Home Video Updates! RE-ANIMATOR & LES VAMPIRES Coming To Blu! More Great Stuff On The Horizon!
It has been a great couple of months for home video announcements and I've been MIA for a lot of it, so I'm going to try to catch up a bit here.
The first release that really grabbed my attention is my childhood favorite, Stuart Gordon's Re-Animator. This is the film that took Gordon from the stage to the screen in a big way, as well as turning Jeffrey Combs into horror film icon. The deft mix of extreme horror and comedy makes this among the best of the '80s horror wave and easily my favorite of the HP Lovecraft film adaptations I've seen. There was some concern early on about this release not matching the previous DVD editions in terms of extras, but that doesn't seem to be a concern anymore, here are the details:
Also on the horizon for September are the following catalog films on Blu-ray that may be of interest for genre fans:
Redemption Films
- Black Sunday (Mario Bava)
- Lisa & The Devil/House of Exorcism (Mario Bava)
- Hatchet for the Honeymoon (Mario Bava)
Mill Creek:
- The Daimajin Trilogy (Daimajin / Wrath of Daimajin / Return of Daimajin)
Olive Films:
- Love Exposure
AnimEigo:
- Lone Wolf & Cub: Complete Six Film Blu-ray Collection
RaroVideo USA:
- Night of the Devils
That's it for now, I'll try to keep up with announcements better in the future. Happy spending!
The first release that really grabbed my attention is my childhood favorite, Stuart Gordon's Re-Animator. This is the film that took Gordon from the stage to the screen in a big way, as well as turning Jeffrey Combs into horror film icon. The deft mix of extreme horror and comedy makes this among the best of the '80s horror wave and easily my favorite of the HP Lovecraft film adaptations I've seen. There was some concern early on about this release not matching the previous DVD editions in terms of extras, but that doesn't seem to be a concern anymore, here are the details:
RE-ANIMATOR COMES TO LIFE ON BLU-RAY™ FOR THE FIRST TIME!The next release is even more revered by both horror fans and cinephiles alike, and that is Louis Feuillades' epic Les Vampires. This has bounded around on overstuffed DVD releases for a while, all of whom attempted to cram over 6 hours worth of content into two discs, but with Kino Lorber's upcoming release I think we'll get a definitive edition of the serial and I'm definitely excited to see it. Here's more about Les Vampires:
On September 4th, Image Entertainment resurrects one of the greatest horror films ever made with the Blu-ray™ debut of Stuart Gordon's cult classic H.P. Lovecraft's Re-Animator. Presented in a brand-new 1080p HD transfer approved by producer Brian Yuzna, the 1985 shocker was ranked #32 of 50 on EW's "Top 50 Cult Films," inspired two sequels as well as an award-winning stage musical!
Featuring high-resolution DTS-HD audio and packed with bonus features, the Re-Animator Blu-ray™ hits retail with an SRP of $17.97. Also available on DVD for an SRP of $9.98. Pre-book for both is August 7th.
Adapted by Dennis Paoli, William J. Norris and Stuart Gordon from the H.P. Lovecraft short story, Re-Animator tells the strange tale of medical student Dan Cain (Bruce Abbot) and his girlfriend Megan Halsey (Barbara Crampton), both of them drawn to odd new student Herbert West (Jeffrey Combs) who's conducting secret experiments involving the re-animation of dead tissue. When one of the instructors, Dr. Carl Hill (David Gale), stumbles upon their activities, West murders him -- but is brought back to life, now thirsting for revenge as well as lusting after Megan. The final denouement features the re-animated Dr. Hill squaring off against Herbert and Dan in a battle royale within the school's morgue, complete with resurrected "henchmen" and undoubtedly one of the greatest visual double entendres in all horror cinema!
Bonus features for the Re-Animator Blu-ray™ include:
Documentary: "Re-Animator Resurrectus"
Audio Commentary by Director Stuart Gordon
Audio Commentary by Producer Brian Yuzna and Actors Bruce Abbott, Jeffrey Combs, Barbara Crampton and Robert Sampson
Interview with Director Stuart Gordon and Producer Brian Yuzna
Interview with Writer Dennis Paoli
Interview with Composer Richard Band
Music Discussion with Composer Richard Band
Interview with Fangoria Magazine editor Tony Timpone
Deleted and Extended Scenes
Theatrical trailer
TV Spots
Also coming soon from Fox are a trio of horror flicks, some better than other, to Blu-ray with amazingly awful cover art. Jeepers Creepers, Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, and Killer Klowns from Outer Space are all due in HD on September 11th. You can find more details on those below:New York, NY - July 24, 2012 - Kino Classics proudly announces the Blu-ray and DVD release of Louis Feuillade's Les Vampires, the landmark silent serial that stars Musidora in her iconic performance as Irma Vep. This edition from Kino Classics is mastered in HD from the 35mm restoration produced in 1996 by the Cinémathèque Française, under the supervision of Feuillade's grandson, Jacques Champreux.
Les Vampires comes to Blu-ray and DVD on August 14th, in a 2-disc set containing all ten chapters (more than 6 1/2 hours) of Feuillade's serial. The SRP for the Blu-ray is $39.95, while the SRP for the DVD is $34.95. Both are currently available for prebook. This edition features a musical score compiled and performed by the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra.
The undisputed master of the espionage serial, Louis Feuillade (Fantomas) crafted films with labyrinthine plots and unforgettable characters that influenced multiple generations of filmmakers.
Comprised of ten episodes, and clocking in at nearly seven hours in duration, Les Vampires is an unqualified masterpiece. It follows journalist Philippe Guerande (Edouard Mathe) in his efforts to expose a vast criminal organization known as the Vampires. Joined by a comical sidekick, Mazamette (Marcel Levesque), and often competing against a rival gang lord (Fernand Herrmann), Guerande dethrones a succession of the Vampires' Grand Masters. But most evasive of all is the Vampires' muse, a seductive assassin who performs her job with deadly grace: Irma Vep (Musidora).
Authorized by the Gaumont Studios, this edition was mastered in HD from the 35mm restoration produced in 1996 by the Cinematheque Francaise, under the supervision of Feuillade's grandson, Jacques Champreux.
France 1915-16 B&W 417 Min. 1.33:1 1920x1080p 2.0 Stereo
Les Vampires
Written and Directed by Louis Feuillade
With Édouard Mathé, Marcel Lévesque,
Musidora, Jean Aymé, Fernand Herrmann
Chapters:
Episode 1: The Severed Head
Episode 2: The Deadly Ring
Episode 3: The Red Cryptogram
Episode 4: The Spectre
Episode 5: The Corpse's Escape
Episode 6: The Eyes That Mesmerize
Episode 7: Satanas
Episode 8: The Lord of Thunder
Episode 9: The Poison Man
Episode 10: The Bloody Wedding
I actually kind of like Jeepers Creepers, the sequel is a total abortion, but this one was a lot of fun. I think this may have been the film that introduced me to Justin Long, and that's almost reason enough to recommend it. I think it's among the best creature features of the last decade, though that may be a bit of a stretch for most people. No extras have been listed as of yet, but I'm sure they'll throw us a bone.On a desolate country highway, two homeward-bound teens (Gina Philips, Living Out Loud, and Justin Long, Live Free or Die Hard) are nearly run off the road by a maniac in a beat-up truck...and later spot the driver shoving what appears to be a body down a sewer pipe.But when they stop to investigate, they discover that the grisly reality at the bottom of that pipe is far worse than they could have ever suspected...and that they are now the targets of an evil far more unspeakable - and unstoppable - than they could have ever imagined!
TCM 2 is anther film that I think gets a bad rap. Tobe Hooper can be proud that he made the only two good Texas Chainsaw Massacre movies. While I enjoyed this film the first time I saw it back in high school, I've come to appreciate it even more since I moved to Dallas, where most of the action is more or less centered. The idea of Leatherface going after frat boys driving to Dallas for Texas/OU weekend (an annual clusterfuck for Dallasites) is quite appealing. If you add to that Bill Moseley's iconic performance as Chop Top and a wonderfully whacked Dennis Hopper chewing scenery left and right, I think this if a film that deserves reappraisal. No official word on extras, but a special edition came out on DVD a few years back, and it has this same cover art, so let's hope they at least port over that stuff.From the director of the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and starring OSCAR Nominee Dennis Hopper*, this "ghastly and hilarious" (Variety) sequel descends into your deepest, darkest fears as a wacked-out lawman goes after human-meat cutters with his own high-octane chainsaws in a horrific showdown with the legendary Leatherface and his entire cannibalistic family.
Killer Klowns is an all time favorite, which is why that cover art cuts me so deeply. It is so unnecessarily awful. The good news is that we do have specs on it, and it sounds pretty rockin'. Hopefully the music video for The Dickies iconic theme song will be included, but who knows.Finally the truth about clowns is out! Beneath their smirky sinister grins and wildly patterned clothes are clever killers from out of this world. The "juxtaposition of their toy-store arsenal and malevolent intent proves to be a tasty combination" (Los Angeles Times) in this killer entertainment that will leave you fearing these big-top creatures for good. A spaceship - looking like a circus tent - lands in a field near a small town, signaling the attack of deviant, red-nosed, balloon-twisting psychos from another world who plan to annihilate mankind - by turning people into cotton candy! Luckily, the town's teen citizenry decides to fight back and teach the cosmic bozos a lesson. But these klowns are no klutzes, turning popcorn, peanuts and caramel corn into playful - but deadly - weapons of madcap destruction and mayhem!
Special Features:
- Audio Commentary with the Chiodo Brothers
- 5 Featurettes: The Making of Killer Klowns, Komposing Klowns, Visual Effects with Gene Warren, Jr., Kreating Klowns, Chiodo Brothers' Earliest Films
- 2 Deleted Scenes with Director's Commentary
- Bloopers
- Original Theatrical Trailer
- And More!
Also on the horizon for September are the following catalog films on Blu-ray that may be of interest for genre fans:
Redemption Films
- Black Sunday (Mario Bava)
- Lisa & The Devil/House of Exorcism (Mario Bava)
- Hatchet for the Honeymoon (Mario Bava)
Mill Creek:
- The Daimajin Trilogy (Daimajin / Wrath of Daimajin / Return of Daimajin)
Olive Films:
- Love Exposure
AnimEigo:
- Lone Wolf & Cub: Complete Six Film Blu-ray Collection
RaroVideo USA:
- Night of the Devils
That's it for now, I'll try to keep up with announcements better in the future. Happy spending!
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