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On the Indie Scene, try buying Hardcore Poisoned Eyes over the Internet. Let me advise you up front, there’s not only a quote from me on the back of the DVD jacket, I also interview the director as one of the supplemental sections. But I did this because I like Sal Ciavarello’s work. Many moons ago he was a student of mine. Several of my students went on to become indies, raising their own very limited funds and making films, usually on 16mm or video. In every case, whether I thought highly of the product or not, it was a testament to their passion and fortitude that the movie got finished, and therefore they deserved much praise.

But in this case I do feel good about the product. Sal has a vision, and his films have been growing steadily more professional and intelligent. This one exists, on a purely practical level, because of The Blair Witch Project. The story is similarly bare bones: three girls in an isolated cabin, unwittingly awakening frightening manifestations of evil. I know, it also sounds like The Evil Dead and Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Okay, so it’s in a grand tradition of plots that utilize as few actors as possible, and let us twist with the innocent victims as they are trapped and reduced to slathering shells of themselves.

88 minutes long, in color, it was released on Sal’s company label – Profound Images – in time for Halloween. As the plot unfolds, a first act of typical adolescent sparring and boozing among the femmes gives way to a second act of sobering revelations about one of the girls’ father’s research, and this leads directly to their swiftly descending helplessness in the face of impending doom. The third act I’ll leave for you to discover.

I believe we should support our Indie filmmakers, and the couple of bucks it takes to purchase this thoughtful chiller is a step in the right direction. I’m still pissed at myself for not championing Larry Fessenden’s Habit when it could have done him the most good. Nowadays I’m looking for the choice items and making sure you know about them.

HPE can be ordered directly from Profound Images, 2460 Arthur Avenue, Bronx, New York – 10458, or by visiting www.hpemovie.com. The DVD streets on October 30th, and sells for $19.95 plus $5.00 s/h in the US, $8.00 Outside the US.

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VCI has released Ruby, a cult title directed by Curtis Harrington in 1977. I want to be a Harrington fan, particularly considering the arch of his career: experimental films a la Kenneth Anger, his friendship with James Whale (see FIR Jan/Feb 1996), his early work such as the ‘Carnival of Souls’ish Night Tide (Image Entertainment), his major part in the rescue of James Whale’s The Old Dark House, and his penchant for toiling with aging movie queens – Ann Southern and Gloria Swanson among them – in a number of thrillers.

Alas, I can’t find a way to praise Ruby: I find it choppy, sloppy, poorly scripted, and hastily directed. The print is the best extant, I’m assured, being considerably longer than the VHS prints which have circulated for decades, and Harrington approves it despite several minutes still being missing. It stars a post-Carrie Piper Laurie having a field day in a formidably bitchy performance…

… and a slew of special features which is why I can recommend the disc despite my feelings about the film itself. FIR ‘Camp David’ columnist David Del Valle conducts an on-camera interview with Harrington which runs an hour, and was arranged specifically for this VCI release. Wisely, he takes the hour to survey the director’s entire career rather than focus solely on the film at hand, and even discusses the as-yet-unreleased short, The Fall of the House of Usher, Harrington’s return to the experimentalism of his roots, shot recently at the director’s gothic home. This is remarkable material, worth owning for any respectable collector who values film history. In addition, there is a running commentary track with Harrington and Piper Laurie, who are hooting it up, happy as clams to be revisiting their work after all these years. So, as with many a properly-produced DVD, the whole is far better than the parts.

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I don’t know if Fox will make it in time, but they’ve announced the boxed fourth season of the ‘X-Files’, which would be a great Halloween DVD treat. So far it hasn’t arrived for review, but the 3rd year was a superb grab-bag of goodies.

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The closest thing Artisan Entertainment has to Halloween fare is its pumpkin shaped DVD case containing their deluxe packaging of Total Recall. Paul Verhoeven directed this intelligent blend of ideas and violent action. Seeing it again for the first time since its theatrical run, I liked it better, with its breathless pacing, countless sets, Rob Bottin’s solid make-up effects (a welcome respite from the transparent CGI deluge of films like Mummy II), and a sympathetic performance from Arnold. The big negativo is the art direction. Despite an obviously enormous budget, the sets look cheesy – with the outdoor Martian sward having the papier mache no-budget boulder appearance of the original Star Trek tv series.

The Mars-shaped DVD container is an amusement. Even the foam cushion inside is red. Such creative efforts are always appreciated and both elevate the package and, on some subliminal promotional level, must implement sales. (As does the little ice-pick included on the other Artisan/Verhoeven releae, Basic Instinct.) The DVD is remastered in image and sound, and included lots of extras including Verhoeven and Schwarzenegger on the commentary track, and a featurette about Mars.

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Criterion marches to its own drummer, and I don’t detect that they put out anything specifically for Halloween. But I’m glad to recommend Fiend Without a Face if you haven’t seen it yet. Just mosey around the FIR site for our review, and elsewhere for Producer Richard Gordon’s reminiscences about the production.

A more recent release from the company, and a choice one for a scary Halloween night, is The Vanishing, which was released once on DVD already. This pressing sports a new widescreen digital-transfer, and improved English subtitles. A slow, compelling, truly upsetting nightmare of a film, it was directed by George Sluizer, only to be followed by an American remake a few years later, starring Jeff Bridges, with direction again by Sluizer.

I know where you think this is leading, but no: do not double bill The Vanishing with The Vanishing. The english language remake was just dreadful, upbeat ending and all. If you want a claustrophic double-bill, try William Wyler’s The Collector, from Columbia/TriStar.

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