DVD and Blu-ray Releases: May 23, 2017
We’ve got a shorter list this week with only ten releases, but fortunately this is a situation where quality certainly outweighs quantity. The one major issue this week is with 1988’s Hack-O-Lantern. I’ve seen the Blu-ray/DVD combo being listed for this week in some places but for June 20th in others. If you don’t get it now, I’ll remind you again then.
I’d say that the release that tops this week off has to be Get Out. I only just saw this movie recently and thought it was brilliant. I have been a fan of Catherine Keener’s for a while, especially for her role in Death to Smoochy (not a horror movie, but if you want to laugh, I highly suggest it – Robin Williams was great in it as well), but she absolutely terrified me in this movie.
Touted as a “female-driven anthology” featuring four female directors with stories involving a female protagonist, XX will be dropping on both DVD and Blu-ray, so be sure to pick that up.
Fans of the Cloverfield universe can pick up a DVD double feature with both Cloverfield as well as 10 Cloverfield Lane. This should be great for those boning up for the release of the next film in the “series” due out later this year.
There are also a few classics to check out this week. 1974 and 1975 bring us Voodoo Black Exorcist and Wolf Guy, respectively. This week also brings us 1992’s The Vagrant.
We’ll see you again next week, friends. Pleasant viewing.
MOVIES
Get Out (2017)
Starring:
Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Bradley Whitford, Caleb Landry Jones, Stephen Root
Synopsis:
When Chris (Daniel Kaluuya), a young African-American man, visits his white girlfriend’s (Allison Williams) family estate, he becomes ensnared in the more sinister, real reason for the invitation. At first, Chris reads the family’s overly accommodating behavior as nervous attempts to deal with their daughter’s interracial relationship, but as the weekend progresses, a series of increasingly disturbing discoveries lead him to a truth that he could have never imagined. This speculative thriller from Blumhouse (producers of The Visit, Insidious series and The Gift) and the mind of Jordan Peele (Key & Peele) is equal parts gripping thriller and provocative commentary.
Hack-O-Lantern (1987)
Starring:
Hy Pyke, Gregory Scott Cummins, Katina Garner
Synopsis:
When Tommy was a boy, he saw his grandpa (Hy Pyke), the leader of a vicious satanic cult, murder his father in a brutal ritual on Halloween night. Now Tommy (Gregory Scott Cummins) is 18 and grandpa is ready to indoctrinate him into the ways of the black arts. But as night approaches, someone dressed like a member of the cult, whose face is hidden behind a devilish mask, begins stalking and killing people connected to Tommy. Could it be grandpa, Tommy himself, or someone even more sinister behind these increasingly brutal murders?
Directed by Jag Mundhra (Open House, The Jigsaw Murders) and featuring atmospheric photography by Stephen Ashley Blake (Deadly Prey), Hack-O-Lantern is a lurid mix of slasher, giallo, and supernatural horror, set in the frenzied world of Satanic Panic. Previously only viewable as low quality bootlegs, Massacre Video brings this distinctly sleazy 80s classic to Blu-ray in a brand new restoration from its original 35mm camera negative and featuring revealing interviews with is producer and stars.
Lizard Man: Terror of the Swamp Unleashed (2012)
Starring:
Michael Harding, Sherri Box, Make Gaglio, Matthew Easton
Synopsis:
Sharknado meets The Creature from the Black Lagoon as a ferocious Lizard Man terrorizes Los Angeles! Haunted by a terrifying incident in his past, billionaire Bill Hansen seeks revenge by capturing his nemesis – the scaly crypto-creature known as the Lizard Man. Enlisting a team of mercenaries and a television personality, Bill sets out to prove to the world that the Lizard Man really exists. But when the creature breaks lose at a press conference, all plans are off as the bloodthirsty monster wreaks havoc on the city of Los Angeles.
The Magnificent Dead (2010)
Starring:
Bill Allgood, Linda Almanza, Larry Amaro, Alexis Celeste Elliott, Jack Wilson
Synopsis:
The Magnificent Dead takes place in the 1870’s in the small Texas town of Rosewood where local rancher Jared Hamilton and his men have declared war on the town, using fear and death to prevent a new railroad line from coming through. Guided by a priest, Father Julian the desperate town leaders decide to hire a group of six gunmen to help clean up the town. These gunmen are legendary, as they are afflicted with Leprosy and fight with reckless abandon and ruthlessness, for they have nothing to lose.
The Vagrant (1992)
Starring:
Bill Paxton, Michael Ironside, Marshall Bell, Mitzi Kapture, Colleen Camp
Synopsis:
The new owner of a fixer-upper turns it into a fortress to keep out a bum, with a killer at large.
Voodoo Black Exorcist (1974)
Starring:
Aldo Sambrell, Alexander Abrahan
Synopsis:
Archaeologists exhume the body of a prince after three thousand years and the corpse revives and begins to kill everyone he comes in contact with. He must be stopped.
WNUF Halloween Special (2013)
Starring:
Various
Synopsis:
For decades, obscure film collectors and lovers of esoteric cinema have sought it and now the search is over. Originally broadcast live on October 31, 1987, the ”WNUF Halloween Special” is a stunning exposé of terrifying supernatural activity that unfolded at the infamous Webber House, the site of ghastly murders. Local television personality Frank Stewart leads a group of paranormal investigators including a Catholic exorcist, Father Joseph Matheson, and the prolific husband-and-wife team Louis and Claire Berger. Together, the experts explore the darkest corners of the supposedly haunted Webber House, trying to prove the existence of the demonic entities within. Did they find the horrific truth or simply put superstitious rumors to rest? Compiled from the highest-quality source material available, this DVD features the full program, including the original commercials that ran during the notorious broadcast.
Wolf Guy (1975)
Starring:
Sonny Chiba, Rikiya Yasuoka
Synopsis:
Shinichi ”Sonny” Chiba is a martial arts ”manimal” in the ultra-70’s, 100% bizarre mixture of horror, action and sci-fi that is Wolf Guy, one of the rarest and most sought-after cult films produced by Japan’s Toei Studio. Based on a manga by Kazumasa Hirai (creator of 8 Man), and never before released outside of Japan, it’s a genre film classic waiting to be discovered and a completely unclassifiable trip into phantasmagoric funk.
Chiba stars as Akira Inugami, the only survivor of a clan of ancient werewolves who relies on his supernatural powers to solve mysterious crimes. After a series of bloody killings perpetrated by an unseen force, Inugami uncovers a conspiracy involving a murdered cabaret singer, corrupt politicians, and a plot by the J-CIA to harvest his blood in order to steal his lycanthropic powers! At the same time, Inugami also discovers the truth behind his family heritage, and that he may not be the last of his kind.
Directed by B-movie genius Kazuhiko Yamaguchi (Sister Streetfighter, Wandering Ginza Butterfly, Karate Bear Fighter), Wolf Guy truly is one-of-a-kind, with Chiba in full effect as the part-man, part-wolf, all-karate action hero and a collection of familiar 1970’s Toei actors in support. Violence, action, nudity, real surgical footage, and a psychedelic musical score all work together to create an unforgettable trip to the heights of Japanese cinematic weirdness.
XX (2017)
Starring:
Melanie Lynskey, Natalie Brown, Angela Trimbur
Synopsis:
Watch four deadly tales directed by four killer women in this horror anthology.
Karyn Kusama (Jenifer’s Body), Roxanne Benjamin (V/H/S, Southbound), Annie Clark (St. Vincent) and Jovanka Vuckovic.
COLLECTIONS
Cloverfield / 10 Cloverfield Lane
Starring:
Mary Elizabeth Winstead, John Goodman, Michael Stahl-David, Lizzy Caplan, Mike Vogel, Odette Yustman
Movies:
Cloverfield
Five young New Yorkers throw their friend a going-away party the night that a monster the size of a skyscraper descends upon the city. Told from the point of view of their video camera, the film is a document of their attempt to survive the most surreal, horrifying event of their lives.
10 Cloverfield Lane
A woman (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) discovers the horrifying truth about the outside world while living in an underground shelter with two men (John Goodman, John Gallagher Jr.).
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