Scary Movies VB Purchasing Guide September-November 2008

Oct. 7

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Ghost Hunters: Season 4, Part 1
BIG VISION prebook now; DVD $24.98
This title features haunted army forts, libraries, asylums and the Palace Theater in New Hampshire, where Harry Houdini once performed.

The Happening
FOX prebook now; DVD $29.98, BD $39.98
In M. Night Shyamalan’s $64 million-grossing movie starring Mark Wahlberg and Zooey Deschanel, a natural crisis threatens humanity.

The Amityville Horror
MGM/FOX prebook now; BD $39.98
James Brolin and Margot Kidder star as a couple who discover their dream home is possessed by demonic spirits in this 1979 movie.

Carrie
MGM/FOX prebook now; BD $39.98
The 1976 film stars Sissy Spacek as a teenage outcast who seeks revenge on her classmates.

The Devil’s Mercy
PEACE ARCH prebook now; DVD $29.99
A couple discovers a beautiful apartment, but they soon realize it is haunted.

Harakiri
TLA prebook now; DVD $59.99
In this Japanese series, vixens perform masochistic acts of self-sacrifice and submission.

Interview With the Vampire
WARNER prebook now; BD $28.99
Based on Anne Rice’s bestseller, a vampire tells his epic life story.

Feast II: Sloppy Seconds
WEINSTEIN/GENIUS prebook now; DVD $19.97
In this sequel, flesh-eating monsters invade a town, whose locals must try to survive.

Oct. 21
Stanley Special Edition
BCI/NAVARRE prebook 9-16; DVD $19.98
When a Vietnam vet returns to find his father has been killed, he enlists the help of a pet snake and its brood to seek revenge.

The Breed
FIRST LOOK prebook 9-16; BD $19.98
A group of vacationers on a deserted island getaway has to outrun a pack of dogs that has been genetically engineered to kill.

Sweeney Todd
PARAMOUNT prebook now; BD $39.99
Johnny Depp stars in the film based on Stephen Sondheim’s musical.

Anaconda 3: Offspring
SONY prebook 9-18; DVD $24.96
In this DVD premiere, a snake slayer (David Hasselhoff) must stop two genetically altered anacondas that have escaped from a lab.

The Lazarus Project
SONY prebook 9-18; DVD $24.96
Paul Walker stars as a criminal, facing a death sentence, who is given a second chance at life, until he realizes he might have become part of something sinister.

Trailer Park of Terror
SUMMIT prebook 9-18; DVD $22.99
After their bus crashes, six troubled high school students and their chaperone have hillbilly zombies waiting for them in this film starring Nichole Hiltz and Trace Adkins.

The Strangers
UNIVERSAL prebook 9-16; DVD $29.98, BD $39.98
A couple’s getaway turns into a night of terror when they are confronted by masked strangers in this $52.6 million-grossing suspense thriller starring Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman.

Oct. 28
Shiver
DARK SKY/MPI prebook 9-22; DVD $24.98
When a bullied teen with an allergy to sunlight moves to a remote mountain village, brutal slayings begin to occur in this Spanish horror thriller.

Edgar Allan Poe Collection Vol. 1: Annabel Lee & Other Tales of Mystery and Imagination
MICROCINEMA prebook 9-30; DVD $19.99
Adaptations of the famous writer’s work, including George Higham’s stop-motion short film of “Annabel Lee.”

H.P. Lovecraft Collection Vol. 5: Strange Aeons
MICROCINEMA prebook 9-30; DVD $19.99
A collection of stories by the horror writer, including “The Thing on the Doorstep.”

Weird Tales Collection Vol. 1: The Yellow Sign and Others
MICROCINEMA prebook 9-30; DVD $19.99
Film adaptations of horror author Robert W. Chambers’ work, including Aaron Vanek’s short film based on “The Yellow Sign.”

Zombie Strippers
SONY prebook 9-25; DVD $24.96, BD $38.96
A secret government chemo-virus gets released and lands in an underground strip club.

Jake’s Closet
VANGUARD prebook 9-19; DVD $19.95
A boy is haunted by an ominous presence lurking in his bedroom closet.

Nov. 11
Point of Contact
S’MORE prebook Oct. 14; DVD $24.98
In this Sixth Sense-esque paranormal drama, a man awakens from a 12-year coma with an ability to see the dead.

Supernatural: The Complete Third Season
WARNER prebook Oct. 7; BD $79.98
The third season of the suspense thriller comes to Blu-ray with extra features.

Image stays 'stuck’ to horror

Vampires and zombies remain perennial favorites in horror, but beyond that, what are the current trends? There’s considerable variety within the genre. Nathaniel Thompson, Image Entertainment’s brand manager for special interest product, finds that two big recent boomlets—American remakes of Japanese horror films and so-called “torture porn” titles such as Saw and Hostel—have probably already hit their peak. He notices that movies featuring serial killers are holding strong, with recent entries in the sub-genre relying more on psychological twists than bloodletting alone. Quirky modern-day horror movies with strains of black comedy, such as Image’s upcoming release Stuck, directed by Reanimator’s Stuart Gordon, are steadily gaining in popularity, Thompson says. Stuck is coming to DVD and Blu-ray, with an exclusive DVD edition for Blockbuster that contains the Blu-ray bonus features. —Ed Hulse

Oct. 14
Stuck
IMAGE prebook 9-16; DVD $27.98, BD $35.98
A woman (Mena Suvari) accidentally steers her car into a homeless man (Stephen Rea) and leaves him without help, causing her life to unravel as a result.

Lionsgate serious for spooky

“Horror has always been a part of our corporate identity,” says Chela Johnson, Lionsgate VP of marketing. “It’s an important part of our business, and we take it very seriously.” Johnson notes that many horror fans are serious collectors, and Lionsgate’s fourth-quarter releases include specialty items targeted squarely at library builders. Notably, through Sam Raimi’s Ghost House Underground partnership, Lionsgate will release eight direct-to-video films marketed both separately and as a collection. Overall, Lionsgate’s promotional efforts for horror target, in addition to mainstream consumers, the sizable and ever-growing community of true-blue aficionados. “We’re not talking casual fans here,” Johnson says. “These guys are really into horror movies. They love supplemental features on DVDs because they really want to know how these films were made.” Among other scary releases on the way from Lionsgate are Rain of Fire, Chill and The Devil’s Curse. —E.H.

Oct. 14
Ghost House Underground
LIONSGATE prebook 9-17; DVD $159.98
This set of eight films from around the world contains Dance of the Dead, No Man’s Land: The Rise of the Reeker, The Substitute, Dark Floors, Trackman, Room 205, The Last House in the Woods and Brotherhood of Blood, also available individually for $19.98 each.

Oct. 28
Rain of Fire
LIONSGATE prebook 10-1; DVD $14.98
A man (Kirk Douglas) discovers a cavern rumored to foretell the end of the world, as those around him begin to die.

Nov. 4
Chill
LIONSGATE prebook 10-8; DVD $26.98
An aspiring writer working as a clerk in a Los Angeles grocery store discovers that the store’s owner is kidnapping people and using their flesh to keep himself alive.

Nov. 18
The Devil’s Curse
LIONSGATE prebook 10-22; DVD $26.98
Five students break into a now abandoned Catholic building, where years ago a group of theological students tested their faith by summoning a demon.

Ryko distributes frightful films

“Horror movies are evergreen,” says Jay Douglas, VP of DVD for Ryko Distribution. And he should know: Ryko distributes DVD product released by a slew of independent suppliers specializing in fright films. “What’s more,” he adds, “the genre constantly reinvigorates itself.” That constant reinvigoration pays off. Douglas says horror continues to perform well, flexing its marketplace muscle with strong sales despite the current period of relatively sluggish retail activity for the DVD market in general. Ryko will release scary offerings from a variety of labels three days before Halloween: deluxe editions of The Beyond and Pieces, the DVD game Slumber Party Slaughterhouse and a variety of additional films, with a sample including The Creek, Assault! Jack the Ripper, The Marquis de Sade’s Justine, Patrick Special Edition and Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead. Beyond that, more horror arrives in November, including Splatter Disco, which label Shock-O-Rama, an indie known for mixing softcore sex, spoofs and horror, refers to as “the first slasher musical.” “Horror remains a priority due to the tremendous loyalty of our fans,” says Paige Kay Davis, VP of sales and marketing for Shock-O-Rama supplier Pop Cinema. “It’s a big part of who we are as a company.” —E.H.

Oct. 28
The Beyond Deluxe Edition
GRINDHOUSE/RYKO prebook 10-3; DVD $24.95
Italian horror master Lucio Fulci’s 1983 supernatural horror film comes with a warning that it should not be viewed by anyone under 17.

Pieces Deluxe Edition
GRINDHOUSE/RYKO prebook 10-3; DVD $24.95
A psychopathic killer stalks a Boston campus in this chain-saw slasher movie from the early ’80s making its first official release in the U.S.

Slumber Party Slaughterhouse: The DVD Game
HALO EIGHT/RYKO prebook 10-3; DVD $19.95
The main character is a geek on the eve of his high school graduation in this game designed to let gorehounds fulfill their deepest, darkest fantasies.

The Creek
INDIE-PICTURES/RYKO prebook 10-3; DVD $24.95
Six people are forced back together by the ghost of their friend in this film festival award-winning thriller.

Assault! Jack the Ripper
MONDO MACABRE/RYKO prebook 10-3; DVD $24.95
A shy pastry cook and a surly waitress find themselves turned on by blood and slaughter in this 1976 Japanese film.

The Marquis de Sade’s Justine
REDEMPTION USA/RYKO prebook 10-3; DVD $19.95
British celebrity Koo Stark stars in this 1977 sexploitation film based on a novel by the Marquis de Sade.

Patrick Special Edition
SYNAPSE/RYKO prebook 10-3; DVD $19.95
A comatose man tries to communicate with a nurse while others in her life are being hurt and killed in mysterious ways in this remastered version of the 1978 Australian psychological thriller.

Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead
TROMA/RYKO prebook 10-3; DVD $29.95
When a fast food chicken restaurant is built on their burial ground, Native American spirits seek revenge in this three-disc limited edition from director Lloyd Kaufman, creator of The Toxic Avenger.

Nov. 18
Splatter Disco
SHOCK-O-RAMA/RYKO prebook 10-24; DVD $19.95
A serial killer begins picking off nightclub employees in this slasher send-up featuring horror genre stars Ken Foree and Lynn Lowry.

'Bloodsucking’ entertainment

Vampires and masterful horror directors are always in demand, and Anchor Bay Entertainment has plenty of both. The upcoming Bloodsucking Cinema, a Starz Original documentary, is an introduction to the vampire genre with input from such filmmakers as John Carpenter and clips from memorable vampire movies. Beyond the more well-known horror films and directors, Anchor Bay has seen increasing interest in such European genre specialists as Mario Bava, Dario Argento and Jess Franco, according to Ryan Hicks, the company’s brand manager for horror. “These guys are still largely cult figures,” says Hicks, “but they’re picking up new American fans and edging into the mainstream little by little. Argento was even referenced by name in the recent hit movie Juno.” Catalog continues to move for the company. Another scary movie on the way from Anchor Bay is the videogame-based sci-fi horror thriller Dead Space: Downfall, which will be released on both DVD and Blu-ray, the first from the company to include BD Live features and a digital copy. —E.H.

Sept. 23
Bloodsucking Cinema
ANCHOR BAY/STARZ prebook now; DVD $19.97
The history of vampire films is explored through movie clips and filmmaker interviews.

Oct. 28
Dead Space: Downfall
ANCHOR BAY/STARZ prebook 9-25; DVD $26.97; BD $34.98
This animated suspense thriller bridges the gap between the Image Comics series and the Electronic Arts videogame.

Scary Movies VB Purchasing Guide September-November 2008

Image stays 'stuck’ to horror

Lionsgate serious for spooky

Ryko distributes frightful films

'Bloodsucking’ entertainment

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