TOP PICK
Drag Me to Hell
(Universal)
Spider-Man director Sam Raimi’s return to horror is one of
the year’s scariest movies. After an old lady puts a curse on a young
loan officer, all hell breaks loose. Literally. The Blu-ray disc ups
the frights. So does the unrated director’s cut, which adds a few
creepy minutes to the film. You may want to watch it with the lights
on.
VIDEO
An American Werewolf in London Full Moon
Edition
(Universal)
John Landis’ dark and funny 1981 chiller about an American tourist
who turns into a wolf makes its Blu-ray debut in a set that includes a
feature-length making-of doc. Landis made the film between Animal
House and Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” video. This cult classic
combines a little bit of both.
VIDEO
Gojira
(Classic Media)
The original Japanese Godzilla finally comes to Blu-ray. But
you shouldn’t see it for the HD; you should see it because the 1954
movie is way scarier and way better than the butchered U.S. version
(more than 40 minutes were trimmed to make room for boring scenes
starring Raymond Burr). This is the real Godzilla: mean, terrifying and
the world’s greatest giant monster.
DVD
Karloff & Lugosi Horror Classics
(Warner)
Horror icons Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi made their best movies
for Universal. But these four films have their moments (alas, the two
stars appear together in only one movie: You’ll Find Out).
The Walking Dead (about a resurrected vengeful convict) is the
best; Zombies on Broadway is the goofiest. Frankenstein
— 1970 updates the classic monster tale.
DVD
William Castle Film Collection
(Sony)
Director Castle was the king of movie gimmicks. He handed out
cardboard “ghost viewers.” He had nurses check moviegoers’ blood
pressure. He even wired theater seats to literally shock viewers. This
box features eight of his best movies, including The Tingler,
Homicidal and Strait-Jacket, starring a scarier-than-usual
Joan Crawford.
This article appears in Oct 28 – Nov 3, 2009.