You can always count on the studio horror titles (the ones worth seeing, like Drag Me to Hell and Paranormal Activity) to show up on DVD, like clockwork, only a few short months after their theatrical release. That's a reliable and comforting schedule for the horror geek who constantly needs something new to watch, savor, and then listen to a commentary on.

And that's probably why the old-school no-nonsense horror film fans love the "catalog" releases so much. They're like buried treasure sprinkled across the DVD shops. "Hey, they're putting out Face Chompers 2 from '87! And they put back the crotch-bite scene! And there's a cast commentary!" Yeah, stuff like that. Big time fun. So with that we offer, in alphabetical order, a collection of nine "horror catalog DVD releases" that kicked some ass in 2009.

Friday the 13th (1980) and Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter
The allegedly horror-hatin' studio ponied up with some serious re-issues on the whole dang series, and made their previous box set (practically) obsolete in the process. And while all of the discs looked and sounded great, and offered a few fine featurettes, the jewels of this collection are Parts 1 and 4. The former because it has the full Marcie kill (which I like included just for historical sake) and a wealth of great goodies, and the latter because A) it's the best of the sequels by far, in my opinion, and B) horror freaks Adam Green and Joe Lynch provide a "fan commentary" that's a real treat. And I'm not just saying that because they're nice guys. They're actually cold-hearted bastards.

Well done, Paramount. Now these flicks need never be re-released again. (Available in both standard and blu-ray.)

The Gate
This family-friendly but still fairly creepy monster movie hit the scene in 1987, went nowhere, and slowly built itself a little cult following. Kudos to DVD producer Mike Felsher for assisting Lionsgate with The Gate, as the slyly amusing flick comes complete with an informative commentary and some featurettes with cast and crew interviews. While it's not likely to become one of LG's biggest releases of the year, the horror faithful appreciate the effort on titles like this one. (Standard DVD only at this point.)

Hardware
Even though I still can't get into the flick (and I've tried several times over the years), there's no doubt that the new release of Richard Stanley's Hardware is a long time coming. A bleak and sweaty tale of maniacal robotics in a desolate future, Hardware was monkeyed with before its release, instantly forgotten, and then quietly championed by lots of film fans. So while it might not prove all the fascinating to newcomers, those who remember this 1990 release will be fascinated by what Severin has put together for this DVD: A frank and compelling commentary by director Stanley, numerous interviews, an early short version of the film, and all sorts of retrospective tidbits. A very fine DVD for a very underseen flick. (Available in standard and blu-ray.)

Last House on the Left (1972) and Last House on the Left (2009)
The infamous tale of rape and revenge earns its finest DVD release to date, with a cast commentary, deleted scenes (including some previously unseen footage), and featurettes with director Wes Craven himself. And while it's certainly not a "catalog" title, I cheated and included the recent remake ... simply because it's a massive improvement on the original. And that's pretty uncommon. The 1972 edition comes from MGM in standard only, whereas the Universal remake is (of course) available on both formats.

My Bloody Valentine (1981, Special Edition)
Somehow Lionsgate managed to get some old and deleted gore snippets and put them back into the flick! It's little more than a novelty, sure, but for those who were raised on Fangoria, a DVD like this is a real treat. This tale of valentine violence is a perfectly kitschy slasher classic, and the extras go well beyond a little extra splatter: a pair of featurettes focusing on the classic days of early slasherdom, and bit of commentary on those deleted scenes. (Available in both blu-ray and standard.)

Night of the Creeps
Unquestionably one of the most beloved little cult items from the whole of the 1980s, Fred Dekker's truly adorable (yeah I said it) Night of the Creeps has finally received the DVD release it deserves. It's a slasher, a zombie flick, an alien invasion, a gumshoe-style film noir, and a loving satire all rolled into one. New ending, a great commentary, a stellar transfer, a ridiculously fun movie that still holds up, cast interviews ... this is one for the fans. And by that I mean new fans too. Thanks to Sony Home Entertainment and (again) Mike Felsher. This guy's a horror geek's underseen hero. (Available in standard and blu-ray.)

Phantasm 2
For years we've had a small hole in our collection: fans of Don Coscarelli's certifiably insane Phantasm franchise had no Phantasm 2 to complete the set. And boy was it annoying. So the good news is that Universal finally threw us a bone with a DVD release that looks and sounds pretty solid ... but they left out something. Like, a commentary or even an old featurette or something. Phantasm went from tiny indie to studio property with Part 2, so surely there's something worth talking about. Ah well, the movie's what matters, and this one's a lot of loopy fun. (Standard only.)

Repulsion (Criterion Collection)
Let's say you're a young horror fan who's just starting to look for dark genre fare with a little more "artsiness" to it. Something slow-burn and psychological, deftly-crafted and quietly intense ... you want to watch Roman Polanski's ice-cold classic Repulsion. It's basically about a woman who is slowly losing her mind ... beyond that, I'm not saying. And of course the ever-classy Criterion Collection company has delivered a stellar DVD release that I refer to as "museum style," as in it's something you'd buy at a museum dedicated to brilliant horror films. Extras include an audio commentary with Polanski and leading lady Catherine Deneuve, a fantastic 2003 BBC documentary on the film, some rare on-set footage, and a slick little booklet. You pay a little more for the Criterions ... sort of like you pay a little more for steak.

The William Castle Collection
I realized that I had no "old" movies on the list, and I was all set to peg Universal's new Wolf Man edition as my "classic of the year" ... but they went and delayed that DVD release when their remake got pushed back -- so I found a great replacement! Sony unleashes a box set full of brilliant movie huckster William Castle! Eight non-classics in all, although I don't mind saying I'm rather fond of 13 Ghosts, Mr. Sardonicus, and The Old Dark House. Beyond that are tons of featurettes on the cheesy old flicks, the great feature-length documentary Spine Tingler, and tons of information on all of Mr. Castle's great little movie gimmicks. Great stuff.

Check back in the coming days for our Top 9 TV, music, biggest disappointments and more!