Horror movies and art from the underground

The deleted scenes (9:16) include several of the bits that were reincorporated into the director's cut including more comedy between the brothers and between Will and Luke along with the introduction of Geena's German friends, and some more action in the kitchen between the zombies and the badass Buddhist cook while the outtakes (15:37) seem to be complete scenes that were edited together but not included because they did not actually play well with some odd beats and poor line delivery.

Whether you’re revisiting the trilogy or discovering it for the first time, Tetsuo: The Bullet Man is a fitting finale that explores grief, rage, identity, and humanity through one of horror’s most unique cinematic visions. It may not surpass the groundbreaking impact of The Iron Man, but it confidently stands on its own as another unforgettable entry in one of the genre’s most distinctive franchises.

Unearthed has done an excellent job at making a hard-to-swallow film at times more easily digestible with a couple of substantial extras. First off, we get a great new commentary track with Mes and Bossick. This is a fantastic talk that made me appreciate the film more, and learning about everything that went into its making was so interesting. This is a great track. Even more fascinating is the alternate version of the film, made up entirely of behind-the-scenes footage, allowing us to literally watch the entire film being made. This is such a neat thing to view, and it is the highlight of this slipcase-covered collection.

Now Legion of the Dead is not a film without precedence, from Dust Devil for its road movie approach to horror and general location to From Dusk Till Dawn for its finale and tone to Dogma for its humour and religious allusions, but that's not to say Legion of the Dead is just a copycat movie but rather pretty cool genre entertainment in its own right, a film with enough violence and gore to satisfy any hardcore horror fan but also plenty of comedy to cross over to more mainstream territory and even plenty of heart. And an elegantly grungy directorial effort and a competent cast only help to make this a very worthwhile genre entry.

There’s a lot of blood and chaos in the movie, and a nice bit of nudity too, so Chandon’s efforts will check quite a few boxes for those into tits and gore.

While mostly serious in tone, the film adds undertones of slapstick comedy for comedic relief. This is predominantly provided by side characters, Jeff and Nicholas, two brothers endowed with supernatural abilities tasked with killing indiscriminately to add to the legion’s ranks.

Grieco spent time as a film critic for the Communist newspaper L’Unità and personally witnessed the real-life investigation. He was inspired to make the film after seeing the real Andrei Chikatilo on television and becoming fascinated by the paradox of a card-carrying Communist intellectual committing such horrific acts. The film’s atmosphere is heightened by a score composed by Angelo Badalamenti.

The various encounters here, mainly possible because the people here are supernatural so they’re able to sustain injury without much repercussions, help to allow this one to dive into a series of likable and somewhat funny confrontations that focus on the agents being subjected to a slew of comical misadventures while trying to bring about the chosen ones for their army of the undead, from slicing off their own limbs, being shot repeatedly, being impaled with foreign objects, or even being blown up in an explosion, among other encounters here, which provide this with the kind of fun and gruesome setpieces that are immensely enjoyable.

Whether you’re a long-time collector of extreme cinema or an indie horror fan looking for a wild, unpredictable retro ride, this release deserves a permanent spot on your shelf. Head over to Unearthed Films!

The grief-inducing first half that sets up the reasonable setup for revenge is touching and truly harrowing, while the outcome of that is the somewhat terrifying changeover into the metal-skinned being at the heart of the story.

** WHEN YOU PRE-ORDER LEGION OF THE DEAD ALONG WITH TETSUO THE BULLET MAN ON THE UNEARTHED FILMS WEBSITE AT THE SAME TIME, YOU WILL RECEIVE A FREE MYSTERY DISC!

Pre-order ends soon!

William and his sidekick Luke have just started a relaxing trip through the beautiful California desert when they stumble onto a small town where, unbeknownst to them, a mysterious tall blond man and his sadistic henchmen are killing people to create a Legion of the Dead!

Pre-order now! DISC ONE: FEATURE & EXTRAS: Unrated Festival Producer’s Cut Version, Audio Commentary With Director Olaf Ittenbach And Composer, Making Of Legion Of The Dead, Deleted Scenes, Outtakes, Festival Premieres, Photo Gallery, Trailers DISC TWO: DIRECTOR’S CUT: Director’s Cut Version

If you needed another reason to beef up your physical media shelf this month, the gorehounds at Unearthed Films are throwing down an amazing deal.

Here is a quick pro tip for your cart: when you head over to the official Unearthed Films website to pre-order your copy of Legion of the Dead. Now, make sure you double down. If you drop Shinya Tsukamoto’s cyberpunk body-horror trilogy capper Tetsuo: The Bullet Man into the same order, Unearthed will slide a completely free mystery disc into your package!

Fans of indie chillers heavy on practical and makeup effects, take note.

Unearthed Films will release a pair of features by independent filmmaker Doug Roos this fall. First up on September 22 is BAKEMONO (pictured above), which we previously told you about here and which Roos shot on location in Tokyo. Yukina Takase, Takashi Irie, Vanessa Mertenbacher, Sayuri Nakata, Hiro Senda, Alice Nemoto, Mai Mizusawa and Mone Watanabe star; the synopsis: “A multitude of guests visit the same cheap Tokyo apartment at different times, unaware of the gruesome creature waiting for them.” Special features are:

-Making the Practical FX: Bringing a Gruesome Monster to Life -The Dark Side of Tokyo: The Meaning Behind the Film -Principal Photography -BAKEMONO Unleashed: Reactions and Surprises -Festival Q&A in Germany