Sure, there are plenty of new and classic horror movies on streaming this year. But there’s nothing that beats the sensation of sliding a disc into a Blu-ray player. It harkens back to the thrill of going to your local video store, picking out a scary movie (judging, sometimes, based purely on the garish box art) and taking it home.
We thought we’d celebrate that sensation by picking out our very favorite new home video releases for this Halloween, a mixture of obscure favorites, outright classics, near-hits from some of our favorite modern filmmakers and a new movies that gets a terrific home video treatment. Grab some candy, your comfiest pajamas and settle in for the night with these gems.
“Demon Pond” (Criterion, $49.95)
One of the season’s must-have titles is “Demon Pond,” a bizarro, late-‘70s nightmare from Masahiro Shinoda, whose “Pale Flower” and “Double Suicide” are already a part of the Criterion Collection. Shinoda updates a classic Kabuki tale while also staying true to its theatrical roots. The story involves a traveling teacher (Tsutomu Yamazaki) who stumbles upon a village that lives in fear of a demon-filled lake that has the power to wipe out the entire town. At once fanciful and shocking, particularly when the villagers demand a human sacrifice in the form of Yuri (Tamasaburo Bando, a fabled Kabuki performer who also plays the lovesick god living at the bottom of the lake).
Chances are you’ve never seen anything quite like “Demon Pond.” Time to change that. The new 4K transfer is stunning, with a new interview with film scholar Dudley Andrew talking about the film and a documentary on the movie’s special effects, which are truly eye-popping (especially in the apocalyptic final act). Ready to take a dip?
“A Nightmare on Elm Street” (Warner Bros., $33.99)
Wes Craven’s original masterpiece is back, in a presentation that looks and sounds better than ever. If you’ve never seen the original 1984 film, it follows nightmarish Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund), who terrorizes a group of small-town teens in their dreams. But just like “The Matrix,” if you die in your dream, you die in real life. Featuring imaginative set pieces and some truly stupendous gore (a bed turns into a literal blood fountain), the original is a classic in its own right and spawned a cottage industry of sequels and spin-offs, plus one abhorrent remake.
This new disc features a new 4K transfer that is eye-popping while still maintaining the essential filmic qualities of the original presentation, a new Dolby Atmos mix (you can still defer to the “original theatrical audio” if you want to too) and a bunch of special features that have been ported over from previous releases. This might not sound like a big deal but it is. Having to keep your earlier discs? Talk about a nightmare.
“I Walked With a Zombie” / “The Seventh Victim” (Criterion, $59.95)
Criterion follows their “Cat People” disc from a few years ago with a pair of Val Lewton-produced horror movies – “I Walked with a Zombie,” which features the old school, voodoo-indebted zombies, not the shambling undead pioneered by George A. Romero (directed by “Cat People” filmmaker Jacques Tourneur); and “The Seventh Victim,” about a cult of Satanists in lower Manhattan (you know it’s happening) that served as a prequel of sorts to “Cat People.” Both movies look incredible in 4K (there’s something about the format that makes black-and-white seem even more velvety) and have commentary tracks, an alternate audio track from the podcast “The Secret History of Hollywood,” and, on “The Seventh Victim,” some archival making-of materials. Another must-own.
“Hellraiser” Quartet of Torment 4K (Arrow, $119.95)
Maybe the most essential release of this spooky season, this box set, which contains the first four “Hellraiser” films (before the character was haphazardly inserted into movies so that Miramax could maintain the copyright claim on the character).
This box set was released overseas last year and became an instant classic, most notably because of its voluminous special features which, crucially, included a “work print” of the doomed “Hellraiser IV: Bloodline.” This wasn’t Kevin Yagher’s original director’s cut; Arrow notes that this is probably lost forever. But it was a work print, assembled after Yagher had left the project but before the footage from the extensive reshoots (carried out by Joe Chappelle) were added. It’s a really fascinating alternate history look at the fourth movie.
Beyond that, this set is absolutely incredible – the movies look and sound incredible, they are festooned with essential bonus features that enhance your enjoyment of each film (take, for instance, that the first film has three separate commentary tracks) and the package is typically gorgeous. Now who do we have to con into putting out a physical version of the excellent 2022 remake?
Paramount Scares Vol. 2 (Paramount, $69.99)
Last year, Paramount released an amazing box set, Paramount Scares, which mixed classics from the studio’s library (like “Rosemary’s Baby” and “Pet Sematary”) with more modern favorites (“Smile” and “Crawl”) and even had a secret movie that wasn’t advertised (Tim Burton’s oddly underrated “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”).
This year. the scope has been scaled back, with only four titles and no surprise movie. Still, this is a very special box, serving as the exclusive home to the 4K releases of “Friday the 13th: Part II,” “Orphan: First Kill” and “Breakdown.” Plus a 4K of “World War Z” (which is a bummer if you, like me, already bought the great Shout Factory release from last year). Of the titles included in this new set, “Friday the 13th: Part II,” which is only the second of the mainline series to get a 4K upgrade, is the big get. It looks and sounds terrific. All of the titles do.
And if for some reason you’re on the fence because “Orphan: First Kill” is included, well, that is one of the best recent horror movies, with a turn about halfway through the movie that will send you levitating off the couch. “Breakdown” is a modern classic, a creepy, slow-build suspense masterwork. And “World War Z” is pretty fun too. Even if you already have the Shout disc.
“Signs,” “The Sixth Sense” (Disney, $45.99 each)
M. Night Shyamalan is having a moment. Earlier this year his serial-killer-at-a-concert movie “Trap” hit theaters (it’s on home video next month) and got some of the best reviews of his recent output. And “Signs” and “The Sixth Sense,” two of his very best movies, arrive on newly minted 4K UHD discs. Both feature new 4K restorations, although sadly without a new Dolby Atmos audio track (they include English 5.1 DTS-HD MA tracks). That said the transfers look wonderful, and there are a ton of special features included on both releases, ported over from earlier versions. And the movies are still wonderful.
“The Sixth Sense,” Shyamalan’s breakout feature, follows a child psychiatrist (Bruce Willis) who works with a young boy (Haley Joel Osment) who claims that he can see ghosts. It also features one of the best twist endings of all time (after 25 years we won’t reveal it here). “Signs” stars Mel Gibson as a man who loses his faith and later defends his family farm from an alien invasion. The movies are great and the movies look better than they ever have before. Twist!
“Friday the 13th” (Arrow, $49.95)
It’s a testament to the singular power of Arrow Video that they take “Friday the 13th,” the so-so 2009 remake of the slasher classic, and make it an essential disc. This set includes both the theatrical version of the movie, directed by Marcus Nispel (the “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” remake), and an unrated “killer cut” that runs almost 10 minutes longer. There are also an overwhelming amount of special features, including commentary tracks, archival extras (deleted scenes, a picture-in-picture trivia track and marketing materials), plus newly produced special features, including new interviews with Nispel, screenwriters Mark Swift and Damian Shannon and cinematographer Daniel Pearl. As to the movie itself, it’s sort of a fast-forward, greatest-hits version of the first three movies. Your mileage may vary. But this is new edition is definitely worth your time. It’s a humdinger.
“Trick ‘r Treat” (Arrow, $49.95)
There are few movies that are as synonymous with Halloween as “Trick ‘r Treat,” writer/director Michael Dougherty’s anthology film, which serves as an ode to the spookiest night of the year. What makes “Trick ‘r Treat’s” evolution from cult classic to genuine annual favorite even more incredible is the fact that, originally, it was meant to be released theatrically from Warner Bros. and Legendary. But after Warner Bros. demurred, it was released direct-to-video. And has been slowly building for years and years.
If you’ve never seen it, make it a priority this year. It really is a scream – funny, scary and surprising. Also Brian Cox, from “Succession,” plays a crotchety old character that he based on John Carpenter. And if you have never seen the movie, Arrow’s new 4K release is the way to go. It features a new 4K transfer from Arrow, overseen by Dougherty, with a truly staggering amount of special features, including archival documentaries, a commentary track, deleted scenes and much, much more. This one is definitely a treat and not a trick.
“Drag Me to Hell” (Shout! Studios, $39.98)
“Drag Me to Hell” was Sam Raimi’s attempt to return to his roots after getting lost in the studio system and making three “Spider-Man” movies (that third one was particularly challenging). And while “Drag Me to Hell” doesn’t quite reach the heights of, say, “Evil Dead 2,” it really is a wonderful comeback, full of the kind of shriek-filled set pieces that only Raimi could come up with. (It follows a bank clerk, played by Alison Lohman, who becomes undone after she is cursed by a gypsy.) Since then, Raimi has only made “Oz the Great and Powerful” and a “Doctor Strange” sequel. Let’s hope he can get back to what he does best sooner rather than later.
This new release from the pros at Shout features a new 4K transfer of both the theatrical and unrated cut (we recommend the theatrical), with a new documentary called “Pardon My Curse” that features new and archival interviews with writer/producer Ivan Raimi, actors Alison Lohman, Dileep Rao and Lorna Raver, director of photography Peter Deming, production designer Steve Saklad, artist Christian Cordella, make-up effects designer Greg Nicotero, editor Bob Murawski and composer Christopher Young. It also has all the special features from earlier releases. Hell yes!
“Shocker” (Shout! Studios, $39.98)
A few years after “A Nightmare on Elm Street” became a pop culture phenomenon, Wes Craven tried to replicate the formula with a character he more fully controlled. The resulting film was “Shocker,” which stars Mitch Pileggi (who would later be known as Mulder and Scully’s disapproving boss on “The X-Files”) as a serial killer who, after being sent to the electric chair, comes back to life and starts murdering his foes in increasingly outlandish ways. While the movie starts out incredibly strong, it eventually drifts into the absurd. But “Shocker” is still compelling – stylishly directed, suspenseful and with a winning cast that includes a young Peter Berg. While “Shocker” wouldn’t be the beginning of a potential franchise, Craven would have that success just a few years later with “Scream.” Good things come to those who wait.
The same could be said about those who have held out for this 4K release, with features a new 4K transfer and Dolby Atmos sound mix, along with some new special features that includes a new interview with Berg. All of the previously released special features, from Shout’s original, excellent Blu-ray release, are getting ported over too. Real fans know.
“Village of the Damned” (Shout! Studios, $39.98)
Like “Shocker,” “Village of the Damned” is a lesser-known feature from a horror master. In this case it was John Carpenter remaking the 1960 movie of the same name. And like “Shocker,” this was supposed to begin a new chapter of Carpenter’s career. Spoiler alert: it did not. But it is still worth a watch. For one, it was the last movie Christopher Reeve made before his tragic accident just a month later. (There are also terrific supporting performances from Mark Hamill and the always underrated Michael Paré.) There is also some nifty visual effects work from Industrial Light & Magic, who created a nifty swirl inside the alien children’s eyes. (Yes, this is an evil children movie.) This new release from Shout features a new 4K restoration from the original 35mm negative, plus a new commentary track, new interviews, and a ton of earlier special features. Beware the children, sure, but also give this disc a spin.
“Longlegs” (Decal Releasing, $42.98)
This year’s breakout horror movie – and the highest-grossing Neon movie ever – heads to home video with this excellent 4K release. The movie is a pastiche of 1990’s serial killer movies, with Maika Monroe as the Clarice Starling-type FBI agent who is hunting down a mysterious murderer named Longlegs (Nicolas Cage). There’s far more to it than that, of course, but if you haven’t seen the movie yet, we wouldn’t want to spoil anything.
This home video release is perfect, too, if you have seen the movie and are looking for the demonic Easter eggs sprinkled through the movie (look in the background). There are a ton of great special features, as well, including a commentary track with writer/director Osgood Perkins, interviews, marketing materials and what is only labeled as “clues.” We’ll let you open those and discover what’s inside.
