New to View: Oct. 15

By Bob Bloom
The following titles are being released on Tuesday, Oct. 15, unless otherwise noted:

Killer Nun (Blu-ray)
Details: 1979, Arrow Video
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Anita Ekberg stars in this horror-tinged exploitation movie — supposedly is based on true events — about a nun who goes on a killing spree.
Ekberg is Sister Gertrude, a disturbed woman who degenerates into drug taking, sexual encounters, torture and murder.
The movie is not so much a part of the “nunsploitation” genre as it is a crime thriller, as the nun in question begins taking drugs to help ease terrible migraines. The drugs seem to alter her personality and create blackouts during which the killings occur.
The supporting cast includes Joe Dallesandro, Alida Valli and Paolo Morra.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; Italian and English LPCM monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a commentary track, cast and filmmaker interviews, a video essay about the “nunsploitation” genre and a booklet about the movie.

Vikings: Season 5, Volume 2 (Blu-ray)
Release date: Oct. 8
Details: 2018, Fox Home Entertainment-MGM
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A three-disc set offering the final 10 episodes of this fifth season of this historical drama.
Ivar the Boneless is now the tyrannical king of Kattegat, and his cruelty ushers in a dark era for the people of Scandinavia.
Bjorn, Lagertha and Bishop Heahmund have fled the murderous soldiers sent by Ivar. Adding to the turmoil is the return of Duke Rollo.
In Iceland, meanwhile, Floki battles the bitter elements as well as the settlers’ thirst for revenge.
Finally, the sons of Ragnor and old, sworn enemies must put aside their differences and ally themselves to defeat the ruthless and megalomaniacal Ivar, who has proclaimed himself a god.
The action and intrigue continually ramp up as the season moves forward.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, French 5.1 DTS and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus materials include extended versions on all 10 episodes, a commentary track, deleted scenes and behind-the-scenes featurettes.

My Samurai: Collector’s Edition (Blu-ray)
Details: 1992, MVD Rewind Collection
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A 1990s martial arts-exploitation feature about a young man, Peter McCrea (John Kallo), who witnesses a gangland killing, which puts him in a very dangerous situation and fearing for his life.
His one hope for survival is Young Park (Julian Lee), a martial arts master without equal. Peter, on the run from the gang and the police, is taught by Young Park the secrets of self-defense — as well as the inner strength and confidence to face his fears.
The movie features a supporting cast of familiar faces, including Mako, Bubba Smith and Terry O’Quinn.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 LPCM monaural; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include interviews with cast members, behind-the-scenes and conversations with cast members and filmmakers.

A Christmas Carol: Ultimate 2-Disc Collector’s Edition
Details: 1951, Kit Parker Films-MVD Visual Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Alastair Sim stars as Scrooge in one of the best — if not the finest — adaptation of Charles Dickens’ Christmas classic.
This British version of the story has been released several times by various labels, with each improving on the audio and pictorial quality of the movie.
This release is no exception — picture and sound are sharp.
Sims’ performance is the key to this memorable cinematic telling of the yuletide tale, and it never grows old.
The two-disc set features a colorized version of the movie, but, for my taste, I would stick with the black-and-white original.
Technical aspects: 1.37:1 full-screen picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, English and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a 1935 film version of the story, cast biographies, commentary tracks and featurettes about the film.

The Lingering (Blu-ray)
Details: 2018, Well Go USA Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: This Chinese supernatural thriller centers on a boy and his mother who spend a terrifying night in the basement after being tormented by a dangerous presence.
Years later, and after the death of his mother, Dawa, the now-grown boy, is forced to return to his former home and again face the presence that tortured him as a child.
But can Dawa figure out if it is a ghost or find some earthly explanation for these strange happenings. And do these occurrences having something to do with the disappearance of Dawa’s father who, one day, never returned from work?
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.35:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; Cantonese 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.

Hercules in the Haunted World (Blu-ray)
Release date: Oct. 8
Details: 1961, Kino Lorber
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: This is a Blu-ray that will appeal to fans of sword-and-sandal, Mario Bava and Christopher Lee.
Bava was hired to direct the second Hercules movie starring British bodybuilder Reg Park. Instead of the usual mythology that usually was used as the basis of these films, Bava went in another direction.
Bava, in demand after the success of his “Black Sunday,” combined elements of sword-and-sandal adventure with horror elements, as Hercules must descend into Hades to retrieve a magical stone that can save his princess lover from the forces of darkness.
Lee plays the evil Lico, who has the power to summon corpses from their tombs, which he does, but they are no match for Hercules.
The Blu-ray features three versions of the movie — the original 86-minute Italian version, the 84-minute U.S. release and the 81-minute British release, which was retitled “Hercules in the Center of the Earth,” which makes it sound like some kind of Jules Verne sci-fi offering.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; Italian and English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English and English SDH subtitles on the U.S. version.
Don’t miss: Extras include a commentary track with author Tim Lucas and an interview with actor George Ardisson.

Storm of the Century
Release date: Oct. 1
Details: 1999, Kino Lorber
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Stephen King wrote the screenplay for this three-part miniseries that centers on an isolated island town off the coast of Maine under attack by an evil entity.
Heightening the drama, is a fierce storm that has cut the town off from the rest of the world.
The evil arrives in the form of Andre Linoge (Colm Feore), who seems to know the inner secrets of all the residents.
After a series of murders and suicides, Linoge announces his purpose, forcing the townspeople to take drastic action to save themselves.
The cast includes Tim Daly, Deborah Farentino, Casey Siemaszko and Jeffrey DeMunn.
Technical aspects: 1.33:1 full-screen picture; English Dolby digital; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: The major extra is a commentary track by King and director Craig R. Baxley.

Genius Party & Genius Party Beyond (Blu-ray)
Details: 2007-08, Shout! Factory-GKids
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Creativity and imagination are the keys beyond this release that features 12 short animated films from 12 directors such as Masaaki Yuasa, Mahiro Maeda, Koji Morimoto, Kazuto Nakazawa and Tatsuyuki Tanaka.
These stories allows the directors free rein to expand the boundaries of anime and tell stories in their own unique styles.
“Genius Party” contains seven such offerings, while “Genius Party Beyond” features five stories. The tales in each set are connected in some ways, and all spotlight the experimentation of the artists involved.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.77:1 widescreen picture; Japanese 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.

Malevolence (Blu-ray + DVD)
Malevolence 2: Bereavement: Director’s Cut (Blu-ray + DVD)
Malevolence 3: Killer (Blu-ray + DVD)
Details: 2003-18, Mena Films-MVD Visual Entertainment
Rated: R, graphic violence, bloody images, nudity, language
The lowdown: Stevan Mena wrote and directed this horror trilogy that begins with “Malevolence,” in which 6-year-old Martin Bristol is kidnapped from his backyard swing.
During the next 10 years, he is forced to witness the gruesome crimes of his abductor, deranged madman George Sutter.
All this time, Martin’s whereabouts have been unknown. That changes when a trio of bank robbers takes a mother and young daughter as hostages and hides out in a secluded house.
And guess who lives there? Thus, the hunted become the new prey.
In “Malevolence 2: Bereavement,” 17-year-old Allison Miller goes to live on her uncle’s farm in rural Minersville, Pennsylvania.
Exploring her new surroundings, Allison discovers things are quite strange at the farmhouse down the road. Her curiosity unleashes a nest of evil, despair and death.
“Malevolence 3: Killer” continues the hunt for the mentally damaged Martin Bristol, who, while on the run, still takes time to murder and maim.
A special agent is hot of Martin’s trail, while Bristol’s mother, still mourning his loss, is shocked to learn that, not only is he alive, but that he is responsible for the wave of local killings.
It’s a race against time as Bristol’s mother tries to find and help her son, while the special agent may have no choice but to use excessive or lethal force to bring him down.
Horror-slasher fans most likely will enjoy this gory threesome.
Technical aspects: Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 (“Malevolence” and “Malevolence 3: Killer”) and 2.40:1 (“Malevolence 2: Bereavement”) widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH and Spanish subtitles; DVD: 1.85:1 (“Malevolence” and “Malevolence 3: Killer”) and 2.40:1 (“Malevolence 2: Bereavement”) widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include commentaries on all three movies; deleted scenes on “Malevolence” and “Malevolence 2: Bereavement”; rehearsal footage and “The Dark Side of Horror” featurettes on “Malevolence”; a director’s cut of “Malevolence 2: Bereavement” with additional footage; a making of featurette and a first look behind-the-set featurette all on “Malevolence 2: Bereavement”; a making of featurette and a look at composing the score on “Malevolence 3: Killer.”

Other titles being released on Tuesday, unless otherwise indicated:
The 11^th Patient (DVD & digital download) (Uncork’d Entertainment)
The Drone (DVD & digital download & VOD) (Lionsgate Home Entertainment)
GG Allin: All in the Family (MVD Visual Entertainment)
One Night in October (DVD & digital download) (Wild Eye Releasing)
Pumpkins (DVD & digital download) (High Octane Pictures)
The Returned: Season Two (Music Box Films)
Ulysses & Mona (Film Movement)
Quartet (Cohen Film Collection, Sept. 24)
My Son (Cohen Media Group, Sept. 17)

FOR KIDS
Princess Emmy (Shout! Kids)
Teen Titans Go! vs. Teen Titans (Warner Home Entertainment)

DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, STREAMING or VOD
“Bill Plympton Feature Film Library” (Shout! Factory)
The Furnace (Exploration Films)
Hobbs & Shaw (Universal Studios Home Entertainment)
Luce (Universal Studios Home Entertainment)
Making Montgomery Clift (1091 Media)
No Joke (Lofty Sky Entertainment)
Portal (Vertical Entertainment)
The Robbery (Pagemaster Pictures)
Somewhere in the Middle (Mule Films)
Doc Martin: Series 9, Episode 4 (Acorn TV, Oct. 17)
Greener Grass (IFC Films, Oct. 18)
Mount Pleasant, Series 2 (Acorn TV, Oct. 21)
No Tears (Acorn TV, Oct. 21)

Coming next week: The Lion King

I am a founding member of the Indiana Film Journalists Association. I review movies, Blu-rays and DVDs for ReelBob (ReelBob.com), The Film Yap and other print and online publications. I can be reached by email at bobbloomjc@gmail.com. You also can follow me on Twitter @ReelBobBloom and on Facebook. My movie reviews also can be found at Rottentomatoes: www.rottentomatoes.com.