Japanese VHS Covers Archive #9

A few Japanese VHS cover scans that were hastily done years ago have popped up on a hard drive I'm trying to preserve... they aren't perfect, but a few really nice titles make the click for big scans worthwhile! That is a great Golden Temple Amazons cover and you can never go wrong with anything NINJA featuring Richard Harrison! Enjoy!

Japanese VHS Covers Archive #8

Time for more Japanese VHS sleeves, and a good batch this is! First up, THE DEVIL'S VEIL, which is the Lamberto Bava Mask of Satan film. The tape is in Italian with Japanese subtitles, but I did finally catch a subbed copy more recently. With The Ogre getting released, I wish someone would have taken the time to put this film out instead. It has lots of good scenes, a paper thin plot, a great score and manages to mix the Mario Bava film with skiing as well.

Cobra Mission (sadly, NOT the full color version that resides in Castle Banzai!)


Cobra Mission 2


Arabella, The Black Angel (one of my favorite mega sleazers-optically censored but in English!)


The Shatterer

Japanese VHS Covers Archive #7

Time for more Japanese VHS sleeves. That LIGHTBLAST cover is excellent, and the movie is an under rated flick from Enzo G. Castellari that deserves some great artwork. Check out this inside piece as well. I'd love to know what the essay is about, is this something about Castellari or Estrada??


One of the films that I did not have in time for Tough To Kill, I really should add in a review for Bye Bye Vietnam. This one squeeks in to the 80s just barely and is surprisingly good.


Finally, here is the EION edition of 2019:After the Fall of New York, autographed by Micheal Sopkiw.

Japanese VHS Covers Archive - Bruno Mattei Bang Bang Bonanza!

If there is one director that drew me to the world of Japanese VHS it would be Bruno Mattei. I love his films and finding genuine releases of films like STRIKE COMMANDO 2 and SHOCKING DARK are some of my favorite moments in all of my film geekdom. Enjoy!







BONUS BRUNO! The following is my review of the 5 Exploding Hut masterwork STRIKE COMMANDO from Tough To Kill-The Italian Action Explosion (which is a must for any action fans bookshelf if I say so myself!

Strike Commando

1987-Flora Films

Directed by Bruno Mattei

With Reb Brown, Christopher Connelly, Alex Vitale, Luciano Pigozzi

“Got me and you…pussycat!”

A film that defies description without begging for hyperbole, Strike Commando is action-sploitation that pounds outrageous and entertaining mischief in every minute. Really. The brain trust (read: they trust that you will not use your brain!) of Bruno Mattei and Claudio Fragasso fired on all genre conventions, burping out this incredible entry.

Michael Ransom (Reb Brown) is one tough Strike Commando-he can’t be killed it would seem. His commando team blows up Vietcong bases with ease, but is double crossed by a skuzzy commander (Christopher Connelly), which leaves him trapped behind enemy lines with little hope of survival. But of course he lives on! Floating down a river and greeted by Vietnamese in whiteface (huh?) who are led by Luciano Pigozzi (dubbed as a Frenchman…huh!)-the hulking American becomes their savior. But the evil Russians, led by the huge and hilarious Jakoda (Alex Vitale) has other plans. Kill ‘em all… and he does. Disneyland gets a mention before that can happen, and holding crushed bodies and yelling, Ransom must make the Russians, the Vietcong, the men in power who treat soldiers like dirt, tiny miniature boats, huts, logic and everything else PAY! And oh, they do. Along the way Ransom is tortured and almost forced to broadcast anti-American radio chatter, but no way, not Ransom. Hell, leaving him with a rotting corpse just stresses him out as his captors find… and when he is stressed, only a zillion bullets and a slow motion waterfall stunt can make him feel better. Well, a little better. People explode and THE END unspools as a wiseass Ransom disclaims any form of truth to the picture.

Mattei and Fragasso mashed together one perfectly silly action film, which becomes so zany you can almost feel the fun pouring off the video as you stick it in the player. Not what historians would call solid film making, it doesn’t even try. Reb Brown is delirious in his role, shouting almost EVERY line, be it tender talk of popcorn growing on trees to angered ramblings (“The rest of Strike Commando demands VENGEANCE!”)… This becomes so insane it would be hard to replicate on purpose… if anyone even cared to try. Everyone, be they good actor, non-actor or exploding hut takes the macho to heart. Christopher Connelly exaggerates his reactions like nobody else can while Alex Vitale steals the show with his scenes as the jumbo Russian who hates “Amerikanski” with such vigor that he embraces several fight scenes, lots of cackling and a steel set of chompers that spur the best line of the movie.

Mattei directs the action with the flair of a director who has found his calling, you can call him a hack, but you can’t say he didn’t know how to get people to fall down under a hail of bullets. Stuntmen line up to be shot in gloriously wild head flopping style, Brown is in all the right positions to wield a giant machine gun with unlimited ammunition and yes… the waterfall is here for all to see. Backed up by one strange script that Fragasso has concocted, there are endless odd lines of dialogue, mercilessly silly set ups and you have to pay attention as the dubbers obviously had fun... Just listen to what passes as Vietnamese. Sharpshooters should look for Rene (Tiger Joe) Abadeza getting conked in the face and composite ninja veteran Mike Monty in the opening sequence!

With a score by Luigi Ceccarelli that seems more fitting than usual, you’ll be humming it for days while repeating just some of the dialogue

“He’s our ENEMY… That dirt DOG gotta PAY!”

Head Clonking Hyperbole: It’s a grenade in the mouth lovin, raucously ridiculous smash a minute thrill coaster that will leave you with a surplus of spare shell cases littering your memory which only another trip through Reb Brown’s bullet laden Disneyland can satisfy. Truly a cult film in every sense, Strike Commando is essential trash.

5 Exploding Huts

Japanese VHS Covers Archive #5

The archive returns after my vacation. Python is a decent action film and we have some good stuff below. Above The War is reviewed in Tough To Kill and while not exactly top notch it is very obscure.

Sakura Killers is wacky kung fu and worth checking out for any Chuck Connors fan!


One of my favorite scores, this is a widescreen print of the Fabrizio DeAngelis / Larry Ludman action flick Man Hunt. Ethan Wayne is great in this very Spaghetti Western like film. It actually gets a mention in the Tom Weisser book from McFarland, though it is not a legit Western film, it plays exactly like one.

The Female Vampire - Japanese DVD Gallery

Here is the image gallery collection from the Japanese DVD of Female Vampire. Some very interesting pieces are included, I was very excited to see the Japanese VHS cover! A very nice disc. Now this just reminds me that my X-Rated Kult Video DVD of the hard core edition suffers from some sort of rot and crashes. Not that it is the best version, but...well, I do want it in my collection-preferably playable!

Japanese VHS Covers Archive #4

Now here is a rare one that I received as a gift. Brigette Lahie in THE EXECUTOR, directed by Michel Caputo-best loved for WHITE SLAVERY IN ST. TROPEZ. While it is not as good as that film by any means, this is a very fun film and has some great ass kicking scenes!


I love CYWARRIOR, seriously, I do. Fabrizio De Angelis didn't even strap on his Larry Ludmans this time, letting Gianetto De Rossi get all the directorial credit. Highly entertaining (in my opinion) and where else do you get a potty mouthed Henry Silva chasing around a cybernetic Frank Zagarino? Tough to find, this scan doesn't do the sleeve justice. It is a metallic gold cover that is one of my all time favorites.

A great post nuke flick and one of the best sleeves ever.


A strange retitle for the strange Antonio Margheriti film Virtual Weapon. I loved reviewing this one for Tough To Kill.

Japanese VHS Covers Archive #3

Four more scans from my archives...a real mixed bag this time. We have Indonesian action, Canadian gore, Swedish Ninja and a Claudio Lattanzi favorite! Enjoy!


KILLING BIRDS-This was released as Zombie 5 in the US (with lovely poster artwork by Sciotti on the jacket), but this design is just fantastic. And yes, I really do love the movie as well.

NINJA MISSION-This is THE best Swedish Ninja film ever made. This version is actually better than the Swedish DVD since it is in full widescreen. If you ever see a copy of this tape, buy it.


FINAL SCORE-Another Arizal film, this one is my favorite with Chris Mitchum blowing EVERYTHING up and it is just balls out action in the best Indonesian tradition.
DEADLINE-If Thriller-A Cruel Picture had fallen through I would have pushed HARD to get this one out on DVD. A really great, and sadly unappreciated, film. I love that the credits are listed as "STUFF" on the front sleeve.

Japanese VHS Covers Archive #2

THE MURDER SECRET--This is one of my favorite tapes, the film was chopped up in Cat In The Brain and stands very well as a splatter film. Directed by Mario Bianchi of Satan's Baby Doll fame, you really can't go wrong with this film. Not sure if it was ever released on DVD, but it should be!
COMMANDO INVASION--A Jun Gallardo special starring Cameron Mitchell...awesome fun.


BAMBOO GODS AND IRON MEN-- One of my favorite poster designs EVER. That is a beautiful bit of poster art, and the film itself is actually quite a bit of fun. Cesar Gallardo directs this time.


PHANTOM SOLDIERS--This is prime TOUGH TO KILL styled action. It has conspiracies, explosions, bullet blasting battles, more explosions and the Phantom Soldiers themselves. A must.