We have rounded up some of the latest horror/science fiction genre DVD & Blu-ray releases in the UK for the week beginning 5th December 2022.
GHOST STORIES FOR CHRISTMAS – VOLUME 1
Ghost Stories for Christmas: Volume 1 (3-disc Blu-ray)
Directors: Jonathan Miller, Lawrence Gordon Clark
Broadcast in the dying hours of Christmas Eve, the BBC’s A Ghost Story for Christmas series was a fixture of the seasonal schedules throughout the 1970s and spawned a long tradition of chilling tales, which terrified yuletide viewers for decades to come.
This much-requested release brings four landmarks of the series their Blu-ray debut, having been newly remastered by the BFI from original film materials. All based on classic short stories by acclaimed writer MR James, his atmospheric settings and creeping unease are eerily realised in these seminal dramas that unleash evil spirits that will haunt and unnerve.
The Films:
Whistle and I’ll Come to You (1968) | The Stalls of Barchester (1971) | A Warning to the Curious (1972) | Lost Hearts (1973)
Out now on 3-Disc Blu-ray Boxset from Bfi
DAS CABINET DES DR. CALIGARI [The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari]
One of the most iconic masterpieces in cinema history, Robert Wiene’s Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari shook filmgoers worldwide and changed the direction of the art form. Now presented in a definitive UHD edition, the film’s chilling, radically expressionist vision is set to grip viewers again.
At a local carnival in a small German town, hypnotist Dr. Caligari presents the somnambulist Cesare, who can purportedly predict the future of curious fairgoers. But at night, the doctor wakes Cesare from his sleep to enact his evil bidding…
Incalculably influential, the film’s nightmarishly jagged sets, sinister atmospheric and psychological emphasis left an immediate impact in its wake (horror, film noir, and gothic cinema would all be shaped directly by it). But this diabolical tale nevertheless stands alone – now more mesmerising than ever in its UK debut on Ultra HD Blu-ray.
Out now on Limited Edition 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Boxset from Eureka Entertainment
THE LEECH
From Black Christmas to Rare Exports, there has long been a symbiotic relationship between horror and the season of good cheer. Now, writer/director Eric Pennycoff (Sadistic Intentions) continues this proud tradition with The Leech, a cautionary tale about the perils of opening your door to a stranger.
Father David (Graham Skipper, Sequence Break), a Catholic priest struggling to fill the pews in his church, allows a homeless man, Terry (Jeremy Gardner, After Midnight), into his home to escape the December chill. But this simple act of kindness has unforeseen consequences when Terry’s pregnant girlfriend, Lexi (Taylor Gardner, Sadistic Intentions), also decides to crash at the parochial house. Determined to save the warring couple through the healing power of God’s love, David’s ordered existence quickly unravels as he succumbs to the wicked ways of the parasitic pair. Will he pass this apparent test of faith or resort to blood-soaked, Old Testament justice?
Agonisingly intense and rib-ticklingly funny in equal measure, The Leech serves as both a festive frightmare and a microcosm of the fault lines of contemporary America. Arrow Video is proud to present this latest inductee into the Christmas horror hall of fame!
Out now on Blu-ray from Arrow Video
NIGHTMARE AT NOON
DON’T DRINK THE WATER!
From cult director Nico Mastorakis (Island of Death, Hired to Kill) comes Nightmare at Noon, a hectic mashup of eco-horror and shoot ‘em up full of daring stunts and explosive action!
Something strange is afoot in a small remote town in Utah, as a series of sinister state experiments in the surrounding desert leads to the contamination of its water supply, transforming the residents into lethal brainless maniacs. Enter vacationing lawyer Ken Griffiths (Wings Hauser, Vice Squad), his sassy wife Cheri (Kimberly Beck) and Reilly (Bo Hopkins), the mysterious hitchhiker they pick up on the road, who find themselves thrust into the midst of this madness when they stop for a drink at the local diner.
Featuring an epic score by Stanley Myers and Hans Zimmer (Inception, The Dark Knight series) and set amongst the spectacular backdrop of Arches National Park, Nightmare at Noon is a non-stop adrenaline pumping thrill ride!
Out now on Blu-ray from Arrow Video
THE CAT AND THE CANARY and THE GHOST BREAKERS
Ghosts and gags galore in this charming double-bill of horror-comedies starring Bob Hope and Paulette Goddard.
The Cat and the Canary (dir. Elliott Nugent, 1939) – A decade after the death of an eccentric millionaire, his remaining relatives gather for the reading of the will at his abandoned mansion set deep in the Louisiana bayous. His niece Joyce (Paulette Goddard) is named the sole inheritor, but under the condition that she does not go insane within the next 30 days. The timid Wally (Bob Hope) vows to protect Joyce who must spend the night in the haunted mansion along with her jealous relatives, a creepy maid and a homicidal maniac who has just escaped from a nearby sanitarium.
The Ghost Breakers (dir. George Marshall, 1940) – Larry Lawrence (Hope), sought in connection with a murder he did not commit, eludes New York police by hiding in a steamer trunk. Soon the trunk (and Larry) are aboard a ship bound for Cuba, where the trunk’s owner, pretty Mary Carter (Goddard), is sailing to take possession of a recent inheritance: a “haunted” castle. Sensing that Mary is in danger, Larry and his valet precede her to the island, which is inhabited by a ghost, a zombie and perhaps even a flesh-and-blood fiend. There’s romance, comedy and chills as Hope and Goddard contend with earthly and un-earthly foes―and try to keep from ending up as ghosts themselves.
Eureka Classics is proud to present both films in their UK debuts on Blu-ray.
Out now on Blu-ray from Eureka Entertainment
MAD GOD
Follow The Assassin through a forbidding world of tortured souls, decrepit bunkers, and wretched monstrosities forged from the most primordial horrors of the subconscious mind. Directed by Phil Tippett (Star Wars, Jurassic Park), the world’s pre-eminent stop motion animator, every set, creature, and effigy in this macabre masterpiece is hand-crafted and painstakingly animated using traditional stop-motion techniques.
Out now on Blu-ray and DVD from Acorn
DR TERRORS HOUSE OF HORRORS
DR. TERROR FORETELLS THE FUTURE…AND FIVE MEN WISH HE HADN’T…
Dr. Terror (Peter Cushing) is a mysterious fortune teller who boards a train to tell fellow passengers (Christopher Lee, Roy Castle and Donald Sutherland) their fortune with tarot cards. Five possible futures unfold: an architect returns to his ancestral home to find a werewolf out for revenge; a huge flesh-eating vine takes over a house; a musician gets involved with voodoo; an art critic is pursued by a disembodied hand and a doctor discovers his new wife is a vampire. But they all end in the same result…DEATH! A fascinating and fast paced example of portmanteau filmmaking with a deadly twist in the tale….
Out now on Blu-ray and DVD from Fabulous Films
RESURRECTION
Resurrection’s Margaret (Rebecca Hall) leads a successful and orderly life, perfectly balancing the demands of her busy career and single parenthood to her fiercely independent daughter Abbie. Everything is under control.
But that careful balance is upended when an unwelcome shadow from her past, David (Tim Roth) returns, carrying with him the horrors of Margaret’s past. Battling her rising fear, Margaret must confront the monster she’s evaded for two decades who has come to conclude their unfinished business.
Writer-director Andrew Semans delivers pure havoc one moment and feelings of deep familiarity the next, creating a film that promises a gripping emotional journey fused with a grand guignol-style living nightmare.
Out now on Blu-ray and DVD from Mediumrare
STAR TREK: DISCOVERY – Season 4
Season Four of STAR TREK: DISCOVERY ™ finds Captain Burnham and the crew of the U.S.S. Discovery facing a threat unlike any they’ve ever encountered. With Federation and non-Federation worlds alike feeling the impact, they must confront the unknown and work together to ensure a hopeful future for all.
Out now on Blu-ray and DVD from Paramount Home Entertainment
STAR TREK: DISCOVERY – Season 4 Steelbook
Season Four of STAR TREK: DISCOVERY ™ finds Captain Burnham and the crew of the U.S.S. Discovery facing a threat unlike any they’ve ever encountered. With Federation and non-Federation worlds alike feeling the impact, they must confront the unknown and work together to ensure a hopeful future for all.
Out now on Steelbook Blu-ray from Paramount Home Entertainment
SOMETHING IN THE DIRT
When neighbours John and Levi witness supernatural events in their Los Angeles apartment, they realise documenting the paranormal could inject some fame and fortune into their wasted lives. An ever-deeper, darker rabbit hole, their friendship frays as they uncover the dangers of the phenomena, the city and each other.
Out now on Blu-ray from Lightbulb Film Distribution
FLASH GORDON (40th Anniversary)
Get ready to kick some Flash with a brand new out-of-this-world 4K restoration of the much-loved cult classic FLASH GORDON, directed by Mike Hodges. Featuring an all-star cast, including Sam J Jones (Flash Gordon) Brian Blessed (Prince Vultan) Timothy Dalton (Prince Barin) Max Von Sydow (Ming The Merciless) and Melody Anderson (Dale) and accompanied by a dazzling soundtrack from the inimitable Queen, this is the ultimate FLASH GORDON collection.
‘Flash!…he’ll save everyone of us’!”
Out now on 4K UHD Collector’s Edition Blu-ray from Studiocanal
TWELVE MONKEYS The Complete Series
CHANGE THE PAST, SAVE THE FUTURE
A man from the post-apocalyptic future, Cole uses a dangerous, untested method of time travel to get from 2043 to the present day. He is on a mission to locate and rid the world of the source of the plague that will eventually annihilate the human race. Assisting him is Dr. Cassandra Railly, a virologist who must decide whether to do harm in order to save the world- regardless of the fact she has taken the Hippocratic oath. The sci-fi series is based on Terry Gilliam’s 1995 film. Enjoy all 4 Seasons of this hit sci-fi show.
Out now on Blu-ray and DVD from Fabulous Films
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