March’s home media releases kick off in grand style this week with an eclectic array of horror and sci-fi arrivals, both new and old. Scream Factory has put together a stellar Collector’s Edition Blu-ray of The Strangers and Arrow Video is resurrecting yet another Dario Argento classic in HD with their limited edition celebration of The Cat O’ Nine Tails. My Friend Dahmer also arrives on both formats this Tuesday, and The Dark Crystal is getting a 4K Anniversary Edition release that fans will undoubtedly want to pick up as well.
Other notable Blu-ray and DVD titles for March 6th include Thor: Ragnarok, Fangs of the Living Dead, The Crossbreed, Curse of the Mayans, Knights of the Damned, and the House on the Edge of the Park/Last House on Massacre Street (aka The Bride) double feature from Kino Lorber.
The Cat O’ Nine Tales: Limited Edition (Arrow Video, Blu/DVD Combo)
Following the success of his debut feature, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, distributor Titanus tasked writer/director Dario Argento with delivering a follow-up in short order. The resulting film, granted a greatly enhanced budget and heralded in its US marketing campaign as ''nine times more suspenseful'' than its predecessor, was The Cat O' Nine Tails.
When a break-in occurs at a secretive genetics institute, blind puzzle-maker Franco Arno (Karl Malden, Patton, One-Eyed Jacks), who overheard an attempt to blackmail one of the institute's scientists shortly before the robbery, teams up with intrepid reporter Carlo Giordani (James Franciscus, Beneath the Planet of the Apes) to crack the case. But before long the bodies begin to pile up and the two amateur sleuths find their own lives imperiled in their search for the truth. And worse still, Lori (Cinzia De Carolis, Cannibal Apocalypse), Franco's young niece, may also be in the killer's sights…
This second entry in the so-called ''Animal Trilogy'' found Argento further refining his distinctive style and cementing his reputation as the master of the giallo thriller. Co-starring Catherine Spaak (Il Sorpasso) and Rada Rassimov (Baron Blood), and featuring another nerve-jangling score by Academy Award Winner Ennio Morricone (The Hateful Eight, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, The Good, The Bad and the Ugly), The Cat O' Nine Tails remains one of Argento's most suspenseful and underrated films.
LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS:
The Dark Crystal: Anniversary Edition (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, 4K Ultra HD/Blu/Digital & Blu/Digital)
In another time, The Dark Crystal - a source of Balance and Truth in the Universe - was shattered, dividing the world into two factions: the wicked Skeksis and the peaceful Mystics. Now, as the convergence of the three suns approaches, the Crystal must be healed, or darkness will reign forevermore! It's up to Jen - the last of his race - to fulfill the prophecy that a Gelfling will return the missing shard to the Crystal and destroy the Skeksis' evil Empire. But will young Jen's courage be any match for the unknown dangers that await him? Revisit this masterful fantasy epic from the brilliant imagination of Jim Henson.
Fangs of the Living Dead (Scream Factory, Blu-ray)
Beautiful fashion model Sylvia Morel (Anita Ekberg) receives news that she has inherited a castle from her uncle. Her curiosity leads her to journey to a remote village to see her new house. Once there, she learns of her family’s history and soon falls under the spell of her uncle. He wants her to become the new matriarch of the family … a clan of vampires! This chilling tale of bloodsuckers was directed by Spanish horror director Amando de Ossorio (The Lorely’s Grasp, Night of the Sorcerers, the Blind Dead series).
My Friend Dahmer: Special Edition (FilmRise, Blu-ray & DVD)
Jeffrey Dahmer murdered 17 men and boys in the American Midwest, becoming one of history’s most infamous serial killers. This is the story before that story. Jeff (Disney Channel’s Ross Lynch) is an awkward teenager struggling to make it through high school with a family life in ruins. His bizarre behavior at school attracts unexpected friends, a group of band-nerds who form The Dahmer Fan Club, headed by Derf Backderf (Alex Wolff, “Patriots Day”). But as they near graduation, Jeff’s depravity continues to take hold, and he spirals further out of control. Based on Backderf’s critically acclaimed 2012 graphic novel, and written for the screen and directed by Marc Meyers, MY FRIEND DAHMER is the haunting, sad, funny, true story of Jeffrey Dahmer in high school.
The Strangers: Collector’s Edition (Scream Factory, Blu-ray)
Explore your worst fears with this shocking suspense thriller inspired by disturbing true events.
After a 4 a.m. knock at the door and a haunting voice, Kristen McKay (Liv Tyler, The Leftovers) and James Hoyt (Scott Speedman, Underworld) find that their remote getaway becomes a night of psychological terror as three masked strangers invade. Faced with inscrutable tormentors, Kristen and James must go beyond what they think they’re able to endure if they have any hope to survive.
ALSO AVAILABLE THIS WEEK:
Anne (Cinedigm, DVD)
The Crossbreed (Breaking Glass Pictures, DVD)
Curse of the Mayans (Cinedgim, DVD)
Donnie Darko: Special Edition (Arrow Video, Blu-ray)
Hammer Films Double Feature: Maniac/Die! Die! My Darling! (Mill Creek Entertainment, Blu-ray)
Hammer Films Double Feature: Never Take Candy From a Stranger/Scream of Fear (Mill Creek Entertainment, Blu-ray)
House on the Edge of the Park/Last House on Massacre Street (aka The Bride) Double Feature (Kino Lorber, Blu-ray)
Knights of the Damned (Lionsgate, DVD)
The Revenge of Robert (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, DVD)
The Sandman (Lionsgate, DVD)
Thor: Ragnarok (Disney/Buena Vista Home Entertainment, 4K Ultra HD/Blu/Digital, Blu/DVD/Digital &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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