In the past couple of of months, Scream Factory (the genre-focused subsidiary of Shout! Factory) has released a ton of new Blu-ray versions of several horror classics – most of which boast a new transfer, along with an impressive amount of special features for fans to immerse themselves in.
With Halloween upon us, here’s an overview of some of the most notable of these releases, from widely acclaimed horror hits to an underrated sequel to a small town ghost story.
The first and still one of the best screen adaptations of Stephen King’s work, Carrie has received a Blu-ray before, but this is a vast improvement. The new 4K scan of the original negative results in Carrie looking the best it ever has in a home video release, and a ton of new supplemental material has been created, including new interviews with screenwriter Lawrence Cohen, composer Pino Donaggio, editor Paul Hirsch, and several cast members not included on previous releases. While director Brian De Palma and lead Sissy Spacek aren’t a part of the new material, interviews with them from prior releases are included. The only disappointment is the lack of any involvement from Stephen King, as it would be interesting to hear his thoughts on his first novel being adapted to the screen and how it made him an even bigger name in horror. [Shout/Scream Factory also released a Deluxe Edition of Carrie with a second slipcover with new art, plus posters of both versions of the cover art, which is now sold out. ]
Several years ago, MGM released a very good Blu-ray of this iconic, franchise-starting film, which included a ton of extra features. The one glaring absence however was any involvement from director Tom Holland, and that’s been made up for with this new release, with Holland recording a new commentary – adding to the three others ported over from the MGM disc. A great new transfer and interviews with Ed Gale (the actor who sometimes physically played Chucky) and special effects artist Howard Berger – plus behind-the-scene footage from Berger – add to a presentation of Child’s Play that seems impossible to top. Big fans of the series will understandably be very tempted to spend more for the Limited Edition version, which comes with two different posters (one of the new cover art, one of the Good Guys toy box art from the movie), an exclusive Chucky action figure from NECA packaged in a miniature version of the Good Guys toy box and a second slip cover also featuring Good Guys/Chucky doll art. As quite the Chucky fanatic myself, I have to say I loved these additions, with the action figure and posters easily standing as cool collectibles in their own right and helping to justify the $59.99 total for the set. However, if you just want the movie, the Collector's Edition is the one to buy.
No one’s disputing that the original Exorcist is in a class by itself compared to any follow-ups, but the one sequel that many horror fans hold up as a strong, underrated film is the third, which was written and directed by William Peter Blatty – author of the original Exorcist novel and Legion, the basis for this film. For the first time, Exorcist III has been given its due here with a new transfer and an abundance of special features, including the ability to separately watch the original director’s cut, before the film was radically changed to its theatrical version. Unfortunately, none of the actual film shot for the original version survives, so the footage used to reassemble this second cut it comes from terrible looking, decades-old VHS copies, so this is more of a curiosity than a version you can sit back and enjoy. However, interviews with Blatty (presented as an additional audio track for the film – though not a traditional commentary), actor Brad Dourif and many others take a warts and all approach at the why and how the film changed so much. Here, we get a deep dive into aspects like how Dourif’s role diminished in screen time (original Exorcist star Jason Miller, whose return was a big deal for fans, was originally not in the movie at all!) and yet Dourif was needed for reshoots, in a situation that was more than a little uncomfortable – and hardly the only huge alteration from what was originally intended. The movie itself, though not without its flaws, still has some awesome standout moments (that hospital hallway scene!), which is even more commendable learning all about the troubled journey it took thanks to this new release.
I was a big of this ghost story as a kid, but having not seen it in years, wondered if it would still hold up. For the most part, I’d say it does and the things that made it evocative and creepy still work (that little girl ghost reenacting her own murder is incredibly effective), even as writer/director Frank LaLoggia’s earnestness sometimes leans into cheesiness. This is the first time Lady in White has been released on Blu-ray, though most of the additional material (a commentary from LaLoggia and a second Director’s Cut) is from previous releases. Additional deleted scenes and a third Extended Director’s Cut are also included, though honestly, the theatrical version works the best. I don't think Lady in White would work nearly as well for an adult seeing it for the first time now, but for those of us who already loved it -- or for a kid you might want to begin bringing into horror via a less visceral, but still spooky, story -- it’s great to have this new release and the film at last in HD.
This John Carpenter classic gets a loving new Blu-ray release that contains everything a fan could want. A beautifully shot film, the new Thing Blu-ray has the best transfer ever and excellent audio to match (early review copies had some audio issues that were fixed before final release). The mixture of new and old special features gives an excellent overview into he maxing of this sci-fi/horror classic, including an insightful new conversation between director John Carpenter and horror veteran Mick Garris, plus interviews with most of the ensemble from the film. There are also two new audio commentaries -- one from Co-producer Stuart Cohen, one from Director Of Photography Dean Cundey -- plus an older commentary from Carpenter and star Kurt Russell is included. While it’s too bad Russell didn’t participate in new material, that’s made up for both by the audio commentary and the welcome inclusion of “Terror Takes Shape,” an excellent 80-minute documentary on The Thing not seen since the film’s first DVD release. In short, this is a must have. [Shout/Scream Factory also released a Deluxe Edition of The Thing with a second slipcover with new art, plus poster of that new art, which, alas, sold out months ago.]
The new Blu-rays for Carrie, Child's Play, The Exorcist III, Lady in White and The Thing are all available now.
Eric Goldman is Executive Editor of IGN TV. You can follow him on Twitter at @TheEricGoldman, IGN at ericgoldman-ign and Facebook at http://ift.tt/LQFqjj.
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