April 21st is another big day for genre fans looking to add to their home entertainment collections, as we’ve got a bounty of titles heading our way this Tuesday. The good folks over at Scream Factory are keeping busy with the release of several great Blu-rays, including their Collector’s Edition of John Carpenter’s Escape From New York and their Ghoulies double feature. Joe Lynch’s Everly and the film fest sensation A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night are also making their way to Blu-ray and DVD this week, and we’ve got a TON of indie titles arriving Tuesday to look forward to, including the latest from the great Jeffrey Combs, Motivational Growth.
Escape from New York (Collector’s Edition) (Scream Factory, Blu-ray)
A thrilling landmark film that jolts along at a breakneck pace, Escape From New York leapt to cult status with high-octane action, edge-of-your-seat suspense and the mind-blowing vision of lone warrior Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell) battling his way out of a post-apocalyptic Manhattan!
In a world ravaged by crime, the entire island of Manhattan has been converted into a walled prison where brutal prisoners roam. But when the US president (Donald Pleasence) crash-lands inside, only one man can bring him back: notorious outlaw and former Special Forces war hero Snake Plissken (Russell). But time is short. In 24 hours, an explosive device implanted in his neck will end Snake’s mission, and his life, unless he succeeds!
DISC ONE includes NEW 2K High Definition scan of the inter-positive, struck from the original negative, NEW Audio Commentary with actress Adrienne Barbeau and directory of photography Dean Cundey, Audio Commentary with director John Carpenter and actor Kurt Russell, and Audio Commentary by producer Debra Hill and production designer Joe Alves.
DISC TWO includes NEW Big Challenges in Little Manhattan: The Visual Effects of ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK, NEW Scoring the Escape: A Discussion with composer Alan Howarth, NEW On Set with John Carpenter: The Images of ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK with photographer Kim Gottlieb-Walker, NEW I Am Taylor: an interview with actor Joe Unger, NEW My Night on the Set: an interview with filmmaker David DeCoteau, Deleted Scene: The Original Opening Bank Robbery Sequence, Return to Escape from New York Featurette, Theatrical Trailers, and Photo Galleries – Behind-the-Scenes, Posters and Lobby Cards.
Everly (Anchor Bay Entertainment, Blu-ray & DVD)
An intense action thriller centered on a down-on-her-luck woman (Salma Hayek) trapped in her apartment, forced to fend off waves of assassins sent by her former lover - a dangerous mob boss who wants her dead after he learns she no longer is loyal to him. Desperate to be reunited with her mother and young daughter, she fights to stay alive fending off Yakuza assassin soldiers.
Ghoulies/Ghoulies II Double Feature (Scream Factory, Blu-ray)
A Gruesome Twosome of Ghoulies!
GHOULIES
Take a creepy old Hollywood mansion, a naive young man and a pretty girl. Add an over-the-top orgy and some slimy, winged goblins who crawl out of toilets, and you have Ghoulies, a horrifying and hilarious ride into the darkest regions of hell! Conjured during a party thrown by the mansion’s new owner, the hairy, fanged demons waste no time wreaking havoc on the scene: and declaring the unsuspecting owner their new lord and master! Peter Liapis (Ghost Warrior), Lisa Pelkin (Jennifer), Michael Des Barres (Waxwork II, Under Siege) and Jack Nance (Eraserhead, Twin Peaks) star in this fanged frenzy of sharp twists and eye-popping shocks that’ll get you where it counts!
Special features include Audio Commentary with director/co-writer Luca Bercovici, New interviews with executive producer Charles Band, composer Richard Band, actor Michael Des Barres and special effects makeup artist John Vulich, and Original Theatrical Trailer.
GHOULIES II
The demonic, toilet-dwelling goblins are back! Stowed away in Satan's Den, the traveling House of Horror operated by carnival workers Larry and Uncle Ned, the Ghoulies merrily devour the sideshow attraction’s patrons... until Larry realizes his horror house is for real and tries to flee the scene! Deliciously outrageous special effects and over-the-top antics ratchet up the horrific fun! Kerry Remsen (Pumpkinhead), Phil Fondacaro (Troll), William Butler (1990’s Night Of The Living Dead) and Royal Dano (Big Bad Mama) star in this creepy, crawly sequel that’s got every bit as big a bite as the original!
Special features include New interviews with executive producer Charles Band, actor Donnie Jeffcoat, actress Kerry Remsen and special effects artist Gino Crognale, Rare Deleted Scenes and Original Theatrical Trailer.
A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (Kino Lorber, Special Collector’s Edition Blu-ray & DVD)
Strange things are afoot in Bad City. The Iranian ghost town, home to prostitutes, junkies, pimps, and other sordid souls, is a place that reeks of death and hopelessness, where a lonely vampire is stalking the town’s most unsavory inhabitants. But when boy meets girl, an unusual love story begins to blossom...blood red.
The first Iranian Vampire Western, Ana Lily Amirpour's debut feature A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night basks in the sheer pleasure of pulp. A joyful mash-up of genre, archetype and iconography, its prolific influences span spaghetti westerns, graphic novels, horror films, and the Iranian New Wave. Amped by a mix of Iranian rock, techno and Morricone-inspired riffs, its airy, anamorphic, black-and-white aesthetic and artfully drawn-out scenes combine the simmering tension of Sergio Leone with the surrealism of David Lynch.
Special Features include Behind-the-Scenes Footage, Collectible Graphic Novels with essay by Eric Kohn, Deleted Scenes, Q&A Hosted by Roger Corman at the Hammer Museum, part of MoMA's Contenders Series. Stills Gallery, Trailer, VICE Behind-the-Scenes Documentary, VICE Meets Ana Lily Amirpour and Sheila Vand.
ALSO AVAILABLE THIS WEEK:
Arachnoquake (MTI Home Video, Blu-ray & DVD)
Auteur (Auteur, DVD)
Bedlam (Lionsgate, DVD/Digital)
Blood Slaughter Massacre (Wild Eye Releasing, DVD)
Chillers (IMD Films, DVD)
The Coven (4 Digital Media, DVD)
Deep in the Darkness (Shout! Factory, Blu-ray & DVD)
The Mothman’s Curse (Wild Eye Releasing, DVD)
Motivational Growth (Parade Deck Films, Blu-ray & DVD)
My Demon Within (Unearthed Films, DVD)
Nothing Sacred (Tomcat Releasing, DVD)
The Pigman Murders (Wild Eye Releasing, DVD)
Satan’s Cheerleaders: Special Edition (VCI Entertainment, DVD)
Shelter (IMD Films, DVD)
Sorrow (Brink, DVD)
Territory 8 (Phase 4 Films, DVD)
Wake Before I Die (Parade Deck Films, DVD)
The Walking Deceased (Arc Entertainment, 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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