With Memorial Day behind us and summer just right around the corner, the horror and sci-fi home releases are really begin to heat up as we’ve got a bunch of great cult classics and new indie genre films to look forward to this Tuesday. Scream Factory is giving fans a double dose of double features with their The Food of the Gods/Frogs and Empire of the Ants/Jaws of Satan Blu-rays and we’ve also got the latest from Dark Sky Films- Let Us Prey- arriving on both Blu-ray and DVD on May 26th.

Anchor Bay is also bringing home Spike Lee’s Da Sweet Blood of Jesus this week, Vinegar Syndrome is giving the cult film Madman a high-def upgrade and Universal is keeping busy as well with their releases of Seventh Son, The Loft and the Orson Welles classic Touch of Evil too.

The Food of the Gods/Frogs Double Feature (Scream Factory, Blu-ray)

THE FOOD OF THE GODS: Legendary director Bert I. Gordon (The Amazing Colossal Man, Attack of the Puppet People) the father of the "gigantic creature", genre delivers this spine-tingling tale of ecology gone berserk. Based on H.G. Wells’ classic horror novel, The Food Of The Gods predicts a terrifying future where oversized animals are suddenly at the top of the food chain and ready to take over! 

On a remote island, a mysterious substance is oozing from the ground. A farmer sees that it acts as a growth hormone and thinks his fortune is made. But when rats, chickens, worms and wasps begin sampling the potent substance, they morph into bloodthirsty giants! Now, it’s up to the island’s few residents and visitors to destroy "the food of the gods",... before the animals take over for good!

FROGS:  "A shocker reminiscent of Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds", (Variety), Frogs is an amphibious horror flick teeming with thousands of nasty-tempered creatures that are hopping mad: and murderous. 

Jason Crockett (Ray Milland, X: The Man With The X-ray Eyes) is an aging, physically disabled millionaire who invites his family to his island estate for his birthday party. The old man is more than crotchety... he’s crazy! Hating nature, Crockett poisons anything that crawls on his property. But on the night of his shindig, it's nature’s payback time, as thousands of frogs whip up every bug and slimy thing into a toxic frenzy until the entire environment goes environ-mental. Sam Elliott (The Legacy, Road House) and Joan Van Ark (The Last Dinosaur) also star. New High-Defintion Transfer!

Let Us Prey (Dark Sky Films, Blu-ray & DVD)

Rachel (Pollyanna McIntosh, The Woman), a rookie cop, is about to begin her first nightshift in a neglected police station in a backwater town. Surrounded by both disgruntled officers and irate petty offenders, her job becomes all the more difficult and terrifying when a mysterious man (Liam Cunningham, Game of Thrones) is brought in and strange things start happening to everyone in the station. As it becomes clear that the enigmatic stranger has something to do with the supernatural events, Rachel finds herself in a fight for her life against cop and criminal alike as one by one they turn on each other and themselves. Now she must survive the night and uncover the stranger s true plans for the station s hapless denizens before she too falls prey to the unholy power that seeks to destroy them all.

Empire of the Ants/Jaws of Satan Double Feature (Scream Factory, Blu-ray)

EMPIRE OF THE ANTS: Brace yourself for mutant mayhem and pestilent payback in this "scary", (Los Angeles Times) creature feature about good bugs gone BAD! Starring Joan Collins (Dynasty, Tales From The Crypt), this incredible insect extravaganza is swarming with flesh-crawling chills, hair-raising thrills and spine-tingling terror. Directed by the great Bert I. Gordon (Attack Of The Puppet People, The Amazing Colossal Man, Village Of The Giants), Empire Of The Ants is a towering H.G. Wells tale come to terrifying life! 

JAWS OF SATAN: Satan takes the form of a cobra in this spine-chilling tale of terror. Commanded by the Prince of Darkness, snakes terrorize a small town in Alabama just as the town’s new dog racing park is about to open. The local doctor, the town priest and a "snake expert", must band together to save the town from his evil scheme! Fritz Weaver (Creepshow), Gretchen Corbett (Let’s Scare Jessica To Death), Jon Korkes (Syngenor) and a young Christina Applegate (Married With Children, Streets, Anchorman) star. New High-Definition Transfer!

Madman (Vinegar Syndrome, Blu-ray/DVD Combo)

Years ago, Madman Marz violently murdered his family only to escape into the woods before his execution could be completed. Legend has it that anyone who calls his name can summon him back to continue his bloody rampage. But teenage Richie, away at camp, doesn’t believe the old legend and calls his name. As night falls, strange things start happening at at camp and soon Madman Marz is back, axe in hand, to finish the killing spree he started decades ago. One of the true classics of 80’s slasher cinema, Vinegar Syndrome proudly presents MADMAN on Blu-ray for the first time, newly restored in 4K from the camera negative!

Special Features include New 4k restoration from the 35mm camera negative, Original Theatrical Trailer, TV spots, Cast/Crew interviews, The Legend Lives: 91 minute documentary on the Making of Madman and Commentary track by The Hysteria Continues.

ALSO AVAILABLE THIS WEEK:

The Black Hole (Anderson Digital, DVD)

Cannibal Ferox Deluxe Edition (Grindhouse Releasing, Blu-ray)

Da Sweet Blood of Jesus (Anchor Bay Home Entertainment, Blu-ray & DVD)

Delirium (Monarch Home Video, DVD)

Firequake (Phase 4 Films, DVD)

The House Across the Street (Level 33 Entertainment, DVD)

Island of Death 2-Disc Special Edition (Arrow Video, Blu/DVD Combo)

  • Heather Wixson
    About the Author - Heather Wixson

    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.