DVD and Blu-ray Releases: December 6, 2016
Sean Brickley
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Welcome back, fiends. As of this writing, between this week’s 18 releases and next week’s staggering 34 releases, December looks pretty good. Of course there are always bound to be some items that have an uncertainty to them. This week’s discrepancy is Late Night Double Feature, which I’ve seen slated for this week for a while, but found out this recently may have been available since November 22nd on some sites. Nonetheless, I am including it here in case you missed it then.
Our two biggest releases this week both reside in the Phantasm universe. This week sees the Phantasm: Remaster dropping on both Blu-ray and DVD. Now you can revisit Morningside Cemetery in a new high def transfer. Also coming at you this week on both formats is Phantasm: Ravager. The fifth installment in the series is also the last film from Angus Scrimm, more commonly known as The Tall Man.
1972’s Doomwatch is one of our other classics this week. This will be getting both the Blu-ray and the DVD treatment. Our last classic coming to Blu-ray this week is 1986’s Henry: Portrait Of A Serial Killer.
On a personal note, I watched the first season of “Scream Queens” and thoroughly enjoyed how ridiculous it was. I’ve also been actively following the second season and have to admit I was bummed when (SPOILER ALERT) Chad Radwell dies. In any case, I’m definitely picking the first season up this week on DVD.
There a bunch of other titles to check out below as well and don’t forget to check back next week for more items to deplete your bank accounts. As always, pleasant viewing.
MOVIES
Dead Rising: Endgame (2016)
Starring:
Keegan Tracy, Jessica Harmon, Marie Avgeropoulos, Billy Zane, Jesse Metcalfe
Synopsis:
After narrowly escaping a zombie quarantine, Chase (Jesse Metcalfe) can’t shake the guilt of having left a trusted colleague behind. Now, as he heads back into the quarantine to expose the architects of the outbreak, he will uncover a secret more evil than he could have imagined. With mass annihilation looming, Chase—along with a group of dubious allies—slices, hacks and bludgeons his way through the zombie hordes that plague the abandoned city. Our heroes will have to confront their most gruesome nightmares in order to save millions of innocent lives, including their own. Also stars Dennis Haysbert, Billy Zane, Marie Avgeropoulos (“The 100”) and Keegan Connor Tracy (“Once Upon a Time”).
The Devil’s Dolls (2016)
Starring:
Christopher Wiehl, Kym Jackson
Synopsis:
A serial killer’s curse unleashes a season of slaughter in the backwoods of Mississippi.
Doomwatch (1972)
Starring:
Ian Bannen, Judy Geeson, John Paul, George Sanders, Percy Herbert
Synopsis:
A remote island village… A team of intrepid scientists… A terrifying secret… The mysterious island village of Balfe is experiencing unexplainable phenomena from grossly oversized sea-life to half-buried bodies in the dark woods to strange Neanderthal like men suffering from a rare disfiguring disease. Is this town afflicted by radioactive waste contaminating their water? Is there a vengeful mutant monster lurking in the woods? Or worse, are the townsfolk being punished by an act of God for their past sins? It is up to Dr. Del Shaw (Ian Bannen, The Offence) and the dedicated scientists at Doomwatch headquarters to discover the cause of these horrific mutations. Infuriating local villagers who cling to their secluded island’s survival, Dr. Shaw and local schoolteacher Victoria Brown (Judy Geeson, Fear in the Night) risk their lives to uncover the truth behind the strange happenings, no matter how frightening or dangerous it may be. Horror veteran, Peter Sasdy (Taste the Blood of Dracula, Countess Dracula, Hands of the Ripper) directed this haunting telltale based on the hit British TV show by Kit Pedler (“Doctor Who”) and Gerry Davis (“The Bionic Woman”).
Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986) (30th Anniversary)
Starring:
Michael Rooker, Tom Towles
Synopsis:
Undeniably one of the most harrowing American films of the 20th century, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer hits Blu-ray with a restoration that cements its reputation as a shocking, thought-provoking nightmare-plunge into the depths of the human soul.
Henry, a psychopathic drifter who has left a trail of bodies in his wake, settles for a while at the dilapidated Chicago apartment of ex-prison mate Otis. Into this toxic environment comes Otis s younger sister Becky, who s fleeing an abusive marriage and looking for a place to stay. Deflecting her brother s incestuous advances, Becky finds herself attracted to Henry and sees him as a potential lover and herself as his possible savior. What she doesn t realize is that Otis and Henry are now killing together, sinking to ever more terrifying depths of depravity. As Becky tries to get her life back on track, she looks to Henry for a way out. But is redemption even possible for a man like Henry?
In celebration of the film s 30th anniversary, Dark Sky Films is proud to present Henry in a brand new 4K scan, restored from the 16mm original camera negative and approved by director John McNaughton and producer Steven A. Jones, featuring a new 5.1 mix restoration from the stereo 35mm mag reels. Sure to send shivers of mortal dread through a whole new generation of filmgoers, this new presentation puts Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer firmly back into the vanguard of contemporary cinematic horror.
I Am Legend (2007) (4K Ultra HD)
Starring:
Will Smith, Alice Braga, Charlie Tahan, Salli Richardson, Willow Smith
Synopsis:
Robert Neville (Will Smith) is a brilliant scientist, but even he could not contain the terrible virus that was unstoppable, incurable, and man-made. Somehow immune, Neville is now the last human survivor in what is left of New York City and maybe the world. For three years, Neville has faithfully sent out daily radio messages, desperate to find any other survivors who might be out there. But he is not alone. Mutant victims of the plague–the Infected–lurk in the shadows…watching Neville’s every move…waiting for him to make a fatal mistake. Perhaps mankind’s last, best hope, Neville is driven by only one remaining mission: to find a way to reverse the effects of the virus using his own immune blood. But he knows he is outnumbered…and quickly running out of time.
Jack Goes Home (2016)
Starring:
Britt Robertson, Natasha Lyonne, Nikki Reed, Rory Culkin, Daveigh Chase
Synopsis:
Jack is an educated and well-versed magazine editor living in Los Angeles. He is in his mid 20s, engaged and expecting his first child. Grappling with the natural release of his childhood and the promise of his forthcoming adulthood, he is hit hard by the news of his father’s death. In a violent and horrific car crash, his father has perished while his mother has survived. He returns to his hometown of Denver, Colorado to nurse his mother through her physical and emotional injuries. During his stay at home, he uncovers long buried secrets and lies within his family history, his parents, his friends and his very identity. Jack’s journey to the truth is fueled by madness, sexuality, hauntings and violence.
Late Night Double Feature (2016)
Starring:
Jamie Elizabeth Sampson
Synopsis:
During a late night taping of Dr. Nasty’s Cavalcade of Horror, bloody chaos takes place while screening two features (Dinner for Monsters and Slit). Samantha/Nurse Nasty is frustrated with how the show is being run by its womanizing director and its drunk and crazy host, Dr. Nasty.
Never Open The Door (2014)
Starring:
Jessica Sonneborn, Kristina Page, George Troester, Deborah Venegas
Synopsis:
Three happy couples enjoy Thanksgiving in a cozy secluded cabin in the woods when they are suddenly interrupted by an unprecedented event that will forever change their lives. A stranger comes at the door, he is severely wounded and when they let him in, he throws up blood into’s Tess’ mouth, he then collapses on the floor and while specifically pointing at one of the friends, screams his last words before he dies: Never Open The Door. The group of friends dumbfounded start to panic. Tess inexplicably disappears. A killer is on the loose.
Phantasm: Remaster (1979)
Starring:
Angus Scrimm, Michael Baldwin, Bill Thornbury, Reggie Bannister, Kathy Lester, Terrie Kalbus
Synopsis:
Strange things are happening at the Morningside Cemetery. Jody Pearson (Bill Thornbury) attends the funeral of a recently departed friend. His younger brother, Mike (Michael Baldwin), watches the final rites and observes a tall mortician clad in black (Angus Scrimm) tossing the heavy, unburied coffin into a waiting hearse as if it were only a stick of kindling wood.
Determined to uncover the truth behind this unusual sight, Mike returns to the cemetery at night and breaks into the mortuary. There, he finds deadly, spectral creatures inhabiting the home’s embalming cellar and comes face-to-face with the sinister Tall Man. After barely managing to escape with his life, Mike enlists Jody and their close friend, Reggie (Reggie Bannister), to discover what is really happening at the Morningside Mortuary and the secrets of the living dead who dwell there.
Phantasm: Remastered showcases Jody, Mike, Reggie, the Tall Man and his hellish world as they ve never been seen before. For the first time in high-definition, follow the trio as they embark on what is to be a long, nightmarish journey to confront the Tall Man. Phantasm is the first of five unforgettable films from Don Coscarelli s iconic cult horror franchise.
Phantasm: Ravager (2016)
Starring:
Angus Scrimm, Reggie Bannister, A. Michael Baldwin
Synopsis:
After battling with the Tall Man in Phantasm: Oblivion, a battered Reggie wanders through the desert in search of his missing friend, Mike. After recovering his 1971 Hemi Cuda, Reggie is targeted by two of the Tall Man s Sentinel Spheres and destroys them. He awakens suddenly to find himself sitting in a wheelchair pushed by none other than the elusive Mike! Although overjoyed by their reunion, Reggie is in this alternate dimension an aged and weary old patient in a psychiatric ward. And only he remembers their battled and bloodied past with the Tall Man.
Reggie must travel between dimensions and discern what is reality in order to confront the mysteries at the heart of a decades-long struggle against evil. He is met with new and familiar faces along the way, and an epic showdown on the Tall Man s home world awaits!
Phantasm: Ravager is the fifth installment of Don Coscarelli s cult classic, the Phantasm series. Multiple Emmy-nominated animation director David Hartman (Transformers Prime, My Friend S Tigger And Pooh, Roughnecks: Starship Troopers) is the first new director in the franchise s history. The entire original cast returns, including Reggie Bannister a veteran of all five films A. Michael Baldwin, Bill Thornbury, and Kat Lester. Angus Scrimm takes up his iconic role as the terrifying Tall Man for the fifth and final time.
The Possession Experiment (2016)
Starring:
Bill Moseley, Rachel Faulkner, Dallas Taylor
Synopsis:
Brandon has always been drawn to the supernatural, so when asked to pick a topic to base his final world theology class project on, he decides to explore the dark world of exorcisms. Teamed up with three classmates, the group is lead to investigate a multiple homicide that they eventually discover was an exorcism gone horribly wrong. Brandon becomes obsessed with the event, and in a strange turn of events, decides the only way to research this topic is to undergo an exorcism himself.
The Remains (2016)
Starring:
Todd Lowe, Brooke Butler, Lisa Brenner
Synopsis:
After a family moves into an old Victorian home, they discover a malevolent spirit in the atttic. As the house slowly possesses each family member, the spirit grows stronger, hellbent on kidnapping the children.
SiREN (2016)
Starring:
Chase Williamson, Hannah Fierman, Justin Welborn, Randy McDowell
Synopsis:
SiREN is a horror-thriller about Jonah, an apprehensive groom-to-be whose bachelor party turns into a nightmare when he frees a seemingly innocent victimized girl locked up in a supernatural sex club. Her ruthless handler and proprietor of the sex club will stop at nothing to re-capture his prize. Jonah struggles to rescue the girl only to discover it is he who needs to be rescued as he comes to the realization that she is a dangerous fabled predator who has chosen him as her prize.
Trash Fire (2016)
Starring:
Adrian Grenier, Angela Trimbur, Fionnula Flanagan, AnnaLynne McCord
Synopsis:
When Owen is forced to confront the past he’s been running from his whole adult life, he and his girlfriend, Isabel, become entangled in a horrifying web of lies, deceit, and murder.
The Unspoken (2016)
Starring:
Jodelle Ferland, Neal McDonough, Sunny Suljic
Synopsis:
From the producer of Insidious and the executive producer of Paranormal Activity. In 1997 the close-knit Anderson family vanished from their home and no bodies were ever found. For years the house remained undisturbed…until now. When a mother and her troubled son move in, a local babysitter makes an unexpected connection with the boy, unlocking the dark secrets within the house.
TELEVISION
“BrainDead” Season One
Starring:
Tony Shalhoub, Aaron Tveit, Danny Pino, Mary Winstead
Synopsis:
When struggling documentary filmmaker Laurel Healy (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) takes a job working with her brother, Senator Luke Healy (Danny Pino), she soon discovers there’s more to Washington than meets the eye. As tensions grow amongst political parties, so does a conspiracy involving alien bugs replacing the brains of several members of congress. The investigation unfolds while the infection spreads. Whatever’s happening, it’s clear this isn’t politics as usual.
“Scream Queens” The Complete First Season
Starring:
Emma Roberts, Skyler Samuels, Jamie Lee Curtis, Lea Michele, Abigail Breslin
Synopsis:
The new anthology series revolves around a college campus which is rocked by a series of murders and is set in a sorority house.
COLLECTIONS
The Werewolf Collection
Starring:
Neve Campbell, Jaimz Woolvett, Erik Estrada, Stephen McHattie, James Best
Categorized:News
