state where torture, murder, and out-of-control “experiments” are the order of the day. Directed by Gordon Hessler from a screenplay by Christopher Wicking, with cinematography by the worthy John Coquillon.

STRANGE INVADERS

Michael Laughlin directs Strange Invaders (1983), an affectionate homage to science fiction/alien takeover films of the 1950s that stars Paul Le Mat as a university professor searching for his ex-wife (Diana Scarwid), who seems to have disappeared while visiting her hometown of Centerville, Illinois. In fact, the place turns out to be a hotbed of aliens, in place since the Fifties and weirdly unaware of how the outside world has changed. Also starring Nancy Allen as a helpful journalist, and a lively supporting cast including Michael Lerner, Louise Fletcher, Wallace Shawn, Fiona Lewis, and period icon June Lockhart.

BLACK WIDOW

With Black Widow (1987), maverick director Bob Rafelson gives us the alluring tale of a seductress (Theresa Russell) who marries and murders a series of wealthy men, getting away with her crimes until an equally clever female adversary – a Justice Department drone (Debra Winger) as bewitched as she is repelled by her quarry – picks up the Black Widow’s scent. Also starring Dennis Hopper, Sami Frey, and Nicol Williamson as an entertaining trio of poor saps. Shot by the incomparable Conrad Hall and featuring a superlative score from Michael Small, available on this Twilight Time release as an isolated track.

DEVIL IN A BLUE DRESS

Devil in a Blue Dress (1995), writer-director Carl Franklin’s moody, neo-noir adaptation of Walter Mosley’s acclaimed novel, stars the superb Denzel Washington as Easy Rawlins, a laid-off factory worker-turned-private investigator in post-World War II Los Angeles. Easy finds himself in a world of trouble after accepting an apparently simple assignment: find a missing white woman (Jennifer Beals) apparently hiding out in the black juke joints along L.A.’s Central Avenue. Pretty soon, as Easy uncovers a tar pit of corruption, people are turning up dead. The terrific supporting cast includes Tom Sizemore, Don Cheadle (in a career-making performance), Maury Chaykin, Terry Kinney, and Albert Hall.

Other titles you might dig: THE OTHER, AUDREY ROSE and THE BELIEVERS. Definitely keep tabs on all future TWILIGHT TIME releases and announcements via their website, and Facebook page!