Mad Count Zad is back to deliver a delectably macabre collection of home entertainment movie picks ripe for the Halloween season.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: 50th Anniversary Chainsaw Edition (Dark Sky Films, rated R, 1.85:1 aspect ratio, 83 minutes, $299.98) — By far one of the most influential and violently disturbing horror movies in the history of cinema returned to home theaters in the 4K disc format and now literally packed in serial killer Leatherface’s favorite weapon of slaughter.
Way back in 1974, filmmaker Tobe Hooper concocted a low-budgeted, unsettling tale of five unfortunate teenagers running out of gas in a small Texas town and caught in the web of a demented cannibalistic family that protected a murderous man-child wielding a chainsaw and wearing a flesh mask.
The result was a gore-soaked movie labeled “despicable” by some critics but setting the framework for the slasher genre of films to embrace its shocking exploration of humanity’s very dark side.
Although the meticulous 4K transfer looks great, the film demands a return to its original roots embracing dirt, scratches and imperfection to deliver the most sickening grindhouse visual presentation as possible.
Frightful extras: By far one of the best gift ideas for lovers of the film and the Halloween season, this pricy, numbered and illustrated boxed set, limited to 5,000, actually presents a 25-inch-long plastic chainsaw replica that splits open (with a magnetic clasp) to an engine roar sound effect to reveal the movie goodies.
Specifically, the worn olive green-and-black chainsaw contains a slipcase with a three-disc set (a 4K and two Blu-ray discs) and, get this, a VHS copy of the film with original art, with both boxes almost too tightly packed in the outdoor machine’s innards.
And let’s not forget about the bountiful collection of digital extras on the discs. Most are culled from previous releases and contained on the extras’ Blu-ray disc versions of the films.
Highlights include, on both the 4K and Blu-ray discs versions of the movie, four optional commentary tracks featuring Mr. Hooper, Leatherface actor Gunnar Hansen, editor J. Larry Carroll, cinematographer Daniel Pearl, production designer Robert Burns and various cast members
Deep exploration of the movie’s production and legacy includes an 82-minute feature-length documentary titled “The Legacy of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre”; a 54-minute, question-and-answer session between filmmaker William Friedkin (“The Exorcist”) and Mr. Hooper; and another hour’s worth of interviews with Mr. Carroll, production manager Ron Bozman, actress Teri McMinn (Pam) and actor John Dugan (Grandpa).
Also, and very much welcomed, are a pair of new featurettes to sweeten the deal that cover the merchandise surrounding the film (15 minutes) showing off some cool action figures and collectibles and the process of restoring the classic (10 minutes) as discussed by the colorist, Mr. Pearl and co-writer Kim Henkel.
Paramount Scares: Volume 2 (Paramount Home Entertainment, Rated PG-13 and R, 1.85:1, 2.39:1 aspect ratio, 395 minutes, $69.99) — One of the elders of Hollywood yet again dove into its deep catalog of movies to deliver a quartet of horror-themed classics perfectly timed for the Halloween season and all in the ultra-high definition format.
The eight-disc set offers 4K and Blu-ray versions of:
Friday the 13th: Part 2 (1982) — The burgeoning iconic slasher franchise went into overdrive with a familiar stalk-and-kill formula while introducing adult horror legend Jason Voorhees (sans hockey mask but in a much more fashionable burlap sack over the noggin with one eyehole) ready to take revenge for his dead mommy on unsuspecting counselors at Camp Crystal Lake. Let’s begin to appreciate the bloody body count for the first time in the 4K format.
World War Z (2013) — Brad Pitt starred as former U.N. investigator turned family man Gerry Lane in this big-budgeted zombie apocalypse film about a rabies-like virus infecting the population and turning humans into frenzied, biting monsters.
The most disturbing part of the story presentation is its sometimes overt realism and how easily mankind could be exterminated by a virulent plague.
The 4K presentation chills to the bone when clearly chronicling the decay of society as the outbreak spreads. Most unfortunate is Paramount not including the unrated cut of the film that would have offered an enhanced level of gore to the horror.
Breakdown (1997) — Director Jonathan Mostow’s thriller (first time in the 4K format) about a couple’s cross-country road trip that turned into a horror show after the wife’s mysterious disappearance gave Kurt Russell a starring vehicle to show off in some gritty action sequences and J.T Walsh the perfect vehicle to hone his impassive villainous acting chops. Expect nail-biting early and often in this survival masterpiece that looks better than ever.
Orphan: First Kill (2022) — I’ll call this prequel (first time in the 4K format) an odd choice to include, considering Paramount does not own the first film. However, it’s worth watching the origin of a deranged serial killer Esther (Isabelle Fuhrman), a 31-year-old woman with a hormonal disorder giving her the appearance of a 10-year-old.
She escapes an Estonian sanitarium and finds an American family that had a missing child who looked similar to her. The murder and deception commence, completed by a tantalizing maternal twist.
Frightful extras: A toxic neon-green cover offering a collage of illustrated characters dominated by zombies greets lucky owners as they open this boxed set that’s nearly a foot wide, 8 inches tall and 2 inches deep.
Contained within are the four films in cases with orangish, illustrated slipcovers and a tagline on the back for each, such as “Mother Nature is a serial killer” for the “World War Z” box.
Collectibles contained include a Paramount Scares glow-in-the-dark enamel pin and shiny embossed plastic sticker; a poster (16 inches by 23 inches) with original art from Orlando Arocena; and four small iron-on patches of the Camp Crystal Lake sign, license plate, “Z” logo and the back of Esther’s head.
Additionally, owners get a 32-page, full-color, curated edition of “Fangoria” magazine, with essays on each of the films and packed with plenty of glossy images.
As for the voluminous digital extras, nothing new to see here folks. All are culled from previous high definition or DVD releases and contained on the Blu-ray disc versions of the films.
Highlights include an optional commentary track for “Breakdown” with Mr. Mostow and Mr. Russell; a 36-minute production documentary for “World War Z”; and a 30-minute Q&A session at a horror convention in 2004 with a quartet of actors who portrayed the serial killer Jason Voorhees for “Friday the 13th: Part 2.”
Lowlights are zero extras on “Orphan: First Kill.”
Hellraiser: Quartet of Torment Limited Edition (Arrow Video, not rated, 1.85:1 aspect ratio, 373 minutes, $119.95) — By far the most disturbing work of author, filmmaker and horror maestro Clive Barker debuts in the ultra-high definition format for American audiences with a collection offering the first four films of his taboo-busting, supernatural franchise.
The story of kinky humans seeking otherworldly pleasure at any cost to their souls comes to light through the existence of a mysterious puzzle box that when configured correctly (referred to as the Lament Configuration) opens up a sadomasochistic realm, acting as either heaven or hell, depending on an addicted participant’s appreciation of pain.
That realm also contains the demonic, leather-bound Cenobites led by Pinhead (Douglas Bradley) who are more than ready to dish out plenty of suffering for those stupid enough to release them.
Viewers get “Hellraiser” (1987), “Hellbound: Hellraiser II” (1988), “Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth” (1992) and “Hellraiser IV: Bloodline” (1996).
Hard-core fans will also want to watch the included unrated version of the third film as well as an earlier workprint version of the fourth film, to compare to its final theatrical release.
The first film has always been the best in presenting a claustrophobic mansion housing a dysfunctional family and haunted by a skinless ghoul.
The ghoul looks to complete its human resurrection by cajoling a female accomplice to murder.
The 4K remastering of each film using the original camera negatives will not disappoint those who are not squeamish about viewing disgusting special effects and appreciate humans literally getting ripped apart by chain-tethered hooks.
Frightful extras: Arrow presents an overabundance of digital content to completely analyze and rip these films apart to their very origin’s core.
Let’s start with 10 optional commentary tracks (three for the first three films and one for the final) featuring film historian Stephen Jones and critic Kim Newman, “Hellraiser II” director Tony Randel and writer Peter Atkins.
The two tracks certainly worth a dive are Mr. Barker going solo talking about his first film and the director of “Hellraiser III” Anthony Hickox sharing the mic with Mr. Bradley on the unrated cut.
Highlights from the multiple hours of documentaries, roundtables and featurettes found on the 4K discs include a 48-minute, 2015 retrospective on the franchise; an hourlong conversation about Mr. Barker and “Hellraiser” with film scholars Sorcha Ní Fhlainn and Karmel Knipprath; a trio of vintage interviews with Mr. Bradley (12 minutes, 14 minutes and 11 minutes long); a 90-minute appreciate of the second film with horror authors Kit Power and George Daniel Lea and a loving look at Mr. Barker, the book author, with David Gatwalk,
The packaging is equally tantalizing with a thick cardboard slipcase featuring Pinhead’s noggin that has small rectangular chunks removed on its cover to teasingly reveal part of the inside case housing the films.
The translucent plastic and pinkish case offers the full-color head and shoulders of a near skinless human. Remove the fold-out disc cardboard box to reveal the human’s skeleton with blood splatters strewn across the cover, a puzzle box on the back, and the words “we have such sights to show you” and “I am in hell, help me” written in blood across the backdrop.
The package also contains a full-color, 200-page hardbound book called “Ages of Desire” featuring press kits for each of the films; vintage behind-the-scenes photos; and new notes, interviews and analysis compiled from Clive Barker archivists’ Phil and Sarah Stokes.
For “Hellraiser” fans, this is the gold standard of releases, and I can’t imagine ever getting a better home entertainment package for these four films.
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (Kino Lorber, not rated, 1.33:1 aspect ratio, 78 minutes, $39.95) — Often considered the blueprint for German Expressionism cinema as well as one of the granddaddy’s of the horror movie genre debuts in the 4K disc format for film historians to relish its macabre nightmare.
Told through six acts, director Robert Wiene’s silent movie explores the woeful tale of Cesare the somnambulist (a sleepwalker) turned into a serial killer by insane asylum director and deranged sideshow mentalist Dr. Caligari.
Viewers will revel in a heavy dose of tinted insanity with the production’s exaggerated angular set designs twisting reality, amplified shadows and controlled lighting that barrage with fisheye fade-ins and fade-outs.
The dread plays out with Cesare lumbering like a zombie, and even getting stored in a coffin-like box, and Dr. Caligari’s decent into madness while reading words strewn across an outdoor environment.
Viewers can choose from a trio of musical scores: one jazzier and more vocal-rich from Jeff Beal (too modern for my taste); a more traditional arrangement from 2014 that still has weird instrumental sequences; or Paul D. Miller, aka DJ Spooky’s effort mixing Middle Eastern, New Age and sci-fi music depending on the scene.
They can also read about the difficult and meticulous 4K restoration before the movie begins but will feel it certainly leaves much to be desired with plenty of mars, scratches and lines still visible on the print.
Additionally, historians will appreciate the casting of Conrad Veidt as Cesare. The actors would later star in “The Man Who Laughs,” playing a disfigured character that Batman’s archenemy The Joker was facially modeled after.
Frightful extras: An unusual optional commentary track with composer Mr. Beal leads the way. Although enlightening for devotion to the film and the music creation, I could have used just a few historians talking about the classic.
Also, a nearly hourlong, history-packed German documentary, “Caligari: The Birth of Horror in the First World War” from 2014, explores the cultural and political environment in an early 20th century Germany within the context of German cinema’s evolution and Hitler’s growing influence. It includes archival footage, examples of the movies and plenty of analysis by German scholars.
A Quiet Place: Day One — SteelBook Edition (Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment, Rated PG-13, 2.39:1 aspect ratio, 100 minutes, $37.99) — A prequel to a popular apocalyptic sci-fi horror franchise introduces the day a hostile extraterrestrial invasion occurred from the perspective of unfortunate New Yorkers stuck in the Big Apple.
For those unfamiliar with the invasion, the blind monsters nicknamed Death Angels hunt humans aurally and that means silence is paramount to survival.
The focus this time us not on the Abbott family but on unlucky citizens, including the terminally ill Samira (Lupita Nyong’o) and her cat Frodo, English law student Eric (Joseph Quinn) and family man Henri (Djimon Hounsou), who would in day 477 of the attack help Reagan and Emmett Abbott.
The emotionally charged and heartbreaking narrative shines through performances and also has enough jump scares and harrowing escapes to keep fingernails bitten to the cuticle.
Although the 4K presentation delivers with great clarity the creatures and smoky ruble of a decimated New York City, the key here is the Dolby Atmos sound mix accentuating human breathing, the crack of stepping on broken glass, screams, and the terrifying screeches and growls of the Death Angels.
Frightful extras: The 4K disc offers five featurettes (roughly 40 minutes in total) with the best spotlighting the themes of the franchise and the building of the New York sets.
The metal case offers a shiny black background to a blood-red sound wave intertwined with the New York City skyline and Sam’s head embedded below, holding her finger to her mouth. The interior offers a metallic red backdrop with black sound wave and the Big Apple skyline spread across both sides.
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (Kino Lorber, Not Rated, 1.85:1 and 2.00:1 aspect ratio, 80 minutes, $26.98) — Considered one of the best and most influential sci-fi horror films in the history of the genre, director Don Siegel’s 1956 extraterrestrial invasion, black-and-white masterpiece makes perfect Halloween fodder for conspiracy theorists in the family.
The paranoia-drenched tale follows Dr. Miles Bennell (Kevin McCarthy) on the trail to understand why citizens in his small town of Santa Mira, California, just do not seem like themselves.
As he digs deeper, he uncovers the shocking realization that aliens have infected the planet with spores that grow into pods.
The pods grow exact copies of living humans, and the originals are replaced as they sleep. The new versions, sans emotions, are now under the otherworldly visitors’ control.
His survival now depends on staying awake, avoiding his new friends and trying to get the word out to save the planet.
The remastered widescreen Superscope film, created from 4K scan of the best available 35mm elements (the original camera negative was missing) comes in both a screen-filling 1.85:1 and original 2.00:1 aspect ratio, both equally pleasing.
Frightful extras: Kino Lorber does not disappoint with first offering four optional commentary tracks on both the included 4K and Blu-ray disc versions of the film.
Two of the tracks are new for this release with a solo effort by film scholar Jason A. Ney and one with critics Steve Mitchell and Nathaniel Thompson, while the other is vintage with historian Richard Harlan Smith.
The best of the bunch and mandatory is from 2006 featuring Mr. McCarthy and his co-star Dana Wynter with much help from director Joe Dante (“Gremlins” and “The Howling”).
The Blu-ray disc also includes a 12-minute reading of highlights from Siegel’s book “A Siegel Film” by his son Kristoffer Tabori and a 2018, 22-minute overview on the challenging life of producer Walter Wanger.
Friday the 13th: Limited Edition (Arrow Video, Rated R, 1.85:1 aspect ratio, 91 minutes, $34.99) — Serial killer Jason Voorhees returned to theaters in 2009 with director Marcus Nispel’s reimagined vision that compacted the first four films of the original horror franchise delivering on the gore but not garnering the critical acclaim of its original iterations.
Now available on a two-disc ultra-high definition package loaded with goodies, the film revisits the origins of a deformed boy who witnesses the murder of his mother, the owner of Camp Crystal Lake, and grows up to take revenge on those who dare enter his forested realm.
What follows is a slaughter of roughly 13 young adults who love nature, weed, alcohol and sex and die in the most grotesque and sometimes tortuous ways possible, including burned alive, machete in the head, arrow through the eye, more machete in the head, and you get the idea.
A few of the iconic actors meeting Jason included Jared Padalecki (“Supernatural”), Danielle Panabaker (“Flash”) and Amanda Righetti (“The Mentalist”).
Remastered by Arrow from a 2K digital intermediate provided by Warner Bros., the visuals colorfully and clearly revel in presenting bloody murder during the day and night.
They also provide an unwelcomed clarity of Jason in full grimy and creepy attire led by his head gear evolution from burlap sack to hockey mask and viewed often swinging his famed machete.
The two, 4K disc set offers hard-core fans the theatrical cut as well as the killer cut of the film that adds roughly eight more minutes of nudity and gore.
Frightening extras: Arrow unloads on the bonus content led by a trio of new optional commentary tracks.
The theatrical cut gets a pair with a solo effort from Mr. Nispel and one with screenwriters Mark Swift and Damian Shannon.
The killer cut gets a gushing track with film critics Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Josh Nelson.
Other highlights to the extras include three new interviews with the director (29 minutes), Mr. Swift and Mr. Shannon (37 minutes) and cinematographer Daniel Pearl (23 minutes); a video appreciation by critic Matt Donato (19 minutes); and the video excerpts from the picture in picture trivia track that was available in the 2009 Blu-ray release of the film.
The package includes a double-sided, foldout mini-poster (13.5 inches by 17 inches) with newly commissioned artwork by Gary Pullin; a “Greetings from Crystal Lake” postcard; and a 28-page full-color illustrated booklet with new essays on the film by writer and werewolf wannabe Matt Konopka and horror historian Alexandra West.
A Nightmare on Elm Street (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, not rated, 1.85:1 aspect ratio, 91 minutes, $33.99) — The exploits of yet another horror icon debuts this Halloween season in the ultra-high definition disc format to guarantee many sleepless nights to new viewers.
Director Wes Craven’s introduction of the serial child killer Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) to a quiet neighborhood found him invading the dreams of the teenage offspring of parents who had committed an unspeakable act.
His nightly appearance with signature hat, tattered, striped red-and-green sweater and one gloved hand with self-made metal talons guaranteed real death in horrible ways, until our heroine Nancy (Heather Langenkamp) comes along vowing to stop him by pulling Freddy into reality.
Pop culture fans will appreciate the appearance of Johnny Depp in his first movie role as Glen Lantz and John Saxon (“Enter the Dragon”) as Nancy’s father, police Lt. Don Thompson.
Viewers get the theatrical cut of the film and an unrated cut with a whopping eight extra seconds of footage.
The 4K remaster from the original elements arrives with sharper details and rich colors to give the 1984 film new visual life even in the nighttime, misty and shadowy dream sequences.
Clarity and color are highlighted in scenes such as a figure stretching through the wall above a bed; a teen victim ripped open and dragged up the ceiling only to fall into a vivid red pool of her own blood; and another teen sucked into his bed and turned into a geyser of blood pooling on the ceiling.
Equally worth examining is Freddy’s shredded and burned facial skin, even more grotesque in 4K.
Frightful extras: The ultra-high definition disc includes all of the digital content from the 2010 Blu-ray release beginning with a pair of optional commentary led by a 2001 discussion between Mr. Craven, Ms. Langenkamp, Mr. Saxon and cinematographer Jacques Haitkin.
The other is a stitched-together audio compilation with numerous cast and crew including Mr. Craven, Mr. Englund, Mr. Haitkin, special effects designer Jim Doyle, makeup effects artist David B. Miller, composer Charles Bernstein and New Line Cinema founder Robert Shaye.
Also worth watching is a 50-minute documentary on making the film and a 23-minute featurette on the legacy of the movie and its studio New Line Cinema.
Thanksgiving: SteelBook Edition (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Rated R, 2.39:1 aspect ratio, 106 minutes, $55.99) — One of the modern-day maestros of splatter horror Eli Roth (“Hostel”) gave fans a bloody holiday treat last year in a graphic, holiday-themed slasher film that was not a turkey.
Now available in 4K, the film takes place around and during multiple Thanksgivings in Plymouth, Massachusetts, and follows a serial killer who wears a pilgrim hat and a John Carver mask as he hunts for humans using mainly an ax.
Death is early and often with grindhouse gore being the focus with the victim death parade, beginning at a Black Friday sale riot that’s too real, shows humanity at its absolute worst and offers an incentive for the lunatic’s murderous gantlet of revenge.
The low-budget meandering effort has an oddly high-budget cast that included Patrick Dempsey as Sheriff Eric Newlon and Gina Gershon as the wife of an electronics store manager (blink and you’ll miss her) along with plenty of teenage talent such as TikTok phenom Addison Rae as the daughter of the RightMart superstore owner.
The UHD release is unnecessary as the film just needs a scratchy, black-and-white downgrade to appreciate its high level of fake grotesque slaughter with flesh chunks, intestines, unattached limbs and decapitated heads being commonplace.
Frightful extras: Sony gives fans way more digital goodies than they would ever need to appreciate this somewhat entertaining effort.
Begin with the 4K disc that offers a pair of exclusive extras; 25 minutes of various young cast members using antiquated mini-DVD cameras to chronicle the making of the film and a 23-minute production featurette that uses the same quality footage.
More extras are then found on the included Blu-ray version of the film that starts with an optional commentary track with an ebullient Mr. Roth ready to discuss his love of horror and details of the production with writer Jeff Rendell.
Next, viewers get 34 minutes of extended, alternate or deleted scenes; and even 12 minutes of five converted VHS short films from Mr. Roth and his best buddy Mr. Rendell. The films were created when they were children growing up in Massachusetts (with an optional commentary).
Fans will also love the metal case presenting a matte-black finish with an embossed front cover featuring a title in gold lettering angled next to a cooked turkey and an ax sticking into it. The back cover simply reveals a half-burnt John Carver mask that almost looks wooden.
Move inside to find seven individuals in John Carver masks on the right and a torso-and-up image of the killer wearing a Pilgrim hat and mask while holding an ax.
If that was not enough to entice a fan, the package also includes a facsimile of a handwritten note from Mr. Roth explaining that the viewer will be watching the best version of his masterpiece available, and they should play it on the largest television possible for maximum enjoyment.
Addams Family Values (Paramount Home Entertainment, Rated PG-13, 1.85:1 aspect ratio, 94 minutes, $25.99) — Director Barry Sonnenfeld delivered a sequel to his hilarious and loving homage to illustrator Charles Addams’ creepy, kooky and altogether spooky family back in 1993, and it finally gets the 4K upgrade fans have been waiting for.
The perfect cast returned and included Raul Julia as Addams patriarch Gomez, Angelica Huston as his wife Morticia, Christopher Lloyd as brother Fester, Christina Ricci as daughter Wednesday, Jimmy Workman as son Pugsley, Carel Struycken as butler Lurch and, joining the fun, Carol Kane as Grandmama.
The film tackled the family’s adjustments to the birth of baby Pubert, especially the impact on teenagers Wednesday and Pugsley who get sent to a summer camp to stop them from trying to kill him.
And, equally amusing was Fester marrying Pubert’s nanny Debbie Jellinsky (Joan Cusack), a black widow on a mission to murder her new hubby for his inheritance.
Newly remastered from the original camera negative, the screen-filling presentation is sometimes on the soft focus side.
However, the creepy details still shine, not limited to the gothic, musty, cobwebbed and torture-device-filled family mansion and moonlit cemetery; the levels of ornate black costuming; and moments such as a stunning view of Uncle Fester howling with a massive full moon behind him.
Frightful extras: The wonderful news is that fans finally get a pair of never-available-before digital goodies to enhance their appreciation of the film.
First and best of all is a recent optional commentary track with Mr. Sonnenfeld and screenwriter Paul Rudnick. As they get more relaxed enjoying the film, the reunited pair offer a steady flow of insight and fond memories of the production and its legacy.
Next, a 10-minute vintage promotional featurette has key cast members, the director and Mr. Rudnick literally walking viewers through the key points of the story, accompanied by clips and behind-the-scenes photos.
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