Happy Halloween everyone! Tomorrow is the big day and I'm sure some of you are wondering what to watch this creepy Halloween weekend. Well we have a gargantuan collection of new horror releases to give you an idea on what to choose to spook yourself and your friends this year.
We'll be featuring DVD, Blu-ray, and even some scares that bring laughs in the end. This round up will have an appropriate 13 titles for you to choose from! So without further ado, let's start with Sony Pictures spectacular release of Night of the Creeps on Blu-ray!
Night of the Creeps
Written & Directed by: Fred Dekker
Starring: Jason Lively, Steve Marshall, Jill Whitlow, and Tom Atkins
This is a release that so many people have been waiting for and most people never thought would happen. Sony has released Night of the Creeps on blu-ray with a features packed directors cut. This is a movie that has been ingrained in my brain since I first saw it nearly two decades ago. I instantly fell in love with it's quirky humor and creepy chills. It was definitely a formative movie that directed me towards wanting to be a horror writer.
Now, we get to relive it again in this fantastic release. Fred Dekker's awesome movie is getting the treatment it deserves (The Monster Squad also gets blu-ray treatment next month!)
The film looks great and I'm really glad it's getting such great treatment. The set is jammed with features including commentary from the director and the cast, the original theatrical ending (this releases features Dekker's original ending), deleted scenes, featurettes, trivia, and the original ending.
This is the movie 80's horror fans have been screaming for and they will be more than pleased with the results. By the way, we'll be giving away a copy next week!
That's just the first release we're covering with this round up. Click the Rawr! for 12 more horror releases!
Next up we'll take a trip across the sea with Palisades Tartan's Terror Pack Vol. 1. This set features three gruesome horror films from across the world including France's Sheitan which stars Vincent Cassel in a deliciously creepy role, Japan's Carved: The Slit Mouthed Woman which features a scissor wielding spirit in a hospital mask, and the Dutch gore fest Slaughter Night.
If you aren't interested in Night of the Creeps, then this is the set for you. Gore filled scarefests that will lead to sleepless nights with the hall lights on. Palisades Tartan is rapidly becoming the go to place for international horror releases and this collection offers up three prime examples of exceptional horror from around the globe.
Each disc includes a few special features include trailers, outtakes, deleted scenes and more and they all boost up the scare factor.
Palisades Tartan doesn't stop with the scares there. We're also including two more of their releases on this round up. These two films come from the Palisades Tartan Asia Extreme line. First up is the Thai film P.
P is kinda like a coming of age magic addition film. A young woman leaves for the big city to earn money to help her ailing grandmother. She begins work at a go-go bar and uses magics taught t her by her grandmother to become more successful. Her magics become darker and darker and she succumbs to an evil force.
A little sexy, a lot gory, and even more creepy, P is another fine example of how the best horror films are coming from thousands of miles away.
Hollywood should take note instead of just remaking this things and start creating original movies that are just as good.
P is not the scariest flick on this list but it does get under your skin a little. Definitely worthy of a Halloween night creep fest.
Finally, we have The Butcher. This Korean film was banned because of its shocking brutality but apparently not brutal enough to be banned anywhere else.
This one was almost too much for me. I'm not the biggest fan of gore and generally prefer films to be more cerebral than bloody. Don't get me wrong I love a good slasher movie but when we get in to the more Torture Porn area, not so much.
The Butcher, while extremely gory, sets itself above the rest in the way its presented via two POV video cameras. It gives it a bit more realism than your standard gore fest.
Not to mention the pig faced guy. That is frightening all by itself. A guy chainsawing people in a pig mask? Leatherface could take some lessons.
The Butcher disc includes an alternate ending, storyboards, and a trailer. If you're not to unsettled by a large amount of violence and gore than The Butcher should make for a great part of your Halloween scares.
Let's take a break from the intense horror from around the world for something a little lighter.
Warner Brothers brings us Scare Tactics: Season Three Part One. This is the Uncensored Too Hot For TV version of the show. Scare Tactics is now hosted by Tracy Morgan, who can be a little grating at times and to be honest I preferred the show when it was hosted by Shannon Doherty. As the show continues it gets less and less believable as the situations get crazier and crazier. That said, the show is still fun to watch. Hidden camera shows have always been a guilty pleasure of mine and Scare Tactics is one of my favorites. There is a perverse pleasure in watching people get the crap scared out of them and I don't think another show does it better than Scare Tactics.
The set includes thirteen uncensored (unbleeped and unblurred) episodes that include the return of fan favorite Satan's Baby. There are also extended scenes and Tracy Morgan's outtakes, which admittedly, are pretty funny.
If you find yourself getting to scared with the other options on this round-up, pop in Scare Tactics to calm yourself down and have some real laughs.
Next up, let's have a peak of four release from Ghost House Underground.
Ghost House Underground is an interesting animal. The films aren't usually pick of the litter. They're fun to watch but none of them, with the exception of the brilliant Dance of the Dead, are great. That holds true with these four films. They're fun watches and some of them do have some really creepy parts but for the most part they're just okay.
Why include them on the list? Well, all four of them are perfect to watch on during a horror marathon on Halloween. These four in particular feature a bit of everything: creepy kids, cannibals, parasites, and zombie ghosts so there is definitely something for everyone here. The films feature some pretty big names like Val Kilmer, Amy Smart, Aaron Ashmore, Jack Ketchum, and Eduardo Sanchez so their pedigrees are pretty decent.
Each of the films have a nice collection of special features and Ghost House always seems to supplement its films well. It's just that they rarely achieve greatness. These four films are creepy and fun to watch, they're just not as scary as I'd hope. Still though, don't let that keep you from giving them a shot.
What's a round of up horror movies these days without including a remake?
This one would be a remake of the classic 70's monster baby flick trilogy It's Alive. This is a terrible terrible film. Hokey effects, lousy acting, to say the least.
So why include it? Well, what better fun than to lampoon it?
A mutant flesh eating baby, who you hardly see and when you do see it it's cgi schlock. It's unfortunate that the movie was so poorly done. It had a chance to be interesting it just fails on every possible level. But that failure can be your pleasure as you and your friends can make fun of it before moving on to the next gruesome horror film on the list.
There are no special features to worry about so no time wasted on that. This is probably the worst film on the list, and quite possibly of the year, but it might end up being your favorite part of the holiday with all the fun you'll have making fun of it.
Lastly, we'll bookend this round up with another blu-ray release.
Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer is widely considered one of the scariest movies of all time. I can see where that comes from. Henry is different from most horror films because its probably the most realistic horror flick in recent memory. The horror of this film is from its realism. It's the story of an everyman who just happens to be a remorseless serial killer. He can be anyone and that is the scariest part of this movie. There aren't any jump scenes or any over stylized death scenes (although there are some gruesome kills). It's a simple and horrifying glimpse at a madman.
Michael Rooker is nothing short of brilliant as Henry the rage filled killer who is remarkable at hiding his inner urges. The film is based on real life serial killer Henry Lee Lucas which makes it even more frightening.
The disc is full of features including outtakes and deleted scenes, making of documentary, commentary, storyboards, interviews, and a fascinating documentary on Henry Lee Lucas.
Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer is sure to have you freaked out just by walking to your car. Hide this one in the middle of your horror-thon so the realistic fear induced from it can be buried by the over the top standard horror flair!
That's it gang! What a round-up this time around. I hope you find a few flicks to check out and make your Halloween movie marathon a great one.
Henry: Portait of a Serial Killer, Night of the Creeps, Palisades Tartan Terror Pack Vol. 1, The Butcher, P, Ghost House Underground's The Thaw, The Children, Seventh Moon, and The Offspring, It's Alive, the Uncensored, Too Hot for TV Scare Tactics Season Three: Part One are all available now.
Happy Halloween!
RAWR(for more)
