High-Def Halloween 2009

« 1 of 20 »

With Halloween fast approaching, it’s time for my annual look at the year’s best horror releases on everyone’s favorite high-def format.

Like any other critic’s list, what follows is but one person’s opinion. Personally, I’m not a huge gore hound and I find on-screen torture tough to take. Consequently, I prefer buckets of tension to buckets of blood, but that’s just me. (That’s not to say I don’t enjoy a good gross-out now and then; as evidence, look no further than Drag Me To Hell, the slimiest film I’ve ever seen.)

Behold my picks for the twenty most spook-tacular Blu-ray releases of 2009, in alphabetical order:

01. Alien Trespass (Image) – Eric McCormack (Will of "Will & Grace") leads an eclectic cast in this goofy (and underrated) alien invasion romp.

02. American Werewolf in London (Universal) – It’s not every day you come across a werewolf movie that’s both scary AND funny, but American Werewolf isn’t like most movies. This genre cult classic from Director John Landis has bravely withstood the test of time thanks to Rick Baker’s still-stunning FX work and the entertaining patrons of The Slaughtered Lamb.

03. Audition (Shout! Factory) – Takashi Miike shows us why playing the home edition of "The Dating Game" is just a bad, bad idea.

04. Child’s Play (MGM) – The original demonic toy movie and still the best. Accept no substitute.

05. Creepshow (Warner) – This 1982 horror anthology is still extremely enjoyable, and that shouldn’t be a surprise. Written by (and starring!) Stephen King and directed by zombie-meister George A. Romero, how can you go wrong? If you’re a fan, run don’t walk down to #18 on this list.

06. Drag Me To Hell (Universal) – Sam Raimi is back! Get a group together and crank this 5-star DTS-HD soundtrack. You won’t be disappointed.  Read more here.

07. Gojira (Classic Media) – How can you go wrong with the King of the Monsters on Halloween? Read more here.

08. Hellraiser (Anchor Bay) – He may not be the most charming of horror icons, but I defy you to find one that’s creepier-looking than Pinhead.

09. Let the Right One In (Magnolia) – A brilliant and unique twist on the vampire genre. See this before it gets remade with Dakota Fanning or Abigail Breslin. (shudder)

10. Misery (MGM) – The next time you think your feet hurt, just be glad you don’t have a block of wood between them and Kathy Bates standing over you with a sledgehammer.

11. My Bloody Valentine 3-D (Lionsgate) – It wasn’t hard to improve on the original, but this remake offers a few good screams, particularly if you’re with a bunch of friends. 3-D glasses included!

12. Night of the Creeps (Sony) – Kudos to Sony for bringing Fred Dekker’s genre classic to Blu-ray Disc, and just in time for Halloween.

13. Orphan (Warner) – Do not watch this one if you’re even thinking about adopting a child.

14. Planet Terror (Genius/Weinstein) – OK, technically this one was released in late 2008, but it was after last Halloween so it deserves a mention here. Much better than Death Proof, this is Grindhouse fun done right.

15. Repulsion (Criterion) – Criterion was late to the Blu-ray party, but to no one’s surprise, they’re turning out some of the format’s finest releases. This Roman Polasnki-directed examination of madness starring Catherine Deneuve is a perfect case in point.

16. Shaun of the Dead (Universal) – The funniest zombie movie you’ll ever see. And once you’re done here, be sure to watch Hot Fuzz starring the same dynamic duo of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost.

17. Splinter (Magnolia) – A perfect explanation of why you should always pay at the pump. 

18. Trick R’ Treat (Warner) – Fans of Creepshow and Tales From the Crypt should thrill over this star-studded return of the horror anthology. And for you "True Blood" fans, did I mention Anna Paquin dressed as Little Red Riding Hood?

19. True Blood: Season 1 (HBO) – Speak of the devil. Or in this case, vampires. This HBO original series continues to impress me and if "Bad Things" isn’t the best theme song on TV, I don’t know what is.

20. Wolf (Sony) – Is it just me, or did Michelle Pfeiffer stop aging back in the 90′s? This Mike Nichols take on the werewolf genre is great fun, thanks largely to Pfeiffer and a restrained performance by Jack Nicholson.