By: Sean Brickley
We have a pretty solid lineup this week, fellow freaks. As Above, So Below is being released on DVD and Blu-ray. There’s some good collections, including a Tales From The Crypt / Vault Of Horror double feature. This week also sees the DVD/Blu-ray release of the first season of The Strain. Pleasant viewing.
MOVIES
Antidote (2013)
Starring:
Kate Flanagan, Michael Izquierdo, Matthew Rauch
Synopsis:
In a post-apocalyptic plague-ridden world, a man and woman face unimaginable horrors when he suddenly becomes infected, and the only possible cure slowly drives him mad.
Purchase:
DVD
As Above, So Below (2014)
Starring:
Perdita Weeks, Ben Feldman, Edwin Hodge
Synopsis:
Miles of twisting catacombs lie beneath the streets of Paris, the eternal home to countless souls. When a team of explorers ventures into the uncharted maze of bones, they uncover the dark secret that lies within this city of the dead. A journey into madness and terror, As Above, So Below reaches deep into the human psyche to reveal the personal demons that come back to haunt us all.
Purchase:
DVD
Blu-ray
Kingdom Come (2014)
Starring:
Ry Barrett, Jason Martorino
Synopsis:
A group of strangers wake up, confused and disoriented, in a mysterious abandoned hospital. Unable to escape, they soon find themselves stalked by a powerful supernatural being that is forcing them to confront their worst fears and darkest secrets. With their lives – and souls – on the line, the captives now have one last chance to right the wrongs of their past. . . or die a painful death and spend the rest of eternity facing the torments of Hell.
Purchase:
DVD
Mary Reilly (1996)
Starring:
Linda Bassett, Glenn Close, John Malkovich, Julia Roberts
Synopsis:
The classic horror story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde gets a chilling new twist when seen through the eyes of Dr. Jekyll’s devoted maid, Mary Reilly. Julia Roberts (Erin Brockovich) and John Malkovich (Being John Malkovich), along with writer Christopher Hampton and director Stephen Frears of Dangerous Liaisons, take terror to a new level as the immortal conflict between good and evil is played out in the soul of one man. Equally attracted to her kind employer Dr. Jekyll and his mysterious assistant Mr. Hyde, Mary Reilly must confront her own dangerous desires if she is to survive humanity’s greatest evil. Newly remastered.
Purchase:
DVD
The Quatermass Xperiment (1955)
Starring:
Brian Donlevy, Jack Warner, Margia Dean, Richard Wordsworth, Gordon Jackson
Synopsis:
Val Guest (The Day The Earth Caught Fire) directed this chilling film about a spacecraft returning to earth with a frightening surprise on board. Two of the ship’s three astronauts have mysteriously vanished, while the third is sick with an unidentifiable illness. While doctors try to help the third man recover, an investigation takes place to figure out just what happened to his comrades. As it turns out, the survivor’s body has been taken over by an alien fungus that needs blood to survive. After the astronaut escapes from the hospital, he transforms into a monster, attacking everyone who gets in its way. Meanwhile, Scotland Yard detective Lomax (Jack Warner, The Blue Lamp) and Professor Bernard Quatermass (Brian Donlevy, The Glass Key), a determined scientist, attempt to track down the creature before it finds new victims. Also known as The Creeping Unknown.
Purchase:
Blu-ray
Speak No Evil (2013)
Starring:
Greg Bronson, Annalise Cavender, Elisabeth Cavender, Ian Cavender, Olivia Cavender, Kameron Cochrane, Sylvie Cohen, Michael Cortez
Synopsis:
When all the children in a small religious town disappear, panic spreads quickly. But when the children finally return, they begin attacking the parents, and it becomes clear that they are possessed by a demon. The town is forced into a desperate and violent campaign to eliminate the possessed children, but one mother refuses to believe that her daughter is lost to the devil and will do whatever it takes to keep her alive, and save her from the demon inside.
Purchase:
DVD
TELEVISION
The Strain: Season 1
Starring:
David Bradley, Jonathan Hyde, Kevin Durand, Corey Stoll
Synopsis:
When a freak virus kills all but four passengers on an airplane at JFK, Ephraim Goodweather (Corey Stoll), head of the Center for Disease Control’s “Canary Team,” is immediately called to the scene. With help from a mysterious Holocaust survivor (David Bradley), “Eph” and his colleague (Mía Maestro) uncover the outbreak’s ties to vampirism. Now, the only way to stop the terrifying disease from wiping out mankind is to face its source – a sinister supernatural creature known as “The Master” – whose evil intent seems more powerful than any other force on Earth!
Purchase:
DVD
Blu-ray
COLLECTIONS
8 Horror Movies
Starring:
John Newland, Bela Lugosi, Ralph Morgan, Antony Carbone, Ed Kemmer
Movies:
Bowery at Midnight
A criminology professor (Bela Lugosi) runs a mission that’s actually a vile crime ring. When things spiral out of his control, the professor kills his own henchmenwho later resurface as murderous zombies.
Beast from Haunted Cave
After staging a heist in South Dakota, a gang of bank robbers are making their getaway through the wilderness when they stumble upon a hideous cave-dwelling monster.
Condemned to Live
While people in a village ravaged by a string of violent murders race to uncover the killer’s identity, the town’s doctor (Ralph Morgan) uncovers some disturbing information about himself.
Creature from the Haunted Sea
In this Roger Corman classic, a mobster helps Cuban loyalists escape by boat, plotting to kill and rob them and blame their deaths on a mythical sea monster…until the beast actually comes to life.
The Beast of Yucca Flats
Evil agents chase a talented scientist (Tor Johnson) defecting from Russia into a nuclear test site where an explosion infuses him with enough radiation to make him a walking monster.
The Corpse Vanishes
Bela Lugosi stars as Dr. Lorenz, an evil horticulturist who poisons young women and removes fluid from their glands to inject into his wife, keeping her young and beautiful.
Giant from the Unknown
A scientist (Ed Kemmer) discovers a 500-year-old Spanish giant in a state of suspended animation. A lightning bolt reanimates the giant, sending it on a homicidal rampage.
The Monster Maker
An unsuspecting concert pianist (Ralph Morgan) is injected with a disfiguring serum by Markoff (J. Carrol Naish), a mad doctor, in order to exhort money. When the musician delivers the cash, Markoff will deliver the antidote…
BONUS
One Step Beyond
Hosted by the intense and impenetrable John Newland, this long-running TV series promises you a bone-chilling fright night of creepy entertainment based on factual accounts! Includes 10 Episodes.
Purchase:
DVD
17 Horror Classics
Starring:
Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney Jr, Susan Cabot, Barbara Lass
Movies:
The Ape
Dr. Adrian (Boris Karloff) discovers a vaccine for polio: pure, unadulterated human spinal fluid. Now all he needs are some donors.
The Wasp Woman
A youth-obsessed cosmetics mogul volunteers to be the test subject for a new beauty cream that has a sinister side effect. Directed by Roger Corman.
Werewolf in a Girls’ Dormitory
At a boarding school for wayward girls, a murderous beast is prowling the grounds with razor-sharp claws, skin-shredding teeth and an insatiable lust for blood.
The She-Beast
Veronica (Barbara Steele) is a beautiful young bride who is possessed by an 18th century Transylvanian witch that was murdered by local villagers.
The Killer Shrews
A mad scientist on an isolated island accidentally creates a race of giant shrews that manage to escape during a hurricane.
Snowbeast
To prevent panic at a ski resort, several deaths are blamed on a bear, but then a ski patrolman, Tony Rill (Robert Logan) spots a giant, shadowy figure disappearing into the woods.
Moon of the Wolf
The sheriff (David Janssen) of a tiny swampland town must discover whoor whatis responsible for the brutal murder of a young woman.
Night Train to Terror
An unsuspecting rock band boards a train bound for nowhere, while two illustrious presences, God and Satan, swap macabre tales and discuss the fate of the train’s passengers.
The Devil’s Nightmare
Seven travelers take shelter at a Gothic manor, but before the night is through, a seductive succubus will show each of them just how deadly their sins are.
Bride of the Gorilla
A witch uses voodoo to turn a killer (Raymond Burr) into a bloodthirsty ape-like creature that prowls the night.
She Demons
Shipwrecked on an uncharted volcanic island, a beautiful but spoiled heiress (Irish McCalla) becomes the target of a madman.
Attack of the Giant Leeches
In a small swampland town, people are falling prey to a vicious breed of giant leeches.
The Sound of Horror
Treasure hunters disturb a nest of prehistoric eggs, releasing a screeching invisible force with a lust for flesh.
Black Dragons
Six members of Washington’s high society, who aren’t as they appear, are being methodically hunted for the secret they keep.
The Devil’s Partner
After making a deal with the devil, an old man uses his newfound youth and magical powers to win a woman from his rival.
Night of the Blood Beast
Infested with alien embryos, the dead body of a crashed astronaut comes back to life as a horrifying creature called the Blood Beast.
Monstrosity
When three young women answer phony ads for employment as a housekeeper, little do they know it’s a ruse to solicit subjects for an evil doctor’s unethical experiments.
Purchase:
DVD
Classic Mystery Collection
Starring:
John Howard, Boris Karloff, Ray Milland, John Barrymore
Movies:
Bulldog Drummond Escapes
Ray Milland stars as the indomitable Hugh “Bulldog” Drummond, who comes to the rescue of lovely heiress Phyllis Clavering.
Bulldog Drummond’s Peril
Bulldog Drummond uncovers the motive of several mysterious assassinations—the thievery of synthetic diamonds.
Bulldog Drummond’s Revenge
Investigating the mysterious disappearance of cargo from a plane crash, Bulldog Drummond uncovers a strange clue: a severed hand attached to a case full of explosives.
British Intelligence
Boris Karloff stars as the baleful butler of a British politician who may actually be a German spy.
Dick Tracy, Detective
Dick Tracy is on the hunt for Splitface, a notorious criminal who’s attempting to bump off the jurors responsible for his prison stint.
Doomed to Die
The master of crime-solving, Mr. Wong (Boris Karloff), cleans up a dirty case involving the murder of a shipping mogul.
Shock!
A psycho psychiatrist (Vincent Price) thinks he can get away with murder until he finds out that someone saw the whole thing.
Mysterious Mr. Wong
The diabolical Mr. Wong (Bela Lugosi) resorts to kidnapping, torture and even murder to get his hands on the Twelve Coins of Confucius.
The Mystery of Mr. Wong
The most precious sapphire on Earth has been stolen. When it winds up in the hands of a gem collector, Mr. Wong (Boris Karloff) is called in to investigate.
Phantom of Chinatown
Rookie sleuth Jimmy Lee Wong investigates the case of bumped-off expedition leader Dr. Benton.
The Black Book
A political group sends Charles D’Aubigny after a little black book that contains incriminating information about a crooked revolutionary leader.
Mr. Wong in Chinatown
While seeking the help of Detective Wong (Boris Karloff), a princess in distress is struck by a poisonous dart.
Nancy Drew, Reporter
Junior reporter Nancy Drew is on the trail of a murderer. Though the evidence points to the deceased’s ward, Nancy has her sights set elsewhere.
Purchase:
DVD
Tales From The Crypt / Vault Of Horror
Starring:
Ralph Richardson, Joan Collins, Peter Cushing, Glynis Johns
Movies:
Tales From The Crypt, Vault Of Horror
