January’s genre-related home entertainment releases are ending on a somewhat quiet note, as there are only seven titles making their arrival this week. That being said, this cinematic septet of Blu-rays and DVDs make for a truly fantastic assortment of films, including the Vestron Video Collector’s Series editions of both Class of 1999 and Gothic, as well as stunning special editions for both Re-Animator and the original The Hills Have Eyes.
Other notable movies heading home on January 30th are Hack-O-Lantern, Lucifer’s Women, and Tyler Perry’s Boo 2! A Madea Halloween.
Class of 1999: Vestron Video Collector’s Series (Lionsgate, Blu-ray)
Robots who have been programmed to teach and discipline students in a violence-prone school turn homicidal, and the students must fight back to save their lives.
Special Features:
- Audio Commentary with Producer/Director Mark L. Lester
- Interviews with Director/Producer Mark L. Lester and Co-Producer Eugene Mazzola
- Interview with Screenwriter C. Courtney Joyner
- Interviews with Special Effects Creators Eric Allard and Rick Stratton
- Interview with Director of Photography Mark Irwin
- Trailer
- TV Spot
- Still Gallery
- Video Promo
Gothic: Vestron Video Collector’s Series (Lionsgate, Blu-ray)
Five famous friends spend a hallucinogenic evening confronting their fears in a frenzy of shocking lunacy and horrifying visions in this fictional tale, which tells the story of Mary Shelley's conception of Frankenstein on a night in Lord Byron's home.
Special Features:
-Audio Commentary with Lisi Russell, in conversation with Film Historian Matthew Melia
-Isolated Score Selections and Audio Interview with Composer Thomas Dolby
- Interviews with Actor Julian Sands, Screenwriter Stephen Volk, and Director of Photography Mike Southon
- Theatrical trailer
- TV Spot
- Still Gallery
Hack-o-Lantern (Massacre Video, Blu-ray)
When Tommy was a boy, he saw his grandpa (Hy Pyke), the leader of a vicious satanic cult, murder his father in a brutal ritual on Halloween night. Now Tommy (Gregory Scott Cummins) is 18 and grandpa is ready to indoctrinate him into the ways of the black arts. But as night approaches, someone dressed like a member of the cult, whose face is hidden behind a devilish mask, begins stalking and killing people connected to tommy. Could it be grandpa, Tommy himself, or someone even more sinister behind these increasingly brutal murders?
Directed by Jag Mundhra (OPEN HOUSE, THE JIGSAW MURDERS) and featuring atmospheric photography by Stephen Ashley Blake (DEADLY PREY), HACK-O-LANTERN is a lurid mix of slasher, Giallo and supernatural horror, set in a frenzied world of Satanic Panic.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
- New 2K restoration from the original camera negative
- Remastered 2.0 stereo mix and original mono mix
- Newly recorded audio commentary with producer Raj Mehrotra
- English language captions
- Isolated soundtrack option
- The Power Is In The Blood featurette (featuring interviews with stars Gregory Scott Ummings and Katina Garner)
- Rare public access interview featuring Katina Garner, Marya Gant and director Jag Mundhra
- Behind the scenes photos
- Trailers for other Massacre Video Releases
The Hills Have Eyes (1977): Special Edition (Arrow Video, Blu-ray)
Horror master Wes Craven achieved critical and commercial success with the likes of Scream and A Nightmare on Elm Street but for many genre fans, the director's seminal 1977 effort The Hills Have Eyes remains his masterpiece.
Taking an ill-advised detour en route to California, the Carter family soon run into trouble when their RV breaks down in the middle of the desert. Stranded, the family find themselves at the mercy of a group of monstrous cannibals lurking in the surrounding hills. With their lives under threat, the Carters have no choice but to fight back by any means necessary.
Following on from his notorious 1972 directorial debut The Last House on the Left, Craven's The Hills Have Eyes stands alongside the likes of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and Night of the Living Dead as one of the defining classics of American horror.
SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS:
Lucifer’s Women (Vinegar Syndrome, Blu/DVD Combo)
Acclaimed author, John Wainwright, has developed an interest in Satanism and black magic. Hoping to manipulate him to suit his own perverse desire, Wainwright's publisher, Sir Stephen convinces him to perform the ultimate black rite: a human sacrifice. Selecting a beautiful burlesque dancer to be their victim, Wainwright begins having doubts about his beliefs, as Sir Stephen becomes more and more preoccupied with the black arts, and murder...
Directed by Paul Aratow (China Girl) and starring prolific stage performer Larry Hankin, as well as erotic film stars Paul Thomas and Clair Dia, LUCIFER'S WOMEN is a slow burn study in satanic obsession, with black mass scenes supervised by Anton LaVey (founder of the Church of Satan). Never released on home video and long assumed lost, Vinegar Syndrome is proud to present the home video debut to this forgotten shocker, newly restored from recently unearthed negative elements. Also included is an all new restoration of Al Adamson's schizoid reworking of the film, titled DOCTOR DRACULA.
Bonus Features:
1. Newly scanned and restored in 2k from 35mm negative elements
2. Commentary track with Sam Sherman (producer of DOCTOR DRACULA)
3. Video interview with Paul Thomas (actor)
4. Original theatrical trailer for LUCIFER'S WOMEN
5. Digital essay by Samm Deighan
6. English SDH Subtitles
Re-Animator: Special Edition (Arrow Video, Blu-ray)
One of the most wildly popular horror movies of all time, Stuart Gordon’s enduring splatter-comedy classic Re-Animator returns to Blu-ray in a stunning 4K restoration packed with special features!
When medical student Dan Cain advertises for a roommate, he finds one in the form of Herbert West. Initially a little eccentric, it some becomes clear that West entertains some seriously outlandish theories – specifically, the possibility of re-animating the dead. It’s not long before Dan finds himself under West’s influence, and embroiled in a serious of ghoulish experiments which threaten to go wildly out of control…
Based on H.P. Lovecraft’s classic terror tale ‘Herbert West – Reanimator’ and featuring a standout performance from Jeffrey Combs as the deliciously deranged West, Re-Animator remains the definitive example of ’80s splatter mayhem and one of the horror genre’s finest hours.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
- 4K restoration of the Unrated version
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Mono, Stereo and 5.1 DTS-HD MA Surround Audio Options
- Isolated Score
- Audio commentary with director Stuart Gordon and actors Graham Skipper and Jesse Merlin of Re-Animator: The Musical
- Audio commentary with Stuart Gordon
- Audio commentary with producer Brian Yuzna, actors Jeffrey Combs, Barbara Crampton, Bruce Abbott and Robert Sampson
- Re-Animator: Resurrectus – feature-length documentary on the making of the film, featuring extensive interviews with cast and crew
- Interviews with director Stuart Gordon and producer Brian Yuzna, writer Dennis Paoli, composer Richard Band and former Fangoria editor Tony Timpone
- Music discussion with composer Richard Band
- Barbara Crampton in Conversation – the Re-Animator star sits down with journalist Alan Jones for this career-spanning 2015 interview
- The Catastrophe of Success: Stuart Gordon and The Organic Theater – director Stuart Gordon discusses his early theater roots and his continued commitment to the stage
- Theater of Blood – Re-Animator: The Musical lyricist Mark Nutter on adapting the cult classic for musical theatre
- Extended Scenes
- Deleted Scene
- Trailer & TV Spots
- Still Gallery
- Screenplay (BD-ROM Content)
- Reversible sleeve with newly commissioned artwork by Justin Erickson
Tyler Perry’s Boo 2! A Madea Halloween (Lionsgate, Blu-ray & DVD)
The hilarious #1 box-office hit is all tricks and no treats when Madea, Aunt Bam, Hattie, and Uncle Joe run for their lives from monsters and goblins haunting a remote campground.
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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