This Tuesday, genre fans have a LOT to look forward to, as we have a trifecta of horror classics coming from Scream Factory, as well as the new 4K restoration of the 1920 German classic, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari from Kino Lorber.

As if that’s not enough, Image Entertainment is releasing the Limited Edition Fifth Dimension box set for The Twilight Zone this week, the cult classics Moontrap, Christmas Evil and Trancers are all making their HD debuts and we’ve got a few indie films being released on November 18th too, including Automata, Housebound and Ragnarok.

SPOTLIGHT TITLES:

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari- 4K Restored (Kino Lorber, Blu-ray & DVD)

In 1920, one brilliant movie jolted the postwar masses and catapulted the movement known as German Expressionism into film history. That movie was The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, a plunge into the mind of insanity that severs all ties with the rational world. Director Robert Wiene and a visionary team of designers crafted a nightmare realm in which light, shadow and substance are abstracted, a world in which a demented doctor and a carnival sleepwalker perpetrate a series of ghastly murders in a small community. This authoritative edition of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is a 4K restoration scanned from the (mostly) preserved camera negative at the German Federal Film Archive.

Special Features include a Booklet Essay by Kristin Thompson, Caligari: How Horror Came to the Cinema (Documentary, 52 minutes), Additional Music Score by Paul D. Miller aka DJ Spooky, Image Gallery, and Restoration Demonstration.

Christmas Evil (Vinegar Syndrome, Blu/DVD Combo & DVD)

When he was a boy, Harry idolized Santa Claus but one Christmas Eve, he witnessed something horrifying that forever shattered his innocent understanding of Santa. Now an adult, Harry wants to embody the pure Santa Claus that he grew up loving. He works at a toy factory and keeps records of who's been naughty and nice, but the spirit of Christmas isn't what it used to be and he can't take it. So, garbed in his red suit, Harry decides that the only thing he can do is to become Santa himself and make all of the naughty townspeople pay...in blood! Vinegar Syndrome is proud to present Lewis Jackson's cult favorite, Christmas Evil, newly restored in 4k and on Blu-ray for the first time!

Special Features include New 4K Restoration From 35mm Elements, Three Commentary Track Options With Director Lewis Jackson, Actor Brandon Maggart And Filmmaker John Waters, Archival Video Interviews With Jackson & Maggart, Deleted Scenes, Actor Screen Tests, Storyboards Gallery, Vintage Test Screening Comment Cards and Original Theatrical Trailer.

The Dark Half (Scream Factory, Blu-ray)

Masters of horror Stephen King and George A. Romero have created a "gripping, creepy, frightening", (L.A. Reader) film that "thrills, shocks and works us over", (Los Angeles Times)! Featuring an "intelligent screenplay and first-rate cast", (The New York Times) including Oscar winner Timothy Hutton, Amy Madigan (Fringe), Julie Harris (The Haunting) and Michael Rooker (The Walking Dead), The Dark Half has "a terrific premise for a thriller and director George Romero sets it up with skill and style", (Roger Ebert). 

Horror writer Thad Beaumont (Hutton) hopes to distance himself from his murder novels and from George Stark, the name he has used to anonymously author them. To achieve this, he cooks up a murder to play out in real life: a publicity stunt that should lay Stark to rest forever. But when the people around him are found gruesomely slain (and his own fingerprints dot the crime scenes) Beaumont is dumbfounded until he learns that Stark has taken on life of his own...and begun a gruesome quest for vengeance!

Special features include NEW Audio Commentary with Writer/Director George A. Romero, NEW The Sparrows Are Flying Again!: The Making of “The Dark Half” – An all-new retrospective with Writer/Director George A. Romero, Producer Declan Baldwin, Actors Michael Rooker, Robert Joy, Rutanya Alda and John Amplas, Composer Christopher Young, Special Make-Up Effects Creators John Vulich and Everett Burrell, Visual Effects Supervisor Kevin Kutchaver, Second Unit Director Tom Dubensky and Editor Pasquale Buba (36 Minutes), Deleted Scenes, Animated Storyboards for the original ending, Behind-the-Scenes Footage – Special Effects and On the Set, Vintage “Making of THE DARK HALF” plus additional interview clips, Theatrical Trailer, TV Spot and Still Gallery.

The Twilight Zone: The Fifth Dimension Complete Series Limited Edition Box Set (Image, DVD)

Rod Serling’s groundbreaking TWILIGHT ZONE Original Series and the classic 1980s Series are together for the first time in THE 5th DIMENSION. The 41-DVD set contains over 20 hours of bonus features including a brand-new documentary with never-before-seen interviews, the American Masters documentary Rod Serling: Submitted for Your Approval, numerous Rod Serling interviews, lectures and appearances as well as interviews with original cast and crew. There are also dozens of audio commentaries, a selection of isolated music scores from the Original Series and much more. This Numbered, Limited Edition box set is a must-have for any fan of THE TWILIGHT ZONE. 

Over 20 Hours of Bonus Features including New documentary with never-before-seen interviews, American Masters documentary: Rod Serling-Submitted For Your Approval, Numerous interviews with original cast and crew, Rare Rod Serling interviews, lectures and appearances, Dozens of audio commentaries, Original sponsor billboards, Isolated Music Scores, 80-page Episode Guide, and Collectible Comic Book (one of four possible comics).

ALSO AVAILABLE THIS WEEK:

Automata (Millennium Entertainment, Blu-ray & DVD)

Housebound (XLRator Media, Blu-ray & DVD)

Into the Storm (Warner Home Video, Blu/DVD/Digital HD & DVD)

Monkey Shines (Scream Factory, Blu-ray)

Moontrap (Olive Films, Blu-ray & DVD)

Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings (Scream Factory, Blu-ray)

Ragnarok (Magnolia Home Entertainment Blu-ray & DVD)

Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (Anchor Bay, 3D Blu/Blu/DVD/Digital HD & DVD)

Trancers: The Ultimate Edition (Full Moon Pictures, Blu-ray)

 

  • 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.