Happy holidays! For today’s edition of Daily Dead’s 2017 Holiday Gift Guide, we’re diving into the realm of home entertainment releases. This year has been an exceptional 12 months of horror on every front: theatrical, VOD, studio, indie, as well as on both the Blu-ray and DVD fronts. There’s no doubt we’re getting spoiled lately as genre fans, which means this year’s home media offerings are quite bountiful. In fact, there are so many great movies for cinema fans of all tastes that for this year’s HGG, we’re breaking up our Blu and DVD gift ideas over the course of two days.
For this first day, we’re taking a look at some holiday horror titles and a bunch of new genre favorites, as well as some of the fantastic releases from the folks over at Scream Factory, Arrow Video, and Lionsgate’s Vestron Video series to boot. And for tomorrow’s HGG, we’ll be serving up some amazing Blu/DVD gift ideas from the fiends at Synapse, Kino Lorber, and Criterion, and we’ll also be taking a look at many more cult classic releases from 2017, movies perfect for sci-fi and TV fans, notable box sets, and some fringe titles that you might find of interest.
Also, Daily Dead has once again put together some really cool Holiday Gift Guide prize packs this year, and for your chance to win one, just send an email to contest@dailydead.com with “Holiday Gift Guide” in the subject line and be sure to include your full name and mailing address as well for your shot at some free horror-tastic goodies (limited to those who are eighteen years of age or older that live in the United States. Only one entry per household will be accepted). Happy shopping, everyone!
Holiday Horrors:
Better Watch Out (Well Go USA, Blu-ray & DVD) – OUT 12/5
This holiday season, you may be home, but you re not alone... In this fresh and gleefully twisted spin on home-invasion horror, babysitter Ashley (Olivia DeJonge) must defend her young charges (Levi Miller, Ed Oxenbould) when intruders break into the house one snowy night - or so she thinks.
Silent Night, Deadly Night: Collector’s Edition (Scream Factory, Blu-ray) – OUT 12/5
Community leaders tried to stop the release. The P.T.A. fought to ban it. Now one of the most controversial slasher films of all time is back in a new high-definition release! This new edition of the horror holiday favorite has been restored from the original vaulted film negative.
Silent Night, Deadly Night is the heartwarming story of little Billy Chapman who was traumatized by his parents’ Christmas Eve murder, then brutalized by sadistic orphanage nuns. But when grown-up Billy is to dress as jolly St. Nick, he goes on a yuletide rampage to "punish the naughty! ", Santa Claus is coming to town ... and this time he’s got an axe! Robert Brian Wilson and Scream Queen Linnea Quigley star in this jaw-dropping horror classic that a nation of angry mothers still cannot stop!
Red Christmas (Artsploitation Films, Blu-ray & DVD)
Horror legend Dee Wallace (The Hills Have Eyes, The Howling, E.T., Cujo, Critters) stars as the stressed-out mother of a squabbling family, gathered together in a remote Outback estate on Christmas Eve. When a mysterious, deformed young man named Cletus appears at their door, things soon change from petty insults to bloody, imaginatively orchestrated violence as Wallace attempts to protect her family from the vengeful intruder. The film deliriously infuses comedy, dark family secrets with outlandish gore and adds the always controversial subject of abortion in its blood-stained mix.
Black Christmas: Collector’s Edition (Scream Factory, Blu-ray)
If this movie doesn’t make your skin crawl…it’s on too tight!
The college town of Bedford is receiving an unwelcome guest this Christmas. As the residents of sorority house Pi Kappa Sig prepare for the festive season, a stranger begins to stalk the house.
A series of obscene phone calls start to plague the residents of the sorority and it becomes clear that a psychopath is homing in on the sisters with dubious intentions. And though the police try to trace the calls, they discover that nothing is as it seems during this Black Christmas.
Directed by Bob Clark (A Christmas Story, Porky’s) and starring a fantastic cast that includes Margot Kidder (Superman), Olivia Hussey (Romeo & Juliet), John Saxon (A Nightmare on Elm Street) and Keir Dullea (2001: A Space Odyssey), Black Christmas finally comes to Blu-ray in a definitive presentation of the holiday horror classic.
New Favorite Frights:
Get Out (Universal Studios Home Entertainment, Blu-ray & DVD)
When Chris (Daniel Kaluuya), a young African-American man, visits his white girlfriend's (Allison Williams) family estate, he becomes ensnared in the more sinister, real reason for the invitation. At first, Chris reads the family's overly accommodating behavior as nervous attempts to deal with their daughter's interracial relationship, but as the weekend progresses, a series of increasingly disturbing discoveries lead him to a truth that he could have never imagined. This speculative thriller from Blumhouse (producers of The Visit, Insidious series and The Gift) and the mind of Jordan Peele (Key & Peele) is equal parts gripping thriller and provocative commentary.
Annabelle: Creation (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, Blu-ray & DVD)
You've seen her destroy lives. Now, the fear-makers behind The Conjuring dare you to experience the terrifying story of how she was created. Several years after the tragic death of their young daughter, a doll maker and his wife welcome a nun and six girls from a shut-down orphanage into their home. What seems like the answer to their prayers becomes a curse as their guests become the targets of the possessed creation: Annabelle.
Cult of Chucky: Unrated (Universal Studios Home Entertainment, Blu-ray & DVD)
Confined to an asylum for the criminally insane for the past four years, Nica (Fiona Dourif) is wrongly convinced that she, not Chucky, murdered her entire family. But when her psychiatrist introduces a new group therapy tool — a "Good Guy" doll — a string of grisly deaths plague the asylum and Nica starts to wonder if maybe she isn't crazy after all. Andy (Alex Vincent), Chucky's now-grown-up nemesis from the original Child's Play, races to Nica's aid. But to save her he'll have to get past Tiffany (Oscar-nominee Jennifer Tilly), Chucky's long-ago bride, who will do anything, no matter how deadly or depraved, to help her beloved devil doll.
The Devil’s Candy (Scream Factory/IFC Midnight, Blu-ray & DVD)
Diehard metal-head and struggling artist Jesse (Ethan Embry, Cheap Thrills) moves with his wife (Shiri Appleby, UnReal) and daughter (Kiara Glasco) to a rural Texas town, unaware that the house they got for an unbelievable deal comes with a grisly history. Their dream home turns into a nightmare as disturbing demonic occurrences culminate with the appearance of Ray (Pruitt Taylor Vince, Identity), the home’s former resident who’s destined to do the devil’s bidding.
Split (Universal Studios Home Entertainment, Blu-ray & DVD)
Writer/director/producer M. Night Shyamalan returns with an original thriller that delves into the mysterious recesses of one man's fractured, gifted mind. Though Kevin (James McAvoy) has revealed 23 personalities to his psychiatrist, there remains one still submerged who is set to materialize and dominate all the others. Compelled to abduct three teenage girls, Kevin reaches a war for survival among all of those contained within him – as well as everyone around him – as the walls between his compartments shatter apart.
A Dark Song (Scream Factory/IFC Midnight, Blu-ray & DVD)
Grieving Sophia (Catherine Walker) despairs over the tragic loss of her murdered son. Desperate to somehow make contact with the boy she has lost, Sophia believes her prayers are answered when she crosses paths with the reclusive Joseph (Steve Oram, Sightseers). An expert in the occult, Joseph reluctantly agrees to aid Sophia through a series of dark and forbidden rituals in order to bring her child back to the world of the living. Pushed to their physical and psychological breaking points, Sophia and Joseph make a disturbing descent into the most depraved corners of black magic.
The Girl With All the Gifts (Lionsgate, Blu-ray & DVD)
Six-time Academy Award® nominee Glenn Close stars in a post-apocalyptic story about a devastating disease that eradicates free will and turns its victims into flesh-eating ''hungries.''
The Love Witch (Oscilloscope Laboratories, Blu-ray & DVD)
Elaine, a beautiful young witch, is determined to find a man to love her. In her gothic Victorian apartment she makes spells and potions, and then picks up men and seduces them. However, her spells work too well, leaving her with a string of hapless victims. When she finally meets the man of her dreams, her desperation to be loved will driver her to the brink of insanity and murder. With a visual style that pays tribute to Technicolor thrillers of the 60s, THE LOVE WITCH explores female fantasy and the repercussions of pathological narcissism.
Beyond the Gates (Scream Factory/IFC Midnight, Blu-ray & DVD)
Welcome, curious viewers…have you the courage to go Beyond The Gates? After their father’s unexplained disappearance, two estranged brothers (responsible Gordon (Graham Skipper) and reckless John (Chase Williamson)) reunite to sift through the contents of his stubbornly anachronistic VHS rental store. Among the inventory, they find an old interactive VCR board game. Intrigued, the brothers pop in the tape… and soon discover that this video is no ordinary game, but a portal to a nightmarish alternate reality: one with deadly consequences for anyone who dares to press play.
Featuring horror legend Barbara Crampton (Re-Animator, From Beyond), Beyond The Gates is a retro-cool tale of "hex, dies, and videotape", from director Jackson Stewart!
Train to Busan (Well Go USA, Blu-ray & DVD)
When a mysterious virus breaks out across the country, the infected turn into the murderous undead. A few terrified travelers find themselves trapped on a bullet train from hell, fighting for their lives as hordes of the living dead crash towards them, crawling closer with every stop. Suspicion is rife and tensions run high as some will do anything to survive and make it to the safe zone.
Scream Factory:
Dawn of the Dead: Collector’s Edition (Scream Factory, Blu-ray)
Heart-pounding action and bone-chilling thrills power this edgy and frightening remake of George A. Romero’s apocalyptic horror classic, Dawn Of The Dead! From visionary filmmaker Zack Snyder (300, Watchmen), this pulse-pounding jolt-a-thon stars Ving Rhames (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2), Sarah Polley (Splice), Jake Weber (Wendigo), Mekhi Phifer (Divergent) and Ty Burrell (Modern Family).
The world is in danger when a mysterious virus turns people into mindless, flesh-eating zombies. In a mall in the heartland, a handful of survivors wage a desperate, last-stand battle to stay alive ... and human!
Land of the Dead: Collector’s Edition (Scream Factory, Blu-ray)
Legendary filmmaker George A. Romero returns to unleash another chapter in his zombie series! In this new tale of terror, Romero creates a harrowing vision of a modern-day world where the walking dead roam a vast uninhabited wasteland and the living try to lead "normal", lives behind the high walls of a fortified city. A new society has been built by a hand of ruthless opportunists, who live in luxury in the towers of a skyscraper, high above the less fortunate citizens who must eke out a hard life on the streets below. With the survival of the city at stake, a group of mercenaries is called into action to protect the living from the evolving army of the dead waiting outside the city walls. Land Of The Dead features a cast of great actors including Dennis Hopper, Simon Baker, Asia Argento, Robert Joy and John Leguizamo.
The Resurrected (Scream Factory, Blu-ray)
Since the beginning of time, man has struggled with death. Now Charles Dexter Ward (Chris Sarandon, Fright Night), a wealthy scientist, may have found a way to beat it. Using an ancient diary and human remains, Ward begins a terrifying and bloody pursuit for immortality. By the time his wife Claire (Jane Sibbett, Arrival II) hires private investigator John March (John Terry, Full Metal Jacket) to halt the horrible experiments, it’s too late … the dead have been resurrected!
Tales from the Hood: Collector’s Edition (Scream Factory, Blu-ray)
Welcome to the hood of horrors! It’s a place where your worst fears can come to life. A place where it’s hard to tell nightmares from reality. A place where you will discover Tales From The Hood.
Stack, Ball and Bulldog arrive at a local funeral parlor to retrieve a lost drug stash held by the mortician Mr. Simms (Clarence Williams III). But Mr. Simms has plans for the boys. He leads them on a tour of his establishment, introducing them to his corpses. Even the dead have tales to tell and Mr. Simms is willing to tell them all. And you better listen: because when you’re in the hood, even everyday life can lead to extraordinary terror.
Slither: Collector’s Edition (Scream Factory, Blu-ray)
From the co-writer and director of Guardians Of The Galaxy and Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2, comes the deliciously demented story of an unnamed evil wreaking havoc on a small town. Intent on devouring all life on Earth, this dark and slimy entity is infecting anyone in its path. Now it’s up to the local sheriff, Bill Pardy (Nathan Fillion, Firefly, Serenity), and his team to stop the spread of rampant devastation (and shocking mutilation) before it’s too late. This outrageously funny horror film also stars Michael Rooker (Guardians Of The Galaxy, The Walking Dead), Elizabeth Banks (The Hunger Games, Pitch Perfect) and Gregg Henry (Body Double, Jason Bourne).
Serial Mom: Collector’s Edition (Scream Factory, Blu-ray)
Every woman wants to be wanted… just not for Murder One! Director John Waters (Pink Flamingos, Hairspray) brings his twisted cinematic vision to the seemingly mundane world of suburbia in Serial Mom, an outrageous dark comedy starring Kathleen Turner (Body Heat, Romancing The Stone).
Beverly (Turner) is the perfect happy homemaker. Along with her doting husband Eugene (Sam Waterston) and two children, Misty (Ricki Lake) and Chip (Matthew Lillard), she lives a life straight out of Good Housekeeping. But this nuclear family just might explode when Beverly’s fascination with serial killers collides with her ever-so-proper code of ethics: transforming her from middle class mom to mass murderer! Soon, the bodies begin to pile up… and suburbia faces a horror even worse than wearing white after Labor Day.
Featuring appearances by Mink Stole, Suzanne Somers, Traci Lords, and Patty Hearst, Serial Mom is a bloody hilarious tale that’s as American as motherhood, the flag, and apple die.
The Poughkeepsie Tapes (Scream Factory, Blu/DVD Combo)
From the filmmakers that brought you Quarantine and As Above, So Below comes a descent into the twisted crimes of a serial killer! Throughout the 1990s, a serial killer terrorized upstate New York. After a decade-long crime spree conducted largely under the radar of law enforcement, the killer left behind the most disturbing collection of evidence homicide detectives had even seen: hundreds of homemade videotapes that chronicled the stalking, abduction, murder and disposal of his victims.
The Poughkeepsie Tapes examines these horrific tapes at length: what they reveal about the killer, why they were made and how FBI profilers have used them to better understand violent, psychopathic behavior. The Poughkeepsie Tapes combines interviews surrounding the devastating impact of the "Water Street Butcher, ", with shocking footage from the tapes themselves.
They Live: Limited Edition Steelbook (Scream Factory, Blu-ray)
They influence our decisions without us knowing it. They numb our senses without us feeling it. They control our lives without us realizing it. They Live.
Horror master John Carpenter (Halloween, The Thing) directs this heart-pounding thriller in which aliens are systematically gaining control of the Earth by masquerading as humans and lulling the public into submission. Humanity's last chance lies with a lone drifter who stumbles upon a harrowing discovery: a unique pair of sunglasses that reveals the terrifying and deadly truth.
The Fog: Limited Edition Steelbook (Scream Factory, Blu-ray)
When the fog rolls in ... the terror begins! This moody horror classic from master of terror John Carpenter (The Thing) and producer Debra Hill (Escape From New York) stars Adrienne Barbeau (Swamp Thing), Jamie Lee Curtis (Halloween), Tom Atkins (Halloween III: Season Of The Witch), Hal Holbrook (Creepshow) and Janet Leigh (Psycho). Don’t get lost in the fog ...
The sleepy seaside village of Antonio Bay is about to learn the true meaning of the word "vengeance. ", This seemingly perfect town masks a guilty secret ... a past steeped in greed and murder. Exactly 100 years ago, a ship was horribly wrecked under mysterious circumstances in a thick, eerie fog. Now, shrouded in darkness, the long-dead mariners have returned from their watery grave to exact a bloody revenge.
The Lawnmower Man: Collector’s Edition (Scream Factory, Blu-ray)
Dr. Lawrence Angelo (Pierce Brosnan) is a brilliant scientist obsessed with perfecting virtual reality software. When his experiments on animals fail, he finds the ideal substitute: Jobe Smith (Jeff Fahey), a slow-witted gardener. Dr. Angelo’s goal is to benefit his human guinea pig and ultimately mankind itself, but evil lurks the guise of "the Shop, ", a shadowy group that seeks to use the technology to create an invincible war machine. When the experiments change the simple Jobe into a superhuman being, the stage is set for a Jekyll-and-Hyde struggle for the control of Jobe’s mind and the future of the world.
Arrow Video:
Hellraiser: Limited Edition Steelbook (Arrow Video, Blu-ray)
Stephen King was once famously quoted as saying, "I have seen the future of horror...his name is Clive Barker." That future was realised in 1987 with the release of Barker's directorial debut Hellraiser.
Based on his own novella The Hellbound Heart, Barker's Hellraiser sees Larry (Andrew Robinson) and his wife Julia (Clare Higgins) move into their new home, unaware that something evil lurks beneath the floorboards of the dilapidated house - something that wants human blood...
Introducing the world to the iconic Pinhead and his sadistic band of Cenobites, Hellraiser became an instant genre classic upon release and remains one of the most frighteningly original visions in horror.
Blood Feast: Special Edition (Arrow Video, Blu/DVD Combo)
The filmography of late movie maverick Herschell Gordon Lewis brims with the mad, macabre, and just downright bizarre. But perhaps the most unhinged of all his directorial efforts, and certainly the most influential, must surely be his original gore-fest Blood Feast the first ever splatter movie.
Dorothy Fremont is looking to throw a party unlike any other, and she gets just that when she hires the decidedly sinister Fuad Ramses to cater the event. Promising to provide her guests with an authentic Egyptian feast, Ramses promptly sets about acquiring the necessary ingredients the body parts of nubile young women!
Featuring a host of stomach-churning gore gags including the infamous tongue sequence and much more nastiness besides, Herschell Gordon Lewis Blood Feast more than lives up to its name and remains essential viewing for any self-respecting splatter fan.
Society: Limited Edition Steelbook (Arrow Video, Blu-ray)
IT IS A MATTER OF GOOD BREEDING. REALLY. After producing Stuart Gordon's hit Re-Animator, Brian Yuzna (Bride of Re-Animator, Return of the Living Dead III) turned his hand to directing with 1989's Society, and gave birth to one of the ickiest, most original body horror shockers of all time.
Teenager Bill Whitney (Billy Warlock) has always felt like the odd one out in his wealthy, upper-class Beverly Hills family. For some reason, he just doesn't seem to fit in. But his sense of alienation takes a sinister turn when he hears an audio recording of his sister's coming-out party, which seems to implicate his family and others in a bizarre, ritualistic orgy. And then there are the strange things he's been seeing - glimpses of people with their bodies contorted impossibly out of shape... Is Bill going mad or is there something seriously amiss in his neighborhood?
Packing stomach-churning grue and thought-provoking social commentary in equal measure, Society is a biting horror satire which culminates in one of the most gag-inducing "climaxes"' in all of horror history.
Don’t Torture A Duckling (Arrow Video, Blu/DVD Combo)
From Lucio Fulci, the godfather of gore (The Psychic, The Beyond), comes one of the most powerful and unsettling giallo thrillers ever produced: his 1972 masterpiece Don’t Torture a Duckling.
When the sleepy rural village of Accendura is rocked by a series of murders of young boys, the superstitious locals are quick to apportion blame, with the suspects including the local witch, Maciara (Florinda Bolkan, A Lizard in a Woman’s Skin). With the bodies piling up and the community gripped by panic and a thirst for bloody vengeance, two outsiders city journalist Andrea (Tomas Milian, The Four of the Apocalypse) and spoilt rich girl Patrizia (Barbara Bouchet, The Red Queen Kills Seven Times) team up to crack the case. But before the mystery is solved, more blood will have been spilled, and not all of it belonging to innocents...
Deemed shocking at the time for its brutal violence, depiction of the Catholic Church and themes of child murder and paedophilia, Don’t Torture a Duckling is widely regarded today as Fulci's greatest film, rivaling the best of his close rival Dario Argento. Arrow Video is proud to present this uniquely chilling film in its North American high definition debut.
Blood Rage: Special Edition (Arrow Video, Blu/DVD Combo)
IT’S NOT CRANBERRY SAUCE! What do you get if you combine Thanksgiving, American TV star Louise Lasser (Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman), killer '80s synths and some truly gruesome special effects courtesy of Ed French (Terminator 2: Judgement Day)? Why, it's Blood Rage of course!
Twins Todd and Terry seem like sweet boys that is, until one of them takes an axe to the face of a fellow patron at the local drive-in. Todd is blamed for the bloody crime and institutionalized, whilst twin brother Terry goes free. Ten years later and, as the family gathers around the table for a Thanksgiving meal, the news comes in that Todd has escaped. But has the real killer in fact been in their midst all along?
Shot in 1983 but not released until 1987, Blood Rage is a gloriously gruesome slice of '80s slasher heaven now restored from the original negative for its world Blu-ray debut.
The Suspicious Death of a Minor (Arrow Video, Blu/DVD Combo)
In the wake of the success of Dario Argento’s ground-breaking giallo The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, numerous other directors stepped forward to try their hand at these lurid murder-mysteries. At the forefront was Sergio Martino (The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh, Torso), whose sensual 70s thrillers starring Edwige Fenech and George Hilton are widely celebrated as some of the best the genre has to offer.
The final of Martino’s six gialli, The Suspicious Death of a Minor combines conventional giallo trappings with elements of the then flourishing poliziotteschi crime thrillers. Claudio Cassinelli (What Have They Done to Your Daughters?) stars as undercover cop Paolo Germi, on the trail of a Milanese criminal outfit following the brutal murder of an underage prostitute. But a killer-for-hire is also on the prowl, bumping off witnesses before they have a chance to talk...
Also starring Mel Ferrer (Nightmare City), Barbara Magnolfi (Suspiria) and Jenny Tamburi (The Psychic), and featuring a script by veteran giallo writer Ernesto Gastaldi (All the Colors of the Dark, Death Walks at Midnight), this unique and lesser-known entry in Martino’s filmography serves as an essential link between two different movements in Italian popular cinema.
Bride of Re-Animator: Limited Edition Steelbook (Arrow Video, Blu/DVD Combo)
The success of Stuart Gordon’s hit horror-comedy Re-Animator meant that a sequel was all but inevitable. The resulting follow-up, Bride of Re-Animator this time helmed by director Brian Yuzna (Society, Return of the Living Dead III) would prove that there was a good deal more life (and death) left in the story of Dr. Herbert West and his ghoulish exploits.
It has been eight months since the bloody massacre at Miskatonic Medical School. Unperturbed by the disastrous outcome of his previous meddling with the dead, Dr. West (again played by Jeffrey Combs) continues his research into the phenomenon of re-animation; only this time, he plans to create life starting with the heart of his young protégé Dan’s dearly deceased, Meg Halsey. Surely nothing could go wrong?
With special effects master Screaming Mad George (the man behind the infamous shunting sequence of Society) on hand to contribute a host of characteristically weird and wonderful creations, Bride of Re-Animator is a more than worthy successor to Stuart Gordon’s original cult classic.
The Bird with the Crystal Plumage: Limited Edition (Arrow Video, Blu/DVD Combo)
In 1970, young first-time director Dario Argento (Deep Red, Suspiria) made his indelible mark on Italian cinema with The Bird with the Crystal Plumage a film which redefined the 'giallo' genre of murder-mystery thrillers and catapulted him to international stardom.
Sam Dalmas (Tony Musante, We Own the Night), an American writer living in Rome, inadvertently witnesses a brutal attack on a woman (Eva Renzi, Funeral in Berlin) in a modern art gallery. Powerless to help, he grows increasingly obsessed with the incident. Convinced that something he saw that night holds the key to identifying the maniac terrorizing Rome, he launches his own investigation parallel to that of the police, heedless of the danger to both himself and his girlfriend Giulia (Suzy Kendall, Spasmo)...
A staggeringly assured debut, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage establishes the key traits that would define Argento's filmography, including lavish visuals and a flare for wildly inventive, brutal scenes of violence. With sumptuous cinematography by Vittorio Storaro (Apocalypse Now) and a seductive score by legendary composer Ennio Morricone (Once Upon a Time in the West), this landmark film has never looked or sounded better in this new, 4K-restored limited edition from Arrow Video!
Brain Damage: Special Edition (Arrow Video, Blu/DVD Combo)
IT’S A HEADACHE FROM HELL! From Frank Henenlotter, the man behind such cult horror favourites as Basket Case and Frankenhooker, comes Brain Damage the ultimate head-trip, now finally on Blu-ray!
Meet Elmer. He’s your local, friendly parasite with the ability to induce euphoric hallucinations in his hosts. But these LSD-like trips come with a hefty price tag. When young Brian comes under Elmer’s addictive spell, it’s not long before he finds himself scouring the city streets in search of his parasite’s preferred food source - brains!
Featuring late TV horror host John Zacherley as the voice of Elmer, Brain Damage boasts some of the most astonishing bad taste gore-gags ever realized, including the notorious brain-pulling sequence and another that let's just say ends with a distinctly unconventional ''climax.”
The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave (Arrow Video, Blu-ray
At the height of the Italian giallo boom of the early 1970s, scores of filmmakers turned their hand to crafting their own unique takes on these lurid murder-mystery thrillers.
In The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave, director Emilio P. Miraglia (The Red Queen Kills Seven Times) melds the giallo’s trademark twisty whodunit storytelling with gothic chills, concocting a gripping horror/thriller hybrid. Troubled aristocrat Alan Cunningham (Anthony Steffen, Django the B*stard), haunted by the death of his first wife Evelyn, tries to move on by marrying the seductive Gladys (Marina Malfatti, All the Colours of the Dark). Marital bliss is short-lived, however, as various relatives meet untimely and gruesome deaths, prompting speculation that a vengeful Evelyn has risen from the grave...
Populated by an array of Euro cult stars, including Giacomo Rossi Stuart (Caltiki the Immortal Monster) and the unforgettable Erika Blank (Kill, Baby... Kill!), and featuring a lush lounge score by giallo maestro Bruno Nicolai, The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave offers up a beguiling, unique and downright insane twist on a familiar formula.
Children of the Corn: Special Edition (Arrow Video, Blu-ray)
HE WHO WALKS BEHIND THE ROWS. From the mind of celebrated horror author Stephen King, the man behind such classic terror tales as The Shining, Carrie and It, comes one of his most chilling offerings yet - Children of the Corn.
A young couple on a road trip find themselves lost in the backroads of rural Nebraska, eventually winding up in the seemingly abandoned town of Gatlin. But the town is far from empty as the pair soon discover, it s inhabited by a twisted cult of murderous children thirsty for another blood sacrifice...
Adapted from King’s eponymous short story first published in 1977 and starring Linda Hamilton (The Terminator) and Peter Horton (thirtysomething), Children of the Corn has gone on to spawn one of the most enduring horror franchises of all time.
The Red Queen Kills Seven Times (Arrow Video, Blu-ray)
At the height of the Italian giallo boom in the early 1970s, scores of filmmakers turned their hand to crafting their own unique takes on these lurid murder-mystery thrillers.
In The Red Queen Kills Seven Times, an age-old family curse hits sisters Kitty (Barbara Bouchet, Milano Calibro 9) and Franziska (Marina Malfatti, All the Colours of the Dark) following the death of their grandfather Tobias (Rudolf Schündler, The Exorcist, Suspiria). Every hundred years, so the legend goes, the bloodthirsty Red Queen returns and claims seven fresh victims. Was Tobias just the first... and are Kitty and Franziska next?
Director Emilio P. Miraglia (The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave) once again combines a conventional giallo whodunit narrative with supernatural chills, concocting a gripping horror/thriller hybrid which moves effortlessly between the world of high fashion and creepy gothic locales. Co-starring B-movie legend Sybil Danning (Grindhouse, Howling II), The Red Queen Kills Seven Times shows that there s more to gialli than black-gloved killers!
Evil Ed: Limited Edition (Arrow Video, Blu/DVD Combo)
WHEN HIS MIND BLOWS, ANYTHING GOES! A blood-soaked love letter to the splatter films of the 80s, video rental favourite Evil Ed returns in a brand-new Special EDition featuring an extended cut of the feature and hours of stomach-churning bonus features!
Mild-mannered film technician Edward enjoys his job. That is, until he finds himself transferred from his regular post to the Splatter and Gore department, where he’s forced to edit hours upon hours of grisly video nasty footage. Traumatized by the onscreen violence, Ed starts to lose his grip on reality with ghastly (and bloody) consequences...
Owing a debt to films such as The Evil Dead, Re-animator and the early splatter classics of Peter Jackson, Evil Ed is a veritable smorgasbord of flying limbs, exploding heads, busty babes and creepy creatures!
Vestron Video Titles:
The Gate: Vestron Video Collector’s Series (Lionsgate, Blu-ray)
The removal of an old tree in a suburban resident's backyard reveals a large, mysterious hole that turns out to be an underground chamber of terrifying, demonic evil.
Parents: Vestron Video Collector’s Series (Lionsgate, Blu-ray)
The Laemles are the all-American family of 1954 with one small exception - Dad and mom are cannibals.
Slaughter High: Vestron Video Collector’s Series (Lionsgate, Blu-ray)
There's horror in the halls...lynching in the lunchroom...murder in the metal shop. Welcome to SLAUGHTER HIGH where the students are dying to get out! In high school, Marty was the kid all the students teased, taunted, and tortured mercilessly. One day, things went too far - one of their jokes backfired, disfiguring Marty for life. Now, five years later, Marty has arranged a special reunion for all his high school ''friends.'' The prom queen, the jock, the class clown, the rebel, and a few select others have been invited...and it's going to be a gala of gore!
The Lair of the White Worm: Vestron Video Collector’s Series (Lionsgate, Blu-ray)
Bram Stoker's last novel is the basis for this wild tale of a horrific beast and the evil forces it unleashes on the beautiful English countryside.
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Be sure to check here for more horror gift ideas, and here's wishing a very happy holiday season to our readers from all of us at Daily Dead!
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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