Morella's All-Nite Spooktacular-Morella's Graveyard Theater [4 Discs]

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

B-movie maven Morella (Glori-Anne Gilbert) hosts another gruesome trilogy of drive-in classics, beginning when killer aliens invade in Hobgoblins (Tom Bartlett. 1988/92 min.). Next on the cult circuit, House of Blood (Richard Basehart. 1976/89 min.) finds an insane surgeon up to his armpits in eyeballs--literally! Last but not deceased, The Cremators Marvin Howard. 1972/75 min.) features an alien lifeform that replenishes itself with the best fuel the Earth can provide...people! Color/NR/fullscreen.

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 1
• Screen: Color
• Audio: Dolby Digital Stereo
• Features:
  • 3 new Graveyard Theatre episodes
  • 2 original Retro Drive-In segments
  • Original Theatrical Trailers
  • Video interview with Maria DeAragon

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Al Ferrara

• Director:

  Harry J. Essex, Rick Sloane, Michael Pataki

• Producer:

  Roger Corman, Harry J. Essex, Rick Sloane, Charles Band

• Book Author:

  Jud Kitky

• Screenwriter:

  Rick Sloane, Frank Ray Perilli

• Cinematographer:

  Andrew Davis

• Composer (Music Score):

  Albert Glasser, Alan der Marderosian, Robert O. Ragland

• Editor:

  Harry Keramidas

• Associate Producer:

  Craig Turkel

• Assistant Director:

  David Teague

REVIEWS:

• Featuring rotten writing, directing, acting, special effects, sets, costuming, and music, the bottom level Gremlins rip off Hobgoblins somehow remains not only watchable but totally enjoyable. Lampooned in a classic episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000, writer, producer, and director Rick Sloane has made what can only be called a solid masterpiece of a cinematic train wreck. For as much as the film hurts to watch, it is almost impossible to turn away from. Featuring production values that make the film appear as if it was made by teenagers in their parent's basement, Hobgoblins features performances by the likes of Kevin Bartlett and Jeffrey Culver that are awful even by B-movie standards. The title beasts do not appear until an hour into the film, but when they do, they set the film on the extremely stupid track it stays on to the end. The hobgoblin alien creatures are basically stiff looking fuzzy puppets that inspire fear in the film's cast by being shook in their faces. The scene where the terrified screaming valley girl Daphne (Kelly Palmer) wrestles back and forth around on the ground with a motionless hobgoblin puppet is one no viewer will likely ever forget. For the brave few who can stomach it, Hobgoblins is without a doubt, the best and worst low-budget killer puppet alien movie ever made. ~ Jason Gibner, Rovi
• Using authentic surgery footage is the cheapest, lowest ploy an exploitation picture can take. Still, nothing gets a reaction from an audience quicker than splicing in a few seconds of a medical training film. They'll either run for the exits or sit stunned and take it in, but one way or another, it won't be forgotten. With this in mind, those who feel squeamish about their eyes being touched (pretty much everyone, right?) should understand that Mansion of the Doomed includes frequent shots of real-life orb surgery, and a little goes a long way. Supplemented by some H.G. Lewis-style sheep eyeball effects, the film never fails to induce a wince or two, and other disturbing flourishes make it memorable despite a hackneyed premise. As the obsessed surgeon Chaney, Richard Basehart gives a reliably professional performance and little more, but he's perfectly slimy in the film's most uncomfortable scene, which finds him luring a little girl away from a playground with the promise of Disneyland. Any appearance from Vic Tayback is welcome, but he's too subdued as a police investigator to make any impression here. As Chaney's long-suffering assistant and accomplice, Oscar winner Gloria Grahame looks haggard and exhausted; hopefully, that's just acting. The best performances come from the blinded victims, as each confused, terrified "patient" awakens from the anesthesia and realizes his or her eyeballs have been removed. There's an intensity to these scenes that the bigger names don't reach for, and the interaction between the captives is usually more interesting than the good doctor's furrowed brow and introspective walks along the ocean. Marilyn Joi, best known for Al Adamson films like Nurse Sherri and The Naughty Stewardesses, appears as one of the unfortunates, and Lenny Bruce's mother, Sally Marr, makes a very brief cameo as a landlady. Director Michael Pataki gives Mansion of the Doomed some eerie atmosphere with bright, distorting light effects, but he doesn't move the film along fast enough to qualify it as a true lost classic. ~ Fred Beldin, Rovi