January 19th has some really unique home entertainment releases that should make fans of cult cinema happier than Jason Voorhees on the first day of summer camp. Scream Factory is debuting William Friedkin’s The Guardian on Blu-ray this week and one of my personal favorites from my childhood, The Ice Pirates, is also getting an HD overhaul, courtesy of the Warner Archive Collection.
Vinegar Syndrome is also keeping themselves busy with a duo of cult classic releases, Nightmare Weekend and Luther the Geek, and for those of you sci-fi TV fans, season one of 12 Monkeys as well as the final season of Continuum arrive on Blu and DVD this Tuesday as well.
The Guardian (Scream Factory, Blu-ray)
William Friedkin, the Academy Award winning director of The Exorcist, delivers a new kind of fairy tale for adults. A handsome young couple finds the perfect live-in babysitter to look after their newborn child. It seems like a fairy tale, until ancient, supernatural forces turn the couples dream into a nightmare.
In his first horror film since The Exorcist, Oscar-winning director William Friedkin spins a terrifying tale based on every parent’s worst fear. Jenny Seagrove (Local Hero) portrays the enchanting guardian who enters the home of new parents Dwier Brown (Red Dragon) and Carey Lowell (License to Kill) possessing impeccable references and an affinity for children. But as her true intentions are revealed, the battle for the child’s soul begins in this chilling film based on Dan Greenburg’s popular novel, The Nanny.
Special Features Include “A Happy Coincidence” - an interview with actor Dwier Brown, “From Strasberg to The Guardian” - an interview with actor Gary Swanson, “A Mother’s Journey” - an interview with actress Natalija Nogulich, “Scoring The Guardian” - an interview with composer Jack Hues, “Tree Woman: The Effects of The Guardian” - an interview with makeup effects artist Matthew Mungle, “Return to the Genre” - an interview with director/co-writer William Friedkin, “The Nanny” - an interview with actress Jenny Seagrove, “Don’t Go Into the Woods” – an interview with co-writer Stephen Volk and Still Gallery of Behind-the-Scenes photos.
The Ice Pirates (Warner Archive Collection, Blu-ray)
Have an ice day! It’s a parched future, and water, the galaxy’s only valuable commodity, is controlled by the evil Templars. Their only foes: a handful of daring Ice Pirates. Spoofy-goofy comedy, otherworldly special effects, spectacular space creatures, bedraggled ’bots and bicep-rippling swashbuckling highlight this cult fave. Robert Urich (Vegas), Mary Crosby (Dallas), Anjelica Huston (The Addams Family) and Ron Perlman (Hellboy) romp through a storyline involving a determined princess, the search for her missing father and a lost planet awash in sweet water. The manic, concluding time-warp battle is just ice-ing on the intergalactic cake. Dig in!
Nightmare Weekend (Vinegar Syndrome, Blu/DVD Combo)
A brilliant computer scientist has just finished work on his greatest creation: a super computer with the ability to transform the personalities of bad and disobedient people. In anticipation of sharing his work with the scientific community, the scientist invites a fellow expert to test the machine on a group of debauched young women. Little does he know that his colleague intends to use the computer to turn their subjects into bloodthirsty mutants!
NIGHTMARE WEEKEND is a non-stop assault on the senses. Head explosions, gratuitous nudity and softcore sex, bikers, roller-skating, and a telepathic hand puppet named George rank NIGHTMARE WEEKEND among the weirdest and most jaw droppingly absurd horror films of the 1980s.
Special Features Include New 2K restoration of the long unavailable UNCUT version, Interview with Associate Producer Marc Gottlieb, Interview with Special Effects Artist Dean Gates, Alternate R rated scenes, Theatrical trailer + plus more!
ALSO AVAILABLE THIS WEEK:
12 Monkeys: Season One (Universal Studios Home Entertainment, Blu/Digital HD & DVD)
Continuum: Season Four (Universal Studios Home Entertainment, Blu-ray & DVD)
Dead End (Maverick Entertainment Group, DVD)
Luther the Geek (Vinegar Syndrome, Blu/DVD Combo)
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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