Severin Films do a great service for those of us who aren’t as familiar with the “second tier” Italian horror filmmakers like Bruno Mattei. I just haven’t seen much of his work, but of what I have, The Other Hell (1981) is my favorite. I should say it’s my favorite film of his that borrows from Carrie and The Exorcist; apparently I need to start a new list of faves that are influenced by Aliens and The Terminator, starting with Shocking Dark (1989), a jaw-dropping mush of both that manages to entertain almost as much as either.

Aka Terminator II in certain markets, the term “rip-off” was pretty much perfected by Shocking Dark; but this was neither Mattei or co-screenwriters Claudio Fragasso and Rossella Drudi (Troll 2) fault, but rather producers eager to jump on Cameron’s bandwagon and hijack it before it reached the next station. The writers...