The Diabolical Dr Z (1966)

It's time for a welcome release of some more Jess Franco on UK Blu-ray as one of the best films from his early black and white period gets a release from Eureka.

Dr. Zimmer (Antonio Giménez Escribano) has developed a technique for drilling into the brains of criminals and removing their ability to be evil, turning them into placid subservients. Zimmer’s research presentation is laughed out of a meeting with his colleagues and he dies from a heart attack as a result. His daughter Irma (Mabel Karr) is also a doctor (so this could have been called ‘THE DIABOLICAL DR ZS’) and decides to take revenge on the three doctors she holds most responsible for her father’s death. To effect this, Irma uses the brain-drilling machine and a kidnapped nightclub dancer with poisoned fingernails. 

For anyone claiming Jess Franco was a shoddy filmmaker (as opposed to making some shoddy films, which he certainly did), THE DIABOLICAL DR Z is one to show them. The black and white photography is sharp, the lighting carefully considered, and the opening scenes of the Woodside Strangler escaping from prison could look at home in a classic film noir. The plot is crazy but in the best way, and while there’s not a lot of subtext, Franco can’t help but include some of his recurring obsessions, the poisoned nightclub dancer ‘Miss Death’ aka Nadia (Estella Blain) among them.

Archival extras on Eureka's disc include Tim Lucas' commentary track ported over from Redemption's Blu-ray, and a trio of fascinating talking head pieces from a French 2018 release, with DIABOLICAL DR Z's screenwriter Jean-Claude Carriere talking about his work with Franco (18 minutes), Franco expert Lucas Balbo discussing this period of Franco's film-making (16 minutes) and journalist Stéphane Di Mesnildot talking about the film (12 minutes).

New extras consist of Xavier Aldana Reyes discussing European Gothic Cinema including Caligary, Mario Bava, Georges Franju, Paul Naschy and others including, of course, Jess Franco. Samm Deighan offers a 19 minute piece on Mad Science in Gothic Cinema which is absolutely fine if you haven't read my Frightfest Guide to Mad Doctors or attended my lectures on the subject. Finally the set comes with a collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film from Antonio Lazaro-Reboll, co-editor of The Films of Jess Franco.

Jess Franco's THE DIABOLICAL DR Z is out on Blu-ray from Eureka on Monday 20th October 2025

Malpertuis (1971)

 

"The Belgian Gormenghast?"

Radiance Films are releasing on Blu-ray, in a gorgeous limited edition complete with book and slipcase, a 4K restoration of director Harry Kumel's unique and haunting adaptation of Belgian writer Jean Ray's novel Malpertuis.

Jan (Mathieu Carrière) is a sailor, in port for just one night. Instead of wine, women and song he instead searches for the house of his birth, only to find it has been demolished and replaced with a shop. Pursuing a girl he thinks he recognises he ends up in the very place he had sought to avoid, and in that nightclub-cum-brothel he ends up in a fight that leaves him concussed.

When he wakes up he finds himself in the rotting, rambling surroundings of Malpertuis, owned by huge bedridden patriarch Cassavius (Orson Welles, only 56 at the time and not the first role he had played entirely from a bed - that was his own 1962 adaptation of Kafka's THE TRIAL). Jan meets his sister Nancy (Susan Hampshire in the first of five roles in this) and the motley assortment of eccentrics that populate the house, all of whom have gathered to witness the last wishes of Cassavius. He tells them they all inherit, but they have to stay at Malpertuis forever. As time goes on things get stranger until eventually Jan learns the secret of the house and also how he came to be there.

When MALPERTUIS was shown at Frightfest this year Harry Kumel was in attendance and was understandably a bit miffed that the programme notes gave away the ending. Certainly the film works better if you're not expecting the revelations that form the climax so avoid what other people have said about this if you can. Otherwise this is a rich gothic work and it's possible to see how it might have influenced similarly strange and eccentric movies from Mario Bava's LISA AND THE DEVIL (1973) to Vivian Stanshall's SIR HENRY AT RAWLINSON END (1980). Its pace is measured but that's because plot is far less important than the atmosphere of damp mouldering rot the film conjures, with the occasional (deliberate) flash of almost Powell and Pressburger beauty rendered all the more vivid by Randiance's 4K restoration.

Extras on the disc include a new Harry Kumel interview (by Anne Billson, 20 minutes) and Jonathan Rigby offering his thoughts on both the film and the source novel (26 minutes). He even mentions Jess Franco who had occurred to me while watching the film, too. There's a wealth of archival material from a 2005 release including a Kumel commentary (in English) with his first assistant director on the film, Francoise Levie, a making of with cast and crew members (37 minutes), a Susan Hampshire interview (12 minutes), a piece on Orson Welles' contribution (26 minutes) and a 1971 TV interview with Kumel.

There's eight minutes of ancient scratchy footage of Jean Ray himself talking about his writing style (he died in 1964) and five minutes of Harry Kumel at the film locations. You also get the 104 minute 'Cannes cut' of the film that Kumel has disowned although I did rather like the title sequence, as well as Kumel's 37 minute short film adaptation of Kafka's The Warden of the Tomb from 1965. Finally, the set comes with a beautifully produced 78 page book featuring new writing on the film from Lucas Balbo, David Flint and others. Here's a trailer for the set:

The 4K Restoration of Harry Kumel's MALPERTUIS is out on Blu-ray in a Limited Edition of 3000 on Monday 13th October 2025

 

Short Sharp Shocks Volume 4 (1948 - 1980)

        It's time yet again for the BFI to dig deep into the vaults and provide us with a two disc Blu-ray collection of short subjects of a disquieting nature. Some of these played in cinemas, while others were seen on TV (and, in the case of the public information films, repeatedly) while a few are 8mm amateur pieces. I've reviewed all the volumes in the series so far and if you want to refresh your memory of what has been featured previously you can click on the following links:

Volume 1

Volume 2

Volume 3

Right! Let's see what we get this time around:

Disc One

The Fatal Night (1948)

Puse (opera singer Lester Ferguson) accepts a bet from his friends Cyril (Leslie Armstrong) and Tony (an impossibly young Patrick Macnee) that he can't spend the night in the haunted room of Tony's aunt's house. Soon Puce is alone, but a copy of the London Mystery Magazine is on hand to provide entertainment, and before you can say 'film within a film' we are watching the story of 'The Phantom Footsteps' in which two Victorian sisters inherit a house in London, spend their first night alone there, and encounter horror. The story may be over but the night is not for Puse who encounters horrors of his own, although the ultimate horror awaits his two friends.

THE FATAL NIGHT isn't bad at all, even if the storytelling is a bit convoluted. Director Mario Zampi builds a fine sense of suspense in a few key scenes and the whole 50 minute endeavour feels like a superior forerunner of anthology TV shows like Night Gallery or Tales of the Unexpected. Oddly enough, it was remade (nowhere near as effectively), as The Gentleman From America, a 1956 Season One episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents.

Death in the Hand (1948)

After a bit of a slow start this one's really good fun and will have fans of Amicus films wondering if it inspired Milton Subotsky's framework story for his 1965 DR TERROR'S HOUSE OF HORRORS. Five people are in a train compartment on the way to London. One is a palm reader and slowly we discover the lifeline of everyone in the carriage stops at their current age. What can they do? Is the train going to crash? Is it all just nonsense? Some very nice model work plus a cast that includes John Le Mesurier keeps this one tense and it's capped off by a decent little ending, too. 

Strange Experiences (1955 & 1956)

        Where would the Short Sharp Shocks series be without a couple of entries sufficiently dated and just downright odd to make your jaw drop just a little bit? This time we get two 'strange tales' narrated by Peter Williams - Hallowe'en Party and The Laughing Clown, both lasting about three minutes each.

Night Ride (1967)

Denis Meikle is most well known for his excellent history of Hammer Films, recently republished in a new edition. Here he writes, produces, directs and co-stars in a 19 minute home made 8mm movie in which three ne'er do wells attempt to steal money from an eccentric occultist who lives in a remote mansion. Needless to say it all goes horribly wrong. Highly imaginative and well wrought on a minimal budget, and the BFI have thoughtfully provided subtitles for the bits that are a bit muffled.

Mirror Mirror (1969)

An amateur 16mm piece, this time from the Eastbourne Cine Group. A man buys a make of mirror that was presumably freely available in the 1960s as the exact same one hung in the Probert family house for years (perhaps I should have stared into it longer). Looking into this one reveals a case of murder in Victorian times, one that has a neat, witty resolution that I'm not going to reveal here.

Extras on disc one include Mario Zampi, Jr talking about his father (10 minutes), John Attfield discussing NIGHT RIDE in which he plays the occultist (17 minutes) and four minutes of behind the scenes and outtake footage from NIGHT RIDE, as well as still galleries from THE FATAL NIGHT and DEATH IN THE HAND.

Disc Two

Scarecrow (1972)

In the drought-stricken Ireland of 1931 one farmer tries to stop crows from eating his crops with disastrous results in this 17 minute dialogue-free short that's big on texture and period detail if rather slight on plot.

Red (1976)

Goodness me what's this? Naked Gabrielle Drake tied to a dining hall table with leather straps in the presence of Mark HAUNTED HOUSE OF HORROR Wynter and Mr Roy from The Basil Brush Show? In a film that channels both Hammer Horror Gothic and Norman J Warren-style exploitation? Written and directed by Astrid Frank from Val Guest's 1973 AU PAIR GIRLS and who also appears in this as a nearly-topless serving girl? I haven't even mentioned Ferdy Mayne yet but hopefully connoisseurs of mid-1970s British X-certificate cinema will already be terribly excited at the prospect of this. 

        Ferdy is a wandering artist who happens across a country house in which the only other guests are three travelling troubadours. After they sing a terrible song Ferdy falls asleep and dreams (or does he?) of some right old SATAN'S SLAVE-type ritual sex and murder. RED played as the support feature to DAMIEN: OMEN II amongst others. Audiences must have wondered if they'd wandered into the wrong screen. And possibly the wrong cinema. Definitely a highlight of the set.

Sanctum (1976)

The most experimental film of the set may likely be the most challenging film for many. Winner of the IAC (Institute of Amateur Cinematographers) top prize in 1976 this 8mm film without dialogue looks at one man's obsession with religious iconography while being haunted by his own guilt. I think. The film has a new score by 'The Begotten' which is described as outstanding by the press release, although some may consider its wall to wall soundscape of electronic wheezing, farting and grinding something of a challenge to get through. 

Play Safe (1978)

Two public information films, consisting of 'the one with the frisbee, the child, and the power station' and a longer ten minute one on electricity featuring an animated owl that will remind some of a certain Inside No.9 episode.

Black Angel (1980)

Roger Christian's highly atmospheric epic fantasy short

(it runs about 30 minutes) made an impression on a generation of youngsters when it was shown as the support picture to THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK in British cinemas. Many will have now caught up with it on YouTube but if you haven't, or if you fancy having this gorgeously shot, atmospheric piece of epic fantasy in a decent transfer then here it is, and thanks are due to the BFI for giving us an official version for our libraries. Familiar character actor Tony Vogel (who also starred in BBC1's 1979 Dick Barton series) plays a knight who returns home only to find his castle plundered and everyone dying of a strange disease. Eventually he meets the Black Angel of the title and has to face him / it in a duel. 

Disc two has two excellent extras. Astrid Frank discusses her life and career and the shooting of RED (18 minutes) while Roger Christian has a lot of interesting things to say about BLACK ANGEL and his relationship with George Lucas (22 minutes). There's also a stills gallery. The first pressing of the disc comes with a booklet featuring writing on each film as well as an essay by Sarah Appleton on NIGHT RIDE, and a short piece on The Begotten.  

Short Sharp Shocks Volume 4 is out in a two disc Blu-ray set from the BFI on Monday 13th October 2025

Jacob's Ladder 4K (1991)

 

"Worth Watching at Least Twice"

Studio Canal are releasing, on UHD, Blu-ray and Digital, a new 4K restoration of writer Bruce Joel Rubin and director Adrian Lyne's 1990 hallucinatory tale of one man's attempt to come to terms with what has happened to him.

The Mekong Delta 1971. A platoon of US infantry are preparing for an incoming attack when something even more terrible seems to take place. Private Jacob Singer (Tim Robbins) receives a bayonet in the guts and the next we see he's waking up on the New York subway with a copy of Albert Camus' The Stranger in his hands. The people on the train behave strangely and when he gets off there seems to be no way out. But he must eventually get out because we then see him in his New York apartment with his girlfriend Jezebel (Elizabeth Peña) and the following day he goes to work at his job with the postal service. 

But strange things are happening to Jacob. One the way home he is chased by a car filled with creatures with misshapen faces. At a party with Elizabeth he believes he sees strange demon-like creatures and at one point he wakes up to find he is home with his ex-wife and his three children, one of whom we have been told died some time ago.

What is going on? And is it linked to his experiences in Vietnam? If you don't know the film (or the short story some have said it's similar to) I'm not going to spoil it for you, suffice to say JACOB'S LADDER is effectively and cleverly enough made that as the credits roll you'll be asking all the right kinds of questions.

Studio Canal's 4K upgrade looks excellent, maintaining a good amount of grain without any undue picture noise or image smoothing, allowing the chilly, grim New York locations to feel appropriately grungy and unpleasant. Extras consist of a trailer and a new 30 minute featurette that includes interviews with Tim Robbins, Adrian Lyne and Bruce Joel Rubin, who expands more on how he got the idea for the story in the first place.

JACOB'S LADDER didn't do terribly well when it was released and didn't get especially good notices either, but it has stood the test of time well and is worth discovering now and, if you first saw back in 1990 as I did, it's definitely worth revisiting. Studio Canal's disc also comes with four art cards. 

Adrian Lyne's JACOB'S LADDER is out from Studio Canal in a 4K restoration on UHD steelbook, Blu-ray and digital formats on Monday 13th October 2025

The Ambulance (1990)

"Larry Cohen Strikes Again!"

Independent cult director (and hugely prolific screenwriter) Larry Cohen's THE AMBULANCE is getting a limited edition (2000 copies) Blu-ray release from Eureka that features on 'O' card slipcase and a booklet with new writing on the film.

Marvel comics illustrator Josh (Eric Roberts) has designs on Cheryl (Janine Turner) who he sees on his way to work every day. When he finally gets to talk to her in a busy New York plaza their conversation gets interrupted when she suddenly feels ill and collapses. An ambulance appears almost straight away and whisks her off. Despite Josh's best efforts, she seems to have vanished into thin air.

In fact she's been taken back to evil doctor Eric Braeden's evil hospital where, when he's not selling off his abductees for other people to experiment on, he's trying to cure diabetes (it turns out all his abductees are diabetics). Will Josh find Cheryl in time? With or without the hindrance of the police who include Lieutenant Frank Spencer (yes really) played by James Earl Jones?

The screenplay for THE AMBULANCE, while filled with interesting ideas and witty dialogue, does very much feel as if it was written very quickly, possibly all in one go and without much revising. There's a lot of treading water instead of moving the plot forward and while quite a bit of it is fun (an appearance by Red Buttons is particularly entertaining) there is the sense of stuff being there just to add to the run time. Eric Roberts is absolutely fine as the lead although as we get to the end he seems to be either quite tired or possibly under the influence of something.

Eureka's disc comes with two commentaries. The first is new and from Steve Mitchell who made the excellent documentary KING COHEN while the second is archival and features both Mitchell and Larry Cohen himself. There's a lot of excellent stuff in here - filming in New York, Cohen's other pictures, and what it was like to work for Marvel - but be prepared for some repetition between the two pieces.

Other extras include an interview with Larry Cohen and stunt coordinator Spiros Razatos shot for KING COHEN but not previously seen (20 minutes), Larry Cohen book author Michael Doyle on the film-maker, tantalising us with some of Larry's unmade projects (22 minutes) and Murray Leeder talking about how THE AMBULANCE fits into the history of medical horror films (17 minutes).

Larry Cohen's THE AMBULANCE is out on Blu-ray from Eureka in a limited edition of 2000 on Monday 13th October 2025