DVD and Blu-ray Releases: May 10, 2016
Sean Brickley
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Welcome back, everybody. According to my records, my first weekly release list for Dread Central came out on May 12, 2015. That makes this essentially my one-year anniversary contributing to the site. It has been a pleasure for me so hopefully you have found it somewhat enjoyable as well. Here’s to many more years to come.
This week brings us 26 releases. There were 28, but Specters and The Devil’s Woods got bumped back to May 24th. Sorry – you have to tough it out two more weeks for those titles. Nonetheless, this week has some pretty good contenders.
Fans of the recent trend of serialization of movies may appreciate the “Scream” Season 1 release coming out this week. I admit I watched a lot of MTV when I was in high school, but that was the mid 1990s. Nowadays I try to limit myself a bit but definitely made time to check out “Scream,” and I thought it was all right. Aside from that, I’ll just be over here watching “American Pickers,” pretending that I know what it’s like to be rustic.
There’s also a small handful of classic releases this week. From 1972’s You’ll Like My Mother to 1988’s Vampires, my fellow graying (or fully grayed) friends are covered.
Thanks again for reading each week, friends. As always, pleasant viewing.
MOVIES
Arachnicide (2016)
Starring:
Gabriel Cash, Crisula Stafida, Riccardo Longhi
Synopsis:
After years of experimenting, a researcher succeeds in creating an incubator that accelerates plant and animal growth. This technology is controlled by a powerful criminal organization and is being used to accelerate the growth of plants needed for the manufacture of narcotics and illegal drugs. To counter this criminal organization and destroy the laboratories they operate, the United Nations put together an elite team of operatives. The L9 Commando is a task force composed of 6 of the best soldiers from different Special Forces Units. After successfully taking down the drug operation. The L9 Commandos are called on for an important mission that brings them to Albania where they discover a sinister plan that could destroy everything. Arachnicide or die!
Purchase:
Blood Lust (2016)
Starring:
Thomas Howell, Matt Silver, Eloise Oliver, Helen Rule, Laura Edghill
Synopsis:
When Daniel is lured to an isolated island guesthouse by his new on-line girlfriend Kelly, his hopes for a romantic weekend get-away are quickly shattered. As other guests around the estate begin to disappear, he suspects that she or her monstrous sisters may have a gruesome menu planned for their dinner. Now he and a friend race to escape this wicked trap hoping to survive beyond the dawn.
Purchase:
The Boy (2016)
Starring:
William Brent Bell, Lauren Cohan
Synopsis:
The Boy is a frightening thrill ride directed by William Brent Bell (The Devil Inside) starring Lauren Cohan (“The Walking Dead”). Greta (Cohan) is a young American woman who takes a job as a nanny in a remote English village, only to discover that the family’s 8-year-old is a life-sized doll that the parents care for just like a real boy, as a way to cope with the death of their actual son 20 years prior. After violating a list of strict rules, a series of disturbing and inexplicable events bring Greta’s worst nightmare to life, leading her to believe that the doll is actually alive.
Purchase:
Creepers (2016)
Starring:
Catherine Ashton, Christian Walker, Susan Adrienne, Bob Socci
Synopsis:
One dark and stormy night the tax man pays a visit to an eccentric horror fan who keeps the unwelcome guest distracted by telling him 4 tales of terror from the stories of Joe R. Lansdale, Edgar Allan Poe, Lafcadio Hearn and Jeff Strand.
Purchase:
Doomsday (2016)
Starring:
Rhona Mitra, Bob Hoskins, Adrian Lester, Alexander Siddig, David O’Hara
Synopsis:
From the director of The Descent comes an action-packed thrill-ride through the beating heart of hell! To save humanity from an epidemic, an elite fighting unit must battle to find a cure in a post-apocalyptic zone controlled by a society of murderous renegades. Loaded with ferocious fights and high-octane chases, Doomsday grabs you right from the start, and doesn’t let go till its explosive end!
Purchase:
Evil Souls (2015)
Starring:
Peter Cosgrove, Lisa Marrs, Emanuele Ignomirelli, Julian Boote, Holli Dillon
Synopsis:
Two childhood friends, Jess and Susan, awaken to find themselves chained in a cell after their sons have been kidnapped. They soon learn that the man who abducted them, Valentine, has terrifying intentions and a sadistic ritual to complete. Meanwhile, Father Albert finds clues to the plans for this diabolical ritual, decades in the making. As Valentine takes his two captives on a journey into pain, hatred, and violence, Father Albert begins his mission to rescue the women and children, before it is too late.
Purchase:
Existenz (1999)
Starring:
Jennifer Jason Leigh, Jude Law, Ian Holm, Don McKellar, Callum Keith Rennie
Synopsis:
While testing her new virtual reality game, eXistenZ, Allegra Geller, the world’s leading game designer, is attacked by a crazed assassin and is forced to go on the run. During her hideout, she enlists the help of a young marketing executive and convinces him to join her in the game. The action begins as the reality of their world merges with that of the game.
Purchase:
Gingerdead Man 3: Saturday Night Cleaver (2016)
Starring:
Jackie Beat, Paris Wagner, Steven-Michael Mclure, Kimberly Pfeffer, Justin Schwan
Synopsis:
The cookie mini-murderer, The Gingerdead Man, is back again–and this time he’s leaving it all out on the dance floor… he is the ultimate roller Boogieman! After escaping from jail, The Gingerdead Man finds himself in a time machine headed for 1976. He arrives in the middle of a roller-boogie contest…but the party is just getting started for the infamous cookie killer. After taking in the sights of the beautiful roller girls, Gingerdead gets back to his old murderous ways, causing more bloody mayhem than ever before, but this time, on the dance floor! Its Saturday Night Cleaver time…so you better Keep Staying Alive!
Purchase:
It Came from Outer Space (1953)
Starring:
Richard Carlson, Barbara Rush, Charles Drake, Joe Sawyer, Russell Johnson
Synopsis:
Amateur astronomer John Putnam (Richard Carlson) and his fiancee Ellen Fields (Barbara Rush) are stargazing in the desert when a spaceship bursts from the sky and crashes to the ground. Just before a landslide buries the ship, a mysterious creature emerges and disappears into the darkness. Of course, when he tells his story to the sheriff (Charles Drake), John is branded a crackpot; but before long, strange things begin to happen, and the tide of disbelief turns… Based on a story by acclaimed writer Ray Bradbury, It Came From Outer Space is a science fiction classic that is as thought-provoking and tantalizing today as it was when it first “landed” on the sliver screen.
Purchase:
Jezebeth 2: Hour of the Gun (2015)
Starring:
Ana Santos, Jennifer Bartolini, Gracie Serrano, Reyna Rios, Ruby Gonzalez
Synopsis:
It’s the year 1881 and the outlaw vampires Jezebeth Wyck and Billie Gunn, are now bitter enemies and have parted ways after a human child is gunned down in cold blood. Now after 130 years that same child is a vampire who slowly begins to show signs of being telekinetic. The child creature (Abigail) is used by the outlaw Billie Gunn as bait to lure Jezebeth back to the land where it all began for a bloody final showdown.
Purchase:
The Perfume of the Lady in Black (1974)
Starring:
Mimsy Farmer, Jho Jhenkins, Luigi Antonio Guerra
Synopsis:
Director Francesco Barilli’s hallucinatory giallo horror-thriller stars Mimsy Farmer who portrays Sylvia, a chemist who begins to suffer from strange visions; a mysterious woman in black applying perfume in a mirror appears to her and strangers follow her everywhere she goes. Barilli’s psychological investigation into the workings of the mind becomes apparent when it is revealed that as a child, Sylvia committed a horrible crime. The slow progression from successful scientist to a woman on the verge of insanity shows an in-depth look at the intricacies of the haunted mind. This is a remarkable film, weaving reality, fantasy and memory into an almost seamless fabric.
Purchase:
Puppet Master: The Legacy (2004)
Starring:
Greg Sestero, Brigitta Dau, Jack Donner, Stephan Blackehart, Guy Rolfe
Synopsis:
Now the legacy can be told… The history of horror began when Andre Toulon, a benign toymaker, became the master of a group of killer puppets. It’s a tale of sorcery, death, resurrection and deadly revenge as told by Eric Weiss, a young boy who was once protected from Hitler’s SS by Toulon. Weiss, now a grown man, has spent his life trying to perfect Toulon’s secret of giving life to the inanimate. In comes Maclain, a rogue agent who wants to peddle the secret on the open market. Maclain breaks into Weiss’ lab, shoots and tortures him, but Weiss will not give up the secret. The tale unfolds, weaving new footage with flashbacks from previous Puppet master films as it becomes a battle of wills between Weiss and Maclain. The new puppet master remains defiant as the assassin moves in for the kill, unaware that Weiss has found the secret and Toulon’s puppets are ready to shed blood for their master again… Time itself seems to stand still as the present meets the past, and the bloody legacy of the murderous puppets is revealed in an act so shocking that it may destroy the very souls of all involved! The popular and exciting Legacy of the Puppet Master continues.
Purchase:
Regression (2016)
Starring:
Ethan Hawke, Emma Watson, David Dencik, David Thewlis, Dale Dickey
Synopsis:
Minnesota, 1990. Detective Bruce Kenner (Ethan Hawke) investigates the case of young Angela (Emma Watson), who accuses her father, John Gray (David Dencik), of an unspeakable crime. When John unexpectedly and without recollection admits guilt, renowned psychologist Dr. Raines (David Thewlis) is brought in to help him relive his memories and what they discover unmasks a horrifying nationwide mystery.
Purchase:
Scars (2014)
Starring:
Danielle Cole, Neale Kimmel, Matt Wells, Eric Regimbald
Synopsis:
Two death-obsessed women embark on a violent and ruthless killing spree, fueled by a mutual hatred against all men, all the while pursued by a mysterious detective, who may or may not be on their side. A Nihilistic, misanthropic character study of modern morality and sheer slasher terror.
Purchase:
Sheep Skin (2013)
Starring:
Jamie Lynn Bagley, Mark Resnik, Michael Schantz, Zack Gillette
Synopsis:
Sheep Skin is a gritty and realistic take on the werewolf sub-genre. The film centers around a group of friends in a punk rock band, who kidnap a business man because they believe he is actually a werewolf hiding in plain sight. The group takes the man to a nearby warehouse, where they have one night to prove that their suspicions are true. As the night goes on, tensions mount and the group begins to question their own motives. Are they right about the man’s true identity, or have they made a terrible and deadly mistake?
Purchase:
Suicide Party: Save Dave (2015)
Starring:
Richard Carlson, Barbara Rush, Charles Drake, Joe Sawyer, Russell Johnson
Synopsis:
Dave has lost his job, his girl friend and soon will lose his house. Ready to end it all, his friends decide to hold a Suicide Party to Save Dave. They create a media frenzy when they decide to use Social Media to raise $100,000. If they fail Dave will end his life.
Purchase:
Symptoms (1974)
Starring:
Angela Pleasence, Lorna Heilbron, Peter Vaughan
Synopsis:
A masculine woman invites another woman up to her house in the country and stabs her.
Purchase:
The Thing (1982) (Collector’s Edition)
Starring:
Kurt Russell, Wilford Brimley, T.K. Carter, David Clennon, Keith David
Synopsis:
Horror-meister John Carpenter (Halloween, Escape from New York) teams Kurt Russell’s outstanding performance with incredible visuals to build this chilling version of the classic The Thing. In the winter of 1982, a twelve-man research team at a remote Antarctic research station discovers an alien buried in the snow for over 100,000 years. Soon unfrozen, the form-changing alien wreaks havoc, creates terror and becomes one of them.
Purchase:
Tremors (1990) (Collector’s Edition)
Starring:
Kevin Bacon, Fred Ward, Finn Carter, Michael Gross, Reba McEntire
Synopsis:
Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward star as two country handymen who lead a cast of zany characters to safety in this exciting sci-fi creature comedy. Just as Val McKee (Bacon) and Earl Basset (Ward) decide to leave Perfection, Nevada, strange rumblings prevent their departure. With the help of a shapely seismology student (Finn Carter), they discover their desolate town is infested with gigantic man-eating creatures that live below the ground.The race is on to overcome these slimy subterraneans and find a way to higher ground, in this enjoyable thriller co-starring Michael Gross and Reba McEntire.
Purchase:
Vampires (1988)
Starring:
Duane Jones, Orly Benyar, John Bly, Jackie James
Synopsis:
At a prestigious New England prep school, things are going terribly wrong…
With a unique spin on the vampire genre, full of camp, heavy synth music and thought-provoking horror, Vampires is the perfect timestamp of 80’s schlock cinema. The film takes us to a stately private school where something is amiss with the student body. Ione (Orly Benyar) is excited to begin the next chapter of her life when she is awarded a scholarship to attend a prestigious art school at the Abadon estate… which also happens to have a distant history of working with the criminally insane. Soon after arriving at the school, she realizes that there are some missing students that no one can seem to account for. While searching for answers, Ione encounters Dr. Charles Harmon (Duane Jones, the doomed hero from horror classic Night of the Living Dead), who begins to tell her about Madeline Abadon (Jackie James) and her quest to suck the youth from the student body in order to gain immortality. Charles is then encumbered with the harrowing task of disarming Madeline and her “mad scientist”machine, but will he be able to end the demonic evil on campus before it’s too late? Originally filmed as the second part of the 1989 cult anthology classic, Fright House, this would be Len Anthony’s last film. Principal cinematographer Ernest Dickerson went on to shoot Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing and direct several episodes of the classic horror TV series, “The Walking Dead.”
Purchase:
WNUF Halloween Special (2013)
Starring:
Paul Fahrenkopf, Aaron Henkin
Synopsis:
Local television personality Frank Stewart leads a group of paranormal investigators including a Catholic exorcist, Father Joseph Matheson, and the prolific husband-and-wife team Louis and Claire Berger. Together, the experts explore the darkest corners of the supposedly haunted Webber House, trying to prove the existence of the demonic entities within.
Did they find the horrific truth or simply put superstitious rumors to rest?
Purchase:
You’ll Like My Mother (1972)
Starring:
Patty Duke, Richard Thomas
Synopsis:
A pregnant war widow gets an eye-opener at her husband’s Minnesota family mansion.
Purchase:
Zombie Decadence (2016)
Starring:
Circus Szalewski, Eve Mauro, Victoria Levine, Adriana Sephora, J. Scott
Synopsis:
The Tough Titty is a strip club that’s seen better days. But tonight it’s gonna see a whole lot worse. Spider has been losing money on his business for years. Now it’s finally getting the traffic he’s always wanted… unfortunately, most of his patrons are undead. With a sudden outbreak of the zombie virus, Vanilla, Bambi, and Sugar Hills deal with the disaster the way only a stripper can. Blood and braziers go flying, in this exciting horror-comedy.
Purchase:
TELEVISION
“Scream: The TV Series” Season 1
Starring:
Bella Thorne, Willa Fitzgerald, Bex Taylor-Klaus, Carlson Young, Jason Wiles
Synopsis:
What starts as a YouTube video going viral, soon leads to problems for the teenagers of Lakewood and serves as the catalyst for a murder that opens up a window to the town’s troubled past.
Purchase:
COLLECTIONS
Grindhouse Zombies
Starring:
Various
Movies:
Zombie Field Trip
A typical college field trip for a group of Botany students turns into the field trip from Hell when they discover they are not only stranded, but are in the midst of a host of dead walkers reanimated by an evil scientist hell-bent on turning the world into a Zombie Armageddon. The grisly nightmare of carnage and horrifying abominations abound until every last student is consumed!
Zombie Slaughterfest
When the Earth is blasted with radiation from solar flares, a strange virus emerges effecting 99% of the world’s population, turning them into flesh eating cannibals. A group of shell shocked survivors try to survive by banding together but grow weary as the rotting undead multiply and grow more ravenous each day with an unquenchable need to consume the living!
Purchase:
MOVIE CASH
Van Helsing (2004)
Starring:
Hugh Jackman, Kate Beckinsale, Richard Roxburgh, David Wenham, Shuler Hensley
Synopsis:
Van Helsing, a legendary monster hunter, is summoned to a mysterious land in Europe. He teams with Anna, the beautiful descendent of a family committed to battling Count Dracula.
Once in Transylvania, Van Helsing and Anna must combat some of the most notorious monsters from history including the Wolf Man and Frankenstein’s Monster.
Purchase:
Categorized:News
