Blu-ray Review: HALLOWEEN (1978) 35th Anniversary Edition

HALLOWEEN (1978)

35th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray

Label: Anchor Bay Entertainment 
Region Code: A
Rating: R

Duration: 92 minutes
Video: 1080p Widescreen (2.35:1)

Audio: Dolby TrueHD 7.1. Original Mono with Optional English SDH Subtitles 

Cast: Jamie Lee Curtis, Donald Pleasance, P.J. Soles, Nancy Loomis

Director: John Carpenter

Synopsis: In 1978, Compass International Pictures released an indie horror film by an up and coming director and a largely unknown cast. Presented by the late Moustapha Akkad, the film cost $325,000 and ended up not only becoming one of the most successful independent motion pictures of its time, but single handedly created the genre of the modern horror film along with the first iconic (via a painted-over William Shatner mask) cinematic slasher!

The idea is simplicity itself, why no one thought to make Halloween-themed slasher before John Carpenter did in 1978 is actually a bit odd now that I think about it. Sure, Bob Clark's xmas proto-slasher Black Christmas (1974) might have begun the holiday-themed deathride a few years earlier, but Carpenter nailed Halloween first and best, period.

Halloween (1978) as if you didn't already know, for fuck's sake I hope you know, concerns a young man named Michael Myers whom one Halloween night 1963 just up and snapped, he put on a clown mask and slashed his promiscuous teen sister to death with a butcher knife, afterward he is sent away to Smith's Grove Sanitarium where he remains for 15 years, until he escapes, returning to the Haddonfield, Illinois to murder again... and again. 

His psychiatrist Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasance, Cul-De-Sac) knows just where Myers is headed, but when he warns the local Haddonfield police they don't seem overly concerned about the dead-eyed murderer coming to town, and just in time for Halloween, too. 

Local teen Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis, Terror Train) is babysitting young Tommy Doyle (Brian Andrews, Angel Dusted) while across the street her friend Annie (Nancy Kyes, The Fog) babysits Lindsey (Kyle Richards, The Watcher in the Woods), but when Annie takes off to pick-up her boyfriend Paul she drops the young girl off with Laurie, setting up one of the most unforgettable slasher classics of all time. 

John Carpenter's Halloween (1978) is a superb, tightly-knit chiller with a cold, motiveless killer and a group of likable Mid West teens who for whatever reason are caught up in a fateful night of murder, and the kills while mostly bloodless are just as effective and brutal even after countless watches. Jamie Lee Curtis is great as the naive good girl, she pretty much set the gold standard for the final girl in slasher films for the next twenty years, her piercing screams are unforgettable. Of course, every good girl has to have a few promiscuous friends, enter P.J. Soles (Animal House) as the sex-loving Lynda, who quips "totally" in the cutest way ever, her death scene is a bogeyman classic, and when her boyfriend Bob's demise is perfectly executed and brutal. The body count here is not the stuff of legend but their impact is devastating, you actually care for these characters quite a bit. My favorite death has always been Annie, she jumps in her car to pick-up her boyfriend when she realizes something odd about the windshield, there's condensation on the inside, just as she realizes she might not be alone... too late, a classic death.

Carpenter originally wanted Hammer icon Christopher Lee (Dracula: Prince of Darkness) or Peter Cushing (Horror Express) for the role of Dr. Loomis but instead ended-up with Donald Pleasance whom already had a storied career including memorable appearances in Roman Polanski's Cul-De-Sac (1966), Raw Meat (1973) and the Amicus horror anthology From Beyond the Grave (1974) but this is the role that would cement his place forever in the annals of horror cinema, even if his performance in a few the later sequels bordered overwrought parody, in Halloween (1978) he was pure perfection showing concern, frustration and anxiety in just the right amounts. 

Even after 35 years John Carpenter's Halloween (1978) is a perfectly scary watch, it's a tense, atmospheric suburban-nightmare, a group of teens versus a killer with no discernible motive, he's a shape, the shape of evil and he's coming to your town and there's very little you can do to stop him. Damn, when I saw this on TV as a kid trick or treating on Halloween night was just scarier, I would see that white mask emerging form every damn shadow on the street, it really affected me and while I'm a bit old for trick or treating and I don't see Myers peering at me from the shadows anymore Halloween is still the best damned slasher ever made.

Blu-ray: For this 35th Anniversary Edition of John Carpenter's seminal slasher classic Anchor Bay went back to the vault and creating an brand-new HD transfer supervised by the film’s original cinematographer, the Prince of Darkness himself, Dean Cundey and what we get is quite a step-up from the previous Anchor Bay Blu-ray I am pleased to report. There's a nice fine layer of film grain present throughout, no grain-scrubbing here, we get a crisp image with a pleasing amount of fine detail, it's wonderful. The brightness had been toned down quite a bit, the previous Blu suffered a bit with brightness boosting and hot skin tones, this is a more natural and pleasing image, fans are gonna be thrilled by the new transfer. 

Audio options include a newly minted Dolby TrueHD 7.1 and the Original Mono with Optional Spanish and English SDH Subtitles, and like the transfer it's quite nice beginning with John Carpenter's iconic score, it's one of the most recognizable pieces of film music with good reason, the chilling piano and the deep throb of the low-end, it's a thing of beauty, the Blue Oyster Cult's "Don't Fear the Reaper" has never sounded better. Score, dialogue and effects come through clean, well-balanced and with nice clarity, the 7.1 definitely adds some atmosphere and depth to the proceedings, I far prefer it to the original mono, so I am not an absolute purist in the audio department, I do enjoy a decent surround remix and I think this one's done very well. 

Fantastic transfer and engaging 7.1 aside let's have a look at what the 35th is packing in terms of extras beginning with a brand new audio commentary with writer/director John Carpenter and star Jamie Lee Curtis, not a lot of new revelations here but it's great to hear these two sit down and watch/discuss the film. 

 “The Night She Came Home” (59:43) is a new featurette with Jamie Lee Curtis detailing her one and only horror convention appearance to help support her charity causes, it's a fun watch as we see the fans line-up and pour on the love for Curtis while she shows much love and respect for fans of the film. I do recall hearing about this convention appearance a few months back and there was some negative buzz about the prices she was charging for photo ops and this answered a lot of those criticisms for me. It pretty much covers every facet of her appearance from pre-arrival to post-convention, going into this I was bummed it wasn't a new doc about the film but I was thoroughly  entertained. 

Anchor Bay dig up a vintage featurette with On Location: 25 Years Later (10:25), a narrated extra revisiting the South Pasadena locations with contributions from producer Debra Hill and actress P.J. Soles, it's sorta a mini-making of doc that also touches on the casting and genesis of the film. 

Not sure how I've avoided seeing the TV Version of the film for so long but included on the disc are the Additional Scenes from TV Version (10:46) which was an interesting watch having never seen 'em, but I was also a bit disappointed that the 35th Anniversary Edition did not offer he TV Version as a branching option instead of separate from the film, not that they're all that fantastic but just something for the fans, a more definitive edition. 

The last of the extras on the disc are a selection of trailers, TV spots and radio spots, love me some radio spots and pleased they included them here. Onto the packaging this limited edition release comes in Digibook-styled case with foil lettering and new artwork from artist Jay Shaw, it also features a 20-page essay with writing on the film by film historian Stef Hutchinson, there's some great behind-the-scenes photographs, it's a good read. Love how when you open the cover the first image you see is the iconic theatrical artwork, something I didn't love so much is the way the disc slips into cardboard envelope on the inside back cover of the Digibook, not a fan of slip-ins, much prefer snap-ons, but that's just a personal preference. 

It's no surprise to me, considering just how many different editions of Sam Raimi's Evil Dead Trilogy and Halloween (1978) Anchor Bay have released through the years, that they have chosen not port over every extra for the 35th Anniversary Edition... not surprised but maybe slightly disappointed. Would have loved to see a definitive version of the film with the previous John Carpenter, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Debra Hill commentary, a branching version that includes the TV footage, the fact track and the Halloween: A Cut Above the Rest documentary. Groaning aside, it's still a damn fine edition and there's always the 40th anniversary, don't think for a moment that's not in the works already. 

Special Features:

- All-new commentary track with writer/director John Carpenter and star Jamie Lee Curtis
- “The Night She Came Home” new featurette with Jamie Lee Curtis (59:43) 

- On Location: 25 Years Later (10:25) 

- Trailer (2:42) 

- TV Spot 1 (0:32)
- TV Spot 2 (0:32)
- TV Spot 3 (0:12)
- Radio Spot 1 (0:29)
- Radio Spot 2 (0:27)
- Radio Spot  3 (0:28) 

- Additional Scenes from TV Version (10:46)

Verdict: Sure, I might bemoan the fact that this is not the one-stop definitive edition of the film I would have hoped for with my laundry list of extras but make no mistake about it, Anchor Bay's 35th Anniversary Blu-ray of John Carpenter's Halloween (1978) is a thing of chilling beauty with the best transfer yet and a wonderful audio presentation with some great extras, Halloween is the seminal slasher, the one that all others pale in comparison to, and while plenty of fun, tit-riddled slashers came after it none have unmasked it. 5 Outta 5 

DVD Review: V/H/S/2 (2013)

V/H/S/2 (2013)

Label: Magnet Releasing
Release Date: September 24th 2013 

Region Code: 1 NTSC

Duration: 96 Minutes

Rating: R

Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1 with Optional Spanish and English SDH Subtitles

Video: 16:9 Widescreen (1.78:1) 

DirectorS: Simon Barrett, Adam Wingard, Edúardo Sanchez, Gregg Hale,
Timo Tjahjanto, Gareth Huw Evans, Jason Eisener

Here we have another entry in the found-footage anthology series, a sequel to V/H/S (2012) with a new set of directors taking a stab at things, I wasn't completely enamored with the last entry and was down right disappointed with a few of the vignettes (lloking at you Ti west) so lets see what we have this time out. 

We begin with 'Tape 49', a very familiar framing device as two private investigators on the trail of a missing teen unlawfully enter a house and come upon a bank of TV monitors and stacks of VHS cassettes. The female investigator is tasked with pouring through the videos while the man searches through the seemingly empty house for clues to the missing teens whereabouts, this is our introduction to the shorts, much like we saw in V/H/S and it's just as weak here as it was then. The warp-around is directed by frequent Adam Wingard collaborator Simon Barrett whose written some good material previously with the creepy Civil War-era chiller Dead Birds (2006) and the recent You're Next (2011) but this just didn't do much for me unfortunately, it's a shame this is your first and last impression of the film. 

Up next is Adam Wingard's 'Phase 1: Clinical Trials' with Wingard in he staring role as a video game designer who has lost an eye in a car accident, we catch up with him just as an experimental camera-eye has been installed in his eye socket and he's returning home post-surgery. As night settles in begins to see strange things happening around his house, it's pretty much a variation on what we've seen previously in the j horror film The Eye (2002) or the underrated Body Parts (1991) with Jeff Fahey, this is a pretty effective entry and infinitely more fun than any of the Paranormal Activity (2007) entries in my opinion, plus we get a bit of nudity, too. 

The Godfather of Found Footage Eduardo Sanchez (The Blair Witch Project) offers up 'A Ride in the Park' a novel take on the zombie genre, featuring a mountain-biker with a Go Pro cam mounted-to his helmet as he hits the dirt trails for some extreme off road action until he happens upon a woman is distress, she's bloodied and vomiting. Dismounting his mountain bike  he attempts to offer aid when she attacks him, tearing out  a chunk out of his throat, he stumbles though the woods a short distance and bleeds out. A few moments later a coupe happen upon his corpse when he is suddenly reanimated as a flesh-chomping zombie, the remainder of the short plays out following his zombie exploits captured on the Go Pro camera set-up, it's definitely a novel idea with an interesting POV. I enjoyed the gore and some interesting POV shots - like when he's run over by an SUV, it made for a fun entry. 

Up next is what I think is one of the stronger entries co-directed by Timo Tjahanto (The ABCs of Death) and Gareth Huw Evans (The Raid) which features three documentary filmmakers gaining access to an Indonesian doomsday cult compound, while interviewing the cult leader he suddenly announces to his followers that the end is here, that the glorious event they've been waiting for is upon them... and it's pretty great vignette. We get a bit more character development than what we've seen up to this point including a love-triangle, but nothing too distracting as to take us away from the apocalyptic matters at hand, one of the documentarian's unplanned pregnancy actually plays into the proceedings, in fact it may have spurred the apocalypse. A blood-soaked and frantic affair, the chaos that ensues is fantastic and it went places I was not expecting we have Jonestown-style mass suicides, zombie ghouls and a horned demon unleashed up the world, I loved this entry and felt like it could have easily been expanded upon into a feature length film, I wanted more but what we get is just enough, this one really opened up the scope of the found-footage entries on the disc, it felt like a new take on the sub-genre an is handled quite deftly, these guys had a vision and it's a brutal bloodbath of fun. 

The segment I was most anticipating is from director Jason Eisener who directed the fantastically entertaining a violent retro-grindhouse romp Hobo with a Shotgun (2009) and the creepy 'Youngbuck' from The ABC's of Death (2013) anthology and it didn't disappoint me. Entitled 'Slumber Party Alien Abduction' it features a brother and sister left alone at their lakeside home for a weekend, the older sister's horny boyfriend arrives and the young brother invites a few of his naughty friends over, pretty soon it's a party. The young boys love to prank the horny older teens and capture their shenanigans on video, including, at night the boys bust into the girls room at catch her topless while straddling her boyfriend, enraged she chases the boys outside and it's then that the kids notice some strange lights hovering over the lake, bit don't pay much notice. As things settle down the vengeful sister notices that the boys are watching porn in the front room and turns the camera on them, catching one of 'em wanking it to the dirty movie, and that's when the shit starts to happen, an alien abduction scenario is underway as the teens are bombarded with noise and piercing bright light, slender armed alien greys are out to get 'em! I thought this was a really effective entry, it's fun and ratchets up the suspense right up to the end, this is great stuff and the ending was startling sad.

The film finishes up with the end of the wrap-around story which as I said up front was quite a let down, but overall V/H/S/2 is a step-up in pretty much every way from the first entry, the stories are better, more consistent, they're creative and have a broader scope plus it's executed deftly. 

DVD: The single-disc DVD from Magnet Releasing presents the film in 16:9 widescreen (1.78:1) with English Dolby Digital 5.1 with choice of Spanish or English subtitles. The DVD features both the unrated theatrical cut and the R rated version, not sure what the differences are, I watched the Unrated cut and it's the exact same length as the rated. There;s a nice compliment of extras including behind-the-scenes featurettes, trailers, galleries and a running audio commentary from the filmmakers, it's a very nice package from Magnet. The movie is also available on Blu-ray and as a DVD/Blu-ray/VHS combo, very cool. 

Special Features:

- Tape 49 Rewind (1:39) 

- Dissecting Phase I Clinical Trials (2:28) 

- Inside Safe Haven (3:34) 

- Slumber Party Alien Abduction: Behind the Lights (5:56) 

- A Ride in the Park: I Dare You (3:06) 

- AXS TV: A Look at V/H/S/2 (2:58) 

- Behind the Scenes Photo Galleries

- Filmmaker Commentary

- 2 Theatrical Trailers (3:56) 

- Magnet Trailers: Hammer of the Gods, Europa Report, Prince Avalanche, Syruo  (8:39) 

Verdict: A fun found footage anthology that improves upon the first film in nearly every way.  I went in with tempered expectation having been a bit bummed by it's predecessor but I walked away having had quite a bit of fun, a definite recommend and a fun watch with a few good scares and some interesting ideas that are executed quite well. 4 Outta 5 

Blu-ray Review: THE BLACK WATERS OF ECHO'S POND (2010)

THE BLACK WATERS OF ECHO'S POND (2010) 

Label: Anchor Bay Entertainment

Region Code: A

Rating: R

Duration: 93 Minutes

Audio: English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 with Optional English and Spanish Subtitles

Video: 1080p Widescreen (1.78:1)

Director: Gabriel Blogna

Cast: Danielle Harris, James Duvall, Mircea Monroe, Walker Howard, Electra Avellan, Elise Avellan, Nick Mennell, M.D. Walton, Arcady Golubovich, Robert Patrick 

Tagline: Where Your Deepest Secrets Are Revealed

Well, this took it's sweet time finding it's way to DVD and Blu-ray, which is not always a good sign, but it's not always a fatal blow either. I remember that Trick 'r Treat (2007) took quite a while to emerge on Blu-ray, and that's one awesome Halloween watch so going into this I wasn't put off by that fact, just curious why it languished so long without a release. . 

In The Black Waters of Echo's Pond (2009) young couple Anton (Arcadiy Golubovich, Autopsy) and wife Erica (Elise Avellan, Grindhouse) invite a group of friends to stay the weekend on a remote island of the coast of Maine at a Victorian home with a history that's owned by grizzled family friend Pete (Robert Patrick, T2: Judgement Day). We get an average group of annoying horror stereotypes, there's Erica's twin sister Renee (Electra Avellan, Grindhouse), her fiance Josh (Nick Mennell, Friday the 13th), Kathy (Danielle Harris, Halloween), the brown guy Robert (M.D. Walton), the black dude Trent (Walker Howard), the slutty blonde Veronique (Mircea Monroe) and the guy no one likes Rick (James Duvall, (Donnie Darko), there's some real friction between him and Kathy whose brother died in a car wreck that involved Rick in some way, it's further explored as the film roles along. 

The party rolls on until the power goes out that night, by chance Anton 
discovers a century old board game sealed up behind a wall and the group set down for some game play by candle light. It's sorta like a Greek mythology version of Life or Monopoly, with each role of the dice they move a said amount of spaces and draw a card of chance that instruct each player to reveal a secret, voice a buried jealousy or dare another player to perform some indecent act, sounds like fun so far, right? What the game does is tap into the fears, jealousies and desires of each of the players and what had previously been a minor annoyance, lust or insecurity between friends starts to turn violent and deadly real quickly as tempers start to flare, things start to get quite bloody. 

What's happening seems to be possession of each player by the demonic mythical creature called Pan through the board game, the hoofed beast of myth even makes a few small appearances but perhaps not to the degree some might hope for, this isn't a film about Pan axing his way through a group of 20-somethings, though that would have been awesome. The design of the horned, red-eyed beast is pretty great, I wished to see more of him but I  think the film works quite well as just a group of friends turning against each other.

My main issue with the film is that I think the cast is a bit to large for it's own good, we don't get a lot of character development, I think they could have whittled this down this cast by about half and given Robert Patrick a bit more to do, but nor do I mind watching nine friends turn nasty and do awful things to each other, in that respect it's not unlike a Friday the 13th film, a large cast of annoying folks dying one by one, this is a bit more twisted, it's nine friends killing each other and that's a fun time, too.  

Disc: The Blu-ray from Anchor Bay presents the film in 1080p with an MPEG4-AVC encode in widescreen (1.78:1) with Dolby True HD 5.1 audio and it looks quite nice, a pleasing hi-def image with some modest depth and clarity. The 5.1 is nice but not overly active, some decent use of the surrounds but it's not gonna blow-up your speakers. The only extra is an Alternate Opening (2:36) offering up a subtlety different variation on the film's opening pre-credit sequence which takes place in Turkey in the year 1927. There are no deleted scenes, commentaries or featurettes. 

Verdict: It's not a oozing gore but it's pretty bloody, there's even a damn decent chainsaw dismemberment scene once things start to churn.  Truly, it's just not that original, aside from Greek mythology angle it's your basic pretty people in peril story but it's  fun with some decent grue and some breasts. I'd recommend this as a Netflix or Redbox purchase, perfect Friday night fare for a group viewing with a few tasty brews. Watching this brought me back to those heated nights of Monopoly with the family that ended in a cacophony of shouted f-bombs and hurt feeling, fun stuff. 3 Outta 5 

Blu-ray Review: SCANNERS II: THE NEW ORDER (1990) / SCANNERS III: THE TAKEOVER (1991)

SCANNERS II: THE NEW ORDER (1990) / SCANNERS III: THE TAKEOVER (1991)

Double Feature Blu-ray+DVD Combo Pack 

Label: Shout! Factory/Scream Factory
Region Code: A/1
Rating: R
Duration: 100 Minutes / 95 Minutes
Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo, English Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Video: 1080p Widescreen (1.78:1)
Director: Christian Duguay
Cast: David Hewlett, Raoul Trujillo, Yvan Ponton, Tom Butler, Liliana Komorowska, Steve Parish

Ten years after David Cronenberg's Scanners (1980) blew audiences minds in theaters Canadian producer Pierre David expanded upon that film and masterminded 2 direct-to-video sequels - which blows my mind, until Scream Factory announced these titles last year and hadn't realized they even existed at all. By 1990 I had dedicated myself to the theatrical experience having been drawn to repertoire cinema in search of arthouse and foreign films like Cinema Paradiso (1988), Delicatessen (1991), Toto Le Hero (1991) and American indies like Soderberg's Kafka (1991) and Richard Linklater's Slacker (1991). I wasn't scouring the VHS shelves for Italian gore and splatter films the way I once did, yup, I had abandoned horror for arthouse and indies, it wouldn't be until 2000 with the glorious rise of the DVD format that I would return to my horror roots in search of the profane and grotesque. Those were some great times, scouring the stores, I would lap up every classic MGM horror, Blue Underground, Anchor Bay (when they seemed to give a shit) and Synapse Films title I could find, relishing in the new widescreen presentations... anyway, what I mean to say is that when these direct-to-video Scanners sequels came about I was being a pretentious film snob and didn't even notice. 

Onto the films, what have we here, should I have ventured away from the darkened repertoire theater in the early 90's and sought out these sequels, have I been denying myself some sci-fi horror cult classics for the past twenty years?

Going into Scanners 2 I was excited, our naive "scanner" David moves from the country to the big city to pursue his education, one night he enters a convenience store and a gunmen goes apeshit, David uses his scanner ability to incapacitate the robber, his head bursts in a glorious spew of chunky brain discharge, yup, I was a happy camper. David's actions garner the attention of a corrupt police commander John Forrester (Yvan Ponton) who recruits the young scanner to help fight crime alongside another scanner named, a disturbed vagrant named Peter Drak (Raoul Trujillo) who is much less altruistic than David, you just know these two are gonna face-off Scanners-style before the end of the film.

Forrester, who has political aspirations, is in league with a scientist named Dr. Morse (Tom Butler) who attempts to control the scanners with the drug Ephemerol but it turns most of the scanners into addicts, which plays into a larger picture. For a direct-to-video sequel this has a lot of great ideas and the makings of a damn decent story, but some of the performances aren't quite were they need to be to drive the story home, neither is the budget, with a few more bucks, a more ambitious director and a few capable actors I feel this could have been something quite a bit more. As it is it's a pretty entertaining watch with some decent gore, but it's a bit overlong, enjoyed the finale quite a bit, there's a decently resolution and a that effects-laden scanners show down you just knew would come, Trujillo is pretty great as a demented evil scanner, fun stuff.

First time feature-film director Christian Duguay does a decent job, I don't envy him following up in the footsteps of Cronenberg but he does a fair job, it's a competent production even if it doesn't have much style, there's some great gore, and some not-too-shabby action sequences, a decent watch but not a lot of re-watch factor for me.

Also directed by Christian Duguay and filmed back-2-back with Scanners II: The New Order (1990) we have Scanners III: The Takeover (1991) just a year later. We have a new set of characters and a new story arc, this time we have scanner siblings Helena (Liliana Komorowska) and her brother Alex (Steve Parish) who both approach their scanner gifts a bit differently. We with a Alex performing a scanner party-trick gone for friends,it goes awry sending his best-friend plummeting to his death, wracked with guilt Alex flees the country and explores transcendental meditation as a form of control. His sister resorts to the use of of an untested form of the Ephemerol drug called Eph3 which her father's drug company is producing. The unfortunate side effect of the drug is a severe diminished moral conscious, she turns into a homicidal maniac which leads to a series of deaths, including the murder of her own father to acquire his vast pharmaceutical empire. Her thirst for power not yet sated she continues her murder spree and bumps of a TV mogul adding is multi-media platform to her portfolio, but her estranged brother returns and throws a wrench into the works. 

Even more so than the first sequel this one has some truly ambitious ideas, some neat stuff involving the typical scanner mind-fuckery and the corporate world, but it's hampered by a dwindling budget and an inexperienced cast, some of the acting is just awful - there's only so much quality acting you can buy with a Canadian dollar and I don't think the Loonie was trading high on the currency exchange in '91 if this is any indication. The action-sequences are clumsy, check out the poorly executed motorcycle/short bus chase scene and a laughable rooftop confrontation, it's just a goofy sequel and if there were a bit more decent gore I might be more forgiving but maybe not, this one was a bit of a snoozer. 


Blu-ray: The Scanners sequels comes to MPEG-4 AVC encoded Blu-ray for the first time in North America from Shout! Factory imprint Scream Factory, a label that's been releasing a slew of awesome cult and horror titles with fantastic transfers and a sweet array of extras. This time out we have a 2-disc Bu-ray/DVD combo, each containing both films in a standard Blu-ray case. 

The transfers are pretty decent if unremarkable in 1080p hi-def, there's a nice layer of film grain, fine details are lackluster, colors are generally strong but the image is a bit soft, it's just not the most appealing Blu-ray we've seen from Scream Factory, but it's acceptable. 

The English DTS-HD Master Audio stereo track won't do much to impress either, it's perfectly clear with dialogue, effects and score comes through cleanly but it's not dynamic, worse is the generic score for both films from composer Marty Simon, it definitely sounds like your watching a direct-to-video sequel.

Now onto the extras we get... nothing. I found this surprising for a few reasons, first, it's the only bare bones double feature I've seen from Shout/Scream who loaded up the Terror Vision/The Video Dead with cool extras and secondly because producer Pierre David loves to talk about his films, Second Sight's region-b Blu-rays of Cronenberg's The Brood and Scanners (1980) features interviews with David, on the Brood disc he mentions wanting to produce a sequel to The Brood, let's hope that doesn't happen if this is any indication of the quality of we can expect.

Verdict: I didn't love these films, though I did find Scanners II: New World Order at least partially entertaining, when judged on it's own merit as an early 90's direct-to-video production and not up against Cronenberg's Scanners (1980) it's decent, but not great. Scanners III: The Takeover, eh. On the positive side we have some decent gore and lofty science fiction ideas, on the negative we have stale acting, poor scripting and some rather uninspired direction. Always appreciative of Scream Factory's output even if I'm not a rabid fan of a particular title, and I am certainly not in love with either of these but kudos to Shout! for making them available to fans, now if you want to make me a happy boy let's see a Cronenberg Rabid (1977) / Shivers (1975) double feature Blu-ray! 2 Outta 5 

DRACULA - PRINCE OF DARKNESS (1965) Millennium Entertainment Blu-ray Review

DRACULA - PRINCE OF DARKNESS (1965)

Hammer Collector's Edition Blu-ray 

Label: Millennium Entertainment
Region Code: A
Duration: 90 Minutes
Rating: Unrated
Audio: English Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo with Optional English SDH and Spanish Subtitles
Video: 1080p widescreen (2.35:1)
Director: Terence Fisher
Cast: Christopher Lee, Barbara Shelley, Andrew Kier, Francis Mathews, Suzan Farmer, Charles Tingwell, Thorley Walters

Terrence Fisher's Dracula - Prince of Darkness (1966) starts of quite effectively recapping the final moments of Hammer's Horror of Dracula (1958) featuring vamp hunter Van Helsing (Peter Cushing) ending the the fearsome blood-sucker Dracula (Christopher Lee) who crumbles to dust when exposed to the deadly rays of the sun. Ten years later two vacationing English couples en route to the Carpathian Mountains for adventure and fun are abandoned by their coachmen, who fearing local legends of creepy castle refuses to travel onward, leaving them stranded miles from their destination and in view of the dreaded castle. 

Our two vacationing couples are the argumentative Alan (Charles Tingwell) and Helen (Barbara Shelley) and Alan's younger brother Charles (Francis Mathews) and his wife Diana (Suzan Farmer), the red-headed Helen is quite the complainer, she doesn't seem to enjoy much, and is the most upset by the stranding in the forest. Not wanting to believe in local lore or spend the night roughing it in the spooky forest the foursome accept a ride in a driver less carriage to the castle, bad idea. Once inside they meet a creepy man servant named named Klove (Philip Latham) who oddly seems to have expected them, he offers them dinner and lodging for the night at the behest of his deceased master, the Count Dracula (Christopher Lee), who was renowned for his generosity.

As night sets in Helen becomes increasingly frightened, sure, she's the sour-puss of the bunch but in this instance her companions might later have wished they'd given credence to her unease as things turn quite sinister in this creepy castle. That night while wandering the Castle Alan in incapacitated by Klove and taken to a basement crypt where he's ritually slaughtered, his throat slashed over an open sarcophagus, the Kensington gore flows heavily and as his blood mixes with Dracula's ashes the vamp is resurrected, his hand emerging from the mist to great effect, it's probably the best scene in the entire film and alone is worth the price of admission, fantastic stuff. 

Now it's game on as the remaining guests unaware of the impending danger fall prey to the Count's unnatural charm and lust for blood. Noticeably absent from the story is Peter Cushing's iconic Van Helsing who is only glimpsed in the film's prologue, in his place is an unorthodox, rifle-toting friar named Father Sandor (Andrew Keir), he does quite nicely as the defacto vampire-hunter, bit its no Van Helsing. This is a classic Hammer Horror but overall I just didn't find the characters overly compelling, nor the women quite as captivating as some other Hammer horrors, it was a bit tame for my tastes, preferring the more lurid Hammer entries that came later with Vampire Circus (1971) and Twins of Evil (1971), that said I did enjoy my viewing and fully understand the beloved nature of the film, my preferences just runs a bit more weird. 

A confession, I do not find Christopher Lee's portrayal of Dracula here all that enthralling, a primal, speechless beast with blood-shot eyes who elicits only a few hisses for the duration of the film, there's just not a lot more beyond that for me. The film receives praise in terms of it's Gothic setting and creepy atmosphere but again I found the characters rather weak, it was difficult to throw myself into their plight. Early on I did enjoy the chemistry of our four characters, naysayer Helen particularly, I rather liked the introduction of Klove and the bloody resurrection of Dracula is fantastic, the addition of Father Sandor is welcome but in the end it's just not one of my preferred Hammer entries. The memorable finale recouped much of my waning vigor for the film with the cold, watery death of Count Dracula, it's top notch, but the film itself is a bit too measured to endear itself to me. 

Blu-ray: Dracula - Prince of Darkness (1965) comes to Bluy-ray for the first time in North America with a 1080p MPEG4-AVC encode in it's original Techniscope (2.35:1) aspect ratio with a it's grain structure nicely intact, not a lot of digital scrubbing here, leaving with it some modest fine detail in textures and facial expressions but not much in the way of depth, it's a rather flt 1080p presentation, but quite a step up from my region 2 Optimum DVD. Colors are strong, greens and red pop nicely, noticeably there's a prevalent green hue to the film, not sure if this is indicative of the theatrical experience but I did not find it distracting, but it's there. The print source is nice, there are still minor scratches and white specs from time to time but they are very minor and not ruinous to the viewing experience. While not the best of the recent Hammer 1080 transfers we've seen of late, notably from Synapse and Shout! Factory imprint Scream Factory, it's a pleasing 1080p upgrade for a beloved Hammer horror classic. 

Oddly, the film does not receive a lossless audio option and Millennium Entertainment have chosen to include only an English language Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo track with optional Spanish and English SDH subtitles. Dialogue  score and effects are nicely balanced but are not the crispest one could hope for from the hi-def format. A DTS-HD Master Audio option surely would have benefited Hammer regular James Bernard's atmospheric score with more depth and oomph, definitely a missed opportunity.

Onto the extras we begin with a group commentary from stars Christopher Lee, Suzan Farmer, Francis Mathews and Barbara Shelley, it gets a bit quiet at times but it's an open and honest account of the film and makes for a decent listen for fans of the film and of Hammer Horror. 

The next extra is an episode of World of Hammer titled 'Hammer Stars: Christopher Lee' (24:58)  and is a career-spanning retrospective of the Hammer films of Christopher Lee narrated by legendary Brit-drunk and actor Oliver Reed (Burnt Offerings). It's loaded with some great clips from his Hammer Films output  it's lite-fare but quite entertaining. 

Be sure to check out the documentary Back to Black (30:33) which covers the making-of the film with interviews from various authors, film historians and actors and actresses, it's a delight to watch for any fan of Hammer Horror. 

Finishing up the special features are a neat Restoration Comparison (3:56) featuring before and after sequences, a very impressive restoration even if the final image is not exactly flawless. There's a fun restored trailer (0:36), a double bill which played alongside Frankenstein Created Woman (1967), an image gallery featuring stills, behind-the-scenes pics, lobby cards and theatrical posters for the film accompanied by James Bernard's score plus five postcard sized collectible cards featuring images from the film, plus a slipcover for the Blu-ray case replicating the artwork. 

Special Features:
- Audio Commentary featuring Christopher Lee, Suzan Farmer, Francis Mathews and Barbara Shelley
- World of Hammer episode 11 "Hammer Stars: Christopher Lee' (24:58) 
- Documentary: Back to Black (30:33) 
- Restoration Comparison (3:56) 
- Restored Double Bill Trailer Dracula - Prince of Darkness / Frankenstein Created Woman (0:36) 
- Stills Gallery (5:45) 
- Exclusive Collectible Cards 

Verdict: It's wonderful to see another beloved Hammer horror find it's way to Blu-ray and with a nice selection of extras, I would encourage any Hammer horror fan to pick this edition up sight unseen, it's good Gothic fun and a damn decent watch, even if it's not a top tier Hammer entry in my opinion it deserves a place  in your movie collection. Definitely looking forward to more Hammer Films on Blu-ray with Quartermass and the Pit, The Plague of the Zombies (1966) and The Devil Rides Out (1968) all coming later this year from Millennium Entertainment! 3.5 Outta 5 

Blu-ray Review: PRINCE OF DARKNESS: COLLECTOR'S EDITION (1987)

PRINCE OF DARKNESS (1987)

Label: Scream Factory / Shout! Factory

Release Date: September 24th 2013

Region Code: A

Rating: R

Duration: 102 Minutes

Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, 5.1 with Optional English Subtitles 

Video: 1080p Widescreen (2.35:1) 

Director: John Carpenter

Cast: Donald Pleasance, Victor Wong, Lisa Blount, Jameson Parker, Dennis Dun, Alice Cooper, Susan Blanchard, Peter Jason 

Tagline: Before man walked the Earth... It slept for centuries. It is evil. It is real. It is awakening.

Fresh of making Big Trouble in Little China (1986) director John Carpenter was a bit put-off by the big studio system and it's constraints and set out to make a smaller independent horror film and the results were a neat little Satanic slice of cult cinema, Prince of Darkness (1987) starring Donald Pleasance (Halloween) as a troubled priest who reaches out to noted physicist Professor Howard Birack (Victor Wong, Big Trouble in Little China) and his most gifted students to help unravel the mysteries of an ancient cylinder that's been kept hidden away from humanity in the basement of a decaying L.A. church where it has remained under the watchful of of a secret sect of priests, inside it is a strange, ominous green liquid that swirls around supernaturally. 

The team arrive at the church unsure of what it is exactly they are there for but they set up their equipment and set about doing what they do while their 80's technology pings away in the background as they attempt to translate an ancient book of text which talks about a fallen angel or some such thing. John Carpenter's film about ultimate evil is painted in very broad strokes with some rather laughable dialogue about how evil lives in the atoms of all things, unseen but ever present. Corny Sunday school-esque teachings but then it's spiced up with talk about Jesus's extraterrestrial origins and the anti-God and how religion is a myth perpetrated by the Church - now that's just awesome!

The film starts off with what must be one of the most extended opening credit sequence ever as we met the principal players and set-up their characters, including physicist Brian Marsh (Jameson Parker, TV's Simon and Simon) who meets the cute redheaded physicist Catherine (Lisa Blount, Needful Things) and offers her a cup of coffee, practically the next scene features the two in a state of post-coital exhaustion laying in bed, Brian finally offering her that promised cup o' coffee - does that ever really happen? 

Studying the cylinder the team discover that there's something sentient in the inside, something malevolent. Green liquid seeps from the cylinder and defying gravity pools along the ceiling of the basement crypt and one by one possess the students, it's slightly sexual as the evil liquid spews into women's mouths, at least to me but I am a confirmed pervert. Outside the church the dirty vagrants of L.A., lead by Alice Cooper, start to converge upon the unholy place like a small horde of zombies, pretty soon a small body count is underway as the possessed homeless prevent the inhabitants of the church from escaping what's festering in the basement.

The deaths are pretty decent, particularly when Alice Cooper takes out the nerdiest of the science-geeks with a jagged bike frame, spearing him through the chest as a geyser of blood erupts, apparently the gore-gag is taken right out of Alice Cooper's stage show and it's a keeper. Another notable death features an elderly homeless woman stabbing a scientist to death with pruning shears, I don't know what it is about that scene but the way the shears slice through the air has always had an effect on me, it's pretty neat. The victim is resurrected for a later scene wherein he delivers a warning to the students inside the Church before crumbling into a creepy pile of beetles, it's creepy stuff. 

A lot of strange things seem to have been spurred or effected by the entity inside the cylinder, we get strange swarming behavior not just from beetles but from earthworms and ants plus there's an odd sun and moon configuration in the sky, perhaps signaling the end for humanity, it should be noted that this is part of John Carpenter's unofficial apocalypse trilogy alongside The Thing (1982) and In the Mouth of Madness (1995), check 'em out.

John Carpenter excels here at crafting a creepy and tense environment, the church setting is effective and spooky, plus we get some great moody lighting and cinematography from Gary K. Kibbe (They Live), it's a great looking film. The effects work is pretty decent, if not on par with The Thing (1982). There are some very nicely executed in-camera and make-up effects, some of it definitely feels low-budget, a sequence involving an otherworldly portal comprised of liquid mercury is a bit schlocky, but it does the job I guess. 

Donald Pleasance plays it pretty straight here as the priest, he doesn't chew up too much scenery in a "I shot him six times!" sort of way, pretty low-key. Victor Wong is awesome as the physicist, that guy makes everything better, giving you the eye the way he does, it's just awesome. Dennis Dun from Big Trouble in Little China has a great scene trapped in a confessional, he just loses his shit screaming "I don't wanna die!" as possessed zombie try to claw their way inside, that's just good stuff. 

The film definitely has some shortcomings (no nudity), and while it has some rather intriguing ideas they're not particularly well executed, the worse offender being the quasi-science/religion based dialogue which is not among Carpenter's best work and the cast struggle to work with it but there's only so much you can do, not for lack of trying. What saves it for me is the dense atmosphere of the film, there's some wonderful kin-crawling touches peppered throughout; a crucified pigeon and the massing swarms of insects, there's an unnerving sense of dread building-up and while I don't think it delivers a satisfying end it's still a decent watch with some nice eerie moments, just grab a few brews, kick back and enjoy, don't be afraid to laugh at it every once in a while, and for goodness sake don't try to make sense of it, that's just asking for trouble, not a film to dissect, one to watch.

Blu-ray: This John Carpenter cult-classic comes to Blu-ray from Shout!Factory imprint Scream Factory with a AVC encoded 1080p transfer and it looks quite stunning, very surprised just how great this looked on Blu-ray, damn I love Scream Factory! Sourced from a near pristine print it showcases a layer of fine film grain with a surprising amount of fine detail reproduction in textures and facial details. Colors are reproduced wonderfully and the contrast is fantastic, a very strong visual presentation from Scream Factory with very nice black levels and shading, quite a significant upgrade from the 2003 Universal DVD edition. 

Audio options include both English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and 5.1 with optional English subtitles. The 5.1 is quite strong with a nice low-end rumble, Carpenter and Howarth's awesome synth score gets most of the surround action, it makes for quite a fun experience, a very dynamic presentation.

Reversible Artwork 

Onto the special features we a very nice selection of Red Shirt produced plus the commentary from the Region 2 DVD, here in the US we have suffered with a bare-bones standard-def DVD for a decade so it's nice to get some cool bonus content and a stunning 1080p presentation. The commentary with Carpenter and actor Peter Jason who portrayed Dr. Leahy in the film is quite good, the two reminisce on the film and are quite talkative, they definitely seem to be enjoying their viewing of the film, not a particularly technical commentary but an enjoyable listen. There's over a half hour of new interviews with John Carpenter, Alice Cooper, composer Alan Howarth and actor/special visual effects supervisor Robert Grasmere, the alternate opening from the TV version, a trailer and 2 radio spots plus a very cool entry of Horror's Hallowed Grounds with Sean Clark, I think this and The Fog entry of the entertaining series are two of the best they've done. There's also a very cool Easter Egg featuring John Carpenter worth searching for. 

Packaging extras include a sleeve of reversible artwork featuring the original theatrical poster and newly commissioned artwork from Justin Osborne who also did the great artwork for Scream's edition of John Carpenter's The Fog (1980), it also comes with a cool slipcover featuring the new artwork. Yet another stellar Blu-ray edition of a beloved horror classic from Scream Factory who breath new life into some dusty gems with a great audio/video presentation and some quality extras. 

Special Features: 

- Audio Commentary with John Carpenter and Actor Peter Jason
- Sympathy For The Devil – An all-new Interview with Writer/Director John Carpenter (10:28)
- Alice at the Apocalypse – An all-new interview with Actor/Rock Legend Alice Cooper (9:27)
- The Messenger – All-new interview with Actor/Special Visual Effects Supervisor Robert Grasmere (12:41)
- Hell On Earth – A look at the film’s score with Co-Composer Alan Howarth (10:14)
- Horror’s Hallowed Grounds with host Sean Clark (13:44)
- Alternate Opening from TV Version (6:55)
- Original Theatrical Trailer and 2 Radio spots (2:48) 

- Easter Egg (12:10) 

Verdict: I think Prince of Darkness (1987) gets put aside as a minor Jon Carpenter entry and I actually agree, it is a lesser effort, but it's just so damn fun, the clunky joining of science and religion wrapped up in an effective cloak of unnerving creepiness, it's a Satanic-infused haunted house story that's not completely successful but it definitely gets by on pure entertainment value. An atmosphere heavy schlocky cult-classic and a very sweet Blu-ray edition from Scream Factory who continue to impress with each new release. 3 Outta 5 

Blu-ray Review: THE WALKING DEAD - THE COMPLETE THIRD SEASON

THE WALKING DEAD: THE COMPLETE THIRD SEASON

5-Disc Set 

Label: Anchor Bay Entertainment

Region Code: A

Rating: 688 Minutes
Video: 1080p Widescreen (1.78:1)

Audio: English Dolby TrueHD 7.1, French Dolby Surround 2.0 with Optional English and Spanish Subtitles

Director: 

Cast: Andrew Lincoln, Laurie Holden, Sarah Wayne Callies, Chandler Riggs, Norman Reedus, Danai Gurira, David Morrissey, Michael Rooker 

Synopsis: In this uncertain world, Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and his band of survivors must not only fight the dead, but also face a whole new fear: the living. In this 16 episode season, the series Entertainment Weekly called the “greatest thriller ever produced for television”, Rick and his fellow survivors continue to seek refuge in a desolate and post-apocalyptic world and soon discover that there are greater forces to fear than just the walking dead. The struggle to survive has never been so perilous. This season also introduces new characters, including the Governor (David Morrissey) and fan-favorite Michonne (Danai Gurira), along with her zombie pets.

I love me some Walking Dead and judging my the numbers the show pulls in every week I am not alone, nor am I alone in thinking that Season 2 was a bit of shitter after a pretty great first season, or first half of the first season anyway. Last season we saw the group mostly on the farm and in search of a little lost girl, it felt like a Lord of the Rings entry at some points with all that walking through the forests. Oh, and the whole love triangle shit was just damn awful, it started feeling like a daytime soap opera but the finale amped it up a bit, not enough to pull the entire carcass outta the shitter but - SPOILER ALERT - when Shane was taken out permanently I definitely breathed a sigh of relief, it was about damn time. 

Season three started off pretty strong with the group taking refuge in the prison and the introduction of some awesome new characters, first we have the reveal of Michonne (Danaie Gurira) who pulled Andrea's ass outta the fire at the end of season 2, this woman is an eyeful of ebony-skinned samurai sword bad-assery. How bad ass? Well, she's got a few de-limbed, toothless walkers to tote around her belongings - that's awesome. Michonne is by far the best thing to happen to the show since Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus) showed-up. Then we have the duplicitous character of the Governor (David Morrissey) who presides over a small gated community named Woodbury, he's sorta like Rick's alter-ego and is the main antagonist this season, and maybe even beyond, just wait and see. 

Our group takes heavy casualties this season, it's a blood-soaked zombie apocalypse with some fantastic zombie make-up and gore effects from the KNB EFX team - some of the best make-up effects yet for the show - and some of the best zombies in all of cinema in my opinion - and the heads are being lopped off as never before thanks in no small part to Michonne and her sword - that things is dripping with blood every episode, and some of it rather stomach-churning, there are a few head-smashed that are just grotesque, gore hounds will be ecstatic. 

If you loved the character of Daryl Dixon the past few seasons prepare to get wet in the panties for season three, the dude outshines even Grimes in my opinion, great stuff. We lose a few original cast members along the way, so be prepared for some real shockers, no one is safe. Returning to the show after a lengthy absence is Michael Rooker (Henry: Portrait of Serial Killer) as Daryl's older and meaner slice of Southern red-neckery, Merle, love his characters arc this season. Unfortunately Laurie Holden as Andrea is conflicted, her loyalties are torn between the group she was separated from at the end of season 2 and her new home in Woodbury with the Governor. I really feel like she was given a thankless arc this time out, definitely a misstep, she's always been a bit of a pain in the ass, even in season 1, and she deserved better this season. 

Another addition from the Woodbury camp is a scientist named Milton (Dallas Roberts) whom is unwilling to turn off his moral compass even in the face of the zombie apocalypse and against the Governor, it makes for some nice dramatic moments, and the way that he and Andrea's arcs meet-up at the end of the season is powerful stuff. 

Hershel's around this season, he's still the moral compass of the group following the sad departure of Dale in season two, he tries to hold the group together but it's getting more difficult as Grimes is suffers a catastrophic event and goes right off the deep end at a time when the group needs him more than ever, it's a dire series of events this season and he just doesn't weather it well I am afraid. Stepping up to the plate we see an increased leadership role not just from Daryl, but also Glenn (Steven Yuen) and the young Carl (Chandler Riggs), the latter of whom is quite the burgeoning bad-ass, but with a darker edge more akin to Shane than of his own father, at one point he must do the unthinkable and we are left to wonder what the zombie-apocalypse future holds for this young boy.

Let us not forget Rick's wife Lori (Sarah Waynes) who at the start of the season is eight and a half months pregnant and despite the departure of Shane we find that her and Rick are not in a healthy place. After a few seasons I have grown to dislike her a lot, thought she was downright annoying in season 2 and I enjoyed where they took her this season. 

The stories this season are well-crafted and balanced, taut with an oppressive tension right down to the bone, there's poignancy and blood-letting, the moments of joy are far and few between and things only get more desperate as the season pushes on. One of my favorite aspects of the season was the use of weaponized zombies, it just so perfectly awful. 

Blu-ray: The set arrives in an over sized Blu-ray keepcase with a carboard slipcover from Anchor Bay Entertainment whom present the series in the original broadcast aspect ratio (1.78;1) in 1080p hi-def and it looks fantastic, it's a great looking series, while it's not super fine detailed, the aesthetic of the show is a bit muted color wise and it's a it gritty looking production, the Blu-ray captures it all quite nicely. Audio options include choice of English language Dolby TrueHD 7.1 and French Dolby Surround 2.0 with optional English and Spanish subtitles, it's a very nice audio presentation with some nice use of the directionals, it's exceptionally clear and well-balanced, gun shots are piercing, there's the ambient sounds of insects and the dialogue is clear, this is a great edition from Anchor Bay. 

The series is presented on 5-discs with the special features being relegated to disc five including a selection of deleted scenes and eight featurettes which touch on the evolution of Carl as a character, the Governor, the relationship between Lori and Rick, the prison location, the Kintana swinging Michonne vs. the Governor, Nicotero's make-up designs and the gore of the show, some interesting stuff for fans of the show. There are also five episode specific audio commentaries spread throughout the discs, there's a good amount of insightful bonus content here for fans of the series. 

Special Features: 

- Audio Commentaries on ep. 4 (Guy Ferland and actor IronE Singleton), ep. 5 (Director/Co-Executive Producer Greg Nicotero and actor Danai Gurira), ep. 8 (Executive Producer/Writer Robert Kirkman), ep. 9 (Executive Producer Gale AnneHurd and Danai Gurira), and ep. 15 (Director/Co-Executive Producer Greg Nicotero and actor Michael Rooker) 
- Deleted Scenes (13:20): Walk with Me, Say the Word, Hounded, Home, I Ain't No Judas, Clear
- Rising Son Featurette (6:47) 
- Evil Eye Featurette (7:54) 
- Gone, But Not Forgotten Featurette (8:15)
- Heart of a Warrior Featurette (8:25)
- Michonne vs. The Governor Featurette 95:13)
- Safety Behind Bars Featurette (9:44)
- Making the Dead Featurette (8:06)
- Guts and Glory Featurette 7:42)

Verdict: The Walking Dead - The Complete Third Season is some of the most thrilling television in recent memory, definitely the best we've seen from the show since the first half of the first season, sure there's some arcs that's annoyed me a bit but for the most part the show was firing on all cylinders and delivering tense story lines with a lot of fantastic gore for the zombie-enthusiasts, a definite recommend. Personally, October 13th just cannot get here fast enough for me, ravenous for more of The Walking Dead! 4.5 Outta 5