The Pete Walker Collection [Blu-ray]

A lot of horror and thriller films, with a dose of the erotic, were released in Europe during the seventies, and many of them have survived the test of time. Pete Walker (1939- ) was one of the English directors that represented the trend, and it has been said elsewhere that he "tested the limits of film censorship in the UK with a string of gruesome and erotic thrillers." For our pleasure, then, we have now available "The Pete Walker Collection," a remarkable and historically important set of films that represent a testament of those glorious years, with the best of quality possible.The collection is comprised of four titles in four Blu-ray discs, each remastered in HD from original negatives. The first one, "House of Whipcord," is "dedicated to those who are disturbed by today's lax moral codes (we are taking 1974) and who eagerly await the return of corporal and capital punishment." Everything begins when a good-looking fellow goes to the city, makes ladies fall for him, and then he takes them to a mansion in the middle of nowhere, where ladies are punished for their sins. The first lady that we meet is kidnapped because her sin was being a model and "exposing herself." They go to trial in front of a judge, and he condemns them accordingly. After three strikes, they are hanged. It takes some time for the prisoners to revolt. And, of course, being a women-in-prison film, there is some nudity. The next one is "Die Screaming, Marianne," with Susan George playing the main character. Contrary to "House of Whipcord," this film's story is a bit more complex, and it has to do with a lady (George), who is key to an inheritance, and everybody wants a piece of her -- hence the title. Here, the director generated a great thriller, with plenty twists and turns. On the other hand, "Schizo," one that I saw many years ago, is about a successful lady skater (Lynne Frederick - Mrs. Peter Sellers, herself) who, during her wedding and afterwards, is stalked by a fellow from her past, with everyone associated with her getting whacked in the process. There is also plenty of suspense to the very end in this movie, and some welcomed nudity. Finally, "The Comeback" is kind of a thriller-horror film, starring famous singer Jack Jones as Nick Cooper, a famous singer trying to make a comeback after a long period of inactivity, and whose agent (David Doyle) rents him a huge mansion, so that he can rest and find inspiration for his long-awaited recording. However, somebody tries very hard to make Nick go insane by playing tricks on him. This is also a great thriller that will keep you guessing until the end."The Pete Walker Collection" is a keeper for anybody that has fond memories from all those horror and sexy films from the seventies. In a recent interview, Walker said that with his films all he "wanted to do was create a bit of mischief." That, rest assured, he did, indeed. Each film has extras that include interviews with the director, audio commentaries, and much more. (House of Whipcord, UK, 1974, color, 102 min plus additional material; Schizo, UK, 1976, color, 109 plus additional materials; Die Screaming, Marianne, UK, 1971, color, 99 min plus additional materials; The Comeback, UK, 1978, color, 100 min plus additional materials)Reviewed on January 29, 2013 by Eric Gonzalez for Redemption Films / Kino Lorber Blu-ray

For anyone who hasn't seen any Pete Walker films this is a good sampling. That being said, the collection varies in quality both in content and transfers. The best of the bunch I would say is The Comeback, and again, in quality and nice transfer. It reminds me of giallo-type movies and is actually quite well-made.....and also why I gave this four stars. House of Whipcord is entertaining, but the other two offerings are marginal at best. I've always liked Susan George, but I feel Die Screaming Marianne was kind of a waste. I would recommend this at a reasonable price for those who are interested or curious.

Pete Walker, along with standout character actress Sheila Keith make these films unique and unforgettable. If you are a fan of 70s British horror, you will love these. Only the House of Long Shadows is not included from his horror output (probably due to licencing). I wish he hadn't stopped making movies while young, but his short career outshines many other much longer careers.

I thought I was well up on most things horror until I read about Pete Walker! So I splashed out on this collection and was not disappointed. Pete Walker's horror films are the missing link between the latter days of Hammer and the dawn of the new visceral American horrors or the early 1970s.Walker's horror films deliver in all the places that Hammer and Amicus films continually failed at. Walker's films expertly deliver shocks, chilling atmospheres and good, well constructed stories featuring some of the best in British character acting talent.Pete Walker was by and large an exploitation filmmaker, but as a horror director he was quite the craftsman and a damn good filmmaker and it is a pity that his work is still very much overlooked as there are some very impressive films here.The films:'Die Screaming Marianne' is arguably the weakest film in the collection. Very boring and fails to deliver, and not even the gorgeous Susan George can save this dull talkfest. 1/5.'House of Whipcord' is a highly original take on the women in prison genre. This film is like being trapped in a nightmare and Sheila Keith is simply terrifying as the cold and sadistic prison warden. 4/5'Frightmare' Sheila Keith is back playing a murderous elderly tarot card reader that has recently been released from a loony bin. This film is like the League of Gentlemen remaking Driller Killer in the English countryside. But miles better! 4/5'House of Mortal Sin' tells the tale of a murderous catholic priest. Again, great fun! 4/5'The Comeback' [SPOILER ALERT] is about an vengeful elderly married couple that try to murder a pop singer because they blame him for their daughter's suicide. This film is a bit chatty in parts, but the ending is great! [SPOILER ALERT] How many films show Bill Owen (Compo from Last of the Summer Wine) playing a Leatherface type character? Not many, so that's worth the ticket price alone. 3/5The actress Sheila Keith appeared in several films for Walker and gave many unforgettably terrifying performances that it is a disgrace that she isn't more revered and celebrated as a horror icon. And I am stunned at how largely ignored Pete Walker's work generally is. I guess that is largely down to the first half of his career as a sexploitation director, but there is some very impressive work here that demands attention.

!!!WARNING! MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!!!!Well, what can one say apart from well done Anchor Bay for releasing this excellent collection of DVD's showcasing the talents of Pete Walker. Its long overdue that these classic 70's Brit horrors got a proper release, but better late than never.Just to run through the films in the set quickly-Die Screaming Marianne- A competant enough thriller, if a bit slow moving at times, with a brilliant title sequence. Enjoyable but a minor effort compared to the other films available here. 6 out of 10Frightmare- The grimest of the bunch, an everyday story of Cannibalism in the countryside, with two wonderful performances by Walker regular Sheila Keith as the deranged Dorothy Yates, and Rupert Davies as her weak but devoted husband. The film has a tremendous visceral power, and can still shock after all these years. 9 out of 10House Of Whipcord- The best of the films in my opinion, this is an uncompromising satire on the 'hang and flog 'em' brigade with its sarcastic opening comment dedicating the film to those who 'eagerly await the return of corporal and capital punishment'. The story concerns a disused jail where a disgraged Prison Warden and her senile husband who is a retired judge are meting out punishments to those they believe have not been punished harshly enough by what they consider to be a too liberal justice system. They are aided and abetted by two sadistic prison guards, and their machosistic son who ensnares the victims. Brutal and uncomprimising, the horror on show here is of a psychological nature, with another wonderful performance by Sheila Keith, who is frightening as the sadistic Walker. A brilliant film. 10 out of 10House Of Mortal Sin- A glossy and very bloody slice of horror, concerning the demented priest Xavier Meldrum, who is blackmailing and murdering his way through the local congregation. There is also a subplot involving the treatment of Meldrum's feeble, mute mother( who he uses as his own cofessional) by his sadistic housekeeper Miss Brabazon. The ending is as bleak and as uncormfortable as the one in 'Frightmare' and all the better for it. Another winner 81/2 out of 10The Comeback- The final film in this set is the tale of a singer played by Jack Jones, whose attempts at a musical comeback are hindered by strange happenings, and punctuated by the vicious murders of those closest to him. Luckily he has the people in the house he is staying at, for support. Or does he? Another excellent film, with a clever, twisted resolution. 8 out of 10So a wonderful box set all in all. I would recommend watching it in one go and getting a real feel of Walker's wonderful inventory. I really started to understand what an important figure he was within the field of British Horror films. If you would like to explore more of Walker's horror output, why not try either Schizo or The Flesh and Blood Show, both lesser efforts, but entertaing all the sameOh, theres some great extras on each disc too. A wonderful buy, at a wonderful price

This is an review of the blu-ray collectyion.Four disc collection in a single keepcase with outer slipcase.Die Screaming Marianne is a well made thriller with Susan George looking typically lovely. Film is very British and a little old fashioned but still fairly gripping.House Of Whipcord is a very low budget version of Women In Prison films where a young woman is imprisoned in the country by puritanical matrons who punish sinners. Some nudity and whipping etc and feels like an extended episode of Hammer House Of Horror.The Comeback mixes musical and horror in a similar way to Phantom Of The Paradise. It's not great but has its moments and a young Pamela Stephenson looks hot in it.Schizo is the goriest film here and has Stephanie Beacham in the cast. Good British dialogue and quirky characters in a tale of a woman who is being stalked by a figure from her mysterious past.Pete Walker's films were made independently on low budgets so there are flaws such as sloppy editing and occasional bad acting. But they are charming and very much of their time. The music is always good and the terror scenes are always tense.All the films look their best on blu-ray (1080/16X9/Uncut) with strong colour and detail. Odd scratches are on the prints but overall they are clean. There is heavy grain and softness in bits of Schizo but other scenes in it are remarkably clear. Audio is always clear.Extras are Walker commentary tracks for all films except Schizo, trailers and interviews with Walker.The discs are region A (America).

Very pleasantly surprised by the cleaned up discs! Anchor Bay have done a sterling job-especially on 'Frightmare' because the VHS copies were atrocious quality prints. The films? well enough has been said on the individual releases, but for me Frightmare Whipcord and Mortal Sin are undoubtably the superior trio!Jackie in 'Frightmare': "Wer'e trying to help YOU mother" Dorothy: "You're trying to help me back into that asylum!-that's what you're trying to do!" Highly recommended box-set and five stars from me!