Astute readers possessive of eidetic memories may recall that my spotlight on "A Feasibility Study" almost five years ago (!) observed that the Luminoid mask resurfaced in BLOOD THIRST, a low-budget horror flick shot in The Philippines in 1965 but not released until 1971 where, according to Wikipedia, it was seen mostly on the grindhouse circuit (so I guess Quentin Tarantino is probably familiar with it). I've personally never seen it, but I was made aware of it by Outer Limits Grand Poobah David J. Schow, so I was able to include it in my write-up... after which I completely forgot about it. Until just a few minutes ago.
I've been on this kick lately which has found me obsessively collecting sci-fi B (and C, and sometimes even D) movies from the 50's and 60's on Blu-ray, which naturally let me to 1959's THE MONSTER OF PIEDRAS BLANCAS, which featured a monster design that, um, borrowed components from THIS ISLAND EARTH (the feet of the Metaluna Mutant) and THE MOLE PEOPLE (the clawed hands of the Beasts of the Dark). I started thinking about all the times THE OUTER LIMITS reused bits of alien and monster costumes, and then I remembered the Luminoid reprise. So I hit Amazon, hoping to find a Blu-ray release to add to my collection.
Turns out there is a DVD available from Something Weird Video, a double feature with 1971's BLOOD SUCKERS (aka INCENSE FOR THE DAMNED), but... okay, here's where I start to sound like a home theater snob. I don't want it on DVD. I want it in high definition. Yes, I know it's an ultra-low budget film that couldn't possibly look good, much less great. Right?
Wrong. My Amazon spelunking turned up a streaming version, free for Amazon Prime Members (like me)... in HD. And hell, it looks pretty spectacular, especially if you've suffered through the horrific YouTube versions.
So if you're an Amazon Prime Member, and you find yourself achingly curious about this cinematic curiosity... well, you know what to do. I'm certainly gonna watch it, if not tonight then this weekend.
Oh, and if you're curious, here's a review of that Something Weird DVD release, which is apparently pretty great. So maybe I should order it (it's only $6.71 on Amazon as of this writing) and stop being such a goddamned HD elitist.
Just curious...what sci-fi titles have you collected on Blu-ray? And when might you review Kino Lorber's Blu-ray release of "The Ghost of Sierra de Cobre"?
ReplyDeleteToo many to list... but yeah, I should review GHOST at some point (for that matter, I should review EYE OF THE CAT, PRIVATE PROPERTY and INCUBUS while I'm at it).
ReplyDelete