Severin Films Releasing Danza Macabra Volume 1

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

On March 28th, Severin Films descends into the dank crypts of EuroCult with the 4-disc box set DANZA MACABRA – Volume 1 featuring the North American Blu-ray premieres of a quartet of Italian Gothic classics. Also on 3/28, Dario Argento's THE FIVE DAYS comes to Blu-ray.

DANZA MACABRA

In a genre known for its castles, crypts and candelabras, Italian Gothic also embraced themes of violence, madness and sexual deviance. With these 4 films, those impulses dare to go even deeper: In 1964’s THE MONSTER OF THE OPERA, director Renato Polselli and screenwriter Ernesto Gastaldi craft a surreal erotic shocker set within a contemporary dance troupe. Perhaps the genre’s rarest film, the berserk supernatural narrative of 1965’s THE SEVENTH GRAVE also makes it among the strangest. For 1970’s SCREAM OF THE DEMON LOVER, director José Luis Merino gathers classic traditions, then strips them naked and ties them to a torture rack. And 1971’s LADY FRANKENSTEIN delivers iconic EuroCult talent on both sides of the camera for one of the most luridly entertaining shockers of the decade. The films in this collection are now fully restored from their original negatives, with 12+ collective hours of Special Features.

THE MONSTER OF THE OPERA

THE MONSTER OF THE OPERA: Conceived as a sequel to their landmark THE VAMPIRE AND THE BALLERINA, director Renato Polselli (THE REINCARNATION OF ISABEL, DELIRIUM) and screenwriter Ernesto Gastaldi (ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK, LIBIDO) resurrected their gothic-fiend-stalks-a-theatrical-troupe framework for an over-the-top aria of reincarnated lovers, sheer nightgowns, sapphic hunger, interdimensional damnation and frenzied ‘opera’ that “looks like the fever dream of an oversexed choreographer” (Fantastic Movie Musings). Marco Mariani (TOMB OF TORTURE), Giuseppe Addobbati (NIGHTMARE CASTLE) and Milena Vukotic (BLOOD FOR DRACULA) star in this surreal and still potently erotic shocker now scanned in 2K from the original negative, featuring an all-new interview with Gastaldi and more.

THE SEVENTH GRAVE

For more than 50 years, it has existed only via rumor, reputation and barely watchable bootlegs. It remains perhaps the strangest Italian Gothic ever made: The sole feature by enigmatic director Garibaldi Serra Caracciolo – here using the anglicized pseudonym ‘Finney Cliff’ – combines familiar murder mystery elements of THE CAT AND THE CANARY with odd dollops of mad doctors, escaped lepers, giallo-style killings and one of the most strikingly original séance sequences in the entire genre. Antonio Casale (‘Bill Carson’ in THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY), Ferruccio Viotti (SEX OF THE WITCH) and Gianni Dei (PATRICK STILL LIVES) star in this fascinating rarity now scanned in 2K from the recently discovered negative, with all-new Special Features that explore the bizarre circumstances behind the film’s production, release and half-century disappearance.

SCREAM OF THE DEMON LOVER

Though he made only two horror films, veteran writer/director José Luis Merino (THE HANGING WOMAN) here embraces the genre’s classic elements and ravishes them to vivid extremes: When a beautiful biochemist (Erna Schurer of STRIP NUDE FOR YOUR KILLER) arrives at a foreboding castle to work for a sinister baron, she’ll unlock a nightmare of dark romance, sexual violence, grisly family secrets and some of the most perverse moments in ‘70s Gothic. Carlos Quiney (ZORRO THE INVINCIBLE), Agostina Belli (BLUEBEARD) and Enzo Fisichella (MALABIMBA) co-star in this Italian/Spanish co-production – also known as KILLERS OF THE CASTLE OF BLOOD and released in the U.S. by New World Pictures cut by nearly 20 minutes – now scanned in 4K from the negative for the first time ever.

LADY FRANKENSTEIN

Co-produced by Roger Corman, “one of the most underrated horror movies of all time” (Classic Horror) features ultra-lurid direction by American-International star Mel Welles (LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS) from a story by Dick Randall (PIECES), distinctive cinematography by Riccardo Pallottini (CASTLE OF BLOOD) and score by Alessando Alessandroni (THE DEVIL’S NIGHTMARE), a cast that includes Hollywood legend Joseph Cotten (CITIZEN KANE) alongside EuroCult icons Paul Müller (NIGHTMARE CASTLE), Herbert Fux (MARK OF THE DEVIL), Marino Masé (TENEBRAE) and Mickey Hargitay (BLOODY PIT OF HORROR), and a titular performance by the remarkable Rosalba Neri (THE DEVIL’S LOVER) for whom “only the monster she made could satisfy her strange desires!” LADY FRANKENSTEIN is now scanned in 2K from the original negative, with alternate scenes, all-new Special Features, and much more.

THE MONSTER OF THE OPERA Special Features:

Audio Commentary With Kat Ellinger, Author of Daughters Of Darkness
Terror At The Opera – Interview With Screenwriter Ernesto Gastaldi
Capodimonte Gothic – Interview With Italian Film Devotee Mark Thompson-Ashworth
Radio Polselli – Archival Audio Interview With Director Renato Polselli
French Trailer

Feature Specs for THE MONSTER OF THE OPERA:

Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
Audio: Italian Mono
Subtitles: English
Region: A

THE SEVENTH GRAVE Special Features:

Audio Commentary With Rachael Nisbet, Film Critic And Co-Host Of Fragments Of Fear
Seven Graves And A Mystery – Interview With Film Historian Fabio Melelli
English Aesthetic With Giallo Blood – Video Essay By Gothic Scholar And Author Rachel Knightly

Feature Specs for THE SEVENTH GRAVE:

Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
Audio: Italian Mono
Subtitles: English
Region: A/B/C

SCREAM OF THE DEMON LOVER Special Features:

Audio Commentary With Rod Barnett, Film Historian And Co-Host Of NaschyCast, And Robert Monell, Writer And Editor Of I'm In A Jess Franco State Of Mind
Scream Erna Scream! – Interview With Actress Erna Schurer
In The Castle Of Blood – Video Essay By Stephen Thrower, Author Of Books On Jess Franco And Lucio Fulci
Trailer

Feature Specs for SCREAM OF THE DEMON LOVER:

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Audio: English Mono, Italian Mono
Closed Captions: English SDH
Region: A

LADY FRANKENSTEIN Special Features:

Audio Commentary With Kat Ellinger, Author of Daughters Of Darkness, And Annie Rose Malamet, Film Scholar And Host Of Girls, Guts, Giallo
Audio Commentary With Alan Jones, Author Of Dario Argento: The Man, The Myths & The Magic, And Kim Newman, Author Of Nightmare Movies
Meet The Baroness – Featurette With Actress Rosalba Neri And Film Historian Fabio Melelli
Piecing Together LADY FRANKENSTEIN
The Lady And The Orgy – Documentary Short On Director Mel Welles
The Truth About LADY FRANKENSTEIN (2007) – German TV Documentary
Clothed Insert Shots
Video Short Illustrating BBFC Censorship Cuts
Italian Opening Credits
Bigfilm Magazine (1971) – Italian LADY FRANKENSTEIN Photo Novel
Extensive Image Gallery
Home Video Gallery
Radio Spots
TV Spot
Trailers

Feature Specs for LADY FRANKENSTEIN:

Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Audio: English Stereo, Italian Stereo
Subtitles: English
Closed Captions: English SDH
Region: A/B/C

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

[Randy G Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Randy G]

The director/screenwriter duo for Monster of the Opera is certainly promising.

[agent999 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close agent999]

The director/screenwriter duo for Monster of the Opera is certainly promising.

It's a lot of fun. Time to retire the horrible French DVD.

[BW Haggar Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close BW Haggar]

Crikey, quite the day for big announcements, isn't it?

Has anyone seen 'The Seventh Grave'? Even the clips in Severin's trailer look quite dull, so I don't have high hopes.

Nonetheless, I'll almost certainly find myself picking this one up, even though I've already got a perfectly good 'Lady Frankenstein'.

[killer must kill again Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close killer must kill again]

damn, I want a decent looking version of posellis monster of the opera but I don't want to buy lady frankenstein again + scream of the demon lover is not that great tbh.
couldn't they just release virgin of nuremberg already? they've released two christopher lee euro horror sets and a lot of obscure italian gothic horror and this one is still AWOL.

[Operazione Paura Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Operazione Paura]

Crikey, quite the day for big announcements, isn't it?

Has anyone seen 'The Seventh Grave'? Even the clips in Severin's trailer look quite dull, so I don't have high hopes.

Nonetheless, I'll almost certainly find myself picking this one up, even though I've already got a perfectly good 'Lady Frankenstein'.

It's pretty boring. As I recall, there is an awful lot of people just walking around talking. Like virtually everyone else that HAS seen it, the video I saw was barely watchable in the first place, so it will be great to have this set, all the same, and see it as it was meant to be seen.

AND, I expect that "Volume 1" means that a 2nd volume is already in the works!

[fatboyslim142 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close fatboyslim142]

damn, I want a decent looking version of posellis monster of the opera but I don't want to buy lady frankenstein again + scream of the demon lover is not that great tbh.
couldn't they just release virgin of nuremberg already? they've released two christopher lee euro horror sets and a lot of obscure italian gothic horror and this one is still AWOL.

The Severin release of Lady Frankenstein is a 2k transfer & has 2 extras that the Nucleus release doen't have, albeit the UK release does include the US version which contains almost 2 mins of footage NOT in the longer version.

[Gary Banks Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Gary Banks]

I'm going to pass on this one. I already have a bd of Lady Frankenstein and a nice dvd-r of Opera. Scream is forgettable. Will see what Volume 2 has.

[BW Haggar Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close BW Haggar]

It's pretty boring. As I recall, there is an awful lot of people just walking around talking. Like virtually everyone else that HAS seen it, the video I saw was was barely watchable in the first place, so it will be great to have this set, all the same, and see it as it was meant to be seen.

AND, I expect that "Volume 1" means that a 2nd volume is already in the works!

Let's hope so!

Re: this set, the more I think about it, the less I'm inclined to pay top dollar for one good movie, two reportedly sub-par ones and one I've already got. But a nagging sense of Euro-gothic completism still keeps pulling me back, so we'll see....

[Marshall Crist Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Marshall Crist]

I'm in for the upgrades on Demon Lover and the Polselli film. Seventh Grave seems like it might be worth a look.

[mjeon Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close mjeon]

Vampire of the Opera and Monster of the Opera are the same film, correct? Malombra has announced that they are releasing Vampire in the UK.

I remember that Scream of the Demon Lover has too much arguing ("Are you saying I beat my hounds?")

[agent999 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close agent999]

Vampire of the Opera and Monster of the Opera are the same film, correct?

Yes, same movie.

[killer must kill again Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close killer must kill again]

The Severin release of Lady Frankenstein is a 2k transfer & has 2 extras that the Nucleus release doen't have, albeit the UK release does include the US version which contains almost 2 mins of footage NOT in the longer version.

I don't really care for that chopped up us version and the transfer looks to be exactly the same from that trailer.

Vampire of the Opera and Monster of the Opera are the same film, correct? Malombra has announced that they are releasing Vampire in the UK.

yes, that's the news I was waiting for!

[fatboyslim142 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close fatboyslim142]

I'm going to pass on this one. I already have a bd of Lady Frankenstein and a nice dvd-r of Opera. Scream is forgettable. Will see what Volume 2 has.

The Opera film is getting a UK release from Malombra so you can upgrade your DVD-R.