The month of March is closing out with a busy week of home entertainment releases, with two of the highlights this week being Scream Factory's stunning Steelbook editions for Assault on Precinct 13 and Prince of Darkness. Scream Factory is also keeping busy with their Collector’s Edition release of Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon and their Blu-ray release of IFC Midnight's I Remember You.
David Cronenberg’s Scanners is also making its way into the Criterion Collection this week, and The City of the Dead is the recipient of another limited edition release as well. Other notable titles coming home on March 27th include The Robot Chicken Walking Dead Special, The Outer Limits Season 1, Hell’s Kitty, Star Time, The Executioners, Mercy Christmas, and Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
Assault on Precinct 13 Limited Edition Steelbook (Scream Factory, Blu-ray)
Isolated inside a soon-to-be-closed L.A. police station, a group of police officers and convicts cut off from the city must join forces to defend themselves against the gang called Street Thunder, who have taken a blood oath to kill someone trapped inside the precinct.
From John Carpenter (Halloween, The Thing and Prince Of Darkness), Assault On Precinct 13 combines the elements of a classic western and a modern thriller to create a riveting cult classic.
Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon Collector’s Edition (Scream Factory, Blu-ray)
You know legendary maniacs Jason Voorhees, Michael Myers and Freddy Krueger. Now meet Leslie Vernon, the next great psycho-slasher. Nathan Baesel (Invasion) stars as Vernon, a good-natured killing machine who invites a documentary film crew to follow him as he reminisces with his murder mentor (Scott Wilson, The Walking Dead), evades his psychiatrist/nemesis (Robert Englund, A Nightmare On Elm Street), deconstructs Freudian symbolism, and meticulously plots his upcoming slaughter spree. But when the actual carnage begins, where do you draw the line between voyeuristic thrills, mythic evil, and good old-fashioned slasher movie mayhem?
The City of the Dead Limited Edition (VCI Entertainment, Blu-ray)
This classic of British horror has been painstakingly restored by VCI (with the cooperation of the British Film Institute) and is now complete and uncut; including more than 2 minutes of additional footage, which had been cut from the U.S. version, titled Horror Hotel. This also marks the first time ever this uncut version has been seen on video with its original title. THE CITY OF THE DEAD is an extraordinarily good chiller scripted by George Baxt, which still has the power to frighten fans of the horror genre.
A college student, Nan Barlow is researching the history of witchcraft. Taunted by her brother and fiancé, who have voiced their concern over her silly notions, Nan arms herself with resolve and drives into the small New England village of Whitewood. She is glad that at least she was able to count on the support of her professor. A bit anxious, but consumed with curiosity, she will soon embark herself on the journey of her life!
The Outer Limits Season 1 (Kino Lorber, Blu-ray)
Newly Re-Mastered in HD! There Is Nothing Wrong With Your Television Set... Do Not Attempt To Adjust The Picture... We Are Controlling Transmission... The entire first season 32 Episodes You hold in your hands an artifact from a time now vanished forever; a compendium of portals into worlds unknown. A seven-disc set that controls over 27 hours of transmission from the 1963-1964 series, this vessel has sought you out for one specific purpose: to expand your mind to The Outer Limits! Guest stars include Ed Asner, Macdonald Carey, Dabney Coleman, Robert Culp, Bruce Dern, Robert Duvall, Mimsy Farmer, Don Gordon, Harry Guardino, Gloria Grahame, Signe Hasso, Miriam Hopkins, Richard Jaeckel, Sally Kellerman, Shirley Knight, Martin Landau, George Macready, John Marley, David McCallum, Ralph Meeker, Gary Merrill, Vera Miles, Leonard Nimoy, Simon Oakland, Warren Oates, Carroll O Connor, Donald Pleasence, Cliff Robertson, Ruth Roman, Barbara Rush, Martin Sheen, Henry Silva and many more. 'The best program of its type ever to run on network TV!' - Stephen King
Special Features:
-Audio commentaries by David J. Schow (author of The Outer Limits Companion) and film historians Tim Lucas, Reba Wissner, Craig Beam, Gary Gerani, Michael Hyatt and Steve Mitchell
-THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH YOUR TELEVISION SET 40 Page Booklet Essay by David J. Schow
Prince of Darkness: Limited Edition Steelbook (Scream Factory, Blu-ray)
Master of horror John Carpenter (Halloween, The Thing) directs this terrifying battle between mankind and the ultimate evil.
A group of graduate students and scientists uncover an ancient canister in an abandoned church, but when they open it, they inadvertently unleash a strange liquid and an evil force on all of humanity. As the liquid turns their co-workers into zombies, the remaining members realize they have released the most unspeakable horror of them all. Terror mounts as the team must fight to save the world from a devilish fury that has been contained for over seven million years.
Scanners (Criterion Collection, Blu-ray)
Welcome to the world of the Scanners – a race of humans with telekinetic powers that can wreak havoc beyond your most dreaded nightmare. Writer/director David Cronenberg (The Fly, Naked Lunch) brings the terror closer than ever before he brings it right into your mind. Cronenberg is a modern-day horror master whose name fits in easily with the likes of King, Craven and Carpenter...and Scanners, with its spectacular and shockingly realistic special effects, is a startling masterpiece of the genre. When a rogue Scanner of unparalleled power (Michael Ironside) wages a bloody war against the normals, young empath Cameron Vale (Stephen Lack) is recruited to track him down. But Vale is inexperienced and a battle with another Scanner could mean a grisly death...or worse. Can Vale vanquish his insanely violent, power-mad adversary? Only one thing is certain: Scanners delivers the chills-down-your-spine, heart-in-your-throat, you-can't-watch-but-you-daren't-leave goods (Time)!
ALSO AVAILABLE THIS WEEK:
The Butchering (Wild Eye Releasing, DVD)
Dark Beacon (Gravitas Ventures, Blu-ray & DVD)
The Executioners (Lionsgate, DVD)
Hell’s Kitty (Wild Eye Releasing, DVD)
I Remember You (Scream Factory/IFC Midnight, Blu-ray & DVD)
Legion Season 1 (20th Century Fox, Blu-ray & DVD)
Mercy Christmas (Gravitas Ventures, Blu-ray & DVD)
The Robot Chicken Walking Dead Special (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, Blu-ray / DVD)
The Stall (SGL Entertainment, DVD)
Star Time (Vinegar Syndrome, Blu/DVD Combo)
Star Wars: The Last Jedi (Disney/Buena Vista Home Entertainment, 4K Ultra HD/Blu Combo, Blu/DVD/Digital, DVD/Digital)
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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