Count Zad emerges from his tomb to offer his picks of 4K ultrahigh definition horror movie releases boasting frightening visual clarity and color, enhanced sound and plenty of bonus features perfect for the chilling Halloween season.
The Silence of the Lambs (Criterion, rated: R, 1.85:1 aspect ratio, 118 minutes, $49.95) — Director Jonathan Demme’s Academy Award-winning psychological horror thriller that celebrated pop culture’s favorite serial killer in the world of cinema back in 1991 returns in the 4K format and just in the bloodied nick of time for the Halloween season.
Imprisoned psychiatrist and cannibal Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) receives a visit from FBI trainee Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) at the request of her boss, Behavioral Science Unit chief Jack Crawford (Scott Glenn), who hopes the menacing doctor’s knowledge of criminal behavior will help investigators track down serial killer Jame “Buffalo Bill” Gumb (Ted Levine).
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As Ms. Starling follows a trail of forensic evidence, psychological clues and horrifying discoveries, she must navigate Dr. Lecter’s deliberate mind games and the demands of her superiors while racing to rescue a senator’s daughter held captive by an increasingly unhinged Bill.
Mr. Hopkins and Ms. Foster both deservedly won Oscars for their riveting performances. Their intense onscreen chemistry, coupled with Mr. Hopkins’ extremely calculated portrayal of Dr. Lecter as a caged tiger in waiting, helps make the thriller one of the best in cinematic history.
Worth noting, Criterion’s UHD presentation uses its previously commissioned 4K digital restoration for its 2018 Blu-ray release, sourced from the original 35mm camera negative and supervised by cinematographer Tak Fujimoto.
The result is a screen-bursting presentation that remains faithful to the source material, retaining a touch of grain in outdoor scenes while revealing remarkable clarity in Buffalo Bill’s lair, particularly the bloodstained walls of the holding pen where he imprisons his victims.
Even more chilling are the scenes inside Dr. Lecter’s prison cell, with close-ups revealing Mr. Hopkins’ slicked-back hair, facial lines and crazed eyes against cold brick and stone walls, behind protective Plexiglas. Particularly haunting is a moment in which the reflection of his face is seen in the glass as he speaks with Ms. Starling.
Frightful extras: Unfortunately, Criterion offers no new on-disc bonus features in this three-disc set, instead recycling the supplements from its 2018 Blu-ray edition, many of which first appeared on earlier home-video releases dating back decades.
Fortunately for new owners of the film, that means they get almost seven hours of extras led by a vintage optional commentary track from 1994 with Demme, Ms. Foster, Mr. Hopkins, screenwriter Ted Tally and former FBI profiler John Douglas — but not as a group discussion.
The track combines separately recorded sessions to offer participants’ thoughts on the film’s production, adaptation of Thomas Harris’ novel, character development and motivations and insight into real-life criminal profiling compared to the film.
Additional extras on a separate Blu-ray disc include an informative three-part overview from 2005 featuring the director and Ms. Foster (53 minutes); an episode from Bravo TV series “Page to Screen” focused on Mr. Harris and the adaptation of his novel (41 minutes); FBI agents explaining criminal profiling (20 minutes); and a generously long making-of documentary (96 minutes).
The accompanying 66-page, full-color, bound booklet includes an introduction by Ms. Foster; two pieces written by Mr. Harris in 2000 and 2013 discussing the real-life inspirations behind Dr. Lecter; a 1991 interview with director Demme; an essay by film critic Amy Taubin; and newly commissioned pieces by critics Caden Mark Gardner and Willow Catelyn Maclay.
Interview with the Vampire (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, rated: R, 1.85:1 aspect ratio, 123 minutes, $29.98) — Director Neil Jordan’s cinematic adaptation of Anne Rice’s seminal bloodsucking novel delivered a hit back in 1994, thanks in part to a pair of sex symbols’ performances.
The mighty Brad Pitt starred as the despondent and tormented vampire Louis de Pointe du Lac and Tom Cruise as his cynical and powerful maker Lestat de Lioncourt. Both vampires roam the 18th and 19th centuries in search of blood while dealing with the unbearableness of eternal life.
Their horrors spread from New Orleans to Paris within a soap-operatic existence.
The supporting cast equally shines with Antonio Banderas as the 400-year-old European vampire Armand, and Kirsten Dunst in her breakout film role as child vampire Claudia, who is never to grow up, thanks to Lestat’s curse.
Cinematographer Philippe Rousselot expertly visualizes a film shown mainly in darkness but bursting from the screen, often by using an amber glow from a blazing mansion fire, candlelit parlors, chandelier sitting rooms and lamps in a grand ballroom that bring the opulence of wealth and the horror of the undead to life.
The native frame-by-frame 4K restoration from the original 35mm camera negative often highlights the intricate blue veins displayed on vampires’ faces; and moments such as a rain-soaked street filled with rats; the foreboding catacombs below the Theatre des Vampires; Claudia with a mouth full of blood turning into a vampire; and Stan Winston’s fang and makeup effects for a rotting Lestat.
Frightful extras: Two new featurettes (roughly nine minutes each) highlight first the lighting by Mr. Rousselot, as explored by the director and editor Mick Audsley; and next, production designer Dante Ferretti (speaking in Italian) discusses his work on the film with added thoughts from Mr. Jordan.
Legacy extras include an optional commentary track with the director (originally released on the 2000 DVD edition) where he focuses on story and character development as much as technical tidbits and a 30-minute production featurette also from the DVD.
Also, a 2014 retrospective (24 minutes) for the film’s 20th-anniversary Blu-ray release offers Rice discussing her characters, including Mr. Cruise’s version of Lestat, and the influence of her novels and the film on popular culture’s fascination with vampires.
The Frighteners: Limited Edition (Arrow Video, rated: R, 2.39:1 aspect ratio, 123 minutes, $49.95) — A horror comedy to match the scares and quirkiness of the Halloween season gave a young filmmaker named Peter Jackson the chance to shine with help from an iconic young actor and famed crew back in 1996.
Now celebrating its 30th anniversary with a new 4K release, the movie beckons fans to relish the director’s cut in a story about the shady shenanigans of mourning architect-turned-paranormal investigator Frank Bannister (Michael J. Fox).
After his wife’s death, supposedly due to a car crash caused by Mr. Bannister, his psychic powers emerge, allowing him to see spirits. He uses his gift to con clients into exorcising their apparition infestations that happen to be ghostly associates of Mr. Bannister.
Everything is fun and screams until the spirit of a serial killer returns to start murdering again through mysterious heart attacks while in the guise of the Grim Reaper.
Mr. Bannister must use his gift to stop the killer, save his new widowed friend Lucy Lynskey (Trini Alvarado) and avoid being targeted by manic FBI paranormal psychologist Milton Dammers (a truly frightening Jeffrey Combs), who accuses him of the crimes.
The surprisingly complex and scary film also features pop culture icons John Astin (“The Addams Family”) as a grotesque ghostly partner, an 1870 cowboy nicknamed the Judge; Jake Busey (“Starship Troopers”) as the serial killer; Dee Wallace Stone (“E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial”) as his mentally ill wife; and R. Lee Ermey (“Full Metal Jacket”) as Hiles, the ghost of a master sergeant.
The movie’s true co-stars are the groundbreaking computer effects from fledgling Weta Digital, veterans Industrial Light and Magic and make-up effects that include work from Academy Award winner Rick Baker in bringing the variety of ghosts to life.
All of the translucent apparitions and eye-popping effects such as a face sliding down a tombstone and the grotesque rotting detail of the Judge look beautifully rejuvenated in a 4K remaster supervised by Mr. Jackson and culled from a 2022 release.
The new audio provides plenty of support for the various jump scares and a new appreciation of the musical score composed by icon Danny Elfman (“Beetlejuice” and “Batman”).
Frightful extras: Within the three-disc release, viewers not only get the theatrical and the director’s cut of the film (14 minutes longer), but they also get a Blu-ray version in an open matte format (removing the black bars) and taking advantage of the original Super 35 film format.
Start the goodies with a vintage optional commentary track from 1998 with Mr. Jackson for the director’s cut as he offers from his living room his first commentary ever and dives into the creation of the underappreciated movie with entertaining behind-the-scenes anecdotes and some surprisingly candid criticism of his own filmmaking choices.
Move on to a 95-minute retrospective from 2022 and features words from Mr. Busey, Ms. Wallace Stone, cinematographer John Blick and production designer Grant Major, to name a few, willing to share some nostalgic stories.
The segment is complemented by a more focused, 41-minute interview with creature and miniature effects maestro Richard Taylor, conducted via computer by effects artist Alexandre Poncet.
Next, and the granddaddy of the extras, is a nearly four-hour-long documentary on the movie (yeah, that’s twice as long as the film) originally released with the LaserDisc version of “The Frighteners” back in 1998.
Obviously packed with every bit of minutiae anyone would ever want to know about the production of the cult masterpiece, it even includes Mr. Jackson talking through 45 minutes of his storyboards as they flash across the screen.
The packaging offers a 40-page, full-color booklet featuring Mr. Jackson’s introduction to the LaserDisc release, original production notes, and two 1996 articles from American Cinematographer by film journalist David E. Williams and special effects journalist Ron Magid.
Overall, fans get a massive Halloween treat from Arrow Video that completely deconstructs this macabre classic.
Little Shop of Horrors (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, rated: PG-13, 1.85:1 aspect ratio, 103 minutes, $29.98) — The movie, based on the off-Broadway musical adapted from Roger Corman’s schlock B-horror comedy, celebrates its 40th anniversary with a UHD release.
Frank Oz, the Muppets stalwart who brought Yoda to life, directed the story about the orphaned, nerdy, florist assistant Seymour Krelborn (Rick Moranis) who finds a monstrous, human-eating plant nicknamed Audrey II (voiced by Levi Stubbs) that saves his boss’ business, makes him a local celebrity, helps him fall in love with fellow florist Audrey (Ellen Greene) and, oh yeah, leads to the downfall of humanity.
Guest-star appearances from comedic icons include Steve Martin as the sadistic dentist and abusive boyfriend of Audrey, Orin Scrivello, Bill Murray as dental masochist Arthur Denton, John Candy as D.J. Wink Wilkinson and Christopher Guest as a customer who loves the plant.
Of the musical numbers, Mr. Martin offers the showstopper “Dentist!” and the human-eating plant shines in “Mean Green Mother from Outer Space.”
Viewers get two versions of the movie, the theatrical cut with a happy ending and the director’s cut with a much more macabre finale that audiences hated during its original test screenings.
The screen-bursting presentation with a production design set in the 1960s offers a cornucopia of color, especially when showcasing the massive plant with various shades of glossy greens, cabbage-purple tongue, blood-red gullet, sharp yellow teeth, blue gums, leafy tentacles and pinkish lips.
Frightful extras: Two new featurettes (24 minutes in total) combine to offer a short retrospective on the film as discussed by Mr. Oz and Ms. Greene.
The segment is most informative when discussing designer Lyle Conway’s monstrous plant and specifically how the director and his team were able to brilliantly sync up the puppet’s lip movement with its soundtrack.
Legacy extras include a 23-minute overview of the various iterations of the “Little Shop of Horrors” with clips featuring the original film, and even interviews with Corman, a 10-minute look at the ending of the director’s cut and an all-important optional commentary track with a soft-spoken but super informative Mr. Oz.
Mars Attacks! (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, rated: PG-13, 2.39:1 aspect ratio, 106 minutes, $29.99) — Director Tim Burton’s 1996 sci-fi horror comedy based on a collection of 1960s Topps trading cards debuts in the 4K format to remind fans about a movie slim on plot but overloaded with celebrity firepower.
The mighty Jack Nicholson actually played multiple roles as U.S. President James Dale and shady Las Vegas casino developer Art Land in a story about a group of ugly, hostile Martians attacking the Earth and looking to experiment on and obliterate humanity.
The cast dominates in this gruesome parody of disaster films and features big names such as Glenn Close as first lady Marsha Dale; Natalie Portman as the president’s teenage daughter; Pierce Brosnan as the president’s optimistic scientific adviser; Rod Steiger as a warmongering military general; and Annette Bening as Art’s New Age spiritualist wife.
Secondary stars are just as potent, including Martin Short as the president’s womanizing press secretary; Sarah Jessica Parker as a TV talk-show host; Michael J. Fox as an ambitious TV reporter; Danny DeVito as a Vegas gambler; football great Jim Brown as a former boxer; and even legendary singer Tom Jones as himself.
Warner Bros. celebrates the film’s 30th anniversary with a newly remastered 4K presentation, reportedly sourced from a fresh scan of the original 35mm camera negative.
The effects shine throughout the visual upgrade, taking advantage of cinematographer Peter Suschitzky and production designer Wynn Thomas’ cartoon-colored palette.
They bring to vivid life the Martians’ spindly bodies in bright green space suits and translucent bubble helmets, highlighted by the leader’s shocking red cape.
Equally fun moments offer Martian heads exploding into neon-green goo in their helmets and the immolation of humans from a ray-gun blast, all absolutely more shocking in 4K with vivid hues and details so more grotesque.
Frightful extras: Viewers only get two new and way too-brief featurettes (roughly 18 minutes in total) offering a retrospective with screenwriter Jonathan Gems, Mr. Suschitzky, editor Chris Lebenzon and members of the visual effects team reminiscing about working with Mr. Burton and creating the film.
The second looks back at the movie’s retro-futuristic appearance, with help from Mr. Thomas, visual effects supervisors and other crew members as they discuss the influence of 1950s science-fiction imagery and creating the scary-cool Martians.
Barbarian: SteelBook Limited Edition (Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, rated: R, 1.85:1 aspect ratio, 102 minutes, $49.95) — The solo directorial debut of Zach Cregger delivers a nerve-shredding descent through urban terror in a haunted house horror thriller that arrives in 4K in a partially bloody-red metal case perfectly themed for this time of year.
Mr. Cregger also wrote the story that introduces Tess Marshall (Georgina Campbell) as she arrives in Detroit on a stormy night for a job interview and discovers her Airbnb has been double-booked.
Inside, she meets Keith Toshko (Bill Skarsgard), a stranger who insists he also reserved the house. With hotels unavailable and rain pouring outside, Ms. Marshall reluctantly agrees to stay.
The next morning, she finds the surrounding burned-out neighborhood largely abandoned. Her interview raises further questions about the area, but Tess returns to the rental to retrieve her belongings.
Back at the house, an unexpected discovery leads her toward a hidden section of the basement, only to find a secret room. Further investigation uncovers an underground tunnel where her innocent lodging mistake is about to turn into a nightmare of monstrous proportions.
The appearance of the owner of the house (Justin Long) further compounds her new struggles as the pair eventually discover all of the abusive evil secrets that have remained undisturbed for so long.
Mr. Cregger’s first outing takes the intelligent damsel-in-distress premise and in the finest traditions of Wes Craven and Tobe Hooper slathers liberally with claustrophobic dread, psychological suspense, slaps of gore and flashes of dark-black humor to abuse audiences and deliver an experience fit for the Halloween season.
Although the 4K presentation clearly delivers a detailed look at the surroundings and horror, it could have even been more effectively appreciated as a grainy, black-and-white version of the film to live up to its true visceral visual potential.
Frightful extras: Most importantly, through an optional commentary, we get to hear from the fledgling director with help from producer Roy Lee as they first explain the origins of the project.
Mr. Cregger quickly dominates as he dives into challenges and worries on the shoot while also explaining his visual and thematic playbook plucked from the history of cinema that allowed him to create a master class in the horror film.
Viewers also get a 12-minute overview of the production that includes creating the film’s horrifying character.
The SteelBook features a black-and-bloody case both inside and out, with silhouettes on the cover of the house and its hidden horror, a back with Tess at the top of a staircase and the innards featuring a gnarled, outstretched hand.
Practical Magic (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, rated: PG-13, 2.39:1 aspect ratio, 104 minutes, $29.98) — Director Griffin Dunne’s 1998 romantic fantasy dramedy about an eccentric family of female witches cursed by their ancestor offers a sisterhood’s worth of Halloween treats.
Based on the novel by Alice Hoffman and starring actors Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman in their prime, the movie explores the problems with pragmatic sister Sally Owens (Ms. Bullock) and her free-spirited sibling Gillie (Ms. Kidman) being unable to fall in love due to the curse that always kills their significant others.
When Sally takes a chance at love and her husband pays the price, she must now juggle taking care of her children with a flighty sister dealing with an abusive serial-killing boyfriend Jimmy (Goran Visnjic).
To make matters far worse, Sally accidentally kills him, twice, and he returns from the grave for revenge.
The horror moments take shape when the pair resurrect the dead with ghostly consequences, as well as a violent exorcism.
Ms. Bullock and Ms. Kidman’s chemistry keeps the plot entertaining, with support from veterans Stockard Channing and Dianne Wiest as their witchy aunts.
These days, the film would have fit well as a television event on the Hallmark Channel for a Halloween holiday romance weekend.
The 4K debut brings the night to vivid life and makes moments with a black cat and blood moon pop from the screen as well as allowing for an appreciation of the Owens clan’s Victorian-style mansion featuring a multifloor, winding staircase.
Frightful extras: The release offers digital bonuses from the original 2009 DVD release and includes an entertaining optional commentary track with the director, Ms. Bullock, producer Denise Di Novi and composer Alan Silvestri and two featurettes (16 minutes total) on making the movie.
However, and most importantly, use the included digital code to watch the film on select streaming services to access an additional and very welcome bonus extra: a brand-new 15-minute retrospective featuring Ms. Hoffman, Ms. Di Novi and the principal cast being nostalgic while also sneaking in a subtle plug for this year’s “Practical Magic 2.”
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