If you’re still in the market for some good, old-fashioned gore for
Halloween and you’ve already cycled through all the usual genre
suspects, a pair of recent DVD releases from Anchor Bay might provide just
the blood-soaked mayhem for which you’re looking.
 and a hardened, world-weary police detective (Albert Salmi) enter into their own investigation when an alcoholic minister (Larry Pennell) and his family move into the residence — an eerie, lakefront mansion that summons to mind a certain house in Amityville. Homestyle exorcism plans are hatched as a debate rages as to whether <a href=)
the daughter of Satan is returning for a rampage of revenge, and if so, if she can be stopped.
The success of Sam Raimi’s The Evil Dead helped Superstition secure a wider release several years after its completion, and it’s not — artistically, or execution-wise — on par with that film or many of its other genre forebears. The acting in particular is uneven, all over the map. That said, the sheer flamboyance and volume of its gory effects, particularly for its time, will likely sate most of the Fangoria set.
Available fully restored for the first time in the United States, 1989’s Baby Blood, written and directed by Alain Robak, finds bucktoothed circus performer Yanka (Emmanuelle Escourrou) infected by a voracious alien parasite that compells her to consume gallons of fresh blood. As the in-utero creature grows stronger and stronger, Yanka’s cross-country killing spree results in even more bloodshed and carnage. Again, this is an entry for more purebred gorehounds, not those looking for mannered, stalking thrills. Though similar in story to the ultra-cheap, mid-’80s, cult American indie The Devil’s Hour, this French flick wins points for some its unique staging, and the fact that it dares to try to delve into dialogue between Yanka and her intestinal hijacker, who asks questions of her in… an effort to understand humanity. Seriously!
Though, at least partially owing to the source material, the transfers aren’t the best (Robak’s film is beset with some grain), both Baby Blood and Superstition are at least presented uncut in 1.85:1 widescreen, enhanced for 16×9 televisions. Included as the only supplemental bonus material are their respective theatrical trailers. From a value standpoint, that’s a bummer, but then again, you’ll likely be providing your own audio commentary tracks. C (Movies) C+ (Discs)