"Three more days 'til Halloween... Halloween... Halloween..." It's that time of year when all across the country horror fans are juicing up their Blu-ray players while snacking/pouring/smoking their consumables of choice in anticipation of the most wonderful time of the year (take a hike, Christmas). Just in time for the spooky season we are giving you ideas for some last-minute Halloween movie buying sprees. Our guide below is heavy on recent releases of classics and oddities from some of our favorite specialty labels. Check out these selects and buy links to help you plan your Halloween festivities!
The Criterion Collection
While it wasn't always so, Criterion has been indulging in more genre content in recent years. These two releases are the perfect blend of cinematic significance and pure pulp pleasure.
First up is Kaneto Shindo's 1964 film "Onibaba," a medieval Japanese tale about a mother/daughter pair who murder lost samurai for their armor, and the demon mask that adds a supernatural dimension.
Then there's 1957's "The Incredible Shrinking Man," which features a slew of great extras including an archive interview with director Jack Arnold as well as a fun new conversation between Joe Dante and Dana Gould.
Kino Lorber - Vincent Price
Our first of two sets of movies from revival label Kino Lorber features one of the most iconic horror actors of all-time, Vincent Price, in some of his absolute best movies. Among the new editions being put out are two from the Roger Corman cycle of Edgar Allan Poe pictures made for American International, the straightforward "Tomb of Ligeia" and the more comedic twist "The Raven." Both feature incredible production design and art direction, and Price at his hammy best.
There's also "The Last Man on Earth," the Italian-produced first screen version of Richard Matheson's "I Am Legend," and also the one that hews closest to the novel despite its low budget. There's also the Jules Verne adventure film "Master of the World" and the crowd-pleasing '70s slasher "Theater of Blood" which infuses a little Shakespeare into the mix.
Kino Lorber - TV Terror
Another round of Kino releases celebrates some classic made-for-TV horror. "The Victim" is a particular standout, featuring Elizabeth Montgomery of "Bewitched" fame as a woman who goes to her sister's house in the middle of a storm only to find her sibling missing.
A Ray Bradbury short story served as the basis of "The Screaming Woman" starring classic Hollywood actress Olivia de Havilland, while "Scream, Pretty Peggy" features Bette Davis at her level best in this "Psycho"-esque domestic shocker.
Finally there's the complete "Kolchak: The Night Stalker" TV series, based on the two highly-successful TV movies which Kino previously released on disc. This collection features all 20 episodes of the "monster of the week" show that inspired "The X-Files" and turned Darren McGavin into a legend long before he put that leg lamp in the window for Christmas.
Arrow
The folks at Arrow have been putting out some amazing genre entries to the point where we can safely call them "the Criterion of horror." This year's lineup includes a new 4K release of Dario Argento's classic giallo "Deep Red," starring David Hemmings as an amateur sleuth trying to solve an axe murder he witnesses through a window.
Then there's the incredible box set "Cold War Creatures: Four Films from Sam Katzman," which features four classic creature features from the titular 1950s B-movie producer: "Creature with the Atom Brain," "The Werewolf," "The Giant Claw," and the proto-"Walking Dead" flick "Zombies of Mora Tau."
If you prefer your horror Southern fried, you might want the box set "He Came From the Swamp: The William Grefe Collection" honoring the Florida filmmaker. There's also "The Brotherhood of Satan" from 1971, which features Strother Martin as a small town cult leader.
Severin Films
Earlier this year Severin Films unleashed "The Eurocrypt of Christopher Lee," an 8-disc collector's set devoted to the legendary horror actor that brings together five of his European-lensed cult classics (including the wonderfully weird "Castle of the Living Dead") along with 24 episodes of the Polish TV show "Theatre Macabre." It's a must-have set for all serious fans of Lee's work.
They also put out one of Klaus Kinski's final movies, 1988's "Nosferatu in Venice," which features a great feature-length doc by Josh Johnson about the actor and his toxic legacy. Another fun Severin release is the German gothic sleaze flick "Castle of the Creeping Flesh" from 1968, uncut for the first time in America.
Film Detective
Some offerings from the folks at Film Detective include the 1958 B-horror picture "Frankenstein's Daughter," about the horny grandson of Frankenstein who turns the women who reject him into monsters.
Also in the mix are a sci-fi picture from producer Walter Mirisch titled "Flight to Mars," which involves a spaceship crew who meet some friendly — or not so friendly — Martians. Then there's the 1948 supernatural suspense drama "The Amazing Mr. X" which revolves around a huckster who claims he can communicate with the dead.
Mondo Macabro
Mondo Macabro has been putting out lots of esoteric oddities over the years, and these three are no exception. First up is 1971's "The Designated Vicitm," starring spaghetti western staple Tomas Milian as an ad man who meets a mysterious Count who gives him a "Strangers on a Train" offer to bump off his wife in exchange for killing his brother.
1974's Spanish thriller "It's Nothing Mama, Just a Game" once again features David Hemmings, this time as a the lord of a Hacienda where he hunts women for sport with his pack of hungry dogs. If you want more animalistic behavior look no further than 1983's "Human Animals," which follows a trio of sexy people on a post-apocalyptic island running afoul of a giant dog.
Scream Factory/MPI
"Deadly Friend" was one of a few Wes Craven films that were massively messed with by the studio, another being "Cursed." While this new Scream Factory Blu-ray does not include the original cut that was less a horror movie and more a sci-fi thriller, it does have new interviews with star Kristy Swanson and writer Bruce Joel Rubin of "Jacob's Ladder" fame.
Meanwhile from MPI comes the new documentary "Dark Shadows and Beyond: The Jonathan Frid Story" about the Shakespearian-trained Canadian thesp who became an icon in the late '60s for his portrayal of soap opera vampire Barnabas Collins.
Read this next: The 15 Best '70s Horror Movies Ranked
The post All The Frights on Disc You Need In Our Halloween Blu-ray Guide appeared first on /Film.
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