SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE (1978) EXTENDED CUT (WAC Blu-ray Review)

SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE (1978) 

EXTENDED CUT / SPECIAL EDITION 2-FILM COLLECTION 

Label: Warner Archive
Region Code: Region-FREE
Duration: 188 Minutes (Extended Cut), 151 Minutes (Special Edition) 
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 2.0 – English (Extended Cut), English DTS-HD MA 5.1, English Dolby Digital Surround 5.1, French Dolby Digital Surround 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 5,1 with Optional English Subtitles 
Video: 1080P HD Widescreen (2.40:1)
Director: Richard Donner
Cast: Marlon Brando, Gene Hackman, Christopher Reeve, Ned Beatty, Jackie Cooper, Glenn Ford, Trevor Howard, Margot Kidder, Valerie Perrine, Maria Schell, Terence Stamp, Phyllis Thaxter, Susannah York

Synopsis: Decades before blockbuster Extended Cuts were common, Superman proved a true “Man of Tomorrow.” Superman: The Movie received an ahead-of-its-time makeover for its television premiere – nearly 40 more minutes of story, creating a two-night television event. Audiences had already been swept off their feet by Christopher Reeve’s Last Son of Krypton, and now there was more to enjoy. Unseen in decades, this version is paired here with Richard Donner’s definitive vision of his film, the Special Edition Director’s Cut (2000), to create a supersized celebration of Metropolis’ favorite son that preserves the director’s intent while feeding superfan demands.

I was five when Superman: The Movie (1978) arrived at the cinemas, I was in kindergarten and I was the perfect age to take a kid to see this movie, but like Star Wars the year before I never did get to see it in the theater, I grew up poor and the cinema was a luxury my struggling parents could not afford. It wasn't until Superman aired on ABC in 1982 that I would catch-up to the Man of Steel, and that was the version I grew-up with, the 182-minute version aired over two nights on network TV packed with additional scenes not seen in the cinema, which was cool. In the 90's when I was well into my teens a longer 188-minute version was syndicated on TV, but I didn't catch that version until a VHS bootleg showed up years later, but that longer 188-minute version is what Warner Bros. have released on Blu-ray to the delight of fans. 

This longer version is known as the "Salkind International Television Cut" or the "KCOP Version", it was long though to only exist in a full frame, pan and scan version, but when Warner found eighteen reels in their vaults they were delighted to discover this version of the film in the original widescreen aspect ratio, and they devoted months of preparation into restoring and cleaning it up for it's debut on any legit home video format. 

Watching this 188-minute version of the film took me right back to being a nine-year old kid watching the two-night movie event, the movie that made me believe a man could fly!  Now this runs about forty-five minutes longer than the theatrical cut, but some of this footage was reinstated in Donner's special edition, so what we are really getting a about twenty-minutes or so of footage not seen in either the theatrical or special edition versions of the film, though two scenes of Lex and Otis in their subway lair feeding some unseen beasts  kept locked away in a pit can be found in the additional scenes section of extras on the special edition Blu-ray. 

What exactly is new? Well, I'll be honest and say I don't know exactly, I sort of wish the film has the option to denote all the  new/extended/alt scenes the way the Alien special editions did, but I know that there are additional/extended scenes on Krypton, Smallville, The Daily Planet and the scenes of reprogramming the nuclear missile, a fun comic scene with Lex berating/beating Otis for his incompetence. The scenes are a mix of interesting and superfluous stuff, for fans of the film this should be a delight, for the casual viewer it might be a long watch, but I fall firmly into the earlier category. I loved watching this longer cut, even if I think the theatrical version is still he best version at the end of the day, I love that I have the option to watch this longer cut. 

None of the new stuff adds new story lines the film, it enhances and elongates the movie, sometimes complementary, sometimes slowing t down, but that it works as well as it does is a minor miracle as producers the Salkind's assembled this version using nearly every scrap of additional footage shot for the movie to extend the running time, it was a straight up cash grab on their part, selling the longer version to the network who paid by the additional minute! 

The movie still stuns after all these years, it has a sense of innocence and wonder, after all this was made at a time when superhero movies weren't jaded - this was one of the first super hero movies, don't forget that. The stuff that worked then works still, though it is slightly dated, the miniature work is sort of laughable now, those trains and images of the dam crumbling do not hold up, but for the most part the scenes of Superman flying around still make you believe! Christopher Reeve (Death Trap) is the one true Clark Kent/Superman in my eyes, everyone else has paled in my opinion, his sense of honor, nice guy naivety and super-strength embody everything we've come to love about this character, and this movie in particular still manages to make magic that keeps me in awe, even in this longer, extended cut. 

Audio/Video: The 188-minute cut of Superman: The Movie (1978) arrives on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive, sourced in large part from a recently discovered interpositive, framed in the original 2.40:1 aspect ratio. They've given it a new 2K scan with some additional clean-up done to improve the viewing experience, but thankfully they didn't scrub away the film grain, this is a very filmic looking experience. Watching both cuts and switching back and forth between the two there are notable differences in the image, the extended cut is granier, which I actually like,  and the color timing is slightly different, the blacks seem deeper and the blues, yellow and reds of Superman's iconic suit look more saturated. Honestly I prefer the extended version image to the special edition disc on this set, but both are fantastic in their own unique way. 

Audio on the extended cut is presented in English DTS-HD MA Mono 2.0, with optional English, French, Dutch, Chinese, Korean and Spanish subtitles. The audio is sort of true to the original TV broadcast mono presentation, the opening and end title credits  present the score in stereo, but as with most re-releases of movies of such high acclaim it has not gone without some concern from die-hard and passionate audio/cinephiles who have noticed that the title credits music by John Williams have been re-edited and seemingly pitch adjusted, none of which I noticed during by two viewings, but I'm not the biggest soundtrack nerd either, I'm just happy to have this three-hour version available on Blu-ray, a tint music glitch won't affect my enjoyment. 

Unfortunately there are no extras on the extended cut of the film, but this release comes with a second disc, the special edition cut of the film with all the same extras from that solo release, so this makes for a nice little package, you get the 151-minute special edition and all the extras, plus the 188-minute TV version, the only thing I would have liked s the original 143-minute theatrical cut of the film. I would like to think that someday we will see a comprehensive release of Superman: The Movie (1978) with all the versions together on one release, along the lines of the Blade Runner: 5-Disc Complete Collectors Edition or the Close Encounters of the Third Kind: 30th Anniversary Ultimate Edition, which would be all sort of awesome, but I also applaud Warner for making this available at a great price! This 2-disc release comes housed in a standard Blu-ray keepcase with a non-reversible sleeve of art, and that artwork is rather bland, it looks like a budget release (which it is) but I wish they had sprung for new artwork for this one, it deserves it. 

Special Features (on Superman The Special Edition Disc): 
- Commentary by Director Richard Donner and Creative Consultant Tom Mankiewicz
- Taking Flight: The Development of Superman (30 min) SD
- Making Superman: Filming the Legend (31 min) SD
- The Magic Behind the Cape (24 min) 
- Screen Tests; (23 min) 
- Restored Scenes (11 min) 
- Additional Scenes (3 min) 
- Additional Music Cues (36 min) 
- Music-Only Track (91 min) 

Superman: The Movie - The Extended Cut is a wonderful gift from WB to fans of this iconic superhero movie, it's not the definitive cut, but it is certainly the longest, and was previously the one least likely to ever get a home video release - let alone such a wonderful looking Blu-ray presentation. Looking ahead I have to wonder if this will spur Warner release the TV versions of Superman 2 and beyond? As a cinema-deprived fan who grew up with the TV cut of the film I love this release, this is a wish-list item for sure, and I'm glad to have it in the collection with an official Blu-ray, a high recommend.  

BLACK CHRISTMAS (1974) (Scream Factory Blu-ray Review)

BLACK CHRISTMAS (1974) 

Label: Scream Factory
Region Code: A
Duration: 98 Minutes
Rating: R
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1 Surround, English DTS-HD MA 2.0 Stereo, English DTS-HD MA Mono with Optional English Subtitles
Video: (Disc 1) 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1), (Disc 2) 1080P HD Widescreen (1.78:1) 
Director: Bob Clark
Cast: Andrea Martin, Art Hindle, Doug McGrath, James Edmond, John Saxon, Keir Dullea, Lynne Griffin, Margot Kidder, Marian Waldman, Olivia Hussey

I remember watching the seminal holiday slasher Black Christmas alone on late night cable TV back in the late 80s or early 90s and it gave me the creeps, even though at the time I was way into gore and nudity in horror movies, something this classic doesn't deliver, but it does deliver loads of dread and holiday chills, not too mention it is one of the greatest slasher movies of all time. For years this movie was sort of a hidden gem for slasher fans, not much spoken of, but in recent years it has become a beloved Christmas-horror classic, one now rightfully remembered as coming years before John Carpenter's Halloween and it is still one of the most effective and chilling slashers of them all. Directed by the late Bob Clark who has two undisputed Christmas classics under his belt, this dread-filled slice of terror and the beloved family-film A Christmas Story, you know, the one with the kid Ralphie on his quest for a mythical Red Rider BB gun, not to mention the seminal teen-comedy Porky's!

The movie begins with an eerie POV shot of someone creepily stalking around outside the Phi Kappa Sigma sorority house, crawling up the side of the place on a trellis and making his way inside the house through an attic window. Inside the house a group of sorority sisters are drinking and enjoying a Christmas Party before Winter Break begins. During the celebration Jessica Bradford (Olivia Hussey, Stephen King's It) answers the phone to the sounds of a heavy-breathing obscene phone caller who has apparently called before, they refer to him as "the moaner" and listen in to his lunatic ramblings, the witty lush of the group Barb (Margot Kidder, Sisters) grabs the phone and eggs the caller on with her own brand of sailor-mouthed wit before hanging up on him in spectacular fashion. Meanwhile nice girl Clare (Lynne Griffin) heads upstairs to her bedroom to pack for Christmas break when she is distracted by the mewing sounds of what would seem to be the beloved house cat named Claude coming from within her closet. Entering the closet to find the feline she is attacked and suffocated with a sheet of plastic in a truly shocking and frightful scene, the killer carries her corpse to the attic and places it in a rocking chair in front of the attic window with the plastic still wrapped around face, its a frightening image and one we see throughout the film, it's chilling stuff. 

The next day Clare's uptight father arrives looking to take his sweet daughter home but oddly none of the sorority sisters know where she's gone to. Coming up empty handed they go to the campus police station where they are assured that she has probably just run off with her boyfriend for he weekend, which is of no comfort to her stuffy dad. This turns out not be the case, which we find out when her boyfriend Chris (Art Hindle, Invasion of the Body Snatchers) shows up at the police station confirming to Lt. Kenneth Fuller (John Saxon, A Nightmare on Elm Street). Soon after a young girl from town goes missing and is found murdered in a nearby park, at which point Lt. Fuller begins to suspect that the disappearance of the sorority sister might be connected. Once he finds out that the sorority house has been receiving strange phone calls he places a tap on the phone, which in the 70s seemed like quite a chore, according to the movie, there's  scene of someone from the phone company combing through a huge room full of vintage 70s electronics. 

The creepy phone calls persist through the next night and escalate in intensity, the lunatic caller's weird and unnerving profanity laced calls are nightmare fuel and are still one of the most terrifying things about the movie. Hissing things like "juicy cock" and "pretty pig cunt" that must have been shocking to theater goers in the 70's! We as viewers know that there's a lunatic in the attic, there's an intruder in the home, but we don't know who exactly, and the movie does throw a few possible suspects our way, Clare's boyfriend Chris seems like an alright guy, but Jessica's boyfriend Peter (Keir Dullea, 2001: A Space Odyssey) is a bit of a high-strung weirdo, an aspiring pianist with a violent streak who is angered by Jessica's decision to terminate her pregnancy without his consent, and when the killer-crank caller references the abortion during a creepy call it certainly seems like he might be the guy. Like the vulgarity laced prank calls the abortion issue was still pretty taboo in the 70s, and must have been a head-turner, too. 

The tone of the movie is creepy and dread-filled, the sorority house is a great setting and feels very Christmas-y, lots of xmas light, christmas carollers, wind and snow abound, this is a xmas movie that feels very xmas-y. True to form director Bob Clark manages to sneak in some humor throughout the movie, beginning with Barb's near constant parade of inappropriate comments, such as when she points out sarcastically that "you can't rape a towney" or when she gives the dim-witted keystone cop Sgt. Nash (Douglas McGrath, the gym teacher from Porky's) a phone number with the false exchange of FE for "felatio", which never fails to make me laugh. Also golden are the interactions between the sorority housemother Mrs. Mac (Marian Waldman) with Clare's stuffy father, which is always good stuff, with her trying in vain to cover up the racy counter-culture posters on the bedroom walls. Ms. Mac is a just a hoot, a fun older woman who hides bottles of liquor in various hidden places, from the back of the toilet tank to inside of cleverly hollowed out books, she even rinses her mouth with whiskey after brushing her teeth, this broad might have a problem! 

As sometimes happens, the moments of humor serve to heighten the fear, this movie is a chiller through and through, as the killer continues to make the creepy phone calls, emerging from his hiding place within the house to claim more victim one by one until there remains only one, and only then does she realize with the help of the phone tap that the calls are actually coming from within the house! Sure, everyone seems to remember a similar scenario is When A Stranger Calls but this is the first movie to do the whole calls-are-coming-from-in-the-house thing. As frightful as this movie can be it is not a gore-classic, the terror comes through the use of shadow, dread and some chilling sound design, though a few of the kills are rather inspired. The suffocating of Clare with the plastic wrap at the beginning is frightening, the way her corpse is revisited throughout the movie is also eerily effective. The way poor Mrs. Mac goes out with an implied hood to the face is also just brutal, and another death by glass unicorn would not be out of place in an Argento classic. While the movie is not a river of blood the imagery and execution is blood curdling stuff, a few scenes of the killer's eye peering through the darkness are potent images. 

One of the strongest aspects of the movie is the ensemble cast, the sorority sisters are a fun bunch, they feel realistic, not too over-the-top, beginning with Margot Kidder as the acerbic lush Barb, I loved her. Then we have Jessica played by Olivia Hussey who turns out to be the final girl at a time before we really had the final girl formula of the 80s, she does good work throughout. Andrea Martin from the TV's SCTV  shows up as one of the more buttoned-down sisters, she doesn't do a whole lot or get a ton of screen time, but I love that you at least get a feel for these people before their numbers are up. Of course I have to mention one Mr. John Saxon (Tenebre) as the detective, this guy always classes up a picture! Black Christmas is a tense watch that does it without resorting to epic amounts of gore or nudity, but through the use of tone, shadow and crafty sound design, and it only gets better with age, and what an ending, the phone ringing over the closing credits, so chilling, so good! 

Audio/Video: At long last Black Christmas arrives on Blu-ray with significant upgrade to the image quality, which I appreciate as I've owned about as many versions of Black Christmas as I have Sam Raimi's Evil Dead 2  -- which is A LOT! Scream Factory went back to the original negative for a new 2K scan and the results are pleasing when compared to both the Critical Mass and Anchor Bay Blu-rays. The movie is a low-budget 70s movie so it is never going to be pristine and crisp, but right away you will notice that the grain is better managed and more finely resolved than previous editions, black levels are deeper, details are richer, the skin tones are cooler and not so red, the colors are more natural looking, this is just a very pleasing transfer. Noteworthy, Scream Factory's new 2K scan presents the film in Bob Clark's preferred aspect ratio of 1.85:1, but for those who prefer the original framing you can find it on he second disc, however, this is the 2006 Critical Mass HD Master with the 1.78:1 framing and is not a new transfer, so it does not look nearly as good. Scream's aspect ratio does lose some lower and upper frame image, but it looks so good, I didn't mind the new framing at all, but I will say that I find their recent spate of multi-framing options a bit weird and possibly confusing, their release of Cronenberg's Dead Ringers also has two framing options. 

Audio on disc one includes three audio options along with the new 2K scan, we get English DTS-HD MA 2.0 Stereo, DTS-HD MA Mono and DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround. Notably this is the first Blu-ray release to feature a mono track, which is great, but there's an issue, notably some hiss and harsh sounding s-words, which I found very distracting. The surround mix is okay but it's a classic case of an older movie sounding forced when opened up for a surround presentation. In an ideal world the mono track would be the way to go here, but I say stick with the stereo track on this release. The version of the film on the second disc comes with only a surround option. 

Extras on disc one include all the commentaries from previous DVD and Blu-ray editions, totaling three. We have one with Bob Clark, which is essential listening, and a second with John Saxon and Keir Dullea, which is alright. The third commentary is more of a novelty, a commentary with actor Nick Mancuso in character as "Billy" from the movie, which is all sort of nuts. Additionally there is thirty-minute interview with Bob Clark which can be listed to while viewing the film, in it Clark discusses the impact of the film and his legacy. I sort of wish we would have had a new commentary on the disc, something from Kim Newman or Stephen Thrower, someone from the outside looking in on the movie as a fan of horror, that would have been awesome, but I am just nitpicking here. 

Onto the second disc Scream Factory carry-over nearly all the extras from the previous Blu-ray and DVD releases, I think there might be one interview missing. They go the extras mile and add two brand new interviews which are exclusive for this release, one with actor Art Hindle and a second with actress Lynne Griffin totalling nearly an hour. The vintage stuff is nothing to sneeze at either, we have the awesome 40-min Black Christmas Legacy doc which was on the Canadian Anchor Bay Season's Grievings Edition, plus over four more hours of vintage interviews, Q/A, trailers, radio spots, galleries, alternate title sequences and two scenes with new vocal tracks - this thing is massive. 

This release also features a sleeve of reversible artwork with the original one sheet artwork and a new illustration by artist Joel Robinson, which is good, but if I am being honest here the Season's Grievings Edition Blu-ray artwork from artist Gary Pullin blows this one away, I might have to keep that version just for the artwork, the collector's booklet and cool slipcover, otherwise the Scream Factory version is the new definitive version of this holiday slasher classic. The only real dig I have on this release is the condition of the mono audio track, but when stacked up against the superior image quality and sheer amount of cool extras I do think that I can live with it. 

Update! It turns out that Scream Factory are offering a replacement program to address the mono audio issues on disc one of this release: Here's the statement from Scream Factory and the info: 

"We will be offering a replacement (Disc 1 only) of our Blu-ray release of BLACK CHRISTMAS which will include the original mono audio track as it was presented on prior releases of the film on DVD and Blu-ray.

Instructions to receive this replacement disc are as follows:

Send an email to our customer service department @ info@shoutfactory.com 
Please include “BLACK CHRISTMAS REPLACEMENT PROGRAM” in the subject line. Please provide your first and last name and the mailing address in which you would like the disc sent to. No other copy is needed. Must provide proof of purchase (photo of receipt or online order will do) in the body of the email.

You will not receive a shipment confirmation. Also, please note that due to the high volume of inquires we will not be able to respond to each email personally.

Replacement discs are expected to ship in January 2017 and as soon as we receive them. No tracking numbers will be assigned.

We’d like to also take this time to address the fans that brought this to our attention and explain more in detail as to why our mono audio track for Black Christmas sounded so rough. Unfortunately, we were not able to find a mag track, only an optical track, which is not an ideal source for this kind of work. However, based on earlier customer feedback who hoped for lossless mono audio, we decided to include the mono audio track with minimal processing and compression. The was a decision made with the best of intentions and the hope of providing the most authentic film presentation, but the hissy sibilance of the optical track proved to be too extreme and took away from the viewing experience. We’re sorry for the frustration it may have caused. We have explored all options to correct the problem that fit within our resources and have concluded that the best solution was to use the mono audio track originally released on the Critical Mass DVD.

Much thanks for your patience and continued support. And we look forward to bringing you more great retro films in 2017. 

Customer Service
Shout! Factory
2034 Armacost Ave., 1st Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90025

info@shoutfactory.com"

Special Features:

DISC 1:
- NEW 2016 2K scan of the negative (1.85:1) – DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
- Audio Commentary with director Bob Clark
- Audio Commentary with actors John Saxon and Keir Dullea
- Audio Commentary with Billy (actor Nick Mancuso)
- Audio interview with director Bob Clark

DISC 2:
- 2006 Critical Mass HD Master (1.78:1) – DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
- NEW Film and Furs – Remembering Black Christmas with Art Hindle (26 Min) 
- NEW Victims and Virgins – Remembering Black Christmas with Lynne Griffin (27 min) 
- Black Christmas Legacy (40 min)  
- 40th Anniversary Panel at FanExpo 2014 featuring John Saxon, Art Hindle, Lynne Griffin and Nick Mancuso (18 min)  
- On Screen!: Black Christmas featurette (49 min) 
- 12 Days of Black Christmas featurette (20 min) 
- Black Christmas Revisited featurette (36 min) 
- Archival Interviews with Olivia Hussey (17 min), Art Hindle (23 Min), Margot Kidder (23 Min), Bob Clark (25 min), and John Saxon (13 min)
- Midnight Screening Q&A with Bob Clark, John Saxon and Carl Zittrer (21 mins) 
- Two scenes with a new vocal soundtrack (3 min) 
- Original Theatrical Trailers (English and French)(9 min) 
- Original TV and Radio Spots (3 min) 
- Alternative Title Sequences (3 min) 
- Still Gallery (5 min) (55 Images) 

Black Christmas (1974) has simply never looked better on Blu-ray, this is the definitive version of the movie, aside from the unfortunate mono track on disc one, but I am pleased to see that Scream Factory have stepped-up and are addressing the audio issues with a replacement program for disc one. So buy this with confidence, this is the version you've been waiting for, this is the version of Bob Clark "other" Christmas classic has long deserved. 5/5

THE AMITYVILLE HORROR COLLECTION (1979-1983) (Blu-ray Review)

THE AMITYVILLE HORROR COLLECTION (1979-1983) 

Label: Via Vision Entertainment 
Release Date: September 28th 2016
Region Code: Region-FREE
Rating: R I R I PG
Duration: 411 Minutes
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 2.0, DTS-HD MA 5.1 with Optional English Subtitles 
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen 
Directors: Stuart Rosenberg I Damiano Damiani I Richard Fleischer
Cast: Margot Kidder, Rod Steiger, James Brolin I  Burt Young, Jack Magner, Rutanya Alda, Andrew Prine, James Olson I Tess Harper, Meg Ryan, Tony Roberts, Robert Joy

Synopsis: Blood drips from the walls. A terrifying chill permeates through the rooms. Menacing eyes glow from the upstairs window and inside this charming Long Island home, an unspeakable evil lurks the halls, waiting to torment all who dare enter. Experience the ultimate in haunted house film trilogy…and delve deeper into the history of the films with vintage special features and all-new extras in a deluxe collector’s boxed set.

DISC 1: THE AMITYVILLE HORROR (1979)

Rating: R
Duration: 119 Minutes
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 2.0, English DTS-HD MA 5.1 with Optional English Subtitles 
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1) 
Director: Stuart Rosenberg

Cast: Margot Kidder, Rod Steiger, James Brolin

Synopsis: In the first of a series of Amityville films, George (James Brolin) and Kathy Lutz (Margot Kidder), plus their cute kids, move into a riverfront home in the small town of Amityville. The house is a seemingly tranquil retreat except for one minor detail: The man who lived there prior to the Lutz family brutally killed his wife and children. Even with this knowledge, George and Kathy decide to purchase the house. As they begin unpacking their belongings, strange things start happening to them—odd nightmares, voices in the hall, and a feeling of madness that will drive them to the brink of sanity. It appears that the Lutzes are not alone inside the Amityville house, and whatever else is living with them wants them out…or dead!

Here we have the first classic entry in the now sprawling Amityville franchise, which includes no less than ten sequels and a re-boot. but this is the one that started it all, the one that scared the shit out of me as a kid watching it on TV with my mom.  James Brolin as the 70s dad who slowly becomes possessed by the presence inhabiting the house is good stuff, the movie contains most of the usual haunted house tropes but is still effective, accentuated by a great atmospheric score from Lalo Schifrin who also wrote the original, unused score for The Exorcist. Another highlight for me is Rod Steiger's unhinged performance as the priest which is is the cherry on top of this 70s possessed house chiller. 

Special Features: 
- Haunted Melodies with Composer Lalo Schifrin (10 Mins) HD 
- "For God's Sake, Get Out!" Documentary with actors James Brolin and Margot Kidder (22 Mins) 
- Audio Commentary by Dr. Hans Holzer, PH.D. in Parapsychology (author of Murder In Amityville)
- Original Theatrical Trailer and TV Spot (2 Mins) HD 
- Radio Spots (4 Mins) HD 
- Still Gallery (8 Mins) HD 

DISC 2: AMITYVILLE II: THE POSSESSION (1982) 

Rating: R
Duration: 104 Minutes
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 2.0, English DTS-HD MA 5.1 with Optional English Subtitles 
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.78:1) 
Director: Damiano Damiani

Cast: Burt Young, Jack Magner, Rutanya Alda, Andrew Prine, James Olson

Synopsis: This second installment in the Amityville series is a “prequel” which traces the events leading up to The Amityville Horror. In Amityville II: The Possession, the Montelli family moves into the Amityville house replete with its demonic windows. The family’s patriarch, Anthony (Burt Young), is a brutish father with a timid wife, Dolores (Rutanya Alda), two small children, and two teenagers, Patricia (Diane Franklin) and Sonny (Jack Magner). After only a few days in their new home, strange occurrences take root; the cellar produces a nasty amount of flies and feces. Malevolent voices reverberate through the halls. And most disturbing, Sonny begins to have visions of murdering his entire family. The events that follow produce a battle between good and evil that ultimately paves the way to one of the greatest horrors Amityville has ever experienced.

Amityville II: The Possession (1982) is a prequel and was directed by Italian Damiano Damiani who also directed the Spaghetti western A Bullet for the General  (1966). The prequel  is a funhouse chiller for sure with some awesome atmospheric and gruesome sequences. I do love the prequel premise and Burt Young (Rocky) as the abusive and overbearing Italian father is great stuff, plus we have some weird incestuous tones going on here, really weird stuff that will make you uncomfortable. A real ghostly atmosphere and demented sense of perversion saturates the film,, plus we have the shocking deaths of children. Fittingly directed by an Italian the film sort of feels like one of the Exorcist knock-offs Italians were so fond of at the time, but I love it and actually enjoy it more than the first entry, this is stylish, spooky and a little bit sleazy, too.

Special Features: 
- The Possession of Damiani - Interview with Director Damiano Damiani (8 Mins) HD 
- Adapting Amityville – New Interview with Screenwriter Tommy Lee Wallace (12 Mins) HD 
- Family Matters – New Interview with Actress Diane Franklin (14 Mins) HD 
- A Mother’s Burden – New Interview with Actress Rutanya Alda (14 Mins) HD 
- Father Tom’s Memories – New Interview with Actor Andrew Prine (4 Mins) HD 
- Interview with ghost hunter/author Alexandra Holzer (Growing Up Haunted: A Ghostly Memoir) (29 Mins) HD 
- Audio Commentary with ghost hunter/author Alexandra Holzer (Growing Up Haunted: A Ghostly Memoir)
- Trailers (3 Mins) HD 
- Still Gallery (4 Mins) HD 

DISC 3: AMITYVILLE 3-D (AMITYVILLE III: THE DEMON) (1983) 

Rating: PG
Duration: 93 Minutes 
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 2.0, English DTS-HD MA 5.1 with Optional English Subtitles 
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (2.35:1) 
Director: Richard Fleischer
Cast: Tess Harper, Meg Ryan, Tony Roberts, Robert Joy

Synopsis: In the third installment of the Amityville Horror series, the terror is not only real…it’s coming to you in three dimensions! John Baxter (Tony Roberts) is a psychic investigator who spends his time debunking phony so-called “experts” of the occult. John and his wife, Nancy (Tess Harper), are recently separated with a young daughter, Susan (Lori Loughlin). John haphazardly decides to purchase the infamous Amityville house and moves in, unaware of the horrible dangers that lie inside. As John spends more and more time inside the house, he begins to endanger not only himself but also his family, friends and coworkers. It’s three times the terror in Amityville 3-D!

Amityville 3-D (1983) is the last sequel in the franchise I can safely say is worth a watch, it most certainly not a good movie but it's goddamn entertaining right from the start! Paranormal investigators Melanie and John (Candy Clark, Tony Roberts) expose a pair of con artists during a seance at the now empty Amityville house, it's a great set-up and the reveal and ensuing confrontation are great. Afterward the realtor explains to John that because of the famous history of the home he just cannot sell it, which enables skeptic John to purchase the infamous house for a song. He moves in with his daughter and things just start going wrong all around him, though he seems blind to the supernatural happenings until tragedy strikes close to home. Because this was a staple on cable TV in the 80's I've seen it more than any other entry, again, it is not a good movie but I loved it and some of the special effects work on the movie are pretty great including a bizarre car incineration and a demon that appears in the last few minutes, rising up from a well in the basement long enough to burn off someone's face which is just awesome. As was the craze at this time in the eighties the movie was shot in 3D and like Scream Factory before them Via Vision have given this disc a Blu-ray 3D option for those with 3D TV's. 

Special Features: 
- 2D and Blu-ray 3D presentation of the film for the first time!
- A Chilly Reception – New Interview with Actress Candy Clark (9:46)
- Original Theatrical Trailer (1:32) 

BONUS DISC: THE AMITYVILLE CONFIDENTIAL (2005) / MY AMITYVILLE HORROR (2012) 

As a bonus DVD disc on the set Via Vision have included the Amityville Confidential : The History Channel Documentary (2005), which includes two 42-minute History Channel explorations of the Amityville case which came out around the time of the remake. The disc also includes a brief promotional bit about the remake. 

The bonus disc also includes the  Eric Walter directed documentary My Amityville Horror (89 Mins) featuring the actual Daniel Lutz who recounts his version of the infamous Amityville haunting that terrified his family in 1975. While Via Vision seem to have licensed the extras on the disc from Scream Factory, mirroring both menus and extras, they've gone beyond that Scream Factory release with the inclusion of these cool extras, which make this the more definitive version of the trilogy, and I have confirmed that the set is Region A compatible!

Audio/Video: This four-disc set from Australia's Via Vision Entertainment includes the first three movies in the series which I say are the movies in the franchise worth owning. It looks like Via Vision have licensed the extras on the first three movie right from Shout! Factory, as the disc have the same Red Shirt Films produced bonus content, commentaries and menu design, the HD transfers and audio options also appear to be identical.

All four discs come housed in a Blu-ray quad case within a slipcase, the discs look and sound great on 1080p HD, with the slight exception of Amityville 3-D which has some softness and an odd red and blue shading anomaly which I suspect comes from the original 3D conversion process and not from any fault of the transfer. Via Vision have also included a bonus DVD disc, which includes the Amityville Confidential and My Amityville Horror docs, which is a nice add-on for Amityville completists. The discs are loaded with special features, including audio commentaries on the first two films, a vintage documentary with James Brolin and Margo Kidder, an interview with director Damiano Damiani plus newer interviews with actors Andrew Prine, Diane Franklin, Candy Clark, Rutanya Alda and ghost hunter/author Alexandra Holzera, whose father does the commentary for the first movie. As stated before the extras on the first three discs have appeared on the Scream Factory three-disc set, but Via Vision go one-step above with the inclusion of the History Channel documentary and the Daniel Lutz doc, making this the more definitive version of the original trilogy on Blu-ray.