News Article

News Article

Weekly DVD Dissection

Week one was solid enough, week two was pretty terrible, so logically that means week three should be a winner, right? Yes, and no. We don't get a whole slew of new horror DVDs this week (quantity-wise, next week looks pretty wild), but there are definitely a few titles worth digging up.

By Scott Weinberg

The most curious release of the week has to be Lionsgate's "6 Films to Keep You Awake," which I believe is a sextet of scary imports that were originally produced for Spanish TV. But if you've seen any of the recent horror stuff from South of the Border, then you know you'll probably be renting this set. The films included are called Blade, Spectre, A Real Friend, To Let, A Christmas Tale, and The Baby's Room. I know next to nothing about these movies (aside from some of the filmmakers' other work), but I'm getting ready for one long Spanish scare-fest. Also included is one featurette for each flick!

Next up we have Crispin Glover starring in a remake of Hershell Gordon Lewis' 1970 cheese-fest The Wizard of Gore. Directed by Jeremy Kasten (All Souls Day, The Thirst) and co-starring the likes of Jeffrey Combs, Brad Dourif, Bijou Philips, and Kip Pardue, this Dimension Extreme title has to be checked out at least once. Right? The Suicide Girls are in it! Plus the DVD looks well stocked: audio commentary, outtakes, deleted scenes, and a bunch of featurettes. Here's hoping the movie's worth all the trouble!

If you happened to see the recent movie version of Jack Ketchum's The Girl Next Door, then you might be interested to know that there's another movie that deals with the exact same material. Both Girl Next Door and An American Crime are based on the documented events surrounding one of the most heinous cases of child abuse imaginable. Obviously this is not your "fun" type of horror movie, but it's still pretty damn chilling.

Fans of the very popular serial killer series Dexter will be pleased to note that Season Two hits DVD today, and since I left off at the end of Season One, I can't give you much in the way of plot synopsis. I can tell you that the series (and lead actor Michael C. Hall) is quite excellent, and that the S2 DVD comes with a few skimpy extras: An interview with Hall and a few episodes of Brotherhood.

Also today: Titles like Evil and Evil Awakening (don't mix 'em up), the 1981 yawner The Unseen (although it does star Barbara Bach), and (I have to mention it, but I don't want to) the recent remake of Prom Night, which comes in your choice of 87-minute theatrical cut or 88-minute unrated cut. Please, don't buy this DVD.

Next week: A whole bunch of indie and weird stuff, but what I'm most excited about are the re-issues of Delicatessen, Brotherhood of the Wolf, and The Nightmare Before Christmas. Oooh, and Phantasm 4!

Add comment