August 18th is bringing horror and sci-fi fans a bounty of home entertainment choices this week, especially if you’re into cult classics and indie genre films. Titles arriving on Tuesday include newer movies like Cub, Ejecta and Closer to God as well as the latest from the Soska Sisters, Vendetta. Several older films are getting an HD overhaul on Blu-ray too, including Nomads, The Hunger, Nightmare Castle, The Wife Killer and the supernaturally-infused Burn, Witch, Burn which was also co-penned by Richard Matheson.
And while it may not necessarily be a full-on genre movie, it’s worth noting that Shout! Factory is also releasing the criminally underrated cyber-adventure/thriller Hackers onto Blu-ray this week to celebrate its upcoming 20th anniversary.
Burn, Witch, Burn (Kino Lorber, Blu-ray)
The powers of dark magic rule the night in this chilling masterpiece of supernatural horror as a
college campus turns into a nest of evil. Professor Norman Taylor (The Innocents Peter Wyngarde) has been enjoying unusual success at work lately, but could it be due to the magic his wife Tansy (Janet Blair) practices in secret? A natural skeptic, Norman is infuriated upon discovering her methods, but when he destroys her protective spells, a vindictive force puts both of their lives in mortal danger, leading to a final showdown that ranks as one of the most chilling in horror history. Turn down the lights, curl up tight, and watch this all-time fright classic from legendary Twilight Zone writers Charles Beaumont and Richard Matheson in stunning high definition... if you dare.
Cub (Artsploitation Films, Blu-ray & DVD)
This dark, bloody imaginative fairy tale about a camping trip that turns into deadly carnage draws on such influences as Lord of the Rings, Friday the 13th and The Devil's Backbone. The story follows 12-year-old outcast Sam who, along with his troop of cub scouts and their teenage supervisors, camp in woods rumored to house a mysterious and deadly werewolf. Inquisitive Sam, certain the woods are inhibited by something evil, soon stumbles upon a feral young boy and, eventually, his evil psychopathic mentor. But convincing the others of the danger falls on deaf ears, and soon ingenious traps begin to take their violent toll on the group. A wildly entertaining killer in the woods actioner. NOTE: Dutch, French, Flemish languages with English subtitles.
The Hunger (Warner Archive Collection, Blu-ray)
Miriam Blaylock collects Renaissance art, ancient Egyptian pendants, lovers, souls. Alive and fashionably chic in Manhattan, Miriam is an ageless vampire. Although "vampire" is not a word you'll hear in this movie based on the novel by Whitley Strieber (Wolfen). Instead, debuting feature director Tony Scott fashions a hip, sensual, modern-gothic makeover. Catherine Deneuve radiates macabre elegance as Miriam, blessed with beauty, cursed with bloodlust. David Bowie is fellow fiend and refined husband John. In love, in life, in longing, they are inseparable. But when John abruptly begins to age and turns to a geriatric researcher (Susan Sarandon) for help, Miriam soon eyes the woman as a replacement for John. The Hunger is insatiable.
Nightmare Castle (Severin Films, Blu-ray)
At the height of her career as the dark goddess of Italian horror, the legendary Barbara Steele (BLACK SUNDAY) delivered two of her most memorable performances in this tale of obsession, madness and depravity. Steele stars as a cheating wife who is chained, whipped and tortured to death by her sadistic scientist husband, and as her unstable blonde stepsister whose fate may be even more ghastly. Paul Muller (VAMPYROS LESBOS), Helga Liné (HORROR EXPRESS) and Rik Battaglia (SISTER EMANUELLE) co-star in this twisted shocker directed by Mario Caiano, featuring stunning black & white cinematography by Enzo Barboni and the very first horror score by Ennio Morricone.
Throw away all those inferior transfers from censored TV prints: This is NIGHTMARE CASTLE like you've never seen it before! Special Features include Terror Creatures From The Grave Feature, Castle Of Blood Feature, Audio Commentary With Barbara Steele And Horror Historian David Del Valle, Barbara Steele In Conversation Exclusive Featurette With The Queen Of Horror, Black, White And Red Exclusive Featurette With Director Mario Caiano, Nightmare Castle US & UK Trailers, Vengeance From Beyond Featurette From Terror Creatures From the Grave (Italian with optional English subs), Terror Creatures From The Grave Deleted Scenes (French with optional English subs), A Dance Of Ghosts New Featurette For Castle Of Blood, Terror Creatures From The Grave Trailer and Castle Of Blood Trailer.
Nomads (Scream Factory, Blu-ray)
Lesley-Anne Down (Sphinx, Death Wish V) and Pierce Brosnan (GoldenEye, The November Man) is top-notch in "the most stylish supernatural-themed chiller... since Carrie" (Variety)! Also starring Adam Ant (Slam Dance), Mary Woronov (Death Race 2000) and Frank Doubleday (Escape from New York) and written and directed by John McTiernan (Predator, Die Hard, The Hunt for Red October).
They creep. They kill... and no one knows who they are or where they came from. But when these rootless, demonic spirits descend on a determined doctor, all hell breaks loose. Bitten by a dying madman named Jean Pommier (Brosnan), Dr. Eileen Flax (Down) becomes the vessel for his turbulent and insane thoughts. Thrust into his last days, she is shocked to discover the existence of mysterious and murderous demons on a quest for destruction... and begins her own quest to somehow stop them before she joins Pommier in his horrifying fate!
Special Features include New interviews with actress Lesley-Anne Down and composer Bill Conti, Theatrical Trailer, Radio Spot and Still Gallery.
ALSO AVAILABLE THIS WEEK:
Closer to God (Uncork’d Entertainment, DVD)
Devil Hunter/Cannibal Terror Double Feature (Severin Films, Blu-ray)
Ejecta (Scream Factory, Blu/DVD Combo)
Hackers 20th Anniversary Edition (Shout! Factory, Blu-ray)
Hammer Films Collection: Volume One (Mill Creek Entertainment, DVD)
Kantemir (Archstone Distribution, DVD)
Psycho Beach Party (Strand Releasing, Blu-ray)
Troma’s War (Troma Entertainment, Blu-ray)
Vendetta (Lionsgate Home Entertainment, Blu/Digital HD & DVD/Digital)
The Wife Killer (Mondo Macabro, DVD)
William Castle Horror Collection (Mill Creek Entertainment, DVD)
Heather A. Wixson was born and raised in the Chicago suburbs, until she followed her dreams and moved to Los Angeles in 2009. A 14-year veteran in the world of horror entertainment journalism, Wixson fell in love with genre films at a very early age, and has spent more than a decade as a writer and supporter of preserving the history of horror and science fiction cinema. Throughout her career, Wixson has contributed to several notable websites, including Fangoria, Dread Central, Terror Tube, and FEARnet, and she currently serves as the Managing Editor for Daily Dead, which has been her home since 2013. She's also written for both Fangoria Magazine & ReMind Magazine, and her latest book project, Monsters, Makeup & Effects: Volume One will be released on October 20, 2021.
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