Shock Festival

From The Grindhouse Cinema Database

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Synopsis

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A 3-Disc (2 DVD/1 CD) Audio and Video Exploitation Extravaganza Featuring Over 7 Hours of the Most Rare and Unusual Exploitation Trailers, TV Ads and Radio Spots from the Age of GRINDHOUSE CINEMA!

Plus original new content inspired by the amazing fictional b-movie world of Stephen Romano’s exploitation novel, SHOCK FESTIVAL. Take a wild journey through the exploitation movie scenes of the 1970s and 1980s with this collection of hundreds of actual previews of coming attractions, television commercials and radio spots for the sleaziest, sexiest most off-the-wall films ever made - all digitally re-mastered from Original Film Elements.

Find yourself thrust into a world of madmen and ghouls, perverts and lusty ladies – and wait till you get a load of all the special extra features we’ve cooked up just for this release! Interviews, a SHOCK FESTIVAL poster, original music and a batch of specially produced trailers based on the amazing fictional b-movie worlds of Stephen Romano’s acclaimed novel, SHOCK FESTIVAL. This must-have collector’s set includes over 7 hours of amazing stuff you won’t find anywhere else!

Brand New Media Inspired By the Best, Worst and most Outrageous Trailers From Horror and Exploitation Cinema Contributed By: Michael Gingold, Stephen Romano, Nicanor Loreti, Adrian Santiago, Chris LaMartina, Paige Kay Davis, Richard Griffin, David Hartman, Dave Neabore, Victor Bonacore and German Val

Classic Media Contributors Include: Blue Underground, Grindhouse Releasing, Media Blasters and Shock-O-Rama Cinema

DVD Set Features:

  • Over 7 hours of the most rare and unusual exploitation trailers, TV ads and radio spots from the age of GRINDHOUSE CINEMA!
  • Over 4 Hours of the most unique, amazing and outrageous exploitation and horror trailers from the 1970s and 1980s!
  • Interview with Independent International Pictures President Sam Sherman.
  • Commentary tracks by Stephen Romano and Uncle Creepy
  • Audio disc containing over 3 hours of exploitation radio spots plus original music on MP3s, ready to plug into your iPod, computer or CD player!
  • Bonus Collector’s Poster with Original Artwork by artist and author, Stephen Romano!
  • Shock Festival image gallery! All New Posters! Special Features!

Trailer Listing

DISC ONE:
TREASURE OF THE 4 CROWNS - VICE SQUAD - CORNBREAD, EARL & ME - BLACK SAMURAI - GRIMM'S FAIRYTALES - FLESH GORDON - CONQUEST - DELIRIUM - AMAZON JAIL - BEYOND ATLANTIS - SADOMANIA - CHALLENGE TO BE FREE - VENOM - RAW FORCE - GONE WITH THE POPE - BLACK HEAT - STARSTRUCK - LAST DAYS OF MAN ON EARTH - 1990: BRONX WARRIORS - THE LATE GREAT PLANET EARTH - AVALANCHE EXPRESS - CINDERELLA 2000 - TITTILATION - FLESH AND LACE - MYSTERIOUS ISLAND - CIRCLE OF IRON - SMITHEREENS - FANTASTIC PLANET - THE LOVELESS - THE SEXY DOZEN - 2069: A SEX ODYSSEY - RAIDERS OF THE LEYTE GULF - SCUM OF THE EARTH - VENUS IN FURS - THE FEMALE ANIMAL - 7 DWARVES TO THE RESCUE - THE FIGHTING RATS OF TOBRUK - FIGHT FOR YOUR LIFE - FAST COMPANY - GRAND SLAM - SPACE RAIDERS - THE FINAL COUNTDOWN - CAPTAIN AMERICA - CANNONBALL - KILLER FORCE - KING KONG VS. GODZILLA - AFRICA BLOOD & GUTS

SAM SHERMAN'S INDEPENDENT INTERNATIONAL TRAILERS
MAD DOCTOR OF BLOOD ISLAND - BRIDES OF BLOOD - THE BLOOD-O-RAMA SHOCK FESTIVAL - SATAN'S SADISTS - ANGEL'S WILD WOMEN - HORROR OF THE BLOOD MONSTERS - GIRLS FOR RENT - THE NAUGHTY STEWARDESSES - BRAIN OF BLOOD - BLAZING STEWARDESSES - THE BLOOD DRINKERS

HORROR TRAILER MARATHON
THE STUFF - PIECES - SNUFF - BEYOND THE GATE - PRANKS - BURNT OFFERINGS - DEAD AND BURIED - THE BLOOD SPATTERED BRIDE - I DISMEMBER MAMA - THE HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY - GREAT WHITE - THE CAT O NINE TAILS - SATURN 3 - GOD TOLD ME TO - THE CRAZIES - THE TOOLBOX MURDERS - Q: THE WINGED SERPENT - GRIZZLY - DON'T LOOK IN THE BASEMENT - HELL NIGHT - SATAN'S BLACK WEDDING - BLACK BELLY OF THE TARANTULA - INVASION OF THE BEE GIRLS - MANIAC - BANANA MONSTER - DEAD OF NIGHT - CARNIVAL OF BLOOD - CURSE OF THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN - MARK OF THE DEVIL - BLOODSUCKING FREAKS - DEEP RED - THE COMEBACK - THE CURSE - AUTOPSY - DAUGHTERS OF DARKNESS - SHOCK WAVES - THE ILLUSTRATED MAN - THE FIFTH CORD - 7 DOORS OF DEATH - BLOOD OF GHASTLY HORROR

TV SPECTACULAR
CRY OF A PROSTITUTE - THE WRESTLER - DON'T OPEN THE WINDOW - THE PYX - MONDO CANE - MONDO CANE 2 - THE KILLING MACHINE - DRACULA VS. FRANKENSTEIN - OLD DRACULA - THE LAST SURVIVOR - ANGELS WILD WOMEN - THE LAST MAN ON EARTH - DR. PHIBES RISES AGAIN - THE CRIMSON CULT/HORROR HOUSE - DOCTOR JECKYLL AND SISTER HYDE - THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME - FOUR FLIES ON GREY VELVET - EYE OF THE CAT - THE HOUSE THAT DRIPPED BLOOD - BERSERK - THE DEVILS RAIN/THE VIRGIN WITCH - ROLLERBALL - MASSACRE AT CENTRAL HIGH - JDS REVENGE - EVIL IN THE DEEP - RABID - TENTACLES - SUSPIRIA - BEYOND THE DOOR II - SHOCK WAVES - SLITHIS - THE 5TH FLOOR - THE BROOD - THE CHANGELING - COMIN AT YA!

DVD Review

Out of all the classic exploitation film trailer compilations on DVD, Stephen Romano's Shock Festival has got to be the best single release to date. It contains 3 Discs of audio/video gems from the good ol days of grindhouse movies and even a few titles I didn't expect to see thrown in (Albert Pyun's Captain America?!). I admit, I was fully satisfied with the initial presentation, although when I listened to the audio commentaries I got a little annoyed because while the people behind the production did a fantastic job putting it together, there's a certain air of disrespect aimed towards the movies which, as a longtime fan kind of puts me off. I'd like to use this DVD review as a way to address some issues I have with the whole retro grindhouse/cult cinema fan persona online these days. First, I've never liked the commonly repeated negative labels regarding older exploitation movies. "Crap", "Trash", "Shit" are certain words that bother me the most. I simply don't get why people who claim to champion exploitation cinema are at the same time looking down on them as less than worthy or not good. Why would you put something down but then go out of your way to put out a great product like this one? Maybe because it's the cool thing to do these days? I'm not sure, but I don't really appreciate it. As most movie fans already know, not every film (B-movie or big budget studio film) is a cinematic masterpiece like Citizen Kane. Personally, Ive seen just as many terrible big studio produced films as low budget exploitation films. Which raises the question: Are the directors of the exploitation films given enough credit for making generally entertaining movies for much lower costs than their mega studio rivals? I think this is one important thing that should be taken into consideration before people blindly dismiss the movies as a completely lower form of cinema. Second, to me, exploitation fans who spend their time saying they love the movies, yet refer to the films as "crap", "junk" etc can be compared to giving their best friend a pat on the back while telling him he sucks. I'll never understand that kind of immature, two faced attitude when it comes to "fans of exploitation and cult cinema". It's just a big turn off to me personally.

It's not my intention to offend the truly dedicated grindhouse fans. You know, the ones that genuinely love movies and aren't watching certain films simply because they think they're a big joke to laugh at. Those people know who they are. I've actually had these things on my mind for awhile now and this was a perfect opportunity to express my feelings.

Extra Features

Interview: Independent International Pictures' producer Sam Sherman is interviewed and it's my favorite extra feature on the DVD set. Sam talks in detail about how he created the exploitation campaigns for several of his company's features including the Blood Island films. It was great to hear from a veteran of the industry who was right in the center of when the grindhouses and drive-ins were showing the types of films we love here.

Final Word: This DVD/CD set was sort of a bittersweet experience for me. I loved watching the trailers and getting a bonus CD of cool radio spots, but I'm not too sure if the people behind it all truly love/respect the movies or are just poking fun at them. The whole proceeding feels like they're subliminally saying "LETS CELEBRATE TERRIBLE MOVIES!". I simply don't feel that way about ALL of classic exploitation cinema and I'm trying to keep this website free from having that kind of cliche stigma. I honestly think every film should be given a chance before it's unjustly berated. This aspect makes it tough for me to praise the producers of Shock Festival. I also have a hard time listening to audio commentaries when people are going into it with an attitude that what they are discussing isn't good. It's like: throw out some film information then flippantly refer to the movie as crap. It's just not what I want to spend my time with.

In closing, I certainly don't want to dissuade anyone from buying this release, in fact I hope people really enjoy the trailers and other features and can overlook some of the aspects of Shock Festival that I didn't really dig.

DVD/CD


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Peter Roberts is the co-founder/editor-in-chief of the Grindhouse Cinema Database (GCDb) and contributor to the GCDb's sister site Furious Cinema. A Massachusetts native, he is an avid film fan that has been immersed in the world of entertainment and pop culture his entire life. He is a professional digital media designer and educator.

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