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Review Mia Video Entertainment Ltd / Halloween III: Season of the Witch [1982]
Actors & Directors
  • Stacey Nelkin
  • Tom Atkins
  • Tommy Lee Wallace
  • Dan O'Herlihy
Release date: 2000-10-09
Run time: 92 min.
RRP: £5.99
Price: £8.96

Review Halloween III: Season of the Witch [1982] / Mia Video Entertainment Ltd:

Halloween III: Season of the Witch was producer John Carpenter's attempt to get the series away from the original psycho-on-the-loose storyline and turn it into a vehicle for more far-fetched Halloween-themed horror tales. Incredibly, the fans voted for more of the same and Carpenter walked away for others to rehash the Michael Myers plotline in a succession of lookalike movies that are still turning up every few years. Though original screenwriter Nigel Kneale (of the Quatermass series and The Stone Tape) removed his name from the final film after a coarsening rewrite by director Tommy Lee Wallace, his strange touch is evident in the offbeat story. After the mysterious deaths of a toyshop owner, a doctor (Tom Atkins) and the man's daughter (Stacy Nelkin), an investigation takes place in the Irish-dominated Northern California community of Santa Mira, a company town owned by the Silver Shamrock Novelty corporation, whose bestselling Halloween masks are pushed by an amazingly irritating TV jingle you won't ever be able to get out of your head ("Two more days to Halloween, Halloween, Halloween"). Atkins and Nelkin are typical low-rent horror movie protagonists, dim-bulbs who discover an Invasion of the Body Snatchers-style conspiracy involving sharp-suited corporate robots. But guest star Dan O'Herlihy steals the film as a Celtic joke tycoon ("the man who invented sticky toilet paper and the dead dwarf gag") who hates the way American kids are despoiling the religious spirit of Samhain and decides to teach them a nasty lesson. His scheme, which involves a stolen Stonehenge megalith ("sure, you'd never believe how we did it") and a techno-magic spell that turns the heads of TV watchers into writhing masses of snakes and insects, is value for money. O'Herlihy mixes enough serious malice into the charm to come across as a great screen baddie. On the DVD: Halloween III: Season of the Witch is a disappointment on disc. After letterboxed titles, this defaults to full frame throughout, severely cramping Dean Cundey's Panavision cinematography, and it's a grainy, indifferent print that ill-serves the performances or the atmospherics. [+]
However, the severe cuts to the gruesome scenes made to previous video releases (in order to preserve the theatrical 15 rating) seem to have been restored. With an extras-packed Halloween disc on the market, it's a shame the most interesting of the follow-ups rates such a flimsy release-with not so much as a trailer as an extra. -Kim Newman.

Review Lions Gate / Stargate [Blu-ray] [1995] [US Import]
Actors & Directors
  • Viveca Lindfors
  • Alexis Cruz
  • Roland Emmerich
  • James Spader
  • Kurt Russell
  • Mili Avital
Release date: 2006-08-29
Run time: 128 min.
Price: £7.99

Review Stargate [Blu-ray] [1995] [US Import] / Lions Gate:

A self-consciously epic sci-fi adventure of Cecil B DeMille-sized proportions, Stargate refreshes and combines several well-worn sci-fi and sword 'n' sandal genre conventions with some Erich von Daniken-style Biblical Egyptology. The directing-writing-producing team of Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin had previously collaborated on B-movies Moon 44 (1990) and Universal Soldier (1992), but handed a significantly bigger budget they were able to give their Steven Spielberg pretensions free reign here ("Indiana Jones and his Close Encounters with the Chariots of the Gods" might be a suitable subtitle). James Spader is endearingly dithery as the fish-out-of-water academic who finds himself teamed with taciturn tough guy Kurt Russell: the two excellent leads are largely responsible for imparting what depth there is to otherwise two-dimensional characters. British composer David Arnold makes his major studio debut in the grandest fashion with an outstanding score that pays suitable homage to epic film music (John Williams' CE3K and Maurice Jarre's Lawrence of Arabia in particular). It's all done with such unabashed enthusiasm that viewers will happily forgive the film's derivative elements and even overlook the high-camp theatricality of Jaye Davidson's bizarre bad guy. Despite subsequent huge box-office hits (Independence Day, Godzilla, The Patriot), Stargate remains Emmerich and Devlin's freshest, most satisfying film. On the DVD: This special edition version adds approximately seven minutes of additional footage, much of which is in the form of slightly extended scenes, but does also include an opening sequence in Ancient Egypt, a scene with Kurt Russell and the fossilised Horus guards, and Ra's bath scene. These are also collected in a bonus "Promo Reel". The anamorphic widescreen presentation of the 2. 35:1 Panavision picture looks sharp and clear, although some of the additional footage is degraded; the sound is suitably spectacular 5. [+]
1 or DTS. Devlin and Emmerich provide a relaxed, chatty commentary ("We have nothing to do with the TV series"!), although you have to access this from the Set Up menu not the Special Features menu. There's a photo gallery and trailer, but sadly no "making-of" documentary. -Mark Walker.

Review Blue Underground / The Forbidden Photos of a Lady Above Suspicion [1970]
Actors & Directors
  • Salvador Huguet
  • Dagmar Lassander
  • Osvaldo Genazzani
  • Simón Andreu
  • Pier Paolo Capponi
  • Luciano Ercoli
Release date: 2006-03-28
Run time: 96 min.
Price: £4.80

Review The Forbidden Photos of a Lady Above Suspicion [1970] / Blue Underground:


Review MGM / Cry of the Banshee/Murders in the Rue Morgue [1970] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
Actors & Directors
  • Maria Perschy
  • Herbert Lom
  • Adolfo Celi
  • Gordon Hessler
  • Christine Kaufmann
  • Jason Robards
Release date: 2003-04-15
Run time: 189 min.
Price: £4.16

Review Cry of the Banshee/Murders in the Rue Morgue [1970] (REGION 1) (NTSC) / MGM:


Review Momentum Pictures / Alone In The Dark [2005]
Actors & Directors
  • Stephen Dorff
  • Tara Reid
  • Uwe Boll
  • Christian Slater
Release date: 2005-10-24
Run time: 95 min.
RRP: £15.99
Price: £3.45

Review Alone In The Dark [2005] / Momentum Pictures:


Review Universal Studios / Tales from the Crypt: Bordello of Blood/Demon Knight (REGION 1) (NTSC)
Release date: 2007-08-14
Run time: 180 min.
Price: £4.65

Review Tales from the Crypt: Bordello of Blood/Demon Knight (REGION 1) (NTSC) / Universal Studios:


Review MGM / The Land That Time Forgot/The People That Time Forgot (REGION 1) (NTSC)
Actors & Directors
  • Sarah Douglas
  • Doug McClure
  • Patrick Wayne
  • Kevin Connor
  • Dana Gillespie
  • Thorley Walters
Release date: 2005-02-15
Run time: 182 min.
Price: £3.15

Review The Land That Time Forgot/The People That Time Forgot (REGION 1) (NTSC) / MGM:


Review Paramount Home Entertainment / Pulse [2006]
Actors & Directors
  • Jim Sonzero
Release date: 2007-03-05
Run time: 84 min.
RRP: £15.99
Price: £2.97

Review Pulse [2006] / Paramount Home Entertainment:


Review Various / Draculas: 4 Film Favorites (REGION 1) (NTSC)
Release date: 2007-11-06
Run time: 364 min.
Price: £5.73

Review Draculas: 4 Film Favorites (REGION 1) (NTSC) / Various:


Review Sony Pictures Home Entertainment / I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer [2006]
Actors & Directors
  • Ben Easter
  • Brooke Nevin
  • Don Shanks
  • David Paetkau
Release date: 2006-10-23
Run time: 89 min.
RRP: £12.99
Price: £3.00

Review I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer [2006] / Sony Pictures Home Entertainment:


Review Paramount Home Entertainment / Star Trek: Movies Collection 1-9 [1979]
Actors & Directors
  • Nicholas Meyer
  • Robert Wise
  • William Shatner
  • Patrick Stewart
  • David Warner
  • Catherine Hicks
  • Nichelle Nichols
  • Leonard Nimoy
  • William Shatner
  • David Carson
Release date: 2002-11-18
Run time: 980 min.
RRP: £91.99
Price: £55.55

Review Star Trek: Movies Collection 1-9 [1979] / Paramount Home Entertainment:

Spanning two decades and countless light years of interstellar adventure, Star Trek: Movies Collection 1-9 is a testament to the enduring goodwill of Gene Roddenberry's optimistic sci-fi concept. Long before Star Wars sparked an explosion of big-screen science fiction, Roddenberry had planned a second Star Trek TV series; the project fizzled, but its pilot script evolved into the first film in Paramount's most lucrative movie franchise. Despite its sluggish pace and bland "pajama" costuming, Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) offered a welcomed reunion of the "Classic Trek" cast, packed with Douglas Trumbull's still-dazzling special effects. Trekkers were even more ecstatic when The Wrath of Khan (1982) revived the spirit of the original series, even though director Nicholas Meyer was a Trek neophyte. With Leonard Nimoy directing, The Search for Spock (1984) began where Khan left off, with a thrilling (albeit contrived) obligation to resurrect the formerly ill-fated Mr. Spock. A box-office smash, Nimoy's The Voyage Home (1986) is the franchise's most accessible adventure-a high point offset by William Shatner's comparatively dreadful Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989). Meyer (and his penchant for quoting Shakespeare) returned for The Undiscovered Country (1991), a conspiracy thriller that put the series back on track, inspiring fans to invoke the "even number" rule in rating their franchise favorites. Generations (1994) gracefully passed the torch to TV's The Next Generation, bidding farewell to Captain Kirk with honour and integrity intact. Highlighted by the evolving humanity of Brent Spiner's android Lt. [+]
Cmdr. Data, First Contact (1996) explored Star Trek history with a logical (hint) surprise encounter, and Insurrection (1998) provided an adequate expansion of the successful NextGen series. These films demonstrate the consistent vitality of Roddenberry's original vision, stoking any Trekker's appetite for "ongoing missions" in Nemesis and beyond. -Jeff Shannon.

Review Legend Films / Student Bodies [1981] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
Actors & Directors
  • Kristen Riter
  • Mickey Rose
  • Richard Brando
  • Matthew Goldsby
  • Mimi Weddell
  • Joe Flood
Release date: 2008-06-03
Run time: 86 min.
Creator: Gene Hobson
Price: £4.58

Review Student Bodies [1981] (REGION 1) (NTSC) / Legend Films:


Review Sony Pictures Home Entertainment / John Carpenter's Vampires / John Carpenter's Vampires: Los Muertos / Vampires: The Turning
Actors & Directors
  • Daniel Baldwin
  • Tommy Lee Wallace
  • John Carpenter
  • Colin Egglesfield
  • Jon Bon Jovi
  • Marty Weiss
  • James Woods
  • Cristian De La Fuente
Release date: 2005-06-27
Run time: 286 min.
RRP: £22.99
Price: £7.99

Review John Carpenter's Vampires / John Carpenter's Vampires: Los Muertos / Vampires: The Turning / Sony Pictures Home Entertainment:


Review Optimum Home Entertainment / Pulse
Actors & Directors
  • Kumiko Aso
  • Kiyoshi Kurosawa
  • Haruhiko Kato
Release date: 2006-03-27
Run time: 115 min.
RRP: £15.99
Price: £4.47

Review Pulse / Optimum Home Entertainment:


Review Second Sight Films Ltd. / The Raven [1935]
Actors & Directors
  • Lester Matthews
  • Irene Ware
  • Boris Karloff
  • Bela Lugosi
  • Lew Landers
Release date: 2007-10-29
Run time: 59 min.
RRP: £15.99
Price: £4.99

Review The Raven [1935] / Second Sight Films Ltd.:


Review Starz Home Entertainment / Suspiria [1976]
Actors & Directors
  • Jessica Harper
  • Alida Valli
  • Miguel Bose
  • Stefania Casini
  • Joan Bennett
  • Dario Argento
Release date: 2006-10-23
Run time: 94 min.
RRP: £5.99
Price: £11.98

Review Suspiria [1976] / Starz Home Entertainment:


Review Lionsgate / Rise of the Dead [2007] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
Actors & Directors
  • Stephen Seidel
  • Chris Ferry
  • William Wedig
  • Erin Wilk
Release date: 2007-11-13
Run time: 72 min.
Creator: Kamil Dobrowolski
Price: £0.22

Review Rise of the Dead [2007] (REGION 1) (NTSC) / Lionsgate:


Review Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainm / The Scary Movie Trilogy (Box Set)
Actors & Directors
  • Keenen Ivory Wayans
  • Carmen Electra
  • Jeremy Piven
  • Pamela Anderson
  • David Zucker
  • Charlie Sheen
  • Jenny McCarthy
Release date: 2004-10-04
Run time: 244 min.
RRP: £34.99
Price: £11.81

Review The Scary Movie Trilogy (Box Set) / Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainm:


Review Arrow Films / Pervert!
Actors & Directors
  • Mary Carey
Release date: 2007-04-30
Run time: 81 min.
RRP: £15.99
Price: £3.83

Review Pervert! / Arrow Films:


Review Pathe Distribution / Godsend [2004]
Actors & Directors
  • Rebecca Romijn
  • Merwin Mondesir
  • Nick Hamm
  • Robert De Niro
  • Cameron Bright
  • Greg Kinnear
Release date: 2004-11-08
Run time: 98 min.
RRP: £15.99
Price: £0.64

Review Godsend [2004] / Pathe Distribution:


Browse Horror:

Models & Brands:
Halloween III: Season of the Witch [1982], Stargate [Blu-ray] [1995] [US Import], The Forbidden Photos of a Lady Above Suspicion [1970], Cry of the Banshee/Murders in the Rue Morgue [1970] (REGION 1) (NTSC), Alone In The Dark [2005], Tales from the Crypt: Bordello of Blood/Demon Knight (REGION 1) (NTSC), The Land That Time Forgot/The People That Time Forgot (REGION 1) (NTSC), Pulse [2006], Draculas: 4 Film Favorites (REGION 1) (NTSC), I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer [2006], Star Trek: Movies Collection 1-9 [1979], Student Bodies [1981] (REGION 1) (NTSC), John Carpenter's Vampires / John Carpenter's Vampires: Los Muertos / Vampires: The Turning, Pulse, The Raven [1935], Suspiria [1976], Rise of the Dead [2007] (REGION 1) (NTSC), The Scary Movie Trilogy (Box Set), Pervert!, Godsend [2004]

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