Halloween is, undoubtedly, the most film-friendly holiday. After all, it’s a perfect excuse to stay inside, watch a classic (or brand-new) horror movie with somebody you’re comfortable screaming in front of. This year, a number of home video companies have unleashed an embarrassing amount of wealth onto the market.
From cult classics to stone-cold favorites to brand-new movies making their Blu-ray debut, there’s something for every discerning horror fan, and we’ve got a handy guide to the best new horror Blu-rays and 4K releases arriving on home video just in time for Halloween.
“Paranormal Activity:”The Ultimate Chills Collection (Paramount Home Video – $67.99)
A horror film based on found footage was released in 2007 and called “Paranormal Activity”Festivals began to appear. It was made for $15,000 and was said to be scary enough that it scared Steven Spielberg. He watched an early version of the film on DVD. Paramount purchased it, and they spent $200,000 more to film a scarier ending. The movie was released in 2009. It is one of the most enduring horror films in modern cinema. This box set comes with a bonus disc that is dedicated to a feature-length documentary. “Unknown Dimension: The Story of Paranormal Activity.” (This is the only place, outside of Paramount+, that you can also watch last year’s “Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin.”Both fans and newcomers to the series, as well as those who have seen the films before, will enjoy the presentation and the wealth of additional material. Are you ready to be haunted?
“Child’s Play,” “Child’s Play 2,” “Child’s Play 3” 4K (Shout! Factory, $36.98 each)
Chucky really is having a moment. All is well with the Syfy series, 2019 remake, and an ever-present avalanche of merchandise. “Child’s Play.” In fact, it’s easy to forget how excellent the original movies were – specifically the first three installments, which have been lovingly restored by Shout! Factory packaged in a beautiful 4K ultra-HD Bluray. There is a wealth of special features packed into the accompanying Blu-ray discs (including making-of documentaries, photo galleries and original featurettes), but the real star of the show is the movies themselves, which look better than you’ve ever seen them. Stefan Czapsky in “Child’s Play 2”(arguably, the platonic ideal of a “Child’s Play”This is a particularly striking scene in the movie. Chucky seems to be able to reach out and grab you, which makes the experience even more frightening.
“The Lost Boys” “Poltergeist”(Warner Bros. Home Video at $33.99 per piece)
Warner Bros. is bringing back two 1980s horror classics for Halloween. amazing. We seriously threw on the “Lost Boys”disc and were Blossoming away. (Michael Chapman, Martin Scorsese’s cinematographer on “Raging Bull” “Taxi Driver,”Shot “The Lost Boys.”() Ditto “Poltergeist,”Where optical and makeup effects are enhanced by tactile realism. (Can you believe this movie was rated PG?) All of the special features from earlier releases are present accounted for on these new discs and, perhaps most incredibly, there’s actually a new transfer on the bonus Blu-ray disc. Meaning that if you have to watch on a regular Blu-ray player, you’ll get a new take on “Poltergeist” and “The Lost Boys” too. How’s that for an extra Halloween treat?
“Halloween”4K Collection (1995-2002). Box Set (Shout! Factory, $129.98)
Shout Factory/Scream Factory published the original 1978 version. “Halloween”The film was also adapted into a series of sequels that were released around the same time last year. But they didn’t put all of them out … Thanks to a weird licensing agreement, “Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers,” “Halloween H20” “Halloween: Resurrection”These had to be packaged and sold together. While this wasn’t the high point of the franchise, it marks an interesting lull in the series, before it veered into uncharted territory with the two Rob Zombie remakes and returned to more stable ground with the 2018 continuation. Both versions “The Curse of Michael Myers” are presented here in beautiful 4K, meaning you can choose which one you prefer – the more coherent “Producer’s Cut”Or the battier, more bloody “Theatrical Cut” (we’re partial to the latter, if only because a young Paul Rudd seems to have grown a sense of humor in between principal photography and the reshoots). And “H20”It’s a lot of fun and very well-executed. (The work of Kevin Williamson, an uncredited screenwriter, is truly felt when you rewatch). The less said about “Halloween: Resurrection,” the better, but completists shouldn’t be without this beautiful box set.
“Return of the Living Dead,” “The Funhouse,” “Army of Darkness” 4K (Shout! 4K (Shout!
Cult classics, assemble! Shout/Scream Factory has brought three beloved cult classics – Dan O’Bannon’s “Return of the Living Dead,” Tobe Hooper’s “The Funhouse” and Sam Raimi’s “Army of Darkness,”They were then transferred to stunning 4K Blu-ray. Each of these movies is absolutely wonderful and if you’re a genre fan you have undoubtedly purchased them at least once before on home video (the editions of “Army of Darkness” I’ve owned over the years has damn near reached double digits) but these are all very worthy of a new purchase. The image quality and sound are excellent and all previous versions have been ported to the new editions. “Army of Darkness”). And if, for some reason, you’ve never seen these movies before, this is a perfect excuse to pick them up now (“The Funhouse”Although it has been largely overlooked, this is one of the most stunning horror films of the 1980s.
“La Llorona,” “Arsenic and Old Lace,” “Cure” (Criterion, $39.95 each)
Criterion’s entire October slate is super Halloween-y (and also includes their new 4K remaster of David Lynch’s “Lost Highway” Kasi Lemmons’ voodoo-infused “Eve’s Bayou”) but in the interest of budgetary restrictions and the truly spooky, let’s focus on three releases – “La Llorona,” “Arsenic and Old Lace” and “Cure.” Frank Capra’s classic, darkly tinged screwball comedy “Arsenic and Old Lace”The Halloween-themed episode is even more important because it includes a new audio commentary and a radio adaptation from 1932 starring Boris Karloff. “Cure,” from 1997, represents the peak of Japan’s horror resurgence and was a huge source of inspiration for Bong Joon-ho, and comes complete with a new transfer (that briefly ran theatrically) and extras like a conversation between director Kiyoshi Kurosawa and “Drive My Car” Ryusuke Hamaguchi (who was Kurosawa’s student). And “La Llorona,” a haunting ghost story and Guatemala’s entry for the 2020 Best Foreign Language Feature Oscar, comes with a new documentary featuring interviews with the cast and crew. What more could you ask for?
“Nope”4K (Universal Home Video, $44.98)
The year’s very best horror movie is finally available on 4K disc and it is a stunner. If you didn’t see Jordan Peele’s latest genre masterwork, it concerns a brother-and-sister duo (Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer) who take over their father’s horse farm and soon find themselves menaced by a sinister UFO. This 4K disc captures the gorgeous IMAX cinematography by Hoyte van Hoytema and features a large selection of special features. “Shadows.”Warning: Some of the larger features are not illuminated by the special features. “Nope”These mysteries are a mystery, but they still entice.
“The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2” 4K Blu-ray (Vinegar Syndrome, $49.98)
Reassessment “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2” (like “Poltergeist,” directed by Tobe Hooper) is finally complete, with this bells-and-whistles-filled home video release from specialty label Vinegar Syndrome. At first, this was met with confusion. “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2”It took a more lighthearted tone than its bone-chilling predecessor. Instead of focusing on a mix of laughter and terror, it focused on the tonal tightrope that was being walked for the duration. (Dennis Hopper plays a chainsaw-wielding lawyer bent on revenge. Vinegar Syndrome created this new package. It includes a transfer. “restored from the never-before-accessed for home video 35mm original camera negative”This release contains hours of exclusive features, many of which are new to this release. If you’re a fan of the sequel, this release is essential.
