Blu-ray & DVD: The Digital Dread Report for 9/20

A Stephen King trifecta; one of the Coen Brothers best flicks given the Criterion treatment; one of the best kid-friendly Genre flicks ever made; Bill & Ted; and an obscure PA flick brought to us by Arrow Video... this is most certainly an 80's-centric week on the Blu-ray front, and it is glorious.



*Be sure to click the pics below to buy the movies, or even rent them. Or both. Or neither. It really depends on your mood, now doesn't it?

One of our favorite movies, and one of the best vampire movies ever made, Tobe Hooper's made-for-tv classic, Salem's Lot, is finally out on Blu-ray today! We're so happy that our mascot, The Master, is finally getting some long-deserved love from Warner Bros. Home Video, as they're usually really stingy about giving their older vault titles new Blu-ray releases. 



It's not going to be a disc that is heavy on special features and extras, but we're just glad that it's finally getting a new HD transfer.



"Burbank, CA, August 17, 2016-Horror fans are sure to rejoice when a terrifying trio of Stephen King's screen adaptations -- "Salem's Lot, "Stephen King's Cat's Eye" and "Stephen King's It" (a best-seller on DVD and one of King's most popular TV miniseries)debuts with all-new 2016 high definition masters on Blu-ray from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, just in time for a haunting Halloween on September 20.



Sinister events bring together a writer (David Soul) fascinated with an old hilltop house; a suave antiques dealer (James Mason) whose expertise goes beyond bric-a-brac; and the dealer's mysterious, pale-skinned "partner" (Reggie Nalder) in "Salem's Lot" -- a blood-curdling shocker based on King's novel and directed by Tobe Hooper (Poltergeist).



Special Features:

• All-new Feature-Length Audio Commentary by Director Tobe Hooper.


• International Theatrical Trailer.

Don't miss out on this classic flick. Sincerely.

"October 1957: "It" awakens and the small town of Darry, Maine will never be the same. Stephen King brings to life every childhood fear and phobia as seven children face an unthinkable horror which appears in various forms, including Pennywise (Tim Curry), a clown who lives, hunts and kills from the towns sewers. Years later, the surviving adults who are brave enough return to stop the new killing spree, this time for good."



25 years later, IT definitely feels dated in a few different ways, but it's still one hell of a great Mini-Series. Tim Curry's sinister turn as Pennywise is the main reason that it's so great, but the whole thing has a nostalgic feel about it that makes it an entertaining watch, despite its faults.



If you like coming-of-age stories that involve murderous clowns, and who doesn't, then IT is a movie that you need to experience. Read the book too, or maybe even first, as it's far more epic in scope.



It's going to be nice to finally get to see this one in 1080p quality. 



Special Features:

• Commentary by Director Tommy Lee Wallace and Actors Dennis Christopher, Tim Reid, John Ritter and Richard Thomas.

• Bill &Ted's Excellent Adventure is a most excellent 80's comedy that we're happy to be adding to our collection. 


• Blood Simple is one hell of a Neo-Noir Thriller which proves that when the Coen Brothers are on their game, they're geniuses. 


• Cat's Eye is the 3rd part of that Stephen King trifecta that I mentioned above, and while it's not as good as Salem's Lot or IT (at least to us), it's a solid Anthology flick that is well-worth a purchase. 


• Speaking of obscure B-movies from the 80's, we're not sure what gave Arrow Video the idea to give Dead End Drive-In the Blu-ray treatment, but we're glad that they did. Curious to see how this disc turns out.


• When we were kids, Labyrinth was one of those movies that we watched over and over again when it was on cable, not only because it had some awesome puppets and David Bowie playing an evil Goblin King, but we were 100% in love with Jennifer Connelly. We still are, if we're telling the truth, and so this 30th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray is absolutely on our list. What a great movie for all ages.


• Sacrifice wasn't completely horrible, but it wasn't very good either. It's probably a better rental than a purchase if you feel the need to see it. Read our review HERE. 


• The new TMNT movie will surely be a big title for kids. 


• The re-packaging of the entire Twin Peaks series + movie is a great value at $49.


• And everything else, as always, is a crap-shoot.

Blu-ray & DVD: The Digital Dread Report for 9/13

James Cameron's magnum opus; another Marvel blockbuster; a Dario Argento classic; an excellent Documentary; and a double dose of Scream Factory goodness... this is one hell of a good week to be a fan of physical media!



*Be sure to click the pics below to buy the movies, or even rent them. Or both. Or neither. It really depends on your mood, now doesn't it?

"Celebrate three decades of pulse-pounding action and bone-chilling suspense with this Aliens 30th Anniversary Limited-Edition Set that features both the Theatrical and Special Edition versions of the film on Blu-ray�, as well as audio commentary, deleted and extended scenes and more. This must-have set also includes collectible art cards, and a book featuring art from the Dark Horse Comics Aliens series with an all-new cover created exclusively for this 30th Anniversary Edition. The Blu-ray and Digital HD release will include an all-new, documentary titled "The Inspiration and Design of Aliens," which delves into the origins of the film."



Aliens, one of the best Sci-Fi/Action flicks of all-time is now available on Blu-ray in a super special, fancy 30th Anniversary Edition, and if you don't already own this classic, then this is probably the version to get.



Special Features:

• The Inspiration and Design of Aliens featurette.


• Deleted and Extended Scenes.


• Superior Firepower: Making Aliens.


• Superior Firepower: Making Aliens Enhancement.


• Pre-Production Galleries.


• Casting.


• Deleted Scene Montage.

"The most explosive clash to ever rock the Marvel Cinematic Universe ignites a firestorm of conflict in the game-changing epic, Captain America: Civil War. In the wake of collateral damage, government pressure to rein in the Avengers drives a deep wedge between Captain America (Chris Evans) and Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), causing a catastrophic rift that escalates into an all-out feud. Against a backdrop of divided loyalties, their fellow Avengers must deal with the fallout."



Yep, we're Fanboys at heart, and Captain America: Civil War thrilled the hell out of us. Is it the best Comic Book movie ever made? I don't know. Maybe. Probably not. It is an excellent flick though, and it's a way better Avengers movie that Age of Ultron was.



This Blu-ray is ours on day one. 



Special Features:

• Audio Commentary.


• United We Stand, Divided We Fall: The Making of Captain America: Civil War.


• Captain America: The Road to Civil War.


• Iron Man: The Road to Civil War.


• Gag Reel.


• Deleted & Extended Scenes.


• Open Your Mind: Marvel's Doctor Strange - Exclusive Sneak Peek.

"American mystery author Peter Neal (Anthony Franciosa) comes to Italy to promote his newest novel, TENEBRAE. Unfortunately, a razor-wielding serial killer is on the loose, taunting Neal and murdering those around him in gruesome fashion just like the character in his novel. As the mystery surrounding the killings spirals out of control, Neal investigates the crimes on his own, leading to a mind-bending, genre-twisting conclusion that will leave you breathless!"



Kinda pissed that Synapse swore there would be no "regular" version of Tenebrae forthcoming when they released their $40+ Steelbook earlier this year, and lo and behold, here it is, but hey, business is business.



That aside, Tenebrae is one of Dario Argento's best movies, and the Blu-ray treatment that Synapse has given it is nothing short of spectacular. It's a gorgeous disc packed with a ton of Special Features, and it needs to be on your shelf if it already isn't.



Special Features:

• All-new Synapse Films supervised color correction and restoration of a 1080p scan from the original camera negative, presented in the original aspect ratio of 1.85:1.


• Dual English and Italian language options with newly-translated English subtitle tracks for both.


• Audio commentary track featuring film critic and Argento scholar, Maitland McDonagh.


• Rare high-definition 1080p English sequence insert shots, playable within the film via Seamless Branching.


• Feature-length documentary, YELLOW FEVER: THE RISE AND FALL OF THE GIALLO by High Rising Productions, chronicling the Giallo film genre from its beginnings as early 20th century crime fiction, to its later influences on the modern slasher film genre.


• Original UNSANE (U.S. version of TENEBRAE) end credits sequence.


• Alternate opening credits sequence.


• Theatrical trailers.

There are lots of other options for us to ponder down here in the bottom half of the order this week too.

• The Conjuring 2 was a decent sequel. Read our review HERE.


• De Palma is an excellent Doc, and one that must be seen if you love the work of Brian De Palma, or film in general. Read our review HERE.


• Evil Dead 2 is getting its millionth DVD/Blu-ray release today, and it's worth a look if you haven't already triple-dipped (or worse) on the title.


• The Hammer Horror 8-Film Collection looks interesting.


• Marauders looks to be a solid Crime Thriller, and it's definitely one that we're eager to check out.


• Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared-Syn is a Bad Movie classic from the early 80's that is sure to please any fan of cheesy Post-Apocalyptic B-grade flicks. What a cool title by Scream/Shout Factory.


• ... And Scream Factory strikes again with their 2nd cool release of the week, Raising Cain. This is a Brian De Palma flick that we may not love as much as some of his other efforts, but it's solid and De Palma-esque enough to make it a good time.


• And everything else, as always, is a crap-shoot.