Saturn's Core

The Tortured Soul Trilogy

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This Partner Label release is distributed through Vinegar Syndrome's sister company OCN Distribution. Vinegar Syndrome had no part in, nor are responsible for, the restoration, extras, quality control or any content(s) of this release. We hope you enjoy our growing roster of Partner Labels and the expertise and curation brought to each release by their dedicated staff!

Details

This listing is for the standard edition Blu-ray. The limited edition slipcover (designed by Hayden Hall and Brian Mattoni) was limited to 1,000 units and is sold out. The two versions are identical, aside from the slipcover.

Saturn's Core Audio & Video is a New Jersey based home video label devoted to releasing underground oddities and shot on video cinema on VHS, and now, blu-ray discs! In partnership with OCN Distribution, Saturn's Core will exhume forgotten or under-seen genre cinema from the 80s and 90s, with an emphasis on SOV horror features. Vinegar Syndrome’s sister company, OCN Distribution, is thrilled to be representing this diverse and unique home video line!

A scarcely seen and distributed regional SOV slasher saga, the Tortured Soul trilogy is the masterwork of legendary Minneapolis, Minnesota filmmaking madman Michael W. Johnson (Serial Killer Massacre, Blood Kiss, Tales From The Cannibal Side), whose features were notorious for pushing the boundaries of extreme violence and graphic sexual content far beyond that of his ‘90s SOV contemporaries. Featuring performances by horror legend Kyra Schon (Night of the Living Dead), scream queen Stephanie Beaton (Eyes of the Werewolf, The Evilmaker), & AVN nominated porn starlet Avy Scott, Saturn’s Core is proud to present the first ever, director’s approved release of the Tortured Soul trilogy; freshly packed with an abundance of new and archival special features. It’s our most exhaustive and comprehensive set to date with over 9 hours of content spread across 2 fully-loaded Blu-Ray discs!

In Tortured Soul (1992), a psychotic cannibalistic serial killer named Stevie and his equally demented, dim-witted brother Ike are terrorizing Minnesota’s Twin Cities; savagely eviscerating nude young women in their homes and devouring their remains. When an innocent cyclist is kidnapped and murdered, her vengeful boyfriend Mike Hamilton (Michael W. Johnson) becomes determined to track down the killers and exact a bloody vengeance of his own.

In Tortured Soul II: Ike & Mike (1994), the stocking-clad killer Ike returns and continues his murderous rampage! Goaded even further into insanity by the spectral voice of his deceased brother Stevie, Ike begins slaughtering the family and friends of his nemesis Mike; culminating in a barbaric creekside fight to the death!

In Tortured Soul 3: The Willing Flesh (2004), a buxom criminology student (Stephanie Beaton) attempts to interview Mike for her thesis on the Black River slayings. As the pair becomes romantically entangled, the murder of nubile females begins anew. Is Ike still alive? Is there a copycat killer on the loose? Or was it all just the hallucination of a delusional, psychotic mind?

directed by: Michael W. Johnson
starring: Michael W. Johnson, Stephanie Beaton, Kyra Schon, Kevin K. Smith, Avy Scott
1992-2004 / 204 min (combined) / 1.33:1 / English DTS-HD MA 2.0

Additional info:

  • Region Free Blu-ray
  • English SDH subtitles

Disc #1

Tortured Soul (1992 / 52 min.)

  • New & archival introductions by writer / director Michael W. Johnson
  • Audio commentary with writer / director Michael W. Johnson
  • “Capturing the Underbelly of America”: New 2023 featurette with writer / director Michael W. Johnson

Tortured Soul 2: Ike & Mike (1994 / 79 min.)

  • Audio commentary with writer / director Michael W. Johnson
  • “God Forbid….Tortured Soul 2!”: New 2023 featurette with writer / director Michael W. Johnson
  • Archival cast party & outtakes
  • Trailer

Disc #2

Tortured Soul 3: The Willing Flesh (2004 / 73 min.)

  • Audio commentary with writer / director Michael W. Johnson
  • “Everything Old is New Again”: New 2023 featurette with writer / director Michael W. Johnson
  • “Meat’s Meat…and Man’s Gotta Eat” -Michael W. Johnson’s 1990 SOV cannibal themed short film (36 min.)
  • “The Smell of Death” -Michael W. Johnson’s 1991 SOV zombie themed short film (45 min.)
  • Michael W. Johnson memorabilia tour
  • Nightmare Productions trailer vault
  • “Ike, Mike, Slashes, & Strikes”: a 28 page booklet featuring rare archival material plus new writings by author Vincent Albarano (Aesthetic Deviations: A Critical View of American SOV Horror), film journalist Art Ettinger (Ultra Violent), & writer / filmmaker Johnny Dickie (Slaughter Tales)

                  Overall rating: 4.1363635 / 5 from 132 reviews.

                  AI Generated Review Summary

                  The Tortured Soul Trilogy Blu-ray set, released by Saturn's Core, is praised for its comprehensive content and special features. Customers appreciate the quality of the films, the extensive extras, and the impressive packaging. This collection is highly regarded among fans of SOV horror.

                  Summary topics

                  • Special Features: 7%
                  • Additional Content: 5%
                  • Packaging Quality: 7%
                  • Release Quality: 13%
                  • Film Quality: 16%

                  Review topics: ["quality","looks","packaging","buy","set","trilogy","film","release","movie","sov","features","slipcover","extras","booklet","story","core","budget","fun","slip","artwork","commentary","articles","offering","slasher","collection","horror","runtime","filmmakers","vibe","shot"].

                  Review highlights

                  • "Definitely a complete package with the cool slipcover and loaded extras."Brian H.
                  • "Packaging looks great and special features abound."Matthew T.
                  • "Mixed films, great release"John K.

                  Reviews

                  Little too aimless

                  "Mean SOV nasty. Entertaining in spurts but mostly just a collection of edgy scenes and not much else."

                  Nick C. (3/5)

                  SOV not for me

                  "These SOV’s are not my cup of tea, need to learn to avoid FOMO"

                  Rory C. (1/5)

                  The good and the godless.

                  "Being a Michael W. Johnson and Stephanie Beaton enthusiast this was a no brainer on the buying part for me having seen most of the directors previous offerings. The kills in this were on the entertaining side with the killers distinct "laugh" for want of a better term being very unusual and giving off a creepy vibe from him. The acting overall was passable and the stories in all three I thought flowed nicely with part 3 really standing out to me. The short stories along with the other features offered a good insight into all the things that went into getting these movies made, along with the tribulations that come in any movie making in general and not just these low budget offerings. An enjoyable commentary track with the movies with some nice back stories, and some not so nice, the one about the fate of one of the actresses who was in part 3 was most disturbing. All in all if you have seen and enjoyed any of the directors other movies plus Stephanie Beaton then I would heartily recommend, and if you haven't but fancy something a little more off the beaten track then you could in my opinion do a lot worse than these."

                  Alan D. (4/5)

                  Gore fest

                  "If you are here for gory fun SOV, this one is for you. A really fun and silly collection of movies. Even comes with a booklet!"

                  Ian S. (3/5)

                  Bring on "Deadbangers"!

                  "Had a good time watching this trilogy. You've gotta be amenable to micro-budget sleaze horror, but these deliver on that front. Sure, you may ask yourself. . . what do these two girls by the pool masturbating and then having a long extended sex scene have to do with the plot? But if you ask that question, you're missing the point. Enjoyed the special features on this one, particularly the booklet which had some great info and stories. So now I really want to see "Deadbangers"! Here's hoping."

                  Adam C. (4/5)

                  Tortured Souls

                  "Fun SOV trilogy, worth the buy for sure"

                  Glenn M. (5/5)

                  SC-025

                  "Triple Bill of Saturn’s Core madness, awesome slipcover !!"

                  richard c. (4/5)

                  Nice one

                  "This is a great set and the slip is nice too"

                  Scott D. (5/5)

                  Awesome Trash

                  "Great Quality"

                  Isaac G. (5/5)

                  Fun SOV Goodness

                  "Saturn's Core has become one of my favorite labels. Having said that, if microbudget SOV is not your thing, steer clear of this one. For what they were working with they did an admirable job. But don't expect high production value. All 3 films are definitely entertaining, though. Check it out if SOV is your thing. Won't be disappointed."

                  Kevin R. (5/5)

                  Q&A

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