February’s home media releases are ending in a big way, with 20 different horror and sci-fi titles making their way onto various formats this week. Leading the pack this Tuesday are Rian Johnson’s Knives Out, which comes home on Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD, as well as Richard Stanley’s Color Out of Space, which will be available on both Blu and DVD. Scream Factory is showing Mary Lambert’s Pet Sematary Two some love this week with their Collector’s Edition release, and for those of you into wacky, obscure cult classics, you’ll definitely want to pick up Vinegar Syndrome’s Blu-ray for Spookies.
Arrow Video is keeping busy with their Special Edition releases of Deadly Manor and the One Missed Call trilogy, and Severin Films has given James Glickenhaus’ The Astrologer an HD overhaul this week, too.
Other notable releases for February 25th include The Candy Snatchers, Flesh Eating Mothers, Zombie Island Massacre, The Beast and the Magic Sword, Can’t Kill This, Hole, Zombie Rampage 2, and El Esqueleto De La Senora Morales AKA Skeleton Of Mrs. Morales.
The Astrologer (Severin Films, Blu-ray & DVD)
Before he became NYC's favorite '80s action auteur with hits like THE EXTERMINATOR, THE PROTECTOR and SHAKEDOWN, as well as executive producer of grindhouse classics that included MANIAC COP, FRANKENHOOKER and BASKET CASE 2 & 3, writer/director James Glickenhaus made his feature debut with this bizarre tale of government skullduggery, satanic killings, zodiacal mayhem and messianic horror. Playboy centerfold Monica Tidwell (NOCTURNA) stars in the "ultra-obscure and undeniably fascinating" (Fright.com) thriller. Also known as SUICIDE CULT and a one-time U.K. Section 3 'Video Nasty', THE ASTROLOGER is based on the acclaimed novel by John Cameron. Now featuring a 4k scan from the director's personal answer print and loaded with all-new Special Features.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
Sign of the Times - James Glickenhaus on THE ASTROLOGER
Monica and THE ASTROLOGER - Interview with Actress Monica Tidwell
Tales from the Set - Interviews with Filmmakers Brendan Faulkner and Frank M. Farel
Zodiacal Locations - The Filming Sites of THE ASTROLOGER
Color Out of Space (RLJE Films, Blu-ray & DVD)
After a meteorite lands in the front yard of their farm, Nathan Gardner (Nicolas Cage) and his family find themselves battling a mutant extraterrestrial organism as it infects their minds and bodies, transforming their quiet rural life into a living nightmare.
Deadly Manor: Special Edition (Arrow Video, Blu-ray)
An old, dark house... A maniac on the loose... An orgy of bloodlust! All the hallmarks of late master of Spanish macabre José Ramón Larraz (Edge of the Axe, Vampyres) are present and correct in 1990’s Deadly Manor - the final horror movie from one of the genre’s most unheralded filmmakers.
Whilst en route to a lake, a group of youngsters make an unscheduled stop-off at a remote, seemingly abandoned mansion where they plan to spend the night. But the property is full of foreboding signs - a blood-stained car wreck in the garden, coffins in the basement, scalps in the closet, and photographs of a beautiful but mysterious woman adorning every corner of the house. Before daybreak, the group will unwittingly uncover the strange and terrifying truth that lurks behind the walls of this dreadful place.
The last in a trio of transcontinental slice-and-dice co-productions helmed by Larraz towards the end of the ‘80s (all of which he directed under the Anglicized moniker of Joseph Braunstein), Deadly Manor - released on VHS in the US under the title Savage Lust - is a fitting capper to the director’s prolific career in fear, now finally unearthed for the first time on Blu-ray.
SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS:
FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by author John Martin
Knives Out (Lionsgate, 4K Ultra HD/Blu Combo, Blu/Digital Combo & DVD)
The circumstances surrounding the death of crime novelist Harlan Thrombey are mysterious, but there's one thing that renowned Detective Benoit Blanc knows for sure—everyone in the wildly dysfunctional Thrombey family is a suspect. Now, Blanc must sift through a web of lies and red herrings to uncover the truth. From acclaimed writer-director Rian Johnson comes this suspenseful, twist-filled whodunnit with an all-star ensemble cast including Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Don Johnson, Toni Collette, LaKeith Stanfield, Katherine Langford, Jaeden Martell, Christopher Plummer, and more.
Special Features:
- Audio Commentary by Writer-Director Rian Johnson, Director of Photography Steve Yedlin, and Actor Noah Segan
- In-Theatre Commentary by Rian Johnson
- Deleted Scene: "Bicycling Accident" (with Optional Audio Commentary by Rian Johnson)
- Deleted Scene: "Don't Do Anything Rash" (with Optional Audio Commentary by Rian Johnson)
- "Making a Murder" Eight-Part Documentary
- "Rian Johnson: Planning the Perfect Murder" Featurette
- Writer-Director and Cast Q&A
- Marketing Gallery
- "Meet the Thrombeys" Viral Ads
One Missed Call Trilogy: Special Edition (Arrow Video, Blu-ray)
An iconic trilogy of J-horror films comes to Blu-ray for the first time! Tapping into the same brand of terror as the Ring and Grudge movies, visionary director Takashi Miike (Audition, Blade of the Immortal) presents a modern, high-tech twist on that mainstay of Japanese folklore, the yurei or vengeful spirit, in the form of its own iconic antihero the terrifying Mimiko.
In the first installment in the trilogy, 2003’s One Missed Call, student Yoko (Anna Nagata, Battle Royale) receives a phone message from her future self, ending with her own death scream. Two days later, she dies in a horrific rail collision. As the mysterious phone curse spreads, claiming more young lives, Yoko’s friend Yumi (Ko Shibasaki, Battle Royale, 47 Ronin) joins forces with detective Hiroshi (Shinichi Tsutsumi, Space Battleship Yamato), whose sister met the same gruesome fate. But can they unravel the mystery before the clock runs out on the next victim Yumi herself?
Mimiko’s curse continues to wreak bloody havoc in two sequels 2005’s One Missed Call 2 and 2006’s One Missed Call: Final, in addition to spawning a TV series and an American remake. This lavish collection from Arrow Video gathers together the original trilogy and a swathe of in-depth bonus features for the ultimate spine-tingling experience.
SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS:
Pet Sematary Two: Collector’s Edition (Scream Factory, Blu-ray & DVD)
The town of Ludlow is in for some new, grave surprises ... Sometimes dead is better. But the shocking terror that plagued Ludlow, Maine, in Pet Sematary is still very much alive in this sequel to the 1989 hit film. After the death of his wife, veterinarian Chase Matthews (Anthony Edwards, Zodiac) and his 13-year-old son, Jeff (Edward Furlong, Terminator: Dark Fate), move to Ludlow to rebuild their lives. Antagonized by the neighborhood kids, Jeff befriends another outsider, Drew Gilbert, who lives in fear of his cruel stepfather, Gus (Clancy Brown, John Dies At The End). After Gus cold-bloodedly shoots Drew's beloved dog, the boys bury the body in the local Indian burial grounds – a place rumored to have the powers of resurrection. But when evil is awakened, the boys realize that sometimes you should just let dead dogs lie.
Spookies (Vinegar Syndrome, Blu-ray)
After their car breaks down, a group of travelers find themselves stranded in a remote part of New England. After taking shelter in a spooky old mansion, complete with a graveyard, they discover a Ouija board and decide to spend the night attempting to summon some spirits. But the group soon learns that playing with the forces of black magic isn't fun and games, and it's not long before they're head-to-head with all sorts of demonic creatures, shape shifters, and other forms of evil, all of whom are more than happy to pick them off in the most gruesome of ways.
Of all of the bizarre horror films made in the 1980s, SPOOKIES easily ranks among the weirdest. Produced by Michael Lee, founder of the adored UK home video distributor VIPCO, the film became a fan favorite thanks to its expertly rendered creature effects and notorious for its bizarre production history in which its original creators, co-writers/directors Brendan Faulkner & Thomas Doran and co-writer/producer Frank M. Farel, were fired and replaced by Eugenie Joseph, who added new scenes and re-edited the previously shot footage, resulting in the legendary oddity SPOOKIES has become. Vinegar Syndrome proudly brings SPOOKIES to Blu-ray for the first time, newly restored in 4K from its long lost original negative and including a brand new, feature-length 'making of' documentary, charting its incredible and often unbelievable production history.
Bonus Features:
1. Region Free Blu-ray (2-disc set)
2. Newly scanned & restored in 4k from its 35mm original camera negative
3. "Twisted Tale - The Unmaking of Spookies" - a feature-length making-of documentary, including a commentary track with documentary co-directors Michael Gingold & Glen Baisley and extensive deleted scenes
4. "VIPCO - The Untold Story" - a feature-length documentary on the notorious UK home video label, including extended interview footage with Michael Lee (founder of VIPCO) and a trailer
5. 2015 Alamo Drafthouse screening introductions with Spookies director Thomas Doran and co-writer/producer Frank M. Farel
6. Q&A from a 2015 Hudson Horror Show screening with actor Peter Iasillo, actor Anthony Valbiro and production assistant Tom Sciacca
7. Archival locations featurette with actor Peter Iasillo
8. Pinreel outtakes and bloopers
9. Behind the scenes still gallery
10. Theatrical trailer
11. Reversible cover artwork with new artwork by Gary Pullin
12. English SDH subtitles
ALSO AVAILABLE THIS WEEK:
Alien Domicile 2: Lot 24 (ITN Distribution, Blu-ray & DVD)
The Beast and the Magic Sword (Mondo Macabro, Blu-ray)
Blood River (Adler & Associates, DVD)
The Candy Snatchers (Vinegar Syndrome, Blu/DVD Combo)
Can’t Kill This (Gravitas Ventures, Blu-ray & DVD)
Code 8 (Lionsgate, Blu-ray)
El Esqueleto De La Senora Morales AKA Skeleton Of Mrs. Morales (VCI Video, Blu-ray & DVD)
Flesh Eating Mothers (Vinegar Syndrome, Blu/DVD Combo)
Gappa: The Triphibian Monster (Media Blasters, Blu-ray & DVD)
Hole (Wild Eye Raw, DVD)
Zombeavers (Freestyle Digital Media, Blu-ray)
Zombie Island Massacre (Vinegar Syndrome, Blu/DVD Combo)
Zombie Rampage 2 (Wild Eye Raw, 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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