EMAILS
FROM FAMOUS PEOPLE AND FANS (PAGE 3)
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Thanks for your positive review of this film. Of all the many VHS films I rented when the VCR craze was in its glory in the 80's, THE REDEEMER is one of my favorites. From the moment I popped it into my player, and that scene of the foreboding lake appeared and the haunting music started playing, I knew this would be one weird film. Rich in symbolism, you are correct in saying that it requires more than one viewing to appreciate it. I've read several other reviews of it, and they're invariable snarky, without a clue as to what was going on. I enjoyed this film mainly because of the range of emotions it was able to arouse in me, enhanced, like you noted, by the score. Plus the fact that I always enjoy films that give you a few things to wonder about, along the way. Good job with this one!
William
Z
Emails
like this are why I love my job! It's nice to hear that other people
love these neglected gems as much as I do. - Editor
Sir, It sounds like THE MAGIC SWORD (1962), starring Basil Rathbone and Gary Lockwood. Do a Google search on the title and let me know if it is the film you are talking about. This use to show up endlessly on late night TV in the 70's & 80's, but like everything else, these movies were replaced by infomercials. Stupid informercials!!!!!!! - Editor Snagged THE MAGIC SWORD from archive.org - it's in the public domain! Scanned it and it seems to be the movie I remember from way back. Are there similar movies? Thank you for your help - you've been great! Glad it was the movie you were thinking of! As for similar films, try CAPTAIN SINBAD (1963), directed by Byron Haskin and starring Guy Williams as the title character. It's even better than THE MAGIC SWORD, in my opinion and it contains plenty of fantasy elements, including something in a box that I won't give away. - Editor
I'm covering
Shout's LETHAL LADIES
COLLECTION VOLUME 2 featuring THE
ARENA, COVER GIRL MODELS,
and FLY ME for DVD
Drive-In. I came across your Cirio
H. Santiago page just now, which was valuable in helping me find
out who played one of the main characters. I'm not very well-versed
in Fillipino exploitation, so I don't always recognize Thanks for the valuable information, Eric. As far as what Santiago films to seek out: I would seek them all out, except for his two horror films (VAMPIRE HOOKERS; DEMON OF PARADISE). Those two are simply horrible! - Editor
Hey Fred, I'm a HUGE fan of your website. Got a quick question for you. Where in the world can a guy track down a copy of BATTLE RATS? I've looked everywhere for a VHS or DVD-R copy, but to no avail. Any suggestions on where to look would be very much appreciated. Thanks again for all the work you do. Alex Thanks for the kind words about my site. It is appreciated. A lot of these Filipino war actioners are near impossible to find in the States. I downloaded my copy off of Cinemageddon, a torrent site (and the only one I use). It seems the Dutch and the Greeks had lot of these films released on VHS in their countries. It also seems that unless you have a multi-region VCR and are willing to shell out big bucks for an original VHS copy, torrents are the only way to go. I don't like defending torrents sites because most of them deal in illegal copies of readily available films, but it is a double-edged sword because it is also the only way fans like you and me can get our hands on copies of these rare Filipino and Indonesian actioners. - Editor Hey Fred, thanks for the response. That would be great if you could get me an invite. I actually never download movies. Sometimes I'll buy a DVD, but 99% of the time I'll track down a VHS copy somewhere. Half the satisfaction of watching these types of movies comes from being able to track them down in the first place. But some are just too hard to come across. So I give you my word I won't download anything I couldn't buy. Anyways as a fellow VHS enthusiast, your website is like the holy grail of the internet.
Thanks
again,
Fred, As far as Fred Olen Ray goes, he has threatened to take me to court on several occasions (it was all about his feud with Bill Rebane in Wisconsin), but I still love the guy. It doesn't surprise me that Retromedia Entertainment has released HCH on DVD. He always releases "iffy" legal titles and will retract them from distribution if he gets a legal letter from the proper rights holder. Let's just say that he doesn't go out of the way to find them (although, in his defense, finding the legal rights holders to some of these films can be a real hassle and sometimes it is downright impossible). Thanks for all the information! - Editor
Hello there,
I'm wondering
if you can help me. I watched a film when I was younger, I can't
remember alot and I can't even remember the name! Its really bugging me.
Thank
you again, It sounds like the film THE PIT (1981). Click on the link and let me know if it rings any bells! - Editor
Hello, I know nothing about Cliff Twemlow, but I have seen some of the films of Mike J. Murphy and review his BLOODSTREAM (1985) on this site. He's not a good filmmaker by any stretch of the imagination (I call him "Britain's answer to Ted V. Mikels"), but he always manages to give his characters a very nasty edge. We here in the U.S. neeed to see more of his films. As far as I know, the only films of his to get a legitimate VHS release in the United Stares were THE HEREAFTER (1983; also reviewed on this site) and the ultimately weird post-apoctalyptic thriller DEATH RUN (1987). Even a popular site like The Internet Movie Database doesn't list his impressive resume of films. There was a minor shred of hope to see more of his films on DVD from a company called Sarcophilous Films, but they unfortunately went out of business after releasing a couple of his films. - Editor
I sure hope you
can help me out once again. I have some questions for you:
Here
are the answers to your questions: Fred, Thank you so much for the answers. I really appreciate it. My boyfriend will be so excited to get this information. I am helping him with this and I am really getting into it. I can see why so many people collect these VHS tapes. Thanks again. Nancy
Dear Mr. Adelman,
My name is Brad
Zybert and I have recently discovered your Critical Condition
website. I am VERY impressed with not only your site, but with
the knowledge and enthusiasm you put into it. I can tell you
know what you are talking about and since you were writing about
horror films at the time of its' release, I was hoping you could help
me with some information on the writing credits for the Spanish film PIECES.
A
million thanks, Brad: I have been hearing this rumor for years and there is no concrete proof that Joe D'Amato had anything to do with the screenplay or the story. I'm more inclined to believe that Juan Piquer Simon was using the alias "John Shadow" (Both names begin with "JS") when writing the screenplay to PIECES. The film contains Simon's patented inaccuracies: Push-button phones and plastic bags in the 1940's prologue and "What The Fuck" moments like the martial arts guy appearing out of nowhere. I'm also a big fan of Joe D'Amato, but this film bears none of his handiwork. At least in my opinion. - Editor
Yo. I love your site (great review selection), but I was reading your WRESTLEMANIAC write-up and noticed that you list Rey Misterio as the WWE's Rey Mysterio's father, which is not the case. They're related, but Rey Sr. is Rey Jr.'s uncle. Joey Vintage Thanks for the information and I've changed it on the review. Without readers like you, my web site would be chock-full of errors. Keep up the good work (and that goes for everyone who have found or will find a mistake in my reviews). - Editor
I have a VHS that I just found that I have never seen before and not that its a movie I haven't heard of its just I have never seen this release or even heard of this video company. I have seen a NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD Video Warehouse release but the cover looks nothing at all like this one. This VHS actually kind of resembles the Sun Video releases where they have a sticker of some sort on the slipcase where in these pictures I show you they have sticker labels on the cover. It's the movie PSYCHOMANIA with George Sanders, but I have never seen this release. I'm sure its rare or maybe its even junk I just want your expertise on this. The front label picture is a sticker and the synopsis on the back is a sticker label as well. Here's the pictures (click link to see the actual photos). Lemme know what you think. Albert Moschetti That's one of countless early budget releases (usually recorded in the crappy EP or LP modes) for this film, which was in the public domain since the late 70's. It's really not worth that much, unless someone collects every known version of PSYCHOMANIA (hey, stranger things have happened!). Judging by that generic face label on the VHS tape itself, I'm willing to bet that there weren't too many produced (if I were to hazard a guess, I would say this particular version of the film was sold between 1985 - 1988). Cable channel Turner Classic Movies (TCM) shows a great widescreen version of this film occasionally. It's really the only way to view it, in my opinion. - Editor
Hey man, we've
never officially communicated but I've seen you around Facebook and I
bought quite a few tapes from your Wensy auctions last year. I know
from your blog that you are one of the few experts on NTSC releases
and distribution companies. Benny Junko So many things happened at the end of the VHS era, that anything is possible. That being said, though, I believe that the tapes are boots. Regal sold their film rights to Video Treasures in the U.S. and Interglobal Home Video in Canada, not Saturn, and Video Treasures and Interglobal released all the Regal films in regular cardboard slipcases, not clamshells, usually recorded in the inferior LP or EP Modes. Sorry to tell you that. There's a lot of VHS boots being sold as the real thing. It started with Japanese tapes and then moved across the Pacific Ocean and U.S. tapes were being booted. All it takes is a couple of VHS recorders, a computer and a fairly good inkjet or color laser printer. Also. most bootleggers own a plastic sealer, so their product looks unopened. - Editor
Hi Fred, Adrian: Call it a sick prank, rumor, or whatever else these hackers do, but I am still here. Read the letter directly across from yours to see the full story. Sometimes, people can be real assholes and they deserve whatever justice is meted out to them. As for Critical Condition: It will be around for a long. long time. I have it in my will (which is fully legal and binding!). VHS will never die! - Editor
Hi, I like many in the VHS community was sad to hear of Fred's passing, from forum reading I understand a lot of his tapes he hadn't sold himself were being used to pay back rent? And that his childhood friend would be keeping the website going, will there be further sale/auction of VHS to help take care of costs? There are many in the community who would like to assist and help keep Fred's treasures alive rather than them going thrown out or going to someone who doesn't place the proper value on them. In particular, if you, the caretaker of Fred's site/estate, do eventually read this, I have been in the pursuit of the film DEMON DOLLS for nearly 20 years since it's release, Fred has a review for it on his site and I always wanted to believe he possessed an actual copy of this forgotten film. I also know Fred backed up his VHS to DVD-Rs. If a VHS or DVD-R of this film does exist, I would like to contribute to helping pay any outstanding debts by purchasing this and possibly other films, if this film is nowhere in Fred's archives please let me know of any future auction sites or estate sales, thank you. Well, as you probably know by now, I'm still alive & kicking. As for DEMON DOLLS, that review was part of the FILMS ON THE FRINGE section of the site and all the reviews there were written by expert no-budget reviewer/filmmaker Mario Dominick. If anyone has an original VHS of that film, it will be Mario. - Editor
Hey what's going on man? I love your site its very helpful and you are very knowledgable. I have a quick question I went digging in a local store today and I found a Unicorn Video clamshell by the name of "THE PIRATES OF THE COAST" but I can't seem to find any information about this Unicorn release ANYWHERE and I wonder how rare this thing is. I took a picture. I'll post it below I would just like your critic on my little problem here. I found info about the movie but not of this VHS and I can't find any pictures either. Please get back to me thanks! Albert Moschetti PIRATES OF THE COAST is a 1960 Italian swashbuckler directed by Domenico Paolella. It is the first that I have seen that Unicorn clamshell, so if I were you, I would pick it up! As far as I know, it is rare. I've seen a U.S. poster of the film go for over $500 and have never seen another VHS of the film from any other U.S. company. - Editor Yea, no I bought it immediately. LOL. Whenever I see Unicorn I grab it but I've never seen that clamshell either I just wanted to know what the deal was.. I guess I snagged a gem lol for cheap. A man after my own heart. Good man! You can't let something like this slip through your fingers. This is why I love doing this. I get to see something on VHS I never saw before on a regular basis. It warns the cockels of my heart! - Editor
Hi Fred,
A
special Thanks for the incredible package you sent of DVD-Rs
as I actually got it on Monday this week. WOW, I have only viewed
partial files and it is mind blowing awesome. I have to take a easy
on viewing til the weekend because I am staying up too late the last
few days.
Thanks
once more, Thanks, John, for the nice words about by Binder Scan and Complete Scan disc offers. Nearly everyone who has received them seem to love them. It took a lifetime to collect these items and nearly a year to scan them all. Believe me, they are worth every penny. As for Cinema Sewer (Thanks for sending me the issue, btw!), I absolutely think CS editor/owner Robin Bougie is one of the best writers of genre-related films and adult movies today. I simply love everything he does and encourage everyone to Google Cinema Sewer and become a regular subscriber. There really is a total lack of good zines out there (Has anyone read Tim Lucas' overblown 24-page article on "Continental Op"? in Issue #168 of Video Watchdog? It certainly wasn't my cup of tea [He seems intent of creating new catch-phrases and failing miserably] and shows the shift in tone the zine has taken in the past couple of years. That is why I no longer subscribe to it and I was a subscriber since the very first issue.) and Cinema Sewer is a must for genre fans who don't take offense to drawings and photos of naked female bodies. For Christ's sake, search it out! Subscribing is really the only answer because all the major bookstore chains (not only the ones in Canada) are closing up shop or have cut back on their magazine section. - Editor
Hi,
I am looking
for the name of a movie. The only thing I remember about it was two
guys fighting in the streets bare knuckles. They were nude and they
used their penises too fight by grabing the guy's head and jumping at
him hitting him with his penis and two nuns were betting on the
fight. It was probably made in the 1970’s but I saw it in I
think it was 1985-1986. I think it was a low budget comedy type movie
but not sure. Could you help or don't you think you know what the
movie was called? Robert McLellan
Penis
fighting? Nuns betting on the outcome? Where can I find this film?
Sorry, Robert, I haven't got a clue what the film could be (It's not STREET
TRASH - 1987 or SOUL
VENGEANCE - 1975, which both deal with penis violence), but if I
were a betting man, it sounds like some Troma film or some 70's
Hong Kong martial arts film to me. Maybe some reader could fill us
in? - Editor
Dear Mr. F.
Adelman @critcononline.com:
You posted an
e-mail from a 'Robert McLellan' that's near the bottom of Page 3 of
your 'E-mails From Famous People And Fans'. In case no one has
answered you elsewhere the movie containing the scene with the 2
naked men fighting with their 'loins' with a couple of nuns standing
to the side betting is NIGHT PATROL
(1984). Directed by Jackie Kong. That scene was meant to
depict a REAL cockfight! Instead of roosters there were
ostensibly nude men in an alley fighting it out! You don't
actually see any naked 'parts', but you do see a nun shouting to one
of them "Get him you bitch!". First released on NEW
WORLD VIDEO and then STARMAKER and probably by myriad DVD companies
by now. Regards, CARTER GORMAN
Mr. Adelman: I'm Italian, I apologize for my bad English. Congratulations for your beautiful site. I often come in it during my researches... I’m writing a book on the cult movies of the 80's. I really don't know how to reach Sal Richichi, co-head along with James Golff of the C.A.M.P. Video. I'd be happy to ask Mr. Richichi some questions on DEATH HOUSE and TERROR NIGHT (both produced by Nick Marino, with the C.A.M.P.'s involvement) and DEATH ROW DINER, shot in the same sets of DEATH HOUSE. I found in your site that you received an email from Mr. Richichi (I don't know the year, I hope the message is not too old and his email still is active) about some films produced by his company. I ask you if you can forward on to Mr. Richichi my request. I'll close my book at April 2013. My questions are on: How C.A.M.P. Video became involved with the Nick Marino's productions, recollections of the shot and the making of (I'm aware that TERROR NIGHT was a really troubled production). Mr. Adelman, thanks for your time and attention. I assure you a quote in the "special thanks" page for your "logistic" help if you'll manage to do this "connection"... Happy 2013.
Best
regards, Francesco: I sent you the email address of Sal Richichi, but be aware that it is over four years old and may not be operational now. I've had the same email address for over 13 years, so you never know. Good luck with your book and I look forward to reading it when you get it published. We need more books on the genre films of the 80's, especially the lesser-known ones. Thanks for the kind words about my site. Your English is great as far as I'm concerned. And please, call me Fred. - Editor
I
just browsed your site Critical Condition and just have this quick
question, I'm trying to identify this horror film I watched when I
was young. This is the description I gave on answers.yahoo.com: Neil As far as I know, there is no such film as ALLAN QUATERMAIN AND THE LOST TREASURE, but there is a 1986 film titled ALLAN QUATERMAIN AND THE LOST CITY OF GOLD and an Asylum Film titled ALLAN QUATERMAIN AND THE TEMPLE OF SKULLS (2008). Neither is the film you are talking about. As a matter of fact, I'm stumped, but the description you give makes it sound like some 70's - 80's Hong Kong or Italian fantasy. If anyone out there knows the title, please email me. - Editor
Hi!
While
researching posters and ads for SECONDS (the 1966 John Frankenheimer
movie), I found this image on your website:
Best, Yes, I do have the original ad, but it is part of a binder series of TV Guide ads from 1972 that I do not want to split up. I've attached a 300dpi scan of the ad, so you can print it out. Hey, it's better than nothing! LOL - Editor
Fred, can you please remove your bad review from my Amazon E-zine? I don’t make much from writing and publishing Monster Menagerie Magazine. The 70 cents a month stopped completely after you wrote a bad review. Furthermore, the fact that you maintain a website that covers the same film genre puts your review in the position of a conflict of interest. I’ve been a published author, covering monster conversations for paper magazines since 2010 and I’ve learned that getting along with our fellow Monster Fans has more benefits than being snarky. I learned early on that being snarky in my reviews didn’t help me, but writing positive reviews opened doors! A lot of doors!
Thank
you. 98% of my reviews on Amazon are positive. For you to get a negative review from me (a long, long time ago!) must mean that the writing didn't please me. I have been running my website since 1999 and published a zine since 1982 before then. I will try to remove my negative review, but something like that goes against everything I stand for. I saw your snarky comment about me on Facebook and was not happy about it. You did the same thing you accused me of doing. I am not about writing positive or negative reviews. I am about telling it like it is. Give me some time to think about this. - Editor (One Day Later...) I removed my negative review from Amazon. I read my post and saw how unfair it was. Sorry about the negative comment. I hope my deletion gets you where you want to be. I do apologize for being such a prick in my review. I must have had a very bad day to write such a review, because I am usually not that nasty. Please accept my apology. I am usually a very fair person. - Editor
In
your review of ENCOUNTERS
IN THE DEEP (1979), you mention "Tonino Ricci directed a
film called CAVE OF THE SHARKS
(1978) made back-to-back with this film, also starring Andres Garcia,
which touches on many of the points in this film, but it is very hard
to find (I tried). When I find a copy, I will be reviewing it."
Attached is a PDF from my "Mexican Film Bulletin" (way back
in 2006) that reviews this film. I have a copy (can't remember
where I got it, but it was probably somewhere online, possibly on
cable TV) and I can make you a DVD copy if you like. However,
it is Spanish-language only. I saw the film so many years ago
that I don't have any strong memories of it (in fact, I wasn't even
sure I'd seen it!). I also got a copy of "Encuentros en el
abismo" a few years back but never got around to watching that one. Dr. David Wilt No need to bother, I found a fairly good copy of the film on DVD. A review of the film will be coming shortly. Thanks for the nice words about my little website. I know I have fallen behind in my obituaries, but I promise to catch up and try to keep it current. As you can see, I have been concentrating on Italian or Italy co-produced films for the past year and I have been getting a lot of good responses, so I'm going to continue reviewing them until I run out of titles (which I don't see happening any time soon!). Keep on reading and I will keep on writing. Thanks again. - Editor
I have tried to look for a movie I watched with my friends when I was a teenager. It is a really bad horror/scifi-movie where some robots are killing people at a park at night, as far as my memory goes. My friends and I loved the movie, because it was so badly made. I can only remember one line from the movie, wich is: “Look at me while I rape you, damn it”. When I googled that line, only your homepage turned up. I tried to look for the line in your writing about scifi-movies, but since you have written so much, I kind of gave up, since Danish is my native language. Can you help me with the title of the movie??? Maybe you can look up the line in the text, that is on your homepage? Henrik This is an easy one to answer. That quote came from the Italian post-apocalypse film ENDGAME (1983), directed by Joe D'Amato as "Steve Benson. It's my favorite film of that genre! - Editor I succeded in making a copy of your description as a pdf and could look up the line I wrote you about. It turned up, that the line was from ENDGAME. I have mixed up two movies, because ENDGAME is not the movie with the robots that kill people in a park at night. Maybe you know the movie with the killer robots, as I would also like to find the title of that movie? I can remember, that one of the small robots only has one eye, and is often blinking with it, in the way humans (and many other species do). Can you help me out about the movie with the killer robots, or if not, then send me a suggestion on where to look it up on the internet or whom to contact, if you through your network might know somebody, with an interrest in horror/scifi-movies, like your own interrest? I hope that you can help me out!? That killer robot movie you are talking about could only be director Tim Kincaid's ROBOT HOLOCAUST (1986), a cheapjack sc-fier with nothing much to offer the genre besides boredom and bad acting. - Editor
Hi Fred,
I have been
hunting for a film that I saw some time ago. I only remember one
scene and while that's not much to go on it is a rather unique scene. Ben The Rat "torture" device is used in a lot of films, but I believe the movie you are describing is EPITAPH (1987), sometimes referred to as MOMMY'S EPITAPH. If the film wasn't EPITAPH, it could be TERROR AT ORGY CASTLE (1971). It also has a strikingly similar scene you described. It's a softcore horror film full of nudity and sex, so this scene came as quite a surprise. Let me know if I can help you with anything else. - Editor Fred, I appreciate your help in finding those films. Both fit what I asked for and I watched both just to be sure I saw the one I wanted. I'm happy to finally know the whole story to which one it was I saw years ago (EPITAPH).
Thank
you, It always makes me happy when I can solve someone's longtime memory mystery! - Editor
|
Fred,
Anyone
who doesn't like Tangerine Dream is really not a film fan in my book
(just listen to their music in director Michael Mann's
THIEF - 1981). I'm glad you and your
uber-fan friend are fans. Same thing for Godfrey Ho. It takes a
strong constitution to enjoy his
films. You sound like the perfect candidate! - Editor Hello there
Freddy Chan It sounds like the film JUNGLE WARRIORS (1984). Let me know if I am correct or wrong. - Editor
I just saw your
great presentation and of course loved your VidAmerica write up.
Having been the GM and worked with VidAmerica from 1980 until the
end, it brings back fond memories and I appreciate the research done
to cover that whole era in our industry. It brought back some
very fond memories that have been filed away in the recesses of my mind. It's nice to get things right every now and then and I thank you for your validation. I've seen the I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE remake on DVD and enjoyed it very much. It was one of the better 70's remakes to come down the pike in quite a while. I'm looking forward to more of your work. - Editor
Hi there,
I was browsing
your website, and I see you have a copy of "5
DEADLY ANGELS". No need to send me the clip, Mark. The Germans are known for cutting films to shreds. It's unfortunately part of their political climate right now (and back in the 80's & 90's), but things are slowly beginning to change. Usually the Greeks and the Dutch had the uncut versions of foreign action films (usually dubbed in English with their country's subtitles) on VHS. Like I have said many times before, they were lucky bastards. - Editor
Hi.
Love
the site.
Thanks, If I told you, I would have to kill you! - Editor
I am trying to
find out the value of a VHS tape. STANLEY
starring Chris Robinson by Gemstone Entertainment. It is still in
factory wrap. The cardboard sleeve is green. On the front is a multi
colored snake, a burning building with a man laying in the doorway
and a woman running away. On the back is a picture of Chris Robinson
with a snake around his shoulders. He is standing next to a tree.
There is no date. The number is 5193.
Thanks, Sorry to say Paul that I'm 99.9% sure that this tape is recorded in the inferior EP (SLP) Mode. Gemstone was a budget label and most of their tapes are nearly unwatchable (especially on today's LED or Plasma TVs). It's also the cut TV version. The only uncut version of STANLEY released on VHS was from VidAmerica. That's not to say that someone on an auction site wouldn't pay good money for the tape if he/she was a STANLEY completist. Good luck! - Editor
Hi, I can't say that I ever heard of Orchid, but it is quite possible that they were a regional VHS label that never released tapes in my area. It amazes me that I continually discover unheard of VHS companies from the 80's at least once a week and Orchid is merely another one. It's those titles of the martial arts films that you supplied that really has me stymied. I have no ad mats for any of those titles and, believe me, that's quite a feat. Maybe Orchid retitled better-known martial, arts films and released them under the titles you supplied. Sorry I couldn't be more help, but maybe an eagle-eyed reader has more information. - Editor
Very, very good
stuff. I absolutely love your site. Thanks for the information, Todd, and the nice words about the site. It's always great when someone appreciates your work. We all need a little validation every now and then! - Editor
Hi,
A few years ago
I emailed you about SHRIEK
OF THE MUTILATED and you said that you had seen the film several
times in the early mid-1970's before it was cut. Do you happen to
remember what Karen sees in the shower when Prell and Company are
trying to scare her to death? She looks opens the shower curtain and
is horrified by what she has seen, but there is a obvious cut in both
video and audio in all extant prints of the film and we don't get to
see what horrified her. Allan I'm afraid we'll never know what Karen sees in the shower. That cut is in all the prints I have seen, both theatrical and on home video. It must have been something quite hideous to get cut to achieve an R-Rating. Or, knowing Michael Findlay, it was never filmed at all. - Editor
First off, I
gotta say that your work over the years has been awesome. Thank you.
Thanks, Ah, this old chestnut! I'm afraid unless the persons that actually made the film comes forward, we will never know who directed it. All I do know is that it was shot on video (SOV) sometime in the mid-80's in Canada and was also released as THE BOUNTY HUNTERS (also without any credits). The AVEC VHS tape of REVENGE OF THE MERCENARIES is fairly easy to come by (although expensive) and many people are selling bootleg DVD-Rs of the Video-To-Video VHS version under THE BOUNTY HUNTERS name. - Editor
Sweet!
That is more than I had. I appreciate your reply.
Hello Fred, As you probably know by now, Shout! Factory has put out an edition of FLY ME as part of their LETHAL LADIES COLLECTION VOLUME 2 triple feature DVD set. It's not in the the best condition and is missing some bits here and there (especially at reel changes), but it is the best you're ever going to see this film. I recommend it wholeheartedly. - Editor
Good Afternoon,
Thanks, The film was available from Prism Entertainment under the title THUNDER COUNTY. It was also available from Something Weird Video under the title SWAMP FEVER (now discontinued). And finally, it was released as budget tapes with the titles CELL BLOCK WOMEN and WOMEN'S PENITENTIARY XI. Search eBay. You should find a copy under one of those four titles for a pretty low price. And now it is available on DVD under its original title (from an unknown company called Seedmans Group, so buyer beware)! - Editor
Hello.
I'm
really impressed by your website and your huge knowledge regarding
horror movies. Wow, this one has me stumped. It doesn't ring a bell at all. Maybe some CritCon reader will recognize the plot and solve this mystery! - Editor
Great site, but how about a "best of" section for your personal favorites? Cody Janssen Well, Cody, a "best of" section is a great idea, except for one thing: My tastes are always changing, so I would be changing the section constantly. That is why I have a GUILTY PLEASURES section. It's full of films I should dislike, but for one reason or another, I find myself watching them over and over. I will tell you one thing and this will never change: The first time I saw PHANTASM (1979) in a theater, I was in Film Heaven. It still remains one of my favorite films and I always play it on Halloween. I like the film so much, I find that I can't write a review of it, because it would feel the same way like cheating on one's wife. I also have a list of some of my favorite films HERE, but it needs to be badly updated. I hope I have explained myself clearly enough so that you and readers of CritCon understand where I am coming from. - Editor
Hi there, Will you give me information concerning the movie SNUFF from 1976. How many movie companies released this movie. I know Astra Video did this from England. Blue Underworld did the DVD. As far as the black bottom artwork big box, what movie company did this one. Or can you tell me the movie companies that release the movie per video box. I think there were 5 boxes. Most interested in the black bottom vhs tape box.
Thanks, SNUFF was released by so many VHS companies around the world, it's nearly Impossible to know which company you are talking about. I'll create a page HERE with all the VHS scans of the film that I have. Maybe you will find it there. - Editor
Hi, I just happen to know a movie called SPECIAL SILENCERS and is really good action movie & it also made your list of the twenty best films of all time! I went to your Critical Condition web to search for your list but can't find the list, can you tell me where I can find your list?
Thank
You so much! There really isn't such a list, Louie. It's just something I say when a film really catches my fancy and I love the film. - Editor
Hi, Fred, I got your email, so thanks for letting me know I got NIGHT OF BLOODY HORROR. Maybe you remember, but I've purchased a few tapes from you on Wensy, including THE SHOUT and THE JAR. Yeah, I'm a glutton for punishment. Anyway, I just wanted to say thanks again for those movies (and one or two others I cannot immediately recall), as they fit nicely into my collection. I bid on DEAR DEAD DELILAH, too, as I'm sure you know. Well, have a good week and maybe I'll hear from you again on the other tape. Hey, if you don't mind my saying, I haven't seen any new updates on Critical Condition in a while. I remember you said you had to deal with some stuff a while back that took you away from CC. Will you be posting reviews again anytime in the forseeable future or is that too rude of me to ask about? Sorry if it is.
Take
it easy, I will be posting reviews soon, but before that I have quite a story to tell my readers. I was a Facebook member and someone I thought I never heard of before hacked my account and told everyone that I died and my estate needed money to retrieve my collection of movie memorabilia. It seems he "data mined" every bit of information about me that he could find on Facebook (and figured out my password) and created a "mirror" PayPal account and changed all the passwords on my email accounts. I wasn't even aware of this until a friend of mine from Chicago called my ex-sister-in-law and yelled at her for not telling him that I died. I contacted Facebook technicians by phone and told them what was happening (beleive me, for tech-heads these people haven't got a clue what their software does) and eventually they restored my account to my regular password (it took over three weeks!) and had them track this phantom asshole's IP Address who hijacked my account. I quit using Facebook the same day and deleted my account. Since no one put any money in his mirror PayPal account, it seems that he did not commit any arrestable crimes, except to sully my good name and Googling my name will prove it. Now that I have this asswipe's name (seems he was a member of the same non-Facebook forum I was for years), he will get what's coming to him very soon. Here's my warning to everyone who has a Facebook account: You have no privacy at all. People with hacking software and some time on their hands can completely destroy your life (or end it in my case!). Facebook got way too big for its britches and lost control along the way, not to mention there is a total lack of privacy even with all the privacy filters checked-on. Unless you absolutely have to be on Facebook, delete your account (Nothing made me happier than Facebook's IPO taking a nosedive on its first day of trading!). Even when you delete your account, Facebook still keeps all your personal information for at least 90 days! The only thing I do now on the Internet is work on this web site, run my Wensy.com (User Name: fadelman) auction site and answer emails. I refuse to be a member of any corporate "social networking" site that can kill me off without my permission. I may not be in the best of health, but I am still stong enough to TCB. Well, that's my story. - Editor
Hello there.
I
love your website. I am hopeful that you might be able to help
me with some information. There is an Italian horror film by
Lucio Fulci titled ZOMBI 2 (or "ZOMBIE"
in the United States). I want to find out the various US video
releases (beta videotape, VHS, Laserdisc, etc) by Wizard Video,
Magnum Entertainment, Lightning Video, Ace Video, etc. of this
film. I need to know what editions exist in order to collect
them. I am hoping you can help me answer these three questions:
Thanks
in advance. I did an extensive search on all the major search engines and wasn't able to come up with any websites strictly devoted to ZOMBIE. This has also happened to me many times when I look for images and artwork for certain films. The Internet is a wellspring of information (some of it true, most of it false), but it has yet to achieve the status of being the depository of everything genre related. That's not to say that there aren't web sites devoted to the film, but search engines are now all about making money and unless you pay them money for placement (that is why when you look for a certain film, the Internet Movie Database is usually the first choice), it's a hit-or-miss affair. That is why Critical Condition is usually always at the bottom of every search engine out there. And most people don't take the time to look all the way to the bottom. I really don't care, because my core base of fans are fantastic, but I see where it can be a problem for a lot of people. Hey, we all have to make a buck, but I refuse to play by their rules. I will never pay for placement on search engines or put ads on my site. I will continue to say what I please without worrying if some advertiser is going to take offense. Fuck them! I do this for the love, not for the money. - Editor
Hi Fred,
It's Alex M
from AVManiacs. I got home tonight to find a mail from Troy, letting
me know what decisions were made by Edwin. He asked me to let Jimmy
Simard know that he'd (only) been suspended for a couple of weeks,
Kev B had been banned, and finally, that you'd been banned as well.
Kind
Regards,
Thanks
for the support, I appreciate it, but let's just say Troy and I
never saw eye-to-eye. We were never on the best of terms, but when I
returned about a year ago to the forum, Troy sent me a PM asking if
we could bury the hatchet and be friendly once again. I stupidly
agreed. Little did I know that it was a trap and he had been keeping
tabs on my "infractions" since the first day that I had
returned. It seems every time I disagreed with a poster, Troy would
tick it off his imaginary list. When Edwin contacted me a few days
after the fracas (In which Kev B [a new member] was being a raving
racist), he told me to "take a break, because I don't have time
for this". My account was suddenly restricted, but I wasn't
banned. Then Troy sent me a PM later that night telling me to expect
the worse. My question is, how the hell would he know if he didn't
instigate it? (He basically blamed moderators Wayne and Daniel, whom
I never even talked to in a PM!). Troy was once a mod for the forum
years ago, but was forced to give it up because Edwin found him
unable to be "objectionable". I'm not surprised that
he still has that attitude. Troy and Edwin are much too buried in
making money writing liner notes and performing other duties for a
certain DVD company (with ties to a known plagarist) to be partial
and fair.
To be honest,
Troy said that he didn't instigate the decision (he only pushed for
Kev to go, apparently). Take this as you like: I let Troy know by
mail a few days ago that I didn't feel the mods were doing their jobs
correctly recently (I made it clear that I felt Kev should be banned.
Of course I have no say in the matter but I wanted to voice my
opinion. He didn't really like this, and said that the whole thing
had been blown out of proportion). Today he tells me that he pushed
for Kev to be banned. So, that is indeed a little suspect. I'm in
agreement with your comment on Troy being unable to be objectionable. Alex I sent Troy the same type of PM you did and he went into this missive against me about how I should quit jumping to "negative conclusions" (even though it was apparent to everyone that Kev B was being racist towards Jimmy Simard and his French Canadian heritage). The next thing that happened was I was banned. I find it a little more than suspect. In his general warning thread, it was plain to see that he was sticking up for new posters like mondojustin and Kev B and putting down longstanding posters like Jimmy and myself. And how about Vincent Perierra? He can suddenly come on, make accusations of homosexual bias against me (which couldn't be further from the truth) and I can't even defend myself? Fuck him and fuck Troy. It's apparent he's the brains behind this whole mess since Edwin doesn't give a damn about the site any more. Every time Troy states that it is up to Edwin to make the final decisions, I have to laugh, because it was clearly Troy running the show. I get emails all the time from former members telling me that the AVManiacs forum has turned into nothing more than a DVD release schedule for Arrow, Code Red and Shout! Factory. And a whole lot of bitching about defects in Blu-Ray discs. Not to mention a total lack of new subjects. Who needs that type of drama in their lives? Thanks for everything and keep in touch. - Editor
Dear Fred: I'm an avid reader of Critical Condition from Ukraine and till this moment I was sure that you're dead for half-a-year. And I wasn't just glad that you're alive and well - the more suitable words are happy and shocked. Despite it was a great mystery for me, who updates the pictures on the main page. Now the far more great mystery is who updated it with a picture "Just a kind of humour Fred would've liked", that ensured me that you're already in the other world... And what I'm glad for is the fact that I never was in any wide social networks (not counting the fake account need to one Russian as there are LOTS of really rare movies). Never the less, you're on of the greatest genre film critics on the web and I'm glad you're alive as there are not so many Ukrainian and Russian films (are there any? I can't found!) and there are quite a few you must see, and the lot more of just nice movies a few people knows apart from Post-Soviet countries due to this awful iron curtain. Which is sad, to say the least. I really thank you that you're saving, systemathizing and popularizing rare films. If there was no Critical Condition I'd never known about such interesting, strange, or just good films as THE MANIPULATOR, among many others. Actually, I'm trying to develop something of a website in three languages (Russian, Ukrainian, English), dedicated to cinema and an independent film-maker myself (many short movies, many of them lost, many of them bad, some of them are okay, I hope, trying to create a full feature). It will be a great honor and pleasure for me to keep a contact with you.
Best
Regards, I can assure you that I am alive and well. One of my internet "friends" started the death rumors on Facebook to try and line his pockets with money. He didn't receive one cent. That's the reason I quit Facebook. It's too easy to hack and the internet trolls were out in full force putting the blame on me. Screw them! Thanks for the nice words about my web site and I would like to read your web site once it's up and running. We need more sites about weird and obscure films to educate the public. If you don't mind me saying so, your English is perfect. I hope everything is good for you in the Ukraine and wish you nothing but the happiest Holidays. Thanks again for your support and talk to you soon! If you need help with anything, please contact me. - Editor
Fadelman, Wondering if you were going to do a review on the outpost films, seems like the Nazi zombie thing is become more common. Great job on the site.
AOC
(AW) Philip A. Brousseau
I
reviewed the films called THE
OBJECTIVE (2007) and RED
SANDS (2009) and am in the midst of
reviewing a few more. I agree, the Nazi zombie thing is getting out
of hand, but more and more horror films are taking place at outposts
in Afghanistan, Iraq and other Muslim countries. The first one seems
to be the Sci Fi Pictures Original Film MANTICORE
(2005), but the less said about it, the better. The Muslim beliefs
are ripe for horror flicks and some of the films being made now are
quite good. I will alert you by email when I post them.
I asked this in other groups. A film that played trailer at drive in around 1979-81. Creatures or demons that grab a woman's feet legs that drag her into the floor. A trap door of some kind. It's not THE UNSEEN (1980). I own it and not it. It was drive in movie from 1979-81 as I saw trailer for it in 1980 at drive in . Would love Code Red to get it, once I figure out what it is! She was wearing a brown robe or cloak. Brian Riccomini OK, this one has been racking our brains on Facebook. We have already eliminated THE LITTLE GIRL WHO LIVES DOWN THE LANE (1976); THE EVIL (1978); DEMON RAGE (1980); THE INCUBUS (1980); THE BOOGENS (1981); HELL NIGHT (1981); DEADLY BLESSING (1981) or THE PIT (1981). Remember, the film could be made no later than 1981 and Brian remembers seeing it at a drive-in showing the double feature SILENT SCREAM - HUMANOIDS FROM THE DEEP. If anyone has an idea of what this film could be, please email me HERE. It has been driving us crazy and any help would be appreciated. - Editor
Hi Fred,
My
name is Bill, I've been a Critical Condition reader for quite a few
years now and your reviews have helped me make a number of happy
additions to my movie collection. I've even bought a few tapes you've
had up for sale online. You'll always have my thanks and gratitude
for the hard work you do, esp. those really informative and
respectful obituaries ...you carry on a great tradition that
Psychotronic magazine used to do (hopefully you'll remember what I mean).
Well,
take care Fred! Have a great weekend, Thanks for your honest opinion. And yes, Virginia Bryant does get wet in the dungeon pool, seeing the corpse of babysitter Maria floating by her (as well as many other rotten corpses). But that's all for naught, especially in the throwaway line Cheryl tells Tom at the end of the film, saying Maria returned home with her boyfriend! It's like none of it ever happened and Cheryl suffers from a case of mental illness! That's just sloppy writing and that is the main reason why the film is so bad to me. I do agree, the Beast was somewhat of an awesome creation, but the film doesn't do it justice, at least for me. Believe me, I do appreciate people sharing their opinions with me and I do know that not everyone shares my opinion, which is why writing reviews is so enjoyable for me. I love hearing other people's opinions, especially when they disagree with me. Hey, if we all thought alike, what a boring world this would be! - Editor
Hi there! I noticed you have a scan of the Code Red SCREAMS OF A WINTER NIGHT BluRay. I have been trying to track down this BluRay since I saw that Code Red was working on releasing it again from the original negatives at a longer-running version, but I cannot seem to find it anywhere (not the Code Red version, at least). Do you know where I can purchase one? I tried reaching out to Code Red but never got a response.
Thanks, I don't personally own the Blu-Ray and could never get my hands on one, even though I know Bill Olsen from Code Red. This was his fastest selling Blu-Ray that he had and his pressing of 1,000 copies was all he was allowed to make. You can probably find a used one on eBay, but be prepared to pay a lot for it. Sorry I couldn't help you. - Editor Hey no problem. Ironically, I’ve been checking on ebay and haven’t had any luck, but I just checked today and (very surprisingly) there was a brand-new listing for a brand-new sealed copy of it! I bought it as fast as I could! I’ve never grown out of these types of movies. Ever since I was very young in the days of the good old video stores I used to be fascinated walking down the aisles looking at the covers and begging my parents to let me watch them. I sometimes look through the scans on your site and remember those days vividly. That's what my little site is all about: memories. The 80's were a wonderful time, the likes of which we will never see again. I try to bring those memories back the best I can. I am happy you found a copy. Thanks for looking at my site. - Editor
Fred,
I don’t
write to everyone who writes a review of my movie, “ONE
EYED MONSTER” but when it’s a review like the one you
wrote, I feel compelled to. Mostly, I just want to say
thank you. My brothers and I are always delighted when
someone gets what we were going for. Adam Fields
It's
not often directors email me to thank me for my review, so thank you
very much! It's a shame you left the business, because you have a
talent that is lacking from most low budget filmmakers. I enjoyed
ONE-EYED MONSTER because of your talent. You should really direct
more films. I know I would watch them!
I found your
page trying to find movie I watched 27-28 years ago. I tried to find
it multiple times but cannot Google it. Of course I do not know the
title. It was VHS in early 90s (and American movies was so cool after
many years of Communism regime we had in Poland). Maybe you will be
able to help me with movie title. I asume movie is from 80's or very
early 90's.
Best
regards, I'm not able to come up with a title, but it does sound very familiar. Can anyone help Hubert out with this one? Email me if you know the name of the film! - Editor
Not sure if
this email works as I got it from a very old looking website but if
it does I just wanted to thank you as it has allowed me to finally
find the title of a film I have been searching for for years.
Thanks
so much.
Dario:
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