FALL DVD GUIDE

The Best Fall for Horror on DVD – Ever!

July 21, 2007 -- What's coming to disc in Fall of 2007 – and why you should care. This year is a huge quantity of previously unavailable terror titles making their way to the now-fading DVD format. More great titles are hitting disc in a single month than ever before, making this a year when you're sure to plunk down $100 or more. So start saving your pennies.

eSplatter has always had its heart stuck in horror films from the '70s and '80s – back when the genre was edgy, politically incorrect, and commanded no respect from society. We can say with great authority, that these upcoming releases are must-see movies -- titles that eSplatter has been raving about for nearly a decade – and have been unavailable to anyone unwilling to purchase a blurry bootleg copy on eBay.

The last time releases this good hit stores was probably around 2002-3, when "Countess Dracula", "Scream and Scream Again" (now out of print, by the way) and "Masque of the Red Death" finally hit shelves. But it seems like, this time, just about every remaining essential title that needs to come out is hitting stores – with some notable exceptions including "Blood on Satan's Claw" and "Vampire Circus."

The height of awesomeness is going to strike on Tuesday, Sept. 11, when "Tales From the Crypt", "Vault of Horror," "Scarecrows," "From Beyond", "Curse of the Fly" (in a set with the original "Fly" and "Return of the Fly"), "The Mephisto Waltz", "Food of the Gods" and – last but definitely not least -- "The Burning" all hit disc at the same time. Expect to spend $75 on that day alone.

Also on Sept. 11, we'll see a new Collector's Edition of "Return of the Living Dead", an anamorphic widescreen edition of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" widescreen and a widescreen Vincent Price MGM Scream Legends collection – a box set featuring "Witchfinder General" along with some other previously released Vincent Price titles on MGM.

Then, two weeks later, Warner Bros. is unleashing Oliver Stone's "The Hand", the Amicus Anthology film "From Beyond the Grave", the sleazy slasher flick (with Tom Savini effects) "Eyes of a Stranger", Wes Craven's "Deadly Friend", and "Dr. Giggles". While none of these titles are spectacular, "From Beyond the Grave" is pretty good and "Eyes of a Stranger" is a politically incorrect horror flick best remembered for starring a young Jennifer Jason Leigh, who pulls in a great performance as a deaf mute. None of these titles have ever been on DVD before. They're part of a cheap box set from Warner Bros. entitled "Twisted Terrror."

This September onslaught of horror titles is amazing because so many of them are essential and have never been available on DVD before. The hottest titles are:

"Tales From the Crypt": The 1972 version of "Tales From the Crypt" is arguably the greatest anthology horror film ever made, influencing (of course) the TV series but also influencing the likes of "Masters of Horror", "Silent Night Deadly Night", among others. This was one of the best British horror films of the 1970s and came out in a year that was arguably the best the genre ever saw too. It has never been available on DVD – and a widescreen version has never been released in any form. It's coming out in a double set with "Vault of Horror", directed by Roy Ward Baker. An inferior film but still a classic. It served as a sequel to "Tales." Both films based themselves on the comic books of the same names.

"Scarecrows": In the tail end of the 1980s, horror movies started to get a little worse – but the genre still had legs. The banner year that was 1985 had come and gone, the "Nightmare on Elm Street" series was making bucks and "Hellraiser" finally hit screens. Along came this 1988 gem that sadly didn't enjoy a solid theatrical release. It's simply an awesome, action horror film about possessed scarecrows – and it's damn scary. In any case, the film literally only made it to video in the late '80s, came out on laserdisc and has never been seen since. Thankfully it's striking stores again Sept. 11. A widescreen HD version appeared on cable recently and it looks great.

"From Beyond": Stuart Gordon's long out of print follow-up to "Re-Animator", "From Beyond" is also based on an H.P. Lovecraft story. Way better than "Bride of Re-Animator" or "Beyond Re-Animator", "From Beyond" sadly was released to video in a cut form. In fact, to the best of our knowledge, the full uncut version of the film never made it to theaters. A couple of years ago, word came out that censored scenes had been discovered in a vault. Now, at long last, the director's cut of this movie is hitting store shelves. The film has never been released in widescreen before and never uncut, although it did apparently make an appearance on an HD cable channel.

"The Burning": As fun bad movies go, "The Burning" delivers. A blatant rip off of the "Friday the 13th" franchise that was kicking up a storm at the box office in the early '80s, "The Burning" had make-up effects contributed by Tom Savini, who also of course did the first "Friday." But fans were outraged when all the gore was cut and the film made it to theaters and eventually video in a badly cut form. Then, it hit video again in an uncut form in the U.S. – but it wasn't widescreen. An uncut version recently cropped up on an HD cable channel. Now, at long last, the full uncut version of what was actually the first Miramax movie is hitting DVD shelves. A never-boring sleazefest with sex and Tom Savini-powered gore, "The Burning" now stacks up as something of a classic from a bygone horror era.

"Witchfinder General": Available on DVD uncut in Europe for years, the film has never had a proper widescreen release in the U.S. The best news about this latest release is that it will feature the original soundtrack, which wasn't available on the VHS release that hit the States. This is a great, great Price film and the last movie from famed 1970s horror director Michael Reeves, who tragically committed suicide.

"Mephisto Waltz" is no classic but it is an eerie little satanic horror gem that should appeal to fans of "Rosemary's Baby." It definitely freaked some of us out when it showed up on TV stations in the 1970s, featuring a young Alan Alda as a possessed piano player and a dog wearing a human mask. It has long been unavailable in the U.S. It made a brief appearance on VHS well over a decade ago and recently turned up on DVD in Europe.

"Invasion of the Body Snatchers" is one of the best horror sci-fi films of the 1970s and one of the best horror remakes ever. It's clearly being hyped again with a re-release on DVD because of the badly reviewed Nicole Kidman/Daniel Craig remake "Invasion" that's coming out. But this is the first time it will be out in Anamorphic widescreen.

In addition, Lionsgate will be releasing the 1990s fear film "Night of the Demons 2," long, long, long out of print. It hits streets Sept. 25, the same day that Anchor Bay re-releases the two "Demons" films from Lamberto Bava.  And that same day, Blue Underground is re-releasing "Opera" and "The Stendhal Syndrome." In short, start saving your pennies now.