The People Who Own the Dark – Severin Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Spain, 1976
Director: León Klimovsky
Writers: Gabriel Moreno Burgos, Vicente Aranda
Cast: Nadiuska, Alberto de Mendoza, Teresa Gimpera, Emiliano Redondo, Julia Saly, Tomás Picó, Diana Polakov, Antonio Mayans, Maria Perschy, Paul Naschy

Release Date: February 3rd, 2026
Approximate Running Times: 99 Minutes 57 Seconds (Spanish Cut), 83 Minutes 2 Seconds (U.S. Cut)
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (Spanish Cut), 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (U.S. Cut)
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Spanish (Spanish Cut), DTS-HD Mono English (U.S. Cut)
Subtitles: English (Spanish Cut), English SDH (U.S. Cut)
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $219.95 (Exorcismo: Defying A Dictator & Raising Hell In Post-Franco Spain)

Video: 5/5 (Spanish Cut), 19.5 GB (U.S. Cut)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "4K scan from original camera negative provided by Vivavision. 4K scan from the 35mm print of the U.S. cut scanned by Severin Films."

The People Who Own the Dark comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 45.4 GB

Feature: 23.7 GB (Spanish Cut), 19.5 GB (U.S. Cut)

The Spanish cut’s source looks excellent, free of any distracting imperfections. Flesh tones look healthy, colors are nicely saturated, image clarity, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image always looks organic.

Although this new transfer is a substantial improvement over Code Red’s Blu-ray, some source damage remains. Flesh tones and colors look correct, image clarity and black levels are strong, compression is solid, and the image retains an organic look.

Audio: 5/5 (DTS-HD Mono Spanish), 4/5 (DTS-HD Mono English)

The Spanish cut comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in Spanish with removable English subtitles. The audio sounds excellent; dialogue always comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, and ambient sounds are well represented.

The U.S. cut comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in English with removable English SDH. The audio is a noticeable improvement over Code Red’s Blu-ray release; dialogue always comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced.

Extras:

Extras for The People Who Own the Dark include a U.S. theatrical trailer (1 minute 5 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an interview titled A Unique Iconography In Spanish Terror with Ángel Sala, head of programming at the Sitges Film Festival (18 minutes 9 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Spanish with removable English subtitles), an interview with actor Antonio Mayans titled Joking on Set (9 minutes 25 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Spanish with removable English subtitles), and an audio commentary with Rod Barnett and Troy Guinn, film historians/co-hosts of NaschyCast for the Spanish cut.

The People Who Own the Dark is currently only available as part of a collection of films titled Exorcismo: Defying A Dictator & Raising Hell In Post-Franco Spain. That release comes with 17 additional films, a documentary about Spanish cinema titled Exorcismo: The Transgressive Legacy of Clasificada "S," and a 168-page book.

Summary:

León Klimovsky directed The People Who Own the Dark. He frequently worked with Paul Naschy. His notable films are Werewolf Shadow, Vengeance of the Zombies, A Dragonfly for Each Corpse, and The Vampires’ Night Orgy.

The narrative revolves around a group of wealthy aristocrats and politicians getting together for a night of debauchery with some ladies in the dungeon of a castle. What should have been a decadent night of pleasure quickly turned into a walking nightmare. The partygoers discover that they are the only survivors of a nuclear holocaust.

The primary reason The People Who Own the Dark is effective lies in its intriguing premise and rich atmosphere. That said, there are many moments in which the narrative tends to drag, and yet the end result is a very eerie post-apocalyptic thriller that comes damn close to pulling off all its ambitions.

The People Who Own the Dark’s greatest strength is its scenes involving the blind (zombie-like characters) who shambled around town and eventually followed the survivors of the nuclear holocaust back to their home. The People Who Own the Dark features a notable amount of nudity and sexual content, along with sufficiently gory kills.

The cast performs well in their roles, and while no single performance stands out, many viewers who are interested in The People Who Own the Dark are particularly drawn to Paul Naschy (Horror Rises from the Tomb) in the role of Borne. That said, the cast is filled with many recognizable faces like Nadiuska (Beatriz), Alberto de Mendoza (The Case of the Scorpion's Tail), Antonio Mayans (Cries of Pleasure), and Maria Perschy (Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll). Ultimately, The People Who Own the Dark is a Spanish post-apocalyptic film that is equal parts Night of the Living Dead and The Omega Man.

A note about the two versions: while the Spanish version is longer, these extra moments are further fleshing out of characters, and they do not feature any additional sleaze or gore. That said, the English language version omits about 16 minutes of footage, and it has different opening credits.

Severin Films gives The People Who Own the Dark a definitive release. Highly recommended.

                                                    Spanish Cut Screenshots.

                                                             U.S. Cut Screenshots.

Written by Michael Den Boer

End of the World: Remastered – Full Moon Features (DVD)

Theatrical Release Date: USA, 1977
Director: John Hayes
Writer: Frank Ray Perilli
Cast: Christopher Lee, Sue Lyon, Kirk Scott, Dean Jagger, Lew Ayres, Macdonald Carey

Release Date: February 10th, 2026
Approximate Running Time: 86 Minutes 38 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
Rating: PG
Sound: Dolby Digital Mono English, Dolby Digital 5.1 English
Subtitles: N/A
Region Coding: Region Free NTSC
Retail Price: $16.95

"When Professor Andrew Boran and his wife Sylvia tap into a series of strange signals from space that predict natural disasters on earth, they track the source to a mysterious, remote convent. There, they discover that aliens have cloned the priest and the nuns and are using the abbey as a base camp for their mission to spur on global destruction. Can the heroes stop the invaders and save the earth? Should they?" – Synopsis provided by the Distributor

Video: 2/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "Full Moon recently unearthed a pristine 16mm interpositive of the movie, now remastered in HD and looking better than it's ever looked."

End of the World comes on a single layer DVD.

Disc Size: 4 GB

Source imperfections remain; flesh tones and colors are inconsistent, black levels are never convincing, and there are issues related to digital noise reduction.

Audio: 1.5/5 (Both Audio Tracks)

This release comes with two audio options, a Dolby Digital mono mix in English and a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix in English. When I sampled the 5.1 mix, it did not open things up in any substantial way. Both tracks sound muffled, there is buzzing in some parts of the track, and they are barely serviceable range-wise.

Extras:

Extras for this release include trailers for Crash!, Mansion of the Doomed, Day Time Ended, Laserblast, Fairy Tales, and Last Foxtrot in Burbank. 

Summary:

John Hayes directed End of the World. He’s known for The Hang Up, Dream No Evil, The Cut-Throats, Grave of the Vampire, and Baby Rosemary.

A NASA professor who discovers a signal that did not originate from space uncovers an alien plot to conquer Earth.

Christopher Lee (The Wicker Man), over his career, appeared in many questionable films that make you wonder why someone of his stature is in this film. When asked about these films, he frequently points out that what the producers promised him differed significantly from what ultimately appeared on screen. Case in point, End of the World, a post-apocalyptic film that will make you wish the world came to an end instead of having to endure it.

Besides Christopher Lee, there are other notable cast members that include Dean Jagger (Twelve O’Clock High), Lew Ayres (All Quiet on the Western Front), Macdonald Carey (Days of Our Lives), and Sue Lyon (Lolita). Unfortunately, like Christopher Lee, they are not given anything to work with.

While things start off with a literal bang when a payphone and coffee machine explode, nothing that follows ever matches this moment. The narrative progresses slowly, fails to generate any momentum, and culminates in a predictable conclusion. Ultimately, End of the World is an underwhelming film that wastes a solid cast.

Full Moon Features gives End of the World a mediocre audio/video presentation.

 

Written by Michael Den Boer

Last Foxtrot in Burbank – Full Moon Features (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: USA, 1973
Director: Charles Band
Writers: Bill Haggard, Sam Vaughn
Cast: Michael Pataki, Sherry Denton, Merlouch Drabin, I. William Quinn, Sally Marr, Simmy Bow, Richard Band

Release Date: February 3rd, 2026
Approximate Running Time: 55 Minutes 56 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: R
Sound: Dolby Digital Mono English, Dolby Digital 5.1 English
Subtitles: English Forced For French Dialogue
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $24.95

"If you thought Last Tango in Paris pushed the boundaries of good taste, nothing will prepare you for Charles Band's utterly insane first feature film. Released to empty theaters in 1973, this cheeky farce stars Michael Pataki, Lenny Bruce's mother Sally Marr, and even Band's brother and future composer Richard Band. It's a shot-for-shot riff on Last Tango filled with drag queens, oddballs, idiots, and hot women, and it's unlike any movie you've ever seen. For decades Last Foxtrot was thought to be a "lost" film, a picture so daft that time itself seemed to swallow it whole. Both Band and his editor, John Carpenter disowned the picture." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 3.25/5

Last Foxtrot in Burbank comes on a 25 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 19.4 GB

Feature: 11.5 GB

Considering the limited options when it comes to this film's source materials, things look better than expected. Flesh tones and colors look correct, image clarity is strong, and there are no notable compression issues.

Audio: 2.5/5 (Both Audio Tracks)

This release comes with two audio options, a Dolby Digital mono mix in English and a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix in English. When I sampled the 5.1 mix, it did not open things up in any substantial way. Although dialogue comes through clearly, both tracks are lacking range-wise.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an original theatrical trailer (4 minutes 16 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), a 2021 rerelease trailer (1 minute 30 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), Trailers from Hell with screenwriter Larry Karaszewski (7 minutes 51 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), and an interview with director Charles Band titled Burbank Memories (10 minutes 19 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles).

Other extras include trailers for Crash!, Mansion of the Doomed, Day Time Ended, Laserblast, and Fairy Tales.

Summary:

Charles Band, the man behind Full Moon, wrote and directed Last Foxtrot in Burbank. Other notable films he directed are Parasite, Trancers, Crash and Burn, and Meridian.

Last Foxtrot in Burbank is a parody of Last Tango in Paris, and its narrative has all of the key moments from that film. Its lead actor, Michael Pataki, does a Marlon Brando impersonation throughout. Besides Marlon Brando, Michael Pataki also does impressions of Richard Burton, Humphrey Bogart, Peter Lorre, and Groucho Marx. While his ability to impersonate these people is impressive, the majority of the humor in Last Foxtrot in Burbank falls flat.

Released 43 years ago without any fanfare, this film was later believed to be lost and subsequently forgotten. The version included in this release omits the hardcore sex scenes from the original release, and this omission improves the film. Despite its brief running time of 56 minutes, the pacing is slow, causing the narrative to feel longer than it truly is. Ultimately, Last Foxtrot in Burbank falls short in every aspect, raising the question of whether it should have ever been rediscovered.

Full Moon Features gives Last Foxtrot in Burbank its best home media release.

Written by Michael Den Boer

Rampo Noir – Arrow Video (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Japan, 2005
Directors: Akio Jissoji, Atsushi Kaneko, Hisayasu Satō, Suguru Takeuchi
Writers: Atsushi Kaneko, Akio Satsukawa, Suguru Takeuchi, Shirō Yumeno
Cast: Tadanobu Asano, Mikako Ichikawa, Yumi Yoshiyuki, Ryuhei Matsuda, Hiroki Narimiya, Nao Ōmori, Yūko Daike

Release Date: January 6th, 2025 (UK), January 7th, 2025 (USA)
Approximate Running Time: 134 Minutes 29 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: 18 (UK), NR (USA)
Sound: LPCM Stereo Japanese
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region A,B
Retail Price: £24.99 (UK), $39.95 (USA)

"Four filmmakers from completely different backgrounds bring their radically personal takes to the stories of Japan's celebrated master of the macabre, Edogawa Rampo (Horrors of Malformed Men, Blind Beast).

In "Mars's Canal", by music video director and visual artist Suguru Takeuchi, a lone man encounters the other side of his psyche beyond the reflective surface of a circular pond set in a desolate landscape. Japanese New Wave auteur and longtime director of the Ultraman series Akio Jissoji (This Transient Life, Mandala) harnesses his distinctive stylistic sheen in his story of a mad mirror maker, "Mirror Hell". "Caterpillar" sees the singular vision of cult director Hisayasu Sato (The Bedroom, Naked Blood) at its most grotesque, in his portrait of a wounded war veteran who returns from the frontline as little more than a bloody torso, helpless to defend himself against the increasingly perverted caprices of an embittered wife. Finally, a famous actor is subjected to the obsessive attentions of her limo driver in "Crawling Bugs", the directorial debut of internationally acclaimed manga artist Atsushi Kaneko (Bambi and Her Pink Gun).

Produced by the same team behind Ichi the Killer and Uzumaki, and with a cast featuring some of Japan's top stars, including Tadanobu Asano (Maboroshi, Silence) and Ryuhei Matsuda (Blue Spring, Gohatto), Rampo Noir is a stylistic tour-de-force that vividly evokes the "erotic grotesque" worlds created by Japan's pioneering proponent of horror and mystery fiction." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release’s transfers, "The high-definition master was supplied by Kadokawa."

Rampo Noir comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 45 GB

Feature: 25.6 GB

The source does an excellent job retaining each segment's intended look. Flesh tones look healthy, colors look correct, image clarity, contrast, black levels, and compression are solid, and there are no issues with digital noise reduction.

Audio: 4.5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a LPCM stereo mix in Japanese with removable English subtitles. Dialogue comes through clearly; everything sounds balanced, and ambient sounds are well represented.

Extras:

Extras for this release include five galleries: main stills (4 images), Mars's Canal (4 images), Mirror Hell (12 images), Caterpillar (19 images), and Crawling Bugs (12), an archival making-of documentary titled Cross the Lens (75 minutes 45 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles), an archival featurette from the film's premiere titled Stage Greeting (15 minutes 6 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles), an interview with director Sugura Takeuchi titled Another World (14 minutes 4 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles), an interview with director Hisayasu Sato titled A Moving Transformation (25 minutes 7 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles), an interview with director Atsushi Kaneko titled Butterfly Queen (13 minutes 49 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles), an interview with cinematography advisor Masao Nakabori titled Hall of Mirrors (25 minutes 19 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles), an interview with cinematographer Akiko Ashizawa titled The Butterfly Effect (15 minutes 47 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles), an interview with actress Yumi Yoshiyuki titled Looking in the Mirror (13 minutes 58 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles), an audio commentary with Japanese film experts Jasper Sharp and Alexander Zahlten, reversible cover art, a slipcover (limited to the first pressing), a double-sided poster (limited to the first pressing), and a 28-page booklet (limited to the first pressing) with cast & crew information, an essay titled Erotic Grotesque Nonsense written by Eugene Thacker, an essay titled The Avant-Garde Hell of Rampo Noir written by Seth Jacobowitz, and information about the transfer.

Summary:

Rampo Noir is an anthology film where each segment is adapted from a Rampo Edogawa story. Over the years filmmakers have adapted his works numerous times, notably Teruo Ishii's Horrors of Malformed Men and Noboru Tanaka's Watcher in the Attic. While Rampo Edogawa's stories connect each segment, each director brings their distinctive vibe and look.

Mars Canal: There are no spoken words, and it is the shortest of the four segments. The narrative revolves around a man traveling aimlessly while he remembers a former lover. This segment firmly embodies the avant-garde in its stylistic approach.

Mirror Hell: A detective investigates a series of deaths where all of the victims have burnt faces and charred skulls.

This segment is best described as a police procedural with occult elements. The deliberately paced narrative is never in a hurry to get to its payoff, and some viewers might find it too slow-moving. Fortunately, the visuals greatly aid the story that unfolds, with the director taking full advantage of the numerous mirrors. That said, while slow-moving, an excellent finale will reward those with patience.

Caterpillar: A sadistic wife takes care of a war veteran with no limbs, who's deaf and blind, and takes pleasure in mutilating his body.

Hisayasu Satō is the most significant of the four filmmakers, and it should not be a surprise that his segment is the strongest and most memorable. While Rampo Noir is not classified as a pinku eiga film, it incorporates numerous elements that Hisayasu Satō examined in his explorations of this genre. The visuals are filled with striking moments, and this segment is overflowing with weirdness.

Crawling Bugs: An actress is abducted by a man with a germ phobia who obsessively scratched his flesh.

This segment focuses more on style than substance, and while I would have liked more information about the man’s condition, the visuals do a superb job carrying the narrative. The visuals are filled with visually arresting moments, and the use of color is particularly striking. Additionally, this segment stands out due to its impressive special effects.

Rampo Noir gets an exceptional release from Arrow Video that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and insightful extras. Highly recommended.

 

Written by Michael Den Boer

Succubus - Blue Underground (DVD)

Theatrical Release Date: West Germany, 1968
Director: Jesús Franco
Writers: Pier A. Caminnecci, Jesús Franco, Gert Günther Hoffmann
Cast: Janine Reynaud, Jack Taylor, Howard Vernon, Nathalie Nort, Michel Lemoine, Pier A. Caminnecci, Américo Coimbra, Lina De Wolf, Eva Brauner, Adrian Hoven, Jesús Franco

Release Date: July 25th, 2006
Approximate Running Time: 79 Minutes 19 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
Rating: NR
Sound: Dolby Digital Mono English
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region 1 NTSC
Retail Price: $14.95

"At a chic nightclub for jaded jetsetters, a simulated snuff performance is the main attraction, and Lorna, its leading lady, is the obsession of men and women alike. Little do they realize that Lorna's Mephistophelean manager has transformed her into "the essence of evil... a devil on earth!" Soon the sensuous starlet's stage persona possesses her entirely, thrusting Lorna into a hallucinatory world of sadomasochistic excess and drawing everyone she touches into her debaucherous delirium. Can anyone stop Lorna before her perverse stage show becomes a murderous reality?" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 3.25/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "Newly remastered from original vault materials."

Succubus comes on a dual layer DVD.

Disc Size: 7.1 GB

Colors are nicely saturated, image clarity is good, and black levels are strong. Also, compression is very good, and there are no issues with digital noise reduction. That said, for an 19-year-old DVD, this transfer looks very good.

Audio: 3.5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a Dolby Digital mono mix in French with removable English subtitles. The audio sounds clean, clear, and balanced, and the range is very good.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 15 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an interview with actor Jack Taylor titled Back in Berlin (7 minutes, Dolby Digital stereo Spanish with non-removable English subtitles), and an interview with director Jess Franco titled From Necronomicon to Succubus (22 minutes 9 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with non-removable English subtitles).

Summary:

Lorna Green is a nightclub performer whose simulated snuff act is world-renowned. It doesn’t take long before Lorna starts to confuse her stage persona with reality by engulfing herself in a downward spiral of hallucinatory visions that feel all too real. Has she gone too far, or will she regain the sanity that slowly slips away?

Succubus marked a new beginning for Jess Franco, who had primarily directed horror and spy films up until that point. The films that followed Succubus increasingly embraced sexual content. The narrative in Succubus, like many of Jess Franco's works, has been described as disjointed or confusing. However, this characterization is misleading; in many ways, it represents one of Jess Franco's most developed plots. 

Succubus features a dreamlike narrative style that perfectly complements Jess Franco’s surreal imagery. The distinction between reality and dreams blurs throughout the film. Jess Franco skillfully navigates this boundary, never fully revealing either as falsehoods. The opening sequence exemplifies this blurring of reality and dreams, featuring an S&M scenario in which Lorna tortures a man and a woman. This sequence is notable for its clever design and execution. Jess Franco slowly teases the viewer as his camera pulls back to reveal that what we are watching is a stage show and not real torture.

Janine Reynaud (The Case of the Scorpion's Tail) is cast in the role of the protagonist, Lorna. She would work with Jess Franco two more times: Two Undercover Angels and Kiss Me Monster. Her performance is exquisite as she plays both the seductress and the confused victim with equal flair. Rounding out the cast are other faces recognizable to Jess Franco fans; Jack Taylor (Eugenie… the Story of Her Journey into Perversion) portrays Lorna’s boyfriend, and Howard Vernon (The Awful Dr. Orloff) makes an appearance in the role of Admiral Kapp.

The locations used and costumes are both solid assets that add to the film's overall glossed look. Jess Franco uses soft-focus photography throughout the film, and many of these sequences are undoubtedly among the most beautiful he ever composed. Succubus features several elements that Franco would later utilize more effectively in the following decade. Ultimately, Succubus is a perfect blend of surrealism and eroticism, making it one of Jess Franco's high-water mark films.

Blue Underground gives Succubus its home media release to date. Recommended.

 

Written by Michael Den Boer