Up From Depths/Demon Parad

Shout Factory has gotten the rights to release Roger Corman *classics* and to my pleasant surprise we are getting a couple of rarities that have never been on DVD. Those movies are Demon of Paradise & Up from the Depths, scheduled for early 2011.
Both of these films are presented in anamorphic widescreen and they are very beautiful prints..very clear, very clean..sharp. They never have or will look better. These films were produced/backed by Roger Corman.They are both USA/Philippine co-productions. Both films are supposed to have been shot in Hawaii & havent found much evidence, besides links and the films itself saying they were shot there..
Both are in color & contain some gore but nothing revolting or graphic.
DEMON OF PARADISE was directed by Cirio H. Santiago & is basically a Creature from the Black Lagoon ripoff killing tourists in the Hawaiian ISland. The monster is basically a man sized amphibious monster. It's on odd looking monster. There is some good scenes with the monster & a decent story to keep things moving along.
UP FROM THE DEPTHS is directed by Charles Griffith (who did a lot of movies with Corman) and is a Jaws ripoff with a giant shark munching on Hawaiians. This is not to be confused with Monster Shark aka Devil Fish about a shark octopus which was an MST3K experiment.
Both films are of the grade B (or Z for that matter) category but there are those that enjoy a campy good monster movie, such as me for example. Depending on your tastes you might think these are utterly awful or really get a kick out of watching these.
For those that are into these movies, you are in for a treat. With Shout Factory releasing this, Piranha, Humanoids from the Deep & Kingdom of the Spiders, I think there is hope for other obscure titles out there. Since they have gone into the Corman New World library we have gotten Galaxy of Terror, Forbidden World , Deathstalker, Battle Beyond the Stars, Warlords of the 21st Century for the first time on DVD. For classic Corman fans we will get a DVD release of Attack of the Crab Monsters / Not of this Earth / War of the Satellites in 2011.
Getting back to this DVD - in closing, I can say having Up from the Depths and Demon of Paradise on a double feature DVD with what I expect to have royal treatment from Shout Factory I have given it 4 stars - the entire product basically. The movies aren't great but the DVD will be, even if the transfers are really well done.
I hope to see more obscure or cult horror / independent studios' monster movies down the road..

Okay not the best but fairly decent.
Up from the Depths- I liked the concept which is actually still used today: an earthquake releases a man-eating creature or creatures up from the depths (ex. Piranha 3D). The cast and dialogue was okay but the creature was probably on screen for only 1 minute total and when it was on screen it was only for a quick moment. The creature design and size changes throughout the film so it looks as if there are several creatures as oposed to one giant creature as described on the back cover. 3 stars.
Demon of Paradise- At first I disliked this film but as I watched it more and more I started liking it. Cheese, fun, and an obviously fake-looking monster: a cross between the Predator, a dog, and the Creature from the Black Lagoon. I actually liked the music which was electronic mixed with suspense. 4 stars.
Special features include trailers for Firecracker, Humanoids from the Deep, Caged Heat (my favorite trailer), Jackson County Jail, Demon of Paradise, and Up from the Depths and a short Making of... Up from the Depths. Overall 4 stars.

Let's be honest here: both of these movies are crap, although Up From The Depths looks like Academy Award material compared to Demon Of Paradise. On the other hand, I love this stuff. These two pair up very nicely for a rainy Saturday afternoon. So get the corn popping and put your feet up. If you like this stuff, you'll love this pairing.