Welcome back to the latest episode of Slipped Discs, where I give you a head’s up on what nerdy stuff is available to come home with you, because I still believe in physical media!

Once more, all this information comes from Blu-Ray.com, but they list everything that will be in the stores, whereas I shall provide you with what I feel is the interesting genre fare.

How are you all doing, my Physical Medians? I want to start off this week with a plug! First, as most of you should already know, I am the Co-Director of the Dragon Con American Sci-Fi Classics Track, along with the witty and talented Joe Crowe. To help provide a little relief from the ongoing world crisis, we have started doing a weekly geeky panel for everyone to enjoy! It broadcasts LIVE on Thursdays (usually) on our Facebook group (linked up there, please join us!), where you can take part in the discussion, or you may watch it later on our YouTube Channel! The first two are there now, please go give them a look!

Now that the shameless self-promotion is out of the way, let’s get down to our filthy business.

We actually have quite a few things landing this week, the last of April, which has lasted at least two decades. Once again, I hope that you are getting your selections delivered, or at least curbside pickup. Let’s stay safe out there, my Physical Medians.

Malabimba (1979) “After the matriarch of once rich and influential aristocratic Caroli family dies, her nearly bankrupt family decides to hold a seance in their decrepit castle and contact her spirit. Unfortunately, they contact instead the malicious and possibly demonic spirit of their evil, hedonistic and decadent late cousin Lucrezia that, after assaulting and messing a bit with those present at the summoning, ends up possessing the dead woman’s virginal teenage daughter Bimba. Bimba suddenly becomes overtly sexual and starts acting out in a completely unhinged, aggressive and sexually provocative manner in front of her family and their guests, all while brutally insulting them. She tries to satisfy her confusing demonic urges with masturbation but quickly moves on to seducing those around her.” OH MY! Part of the nunsploitation wave of the 70s, this weird little flick is brought to us by the fine folks at Vinegar Syndrome. It was supposed to be out a few weeks ago, but is on the list again today. This isn’t gonna be for the whole family, but for those who do like this kind of thing, here you go.

The Lost Continent (1968) “The nightmare begins when Captain Lansen attempts to transport illegal explosives and a motley group of passengers on a rusty tramp steamer that becomes stranded in the vast floating swamp of the mysterious Sargasso Sea. Under cover of night, the terrified travelers encounter unspeakable monsters, man-eating seaweed, vicious mutant pirates and stupendously endowed women.” Another Hammer Films classic brought to us by Shout Factory (I swear they are not paying me!). It’s a riff on “The Land That Time Forgot”, and while it’s not one of Hammer’s best, it’s worth a look.

Speaking of being lost on an island…

Arrow: The Eighth and Final Season (2019-2020) and Arrow: The Complete Series (2012-2020) “After a violent shipwreck, billionaire playboy Oliver Queen was missing and presumed dead for five years before being discovered alive on a remote island in the Pacific. When he returns home to Starling City, his loved ones welcome him home, but they sense Oliver has been changed by his ordeal on the island. While Oliver hides the truth about the man he’s become, he desperately wants to make amends for the actions he took as the boy he was. As Oliver reconnects with those closest to him, he secretly creates the persona of Arrow – a vigilante to right the wrongs of his family, fight the ills of society, and restore Starling City to its former glory.” Yes, it started out with Oliver being very much like that guy from Gotham, very grounded, and chock full of trademark “CW Nightime Soap” moments. But that let them draw in an audience, hooking them before finally breaking out everything the tights and capes crowd was waiting for. While the second season is, to me, the height of the show that they never quite reached again, as a whole it’s more good than bad. Yes, it has its flaws (like Oliver never learning to play well with others), it’s also the show that launched a TV DC Universe that is better than most of the DCU films. Without it, we don’t have Flash, Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow, Black Lightening, the various shows on the DC App, or the very well done Crisis on Infinite Earths adaptation. Not bad for a story about a guy with a bow.

Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion’s Revenge (2020) “After the vicious slaughter of his family by stone-cold mercenary Sub-Zero, Hanzo Hasashi is exiled to the torturous Netherrealm. There, in exchange for his servitude to the sinister Quan Chi, he’s given a chance to avenge his family – and is resurrected as Scorpion, a lost soul bent on revenge. Back on Earthrealm, Lord Raiden gathers a team of elite warriors – Shaolin monk Liu Kang, Special Forces officer Sonya Blade and action star Johnny Cage – an unlikely band of heroes with one chance to save humanity. To do this, they must defeat Shang Tsung’s horde of Outworld gladiators and reign over the Mortal Kombat tournament. Prepare to witness all of the bone-crushing action in this riveting Mortal Kombat Legends animated feature!” This is the third or fourth adaptation of the classic bloody video game (and realizing that MK is old enough to count as a classic makes me feel very old), but this time focusing on fan-favorite demonic undead fire ninja Scorpion’s view of the tournament. Because it’s animated, they get to do all kinds of cool, cruel, and vicious things to the kombatants. You can pick this up on Blu, 4K, or a Best Buy exclusive that comes with a Scorpion action figure. And I want you all to know that it took me a supreme effort of will to not say that you could get him over here…

Pale Blood (1990) “Michael Fury is a vampire. But contrary to myth and legend, he does not stalk innocent victims to drain them of blood – and life – rather he only drinks what he needs to survive. But when a vicious, and very human, killer begins murdering young women in Los Angeles by biting them and draining their blood, sparking fears that a vampire is prowling the city, Michael realizes that it will be up to him to unmask the fiend behind these deaths to save the good name of his vampire brethren.” I do not remember this flick, but the concept of a vampire hunting down a serial killer to preserve the masquerade (yes, I play V:tM, are you surprised?) is a great hook. Another Vinegar Syndrome exclusive, this is limited to only 2,000 copies, so I’d order it soon.

Dolly Dearest (1991) “An American family moves to Mexico to fabricate dolls, but their toy factory happens to be next to a Sanzian grave and the toys come into possession of an old, malicious spirit.” No, it’s not an exposé about the country music legend. This is an evil dolls movie, and the third Vinegar Syndrome release of the week. They’re not paying me either, they’re just devoted to releasing the cult stuff that I think we’ll all enjoy.

Elvira, Mistress of the Dark (1988) “Elvira, the wise-cracking vamp wants to take her act from the little screen to the glitzy stages of Las Vegas. So it seems a stroke of luck when her great-aunt Morgana dies and, despite having no prior knowledge of the relative, she is a beneficiary of the woman’s will. Thus Elvira makes the journey to Falwell, Massachusetts to stake claim to her inheritance, but is disappointed when she learns that she has only inherited a dilapidated house, a poodle and a cook book, and finds the conservative folk of Falwell are reticent to welcome a sexed-up and unconventional woman like her. To compound this she is accused of being a witch! Elvira discovers the evil force in the town and finds that only she has the power to stop it’s plans.” The Mistress of the Macabre, The True Queen of Halloween, Goth Icon, The Ghoul of Your Dreams. Either you love her, or you’re wrong. Anyway, her first feature is getting a nice deluxe release from Arrow Video (hitting the trifecta of studios I plug way too much for not getting paid to do so), so you can enjoy all of her special features in Blu-Ray quality.

The McPherson Tape (1989) “On a typical fall evening in 1983, a young man was videotaping his niece’s 5th birthday party. As the night’s strange occurrences took place, he kept his video camera running, recording the entire event.” One of the early pioneers of the Found Footage genre, this is one I want to see. However, as it’s about those little grey aliens, this is definitely Needless Things podcast host Dave‘s Must Skip of the week!

Other titles of note: Deadline (1984), The Wind (1986) both of which were supposed to be out earlier this month and already mentioned in previous columns, Kill or Be Killed (1976), Guns Akimbo (2019), Butt Boy (2019)

So yes, we have quite a wide selection escaping out into the wild this week. Let me know which of these are a must-buy for you, a pass, or which ones I missed!