December 20th doesn’t boast a lot of home entertainment releases for horror and sci-fi fans, but what we are getting is an eclectic assortment of Blu-rays and DVDs all the same.
If you missed Rob Zombie’s latest film during its brief theatrical and VOD runs, 31 arrives on both Blu-ray and DVD this Tuesday for you to catch up on all the murderous mayhem just in time for the holidays.
Arrow Video is releasing their limited edition Hellraiser: The Scarlet Box trilogy, which is a must-own set for any Clive Barker fan out there, and also coming home December 20th is The Disappointments Room with Kate Beckinsale and Doctor Who: Series Eight, Part Two.
31 (Lionsgate, Blu/Digital HD & DVD)
From the visionary mind of Rob Zombie comes the horrific story of five carnival workers who are kidnapped on Halloween and held hostage in a large compound. At the mercy of their captors, they are forced to play a twisted game or life or death called 31. For the next 12 hours, they must fight for their lives against an endless parade of homicidal maniacs.
The Disappointments Room (20th Century Fox, DVD)
The door to heart-pounding terror swings wide open in this gripping psychological thriller based on true events! Looking for a fresh start, Dana (Kate Beckinsale), David (Mel Raido) and their five-year-old son move from the big city to a rural Southern mansion in need of restoration. But the young family’s dream home quickly becomes a chilling nightmare when Dana discovers a hidden room in the attic, unleashing unexplainable events that test her sanity and slowly reveal shocking secrets from the past.
Doctor Who: Series Eight, Part Two (BBC Studios, DVD)
Join Twelfth Doctor Peter Capaldi for a whole new set of spellbinding adventures across time and space in the eighth season of BBC AMERICA’s hit show Doctor Who! Jenna Coleman (Captain America: The First Avenger) returns as the Doctor’s companion Clara for what promises to be the most electrifying season yet!
Hellraiser: The Scarlet Box Limited Edition Trilogy (Arrow Video, Blu-ray)
Stephen King was once quoted as saying: "I have seen the future of horror... his name is Clive Barker." That future became reality when, in 1987, Barker unleashed his directorial debut Hellraiser - launching a hit franchise and creating an instant horror icon in the formidable figure of Pinhead.
Barker's original Hellraiser, based on his novella The Hellbound Heart, follows Kirsty Cotton (Ashley Laurence) as she comes head-to-head with the Cenobites - demonic beings from another realm who are intent on reclaiming the soul of her deviant Uncle Frank.
Picking up immediately after the events of the original Hellraiser, Hellbound: Hellraiser II finds Kirsty detained at a psychiatric institute and under the care of Phillip Channard, a doctor who abuses his position to realise his own dark aims. In Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth, a reporter investigating a mysterious death at a nightclub finds herself in the way of Pinhead and the Cenobites, who plan to bring their horrifying world into our own.
Coming at a time when the genre was degenerating into self-parody, Hellraiser offered a fiercely unique vision that approached its horrors with a far greater degree of seriousness than many of its contemporaries. Along with its sequels, the Barker-produced Hellbound and Hell on Earth, Arrow Video is proud to present some of the most terrifyingly original films in the history of horror in brand new 2K transfers.
Special Features:
4-DISC LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS
Brand new 2K restorations of Hellraiser, Hellbound: Hellraiser II, and Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth
Uncompressed PCM Stereo 2.0 and Lossless DTS-HD MA 5.1 sound for Hellraiser and Hellbound: Hellraiser II
Lossless DTS-HD MA 2.0 sound for Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth
English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for all three films
Limited Edition bonus disc
Exclusive 200-page hardback book with new writing from Clive Barker archivists Phil and Sarah Stokes
20-page booklet featuring never-before-seen original Hellraiser concept art
Limited Edition packaging with new artwork from Gilles Vranckx
Set of 5 exclusive art cards
Fold-out reversible poster
DISC 1 - HELLRAISER
Brand new 2K restoration approved by director of photography Robin Vidgeon
Audio commentary with writer/director Clive Barker
Audio commentary with Barker and actress Ashley Laurence
Leviathan: The Story of Hellraiser - brand new version of the definitive documentary on the making of Hellraiser, featuring interviews with key cast and crew members
Being Frank: Sean Chapman on Hellraiser - actor Sean Chapman talks candidly about playing the character of Frank Cotton in Barker's original
Soundtrack Hell: The Story of the Abandoned Coil Score - Coil member Stephen Thrower on the Hellraiser score that almost was
Hellraiser: Resurrection - vintage featurette including interviews with Clive Barker, actors Doug Bradley and Ashley Laurence, special make-up effects artist Bob Keen and others
Under the Skin: Doug Bradley on Hellraiser
Original EPK featuring on-set interviews with cast and crew
Draft Screenplays [BD-ROM content]
Trailers and TV Spots
Image Gallery
DISC 2 - HELLBOUND: HELLRAISER II
Brand new 2K restoration approved by director of photography Robin Vidgeon
Audio Commentary with director Tony Randel and writer Peter Atkins
Audio Commentary with Randel, Atkins and actress Ashley Laurence
Leviathan: The Story of Hellbound: Hellraiser II - brand new version of the definitive documentary on the making of Hellbound, featuring interviews with key cast and crew members
Being Frank: Sean Chapman on Hellbound - actor Sean Chapman talks about reprising the role of Frank Cotton in the first Hellraiser sequel
Surgeon Scene - the home video world premiere of this legendary, never before-seen excised sequence from Hellbound, sourced from a VHS workprint
Lost in the Labyrinth - vintage featurette including interviews with Barker, Randel, Keen, Atkins and others
Under the Skin: Doug Bradley on Hellbound: Hellraiser II
On-set interview with Clive Barker
On-set interviews with cast and crew
Behind-the-Scenes Footage
Rare and unseen storyboards
Draft Screenplay [BD-ROM content]
Trailers and TV Spots
Image Gallery
DISC 3 - HELLRAISER III: HELL ON EARTH
Brand new 2K restoration of the Original Theatrical Version [93 mins]
Alternate Unrated Version [97 mins]
Brand new audio commentary with writer Peter Atkins
Audio commentary with director Anthony Hickox and Doug Bradley
Hell on Earth: The Story of Hellraiser III - making-of documentary featuring interviews with Atkins, Keen and actor Ken Carpenter
Terri's Tales - brand new interview with actress Paula Marshall
Under the Skin: Doug Bradley on Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth
Raising Hell on Earth - archival interview with Hickox
On-set interviews with Barker and Bradley
Never-before-seen Hellraiser III SFX dailies
Theatrical Trailer
Image Gallery
Hellraiser III comic book adaptation [Disc gallery]
DISC 4 - THE CLIVE BARKER LEGACY - LIMITED EDITION EXCLUSIVE
Clive Barker short films Salomé and The Forbidden
Books of Blood & Beyond: The Literary Works of Clive Barker - horror author David Gatward provides a tour through Barker's written work, from the first Books of Blood to the recent The Scarlet Gospels
Hellraiser: Evolutions - a brand new documentary looking at the evolution of the hit horror franchise and its enduring legacy, featuring interviews with Scott Derrickson (director, Hellraiser: Inferno), Rick Bota (director, Hellraiser: Hellseeker, Deader and Hellworld), Stuart Gordon (director, Re-Animator, From Beyond) and others
The Hellraiser Chronicles: A Question of Faith - short film
200-PAGE BOOK - 'DAMNATION GAMES' - LIMITED EDITION EXCLUSIVE
Exclusive 200-page hardback book with new writing on Hellraiser and the Barker universe from Barker archivists Phil and Sarah Stokes - including chapters looking at Barker's early work, the genesis and production of the first 3 films in the Hellraiser series and much more, all illustrated with stills and rare material from the Barker archive
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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