Adamson, Al

Cinderella 2000

This 1977 sci-fi cult classic from drive-in movie legends Al Adamson & Sam Sherman (Dracula vs. Frankenstein, Blazing Stewardesses) takes the classic Brothers Grimm fairy tale into the farthest reaches of a way-out future and puts an Orwellian spin on it…with a helping heaping of sexy shenanigans tossed in for good measure. It's seeing its premiere release on DVD! A sinister Big Brother government has declared sex illegal in the year 2047, but poor Cindy could care less. Dressed in rags and a slave to her wicked step-sisters, the beautiful young woman knows that escape and passionate romance are dreams never to be fulfilled. But one day Cindy meets a handsome young man and falls head-over-heels in love and lust. Braving the Fornication Police, a wise-cracking, sex-sniffing robot, and the government's impotent omnipotent leader who's not "up" to the task, sexy Cindy must overcome every erotic obstacle and funky musical interlude to be with her prince.

The Blood Island Vacation (Brides of Blood / The Mad Doctor of Blood Island / Beast of Blood / Brain of Blood)

Ahoy, there's terror straight ahead on Blood Island! Go back to the days of drive-ins and damsels in distress with this quartet of scream-filled classics. Upon arrival, you'll be escorted by your tour guide John Ashley and the lovely Brides of Blood, who are all lined up by the island chiefs for sacrifice to a horribly mutated monster living in a jungle filled with an assortment of ghastly beasts. Then stop off for a visit with the Mad Doctor of Blood Island, whose experiments combining plant and man have resulted in green-blooded fiends bent on destruction, with only Mr. Ashley and the lovely Angelique Pettyjohn capable of stopping this blood-soaked rampage. And be sure to keep your eyes peeled for the island's resident Beast of Blood, a headless creature who swipes human noggins for its own gruesome ends. Can Ashley and beautiful Celeste Yarnall make it to the forbidden Valley of Doom before it's too late? Before you leave, feast your eyes on an evil dwarf, a lumbering monster, a basement filled with chained women, and the wicked Brain of Blood used in nightmarish transplants resulting in a whirlpool of horror. So come and stay on Blood Island for a while; it's the vacation getaway of your wildest screams!

Black Heat

Blazing Stewardesses/Naughty Stewardesses Double Feature

Those "naughty stewardesses" are at it again! But this time they've turned in their Mile High Club sky miles for a sexy, rousing, Old West-styled adventure on a dude ranch. Punchin' cattle and breakin' stallions are the last things on their minds as these lovely ladies earn their wings in a whole new way…blazing a trail straight to the bedroom.

Blood of Ghastly Horror

Director Al Adamson and producer Sam Sherman picked a suitably vague title for their incoherent horror film about jewel thieves, a psychotic Vietnam vet with an electronic brain, and a vengeful killer with a bright blue zombie henchman. Laden with flashbacks and sidetracks, this was another of Adamson's do-overs, an unfinished picture reborn with new scenes and an entirely new story. "It's a little choppy," says Sam Sherman with deadpan understatement in his introduction. "If you fall asleep I swear you'll think you've woken up in two different movies." Only two?

Former Disney star Tommy Kirk stars as the tough detective who gets a severed head in the mail, Regina Carrol (Adamson's wife) is an innocent targeted by the mad killer with revenge on his mind, and John Carradine receives top billing for what must be a single day's work as Dr. Van Ard, whose misguided science project starts the whole mess. It's not hard to see where the two films--the heist picture and the horror film--were stitched together because the seams are glaring, but that's hardly the worst Blood of Ghastly Horror has to offer. Wooden performances, clumsy drama, bizarre dialogue ("Dr. Van Ard died a much more horrible death than he really deserved," eulogizes Kirk), awkward editing, and the worst camera work ever attributed to future Oscar winner Vilmos Zsigmond (Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Deer Hunter) all contribute to this mind-boggling mess.

The DVD features a commentary by producer Sam Sherman, along with a newly recorded introduction, a profile taken from the cable TV series Split Screen, and trailers to this and four other Al Adamson-Sam Sherman collaborations. --Sean Axmaker

Al Adamson's classic tale of undead terror comes to DVD with a shocking bang as part of Troma Team Video's Al Adamson Collection! Human zombies rise from their coffins as living corpses! A doctor (John Carradine) implants a strange electronic brain component in a man's skull and a psychotic killer is born, to be used as a remote-control zombie by a crime syndicate. The zombie psychopath subsequently goes haywire and turns on his masters, killing some go-go dancers along the way, before getting his ultimate revenge on Carradine. Also known as The Man with the Synthetic Brain, The Fiend with the Atomic Brain, The Fiend with the Electronic Brain, The Fiend with the Synthetic Brain. This DVD comes with an audio commentary by producer Sam Sherman and a featurette "Producing Schlock." A great double bill with Adamson's recently restored classic Psycho A Go Go!

I Spit On Your Corpse

Director Al Adamson and producer Sam Sherman were never ones for subtlety. The original name for this low-budget drive-in action thriller was Girls for Rent, but according to Sherman (who introduces the film with a few anecdotes) the title was changed when it went to video, and it stuck. And why not? It's an appropriately incendiary title for a violent, raw production. Legendary X-rated star Georgina Spelvin (Behind the Green Door) stars as a hard-bitten hit woman sprung from a Mexican prison by a mob boss with big plans. Her first job is the murder of a blackmailing politician, but when a witness flees in panic Spelvin and tough-as-nails partner in crime Rosalind Miles hit the road to silence her for good. Shot on the cheap by longtime collaborator Gary Graver (who also photographed Orson Welles's last films), it's a lean, brutal film with some unexpectedly affecting moments. Spelvin is awkward with dialogue but makes a wicked psycho killer, cackling with maniacal glee as she murders her way through the California desert. Miles has charisma to spare as the more calculating of the pair. Unlike many of Adamson's productions, it's a coherent film from start to finish with a hard, vicious edge and a nihilistic twist rarely seen in the low-budget action films made today.

Sam Sherman's commentary is full of production anecdotes, notably including a "revolt" on the set by the actresses and a pair of lawsuits launched by two of the actors, and once again he gives a tutorial on practical low-budget shooting. The DVD also features a newly recorded introduction, a profile taken from the cable TV series Split Screen, and trailers to this and four other Al Adamson-Sam Sherman collaborations. --Sean Axmaker

Just when you though it was safe to go back in the bedroom... Two mob hit women are set up as exectioners for hire. They mix love, murder and cruelty in their work in this fast-paced thriller on wheels. I Spit On Your Corpse is a violent, raw production starring legendary X-rated star Georgina Spelvin (Behind the Green Door) as a tough-as-nails hit woman sprung from a Mexican prison by a mob boss with big plans. Her first job is the murder of a blackmailing politician, but when a witness flees in panic Spelvin and her vicious girlfriend Rosalind Miles hit the road to silence her for good! Produced independently by Sam Sherman and shot by longtime collaborator Gary Graver (who also photographed Orson Welles's last films), it's a lean, brutal film. film from start to finish with a hard, vicious edge and a nihilistic twist rarely seen in the low-budget action films made today. This DVD, part of Troma Team Video's Al Adamson Collection, comes with an audio commentary by Sam Sherman, a featurette "Producing Schlock."

Fan Of The Dead

In 1968 George Romero traumatized a whole generation with his legendary and revolutionary "Night of the Living Dead" which truly marks the birth of modern horror movies. This movie was followed by the cult classic "Dawn of the Dead" in 1978 and the apocalyptical "Day of the Dead" in 1985 and Night of the Living Dead (1990). The George Romero trilogy became instant classics. With a worldwide community of fans the phenomenon is not without evoking the Star Wars mania! Camera in hand Nicolas Garreau crossed the Atlantic Ocean from France to realize his dream. Roaming the steep roads day and night of a sometimes lugubrious Pennsylvania countryside he found the locations and people who made the Romero zombie trilogy come alive. This DVD contains exclusive interviews with cast and crew members and reveals all the filming locations of the trilogy including locations not known to the public like the missile launch pad of "Day of the Dead" and the real basement used in "Night of the Living Dead - 1968" a guided tour of the mall with Ken Foree and others along with extras and bonus footage.System Requirements:Running Time: 60 minsFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: HORROR/CULT MOVIES UPC: 827421001146 Manufacturer No: 08-007

Mean Mother

Brain of Blood

Human brain transplants and blood-soaked operations highlight this saga filled with blood, shock, and sheer fright, featuring mad doctor antics, an evil dwarf ("Freaks'" Angelo Rossitto), and a pure gold drive-in cast including Kent Taylor (The Mighty Gorga), Grant Williams (The Incredible Shrinking Man), Regina Carrol (Dracula vs. Frankenstein), and Vicki Volante (Horror of the Blood Monsters). Inspired by the wildly popular success of the "Blood Island" series, this follow up (shot in Hollywood) follows the tradition of those Philippine favorites with cult filmmakers Al Adamson and Sam Sherman bringing you an unforgettable whirlpool of horror featuring a deformed and lumbering monster, a basement filled with chained women, and an entire country trapped in this horrific struggle!

Doctor Dracula

Al Adamson brings his far-out school of cult moviemaking to the Dracula legend in this gruesome blend of sorcery, witchcraft, and vampirism, featuring screen favorites John Carradine and Donald Barry. Prominent author John Wainwright claims to be the reincarnation of infamous mind controller Svengali; using black magic, he stages the ritual sacrifice of his latest Trilby and ignites a confrontation with the strange Dr. Gregorio--actually the long undead Count Dracula himself! Leaving drained corpses and female vampire slaves in his wake, Gregorio embarks on an endless, evil journey in this startling shocker!