[Vess]

Got it… It’s still terrible (not only as a film :)). Yes, it is a bit sharper, but it’s still an awful transfer from a VHS tape that seems to have been stored for 20 years in a meat freezer. The opening is different, for some reason – the “demonic” face and the credits are replaced by something that almost defies belief, even in this film: firstly, there is a zoom on a VHS box of “Seytan”, and then the hand-held camera shows hand-written credits on shaking pieces of paper. Unbelievable…

[Vess]

Murder by motor.

[Vess]

Only he knows for certain what it was, but based on everything I’ve read about the case – especially the telling opinions about R. H. as a young boy – I’m 99% certain it was a deliberate prank. However, he most likely never counted on the outside attention that it brought – I doubt he thought priests would ever be involved. (And I can bet that he never thought James Bond would exorcise him one day! 😉

I feel that his refusal to speak of or even in any way return to the issue is in fact very telling…

Apart from that, the only other possibility that I could see is a hysteric breakdown… in a way, combined result of mental anguish, usual teenage angst and the personal problems that he had at the time…

Speaking of Goodman, I have to get to reading her one day, too. 🙂 I bought her book soon after the film came out, but at the time all I could get (and did get) was a xerox copy sent from the university where she used to teach – and I never liked reading books in such half-form, so to say… 🙂 I hear it’s been reissued as an actual book since then, so perhaps I should simply get that…

[Vess]

Yup, let’s think of something. 🙂

I’ll be trying to dig out the disc soon out of the summer vacation mess. Hopefully mice haven’t got their teeth on it. 🙂

[Vess]

Essentially, the following remakes were proudly created in Turkey:
– The Turkish Exorcist
– The Turkish E.T.
– The Turkish Wizard of Oz

And then there is a whole bunch of films that receive the moniker of the Turkish something, but are not actually remakes per se. And those are:

– The Turkish Spiderman (and Captain America, and El Santo… note that Spiderman is the villain in that one)
– The Turkish Star Wars (and its recent sequel)
– The Turkish Star Trek
– The Turkish Batman (“Bedmen”, specifically)
– The Turkish Superman
– The Turkish Evil Dead
– The Turkish Rambo
– The Turkish Dracula

Some of them have literally nothing to do with what the “alternate” titles suggest, other than being, ahem, “inspired” by those films (you might as well refer to “I guerrieri del Bronx” as “The Italian Warriors”, for instance), but they received those nicknames, anyway…

Needless to say, those mighty films often tower over the American originals – or the versions that followed. Even if it’s not for the reasons intended by the Turkish filmmakers. For instance, the famed scenes in which the Turkish Spiderman kills random people with switchblades, motor boats and hamsters (or guinea pigs) easily beat any humor that Sam Raimi could ever hope to inject into his films.

[Vess]

I have the promo score for “Beginning”. Anyone with enough 24/7 bandwidth and space to host it? 🙂

[Vess]

Yep, that’s the same (partial) DVD rip that’s been floating around. Too bad there probably won’t be a proper version, ever…

Now, how about that “Dominion” score promo… 🙂

[Vess]

Knock on wood, I should have this sharp version in a few weeks. 🙂

[Vess]

“Season of the Witch”! Tommy Lee Wallace’s chilling entry in the genre… and a perfect fit for Halloween.

[Vess]

But this time it is a dreadful sequel in a dreadful series, so it’s fitting.

[Vess]

It does, indeed…

And, as it turns out, it used to be here:
http://www.gaziantep.org/forum/arsiv-baslik1068.0.html

*Used* to. :

[Vess]

I believe attempts have been made to contact him and he very definitely made it clear that he does not wish to discuss or even think of his little prank from the past…

(Which is quite admirable: many people would have treated this as a chance for a quick and soulless cashing-in…)

[Vess]

I was wondering if the extras on the Dutch “steelbook” releases of Dominion and – yes – Beginning were substantially better than what’s available in other versions. I know there’s some footage from Dominion’s premiere as far as Dominion is concerned, but is that all? As for Beginning, I have no idea if it has any other extras than the R4 or R1 versions… anyone? 🙂

[Vess]

Pretty much the only reason to see this disjointed and pointless little film is Timothy Dalton, who’s superb in it. Of course, he always is, everywhere.

Additionally, the DVD offers a minor bonus – a snippet of an interview with father Halloran, who assisted during the original “exorcism” of Ron H.

[Vess]

I read the replies with bewilderment… a new edition of The Exorcist? People! You all know that what we really need is a digital transfer of “Seytan”, with director’s commentary…!

[Author]

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