"B" is for Black Magic Terror

Black Magic Terror

Distributor: Twilight Video

Parent Corporation: Trans World Entertainment
Catalog #: 15011
Case Type: Oversized clamshell
VHS Released: 1985
Original Movie Released: 1983
Directed by: L. Sudjio (aka Liliek Sudjio)
Country of Origin: Indonesia
Title As Released: Ratu Ilmu Hitam

Alternate Titles: The Queen of Black Magic, Black Magic 3

Black Magic Terror was directed by the prolific Indonesian filmmaker Liliek Sudjio in 1983. He had already directed quite a few films before this one, the earliest dating back to 1957. And he dabbled in all kinds of genres including drama, action, war, superheros, and horror. I've only seen Black Magic Terror, and I'm not sure how many of his other films (if any) are dubbed in English or subtitled. 

 

 I would love to see some of his other films, especially the superhero stuff like Gundala Putra Petir (Gundala The Son of Lightning) and Darna Ajaib (DarnaWonder Girl). 

 

Black Magic Terror carries on the tradition set forth by Hong Kong cinema's "black magic" sub-genre, which began with the Shaw Brothers production Black Magic (Jiang Tou) in 1975, and followed by such films as The Boxer's Omen, Seeding of a Ghost, and Devil Fetus to name a few.
 

 Box Synopsis:

In this horrifying tale, the darkest witchcraft is

woven to create terrifying demons to attack the body,

mind and spirit of its victims.

Evoking these evil spells is the Queen of Black Magic

whose anger is matched only by her powers,

her passion matched only by her hate.

 

 

The above-mentioned Hong Kong-based "black magic" films are well known to western audiences, but the genre actually goes farther back. There's a Hong Kong/Indonesian/Malaysian co-production from 1967 called Penanggalan (aka The Headless Terror), directed by Tulsi (Darwaza) Ramsay, and starring Indonesian actress Suzzanna as the "penanggalan". In Southeast Asian folklore a penanggalan is a being who, either through the use of black magic or by being cursed by a black magician, could detach its head from its body and the disembodied head, with entrails dangling from the spinal cord, could then fly around seeking victims. Hence the English translation of the Penanggalan film, The Headless Terror. All this would be great practice for Suzzanna, who would go on to become Murni, the "Queen of Black Magic, in Sudjio's Black Magic Terror. And one of my favorite scenes in Black Magic Terror also features a penanggalan. After being cursed by Murni's black magic, a victim proceeds to rip his own head off, complete with dangling spinal cord, which then flies around biting people. Awesome!

  

Black Magic Terror was distributed in the US in 1985 by Twilight Video, which was owned by Trans World Entertainment. I have a copy of Joe D'Amato's Trap Them and Kill Them, which was also released on Twilight Video, and to my knowledge that's the only releases by the company. I think some people confuse releases by another company called Twilight Home Entertainment, which is different. If anybody knows of other releases let me know.



"A" is for Alien Prey

OK, what this post, and subsequent posts with this theme, will be about is the "A-Z of Horror & Cult VHS Releases" as presented by myself. So the next post will be "B" is for... then "C" is for... and so forth until I reach "Z", then it will start back over with "A". What I'm doing with this is basically highlighting VHS titles that are either rare, essential, or just personal favorites of mine.

Alien Prey
Distributor: Comet Video
Catalog #: 2004
Case Type: Big box
VHS Released: 1984
Original Movie Released: 1978
Alternate Titles: Prey



Alien Prey, released in 1978, was UK horror/sci-fi director Norman J. Warren's fifth film. Warren began directing soft core films with Her Private Hell and Loving Feeling, both released in 1968, before moving to horror with Evil Heritage in 1976, followed by Terror in 1978. Most people seem to either love or hate the films of Norman J. Warren. I happen to love them. Yes, they're made on the cheap, but they have a certain charm all their own, much like the films of Andy Milligan. Of the handful of Warren's films that I've seen, Alien Prey is my favorite, and can certainly be appreciated by those who aren't necessarily a fan of the director. Warren does a great job of juggling many different elements from horror, sci-fi, and exploitation to genuine creepiness, brief but splattery gore, and effective tension.

 It was released on VHS in the US by Comet Video (a subsidiary of Continental Video) in 1984 in a "big box". And it's one of my favorite Comet boxes too, up there with Herschell Gordon Lewis' "Blood Trilogy"; and like those boxes, its cover art features a juicy gory bit from the movie. It certainly attracted my attention back in the late '80s, when I first rented it from a local "mom & pop" video store. It's somewhat of a rare title now. It's certainly not impossible to find, but for an intact "big box" in decent shape, you're looking at $50.00 and upwards, depending on the condition. The Alien Prey VHS is one that falls in all 3 of the categories I mentioned above - rare (somewhat), essential (for cult movie fans), and a personal favorite (oh yeah).

Video Mania (1990 catalog)

Video Mania 1990 mail order VHS catalog

 

Anyone who's been collecting VHS since the mid '80s knows about mail order catalogs. It was the only way to acquire certain titles, especially uncut versions of foreign films, usually dubbed from a master VHS or LaserDisc, if you're lucky. Sometimes the copy you would get would be a few generations removed from the master - with blurring, tape roll, or any other manner of tape distortion. This was all part of collecting/tape trading in those days. For many movies, this "generational distortion" caused a certain grittiness and lack of color saturation, which added a layer of authenticity to these obscure horror films, which they seem to lack when you view a pristine DVD or Blu-ray transfer of the same movie.

    

VIDEO MANIA, however, was a mail order tape seller out of Chicago, IL that dealt with legitimate VHS copies of movies. Their prices seemed hefty at the time, but compared to what you or a video store owner would pay for retail prices, most of VIDEO MANIA'S tapes would be considered a bargain. I was in high school at this time so the prices didn't seem like a bargain to me. Unfortunately I wasn't able to order too many tapes from VIDEO MANIA. If I had a time machine though, I would certainly go back and order a lot of these titles. I mean come on, Last House on Dead End Street on Sun Video for $24.90 and 555 for $34. That's a steal compared to what you'll pay for these tapes today! I miss those days...