Books and Boxes

By BRIAN THOMAS     September 27, 2005

The Prize Closet continues to dominate this territory. Well, dang it, we just love to give away fee DVDs! To win any of these prizes, you just have to send me an email to psycho@psychotronic.info and include a valid mailing address in the body. Once we have prizes in, we'll pick winners and send them right out.

First of all we have 3 copies of the creepy K-horror hit FACE, courtesy of Tartan's Asia Extreme line. To win, get "FACE" in the email subject line.

Since you loved our giveaway of Volume 2 so much, we obtained 5 copies of X-FILES MYTHOLOGY Volume 3: Colonization to give away, courtesy of Fox. For this one, just put "X-COLON" in the subject.

Tom Laughlin's pacifist action hero Billy Jack was a hugely popular antihero in the early 1970s. Relive those glory days by winning one of 5 copies of the BILLY JACK ULTIMATE COLLECTION provided by Ventura Entertainment. The subject line should read "BERZERK" for this one.

And now it's time to get literary. Last but certainly not least, Anchor Bay has provided us with 3 copies of EVIL DEAD 2: BOOK OF THE DEAD 2. If you think there's been enough editions of this title already, after checking it out at www.hyfntrak.com/evildead2/AFF20215 you may want to enter by including the word "GROOVY" in the subject line. Plus, one of you three lucky winners will receive a bonus prize: a copy of disc 1 of Bruce Campbell's new audio version of his book MAKE LOVE! THE BRUCE CAMPBELL WAY.

SPOTLIGHT OF THE WEEK

This week, our spotlight falls on unusual horror packaging perfect for Halloween gifting. Let H-season begin!

(O) THE BLIND DEAD COLLECTION (Blue Underground) Armando de Ossorio's quartet of Spanish horror features about the Templaros unseeing bloodthirsty undead mummies have long been favorites among Eurohorror afficianados. Now they've been restored in high definition from the finest archival materials. Who'dathunkit? Includes TOMBS OF THE BLIND DEAD, RETURN OF THE EVIL DEAD, GHOST GALLEON (aka HORROR OF THE ZOMBIES) and NIGHT OF THE SEAGULLS, plus a documentary on Ossorio, interviews, booklet and more, all in a coffin-shaped package!
(O) EVIL DEAD 2: Book of the Dead Limited Edition (Anchor Bay) Yep, it's yet another edition of ED on DVD, now in Evil Book packaging sculpted by Tom Sullivan that screams when you poke it in the eye! The perfect companion volume for those of you who have the EVIL DEAD edition. Includes new HD transfer, commentrak, new featurettes and more.

NEW RELEASES

(O) ALIEN FILES (Avalanche) Females aboard a spaceship are possessed by an evil alien intelligence.
(O) ALIENS GONE WILD (Wizard/Goldhil) A drunken E.T. exposes himself during Spring Break in Fort Lauderdale.
(O) THE AMAZING RACE Season 1 (Paramount) Big budget network game show inspired by Jules Verne. Plus extra footage, interviews, featurettes and more.
(O) AMERICAN PIE 3 Movie Pack (Universal) The PIE trilogy, in unrated widescreen or R-rated fullscreen editions.

(O) ANYTHING GOES (Paramount) 1956 version of the hit musical comedy starring Bing Crosby, Donald O'Connor, Mitzi Gaynor and Phil Harris.
(O) ASCENSION (Film Threat) Arty low budget sci-fi set on a distant lunar outpost. With commentraks, behind-the-scenes, deleted footage and more.
(O) ATLAS IN THE LAND OF THE CYCLOPS (Alpha) Gordon Mitchell fights a one-eyed monster.
(O) BAD ACID (MVD) Peter Steele of Type O Negative stars as a guy suffering from major hallucinations in this low budget comedy.
(O) BASKET CASE (Image) UMD
(O) BATMAN THE MOVIE (Fox) 35th anniversary UMD
(O) BEETHOVEN Pooch Pack (Universal) Five movies about a big St. Bernard on two discs.
(O) BIG ALLIGATOR RIVER (NoShame) Construction of a resort brings the wrath of a huge gator god in this 1979 animal revenge flick from Sergio Martino (TORSO). Includes Martino interview.
(O) BILL & TED'S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE (Sony) UMD
(O) THE BILLY JACK ULTIMATE COLLECTION (Billy Jack Enterprises/Ventura) All 5 films directed by and starring Tom Laughlin as the 1970s martial arts/counterculture hero. Set includes BORN LOSERS, BILLY JACK, THE TRIAL OF BILLY JACK and BILLY JACK GOES TO WASHINGTON, plus a bonus disc full of stuff.
(O) THE CANDY SNATCHERS (Subversive) 1973 thriller in which a trio of amateur kidnappers abduct a teenage heiress and bury her alive. Things get dicey when her father fails to show up with the ransom.
(O) CHICO & THE MAN: Television Favorites (Warner Bros.) Hard to believe that in 1974 this sitcom about a "Hungarican" mechanic going to work for a racist old garage owner caused a sensation. 30 episodes.
(O) COLD BLOOD (Heretic) A widower retreats to a remote farmhouse to grieve, but is tormented by a mystery. Includes commentrak, Making-Of, deleted footage and more.
(O) DARK SHADOWS DVD Collection 20 (MPI) Extended arc set in a parallel universe. Plus interviews.
(O) DESCENT (Lions Gate) Hilarious Sci-Fi Channel remake of THE CORE on a low budget (a lot of it takes place in a warehouse) starring Luke Perry and Michael Dorn.
(O) DRAGONHEAD (Madia Blasters) Three Japanese students who survive a subway cave-in dig out to find the surface decimated, with a mysterious force roaming the countryside. With Making-Of, interviews and more.
(O) DRILLER KILLER (Cult Epics) Single disc edition of Abel Ferrara's groundbreaking first feature. Includes near-incoherent commentrak by the director.
(O) EAT THE RICH (Image) British black class comedy with an all-star cast in which a resentful waiter finds a way to strike back at the wealthy.
(O) EXPERIMENTS IN TERROR (Facets) Documentary on underground horror films from 1961-2002, plus two featurettes. An Other Cinema presentation.
(O) EXTRA WEIRD SAMPLER (Image) Something Weird Video's acclaimed trailer compilation, now on UMD.
(O) FACE (Tartan) K-horror about a forensic sculptor trying to reconstruct the features of the acid-destroyed victims of a madman before his psychic daughter succumbs to their bad mojo. Includes interviews, outtakes and more. See above to win one from us.
(O) FEMALE YAKUZA TALE (Panik House) 1973 sequel to the Japanese crime thriller SEX & FURY. Includes commentrak and more.
(O) FLESH FOR THE BEAST (Media Blasters) R-rated and unrated "Premium Box" editions of MB's original horror production, plus exclusive t-shirt and graphic novel.
(O) FRANKENSTEIN ISLAND (Retromedia/MVD) Late in his career (1981) schlockmaster Jerry Warren threw together this amazingly bad trash classic starring Cameron Mitchell and John Carradine as a ghost in a cave. Includes featurette.
(O) THE FREAKMAKER (Subversive) 1970s UK horror in which mad scientist Donald Pleasence turns abducted teenagers into half plant mutations. Includes commentrak.
(O) F-TROOP: Television Favorites (Warner Bros.)
(O) THE GILMORE GIRLS Complete Fourth Season (Warner Bros.) 22-episodes of unreal bliss with TV's hottest mother-daughter team, plus annotation track, trivia game and more. Also available bundled with seasons 1-3.
(O) HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER (MPI/Dark Sky) A realistic, matter-of-fact presentation of one who hunts humans, played for maximum creeps by Michael Rooker. Special 20th anniversary edition includes commentrak by director John McNaughton, deleted footage, documentary on the film's inspiration Henry Lee Lucas, and more.
(O) HORROR CLASSICS 4-pack Volume 1 (Treeline)
(O) HORROR CLASSICS 4-pack Volume 2 (Treeline)
(O) HORROR CLASSICS 4-pack Volume 3 (Treeline)
(O) HORROR CLASSICS 4-pack Volume 4 (Treeline) Quartets of PD horror titles, unidentified at press time.
(O) ICE FROM THE SUN (Image) Ambitious low budget horror fantasy epic in which wizards, demons and angels clash in a nightmarish future world. Three commentraks, feature length Making-Of, featurettes, auditions, music videos and more.
(O) ICE QUEEN (MTI) A humanoid woman found encased in amber for millennium is on board a plane that crashes on top of a mountain, causing an avalanche that traps a group of folks inside a resort, making them easy prey for the re-animated bitch from hell. Hey, they stole my movie idea! With commentrak, behind-the-scenes and more.
(O) ILLUMINATING ANGELS & DEMONS (Ardustry) Documentary exposé on the Illuminati secret society. I know nothing about this. Nothing!
(O) INSATIABLE DESIRES / NAKED AMBITION (Mainline/Ventura) Cable-TV erotic thriller double feature.
(O) KARATE FRIGHTMARE / KARATE DEATH SQUAD (VideoAsia/Ventura)
(O) KINGDOM HOSPITAL: Making the Rounds (Sony) Six episodes on 2 discs.
(O) A KNIGHT'S TALE (Sony) Extended cut of the music video version of a midievel adventure. Oh great, I was hoping they could make this movie even longer.
(O) A KNIGHT'S TALE (Sony) UMD
(O) LET'S GO WITH PANCHO VILLA (Facets) 1936 Mexican adventure about a half dozen men who set out to join Villa's army. Includes suppressed original ending and more.
(O) LONG WEEKEND (Synapse) 1978 Australian chiller in which a careless couple camping on the shore finds nature not so forgiving of their bad habits.Includes commentrak and more.
(O) LORDS OF DOGTOWN (Sony) The growth of skateboard tricks as a "sport" is chronicled through the story of a group of southern California board nuts who get treated like rock stars as the activity's popularity grows. Available in PG-13 and unrated extended editions.
(O) LORDS OF DOGTOWN (Sony) UMD
(O) LUCKY STIFF (Image) 1988 horror comedy in which Joe Alaskey thinks himself fortunate when Donna Dixon invites himmhome for her family Christmas dinner, only to learn that he's the main course.
(O) MARTIAL ARTS BOX SET (VideoAsia) Includes HONG KONG HATCHET MEN, THE CHANG GANG, KARATE FRIGHTMARE, KARATE DEATH SQUAD, THE TONG FATHER and REVENGE OF THE LADY WARRIOR.
(O) MECHANICAL MAN (Alpha) Rare 1921 featurette presents the screens first giant robot on a rampage! Plus: The 1922 version of HEADLESS HOESEMAN starring Will Rogers.
(O) MODERN JAPANESE HORROR (Artsmagic) Bundles together two of the better J-horrors: HYPNOSIS and PYROKINESIS.
(O) MONTY PYTHON'S FLYING CIRCUS 16-TON COLLECTION (A&E) The whole entire series, plus a live concert film and a retrospective documentary.
(O) MOONLIGHT BY THE SEA (Sub Rosa) Drama set in a future world run by Big Brother corporations.
(O) NICK PHILLIPS RETROSHOCK (EI Cinema) 4-disc set: CRIMINALLY INSANE, CRIMINALLY INSANE 2, SATAN'S BLACK WEDDING and ODDO
(O) OCTOBER MOON (Tempe) A tense love triangle between three men turns psychopathic in this groundbreaking horror indie.
(O) THE ONE (Sony) UMD
(O) THE PHOENIX AND THE CARPET (Buena Vista/Miramax) Kids meet a magical bird with a magical carpet.
(O) RED COCKROACHES (Heretic) A man and woman explore a dark future New York City in this surreal exercise. Includes commentrak, Making-Of, bonus short, deleted footage, outtakes and more.
(O) SCI-FI CLASSICS 4-pack Volume 1 (Treeline)
(O) SCI-FI CLASSICS 4-pack Volume 2 (Treeline)
(O) SCI-FI CLASSICS 4-pack Volume 3 (Treeline)
(O) SCI-FI CLASSICS 4-pack Volume 4 (Treeline) Quartets of PD science fiction titles, unidentified at press time.
(O) SEX & FURY (Panik House) A woman rises through the ranks of the yakuza in this 1973 Japanese feature. Includes commentrak, sticker and more.
(O) SILVER HAWK (Screen Media) Michelle Yeoh as a superhero!
(O) SLAUGHTERHOUSE OF THE RISING SUN (Velocity) In 1971, an actress with mental problems is taken in by a band of desert gypsies who take refuge in the title abode. Includes director commentrak and featurette.
(O) STAR TREK ENTERPRISE Season 3 (Paramount) 24 episodes on 7 discs, plus featurettes, interviews, deleted footage, outtakes and more.
(O) STRANGE STORIES (Vanguard) Grab bag box set includes BODY MELT, NARCOSYS, VIDEO X, SLAM SUNSET and HOLLYWOOD SCAREFEST.
(O) SUSPENSE 50 Movie Pack (Treeline)
(O) TALES OF VOODOO Volume 3 (VideoAsia) Hong Kong's THE RAPIST and the US kung fu shockfest GANG WARS: THE DEVIL'S EXPRESS.
(O) TALES OF VOODOO Volume 4 (VideoAsia) Asian horrors CANNIBAL CURSE and VIOLENT SORCERER. None of these have anything to do with voodoo, but the DVDs feature cool reproductions of the sleazy 1970s horror magazine covers.
(O) THIS DIVIDED STATE (Disinformation) Utah Valley State College invites Michael Moore and Sean Hannity to speak weeks before the 2004 election. Documentary chronicles the furor that tore the community apart. Includes bonus disc full of interviews, extra footage, press conference and more.
(O) THE TRACKER (Facets) Australian adventure in which two Mounties hunt a killer across territory swarming with danger, while their tracker has his own agenda. Includes a documentary on star David Gulpilil.
(O) A WHISPER IN THE DARK (NoShame) A young woman learns that her son's imaginary friend is really an evil ghost in this 1976 gothic Euro-horror. Includes interview and booklet.
(O) X-FILES MYTHOLOGY Volume 3: Colonization (Fox) Sixteen Mythology episodes from seasons 5-8. Includes commentraks, featurettes, timeline and more.
(O) YOUR VICE IS A CLOSED ROOM AND ONLY I HAVE THE KEY (NoShame) Imagine asking for that title at the box office. A gory 1972 giallo horror directed by Sergio Martino and written by Ernesto Gastaldi. With interviews and booklet.

And be sure to check back next weekand every weekfor CINESCAPE's DVD Shopping List! And catch the Anime Avalanche every Saturday!

DVD Shopping List (© 2005 Brian Thomas) is our weekly DVD column. Brian Thomas is the author of the massive book VideoHound's DRAGON: ASIAN ACTION & CULT FLICKS, available now!

Questions? Comments? Let us know what you think at DVDShoppingList@cinescape.com.