TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE: THE NEXT GENERATION (1994) - CANDYMAN (1992) - THE MANGLER (1995) - ELIZABETH HARVEST (2018) - 8MM (1999)
TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE: THE NEXT GENERATION (1994)
Label: Scream Factory
Region Code: A
Rating: R
Duration: 87 Minutes / 94 Minutes
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 2.0 with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1)
Director: Kim Henkel
Cast: Renée Zellweger, Matthew McConaughey, Robert Jacks, Tonie Perensky, Joe Stevens, Lisa Newmyer, Tyler Cone, John Harrison, James Gale
The not wrongfully maligned Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation has finally received a special edition Blu-ray release, containing both the theatrical and director's cuts of the film, plus some decent extras for fans and/or the morbidly curious what went on behind-the-scenes on this stinker. Sure, it's the worst of the series, but as a collector and a franchise completest there's a small part of me that is quite pleased to see it getting a proper HD release. About the only reason this thing has any sort of cult-following has to be the pre-fame appearances from Renée Zellweger (Bridget Jone's Diary) and Matthew McConaughey (The Dark Tower), and McConaughey is at least entertaining as the mechanical-legged baddie Vilmer, but Zellweger is as annoying as about every other person in this car crash of a film. I don't hate the cross-dressing Leatherface angle, it's at least an attempt at doing something interesting, but even then it's always been a part of the character to a degree, but the film is bad, real bad. That said, the new extras are decent, but they aren't the most candid interviews, they get under the skin a bit but I wanted more dirt about the making of this one, everyone's just being a bit too nice about it. The single-disc release from Scream Factory includes a reversible sleeve and a slipcover, at least the movie looks good sitting on the shelf.
Special Features:
- Two Cuts of the Film – the theatrical cut (87 minutes - HD) and the director’s cut (93 minutes - HD with standard definition inserts)
- NEW Audio Commentary with writer/director Kim Henkel (on Director’s Cut)
- NEW The Buzz is Back - an interview with Director of Photography Levie Isaacks (12 min)
- NEW Marked for Death - an interview with actor Tyler Shea Cone (16 min)
- NEW If Looks Could Kill: The Return of a “Chainsaw Massacre” - an interview with special makeup effects artist J.M. Logan and production designer Deborah Pastor (19 min)
- Still Gallery
- Theatrical Trailer (2 min)
CANDYMAN (1992)
Label: Scream Factory
Region Code: A
Rating: R & Unrated
Duration: 99 Minutes
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1 & 20 with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1)
Director: Bernard Rose
Cast: Virginia Madsen, Tony Todd, Xander Berkeley, Kasi Lemmons
The 2-disc Collector's Edition of 90's horror classic Candyman (1992) is a very simply the definitive version of the film, containing 2-cuts of the film plus hours of excellent bonus content, this is a release that will keep you coming back for more long after the initial purchase. Candyman was a film that came in the early part of the 90s, a time in my teens when I foolishly thought I'd seen it all - nothing could ever legit frighten me again, but I was wrong. I saw this in the cinema and was a little embarrassed that it got under my skin the way it had. I'd played Bloody Mary when I was younger, but the thought of standing in front of a mirror and saying Candyman in a dark room was not something I would have done anytime soon after seeing this one. Tony Todd is terrific and commanding in the role of the hooked-hand supernatural urban legend, his velvety deep voice is hypnotic, his presence is undeniable. Even now the film is a powerful watch, Bernard Rose's movie is well-directed, the score from Philip Glass is still deeply moving, and Tony Todd's performance is still one for the ages, this is a stone cold horror classic any which way you look at it, it boggles the mind that it took so damn long for this to come to Blu-ray. The 2-disc release comes with a reversible sleeve of artwork and a slipcase, highly recommended, this is an essential part of any horror collection. Check out the complete list of extras below, this sucker is packed!
Special Features:
DISC 1 – Theatrical Cut:
- NEW 2K restoration from a new 4K scan of the original negative, supervised and approve by writer/director Bernard Rose and director of photography Anthony B. Richmond
- NEW audio commentary with writer-director Bernard Rose and actor Tony Todd
- NEW audio commentary with Stephen Jones and Kim Newman
- Audio Commentary with director Bernard Rose, author Clive Barker, producer Alan Poul and actors Tony Todd, Virginia Madsen and Kasi Lemmons
- Audio Commentary with director Bernard Rose, from The Movie Crypt Podcast hosted by filmmakers Adam Green and Joe Lynch
- Sweets to the Sweet: The Candyman Mythos featuring interviews with director Bernard Rose, producer Alan Poul, executive producer Clive Barker, actors Virginia Madsen, Tony Todd and Kasi Lemmons (24 min)
- Clive Barker: Raising Hell – an interview with author/artist/filmmaker Clive Barker (11 min)
- Interview with actor Tony Todd (2014)(7 min)
- Bernard Rose’s Storyboards (5 min)
- Theatrical Trailer (2 min)
- TV Spots (2 min)
- Still Gallery (5 min)
- Screenplay (BD-Rom)
DISC 2 – Unrated Cut:
- NEW 2K restoration from a new 4K scan of the original negative with high definition inserts for the uncut footage from an archival film print
- NEW Be My Victim – an interview with Tony Todd (10 min)
- NEW It Was Always You, Helen – an interview with Virginia Madsen (13 min)
- NEW Reflection in the Mirror – an interview with Kasi Lemmons (10 min)
- NEW A Kid in Candyman – an interview with actor DeJuan Guy (14 min)
- NEW The Writing on the Wall: The Production Design of Candyman – an interview with production designer Jane Ann Stewart (6 min)
- NEW Forbidden Flesh: The Makeup FX of Candyman – including interviews with special makeup effects artists Bob Keen, Gary J. Tunnicliffe and Mark Coulier (8 min)
- NEW A Story to Tell: Clive Barker’s “The Forbidden” – writer Douglas E. Winter on Clive Barker’s seminal Books of Blood and Candyman’s source story, “The Forbidden” (19 min)
- NEW "Urban Legend: Unwrapping Candyman" – A Critical Analysis Of The Film With Writers Tananarive Due And Steven Barnes (21 min)
THE MANGLER (1995)
Label: Scream Factory
Region Code: A
Duration: 106 Minutes
Rating: Unrated
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1 with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1)
Director: Tobe Hooper
Cast: Robert Englund, Ted Levine, Daniel Matmor
Directed by Tobe Hooper (Texas Chainsaw
Massacre) and based on a story by Stephen
King (The Shining)... so far so good, here we have a story about a demonic laundry
press... huh? I do not recall having the fondest memories of this film, but with the somewhat recent passing of director Tobe Hooper I was down to give it another shot. I'm not a hundred percent turned around on this one, but the new 4K scan looks terrific and the film has gotten slightly better with age, having been a good fifteen years since I last watched it. The real fun here is Robert Englund and Ted Levine chewing the scenery in their respective roles, both are pros and both are clearly having a blast with their characters. The film also has a decent amount of bloody carnage, so it's fun on that level, it's just not great. I don't have a lot nice to say about this one I'll say it's more of a Tobe Hooper completest item, not really a broad recommend. No slip on this one but we do get a reversible sleeve of artwork plus this is the uncut version of the film, and we get a 22-min interview with star Englund who has always been a wonderful storyteller.
Special Features:
- NEW 4K Scan Of The Original Camera Negative Of The Uncut Version Of The Film
- NEW Audio Commentary With Co-Writer Stephen David Brooks
- NEW Hell’s Bells – An Interview With Actor Robert Englund (22 min)
- Rare Behind-The-Scenes Footage (13 min)
- Theatrical Trailer (1 min)
- TV Spot (1 min)
ELIZABETH HARVEST (2018)
Label: Scream Factory
Region Code: A
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 109 Minutes
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1 with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (2.40:1)
Director: Sebastian Gutierrez
Cast: Abbey Lee, Ciarán Hinds, Carla Gugino, Matthew Beard, Dylan Baker
A wealthy man named Henry (Ciarán Hinds, TV's The Terror) arrives home with the titular Elizabeth (Abbey Lee, Neon Demon), his gorgeous new bride. They seem very much in love, he is a scientist of some sort, she unnaturally beautiful. He gives her a tour of his gorgeous and modern home, tells her that everything he has is hers to enjoy, except... she must never enter a particular room. You know what happens next, but with this film I can pretty much guarantee you won't REALLY know what happens next after that. This film really caught me off guard, art artful, stylish bit of science fiction and suspense that pleased me quite a bit, it keeps you disoriented for a bit, feeds you tidbits, but when it all comes into focus it's something quite special indeed. This one brought to mind Ex Machina by way of the Bluebeard folk tale, it's a slow-burning mystery thriller with some wicked sci-fi leanings, and artful and stylish lensing, very well-done, though I think the finale doesn't quite live up to the slow-build that preceded it. Available from Scream Factory with a reversible sleeve of artwork and a slipcover, extras are slim, but there is a making-of featurette at least.
Special Features:
- "Making Of Elizabeth Harvest" Featurette
- Theatrical Trailer
8MM (1999)
Label: Scream Factory
Region Code: A
Rating: R
Duration: 123 Minutes
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1 with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080P HD Widescreen (2.35:1)
Director: Joel Schumacher
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Joaquin Phoenix, James Gandolfini, Peter Stormare, Anthony Heald, Chris Bauer, Catherine Keener
8MM is not a film I've thought a whole lot about since I saw it in '99 at the cinema, I remember liking it then, but it wasn't something that I hung onto to. We get a very good performance from Nic Cage in the role of a detective looking to authenticate a snuff film given to him by a wealthy widow who found it in her late husband's belongings. Written by screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker (Zodiac) the film's subject matter is pretty damn dark, becoming an unpleasant but not uninteresting journey into the seedy underside of the fringe porn industry. This release from Scream Factory marks the U.S. debut of the film on Blu-ray, it looks like a dated master, there's no verbage about a new scan, but it looks and sounds good. This release includes a reversible sleeve of artwork but no slipcover, though we do get a new 21-min interview with Producer/Director Joel Schumacher, plus a vintage commentary and featurette.
Special Features:
- NEW 8MM in 35MM - An Interview With Producer/Director Joel Schumacher (21 min)
- Audio Commentary With Producer/Director Joel Schumacher
- Vintage Behind The Scenes Featurette (5 min)
- Theatrical Trailer (3 min)
- TV Spots (1 min)
- Still Gallery (7 min)
