With Halloween at our doorsteps, Count Zad offers a few Blu-ray and 4K UHD movie suggestions for this frightful season.
Universal Classic Monsters: Complete 30-Film Collection (Universal Studios Home Entertainment, not rated 1.33:1 to 1.85:1 aspect ratio, $149.98) The studio that brought terrifying creatures to cinematic life delivers the ultimate collection for fans of nostalgic horror.
This 24 Blu-ray disk set offers a cornucopia of creepy films from 1931 to 1956 — the golden age of Universal Studios’ monster movies. Highlights include the original “Frankenstein” (1931) starring Boris Karloff, the original “Dracula” (1931) starring Bela Lugosi, “The Wolf Man” (1941) starring Lon Chaney Jr., “The Mummy” (1932) starring Karloff, “The Invisible Man” (1933) starring Claude Rains and “Creature from the Black Lagoon” (1954).
Oddities and a few clunkers are part of the package, ranging from the great monster mashes “Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein” (1948), “Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man” (1943) and “House of Frankenstein” (1944) to the not-so-great “She-Wolf of London” (1946).
The careful restoration of each of these classics in high definition is a sight to behold.
Consider this set as a definitive historical archive of a fledgling genre of movies that would inspire filmmakers for years to come and make names such as Karloff, Lugosi and Chaney Jr. synonymous with the monster film.
Frightful extras: An overwhelming selection of bonus content will give horror cinema connoisseurs goose bumps.
Just a few of the nuggets: 16 optional commentary tracks from film historians and creators, a 39-minute documentary on “The Bride of Frankenstein,” a 51-minute documentary on “The Phantom of the Opera,” a 40-minute documentary on the creatures from the Black Lagoon and a 25-minute look at master make-up artist Jack Pierce.
Also, the slip cased package offers a 48-page, full-color mini-book called “The Original House of Horrors: Universal and a Monster Legacy” that acts as an image and fact-filled encyclopedia to appreciate the collection.
Creepshow: Collector’s Edition (Shout! Factory, Rated R, 1.85:1 aspect ratio, $34.93) The 1982 movie anthology featuring a quintet of tales with 1950s horror comics themes returns to Blu-ray with a new digital restoration sure to shock new viewers and warm the hearts of fans.
Featuring the work of director George A. Romero and writer Stephen King, the movie presents stories that range from a psychotic husband seeking watery revenge on his cheating wife to a university professor using a ferocious creature to deal with an abusive spouse and a grumpy old man dealing with a cockroach infestation.
Star power fueling the sometimes gratuitous shock horror includes Ted Danson, E.G. Marshall, Hal Holbrook, Adrienne Barbeau, Ed Harris, Leslie Nielsen and an awesome animated appearance by a ghoul nicknamed the Creep.
Fans will appreciate the screen-filling, color-corrected viewing of the film via a new 4K scan of the original camera negative supervised and approved by the film’s cinematographer, Michael Gornick.
Frightful extras: Shout! Factory allows fans to revel in the film with an abundance of visual and audio goodies.
Best of the bunch includes three optional commentary tracks — a vintage track with Romero and make-up/special effects wizard Tom Savini, a new track with Mr. Gornick, and another with composer John Harrison and construction coordinator Ed Fountain.
Two hours of featurettes are highlighted by a 30-minute roundtable discussion with cast and crew members, and a look at the 10-hour restoration process.
The hard cardboard slipcase includes an 18-page, full-color mini-book with an essay by former Fangoria Magazine chief Michael Gingold and behind-the-scenes photos, movie posters and images from the film.
Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation, Monster Party Edition (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Rated PG, 1.85:1 aspect ratio, $38.99) Another animated blockbuster highlighting the exploits of this generation’s Groovie Ghoulies arrives on Blu-ray just in time for Halloween.
The story finds Dracula’s daughter, Mavis, taking her dad, his family and monstrous friends on a “Love Boat”-style cruise, as slightly scary and humorous shenanigans ensue.
Some great characters and voice actors deliver the entertainment: Dracula (Adam Sandler), Mavis (Selena Gomez), Drac’s dad Vlad (Mel Brooks), Frankenstein (Kevin James), Mummy (Keegan-Michael Key), Wolfman (Steve Buscemi), Invisible Man (David Spade) and Van Helsing’s daughter Ericka (Kathryn Hahn).
Director Genndy (“Samurai Jack”) Tartakovsky and his team of digital animators deliver a nearly three-dimensional, colorful immersion into the story. Their work is highlighted by a full-screen, color-popping, high-definition presentation and character designs, such as the steampunk, cyborg version of the monster-hating Abraham Van Helsing.
Frightful extras: First, most important for the season, is 30 minutes of Halloween friendly activities including instructions on making a watermelon Jack O Lantern, getting a Dracula makeover and planning a scary sleepover.
Also, children can watch the movie in Monster Mania Mode and get instructions via pop-up icons and Mavis’ human husband, Jonathan, on how to imitate their favorite creatures and interact with the on-screen action.
And look for 12 minutes of singalongs and a condensed story of Dracula read by some of his best friends.
On the less interactive side, budding animators will appreciate an optional commentary track with Mr. Tartakovsky, production designer Scott Wills and visual effects supervisor Mike Ford.
Halloween (Lionsgate Home Entertainment, Rated PG-13, 2.39:1 aspect ratio, $22.99) Director John Carpenter’s 1978 blueprint for slasher filmmaking returns to shock viewers in the ultra high-definition format.
The escaped, criminally insane patient Michael Myers dons a white mask and terrorizes the town of Haddonfield, Illinois, on Halloween night 1978. He goes on a homicidal hunt for naughty teens and becomes obsessed with Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis, in her first film role) as his doctor Sam Loomis (Donald Pleasence) looks for a way to stop him.
The music, also created by Mr. Carpenter, is as startling as the on-screen slaughter, setting up jump scares and skin crawls.
The shock also arrives with the desaturated but sharply detailed and often grain-infused quality of the 4K transfer, taken from 2013 remaster of the film supervised by cinematographer Dean Cundy.
Frightful extras: The 4K disk culls the bonus treats from the 35th anniversary Blu-ray release from 2013 and includes the definitive optional commentary track with Mr. Carpenter and Miss Curtis.
Almost as interesting, viewers get a nearly hour-long documentary that chronicles the 2012 HorrorHound Weekend convention in Indianapolis that starred Miss Curtis. She greets fans and signs memorabilia for charity and reveals herself as one cool and accessible actress.
Trick ’r’ Treat: Collector’s Edition (Shout! Factory, Rated R, 2.39:1 aspect ratio, $34.93) Director Michael (“Krampus”) Dougherty’s 2007 cult anthology black comedy gets a welcomed digital restoration to re-frighten fans.
A quartet of clever, intertwined stories showcases the horrors of Halloween night in the fictional small town of Warren, Ohio.
Notable performances include Anna Paquin as Laurie, a virgin with a fang-tastic secret looking for a Halloween party date; Dylan Baker as a serial-killing school principal; and Brian Cox as Mr. Kreeg, a curmudgeon who learns a fatal lesson.
However, the star of the film is a pint-sized demon nicknamed Sam that causes mischief and pain for those not following Halloween traditions.
The new 2K scan of the original film supervised by the director is devilishly crisp and colorful and sure to please the high definition horror fan.
Frightening extras: Shout Factory! unloads the treats, starting with four new production featurettes (close to an hour in total) focused on the evolution of Sam, the score, the shoot and the movie’s cult status — all supplemented with interviews with Mr. Dougherty.
Next, a 30-minute, 2009 segment on the movie offers production fodder and delves into the origins of Halloween.
Fans also will love 20 minutes of deleted scenes (with a peppy, optional director commentary track); a 34-page, on-screen comic book expanding the film’s canon; and the cartoon short “Season’s Greeting” on which the movie was based, rebuilt from a new 2K scan of the original 16 mm footage.
Twilight (Lionsgate Home Entertainment, Rated PG-13, 2.39:1 aspect ratio, $22.99) The fanged, coming-of-age blockbuster from 2008 that launched a teen horror-romance frenzy returns to entice angst-ridden high schoolers.
Starring Kristen Stewart as displaced outcast Bella Swan and Robert Pattinson as vampire Edward Cullen, the film adapts author Stephenie Meyer’s first novel of her popular fantasy series. The soap operatic, human-vampire love story has Edward protecting Bella from unfriendly bloodsuckers looking to kill her.
The 4K upscale has a bit of grain but highlights the dreariness of Forks, Washington; panoramic shots of the Pacific Northwest; the pale skin tones and facial blemishes of the Cullen vampire clan; and Edward’s sparkling skin exposed to the sun.
Frightful extras: Conveniently contained on the 4K disk is a new, 10-minute featurette celebrating the 10th anniversary of the “Twilight” franchise, hosted by director Catherine Hardwicke and actor Jackson Rathbone (Jasper), and a few hours of treats, including a 23-minute sit-down with the author.
• Joseph Szadkowski can be reached at jszadkowski@washingtontimes.com.
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