TV offerings this week include Alfred Hitchcock Presents S3; Ben 10 S2; Bing Crosby’s White Christmas All Star Show (50 [!] guest stars, including Jimmy Stewart, Louis Armstrong, Dinah Shore, Bob Hope and Lena Horne); CSI New York: S3; Degrassi High the Complete Series; Heartland Horror S1; Meerkat Manor S1; Michael Palin Pole to Pole; Murder She Wrote S7; Robin of Sherwood Set 2; Roots: The Complete Collection (includes both Roots mini-series, and the final Christmas movie); Shadow Falls Vol 1; Stargate SG-1: the Complete Series (52 discs!)
This week the more adventurous horror buff will delight in The American Silent Horror Collection. This collects several films previously released by Kino, a specialist in silent films, along with a new presentation of what I consider the set’s highlight, 1927’s The Cat and the Canary. This is simply a great film, and probably my favorite silent horror movie. The collection also offers The Man Who Laughs, Kingdom of Shadows (actually a documentary on silent horror films), Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde (John Barrymore) and Penalty (Lon Chaney). This is a bargain at Deepdiscountdvd where it retails for $36, and if you wait until their next 20% off sale, which should occur next month, it’ll be an outright steal.
On similar ground, Image releases The Hunchback of Notre Dame: Ultimate Edition. This is the 1923 Lon Chaney version. The claim to ‘ultimate’ seems to rest more on the quality of the presentation than because of the scant extras, so it had better be pretty awesome.
Also notable is the Fox Horror Classics set, which offers the suspense (not really horror) films The Lodger and Hanover Square (those two films are briefly noted here), along with the early werewolf melodrama The Undying Monster. This is a nicely pimped-out set, although sadly Undying Monster gets the least extra attention, and almost seems an afterthought. All three films get at least a background documentary, The Lodger gets a commentary, and Hanover Square gets two of them (!), including one by prominent film critic / historian Richard Schickel. Meanwhile, Vincent Price starred in radio adaptations of both of the suspensers—although he appeared in neither film—and both are also included here.
28 Weeks Later is, of course, the sequel to the zombie flick 28 Days Later.
Attack of the 80s Collection of 50 trailers from ’80s films. No word, sadly, no what movies it covers.
Black Sheep A spoofy horror movie about killer sheep. It’s supposed to be pretty good.
The Film Crew: The Giant of Marathon The ex-MST3K boys tackle another Italian sword and sandal picture.
Ghost School Trilogy A trio of Korean ghost movies set in all-girl schools.
Italian Stallion: Yes, it’s Sly Stallone’s early, pre-Rocky porn flick.
Night of the Living Dead 3D Yep, a 3D remake of the Romero classic. Stars Sig Haig, sadly enough. Also comes in the thematically hilarious Night of the Living Dead 3D (2D Version).
Poltergeist 25 Anniversary Edition: Man, I’m old. Includes a 2-part documentary. Really? That’s it?
Raiders of the Damned: Basically Planet Terror from Grindhouse, but starring Richard Greico. To the extent that anything can be said to ‘star’ Richard Greico, that is.
Rise: Blood Hunter Apparently miffed that she didn’t get to star in Uwe Boll’s Bloodrayne, Lucy Lui made this, and believed enough in the project (or the several thousand dollars she was paid to make it) to reportedly flash her, eh, Lui’s throughout. Co-stars (sigh) Michael Chiklis and (groan) Robert Forester. I guess if you’re going to watch this, you may as well stick with the unrated version.
Savage Streets: Linda Blair, John Vernon, Linnea Quigley, made in 1984. ‘Nuf said?
Splatter Beach I had mentioned this in my Beach Girls and the Monster Gill Man rundown as a DTV Gill Man movies due soon. It’s here, and it stars Erin Brown (aka former erotica queen Misty Mundae). You can get a taste here.
