It's that time again. We don't do this every year, but I wanted to put our best foot forward this year, for several reasons. One: this was an exceptionally rich year for home video releases; two: we're behind schedule and want to get this information out to our readers to help guide their last-minute holiday purchases; three: there's never a good time to get this information into print, anyway; and four: if you feel you derived some value from this information, perhaps I could persuade you to contribute the monetary equivalent of that value to our Kickstarter campaign, which we very much want to succeed for the common good.
What we have here are 38 main selections, followed by an additional 35 notable restorations. To compile the main list, I invited our critics to submit their Top Five (5) choices only - I felt that restricting our selections to five would tighten the focus to those titles we considered absolutely indispensable, while also keeping the length of the list somewhat manageable. (Five turned out to be impossibly tight for me, so I granted myself slightly more room to allow for a few more titles I felt absolutely had to show; even so, I allowed myself no personal eurekas like TCM's REMEMBER THE NIGHT and Criterion's 3:10 TO YUMA, nor long-craved arrivals like Shout! Factory's ULTRA Q and JOHNNY SOKKO AND HIS FLYING ROBOT sets.) Only one release - the BFI's ROBIN REDBREAST (which I've not seen) - drew more than one vote. The titles appear in alphabetical order with the critic's byline at the end of each blurb. The list of notable restorations was mostly compiled by me, with additional contributions from Eric Somer.
This is not to be mistaken for a Year's Best Movies list; it's a compilation of what were, in our view, the most outstanding home video experiences on disc since December 2012. Asterisks (*) after titles in the main list denote significant digital restoration, as well. - TL
ALAIN ROBBE-GRILLET: RÉCITS CINÉMATOGRAPHIQUES *
1961-2006, Carlotta DVD (French Import)
This affordable box set collects almost the complete filmed works of the celebrated nouveau romaniste, with the exception of his penultimate Un bruit qui rend fou (THE BLUE VILLA, 1995). Included in newly HD-remastered transfers are L'Immortelle (THE IMMORTAL ONE, 1961), Trans-Europ-Express (TRANS-EUROPE EXPRESS, 1966), L'homme qui ment (THE MAN WHO LIES, 1970), Eden et l'après (EDEN AND AFTER, 1971) and its rarely-screened alternate cut N. a pris les dés (N. ROLLS THE DICE, 1972), Glissements progressifs du plaisir (SUCCESSIVE SLIDINGS OF PLEASURE, 1974), Le jeu avec le feu (PLAYING WITH FIRE, 1975), La belle captive (1982) and C’est Gradiva qui vous appelle (GRADIVA... IS HER NAME, 2006), as well as lengthy interviews with the director, a 128-page full-color book, a facsimile booklet inspired by a prop from Trans-Europ-Express, and new introductions by his widow Catherine Robbe-Grillet. A marvelous, dense, playful and highly erotic body of work, beautifully packaged, impossible to access in such quality till now - unfortunately not English-friendly, but this problem will be settled when the BFI begins undertaking their release of these titles next year. - Tim Lucas
AMERICAN MARY
2012, Universal Blu-ray (UK Import)
A quantum leap over their feature debut, the $2500 miracle DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK, this stylish and darkly comic horror film by Canadian twins the Soska Sisters (Jen & Sylvia) is at once a scathing indictment of the North American academia and medical establishments, a passionate defense of individual expression through cosmetic surgery, and serves up a magnificent portrait of feminist survival in Katharine Isabelle's impeccably modulated performance. It should be seen in this import edition, which preserves the sleek gloss and candy-rich color schemes of the cinematography, which is noticeably more pallid on the domestic BD release from XLRator. - Tim Lucas
AMERICAN MARY
2012, Universal Blu-ray (UK Import)
A quantum leap over their feature debut, the $2500 miracle DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK, this stylish and darkly comic horror film by Canadian twins the Soska Sisters (Jen & Sylvia) is at once a scathing indictment of the North American academia and medical establishments, a passionate defense of individual expression through cosmetic surgery, and serves up a magnificent portrait of feminist survival in Katharine Isabelle's impeccably modulated performance. It should be seen in this import edition, which preserves the sleek gloss and candy-rich color schemes of the cinematography, which is noticeably more pallid on the domestic BD release from XLRator. - Tim Lucas
BLACK SABBATH *
1963, Arrow Films Blu-ray/DVD (UK Import)
Mario Bava's three-storied masterpiece, finally presented in its most complimentary setting (Blu-ray) and in both its Italian and English versions, the latter preserving Boris Karloff's own voice in one of his most intimidating horror performances - available on home video for the first time since a 1990s LaserDisc release. The detail and the lushness of the colors are hallucinatory, and the extras are abundant: a detailed visual account of the points of variation between the two versions, a video interview with actor Mark Damon, an introduction by Alan Jones and written contributions by David Cairns and Yours Truly, including my interview with Samuel Z. Arkoff. - Tim Lucas
BLACKFISH
2013, Magnolia
Blu-ray/DVD
In a year that brought a number of significant achievements
in non-fiction film to home video (i.e. A
BAND CALLED DEATH, ROOM
237, MY AMITYVILLE
HORROR, HAPPY PEOPLE),
my favorite film of the year has the power to change human thinking regarding
the captivity and training of wild animals. After seeing BLACKFISH, you will never feel the same
about those family trips to the zoo--past, present or future. BLACKFISH is also notable for scoring one
of the year’s best social networking marketing
campaigns. - Eric Somer
BYZANTIUM
2013, MPI Home Video Blu-ray/DVD
Director
Neil Jordan and writer Moira Buffini craft an original, slinky, stylish,
bloody vampire tale (never mentioning the word "vampire") about two young women
who claim to be sisters in a seedy resort town. One calls herself Carmilla
(wink, wink), but this is possibly the first woman-centered incarnation without
a trace of lesbian vampires. I like it a little better than MIDNIGHT
SON and BREAKING DAWN PART 2, and those are quite
good.- Michael Barrett
CLAUSTROFOBIA
2011, Matchbox DVD-PAL
An assured horror debut from Dutch director Bobby Boermans. The film's ability to induce disquiet from a minimal cast and setting, produces a deep and lasting sense seeping unease within the viewer. - Cleaver Patterson
An assured horror debut from Dutch director Bobby Boermans. The film's ability to induce disquiet from a minimal cast and setting, produces a deep and lasting sense seeping unease within the viewer. - Cleaver Patterson
CLOUD ATLAS
2013, Warner Blu-ray/DVD
2013, Warner Blu-ray/DVD
Had I not read David Mitchell's novel, I mightn't have appreciated this lavish,
ambitious epic from the Wachowskis and Tom Tykwer, who express the recycling of
souls via actors in multiple roles. The narrative skips sideways, with an image
or dialogue in one timeline triggering another story of people struggling to
escape from malevolent forces and finding accord with a kindred soul. If we're
generous, the problematic makeup in the Korean segment of "New Seoul"
demonstrates not only the "soul" conceit but the theme of repressive society
forcing everyone into one artificial mold and making you masquerade as what
you're not, which ripples through all the stories. - Michael Barrett
CRIMEWAVE
1985, Shout! Factory Blu-ray/DVD
Sam Raimi’s
sophomore feature has a number of problems (many of which were studio-induced),
but is filled with the director’s wonderfully maniacal creativity and ranks
high amongst that decade’s Guilty Pleasures. It finally reached domestic disc,
courtesy of this combo pack release which includes an amusingly candid
commentary from co-star Bruce Campbell, who relates the many, many things that
went wrong during production. - John CharlesTHE CURTIS HARRINGTON SHORT FILM COLLECTION *
1942-2002, Flicker Alley Blu-ray/DVD
This was a great renaissance year for horror's first experimentalist, seeing the posthumous publication of his autobiography NICE GUYS DON'T WORK IN HOLLYWOOD and Kino Lorber's equally worthy Blu-ray release of his feature debut NIGHT TIDE (1961), but its crowning offering was this compilation of hard-to-see film short films, produced in parallel to those of Kenneth Anger and thus revising and rewriting what is generally known about 20th century American avant-garde cinema. Included are "Fragment of Seeking" (1946), "Picnic" (1948), "On The Edge" (1949), the Poe adaptation "The Assignation" (1953), "The Wormwood Star" (1955) and his final work "Usher" (2002), as well as two important pieces of peripheralia, his first effort (a high school-era production of "The Fall of the House of Usher" from 1942) and "The Four Elements" (1966), made for the US Information Agency. - Tim Lucas
DAY OF THE DEAD
1985, Scream Factory Blu-ray
In the wake
of a disappointing Blu-ray from Anchor Bay a few years back, George A. Romero’s
underrated third chapter in his DEAD saga received a very good HD incarnation
via this new edition, complimented by another fine, feature length documentary
from Michael Felsher’s Red Shirt Pictures. Some have decried the disc’s lack of
a stereo option; the movie was originally released in mono and I have no
complains with how it is presented here. - John CharlesDRACULA *
1958, Lionsgate Blu-ray/DVD (UK Import)
Despite the message board controversies surrounding this title, there is no question that this disc -- including the 2012 Hammer and 2006 BFI restorations of Terence Fisher's classic - delivers the film we know as HORROR OF DRACULA as it was meant to be seen, as opposed to how it came to look in international distribution. Nightfall becomes a veritable subtext of the picture, making candlelight all the more pronounced an opponent against the vampire's dominion - rightly so, given the role played by candlesticks in the grand finale. But to finally see Dracula's disintegration is tantamount to seeing some footage from LONDON AFTER MIDNIGHT, something we didn't dare wish for and can now take for granted, and somehow all the more precious in its unrestored state - how wonderful that the original water-damaged Japanese reels were included! - Tim Lucas
THE EDGAR WALLACE ANTHOLOGY *
1960-65, Network Video DVD
An overwhelming collection of all 47 films in the series of Wallace adaptations produced by Merton Park Studios of Great Britain during the same period as the better-known Rialto productions from West Germany. Not as garish or progressive as their German counterparts, these are very much in the tone of the English quota quickies - solid, well-crafted B-pictures featuring many beloved actors (Hazel Court, Michael Gough, Patrick Magee, Bernard Lee, Alexander Knox) and made by able directors (Clive Donner, John Moxey, Vernon Sewell and others), and VW's own trusty Kim Newman is along to annotate them in a series of booklets. The seven volumes composing this box set are also sold individually for those who prefer to test the waters first. - Tim Lucas
ÉRIC ROHMER *
1950-2009, Potemkine Films Blu-ray/DVD (French Import)
Are you sitting down? This definitive box set collects the complete works of this seminal French filmmaker on 52 discs, and the new HD transfers are not only English-friendly but blow the previous Criterion masters out of the water. The supplements and extras, including a book, do not share the features' English-accessibility, and it's regrettable that one can only obtain the Blu-rays by also paying for a balance of DVD copies we'll likely have no need to watch, but to possess this set is to feel in possession of a library devoted to youth and beauty, the art of conversation, and many elegant solutions to the most enduring of human problems. - Tim Lucas
1950-2009, Potemkine Films Blu-ray/DVD (French Import)
Are you sitting down? This definitive box set collects the complete works of this seminal French filmmaker on 52 discs, and the new HD transfers are not only English-friendly but blow the previous Criterion masters out of the water. The supplements and extras, including a book, do not share the features' English-accessibility, and it's regrettable that one can only obtain the Blu-rays by also paying for a balance of DVD copies we'll likely have no need to watch, but to possess this set is to feel in possession of a library devoted to youth and beauty, the art of conversation, and many elegant solutions to the most enduring of human problems. - Tim Lucas
EXCISION
2012, Monster Pictures Blu-ray/DVD
Writer / director Richard Bates Jr.'s deliciously subversive, surrealistic horror is shocking and entrancing in equal measure. Bates' razor sharp script proves that though the horror genre is often dismissed as inferior to mainstream cinema, it can be equally clever and insightful under the right guidance. - Cleaver Patterson
Writer / director Richard Bates Jr.'s deliciously subversive, surrealistic horror is shocking and entrancing in equal measure. Bates' razor sharp script proves that though the horror genre is often dismissed as inferior to mainstream cinema, it can be equally clever and insightful under the right guidance. - Cleaver Patterson
FANTASTIC VOYAGE
1966, 20th Century Fox
Blu-ray
Featuring
some of the strangest backdrops in a science fiction film, FANTASTIC VOYAGE
takes us on a journey through a microscopic universe as eerie and beautiful and
fraught with unknown dangers as any solar system or galaxy. The visual effects
and set design are still impressive, and the Blu-ray upgrade is the next best
thing to enjoying this fantastic voyage on the big screen. The extras from the
former special-edition DVD are all here, including the isolation of Leonard
Rosenman's important, experimental score. - Bill Cooke
THE FLY
THE FLY
1958, 20th Century Fox Blu-ray
Reacquainting oneself with THE FLY on Blu-ray, one realizes how unique this film
was when it premiered at the tail end of the 50s sci-fi cycle. Eschewing atomic
radiation as a potential fall guy, THE FLY localizes horror in human error and
scientific overreaching but takes its sweet time in playing its trump card. But
what an ace it slaps down on the felt - and the power of the film's grisly
finish has not diminished a jot in over fifty years. - Richard Harland Smith
FRANKENSTEIN'S ARMY
2013, Dark Sky Films Blu-ray/DVD
Wacky is not a word normally associated with films from the horror genre, especially those as graphically gory as Richard Raaphorst’s totally off-the-wall trip. However this freakish fantasy - combining both monsters and Nazis - is so unlike anything you'll ever have seen before, that it will literally blow your mind. - Cleaver Patterson
Wacky is not a word normally associated with films from the horror genre, especially those as graphically gory as Richard Raaphorst’s totally off-the-wall trip. However this freakish fantasy - combining both monsters and Nazis - is so unlike anything you'll ever have seen before, that it will literally blow your mind. - Cleaver Patterson
THE FROZEN DEAD
1966, Warner Archives DVD-R
No, the restoration of its intended aspect ratio and discomfiting chromatics does not make THE FROZEN DEAD a better movie but, goll-ee, it's just a lot more fun this way. A key title for Monster Kids who came of age in the '60s, this one has only about eight minutes of good material but those eight minutes stick with you well after the final fadeout. - Richard Harland Smith
No, the restoration of its intended aspect ratio and discomfiting chromatics does not make THE FROZEN DEAD a better movie but, goll-ee, it's just a lot more fun this way. A key title for Monster Kids who came of age in the '60s, this one has only about eight minutes of good material but those eight minutes stick with you well after the final fadeout. - Richard Harland Smith
THE FURY
1978, Twilight Time Blu-ray (USA) and Arrow Films Blu-ray/DVD (UK Import)
As I mentioned in my review in VIDEO WATCHDOG 174, the experience of watching Brian De Palma's post-CARRIE telekinesis film with its career-best John Williams score isolated on Twilight Time's Blu-ray was one of the most education lessons in filmmaking I've ever gleaned from video. Just as the film itself is a marvelous index of ways to keep the eye occupied and tantalized, the audio track provides thrilling illustrations of when music is and is not necessary, how instrumentation can be used to lend coloring to light, and much more. The Arrow set adds an even greater wealth of supplementation to an essential purchase. - Tim Lucas
GORGO *
1961,
VCI Blu-ray
While
it still isn't perfect, the blu-ray goes a long way toward restoring the picture
quality of Eugene Lourie's final statement in the giant-creature genre. The film
- about a sea monster's decimation of London while searching for its captured
young - is one of the most colorful and exciting pictures of its type,
unhampered by a romantic sub-plot and moving at breakneck speed toward a climax
both thrilling and surprisingly emotional. VCI's new transfer of a superior film
element brings a new level of excitement to the eye-popping visual
effects. - Bill Cooke
HANDS OF THE RIPPER
1971, Synapse Films Blu-ray/DVD
This
latter day Hammer horror seems rushed in execution but mature and
forward-looking in design while serving as a linchpin between the studios'
black-and-white psychothrillers of a decade earlier and the looming slasher
cycle. One can even discern seeds of HALLOWEEN in this tale of Jack the Ripper's daughter cutting
a bloody swath through Edwardian England. - Richard Harland Smith
HOUSE OF WAX
1953, Warner 3D/2D Blu-ray
One of the
finest 3D movies and a horror classic in any format, Andre De Toth’s 1953
remake of MYSTERY OF THE WAX MUSEUM finally hit Blu-ray in as good a recreation
of its original dual projection 3D as is technically possible at home. Both the
beautifully composed sense of depth and comin’ at ya gimmickry work wonderfully
and leave one hoping that Warner also plans to give semi follow-up PHANTOM OF
THE RUE MORGUE (1954) the same deluxe treatment in future. - John Charles
THE IMPOSSIBLE
2012, Summit Inc/Lionsgate Blu-ray/DVD
Director J.A. Bayona (THE ORPHANAGE) coordinated the most intelligent disaster film on record with THE IMPOSSIBLE, based on the actual tsunami that assaulted Thailand in 2004. In his feature film debut, Tom Holland delivers an amazing performance as Lucas, a boy who is unusually talented at helping others. What a shame he did not receive an Oscar nomination. Nonetheless, one can predict a bright future for him. - Eric Somer
THE IMPOSSIBLE
2012, Summit Inc/Lionsgate Blu-ray/DVD
Director J.A. Bayona (THE ORPHANAGE) coordinated the most intelligent disaster film on record with THE IMPOSSIBLE, based on the actual tsunami that assaulted Thailand in 2004. In his feature film debut, Tom Holland delivers an amazing performance as Lucas, a boy who is unusually talented at helping others. What a shame he did not receive an Oscar nomination. Nonetheless, one can predict a bright future for him. - Eric Somer
KOMMISSAR X *
1966-69, Anolis Entertainment DVD (German Import)
Though pricey, this seven-disc set may be the most fan-friendly box set ever. It collects six of the seven Kommissar X spy thrillers starring Brad Harris and Tony Kendall - sub-Bondian movies, but no less loveable - in English-dubbed and English-subtitled German editions, with an alternate Austrian version of the second, bonus interviews, Easter egg trailers in the filmography, photo and poster galleries, and an astonishing seventh disc that chronicles a joyous 2009 reunion of the two stars and their quirky director Gianfranco Parolini, filmed only months before Kendall's tragic death from cancer. - Tim Lucas
THE LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT OF ROSALIND LEIGH
THE LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT OF ROSALIND LEIGH
2012, Image Entertainment DVD
Emphasizing style and substance over the instant gratification offered by many modern horror movies, this film by first-time writer/director Rodrigo Gudiño (the power behind Rue Morgue magazine), haunts the memory with its suggestion and subtlety - and the overriding presence of Vanessa Redgrave. - Cleaver Patterson
Emphasizing style and substance over the instant gratification offered by many modern horror movies, this film by first-time writer/director Rodrigo Gudiño (the power behind Rue Morgue magazine), haunts the memory with its suggestion and subtlety - and the overriding presence of Vanessa Redgrave. - Cleaver Patterson
LIFE OF PI
2012, 20th Century Fox Blu-ray/DVD
Which story do you want to believe? Director
Ang Lee proves yet again he can handle any genre, any premise, any potential
narrative problem. LIFE OF PI is
the most gorgeous 3D film to date (I am commenting on the theatrical
presentation here), and looks stunning in HD 2D as well. - Eric Somer
THE LOST FILMS OF HERSCHELL GORDON LEWIS *
1969/71, Vinegar Syndrome Blu-ray/DVD
Say what you
will about the movies in question (and really, the less said the better), this
release still represented a major archeological save from a new label that
offered up some of the most exciting genre titles of 2013. Not only were these
long unseen features (ECSTASIES OF WOMEN, LINDA & ABILENE, and BLACK LOVE)
returned to circulation, they looked fresh out of the lab. The first two, in
particular, rank amongst the most gorgeous presentations of films from that era
offered by any label. - John Charles
NIGHT ACROSS THE
STREET
2012, Cinema Guild DVD
This was the last film of Raul Ruiz, master of self-conscious
narrative games in the traditions of Borges and Robbe-Grillet. Most scenes are
shot in long, insidious single takes as characters engage in baffling banter in
a storyline best described as tenuous. An old man recalls his boyhood dialogues
with Long John Silver and Beethoven, and he believes his impending retirement
means someone will kill him. Strongly resembles a film I watched at the same
time, Manoel de Oliveira's elegiac, personal, spellbinding ghost story
THE STRANGE CASE OF ANGELICA, but that's a 2011 release or it
could have replaced the Ruiz film here.- Michael Barrett
PACIFIC RIM
2013, Warner 3D Blu-ray/2D Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy
Guillermo Del Toro’s long awaited “Robots vs. Monsters” epic felt somewhat compromised by its cost and major studio origins, but one area where the film absolutely did not disappoint was the director’s incredible sense of imagination and design. Seemingly every aspect of the production displays a remarkable, infectious sense of creativity and this deluxe multi-format release showcases the movie beautifully. It also offers up special features that genuinely enhance one’s appreciation of PACIFIC RIM’s considerable strengths. - John Charles
Guillermo Del Toro’s long awaited “Robots vs. Monsters” epic felt somewhat compromised by its cost and major studio origins, but one area where the film absolutely did not disappoint was the director’s incredible sense of imagination and design. Seemingly every aspect of the production displays a remarkable, infectious sense of creativity and this deluxe multi-format release showcases the movie beautifully. It also offers up special features that genuinely enhance one’s appreciation of PACIFIC RIM’s considerable strengths. - John Charles
THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES
2012, Universal Blu-ray/DVD
When Luke (Ryan Gosling) makes his entrance, it is clear you are in good hands with director Derek Cianfrance. Modern film noir is seldom this epic. - Eric Somer
ROBIN REDBREAST
1970, British Film Institute DVD (UK Import)
The vaults of the BBC remain, especially for Americans, largely undiscovered country when it comes to Gothic and ghoulish entertainment. Happily, the BFI has been returning to the light a wealth of scary teleplays, both originals and adaptations of classic works, among them this compelling rural chiller, which serves as a landmark (however obscure) between NIGHT OF THE DEMON and THE WICKER MAN. - Richard Harland Smith
1970, British Film Institute DVD (UK Import)
The vaults of the BBC remain, especially for Americans, largely undiscovered country when it comes to Gothic and ghoulish entertainment. Happily, the BFI has been returning to the light a wealth of scary teleplays, both originals and adaptations of classic works, among them this compelling rural chiller, which serves as a landmark (however obscure) between NIGHT OF THE DEMON and THE WICKER MAN. - Richard Harland Smith
A precursor to THE WICKER MAN (1973), this television drama though not exactly frightening
in the traditional sense is decidedly creepy, leaving the viewer in disbelief
that the practices at its core could still be taking place in a modern,
civilized society. Accompanied by an enchanting public information film
AROUND THE VILLAGE GREEN (1937), which gives an insight into
traditional English village life, this is the perfect
example of how to produce real horror from the outwardly innocent. - Cleaver Patterson
SECONDS
1966, Criterion Collection,
Blu-ray
Criterion upgrades this eerie cult item -
one of the most interestingly photographed black-and-white films of the
sixties - to high definition with stunning results. John Frankenheimer's
intensely dark and disturbing tale about a middle-aged man's attempt to start
life anew in a surgically transformed body stars Rock Hudson in the performance
of his career. Criterion imports the great Frankenheimer commentary from the
former DVD and adds a few more extras, including an appreciation from actor Alec
Baldwin. - Bill Cooke
SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK
2012, Starz/Anchor Bay Blu-ray/DVD
Director David O. Russell (THREE KINGS, THE FIGHTER) returns to the quirky comic roots he established with 1994's SPANKING THE MONKEY, the indie film that put him on the map as a filmmaker to watch. SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK withstands repeat viewings with ease. - Eric Somer
SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK
2012, Starz/Anchor Bay Blu-ray/DVD
Director David O. Russell (THREE KINGS, THE FIGHTER) returns to the quirky comic roots he established with 1994's SPANKING THE MONKEY, the indie film that put him on the map as a filmmaker to watch. SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK withstands repeat viewings with ease. - Eric Somer
THE UNINVITED
1944, Criterion Collection Blu-ray/DVD
There are a slew of Top 10 Haunted House movie lists written by fans on the IMDb and none of them include THE UNINVITED. This has less to do with philistinism than the fact that the movie was just unavailable for years. Not missing, not lost... just off the market, withheld. The Criterion Collection's inclusion of this beloved title in its estimable ranks should right that inequity. - Richard Harland Smith
There are a slew of Top 10 Haunted House movie lists written by fans on the IMDb and none of them include THE UNINVITED. This has less to do with philistinism than the fact that the movie was just unavailable for years. Not missing, not lost... just off the market, withheld. The Criterion Collection's inclusion of this beloved title in its estimable ranks should right that inequity. - Richard Harland Smith
THE VINCENT PRICE COLLECTION
1959
- 1971, Shout! Factory, Blu-ray
Six essential titles from Vincent Price's association with American International Pictures (FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER, PIT & THE PENDULUM, THE HAUNTED PALACE, MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH, WITCHFINDER GENERAL and THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES) are oddly presented out of order on 4 discs, but this is still nirvana to the gothic horror fan. It's especially wonderful to finally have PIT AND THE PENDULUM in anamorphic widescreen. The package includes introductions by Price himself (fragments from a vintage interview) and plentiful audio commentaries (both old and new) featuring name talent like Roger Corman, Tom Weaver, Robert Fuest, Price biographer Lucy Chase Williams and VW contributors Tom Weaver, David Del Valle and Justin Humphreys. - Bill Cooke
Six essential titles from Vincent Price's association with American International Pictures (FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER, PIT & THE PENDULUM, THE HAUNTED PALACE, MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH, WITCHFINDER GENERAL and THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES) are oddly presented out of order on 4 discs, but this is still nirvana to the gothic horror fan. It's especially wonderful to finally have PIT AND THE PENDULUM in anamorphic widescreen. The package includes introductions by Price himself (fragments from a vintage interview) and plentiful audio commentaries (both old and new) featuring name talent like Roger Corman, Tom Weaver, Robert Fuest, Price biographer Lucy Chase Williams and VW contributors Tom Weaver, David Del Valle and Justin Humphreys. - Bill Cooke
WAKE IN
FRIGHT
1971, Image Entertainment Blu-ray or DVD
Ted Kotcheff's rediscovered Australian classic (released in the US as OUTBACK in 1971) is misleadingly sold as a horror movie with shades of DELIVERANCE and STRAW DOGS. Closer to WALKABOUT, it's an expressive, atmospheric, existential character study of a surly, uptight teacher (Gary Bond) who faces his demons over a long weekend with a bunch of drunken yahoos (including a wiry Donald Pleasence) in the middle of bloody nowhere. Intense, foreboding, sometimes shocking. - Michael Barrett
1971, Image Entertainment Blu-ray or DVD
Ted Kotcheff's rediscovered Australian classic (released in the US as OUTBACK in 1971) is misleadingly sold as a horror movie with shades of DELIVERANCE and STRAW DOGS. Closer to WALKABOUT, it's an expressive, atmospheric, existential character study of a surly, uptight teacher (Gary Bond) who faces his demons over a long weekend with a bunch of drunken yahoos (including a wiry Donald Pleasence) in the middle of bloody nowhere. Intense, foreboding, sometimes shocking. - Michael Barrett
WARM BODIES
2013, Summit Inc/Lionsgate Blu-ray or DVD
This is a zombie comedy told by the zombie, who forms elegant sentences in his head as his body shuffles with other zombies at the airport (social comment like the mall in DAWN OF THE DEAD). When he meets a living girl while foraging for flesh, she causes his heart to skip a beat, or beat a skip, and his impulse to kidnap and shelter her causes his regression to a state increasingly capable of speech, warmth, etc. as the love bug spreads like a virus through zombie culture. The romance and symbolism are handled with Young Adult Novel sincerity that's never undercut by the absurdity and snarky hipness.- Michael Barrett
This is a zombie comedy told by the zombie, who forms elegant sentences in his head as his body shuffles with other zombies at the airport (social comment like the mall in DAWN OF THE DEAD). When he meets a living girl while foraging for flesh, she causes his heart to skip a beat, or beat a skip, and his impulse to kidnap and shelter her causes his regression to a state increasingly capable of speech, warmth, etc. as the love bug spreads like a virus through zombie culture. The romance and symbolism are handled with Young Adult Novel sincerity that's never undercut by the absurdity and snarky hipness.- Michael Barrett
ZATOICHI: THE BLIND SWORDSMAN
1962 - 1973, Criterion Collection, Blu-ray/DVD
This mammoth set from Criterion features 25 films on 9 blu-ray discs, plus standard definition presentations on 18 DVDs. Produced over a decade by the Daiei Studios, this Japanese historical adventure series stars Shintaru Katsu as a blind masseur who also happens to be a master swordsman. Every story has basically the same plot: Zatoichi comes to a new village, encounters people suppressed by local gangsters or politicians (or both), and in the end he must grudgingly use his sword-fighting talents to mete out justice. What makes the stories resonate is the character's profound inner turmoil over his ability to kill, and Katsu's deeply moving and endearing portrayal. - Bill Cooke
OTHER SIGNIFICANT RESTORATIONS OF 2013
AN AMERICAN HIPPIE IN ISRAEL (Amos Sefer, 1972; Grindhouse Releasing)
A MAN ESCAPED (Robert Bresson, 1956; Criterion)
A BAY OF BLOOD (Mario Bava, 1971; Kino Lorber)
BLACK SUNDAY (Mario Bava, 1960; Arrow Films)
THE BRAIN THAT WOULDN'T DIE in MOVIES 4 YOU - MORE SCI-FI CLASSICS (Joseph Green, 1959/61; Timeless Media/Shout! Factory) - includes supplementary bonus nude footage for the 1st time!
THE BRIDES OF DRACULA (Terence Fisher, 1960; Icon UK)
CHINA GATE (Samuel Fuller, 1957; Olive Films)
CINERAMA HOLIDAY (Robert L. Bendick/Philippe De Lacy, 1955; Flicker Alley)
COHEN AND TATE (Eric Red, 1988; Shout! Factory)
COLLEGE (James W. Horne/Buster Keaton, 1927; Kino Lorber)
CORRUPTION (Robert Hartford-Davies, 1967; Grindhouse Releasing)
DEMONS (Lamberto Bava, 1985; Synapse Films)
DEMONS 2: THE NIGHTMARE RETURNS (Lamberto Bava, 1986; Synapse Films)
THE DEVIL BAT (Jean Yarbrough, 1940; Kino Lorber)
THE EVIL OF FRANKENSTEIN (Freddie Francis, 1964; Icon UK)
EYES WITHOUT A FACE (Georges Franju, 1959; Criterion)
FIVE DOLLS FOR AN AUGUST MOON (Mario Bava, 1970; Kino Lorber)
GATE OF HELL (Teinosuke Kinugasa, 1953; Criterion)
THE GRAPES OF DEATH (Jean Rollin, 1978; Redemption/Kino Lorber)
THE HOT NIGHTS OF LINDA (Jesús Franco, 1973; Severin)
HOW TO SEDUCE A VIRGIN (Jesús Franco, 1973; Mondo Macabro)
JUBAL (Delmer Daves, 1956; Criterion)
THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH (Alfred Hitchcock, 1934; Criterion)
THE MUMMY (Terence Fisher, 1959; Icon UK)
NIGHT TIDE (Curtis Harrington, 1961; Kino Lorber)
NIGHTMARES COME AT NIGHT (Jesús Franco, 1970; Redemption/Kino Lorber)
NOSFERATU: A SYMPHONY OF HORROR (Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau, 1922; Kino Lorber)
L'ORGIE DES VAMPIRES (Renato Polselli, 1964; Artus Films France)
THE PUPPETOON MOVIE (Arnold Leibovit, 1987; B2MP)
ROLLING THUNDER (John Flynn, 1977; Shout! Factory)
SAFETY LAST (Fred C. Newmeyer/Sam Taylor, 1923; Criterion)
SEX KITTENS GO TO COLLEGE (Albert Zugsmith, 1960; Warner Archive)
SHE DEVIL (Kurt Neumann, 1957; Olive Films)
SOUTH SEAS ADVENTURE (Carl Dudley/Richard Goldstone/Francis D. Lyon, 1958; Flicker Alley)
A VIRGIN AMONG THE LIVING DEAD (Jesús Franco, 1970; Redemption/Kino Lorber)
THE WICKER MAN - THE FINAL CUT (Robin Hardy, 1973; StudioCanal UK)
ZOMBIE LAKE (J.R. Lazer, 1981; Redemption/Kino Lorber)
A BAY OF BLOOD (Mario Bava, 1971; Kino Lorber)
BLACK SUNDAY (Mario Bava, 1960; Arrow Films)
THE BRAIN THAT WOULDN'T DIE in MOVIES 4 YOU - MORE SCI-FI CLASSICS (Joseph Green, 1959/61; Timeless Media/Shout! Factory) - includes supplementary bonus nude footage for the 1st time!
THE BRIDES OF DRACULA (Terence Fisher, 1960; Icon UK)
CHINA GATE (Samuel Fuller, 1957; Olive Films)
CINERAMA HOLIDAY (Robert L. Bendick/Philippe De Lacy, 1955; Flicker Alley)
COHEN AND TATE (Eric Red, 1988; Shout! Factory)
COLLEGE (James W. Horne/Buster Keaton, 1927; Kino Lorber)
CORRUPTION (Robert Hartford-Davies, 1967; Grindhouse Releasing)
DEMONS (Lamberto Bava, 1985; Synapse Films)
DEMONS 2: THE NIGHTMARE RETURNS (Lamberto Bava, 1986; Synapse Films)
THE DEVIL BAT (Jean Yarbrough, 1940; Kino Lorber)
THE EVIL OF FRANKENSTEIN (Freddie Francis, 1964; Icon UK)
EYES WITHOUT A FACE (Georges Franju, 1959; Criterion)
FIVE DOLLS FOR AN AUGUST MOON (Mario Bava, 1970; Kino Lorber)
GATE OF HELL (Teinosuke Kinugasa, 1953; Criterion)
THE GRAPES OF DEATH (Jean Rollin, 1978; Redemption/Kino Lorber)
THE HOT NIGHTS OF LINDA (Jesús Franco, 1973; Severin)
HOW TO SEDUCE A VIRGIN (Jesús Franco, 1973; Mondo Macabro)
JUBAL (Delmer Daves, 1956; Criterion)
THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH (Alfred Hitchcock, 1934; Criterion)
THE MUMMY (Terence Fisher, 1959; Icon UK)
NIGHT TIDE (Curtis Harrington, 1961; Kino Lorber)
NIGHTMARES COME AT NIGHT (Jesús Franco, 1970; Redemption/Kino Lorber)
NOSFERATU: A SYMPHONY OF HORROR (Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau, 1922; Kino Lorber)
L'ORGIE DES VAMPIRES (Renato Polselli, 1964; Artus Films France)
THE PUPPETOON MOVIE (Arnold Leibovit, 1987; B2MP)
ROLLING THUNDER (John Flynn, 1977; Shout! Factory)
SAFETY LAST (Fred C. Newmeyer/Sam Taylor, 1923; Criterion)
SEX KITTENS GO TO COLLEGE (Albert Zugsmith, 1960; Warner Archive)
SHE DEVIL (Kurt Neumann, 1957; Olive Films)
SOUTH SEAS ADVENTURE (Carl Dudley/Richard Goldstone/Francis D. Lyon, 1958; Flicker Alley)
A VIRGIN AMONG THE LIVING DEAD (Jesús Franco, 1970; Redemption/Kino Lorber)
THE WICKER MAN - THE FINAL CUT (Robin Hardy, 1973; StudioCanal UK)
ZOMBIE LAKE (J.R. Lazer, 1981; Redemption/Kino Lorber)
