BLEEDING SKULL! VIDEO and MONDO Unearth the Analog Era Obscurity THE SOULTANGLER and Unleash it Via Fresh VHS for the First Ever US Release! DIG IT, TAPEHEADS!
The most analog-addicted Videovores will rightly recall Bleeding Skull! Video’s bodacious brand of rewind re-animation invading VCRs with the first official US release of the brain-smashing SOV rarity Cards of Death in association with their home video lovin’ homies at Mondo. Fast-forward just a few months later and BS!V main brains Joseph Ziemba (JZ) and Zack Carlson (ZC) are all analog-amped up to collab with the mighty Mondo once again and unleash yet another slab of impossibly obscure analog insanity with the 1987 16mm mind-melter The Soultangler. It’s available right now, for the first time ever in the US officially, and that means one thing, Tapeheads: it’s high time to take advantage of this amazing analog opportunity and stuff this ultra-rare rewind era trashterpiece in your VCR. VHSeriously. This release absolutely rules. Read on, my fellow Videovores, and learn how damn delicious movie snacking can be deduced through a most diligent attention to detail…
These tapes were hard enough to find the first time around, goddangit.
And jusssst in case you weren't aware, BLEEDING SKULL has a killer website and monstrous trash movie tome available for consumption. DIG IT. DIG IT NOWWWWW.
Your first release was the insano SOV obscurity Cards of Death. Can you fill us in on the reception of that release, and the progression of BS!V since then? JZ: We were shocked! I mean, WE knew that WE loved the process of creating this label. But there’s just no way of knowing how a new project like this will be received. And Cards of Death – like every movie we’re interested in releasing – isn’t an easy sell to the general public. So it meant a lot to us when the first release was appreciated and understood. There was so much positivity and support, both from people we admire (you, Massacre Video, Horror Boobs) and people who knew Bleeding Skull through the book or site. It was inspiring. The release of Cards of Death made us realize that we should keep doing this. It also helped to get the creative process streamlined. At this point, we’re going hog wild on this project. All fun! No un-fun!
BS!V and Mondo's most excellent analog edition for CARDS OF DEATH. Don't have it? FIX DAT.
Dig that, mang. Tell us more about your newest release that just dropped in association with Mondo Video, The Soultangler. What made you go for this flick? What can Tapeheads expect from your newest slab of fresh VHS flesh? ZC: The Soultangler was so incredibly overdue for a release that we just had to do do DO it. It took me years to track down the Canadian tape, and when I did, it still exceeded my expectations: mad science, autonomous intestines, stop-motion corpse chaos, living ventriloquist dummies… on and on. Goooood STUFF. I mean sure, there’s also the requisite homemade horror scenes of people having semi-lengthy conversations in wood-paneled kitchens, but that’s all part of what we love about the genre. Between all the hammer murders and shambling corpses, the movie is a perfect snapshot of Long Island, New York in 1987; a very specific time, place and culture that comes through every time a woman nasally shrieks or an old policeman complains. We love it. Something like Cards of Death was a very, very tough act to follow. So we were very fortunate that Soultangler’s director was excited to ally with us.
The bitchin' big box artwork for the fresh VHS release of THE SOULTANGLER. Ooey gooey analog era glory, indeed, mang.
Yeah, can you tell us a little bit about the process of tracking down the filmmaker Pat Bishow, and his reaction to your desire to put it out? This is the first US release ever, right? It only came out on tape in Canada on Astral? JZ: It was pretty simple. I found Pat’s website (http://www.amusementfilms.com/) and contacted him. He was surprised that we were interested in The Soultangler. At first, he thought that it was a joke. I don’t think he was aware of how special the movie had become to people like us – it was just something that he did thirty years ago and he had moved on. He turned out to be an incredibly appreciative and kind person. We were lucky to work with him on this. And yeah, this is the first U.S. release of Soultangler. There was the Canadian Astral tape, as well as a Korean release. I think Pat has a copy of an official Turkish tape too, which is insane.
The internet kicked up a little VHSurprise: The Brazilian America Video label release of THE SOULTANGLER. Perfectly INSANO.
So, Videovores wanna know: just how many yellow tapes are going around out there? I know they’re being randomly inserted with orders. Can you give us the full specs on the release? ZC: I think about one fourth of the total run will be on yellow, and the number of the run is a mystery to me! I suppose the profitable thing to do would be to make this a limited run of ten copies so each one shoots up wildly in value, but we’d rather that the bulk of the people who want to see the movies actually get a shot at them. IS THAT CRAZY?
The randomly inserted yellow cassettes for THE SOULTANGLER which I've affectionately deemed HELLY YELLY. Lookin' GOOD.
The digital download is certainly a new incentive to hit fresh VHS. Are you going to do this with your future releases, you think? Do you think there’s a small tinge of analog irony in including a digital download with a chunk of analog glory? JZ: For sure! As long as each filmmaker is game for a digital download of their movie, we’ll offer that option. To us, the digital download aspect is just keeping with the times. We don’t want to be jerks about it. We understand that not everyone owns a VCR in 2014, so the digital download option makes it possible for even more people to enjoy these movies.
A taste of the low-budget gory glory awaiting you in the new analog edition of THE SOULTANGLER. NOISH.
Okay, this one is engineered for you, Zack, but Joe I hope you snack hard, too. What’s the best snack combo to ingest while experiencing the VHinSanity that is The Soultangler? ZC: Finally… the hard-hitting topics. Movie snacking is a subject that I take VERY seriously. The snacks are dictated by three things, in this order: Relation to the movie’s themes, regional snacks that represent the area where it was filmed, and the season that the viewing is taking place. For example, if watching Jaws III in October, I’d want tuna casserole and pumpkin pie-flavored egg nog. I had some tonight, and it’s major. For The Soultangler, I’d recommend a nice, loose pastrami with Hawaiian Punch. In fact, I’d insist on it. JZ: I live vicariously through Zack’s champion snack-eating skills. Obviously. What’s next for you guys? More trash video vindication, I presume?! JZ: More fun! More releases! We’re sticking to our plan of four releases a year until forever. The third release includes a new element that will be a part of every release from here on out. The third one will be out on Black Friday aka the day after Thanksgiving. Aside from the BS!V, the site continues to be updated regularly with new reviews. Anything else you wanna say to all the analog-eating Videovores in Lunchmeat Land? ZC: Yes. There is. Things are getting wild out there on the VHS collectors’ circuit. Competition and one-upmanship driving up the prices of tapes until only the children of mayors can buy them. Simmer down, share the fun, and—most importantly—actually WATCH YOUR TAPES. Spread the word about the unknown treasures you discover and maybe they’ll live again, like this one. JZ: Read what Zack just said again.And one more time couldn’t hurt! Rest rewind assured, Zack knows what he’s talkin’ about with that piece of analog advice, mang. In the modern world of gathering slabs of magnetic magic, the above VHSentiment is sure to keep you on the right tape track, Videovores. Ignore those dollar signs, seek out the strange and unwatchable and feed that VCR every day. Believe it. And in-between your daily dose(s) of analog affirmation, don’t forget to groove on over to the Official MondoTees Site to grip up your copy of Bleeding Skull! Video’s second slab of righteous video vindication with The Soultangler and stay tuned to the Official Bleeding Skull site for updates on their upcoming third slice of pure analog archaeology. I hear the next one’s gonna knock your VHSocks off, mang.
Groove and Groove and EAT RADICAL FOODS.
Josh Schafer