In the Lost Lands (2025)

 

"Better than BORDERLANDS"

Director Paul W S Anderson's latest attempt to make you wonder why he's still being given money to make films is getting a 4KUHD, Blu-ray, DVD and VOD release from Studio Canal.

On an world where an apocalypse has turned everything into sepia-tinted green-screen and CGI, a sexy and most likely evil queen (Amara Okereke) charges Gray Alys, 'The Witch They Could Not Hang', (Milla Jovovich) with the task of bringing her a shapeshifter so she can also acquire the skill. Alys teams up with gunslinger Boyce (Dave Bautista) and together they set off across a visually-enhanced landscape, all the while being pursued by representatives of the land's church who want to stop them. 

Based on a short story by George R R Martin, IN THE LOST LANDS is by the numbers fetch quest sort of stuff, and there's nothing wrong with that. In fact in the right hands this could have been a lot of entertaining fun. Instead, however, this is more like one of those ads you see for video games with the disclaimer 'Not actual gameplay footage' in tiny letters at the bottom, only one that is 101 minutes long.

The story is simple and straightforward and yet the storytelling gets needlessly complicated with unnecessary info-dumps, maps and regular onscreen reminders of time passing. Our heroes' encounters with a variety of colourful characters along the way offer multiple opportunities for B movie-level guest star cameos. Needless to say, there are none. The pacing is poor, and much of the acting and editing wouldn't even be considered passable in more 'adult'-themed productions out there. 

For those out there who need to see everything, IN THE LOST LANDS is probably on an enjoyment (and intelligibility) level equal with Justin Kurzel's 2016 ASSASSIN'S CREED. The fact it doesn't feature a talking Jack Black robot elevates it above Eli Roth's BORDERLANDS but that's not exactly something to be proud of. Here's the trailer:

Paul W S Anderson's IN THE THE LOST LANDS is out on digital platforms now and on DVD, Blu-ray, 4K UHD and VOD on Monday 2nd June 2025

Steppenwolf (2024)

Kazakhstan film-maker Adilkhan Yerzhanov's multiple award-winning transnational post-western (read on for more about that) gets a limited edition Blu-ray release from Arrow.

In a bleak landscape torn apart by a civil war between the police and rival gangs, traumatised and broken Tamara (Anna Starchenko) wants nothing more than to find her lost son. She enlists the aid of a violent, morally bankrupt cop (Berik Aitzhanov) who agrees to help her, initially because of the offer of money and later because he realises the man who has kidnapped the child is also the one who burned the rest of his family alive.

As they journey across one of the bleakest landscapes committed to film they encounter a collection of traumatised, selfish and immoral characters, very few of whom survive the cop's wrath. Eventually things culminate in a bloody and explosive showdown with their quarry.

There's an excellent extra on this disc in the form of a video essay from Lee Broughton that explains what a transnational post western is and why STEPPENWOLF fits the category, illustrating this with reference to a number of westerns, especially Clint Eastwood's Italian films (but also COOGAN'S BLUFF and UNFORGIVEN). With its post-apocalyptic feel it's also easy to consider STEPPENWOLF to be in the vein of George Miller's MAD MAX but hey, that gets classified as one of these transnational post westerns too.

David Flint provides an extremely listenable commentary track that goes into the themes discussed in Broughton's essay in more detail as well as explaining the significance of the film's title and its relationship to the Herman Hesse novel of the same name.

As a bonus another film by the director is included. 2022's GOLIATH features the same leading man in a tale of justice vs gang loyalty. It lacks the bleakest of bleak punches of STEPPENWOLF but if you enjoy the main feature you'll definitely want to take a look at it as well. 

Finally, Arrow's limited edition comes with a reversible sleeve and a booklet featuring interviews with cast and crew, including composer Galymzhan Moldanazar who provides an excellent synthesiser score to the movie. 

Adilkhan Yerzhanov's STEPPENWOLF is out on Blu-ray from Arrow on Monday 26th May 2025

Terror in the Fog: The Wallace Krimi at CCC (1963 - 1964)

Eureka are releasing a four disc set of German krimis made by Artur Brauner's CCC (Central Cinema Company) in the 1960s. Playing off the huge success of the German Edgar Wallace adaptations made by CCC's counterpart Rialto Film, by the time Brauner got involved there weren't many Wallace properties left for him to acquire the rights to, so instead he went to Wallace's son, Bryan Edgar Wallace, and bought up some of his novels instead. (The name 'Bryan' was sometimes very small on the posters). All the films in the set apart from one are in 1080p HD from 2K restorations of the original film elements. So let's take a look at what we get:

Disc One

We kick off with a 6 minute introduction for the uninitiated from Tim Lucas. 'What is a Krimi?' discusses the crime genre, the giallo, and contextualises the krimi within these, as well as noting some of the krimi's most celebrated directors. It's a very helpful introduction for those who know nothing about the genre, and provides what is very much an overview, as each of the films here gets its own a more detailed introduction.

The Curse of the Yellow Snake (1963)

The one true Edgar Wallace property Artur Brauner was able to acquire is the tale of feuding stepbrothers (played by Rialto regulars Joachim Fuchsberger and Pinkas Braun) who are both after a fabulous golden snake which will give them unlimited power should they decide to go to war. Braun's Fing Su has a secret army all ready to go, hidden in a secret temple in a disused factory, but can Fuchsberger's Cliff stop him?

Easily confused with the Rialto film series,  this entry possesses many of the same features (cast, colour titles over black and white footage, even Alfred Vohrer's voice introducing it as 'Edgar Wallace') and is just as entertaining, with secret rooms, dastardly villains, and a ludicrous plot. 

Extras include a 13 minute introduction by Tim Lucas where he explains the relationship between Rialto Film and CCC, and a commentary track by Kim Newman and Barry Forshaw which, understandably, covers much of the same material as the Lucas introduction at the beginning before striding off on its own.

The Strangler of Blackmoor Castle (1963)

Director Harald Reinl was a master of this kind of movie and he doesn't disappoint here, delivering one of the best krimis from any studio. We've got a gothic castle with secret passages, a masked and gloved killer bumping people off and leaving an 'M' carved on their heads, and Karin Dor as the heiress who finds herself in the middle of it all. Composer Oskar Sala provides another of his experimental music scores which works pretty well except perhaps for a scene in an 'English' pub. Still, this is cracking stuff, with a couple of decapitations (one head turns up in a box), so many dodgy characters you're spoilt for who to suspect, and a tense, well shot and atmospheric climax. 

Tim Lucas provides a ten minute introduction to this one, and we also get a lively and informative commentary by the always reliable Jonathan Rigby and Kevin Lyons.

The two films also have English dubs should you want them, and there's a trailer for The Curse of the Yellow Snake.

Disc Two

The Mad Executioners (1963)

One of the best krimis of the lot (Rialto Film productions included) begins with the machinations of a secret court which tries criminals who have escaped the gallows, finds them guilty, and then hangs them. Who are these masked men? And do they have any connection with a series of gruesome decapitations of young blonde women that have been occurring over the last couple of weeks? Inspector John Hillier (Hansjörg Felmy) is on both cases and there are plenty of suspects. 

Despite the subject matter, this one has a lighter touch than many of the krimis, and at points almost veers into comedy, suffice to say if you're a fan of the witty deaths of THE ABOMINABLE DR PHIBES and indeed CARRY ON SCREAMING's fun send up of the horror genre you'll find a lot to enjoy here. The reason for the decapitations is all kinds of crazy wonderful and the reveal at the end is a cracker. Fantastic stuff. 

Tim Lucas provides us with another introduction (11 minutes) detailing the Bryan Edgar Wallace projects that were considered but weren't filmed before Artur Brauner decided to go for this one, inspired by an 'idea' by Wallace the younger. Jonathan Rigby and Kevin Lyons perform commentary duties and get especially stuck in to all the glorious mad science stuff towards the end. 

The Phantom of Soho (1964)

Presented as an 'extra' because it's in SD rather than HD (a good enough master couldn't be found), it's still a delight to finally have available a film immortalised for many by the appearance of the above still in Denis Gifford's Pictorial History of Horror Movies. And the print quality isn't bad at all, so don't let that put you off this, another superior krimi in which men are being stabbed through the heart by a golden-gloved mask-wearing killer who leaves an envelope on each victim. Dieter Borsche gets a rare 'good guy' krimi role as the police inspector and director Franz Joseph Gottlieb wrings every bit of gothic atmosphere he can out of CCC's Soho, a gloomy foggy place filled with prostitutes and grotesques. Another cracking krimi.

Extras include a Tim Lucas introduction (9 minutes) in which he talks about how the film claims it's based on a Bryan Edgar Wallace novel but no actual book can be found that saw publication. Kim Newman and Barry Forshaw return for commentary duties which is up to their usual excellent standard.

Both films on here have English dubs (with PHANTOM having to resort to German with subtitles in a few spots). There's also a ten minute interview with Alice Brauner, daughter of Artur, and current managing director of CCC

Disc Three

The Monster of London City (1964)

A modern-day Jack the Ripper is slashing prostitutes to death in London, and the killings mirror a Grand Guignol-style play that's currently on at the 'Edgar Allan Poe' theatre in the West End. Needless to say the star, Robert Sand (Hansjörg Felmy) quickly becomes the police's number one suspect, but there are plenty of others vying for the role. Robert's girlfriend Ann is played by Marianne Koch (A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS) and her uncle has a habit of creeping out at night dressed just like the killer. Then there's the play's director who's keen to drum up publicity. The identity of the actual killer is pretty easy to work out but that doesn't stop this from being a lot of fun, partly filmed on sets from THE PHANTOM OF SOHO and featuring a climax in that good old krimi standby, the local asylum.

Tim Lucas gives us another very helpful introduction (8 minutes) while Kim Newman and Stephen Jones provide a boisterous commentary track. Also on this disc is an 18 minute piece from Alexandra Heller-Nicholas which looks at the connection between the krimi and the slasher movie. It discusses all the films in the set so it's advisable to watch them all first before taking a look at this. There's also an English dub track and the German trailer.

Disc Four

The Racetrack Murders (1964)

Also known as THE SEVENTH VICTIM and retitled in English speaking countries for obvious reasons. After a couple of movies ostensibly based on the works of Bryan Edgar Wallace but not actually, for a change here's a movie actually taken from a BEW novel (Murder is not Enough). Death surrounds top racehorse 'Satan', tipped to win a forthcoming derby, but not if various nefarious characters can help it. Meanwhile those involved with Satan's care are being bumped off, and it may all be connected to the conviction and hanging of a man that took place 15 years ago. 

THE RACETRACK MURDERS isn't quite as good as the rest of the films in the set. The identity of the killer is satisfying but is almost immediately scuppered by a bewildering ending that you'll probably need to watch twice to verify that you saw it.

Extras here include a final Tim Lucas introduction (8 minutes), a Jonathan Rigby and Kevin Lyons commentary (they confess to being equally bewildered by that ending), and an additional commentary track that plays along with the film but is actually Tim Lucas and Stephen R Bissette discussing all the films in the set, how they first came to watch them, and contextualising them with the other crime thrillers released at the time. It provides a fine end to an excellent set of films.

Finally, Eureka's set comes with a 60 page book featuring new writing on the films from Howard Hughes, Barry Forshaw and Holger Hasse.

TERROR IN THE FOG: THE WALLACE KRIMI AT CCC is out in a four disc Blu-ray set from Eureka Entertainment on Monday 26th May 2025

Slade in Flame (1975)

The BFI are bringing out Richard Loncraine's tale of pop fame and eventual disillusionment, starring one of the most famous bands of the 1970s, on Blu-ray & DVD in a dual format edition. It's a film Mark Kermode has called 'the CITIZEN KANE of British pop movies'. I'm not sure if I'd agree with that - I think Brian Gibson's BREAKING GLASS very much has the edge - but it's still a valuable and fascinating record of aspects of Britain's pop music scene in the mid 1970s.

It's also a film that provides us with early examples of the work of not just its director, who would go on to make THE HAUNTING OF JULIA / FULL CIRCLE (1977) and the 1982 film version of Dennis Potter's BRIMSTONE AND TREACLE (also toplining a pop star, in that case, Sting) but also screenwriter Andrew Birkin (THE FINAL CONFLICT, THE NAME OF THE ROSE, PERFUME, THE CEMENT GARDEN). 

There's nothing especially remarkable about the plot - the band Flame is put together from the remains of The Undertakers (whose performances includes a bit that might have inspired a scene in THIS IS SPINAL TAP) and a band fronted by Alan Lake, with a drummer added after an audition. Talent spotted by Kenneth Colley for Tom Conti's management company, Stoker (Noddy Holder), Paul (Jim Lea), Barry (Dave Hill) and Charlie (Don Powell) are soon on the road to success, crazy publicity stunts and all, with the Red Sands Sea Forts at Whitstable providing a memorable location. It all goes predictably wrong with the band falling out and various threats to management leading to an ending that suggests the band will be short-lived.

A film that has acquired quite the reputation over the years, SLADE IN FLAME is the typical rags to riches tale of a rise to pop stardom, only in this case it feels filtered through a Ken Loach lens. There's a heavy emphasis on grim British locations and even the hotels the boys stay in at the height of their success are quite obviously going to seed. Despite Mark Kermode's gushing praise, it's also curiously uninvolving. We never really feel we get to know any of the band and the ending, while certainly a downer, lacks the punch of BREAKING GLASS. It's a good, gritty, uncompromising film but time (and an awful lot of similar movies) has diminished its impact somewhat.

Extras include a commentary track in which an effusive Mark Kermode prompts Richard Loncraine to take him through the production. There's a new ten minute interview with Tom Conti, an archival making of from 2007 (58 minutes), and a Noddy Holder interview from 2002 (54 minutes) some of which is used in the documentary. You also get a five minute piece on Savile Row tailor Tommy Nutter, two trailers and a still gallery. The first pressing comes with a booklet featuring new and archival writing. 

Richard Loncraine's SLADE IN FLAME is out in a dual format Blu-ray & DVD edition, and also on iTunes and Amazon Prime, on Monday 19th May 2025

Jason X 4K UHD (2001)

 

"Evil Gets a 4K Upgrade"

One of the most entertaining sequels to Sean Cunningham's 1980 FRIDAY THE 13TH gets a 4K UHD release from Arrow Films.

Jason Voorhees is chained up on earth. Scientist David Cronenberg wants him transported elsewhere for research purposes, despite the objections of scientist Rowan (Lexa Doig) who wants him frozen. Even before Cronenberg can say 'I want him soft' Jason's up and about and killing again, and it seems only cryogenic freezing can stop him. By accident Rowan gets frozen as well, with the two of them being discovered 455 years in the future.

What follows is that old Universal monster (and especially Frankenstein) movie standby: Jason gets thawed out and is soon on the rampage again, the gag this time being that he's on a spaceship. Blowing him to bits works until the ship's nanobots get hold of him and give him an upgrade, leading to yet more ridiculous trouble.

The tenth film in the series, JASON X unexpectedly turned out to be one of the best sequels to the original FRIDAY THE 13TH, the other being FRIDAY THE 13TH PART VI - JASON LIVES. The script fully appreciates the ludicrousness of the premise of the entire franchise and even makes fun of it in a bit of holodeck jollity towards the end. Despised by some fans for these very reasons, if you don't hold this series of slashers in especially high regard you may still be highly entertained by this.  Arrow's 4K provides a crisper image but the contrast between light and dark is so extreme it's more of a strain on the eyes, with some scenes being just a bit too dark despite all manner of adjustments to our OLED monitor.

Extras include three commentary tracks. As with Arrow's release of JASON GOES TO HELL you're best off listening to them in 'reverse' order - director Jim Isaac, producer Noel Cunningham and screenwriter Todd Farmer first, then Farmer and Crystal Lake Memories author Peter Bracke second and finally the new commentary from Michael Felsher and Steve Barton. 

There's a new 10 minute interview with composer Harry Manfredini & it's good to hear he's a fan of this one. 2020 extras include a making of (33 minutes) and interviews with Farmer (23 minutes), Sean Cunningham (15 minutes) and actress Kristi Angus whose character gets her head frozen and smashed (11 minutes). 2002 extras include another making of (18 minutes), 52 minutes of cast and crew interviews, nearly an hour of behind the scenes footage, and The Many Lives of Jason Voorhees half hour documentary. There's also the electronic press kit (25 minutes) trailers and TV spots. Arrow's limited edition set also comes with a booklet, double-sided poster and reversible sleeve.

JASON X is out on 4K UHD from Arrow Films on Monday 19th May 2025