Mondo Macabro

[therewillbeblus]

I just posted some thoughts in the 1965 list thread, but House of Terrors was one of the more exciting experimental haunted horror films I've seen in recent years. A real treat of a discovery, and a safe blind-buy for anyone who even thinks this might be worth seeing. If you're wondering if this has cool factor X, chances are the answer is yes plus like twelve other things you never expected it'd include in its cinematic DNA

[therewillbeblus]

Mais ne nous délivrez pas du mal aka Don't Deliver Us from Evil is just fantastic- miles better than the more realistically-grounded but comparatively-stale Heavenly Creatures, which approaches this case in an entirely different way. Here we're invited into the peripheries of our anti-heroines' perverse subjectivity, with surrealistic imagery, bitter playfulness, and harrowing moral dissonance. Its absurdism fluidly oscillates between a tone that delights in deviance, through a borderline-fantastical childlike spirit, and one that sobers us to the brutality of consequence within the social horror that assaults both the young antisocial girls and their targets. The film uncomfortably asks us to sympathize with all parties via a non-cognitive sensationalism, absconding moralism because we see them as victims and their 'victims' as assailants regardless of who initiated the ploy (several attempted rapes will muddy any waters there). The film is as capricious as its subjects, and all the better and enthralling for committing to this reflexive strategy. This isn't typically my kind of movie when pitched in one key of degrading narrative toward sour fate, but its method is so alluring and its style so satisfying that I can see myself revisiting this many times over- interestingly in a similar vein to the exception to the above rule found in the genre of noir, except through the lens of a vivacious French youth film instead, because, well, that's kinda what this is! The finale even postures at emulating the style and spirit of Daisies, before issuing a disturbingly macabre stain!

[therewillbeblus]

In the Folds of the Flesh is another winner- a stylish B-horror that's so conceptually unconcentrated and narratively-unhinged that it has no business being as formally-enthralling as it is, but the result is a sustaining timbre of maximum vitality. Whether the camera is approaching lavish violent setpieces or a superfluous establishing shot of a random character dropping confetti from an angle that feels entirely novel, the film ignites brain pathways to morph into unique patterns that sooth the senses and inspire newfound confidence in the medium's capacity to apply masterful technique to trash and transform it into Art. I don't want to spoil the specific absurd surprises contained in this intra-genre enigma, but it strays from established giallo tendencies, to home-invasion-horror, to supernatural posturing, serial killer family and witchery tropes, to endlessly-complicated and inane crime procedurals, and back to giallo in the final bookend, except transformed into faux-sincere melodrama with splashes of psychedelia serving as connective tissue for the reveals! There are kaleidoscopic strands of Rashomon-aping woven into the revolving narrative canons, and this even contains absolutely-nonsensical Nazi death camp flashbacks, for some reason no one can seem to answer. Part of the fun is swiveling around our sympathies, if you can call them that, and adapting our comprehensions of who the victims or perpetrators are and what their motives might be in any given moment.

But it all turns into soup at a certain point, a rollercoaster of craziness divorced from psychological drives - which evade any focal point of diagnosis to the point of mocking audiences and critics alike. It's nice to feel like you're laughing at and then with a film, the former the intention that only becomes clearer as time goes on, forging the affinity of the latter revelation. By the time we get to our two-hundredth 'explanation' for the fortieth 'mystery' (or something like that, as porn-music is juxtaposed into a surreal flashback cheekily sandwiched between serious complex brooding), the cumulative experience of audience-alienating deadpan black comedy sprouting an array of eclectic tones around its planet of gravitational lawlessness still found new lessons to impart, in surrendering logic we thought we had forsaken but hadn't yet let go of all the way, and blindly investing in one of the weirdest visions I've ever seen actualized onto celluloid. I loved this movie.

So are all this company's releases this good, or are there particular ones to prioritize/avoid? Also, I'm struggling to find the best places to purchase their discs- I see pre-ordering on the site direct is possible, and it looks like DD carries some leftovers, but even Amazon puzzlingly doesn't have a stake in the game

[swo17]

I think all I have are:

The Fan
Private Vices, Public Virtues
Who Can Kill a Child?
their Tsukamotos

I've had no complaints, though there are a couple of those I haven't watched yet

[Glowingwabbit]

So are all this company's releases this good, or are there particular ones to prioritize/avoid? Also, I'm struggling to find the best places to purchase their discs- I see pre-ordering on the site direct is possible, and it looks like DD carries some leftovers, but even Amazon puzzlingly doesn't have a stake in the game

Yes their releases are good. The Fan, Who Can Kill a Child and the Tsukamotos are all good (Der Fan was especially a nice discovery). I'm still newish to the label so I have a bunch of unwatched ones to go through (I haven't watched my copy of Hotel Fear yet, but the film itself is great). You should be able to find titles on Amazon.

They do limited run red disc cases that come with a booklet and sometimes alternative artwork. The booklet is the main draw imo. Those can only be bought on their bigcartel site (I think Thursday is when this current batch goes up). After they sell out they usually do standard editions (no booklet, no reversible cover) which are the ones you can find at retailers like DD and Amazon (Orbit and DiabolikDVD also carry them). If ordering from the bigcartel on pre-order day, do beware that it's just one guy handling everything so it'll take sometime getting the releases. Jared ships in the order of purchases so it's good to get in fast. I've never had any issues ordering direct. He also offers a bundle option which gets you all for of the titles. There isn't really much savings to it, you just checkout quicker. I plan to get all 4 of these titles and I've enjoyed your write ups on 3 of the 4.

[What A Disgrace]

El Caminante is far and away my favorite of their Paul Naschy releases, but I also liked The Frenchman's Garden and Inquisition. Lizard in a Woman's Skin and Perversion Story are also essential titles in the Lucio Fulci canon.

Also, though I haven't seen it, Strangler VS Strangler seems like a bona fide, canonized classic of Serbian cinema from one of their greatest directors.

[Glowingwabbit]

El Caminante is far and away my favorite of their Paul Naschy releases, but I also liked The Frenchman's Garden and Inquisition. Lizard in a Woman's Skin and Perversion Story are also essential titles in the Lucio Fulci canon.

Also, though I haven't seen it, Strangler VS Strangler seems like a bona fide, canonized classic of Serbian cinema from one of their greatest directors.

I'll have to grab El Caminante during their sale. I'll second the others. The Laughing Woman is another great recent title.

[therewillbeblus]

When do they do a sale?

Also, I do own and love Der Fan- I thought I wrote something on here somewhere, but it's impossible to search for. Thanks for the suggestions!

[dwk]

They are having a sale on October 31st.

As many of you know, each year we do a big HALLOWEEN SALE at the end of October. And indeed we will be having one this year, going live on Monday morning, October 31st! (just go ahead and set that alarm now). The majority of our catalog will be on sale, and of course we'll have some new limited edition goodies available, like the DR CALIGARI 4k UHD and the BOLLYWOOD HORROR Blu-ray box set, plus at least one "secret" red case release that will be revealed just ahead of the sale. 

All of the limited edition items will be pre-orders. But because they are huge, complicated projects, we ask you for extra time to make sure everything is just right with them. Also, shipping out in late November through December is just awful. Bad for us, bad for you. 

So those pre-orders will not go out until early January. We hate to do it, but it is absolutely necessary for many reasons. The good news is that we will start sending out back catalog sale-only orders immediately after the sale ends during the first week of November. (So we encourage you to make your pre-orders and sale orders separate.) 

We just wanted to give you this early head's up. 

[black&huge]

There will still be complaining about "where's my order?"

[Finch]

Also, in case you're looking for something to pair with Married to the Mob or other VS/partner label titles on VS's site, they have several Mondo Macabro and other boutique label releases under their staff picks button at the top.

I only have Who can Kill a Child? from MM. I'm intrigued by The Blood Spattered Bride, possibly Gemini. Any other recommendations?

[Glowingwabbit]

Also, in case you're looking for something to pair with Married to the Mob or other VS/partner label titles on VS's site, they have several Mondo Macabro and other boutique label releases under their staff picks button at the top.

I only have Who can Kill a Child? from MM. I'm intrigued by The Blood Spattered Bride, possibly Gemini. Any other recommendations?

The Blood Spattered Bride is a classic of the genre. It's been too long since I've seen it to offer a proper review but definitely recommended if you like gothic horror and obviously it was an influence for Tarantino. It's got some great special features too. Also a spotlight film in Rigby's excellent Euro Gothic book which I reference a lot when looking up the Euro titles released by Mondo Macabro.

I'm still processing Gemini which I just watched last week. I didn't love it when I watched it but it has images that have been haunting me and I need to revisit it again soon. I think with another viewing my appreciation of it will grow. It's Tsukamoto doing a period film so if that sounds appealing I'd go for it.

I'd second all the titles mentioned so far along with Hotel Fear (Pensione paura) and The Laughing Woman (Femina ridens) as two recent releases (the former is still available in a red case). Both films transcend the genre in my opinion and are just great Euro arthouse films. Pensione paura was directed by Francesco Barilli who also did the more well known classic The Perfume of the Lady in Black. My only knock on the releases is that they didn't offer a reversible cover with the original titles. It's a small grievance but I've always known the titles by their original language names.

It's DVD only, but Alucarda is an essential Mexican horror and one of their flagship releases. It's not going to get an upgrade as the original elements are gone.

[Finch]

Thank you Glowingwabbit!

[colinr0380]

therewillbeblus, I would also highly recommend picking up the Mondo Macabro book by Pete Tombs if you can find it, which gives in depth write ups of a lot of the films that they then went on to release when they set up a boutique label. The book came out in 1998 but since it is dealing with films from the 1960s to the early 1990s anyway, that is not too much of an issue (the previous book by Tombs and Cathal Tohill, Immoral Tales, is the European cinema-centric version of the same thing, whilst Mondo Macabro is doing a sweep of the rest of the world). So those should provide some pointers towards films you may want to look into, and clues as to what films may appear on the label in the future.

And if you can find them I would also check out a few of the episodes of the Mondo Macabro series (NSFW) that aired in 2001 along with some of the films, Alucarda being one of them which I can also recommend, though only if you do not mind incessant screaming! (With the earlier 1999 Eurotika series being the equivalent of the Immoral Tales book. This is not coming from the Mondo Macabro label but from Cauldron Films in the US, but I have been interested in seeing Murder In A Blue World - which seems like a Spanish take on A Clockwork Orange - ever since seeing the clips from that Eurotika episode) That formed the basis of the first few DVD releases the label did when they formed in the late 2000s (including some of the episodes as extra features).

[Glowingwabbit]

I also highly recommend the books and series that Colin just mentioned. Except for the Marins episode I think I have files of each episode if any aren't on youtube (I think most of them are) that I can offer.

I haven't watched my copy of Woman Chasing the Butterfly of Death (1978), but since this is the criterion forum I'd be remiss not to mention it's directed by Kim Ki-young (The Housemaid). They released another Korean horror film, Suddenly in the Dark (1981), but I haven't watch my copy of that yet either.

I definitely have a large pile of unwatched Mondo Macabro discs but I've discovered a lot of gems from them and think of the label as a horror/exploitation version of Second Run.

In terms of titles to stay away from, Sukkubus. Don't let the woman on the cover fool you, the movie sucks.

[ianthemovie]

I recommend Lady Terminator to everyone. A truly outrageous piece of Indonesian exploitation. Last time I checked it was available on Vinegar Syndrome's site as one of their "staff picks."

[Quote Perf Unquote]

The Blood Spattered Bride is a classic of the genre. It's been too long since I've seen it to offer a proper review but definitely recommended if you like gothic horror and obviously it was an influence for Tarantino. It's got some great special features too. Also a spotlight film in Rigby's excellent Euro Gothic book which I reference a lot when looking up the Euro titles released by Mondo Macabro.

Yes, excellent film, seconded

[therewillbeblus]

Unfortunately I didn't think Haunted Turkish Bathhouse was nearly on par with the other three titles going up for pre-order this week, but it's still a fine exploitation lite-horror with unevenly distributed stimulation (I suppose ironic, considering the social context). During the middle section, I often found myself wondering why we were being delivered extended uninteresting sex scenes seemingly for the silly perversity of it all, when the untapped well of horror elements was readily available to draw from, especially in such an intricate set design of this particular bathhouse! The style is enjoyable, though when measured against House of Terrors and In the Folds of the Flesh, it's hard not to feel a bit lackluster. Those really are the cream of the crop, two of the most thrilling models of technique-experimentation I've ever seen. Similar to In the Folds of the Flesh, this one is having its fun dabbling in a bunch of ideas thrown at the wall, only often in half-measures so the payoff is stunted as we move onto the next thing without milking the setpiece for all its worth. The comprehensive package is not a very memorable affair, but a fun way to spend 80 minutes, particularly the last half hour which grants us the ultimate descension into Haunted House underworld exploration that at least I was waiting for for about an hour. I also got a kick out of the absurd cat bits spliced in there- which "makes sense" within the internal logic of the bonkers finale of supernatural phantasmagoria turned macabre madness, but provides some head-shaking WTF laughs when wedged into the banal routine of everyday bathhouse life.

I'll probably still pick this up, even if the other three are drastically better. Don't Deliver Us From Evil isn't going to be for everyone, but In the Folds of the Flesh and especially House of Terrors feel like extremely safe blind buys for anyone who even thinks they might be interested in them. You're almost definitely right- go with your gut

[therewillbeblus]

Anybody know the avg price per disc during the Halloween sale (is it 50% off, so ~$15)? I've got a huge order on DD ready to go with a bunch of their titles significantly discounted with the current coupon, and might just buy now if there won't be much savings later (most of these come out to $16-17 apiece after tax on DD right now if bought in bulk, including many on backorder)

[Glowingwabbit]

Anybody know the avg price per disc during the Halloween sale (is it 50% off, so ~$15)? I've got a huge order on DD ready to go with a bunch of their titles significantly discounted with the current coupon, and might just buy now if there won't be much savings later (most of these come out to $16-17 apiece after tax on DD right now if bought in bulk, including many on backorder)

Looking at my order (shipping was $6, no free shipping threshold):

Alucarda DVD - $11
Suddenly in the Dark - $14
Woman Chasing the Butterfly, Devil's Nightmare and Blood-Splattered Bride - $15.
Queens of Evil and Blood Ceremony - $16.

I think I remember him saying it's determined by how old a title was and/or how well it had sold. That was my first sale.

[Finch]

A few people subsequently reported that their discs of A Haunted Turkish Bathhouse are working with their players, but Jared from Mondo will do a replacement program anyway due to an error occurring at the replication stage.

[Finch]

As per Jared, a BOLLYWOOD HORROR set with PURANA MANDIR, VEERANA, PURANI HAVELI, AATMA and TAHKHANA will be officially announced next week. Preorders can be made starting Oct 31 for a January 2023 release.

[therewillbeblus]

Woah, do they discount preorders as part of their Halloween sale? I imagine they'd wait to ship everything together too, so probably makes sense to place two orders?

[Grand Wazoo]

As per Jared, a BOLLYWOOD HORROR set with PURANA MANDIR, VEERANA, PURANI HAVELI, AATMA and TAHKHANA will be officially announced next week. Preorders can be made starting Oct 31 for a January 2023 release.

So this means only their Bollywood Horror Vol. 2 dvd Is fully upgraded. I guess vol. 3 as well if you grab the Massacre Video Mahakaal. Are they ever repressing that one?

[therewillbeblus]

Has anyone seen these who can comment on their quality? Sounds like an interesting idea, but a bunch of 2.5 hour kindasorta horror-musicals is risky business!