Silver Bullet Is the Pick of the Week

As far as Stephen King adaptations go, 1985’s Silver Bullet does rank up there with other great ’80s adaptations such as The Shining, The Dead Zone, Christine, Cujo, and Stand By Me. As we all know, the story of Marty Colsaw (the late Corey Haim), a young handicapped kid who thinks the local priest (Everett McGill) is a serial killer, especially after a series of bizarre murders that have taken place in the small town he lives in, isn’t exactly compelling material, but director Daniel Attias infuses the film with enough campy teen humor with gory thrills that definitely makes up for a few of its shortcomings. A slighty insane performance by Gary Busey as Marty’s uncle, a haunting score by Jay Chattaway, and pretty gnarly special effects also add to its overall appeal. It’s a fun artifact of the ’80s with a certain style that has since disappeared from horror films today.

The new release from Scream Factory definitely looks like another must have, especially with some new and vintage special features, such as commentaries with Attias, Chattaway, and producer Martha De Laurentiis; interviews with actors Kent Broadhurst and McGill, editor Daniel Loewenthal, and special effects artists Michael McCracken Jr. and Matthew Mungle. There is also a stills gallery, radio and TV spots, and a theatrical trailer as well. Like most Scream Factory titles, there is a reversible cover with the film’s original poster. This should make a great gift for horror fans and collectors alike this Christmas.

Other releases:

Ad Astra: Brad Pitt plays an engineer who travels across the galaxy in search for his father, who disappeared 20 years ago on a mission to seek alien life.

Long Day’s Journey Into Night 3D: A man returns to his hometown, which he ran away from 12 years ago. From there, he begins his search for a beautiful and mysterious woman that he loved and never forgotten.

Heist: The great Gene Hackman plays a career thief, along with his team, who try to steal a shipment of Swiss gold bullion from a cargo plane. However, their mission is thwarted by his cocky nephew, who may have plans of his own.

Look Who’s Talking (30th Anniversary): Kirstie Alley plays a single, independent woman left on her own to raise the child of a married man. Afterwards, she falls in love with a handsome cab driver (John Travolta). The whole story is narrated by the newborn child (voiced by Bruce Willis).

Trapped (1949): Lloyd Bridges is a master counterfeiter who is baited by the U.S. Treasury Department to shut down a tough counterfeiting ring. It has been restored by the UCLA and Film Noir Foundation.