This is one weak week. I can think of two titles worthy of (perhaps) a rental, and not much more.
Fans of Japanese horror may be interested in the remake of the classic Kwaidan, and the new one comes from Hideo Nakata, director of several 'Rings' and maybe a Grudge too. (Nope, Dark Water, actually.) The 1957 original is considered one of the best horror films (perhaps) ever, so I'll approach this one with a dash of skepticism. But approach I shall.
I hope you enjoyed last month's non-stop Jason-fest, because this week it's back to the same old complaint: Not enough horror DVDs, and not nearly enough good ones!
The most interesting release this week is a slasher flick called Simon Says. Starring Crispin Glover and directed by the helmer of Harry and the Hendersons, the flick played a few years ago at Fantastic Fest, and I thought it was ... OK. Not terrible. So-so, even, but I'll be giving the flick a fresh look this weekend. Truly, nothing starring Crispin Glover could ever be completely worthless. Plus there's a commentary a supplemental what-not, so that's a good thing...
OK, kids. You've been patient. We've all suffered through multiple weeks of sincerely LAME horror DVDs ... but today is a big day. I hope you saved a few dollars, especially if you're a Jason freak...
Remember last week? When I was whining about it being a skimpy week and talking about stuff like Razortooth and Anaconda 4? (Those are two different movies.) Well, guess what? This week makes last week look like Christmas week -- only there aren't all that many horror DVDs come Christmas week. So let's say Halloween week.
Today looks like a pretty cheesy day for the horror DVDs, and it seems easier to break them down by category...
For example, we get not one, not two, but three new B-movies about monster attacks in water this week. The first, Silent Venom stars Luke Perry and Tom Berenger and deals with a deadly snake on a submarine. The second flick is called Razortooth, which is about a man-eating eel with crazy-ass teeth. Third is Anacondas: Trail of Blood, which marks the fourth entry in the seemingly endless Anaconda series. So if you're looking for some waterlogged monster lunacy, this is the week for you.
DVD releases are generally pretty skimpy during a "holiday week," and of course that trickles down to the horror shelves as well. Nothing too exciting this final Tuesday of May, but there are (at least) a few titles that seem worthy of the Netflix treatment.
All sorts of strange little treats this week, with a big main course full of vampiric craziness.....
True Blood S1 -- The highly-celebrated HBO vampire series finally hits the DVD shelves, and the horror fans are (rightly) salivating at the 5-disc mega-set (complete with numerous featurettes and a half-dozen audio commentaries). I've only seen the first three episodes, but they were more than enough to get me hungry for more. Expect a thorough review here at FEARnet real soon.
My Bloody Valentine 3-D -- I'm curious (and a bit skeptical) regarding the 2-D presentation, but if the 3-D DVD edition works, then heck yes this is worth a spot in your collection. Available in (separate) 2-D and 3-D versions, but the edition I'm getting has an audio commentary, a second disc full of goodies, and four pairs of 3-D glasses!
A few Part 3s, a few indies, and a few Blus in a slightly sedate week at the horror shelf:
The Grudge 3 -- The director of the very cool Splinter returns to the Grudg-iverse (he directed some of the shorts a few years back and FEARnet’s Devil’s Trade) to deliver the franchise's first R-rated entry. Shawnee "Saw" Smith joins the series as a woman who pokes around in a house that oughtn't be poked. Extras include two featurettes and some deleted scenes. (Also available today: The American version of The Grudge on Blu-Ray.)
Well, if you're the sort of horror fan who loves the scour the new release shelf every week, even when you KNOW there's not much there in the way of "buried treasure," then congrats: You're a horror fan just like me. Feel free to use the following article as a brief navigational map as you wander through the horrors of the first week of May.
A B+ week in store(s) for us this time, but it's always cause for celebration when a freaky new French flick hits the scene. Plus there's a PG-13 offering you probably skipped, a strange-looking monster movie / sex comedy, and something starring ... Kim Basinger? Hmmm.
Today we get a solid pair of horror flicks, one from Lionsgate and one from Anchor Bay, each from a filmmaker who's an old friend to FEARnet. Luckily for all involved, both flicks are actually pretty good, which saves us from a lot of embarrassment all around.
The first one is JT Petty's The Burrowers, which we reviewed last September and re-covered (in live video-chat form!) just last week. It's a straight-faced and quietly engaging genre mixture: 65% western, 30% horror, and 5% weird random coolness. It's about a bunch of frontier men who set out to rescue a kidnapped family from what they're sure is an indigenous threat -- but our heroes were thinking indigenous PEOPLE, and not, well ... monsters Extras include a director's commentary and a handful of featurettes.
Time for my regular "Kind of a Skimpy Week" speech, but fortunately we do have a few amusing titles and one really solid option. Let's start out with...
Splinter -- One of those old-fashioned monster movies, but thankfully one that's more interested in scares and chills than in winking at the audience or making silly jokes. No, Splinter is actually a three-character biological horror tale that's quite a bit better than many of its ilk. And I won't spoil anything, but the creature is really nifty. The DVD arrives after a slight delay, but it sure looks to be worth the wait. The standard and Blu-Ray editions are riddled with audio commentaries and a whole bunch of featurettes. For the record, we already reviewed Splinter here, and we recently did a Splat Chat with director Toby Wilkins right here.
