Schlock-Wire: Shout Factory Goes Sci-Fi With New Discs of DAMNATION ALLEY And OBLIVION
When July rolls around, Shout Factory will be unleashing a double-shot of sci-fi in its early weeks. First up is Oblivion, a sort of futuristic western from Charles Band. A week later it will be followed by Damnation Alley, a 1970's post-apocalypse adventure whose cult following has long been clamoring for a DVD release. Those fans will get not only a DVD but also a Blu-Ray option if they so desire. The Damnation Alley release will also boast a nice new set of extras. Read on for all the future-schlock details...
SHOUT! FACTORY PRESENTS
OBLIVION ON DVD JULY 5
DAMNATION ALLEY ON DVD AND BLU-RAY JULY 12
LIMITED DAMNATION ALLEY LITHOGRAPH OFFER
AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY FROM THE SHOUT! FACTORY WEBSITE[J1]
Shout! Factory has announced the July 5 release of the western-meets-sci-fi themed Oblivion on DVD, and the July 12 release of the highly requested doomsday cult classic Damnation Alley on DVD and Blu-ray. Oblivion DVD SRP $14.93, Damnation Alley DVD SRP $19.93, Blu-Ray SRP $26.97.Shout! Factory is offering a free, limited edition 8"x10" Damnation Alley lithograph with purchase, available exclusively at http://www.shoutfactorystore.com/prod.aspx?pfid=5257424#axzz1LcYDn86v.In Oblivion, it’s all about cowboys and aliens. On a frontier lightyears from the O.K. Corral, a bizarre gang of futuristic desperados have their sights set on turning the tumbleweed town of Oblivion into their own private playground. Their lizardlike leader, Redeye (Andrew Divoff, Wishmaster), pumps lawman Marshall Stone (Michael Genovese) full of lead in a deadly shootout just outside of Miss Kitty’s (Julie Newmar, Batman) Kat House and begins terrorizing the town’s inhabitants.
Meanwhile, Stone’s long-lost pacifist son Zack (Richard Joseph Paul) and his “native” sidekick Buteo (Jimmy F. Skaggs) are escorted into town by the eerie undertaker Gaunt (Carel Struycken, The Addams Family) to pay their respects at the Marshall ’s funeral. Rendered helpless by Redeye, the tough-as-nails Cyborg Deputy (Meg Foster) and the Marshall ’s old friend Doc Valentine (George Takei, Star Trek) team up with Zack to take back the troubled town in a final unearthly showdown.In Damnation Alley, the world is devastated by a nuclear holocaust, causing the Earth to tilt on its axis and bringing vast meteorological chaos. As the weather stabilizes, mutated insects start to emerge, preying on the survivors. The surviving crew at a U.S. Air Force bomb shelter in the Mojave Desert picks up radio signals coming from Albany . The commander, Major Eugene Denton (George Peppard, The A-Team), unveils two armored vehicles he has constructed and announces a plan to cross “Damnation Alley,” the hundred-mile-wide strip between areas of radiation hazard, to join the survivors. They set off, taking on two civilians — a novice singer they find in the ruins of Las Vegas and a wild teenager (Jackie Earle Haley, Watchmen) — along the way. The journey is also beset by giant mutated cockroaches, storms and crazed survivalists, making for some hair-raising escapes in this post-apocalyptic thriller. Originally released in theatres in 1977 from 20th Century Fox., Damnation Alley has been out-of-print on VHS for several years causing passionate fans to highly anticipate its debut on DVD and Blu-ray.Damnation Alley Special Features:
- New Anamorphic Widescreen Transfer (1.78:1)
- Audio Commentary With Producer Paul Maslansky
- Survival Run – A look at the challenges of adapting the celebrated novel with co-screenwriter Alan Sharp
- Road To Hell – Producer Jerome Zeitman details the process of making the film and the difficulties it encountered along the way.
- Landmaster Tales – A detailed examination of the now-famous Landmaster Vehicle from the film with stunt coordinator and car designer Dean Jeffries
- Theatrical Trailer and TV Spot