‘Tis the season for treats and tricks, for dressing up and carving pumpkins. ‘Tis also the season to watch as many scary movies as you can stand. This week’s releases are full of terrific (and maybe not so terrific) horror films in wonderful-looking boxed sets. The best of the bunch is this set from Paramount including five films in a great-looking package.
Far too often, studios do these boxed set deals and they just throw them together. They’ll take a couple of big titles and a few lesser-known or box-office duds, keep the old transfers, add no new extras, and put it out like it’s some kind of deal. Paramount is not having that at all. They’ve loaded the films with lots of great extras and put them all together with some cool-looking packaging (including articles from Fangoria magazine). The films themselves are a bit of a mixed bag (Rosemary’s Baby, Crawl, Pet Sematary, Smile, and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street) but they are definitely not B-listers. You can read Greg Hammond’s full review.
The Iron-Fisted Monk (Arrow Video): Sammo Hung worked as a stunt coordinator on many films before getting his directorial debut with this kung fu classic. The drama is a bit of a mess, and there is a rape scene in the middle that is far too graphic, but the fight sequences are top-notch. You can read my full review.
Lorna the Exorcist (Kino Lorber): Jess Franco was an insanely prolific director. Besides this film, he directed six other movies in 1974. This is generally considered the best of that bunch (and one of his best films ever). I found it to be strange, not at all erotic, but somehow mesmerizing as well. You can read my full review.
Shaw Brothers Classics, Vol. 3 (Kino Lorber): Another amazing-looking set full of 11 kung fu classics.
Meg 2: The Trench (Warner Bros.): I didn’t watch the original Meg, a film about an insanely big shark that presumably eats everybody until it gets killed. I’m guessing the shark is either bigger in this one, or there are more of them. You can read Gordon S. Miller’s review.
The Others (Criterion Collection 4K): I haven’t seen this since it was in theaters back in 2001, but I remember it being atmospheric and creepy.
The Boys: Season 3 (Sony Pictures): My brother keeps telling me I need to watch this series about a group of superheroes who use their power for selfish reasons.
The Devil Doll (Warner Archive): Lionel Barrymore and Maureen O’Sullivan star in this Tod Browning-directed horror film about a man who invents a miniaturization ray and the havoc it creates.
The Toxic Avenger Collection (Troma 4K): The franchise that put the tiny little, low-budget, genre-making studio called Troma on the map. I’ve somehow managed to live my whole life without ever seeing one of these films about a nerd who becomes a toxic superhero. Maybe I should change that with this set.
Contempt – 60th Anniversary (Lionsgate 4K): Jean-Luc Godard’s genre-bending classic about a screenwriter whose marriage is falling apart while trying to film a movie gets the anniversary treatment.
Christopher Strong (Warner Archive): Katharine Hepburn stars in this drama about a woman who has a torrid affair that leads to heartbreak.
Messiah of Evil (Radiance Films): Low-budget horror film about a seaside town invaded by zombies.
Fascination/Lips of Blood (Indiecator 4K): Jean Rollin was the king of erotic vampire films, and two of his best are getting nice new transfers from Indiecator.
