Halloween Chopping List

This week, our spotlight falls on some o' those new-fangled fast-moving zombies.

(O) DAWN OF THE DEAD (Universal) Widescreen, Fullscreen [IMG2R]and Unrated director's cut editions of the hit 2004 remake. Like George Romero, I prefer zombies that are actual reanimated corpses to the plague-ridden psychos in vogue these days, but this one's a scary, engaging thrill ride. Includes commentrak, featurettes, deleted scenes, and more. Unrated edition also includes some extra featurettes as well.

(O) ALIVE (Media Blasters) Director Ryuhei Kitamura (VERSUS, GODZILLA: FINAL WARS) created this sci-fi action thriller in which a convict who survived the electric chair is offered a deal in which he has to fight an alien. Includes Making-Of and more. Available in R-rated and unrated editions.
(O) ALONE IN A HAUNTED HOUSE (Sub Rosa) Documentary features ghosthunter Joshua P. Warren doing his job in a haunted house by himself. Includes actual ghost video. Delayed from last month.
(O) BETTIE PAGE: DARK ANGEL (Cult Epics) The second feature made in the past few years about the cult favorite '50s pin-up queen. Includes behind-the-scenes featurettes and more.
(O) BLACK & BLUE BOXETTE (Roan/Troma) Single disc "boxette" triple bill presents Poverty Row horrors BLUEBEARD, BLACK DRAGONS and BLACK RAVEN.
(O) BLOODSPELL TRIPLE B-HEADER (Troma) Another single disc "boxette" triple bill, all with "blood" in the title: BLOODSPELL, DRAWING BLOOD and ALIEN BLOOD.
(O) THE BLOODY JUDGE (Blue Underground) Jesus Franco directs Christopher Lee as the title official, who goes on a spree of sadistic witch-hunting. Includes interviews, alternate and deleted scenes, and more. Previously available only as part of BU's CHRISTOPHER LEE COLLECTION.
(O) BRAIN DONORS (Paramount) The Zucker Bros. misguided attempt to recreate the Marx Bros. And speaking of brains...
(O) BUSH'S BRAIN (TLA) Documentary focuses on the president's sinister & disturbing advisor Karl Rove. Includes extra interviews and documentary footage. And speaking of our misguided numbskull president (for now)...
(O) BUSHISMS (MVD) The President repeatedly trips over his own forked tongue.
(O) THE CAULDRON: BAPTISM OF BLOOD (TVM/Red) Young girls pledge their souls to the Devil in exchange for fame & fortune in Ted V. Mikels' latest low budget offering.
(O) CHILD BRIDE (Alpha) Legendary exploitation roadshow feature about Appalachian hillbillies.
(O) THE CHINA SYNDROME (Columbia TriStar) Remember when we were all afraid of nuclear meltdowns? This special edition of the 1979 hit shows Jane Fonda and Jack Lemmon trying to save the world from radioactive disaster.
(O) CITIZEN TOXIE (Troma) The Toxic Avenger swaps universes with his evil twin. Cheaper single disc edition includes commentraks, deleted scenes, featurettes and more.
(O) CORN (Hart Sharp) [IMG3R]Environmental thriller in which a single mother witnesses an accident and tries to track down a dangerous byproduct unleashed into the food system. Includes interview.
(O) THE DEADLY SPAWN (Synapse) Delightfully over-the-top direct-to-video alien monster invader movie, with all the gooshiness brought to you in DVD clarity for the first time. Includes two commentraks, outtakes and more.
(O) DIMENSION IN FEAR (TVM/Red) Exploitation legend Ted V. Mikels' 1998 tale of an escaped psycho out to knock off everyone that convicted him.
(O) FEMALE SLAVES REVENGE (TVM/Red) Ted V. Mikels' 1997 women in prison flick (aka APARTHEID SLAVE WOMAN'S JUSTICE).
(O) FORE PLAY (Troma) Wanna see a '70s sex comedy with Zero Mostel, Jerry Orbach and Estelle Parsons? Neither do I, but the film's odd pedigree and Troma's extras (audio/video director commentrak, interviews and more) may change my mind.
(O) FORGOTTEN SILVER (Anchor Bay) Peter Jackson's wonderful hour long mockumentary about a "forgotten" New Zealand film pioneer presents "evidence" that he invented just about every cinema innovation first. Includes commentrak, Making-Of and deleted scenes.
(O) FRANKENFISH (Columbia TriStar) A monster killer fish stalks a Louisiana bayou.
(O) FRANKENSTEIN (Artisan/Lions Gate) 2004 version of the Mary Shelley story. With Making-Of.
(O) THE GUNS OF NAVARONE (Columbia TriStar) Superbit re-release of the adventure classic.
(O) HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME (Columbia TriStar) Relatively classy 1981 slasher flick starring Melissa Sue Anderson and Glenn Ford, directed by J. Lee Thompson.
(O) THE HARVEST (Columbia TriStar) Screenwriter Miguel Ferrer, on location in Mexico, awakes after a first date to discover one of his kidneys is missing!
(O) H.H. HOLMES: America's First Serial Killer (Facets) Well, that we know of. This documentary tracks the life of a killer that preyed on Chicago during the 1893 World's Fair. Includes commentrak, featurettes, outtakes and more.
(O) HELTER SKELTER: Director's Cut (Warner Bros.) 2004 remake of the True Crime story of Charles Manson and his notorious Family. 180-minute version includes commentrak, deleted scenes and more.
(O) HILLBILLY MONSTER / GRANDPARENTS FROM OUTER SPACE (Gotham/Alpha) Two low budget features with Conrad Brooks.
(O) IRON BOUND VAMPIRE (Gotham/Alpha) Conrad Brooks puts a crease in a nosferatu.
(O) IRON FIST (Tai Seng) RIKKI-O star Terry Fan gets in on the '90s swordplay bandwagon by playing legendary hero Wong Kei-ying.
(O) JAN-GEL: THE BEAST FROM THE EAST/THE BEAST RETURNS (Gotham/Alpha) Horrifying backyard productions starring Conrad Brooks.
(O) JU-REI: THE UNCANNY (Pathfinder) More [IMG4L]Japanese horror finds high school girls marked for death after the track down an urban legend concerning a hooded figure.
(O) KABUKIMAN'S COMEDY JAM Volume 1: Southern Fried Comedy (Troma) Triple feature of rural comedies includes ELLIE, HOT SUMMER IN BAREFOOT COUNTY and the rare PREACHERMAN.
(O) KILLER NUN (Blue Underground) "From the secret files of the Vatican." 1978 Eurohorror stars Anita Ekberg as a psycho nun. Includes director interview.
(O) KILLERS, DEMONS & DEAD BODIES (Brain Damage)
(O) KINTARO THE WHITE COLLAR WORKER (Pathfinder) An action comedy from cinema ace Takashi Miike (AUDITION, ICHI THE KILLER). 2000 comic thriller about a yakuza boss who's gone straight, but has to bring in some bad boy help when a rival company gets too rough on his new corporate employer. Delayed from August.
(O) MARK OF THE ASTRO ZOMBIES (TVM/Red) Ted V. Mikels' much belated sequel to ASTRO ZOMBIES brings to Earth a war between good and evil aliens.
(O) MARK OF THE DEVIL (Blue Underground) In 1970, horror cinema hit a high water mark in unease with this repulsive tale of corrupt, torturing witch-hunters. Includes director commentrak, interviews and more.
(O) MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 Collection 6 (Rhino) Includes ATTACK OF THE GIANT LEECHES, GUNSLINGER and TEENAGERS FROM OUTER SPACE, along with a program of shorts clipped from other episodes.
(O) NECROMANIA (Fleshbot) Like the juxtaposition of sex & death? So did Ed Wood! Here's Wood's 1971 hardcore flick in which a young couple's marital problems are solved by a mysterious necromancer. Also includes the cut softcore version.
(O) NEW BARBARIANS (Media Blasters) Enzo G. Castellari's post-apocalypse adventure starring Fred Williamson. Includes director commentrak.
(O) NIGHT TRAIN MURDERS (Blue Underground) Disturbingly sleazy 1975 Eurohorror. Includes director interview and more.
(O) POSTAL INSPECTOR (Alpha) Rare 1930s thriller with Bela Lugosi.
(O) POST IMPACT (DEJ) After a comet hits Earth, only scientist Dean Cain can save the human race.
(O) REMMER (Vanguard) When a narcoleptic is revealed to be a powerful psychic, his girlfriend desperately tries to wake him before his nightmares overwhelm them.
(O) THE RISEN (Sub Rosa) A space monster escapes from a secret government lab. Includes Making-Of and more.
(O) 21 JUMP STREET: Season One (Anchor Bay) Early Fox series with Johnny Depp leading an undercover operation among inner city teens. 13 episodes on four discs, plus commentrak, interviews and booklet.
(O) SEXY ADVENTURES OF VAN HELSING (EI Cinema) It's just like VAN HELSING only sexy. And made for less than 1/10,000 the budget. Includes behind-the-scenes, deleted footage, and more, plus bonus feature VAMPIRE'S SEDUCTION with commentrak.
(O) SHAOLIN KARATE (Adness) Sonny Chiba takes on the gangsters who've taken over his town.
(O) SHIKOKU (Adness) 1999 RINGU knock-off about the resurrection of a psychic girl starring Chiaki Kuriyama (KILL BILL) and Ren Osugi. Includes Making-Of.
(O) SPOOKS & CREEPS (Vanguard) Collection of horror shorts featuring guest stars like Alice Cooper and Ewan McGregor.
(O) STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE Seasons 1-7 (Paramount)
(O) STAR TREK: NEXT GENERATION Seasons 1-7 (Paramount)
(O) THE TESSERACT (Sundance) Unconventional thriller directed by Oxide Pang about the interweaving of the lives of guests at a Bangkok hotel.
(O) THAT '70s SHOW Season One (Fox) Sitcom shows exactly how it was to live in the Midwest during the 1970s. With promos, featurettes and more.
(O) THE THING (Universal) New [IMG5R]collector's edition of John Carpenter's 1982 sci-fi horror about a very adaptable alien beast invading an Antarctic ice station. Includes commentrak with Carpenter and star Kurt Russell, feature length Making-Of, deleted scenes and more.
(O) TONGAN NINJA (Anchor Bay) 2002 martial arts comedy from New Zealand.
(O) WHITE CHICKS (Columbia TriStar) Two black FBI agents disguise themselves as twin white teenage girls. Also available in an unrated edition and bundled with MO' MONEY.
(O) WITCHCRAFT 7: JUDGEMENT HOUR (Troma) Time to pass judgement. Includes interviews, music video and more.
(O) YOUNG THUGS: Innocent Blood (Artsmagic)
(O) YOUNG THUGS: Nostalgia (Artsmagic) A pair of juvenile delinquent dramas from Japanese auteur Takashi Miike.

And finally, we close off each weekly list with a rundown of the constant stream of anime from around the world:

(O) ANGEL TALES Volume 3: Endless Love (Central Park) Angels kidnapped!
(O) AQUARIAN AGE Volume 2: Troubled Dreams (ADV) Based on the popular card game. Includes reversible cover, booklet, behind-the-scenes and more.
(O) BLACK JACK DVD Collection 1 (Central Park) Episodes 1-6, with director commentrak on part 3.
(O) BUBBLEGUM CRISIS: TOKYO 2040 #1 (ADV) After an earthquake, Tokyo is overrun by monsters. Includes commentrak and more.
(O) CREATOR SPOTLIGHT: Yoshiaki Kawajiri Brick Pack (Central Park) Collects the director's WIND NAMED AMNESIA, DEMON CITY SHINJUKU, and two volumes of BIRDY THE MIGHTY.
(O) ESCAFLOWNE: Perfect Collection (Central Park) Complete 26-episode TV series.
(O) GAD GUARD Volume 3: Persona (Geneon) Everyone seems to be investigating their own past in this volume.
(O) GENESHAFT (Central Park) Complete series, as seen on G4.
(O) GIANT ROBO: The Day the Earth Stood Still Volume 1 (Media Blasters) Excellent anime update of the '60s JOHNNY SOKKO series. Also available in collectors box with model.
(O) GRAVITATION Volume 4: Secrets of a Troubled Past (ADV)
(O) .hack//SIGN (Central Park) Complete 27-episode collection plus collectors pin.
(O) I WANT A DOG FOR CHRISTMAS, CHARLIE BROWN (Paramount) Rerun adopts Snoopy's brother Spike.
(O) KALEIDO STAR Volume 5: Masquerade (ADV) A new owner takes over the circus. Includes mini poster, standee and more.
(O) LUNAR LEGEND TSUKIHIME Volume 1: Life Threads (Geneon) The psychic power to see life's matrix leads a young man to kill a woman. But she's really a vampire!
(O) MARMALADE BOY Volume 2: Ultimate Scrapbook (Tokyopop) Romantic comedy, with commentrak and outtakes.
(O) MIAMI GUNS Volume 4 (ADV) More adventures of the ladies with lose cannons, plus interviews and more.
(O) MULAN (Buena Vista) [IMG6L]Disney's take on the legendary Chinese hero, a girl who disguised herself as a man to enter the military and ended up a general, in a special edition that includes commentrak, alternate opening, storyboards, deleted song, music videos, Making-Of, and lots more.
(O) PARANOIA AGENT: Volume 1 (Geneon) A skater attacks random victims with a golden baseball bat. A chilling supernatural psychological thriller from director Satoshi Kon (PERFECT BLUE, TOKYO GODFATHERS) and Madhouse studio. Also available in collectors box.
(O) POKÉMON MASTER QUEST 1 (Viz) 3-disc box.
(O) PROJECT ARMS Volume 11: 2^nd Chapter (Viz) Episodes 30-33.
(O) REQUIEM FROM THE DARKNESS Volume 1 (Geneon) Author of "The 100 Stories" searches for a publisher, meets up with a trio of karmic vigilantes.
(O) R.O.D. TV Volume 3: The Past (Geneon) The sisters face their darkest enemies.

(O) SAKURA WARS OVA 1 (ADV) It's 1919, and warriors are gathered from around the world to pilot steam robots to fight invading mecha soldiers.
(O) SPIRIT: STALLION OF THE CIMARRON (Universal) This theatrical feature is a hit with horse-worshipping little girls, which I guess is to be expected. Comes in fullscreen and widescreen editions.
(O) STRATOS 4 Volume 3: Contact (Central Park) Incoming comets interrupt parents week.
(O) SUPER ATRAGON (ADV) Super submarine adventures, 1995 version.
(O) SUPER MILK-CHAN SHOW Volume 3: Cryin' Over Spilled Milk (ADV) It's crazy! Includes original shows, breaks and more.
(O) TWELVE KINGDOMS Chapter 8: Alliance (Media Blasters)
(O) WITCH HUNTER ROBIN (Central Park) Complete 26-episode collection. As seen on Adult Swim. Soon to be a major US live-action feature film.