By: Sean Brickley
Only nine movies to report about this week, fiends. Fear not, though. It may be a slow summer for DVD and Blu-ray releases but this fall is already looking very promising for horror movie collectors. Of note this week are the Blu-ray release of Deadly Eyes (aka The Rats) and the Criterion Collection releases of Scanners. Enjoy!
Movies:
Dark Island (2010)
Format(s):
DVD
Notable Names:
Jai Koutrae, Zero Kazama, Mary Christina Brown, Victoria Floro, Eric Lim
DVD Link:
Synopsis:
After losing contact with its researchers on a remote island, a military corporation hires a group of scientists and soldiers to find out what went wrong. When they arrive, the team quickly discovers that the weapons-testing performed on the island has unleashed a powerful and deadly entity that will stop at nothing to destroy them all.
Deadly Eyes (1982)
Format(s):
Blu-ray
Notable Names:
Sam Groom, Sara Botsford, Scatman Crothers
Blu-ray Link:
Synopsis:
Meet mankind’s deadliest enemy!
Each year they plunder one fifth of our food, spread our deadliest diseases and destroy billions of dollars worth of homes and property. They’re not cute.
Grain contaminated with steroids produce large black rats that begin feeding on the citizens of Toronto. A college basketball coach (Sam Groom, The Baby Maker) teams up with a local health inspector (Sara Botsford, The Fog 2005) to uncover the source of the mysterious giant rats. When they discover that the rats are living in the subway, they try to prevent a new subway line from opening before all hell breaks loose underground. This is man’s last desperate, bloody battle to preserve the existence of the human race!
Based on the novel The Rats by James Herbert with a screenplay by Charles Eglee (Dexter, The Walking Dead), this nail-biting thriller is directed by Robert Clouse (Enter The Dragon) and co-stars Scatman Crothers (The Shining), Lisa Langlois (The Nest) and Lesleh Donaldson (Happy Birthday To Me, Curtains).
Killer Legends (2014)
Format(s):
DVD
Notable Names:
Joshua Zeman, Rachel Mills
DVD Link:
Synopsis:
Many people believe the scariest urban legends are just modern-day folklore; campfire tales of axe-wielding boogeymen, haunted mental institutions and witches in the woods — the storylines of our favorite horror movies, but often beneath the surface of these harrowing myths lies a horrific truth that’s scarier than any fiction.
Through a chilling blend of investigative journalism, and what folklorists call Legendtripping, filmmakers Joshua Zeman and Rachel Mills embark on a dark journey as they investigate four of our most terrifying urban legends and the real-life crimes that may have inspired them. Peeling back the layers of storytelling, from interviews with shocked detectives to traumatized victims, our filmmakers discover a truth more horrifying than they had ever imagined. Unraveling the mystery behind a legacy that refuses to die, this is an attempt to understand not just what we all fear, but more importantly… why we continue to believe.
Legends included: The Hookman, The Candyman, The Babysitter & the Man Upstairs, and Phantom Clowns.
Special Features:
Hook: Phantom Revealed (1:10), Making Connections (3:59), A Cautionary Tale (2:53)
Babysitter: Close Call (1:47)
Clowns: Sinister Suburbs (1:52), Family Affair (5:11)
Candyman: Finger Pointing (1:33)
Open Grave (2013)
Format(s):
DVD, Blu-ray
Notable Names:
Joseph Morgan, Thomas Kretschmann, Sharlto Copley
DVD Link:
Blu-ray Link:
Synopsis:
A man (Sharlto Copley, District 9, Elysium) wakes up in a pit of dead bodies with no memory of who he is or how he got there. Fleeing the scene, he breaks into a nearby house and is met at gunpoint by a group of terrified strangers, all suffering from memory loss. Suspicion gives way to violence as the group starts to piece together clues about their identities, but when they uncover a threat that’s more vicious — and hungry — than each other, they are forced to figure out what brought them all together — before it’s too late.
SX_Tape (2012)
Format(s):
DVD, Blu-ray
Notable Names:
Ian Duncan, Daniel Faraldo, Caitlyn Folley, Diana Garcia
DVD Link:
Blu-ray Link:
Synopsis:
What begins as harmless sex games between a free-spirited artist (Caitlyn Folley) and her videographer boyfriend (Ian Duncan) turns much darker as the pair breaks into a boarded-up former hospital , looking for a space for a new gallery show. As they investigate the building’s ominous rooms and passageways, a seductive prank , meaning to arouse and terrify, goes terribly wrong – and what is discovered will destroy them both.
Scanners (Criterion Collection) (1981)
Format(s):
DVD, Blu-ray
Notable Names:
Jennifer O’Neill, Stephen Lack, Patrick McGoohan
DVD Link:
Blu-ray Link:
Synopsis:
A scientist sends a “scanner” to hunt others like him with explosive psychic powers. Directed by David Cronenberg.
Special Features:
New, restored 2K digital film transfer, supervised by director David Cronenberg, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray
The “Scanners” Way, a new documentary on the film’s special effects
New interview with actor Michael Ironside
The Ephemerol Diaries, a 2012 interview with actor and artist Stephen Lack
Excerpt from a 1981 interview with Cronenberg on the CBC’s The Bob McLean Show
Stereo (1969), Cronenberg’s first feature film
Trailer
One Blu-ray and two DVDs, with all content available in both formats
A booklet featuring an essay by critic Kim Newman
Torment (2013)
Format(s):
DVD
Notable Names:
Peter DaCunha, Katharine Isabelle, Stephen McHattie
DVD Link:
Synopsis:
Newlyweds Cory and Sarah Morgan take Cory’s 7-year old son Liam up to the country for some much needed family time. When it appears as if Liam has run away, psychological suspense becomes straight-out horror, as Sarah and Cory must now confront a sadistic cult-like family who have been hiding in the house all along and have taken Liam for themselves.
Toxin (2014)
Format(s):
DVD
Notable Names:
Doug Chapman, Kyra Zagorsky
DVD Link:
Synopsis:
Lieutenant John Paxton wants revenge against the government he and his men swore their lives to defend. The very government that abandoned and betrayed him, leaving him to die after a secret biological warfare experiment went horribly wrong. John will discover revenge is a journey that will ultimately leave millions infected, countless dead, and the lucky few survivors struggling to find the last safe corner for humanity.
Under the Skin (2013)
Format(s):
DVD, Blu-ray
Notable Names:
Scarlett Johansson
DVD Link:
Blu-ray Link:
Synopsis:
From visionary director Jonathan Glazer (Sexy Beast, Birth) comes a stunning career transformation, a masterpiece of existential science fiction that journeys to the heart of what it means to be human, extraterrestrial — or something in between. A voluptuous woman of unknown origin (Scarlett Johansson) combs the highways in search of isolated or forsaken men, luring a succession of lost souls into an otherworldly lair. They are seduced, stripped of their humanity, and never heard from again.
Based on the novel by Michel Faber (The Crimson Petal and the White), Under The Skin examines human experience from the perspective of an unforgettable heroine who grows too comfortable in her borrowed skin, until she is abducted into humanity with devastating results.
