March 22nd’s Blu-ray and DVD releases are an eclectic bunch, featuring a handful of cult classics, a thriller with the likes of Val Kilmer and Michael Madsen, Goth Katie Holmes fighting against the oppressive nature of her educational system, cowboys taking on prehistoric creatures, and a special edition of Fear the Walking Dead’s inaugural season. Yes, there’s truly something for almost every genre fan.
Notable home entertainment releases arriving this Tuesday include Disturbing Behavior (from The X-Files alum David Nutter), The Black Sleep, Donovan’s Brain, Kill Me Again, All Hell Breaks Loose, Curse of the Poltergeist, Cowboys vs. Dinosaurs, and as mentioned above, Fear The Walking Dead: The Complete First Season Special Edition.
The Black Sleep (Kino Lorber, Blu-ray)
Newly remastered in HD! The masters of classic horror, Basil Rathbone (Tales of Terror), Bela Lugosi (Dracula, White Zombie), Lon Chaney, Jr. (The Wolf Man) and John Carradine (House of the Long Shadows) co-star in this terrifying horror classic about a crazed brain surgeon and his unorthodox experiments at a spooky old dark house. When the wife of a lunatic surgeon (Rathbone) slips into a coma, the doctor sets out to find a donor for a highly unorthodox brain transplant. The subsequent experiments result in the creation of a number of dangerous zombies, mutants and freaks that are soon unleashed on an unsuspecting populace. The stellar cast also includes Akim Tamiroff (After the Fox) and Tor Johnson (Plan 9 From Outer Space). From Reginald Le Borg, the director of horror classics, Diary of a Madman and The Mummy’s Ghost.
Special Features include Audio Commentary by Film Historians Tom Weaver & David Schecter, "Trailers From Hell" with Joe Dante and Trailers.
Disturbing Behavior (Scream Factory, Blu-ray)
In the halls of Cradle Bay High School, something sinister is happening… something dark… something disturbing. Sure, the “Blue Ribbons” – the clique that’s at the top of the food chain at Cradle Bay – appear perfect in every way. But underneath their clean-cut, well-mannered facades lurks a shocking secret – one that a group of Cradle Bay High’s outsiders and rebels must uncover in order to save their school, their town…and their own lives.
Special Features include Audio commentary by director David Nutter, Theatrical Trailer, Deleted Scenes and Alternate Ending.
Donovan’s Brain (Kino Lorber, Blu-ray)
Newly Remastered in HD! This Brain Has Some Ideas Of Its Own! Prepare to be scared senseless with this shocking horror-fest that's bursting with startling special effects. Lew Ayers (All Quiet on the Western Front) stars with Gene Evans (The Steel Helmet), Steve Brodie (Out of the Past) and future first lady Nancy Reagan Davis (Hellcats of the Navy) in this terrifying film experience that'll blow your brain and fry your mind. Dr. Patrick Corey (Ayres) has a hideous hobby - he keeps brains alive! So when the brain of dead murderer W.H. Donovan falls into his possession, bringing him back to life becomes his obsession. But the cunning cranium has its own agenda - to control the doctor's mind through telepathic messages! Now, Cory's wife (Davis) must put a stop to the devious brain before it destroys the man she loves - and her in the process! Directed by Felix E. Feist (The Big Trees) and beautifully shot in glorious black-and-white by the great Joseph F. Biroc (It s a Wonderful Life).
Special Features include Audio Commentary by Film Historian Richard Harland Smith, "Trailers From Hell" with Joe Dante and Trailers.
Fear The Walking Dead: The Complete First Season Special Edition (Anchor Bay, Blu-ray & DVD)
Living in the same universe as The Walking Dead, Fear the Walking Dead is a gritty drama that explores the onset of the undead apocalypse through the lens of a fractured family. Set in a city where people come to escape, shield secrets, and bury their pasts, a mysterious outbreak threatens to disrupt what little stability high school guidance counselor Madison Clark and English teacher Travis Manawa have managed to assemble. The everyday pressure of blending two families while dealing with resentful, escapist, and strung out children takes a back seat when society begins to break down. A forced evolution, a necessary survival of the fittest takes hold, and our dysfunctional family must either reinvent themselves or embrace their darker histories.
Special Features include Audio Commentaries, Pilot Episode: The Widescreen Version, Deleted Scenes, Inside Fear The Walking Dead, FEAR: The Beginning, Five Things You Need To Survive, Locations: LA & Vancouver, Quarantined, Stunts and Anarchy, The Faces of Fear, and The Infected.
ALSO AVAILABLE THIS WEEK:
All Hell Breaks Loose (Wild Eye Releasing, DVD)
Bunny the Killer Thing (FilmRise, Blu-ray & DVD)
Cowboys vs. Dinosaurs (Monarch Home Video, DVD)
Curse of the Poltergeist (Breaking Glass, DVD)
Kill Me Again (Olive Films, Blu-ray)
Lost Girl: Seasons Five & Six (Funimation, Blu-ray & DVD)
Roboshark (SPE, 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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