First they brought us THE BEST OF SEX AND VIOLENCE (1981). Then, just when you thought it was safe to put another tape in your VCR, FILMGORE (1983) was unleashed (see review here). Finally, they completed the tasteless trifecta with ZOMBIETHON (1986). Of course, the “they” I speak of is producer Charles Band and director Ken Dixon, who concocted these semi-pointless, way-out compilation mix tapes under Band’s Wizard Video label in the ’80s. When it comes to cinematic expectations, if T&A and a bit of the red stuff is all you’re after, look no further.

Let’s begin this review with a brief film history lesson. Giallo (Italian for “yellow”) is a film subgenre spawned from pulp mystery novels with yellow covers. Over time, several key traits of these movies developed, like the sacred black-gloved hand, bright red blood, sexualized victims and very theatrical lighting, colors, and style. These films quickly shifted from simply seedy mystery stories into gory whodunits and then into the full-out gorefests that most people associate with greats like Dario Argento and Lucio Fulci. The gialli took inspiration from U.S. directors like the legendary Alfred Hitchocock while also serving as a predominant influence on American slasher films.

“Well, guys and ghouls, you axed for the most specdracular display of fearworks to ever splash across the screen. So are you ready to undertake this venture?” If you indeed are grave enough to do so, let me introduce you to 1984’s FILMGORE, the midsection of a mix-tape trilogy which began with 1981’s THE BEST OF SEX AND VIOLENCE and ended with 1986’s ZOMBIETHON, all recently reissued on DVD on Charles Band’s Full Moon label.

Before we begin…that cover art is just exquisite. Thank you, Phil Roberts.

Now the news. CHILLERAMA (now on DVD and Blu-ray from Image Entertainment) is no GRINDHOUSE. This is GRINDHOUSE’s low-budget little brother who spends a lot of time alone in the bathroom and seeks a high-five for every fart he cuts. And if ya think that’s a crude comment to make, wait till you sit with the movie.

Most horror flicks about the Internet—FEARDOTCOM, iMURDERS, etc.—warrant a click of the “Ignore” button. Hollywood’s newest take on the digitally demonic, KILL KATIE MALONE, starring Dean Cain of LOIS & CLARK infamy, can definitely be marked as straight-to-DVD spam.

Director Géla Babluani’s French thriller 13 TZAMETI was about as intense as films get—an urgent black-and-white nightmare about a secret club where the rich bet on their Russian-roulette gambling opponents. It wasn’t the sort of film that screamed “U.S. remake,” but here it is, on no-frills DVD and Blu-ray from Anchor Bay in the U.S. (following very limited theatrical play) and Canadian discs courtesy of VVS Films. And while not as relentlessly grim as the first incarnation, this 13 (also directed by Babluani) still has its merits.

On the sleeve of Cult Epics’ new two-DVD set and Blu-ray debut of Agustí Villaronga’s horrifying melodrama IN A GLASS CAGE (TRAS EL CRISTAL), eternal enfant terrible John Waters cheekily proclaims that he’d be too nervous to show his friends the film, and that it’s worse than Pier Paolo Pasolini’s notorious SALO. A mindbending statement from the man whose PINK FLAMINGOS still stands tall as one of the most offensive works ever committed to semi-mainstream film; presumably his circle of pals has a higher tolerance for pictures that challenge good taste, no?