This fall has been a terrific time to be a physical media enthusiast, with a number of great catalog titles coming from all corners, lead by a pair of tremendous box-set retrospectives from Warner Home Video: one that’s perfectly timed for Halloween consumption, the other a vital Blu-Ray retrospective of all the various Peanuts animated specials, with a number of them debuting in high-def for the first time.

PEANUTS: ULTIMATE TV SPECIALS COLLECTION offers nearly just that – some 40 specials featuring Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the rest of Charles M. Schulz’s unforgettable gang that aired, mostly, on CBS from the 1960s through the ‘90s, and then on ABC during the first decade of this century.

These specials have been released piecemeal on home video and in different configurations over the years, but never in a single, essential box-set. Thus, this Warner Blu-Ray package (the same compilation is also newly out on DVD in a similarly assembled release) features some five discs of the Peanuts specials, remastered in 1080p (1.33) and featuring 5.1 DTS MA remixes. These appear to pretty much be the newer remasters seen on Itunes (among other digital streaming outlets) and feature solid colors and healthy contrasts, plus satisfyingly rechanneled stereo soundtracks with dialogue anchored to the center.

Included here are A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965), Charlie Brown’s All-Stars (1966), It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966), You’re In Love, Charlie Brown (1967), He’s Your Dog, Charlie Brown (1968), It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown (1969), Play It Again, Charlie Brown (1971), You’re Not Elected, Charlie Brown (1972), There’s No Time For Love, Charlie Brown (1973), A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (1973), It’s a Mystery, Charlie Brown (1974), It’s The Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown (1974), Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown (1975), You’re a Good Sport, Charlie Brown (1975), It’s Arbor Day, Charlie Brown (1976), It’s Your First Kiss, Charlie Brown (1977), What a Nightmare, Charlie Brown (1978), You’re the Greatest, Charlie Brown (1979), She’s a Good Skate, Charlie Brown (1980), Life is a Circus, Charlie Brown (1980), It’s Magic, Charlie Brown (1981), Someday You’ll Find Her, Charlie Brown (1981), A Charlie Brown Celebration (1982), Is This Goodbye, Charlie Brown (1983), It’s An Adventure, Charlie Brown (1983), What Have We Learned, Charlie Brown? (1983), It’s Flashbeagle, Charlie Brown (1984), Snoopy’s Getting Married, Charlie Brown (1985), You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown (1985), Happy New Year, Charlie Brown (1986), Why, Charlie Brown, Why? (1990), Snoopy’s Reunion (1991), It’s Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown (1992), It’s Spring Training, Charlie Brown (1996), A Charlie Brown Valentine (2002), Charlie Brown’s Christmas Tales (2002), Lucy Must Be Traded, Charlie Brown (2003), I Want a Dog For Christmas, Charlie Brown (2003), He’s a Bully, Charlie Brown (2006), and Happiness is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown (2011).

It’s worth noting the set is missing various special features from previous releases as well as a couple of specials, notably “Snoopy: The Musical” (1988), which adapted Larry Grossman’s off-Broadway show, and “It’s The Piped Piper, Charlie Brown,” which was a direct-to-video release back when Paramount was distributing the Peanuts catalog. A couple of the transfers are also standard-definition upscales – the “Celebration” and “Adventure” specials from 1983 – which is a disappointment.

Otherwise, this is a superb package for all Peanuts fans, presenting many specials on Blu-Ray for the first time in good-looking transfers that fans should be thrilled with having in a single compilation.

Perfect for Halloween vewing from Warner is A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET COLLECTION (1984-94), a souped-up 4K UHD compilation from Warner that gives horror fans a comprehensive package of the original 1984 Wes Craven fave “A Nightmare on Elm Street” plus its various sequels featuring Robert Englund as that lovable psycho Freddy Kruger (people forget this series, while not marketed specifically at kids per se, ended up resulting in both a Nintendo game plus a Matchbox talking Freddy doll among other oddball merch!).

Director Wes Craven kicked off the series with his first and almost-best of the franchise with the original 1984 “Elm Street,” which boasts Englund, Heather Lagenkamp, Johnny Depp, John Saxon and the hilariously-awful Renee Blakely in an always-amusing, though not always terrifying, ‘80s chiller with laughs of both the intentional and unintended variety.

A movie later subjected to a horribly serious – and downright horrific – 21^st century remake that’s quickly been forgotten, “Elm Street” is presented in the same solid UHD Warner issued in 4K a year ago. This HDR10 (1.85) image doesn’t perform revisionism on the original cinematography of the film but does provide some splashes of color and higher contrasts, while the Dolby Atmos audio is an effective remix (the original mono is also, supposedly, included, though purists will have to measure its fidelity to the original mix from decades back for themselves).

The movie is included in both its R-rated theatrical cut plus an unrated version while archival extras appear to be culled from the “Infinifilm” special edition New Line issued on DVD in 2006, including commentary with Craven, Lagenkamp, Saxon and cinematographer Jacques Haitkin, plus alternate endings, documentary/featurettes, “focus points” with alternate takes and other vignettes, and a Digital HD copy.

Warner’s box-set goes on to include the rest of Freddy and friends’ sojourns, which graduated from a formulaic, very forgettable first sequel – A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 2: FREDDY’S REVENGE (85 mins., 1985, R) – to a number of stylish, more ambitious follow-ups that amped up the gore, FX, and humor for that matter as well.

In fact, A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 3: DREAM WARRIORS (96 mins., 1987, R), may be the best of the entire series: a confidently scripted and executed affair with director Chuck Russell finding Heather Lagenkamp’s heroine returning from the original and joined by another local teen (Patricia Arquette) haunted by Freddy’s visions; they, along with Larry Fishburne, do battle with Freddy in an amusing sequel with some wild effects work, nutty cameos (Zsa Zsa Gabor and Dick Cavett), and humor to spare.

The “bigger is better” theory applied to larger budgets being provided to director Renny Harlin with his entertaining A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 4: THE DREAM MASTER (93 mins., 1988, R) and Stephen Hopkins’ wild and not quite as satisfying A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 5: THE DREAM CHILD (89/90 mins., 1989, R/Unrated), which took a big fall at the box-office following the hefty receipts of the third and fourth installments.

As a result, New Line put Freddy on ice for a few years before sending him out with the weak “final” installment FREDDY’S DEAD: THE FINAL NIGHTMARE (89 mins., 1991, R) before Wes Craven returned to the director’s chair for the first time since the original with his “meta” WES CRAVEN’S NEW NIGHTMARE (112 mins., 1994, R), an interesting precursor to his genre-mashup “Scream” which would be produced a short time later.

Warner’s 4K UHD presentations for the sequels include HDR10 (1.85) 4K remasters plus Dolby Atmos sound and each movie’s corresponding original audio mix (mono on the first few sequels, stereo on the others). A number of featurettes from the DVD box-set are carried over and 3D glasses are again presented for the stereoscopic sequence from “Freddy’s Dead” along with a Digital HD code. Highly recommended for horror fans!

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Warner Archive New Releases

One of Warner’s top vintage DVD horror anthologies, their HOLLYWOOD LEGENDS OF HORROR COLLECTION box-set, comes to Blu-Ray this month in a six-disc set that contains each of its corresponding film’s respective Warner Archive releases. The end result is a glorious deep dive into the MGM, First National, and Warner Bros. vaults of the 1930s that’s a must if you haven’t purchased the individual discs previously.

The box-set is highlighted by two MGM films that the great Tod Browning produced in the wake of his tenure at Universal: the 1935 fan-favorite MARK OF THE VAMPIRE (60 mins., 1935) with Lionel Barrymore, Bela Lugosi and Elizabeth Allan, and Browning’s 1936 release THE DEVIL DOLL (78 mins.), also starring Barrymore, this time as a Devil’s Island escapee who uncovers the secrets of miniaturization and in turn sends shrunken subjects to exact revenge on the men who imprisoned him.

Also included here (and most of which I’ve previously reviewed) are the wildly highly entertaining (if dated) 1932 MGM production of THE MASK OF FU MANCHU (65 mins.) with Boris Karloff as Sax Rohmer’s mad man and Myrna Loy memorably essaying his alluring daughter; the early 1932 First National-Vitaphone release DOCTOR X (76 mins.) with Fay Wray, Lee Tracy, and Lionel Atwill in a Michael Curitz-directed outing that’s talky but noteworthy for its use of two-strip Technicolor; that film’s in-name-only 1939 sequel THE RETURN OF DOCTOR X (62 mins.) co-starring Humphrey Bogart; and “Dracula” camera man Karl Freund’s highly entertaining 1935 MGM production of MAD LOVE (68 mins.) with a demented Peter Lorre performance and ample atmosphere to spare.

Newly remastered transfers present the healthiest appearance these films ever seen despite the age of the materials being utilized and the uneven condition of some elements. Supplements include informative historian commentaries (from the likes of Steve Haberman, Kim Newman, Scott Maqueen and others) on all of the movies except for “The Devil Doll.” With a good assortment of vintage features and enlightening commentaries on-hand, this is a sterling package for old-fashioned genre fans.

Four other, highly satisfying – and attractively priced – Blu-Ray anthologies are new to disc from Warner Archive this fall.

50’s SCI-FI COLLECTION presents genre fans with one classic, one creature-feature favorite, one slice of Cinemascope camp, and one of the most memorable of all ’50s sci-fi B movies: the infamous ATTACK OF THE 50-FOOT WOMAN (66 mins., 1958), an independent production that sees Allison Hayes being shot up to giant size by aliens – just in time to exact revenge on her philandering husband (William Hudson). Low grade thrills and campy humor abound in this zippy exercise which looks dynamite with its crisp B&W hues; extras include the trailer and a commentary with co-star Yvette Vickers (as “the other woman”) and genre authority Tom Weaver.

This four-disc package also includes a film billed as Cinemascope’s first sci-fi adventure, WORLD WITHOUT END (80 mins., 1956), which sends a group of astronauts (Hugh Marlowe, Nelson Leigh, Rod Taylor, Christopher Dark) on a recon mission to Mars. Shortly after the group takes the turn to return home, they’re time-tripped into a future Earth decimated by war, where one-eyed beasts live above ground and educated, albeit effete, males – and quite frustrated women – live below, representing the last vestiges of humankind.

This Allied Artists production offers an interesting enough premise – with elements viewers would later see in the likes of “Planet of the Apes” and “The Time Machine” – but its execution is positively uproarious, marked by over-the-top performances and run-ins with giant plush spiders our intrepid heroes encounter.

The camp factor is high with this one, but less so with the other two films in this package: the Ray Bradbury-adapted THE BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS (80 mins., 1953) which is a passable ‘50s monster movie with a memorable Ray Harryhausen-designed creature; and THEM! (92 mins., 1954), one of the genre’s standout classics with radioactive giant acts wreaking havoc on Los Angeles. Both discs are straight reprisals of Warner’s earlier Blu-Rays but, if you’re looking for a shelf-saving package or haven’t purchased them already, this release is a must.

6-FILM COLLECTION: JUDY GARLAND presents a delightful half-dozen of Garland’s staple works, five from her lengthy tenure at MGM with the addition of her essential performance in George Cukor’s Warner Bros. classic A STAR IS BORN (176 mins., 1954). Meanwhile, STRIKE UP THE BAND (120 mins., 1940), GIRL CRAZY (99 mins., 1943), IN THE GOOD OLD SUMMERTIME (103 mins., 1949), SUMMER STOCK (109 mins., 1950) and the classic MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS (113 mins., 1944) all reprise Warner’s previous Blu-Rays and their corresponding special features, resulting in a marvelous self-contained package missing only the DVD supplemental disc from “A Star is Born.”

Two more affordably-priced compilations are new from Warner: 4-FILM COLLECTION: BETTE DAVIS kicks things off with THE PRIVATE LIVES OF ELIZABETH AND ESSEX (106 mins., 1939), which should be right up the alley of any Golden Age fan. This lavish costume drama offers ample sparks between Bette Davis’ Elizabeth I and Errol Flynn’s Essex in an adaptation of Maxwell Anderson’s hit play. The great Michael Curtiz helmed this Warner Bros. Technicolor classic, enhanced by an Erich Wolfgang Korngold score and looking spectacular here in a 1080p (1.37) Blu-Ray with mono sound, the featurette “Elizabeth and Essex: Battle Royale” and full “Warner Night at the Movies” 1939 viewing option as hosted by Leonard Maltin.

Davis notched one of her most notable career triumphs with the title role in JEZEBEL (104 mins., 1938), winning the Academy Award for her role of a New Orleans woman who pushes her fiancée (Henry Fonda) too far – specifically, into marriage with another woman (Margaret Lindsay). This mid 19th century-set romantic drama, adapted by three credited screenwriters (John Huston among them) from Owen Davis, Sr.’s play, offered Davis a plum role which she relishes from start to its (not entirely convincing) redemptive end. Directed by William Wyler and scored by Max Steiner, “Jezebel”’s Blu-Ray is yet another sterling Warner Archive (1.37 B&W, DTS MA mono) presentation with extras including Jeanine Basinger’s commentary; the musical short “Melody Masters: Jimmy Dorsey & His Orchestra,” the cartoon “Daffy Duck in Hollywood,” the trailer, retrospective featurette, trailer, and “Rambing ‘Round the Hollywood Studio with the Candid Camerman.”

Also included in the quartet are Warner Archive’s previous Blu-Rays of THE LETTER (95 mins., 1940) with Davis appearing in a William Wyler-directed adaptation of W. Somerset Maguham’s book, while DARK VICTORY (104 mins., 1939) features Davis, George Brent, Humprey Bogart and Ronald Reagan in another vintage Warner production, both pictures scored by Max Steiner (1.37 B&W, mono).

Finally, Joan Crawford fans can get their fill of Warner Archive goodness with the 4-FILM COLLECTION: JOAN CRAWFORD, which offers Crawford in third-billed positioned under Greta Garbo and John Barrymore in the classic GRAND HOTEL (113 mins., 1932) while being slotted alongside Norma Shearer and Rosalind Russell in the ensemble MGM drama THE WOMEN (133 mins., 1939).

Later Crawford-driven vehicles are also part of the mix, including POSSESSED (108 mins., 1947) with the star and Van Heflin in a Warner film noir favorite, and THE DAMNED DON’T CRY (103 mins., 1950), one of Crawford’s trademark roles, and the first of three films she would make with director Vincent Sherman. Here, Crawford essays her usual “tough girl” persona as a woman who ascends the ladder from lower-class housewife to gamblers and gangsters with predictable consequences. Still, the formula Crawford established in her earlier hit “Flamingo Road” works well enough again with the star in top form; Warner Archive’s Blu-Ray preserves the B&W starkness of its source (1.37, mono) thanks to a superb transfer. Special features include an archival commentary by Sherman; a 1951 “Screen Director’s Playhouse” radio broadcast; the trailer; and featurette “The Crawford Formula: Real and Reel.”

Also New From Warner Archive

BLACK SAMSON Blu-Ray (88 mins., 1974, R): It was the height of Blaxploitation when Rockne Tarkington played “Black Samson,” a martial arts master and lion owner who decides to take it upon himself to rid his neighborhood of white honky drug dealers who just moved into town. This Warner Bros. release plays it right down the middle of its genre, incorporating some decent action scenes courtesy director Charles Bail but adhering too slavishly to the formula for casual viewers. Warner Archive’s Blu-Ray (1.85, mono) offers a superlative new 4K scan of the OCN with robust colors and sharp details.

TOUCHE TURTLE AND DUM DUM: The Complete Series Blu-Ray (275 mins., 1962-63): Another sterling slice of vintage Hanna-Barbera fun is on tap in this complete, double-disc edition of “Touche Turtle” – the swashbuckling turtle accompanied on assorted adventures with his less than competent canine companion, Dum Dum. By the early ‘60s Hanna-Barbera had firmly tapped into the revenue stream of TV as this was the third new series from the duo to debut during the 1962-63 season; like much of the duo’s output, the show’s episodes would be recycled in various forms over many subsequent years, but Warner Archive’s Blu-Ray includes its originally configured episodes, spread across two platters with 1080p (1.33) AVC encoded transfers and DTS MA mono sound.

INTRUDER IN THE DUST Blu-Ray (87 mins., 1949): Ben Maddow scripted this MGM adaptation of William Faulkner’s novel, an atypical studio production due to its racially charged subject matter and location filming in Faulkner’s Oxford, Mississippi home town. Clarence Brown’s film offers fine performances from Juano Hernandez as Lucas, a black man the lynch mob thinks is guilty of murder, and “Yearling” star Claude Jarman, Jr., playing a teen who becomes central to the case. Two MGM shorts and the trailer are on-hand in Warner Archive’s now-available Blu-Ray (1.37, mono).

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Arrow New Releases

Todd McFarlane’s celebrated, demonic comic-book hero SPAWN (94 mins., 1997, R; Arrow) got the shaft twice in 1997, first in a series of lame made-for-HBO cartoons, then later in this static New Line big-screen adaptation, featuring Michael Jai White as the hellish protagonist, Martin Sheen as a government bigwig, Nicol Williamson reprising his Merlin role from “Excalibur” and John Leguiziamo as a fat midget clown.

The ILM animated sequences of hell and the various servants of Lucifer provide the fireworks, but surrounding these FX shots are totally uninteresting, blandly filmed live-action scenes that feel like a bad “USA Original Movie” premiere. Director Mark Dippe was once an ILM employee, so it’s no wonder the film has visual (albeit dated) snap in the action scenes, but someone else should have been brought into handle the actual story and characters, thinly drawn as they are (that Dippe’s career went straight to video thereafter is no shocker).

Regardless, one can’t blame Arrow for releasing “Spawn” due to the character’s continued appeal and, of course, the rise of super-hero/comic book/graphic novel adaptations that would were about to explode by the time the ‘90s came to a close. Their 4K UHD (1.85) is a winner, with Dolby Vision HDR and both 5.1/2.0 lossless DTS MA options.

The disc includes both the extended “Director’s Cut” (one minute longer than the PG-13 theatrical release) of “Spawn” as well as its extras from its prior DVD release (Todd MacFarlane and crew commentary, archival featurettes, etc.) along with a smattering of new extras: new interviews with Michael Jai White, Melinda Clarke and D.B. Sweeney, plus make-up greats Howard Berger and Greg Nicotero, music supervisor Happy Walters, and editor Michael Knue. There’s also a new commentary by comic book expert Dave Baxter, a double-sided foldout poster and a booklet featuring new writing by John Torrani.

More ‘90s genre entertainment is on tap for 4K owners this month from Arrow.

Another John Carpenter ‘90s box-office disappointment — despite being one of his few decent films from that era — IN THE MOUTH OF MADNESS (95 mins., 1995, R; Arrow) stars Sam Neill as an insurance adjuster hired by publisher Charlton Heston to track down the whereabouts of M.I.A. bestselling horror novelist Sutter Cane (Jurgen Prochnow). Along with book editor Julie Carmen, Neill travels to a small New Hampshire town where Cane’s insane mind is slowly starting to come to physical life, with slithery creatures and possessed townsfolk making for a particularly unpleasant stay for our narcissistic and increasingly demented protagonist.

New Line’s Michael DeLuca scripted “In the Mouth of Madness,” which has a definite feel of an H.P. Lovecraft story working for it. Like a lot of Carpenter’s films, however, the set-up is more compelling and satisfying than the resolution, with the director producing a number of unsettling shocks and creating a moody atmosphere in the film’s initial stages. Once Prochnow shows up as Cane, however, the movie falls apart and has nowhere to go, ending on a dismal note with one of Carpenter’s most leaden rock soundtracks adding further insult. A fine supporting cast (John Glover, David Warner, Heston, Bernie Casey) also has precious little to do during this early ’95 box-office bomb. Though admired by the director’s devotees, I confess I have a softer spot for Carpenter’s subsequent outing — the underrated 1996 remake of “Village of the Damned,” which featured one of Christopher Reeve’s strongest late-career, pre-accident performances.

Previously available in a no-frills Blu-Ray from Warner and Shout Factory special edition, this brand-new 4K restoration (2.39) from Arrow includes Dolby Vision HDR and both 5.1/2.0 sound options. New to this limited edition are interviews with Sandy King Carpenter and Jurgen Prochnow, plus various video essays and appreciations, and a new commentary by filmmakers Rebekah McKendry and Elric Kane. Archival extras include the Shout commentary with Carpenter and wife Sandy King which is a sizable enhancement over Carpenter’s ancient, dull laserdisc talk with cinematographer Gary Kibbe (also reprised here). Other extras include a “Horror’s Hallowed Grounds” featurette, Shout-conducted interviews with Julie Carmen and make-up artist Greg Nicotero, plus the trailer, TV spots, Arrow’s customary collector’s book with critical essays and a double-sided foldout poster. A solid recommendation for Carpenter fans.

MS. 45 4K UHD (80 mins., 1980; Arrow): Abel Ferrara’s fast-moving 1980 exploitation pic plays like a female riff on “Death Wish” with a feminist prospective and grindhouse feel. Zoe Lund (Tamerlis) plays a mute seamstress who is both raped at gunpoint and then assaulted again, in the same day, by an intruder in her apartment. She subsequently takes matters into her own hands and, after dispatching of the latter’s body, decides to take it upon herself to rid the city of other sexual threats in a controversial B-movie restored by Arrow in 4K from the original 35mm OCN (1.85, mono) with Dolby Vision HDR. A commentary by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas is included plus new featurettes with critics BJ Colangelo and Kat Ellinger; archive interviews with Ferrara, composer Joe Delia, and creative consultant Jack McIntyre; the trailer; and short movies from Paul Rachman. The collector’s edition also includes new writing by Robert Lund, unseen photos of Zoe Lund, and a double-sided foldout poster.

Finally, Arrow brings to Blu-Ray in a double-disc set both THREE (128 mins., 2002) and its anthology sequel THREE…EXTREMES (128/126 mins., 2004). Korea’s Kim Jee-woon, Thai director Nonzee Nimubutr, and Hong Kong’s Peter Ho-Sun Chan spin a trio of supernatural tales in “Three,” while the sequel recruits Fruit Chan, Park Chan-wook, and Takashi Miike for a series of horrifying tales of terror in “Three…Extremes.” Both movies have been packaged in an Arrow Limited Edition with 1080p (1.85) 2K restorations and 5.1/2.0 DTS MA stereo audio and English subtitles. Extras include a collector’s booklet with writing by Stacie Ponder and David Desser and a slew of supplements across both movies. These include new interviews with Peter Ho-Sun Chan, Kim Jee-woon, various cast and crew members, archival making of featurettes, trailers and more.

Eureka New Releases: Hong Kong cinema aficionados and fans of “backwoods terror” along the lines of “Deliverance” and “Texas Chainsaw” should check out Po-Chih Leong’s wild and woolly 1985 effort THE ISLAND (93 mins.). Not to be confused with the Peter Benchley/Michael Caine misfire (one I’d still like to see on 4K UHD) or the later Michael Bay action romp, this “Island” sends a teacher and his students out to a remote island for a summer trip, only to run afoul of crazed brothers and their insane mother, who would battle the inbred nuts from John Boorman’s classic on the psycho-scale. A violent and nasty, but quite colorfully over-the-top affair that debuts outside Asia for the first time courtesy of Eureka’s Blu-Ray (1.85). The disc includes a 2K restoration with Cantonese mono and English subtitles, plus two commentaries (Mike Leeder and Arne Venema, plus another track with Frank Djeng), a 2023 interview with the director, an appreciation from Tony Rayns, and limited-edition booklet and slipcase.

FURIOUS SWORDS AND FANTASTIC WARRIORS: THE HEROIC CINEMA OF CHANG CHEH Blu-Ray (Eureka): The prolific Hong Kong director who was known as the “Godfather of Hong Kong Cinema” is celebrated in a 10-movie anthology from Eureka that ranks among the best releases of 2025 for HK fans and martial arts addicts in particular.

Included here are 10 films all produced at Shaw Brothers, in one of Eureka’s patented O-card slipcases with a limited-edition collector’s booklet featuring notes by critic James Oliver. The set includes old-school “wuxia” efforts KING EAGLE, THE TRAIL OF THE BROKEN BLADE, and THE WANDERING SWORDSMAN; “Shaolin” excitement with MEN FROM THE MONASTERY and SHAOLIN MARTIAL ARTS; kung fu entertainment with NEW SHAOLIN BOXERS and IRON BODYGUARD; and non-genre efforts THE WEIRD MAN and Peking opera film FANTASTIC MAGIC BABY. The set is capped with the anthology TRILOGY OF SWORDSMANSHIP which involved Chang plus fellow directors Yueh Fang and Cheng Kang.

Extras include commentaries from the likes of Frank Djeng, Mike Leeder and Arne Venema, and David West cross nearly every film; video essays by critic Jonathan Clements; a new interview with Wayne Wong on “Trilogy”; and 1080p transfers (2.35) on all of the films, produced between 1967-83 and included here in attractive HD masters.

DAIEI GOTHIC Blu-Ray (Radiance): Tukuzo Tanaka and Kimiyoshi Yasuda added to Japan’s rich legacy of period-based supernatural chillers by directing a trio of acclaimed films collected in Radiance’s lavish new box-set.

Included in the 4000-copy limited edition are Yasuda’s GHOST OF KASANE SWAMP (83 mins., 1970), which involves a Samurai receiving ghostly vengeance after disposing of his wife and her lover; THE HAUNTED CASTLE (82 mins., 1969), another tale of supernatural revenge that comes for an unscrupulous landlord; and DEMON OF MOUNT OE (114 mins., 1960), with a group of warriors tasked with taking on a shape-shifting demon.

All four films were restored in Japanese 4K masters (2.35) and presented here with superbly framed, good looking scans and mono, subtitled Japanese soundtracks. Extra features include interviews with Japanese filmmakers Norio Tsurita and Mari Asato with historian Taichi Kasuga; a selected-scene commentary on “Swamp” by Lindsay Nelson; visual essays from Zack Davisson and Tom Mes; trailers; and a limited-edition booklet sporting writing by Mes, Amber T., Jasper Sharp and more.

MALPERTUIS Blu-Ray (125 mins, 1971; Radiance): I wasn’t previously aware of this strange film from Belgian director Harry Kumel – a surreal early ‘70s trip with Mathieu Carriere starring as a young sailor who gets into a brawl and wakes up in a sprawling gothic mansion filled with his relatives and a daffy uncle (Orson Welles) barking orders to him and everyone else in regards to collecting a family inheritance. Strange doings shot by Gerry Fischer and scored in a dream-like manner by Georges Delerue, “Malpertuis” leaves (too) much open to the viewer for interpretation, right down to its weird ending-upon-ending.

Radiance’s Blu-Ray transfer hails from a new 4K restoration (1.85) with the movie featured in its full-length 125-minute cut; the picture was edited heavily for the U.S. market, though that shortened version (“The Legend of Doom House”) contained Welles’ speaking voice, which the long version of the movie doesn’t. There is, however, a shorter Cannes version included here (albeit in standard definition) that features Welles’ voice, long with many insightful extras. These include interviews with Kumel, a documentary on the movie’s production, an interview with critic Jonathan Rigby, archival interviews, short movies, a commentary by Kumel and his assistant director Francoise Levie, and a 80-page booklet in Radiance’s Limited Edition.

Troma brings its fans the latest from resident mastermind Lloyd Kaufman: a gory take on Shakespeare’s “The Tempest,” dubbed SHAKESPEARE’S SHITSTORM (94 mins., 2020; Troma), which premieres this month from the label and MVD on 4K UHD. This special edition sports producer and cast commentaries, featurettes, a full-length documentary (!), original songs, trailers and more, all in a slipcover-adorned Special Edition.

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New Release Wrap

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – THE FINAL RECKONING 4K UHD (169 mins., PG-13; Paramount): Do film editors exist anymore? You could have literally cut nearly the entire first hour of this supposedly last Mission: Impossible installment out and created a better viewing experience. It wouldn’t have been difficult either, choosing to open up this movie where the previous entry ended, with Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) heading into a lost Russian sub, trying to retrieve the source code for a sentient AI that’s about to blow the world to smithereens. Alas, while what’s here ends well, on balance, this sequel still isn’t nearly as strong as the previous series entry, “Dead Reckoning.”

It’s something that’s particularly puzzling given the complaints about its immediate predecessor’s run time. In fact, this sequel comes off much worse in that regard, because instead of action scenes that tended to overstay their welcome, this sequel’s opening act is all exposition instead — endless talk and set-up, with ample recycled footage from the previous entry, as well as shots from Brian DePalma’s 1996 franchise-starter for good measure.

While callbacks from the latter are understandable since it’s been so long since most viewers have seen the first MI, surely there had to have been a better, more concise way to remind people what was going on in the last sequel and get audiences into this film. Alas, that eludes Tom Cruise and his returning director Christopher McQuarrie here, and it’s a deadly way to start what should have been a nice way to cap the entire series.

The rest of the movie is reasonably fun once it gets moving but also doesn’t do anything unexpected. Big set-pieces including Cruise jumping from one plane to another are all impressive in the series’ traditional style, yet there’s something very “confined” about this particular picture — like, where are all the extras? The sense of scale? Outdoor scenes where, I dunno, people are walking about? It’s like the movie was still being shot in a COVID bubble, as it’s heavily confined to sets instead of the globe-trotting adventure all the other films in the franchise contained. In nearly every way, this picture is inferior to the film that came before it.

The end result has its moments (and the return of one side character from the series’ most memorable set-piece is highly amusing), but is let down by the opening act pacing and other elements (what was the point of Angela Bassett’s son?) that would’ve been better off on the cutting room floor. Esai Morales’ “Snivly Whiplash” villainy, ultimately, doesn’t seem like it was substantive enough to comprise two different films as well, and the lack of support on his side of the drama this time out is also a shortcoming.

Ultimately, “Final Reckoning” doesn’t really give Ethan Hunt the big-bang sendoff he deserved, in a flabby sequel that works best if you skip the first 45 minutes.

Paramount’s superb 4K UHD (2.39) features Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos audio in the kind of top-notch, flawless rendering you’d anticipate. Extras include commentary from McQuarrie and Cruise, a deleted shots montage, extensive featurettes, additional commentaries, an isolated score track (too bad it’s for this score), and a Digital code.

F1 4K UHD (155 mins., 2025, PG-13; Warner): Joseph Kosinski’s first film since “Top Gun: Maverick” recruits another Hollywood star, Brad Pitt, for what turns into a slick-looking (of course) but rather basic tale of a veteran driver — and former F1 rising star — who’s talked back into helping former team mate Javier Bardem’s flailing racing squad rise up from the depths. As one would expect, all the racing sequences utilize an amazing array of cameras and Kosinski’s editorial techniques are captivating, but the Ehren Kruger script is never very compelling, most of it coming off as a recycling of the ’80s Tom Cruise vehicle “Days of Thunder” with a “Maverick”-esque relationship thrown in between Pitt and the young rookie (Dason Idris) on Bardem’s team. Warner’s 4K UHD (2.39) includes a thunderous Dolby Atmos sound mix and Dolby Vision HDR presentation on disc (nice to see, given this was an Apple movie WB picked up for theatrical release) along with a handful of extras and a Digital HD code.

NOBODY 2 4K UHD/Blu-Ray (89 mins., 2025, R; Universal): A few sequels found few takers this summer at the box-office, namely Universal’s quickly-forgotten follow-ups to “M3GAN” and “Nobody,” a minor COVID-era hit with Bob Odenkirk as an unlikely-looking assassin who returns here, with family in tow, for a vacation, only to have a local fracas put him in bad graces with a crime boss (Sharon Stone). Derek Kolstad returned to write “Nobody 2” with Aaron Rabin, and if you enjoyed its predecessor, “Nobody 2” hits many of the same beats, just with the novelty value having worn away since, obviously, we’ve seen it all before. Universal’s attractive 4K UHD (2./39) sports Dolby Vision HDR, Dolby Atmos audio, deleted scenes and featurettes along with a Blu-Ray and Digital HD code.

WEAPONS 4K UHD (128 mins., 2025, R; Warner): “Barbarian” director Zach Cregger’s latest film is an undeniably creepy affair involving a group of school-aged kids who go missing, punctuated by an unrelenting pace and intense mood that makes its central mystery so compelling…yet Cregger can’t help himself in the movie’s final third as “Weapons” becomes wildly undisciplined and even silly, with some black humor (?) apparently mixed into its brew, not always to positive effect. Solid turns from Josh Brolin, Julia Garner and Amy Madigan helped turn “Weapons” into another WB box-office hit this past summer, but its mileage, as they say, will vary, even among horror fans. Warner’s 4K UHD sports Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos sound along with three featurettes and a Digital HD code.

THE SMURFS Blu-Ray (90 mins., 2025, PG; Paramount): Yet another attempt to bring the lovable Peyo creations back to the big screen results in a pretty much run-of-the-mill animated feature after Papa Smurf (John Goodman) is kidnapped by Gargamel and Razamel, forcing Smurfette (Rihanna) to lead her gang on a rescue mission into the real world that ultimately involves saving the universe altogether. Daniel Levy, Nick Offerman, Natasha Lyonne, and Kurt Russell lead the huge vocal supporting cast to this Paramount release, on Blu-Ray (1080p, Atmos) October 28^th with a Digital HD code and extras including behind-the-scenes featurettes, a music video and more.

EDDINGTON Blu-Ray (148 mins., 2025, R; A24): Ari Aster’s latest plants the audience in the middle of the pandemic in New Mexico where a series of eclectic characters, most notably a mayor (Pedro Pascal) and sheriff (Joaquin Phoenix), find themselves wedged against the public and themselves. Aster’s overlong film has some incisive sequences involving COVID-era tensions (especially the mask-wearing elements) but comes off as too undisciplined in its later stages to really score once “Eddington” goes overboard with violence and other social elements introduced into the mix. Luke Grimes, Austin Butler and Emma Stone also appear in this divisive picture, on Blu-Ray from A24 (1.85, Dolby Atmos) sporting a featurette and six collectible souvenir postcards in A24’s exclusive “digipak” release.

THE BAD GUYS 2 4K UHD/Blu-Ray (104 mins., 2025, PG; Universal): While not a huge box-office hit, this agreeable continuation of Aaron Blabey’s popular kids books is, if anything, a superior effort to the first “Bad Guys.” This time out the crack crew of former animal villains are roped into another international heist led by “Bad Girls” who try and coerce our reformed (anti)-heroes back into the fray. Breezy and enjoyable – if a little overlong – with Yoni Brenner and Etan Cohen’s script generating a few laughs even for adults along the way. The Universal/Dreamworks 4K UHD (2.39) spots eye-popping Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos sound along with the short “Little Lies and Alibis,” a slew of extras (deleted scenes and featurettes), the Blu-Ray and Digital HD copy.

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New From Criterion

David Lynch and Mark Frost’s groundbreaking series “Twin Peaks” debuted to controversy, acclaim and big ratings in the spring of 1990, and was more recently relaunched in the form of a divisive, more violent – and mostly humorless – Showtime revival. Along the way, people seem to have missed one of the initial show’s most appealing components: that its original ABC run benefited from Lynch working within the then-stagnant confines of network TV, playing with conventions but also dialing down his own self-indulgent directorial flourishes in order to do so.

Stripped of those elements, “Twin Peaks” lost a lot of its original appeal – first in its poorly-received, more convoluted second season, then again with the release of Lynch’s TWIN PEAKS: FIRE WALK WITH ME (135 mins., 1992, R; Criterion). This bizarre prequel feature charts the demise of the series’ central figure, the homecoming queen (Sheryl Lee) living a double life in a sleepy Pacific Northwest town that’s not nearly as quaint and conventional as it appears on the surface.

That’s not to say that Lynch fans – the same ones who defended the new Showtime series with its even more off-putting components – won’t find sufficient entertainment in “Fire Walk With Me,” which opened sans critic screenings during the dog days of Summer ’92, and first made a Blu-Ray appearance in CBS’ Original Series box-set a few years back.

Criterion’s 4K UHD includes a 4K-restored restoration, preserving all the information from the film’s Super 35 framing (the movie was cropped to 2.35 for theaters). Both 7.1 and 2.0 DTS MA soundtracks interviews with Sheryl Lee and composer Angelo Badalamenti, a 2014 Lynch interview with Lee and co-stars Ray Wise and Grace Zabriskie, plus excerpts from a 1997 book on Lynch by writer Chris Rodley.

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Quick Takes

ELSBETH Season 2 DVD (14 hours, 2024-25; CBS/Paramount): I’m not a big CBS “crime time” procedural fan, but I confess I’ve enjoyed what I’ve seen from “Elsbeth,” mainly due to Carrie Preston’s delightful performance as a consent decree attorney-turned-wannabe Columbo in an NYC-set series, spun-off from “The Good Wife” and “The Good Fight.” Season 2 of the series features guest stars including Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick and Pamela Adlon, and comes to DVD in a 5-disc set (16:9, 5.1) featuring a gag reel and deleted/extended scenes.

ROBOT CHICKEN: The Complete Series DVD (2005-2025; Warner): Cartoon Network series from creators Seth Green and Matthew Senreich riffed on everything from super-heroes to Star Wars, stop-motion specials, Scooby-Doo and The Walking Dead over its lengthy run, producing a cornucopia of pop culture satire that netted some half-dozen Emmys and over 20 nominations all told.

All 20 years of the series have now been collected by Warner Home Video in a multi-disc DVD box-set offering its 2005-22 run and then final episodes from 2025, all uncut and with Dolby 5.1 or 2.0 audio (depending on the season and/or special). The humor can be juvenile but is nevertheless occasionally hilarious, and there’s no question the series often nailed the mood and look of whatever it was sending up over the course of its broadcast run. “Robot Chicken” will be missed, making this a must for series fans.

WHEN FALL IS COMING Blu-Ray (104 mins., 2025; Music Box): French auteur Francois Ozon returns with this well-acted, compelling, character-driven story of fractured family relationships and a mystery the director decides to leave open-ended – a conscious decision that makes this story of a woman (Helene Vincent) trying to reconnect with her hostile adult daughter (Ludivine Sagnier) an interesting mix of elements well worth tracking down, provided you approach it from the right perspective. Music Box’s Blu-Ray includes interviews with Ozon and the cast; bloopers; costume and light tests; a 1080p (1.85) transfer and 5.1 DTS MA French audio with English subtitles.

THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER Blu-Ray/DVD (99 mins., 2024, PG; Lionsgate): Delightful adaptation of Barbara Robinson’s novel about a young girl (Molly Belle Wright) who tries to mend fences with a “troublesome” local family that becomes involved in her town’s annual Christmas pageant. Somehow, though, despite their reputation and against all odds, even the “Herdmans” manage to get their act together and are moved by the season in this feel-good effort from director Dallas Jenkins that netted generally strong reviews last year and now comes to Blu-Ray/DVD from Lionsgate sporting a 1080p (2.39) transfer and Dolby Atmos audio. A number of extras include commentary, deleted scenes, Making Of content and a Digital HD code.

Blu-Ray Quick Takes: Mark Altman’s enjoyable documentary BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIES EVER! (98 mins., 2024; MVD) does exactly what it sets out to do: provide a fun, fast-provided sojourn throughout Christmas movies both classic and contemporary, incorporating loads of clips, some production information, and an eclectic ensemble of talking heads with many from the Star Trek stable (Brent Spiner and Terry Farrell among them). Additional deleted scenes, commentary and a mini-poster adorn the MVD Rewind Blu-Ray (1.8, 5.1 PCM) which is now available.

Anchor Bay and MVD have released Dean Dempsey’s CANDY APPLE (78 mins.,, 2025), a portrait of a father and son living in NYC’s Lower East Side. A “punk rock” character study of people living on the fringe, “Candy Apple” is new on Blu-Ray featuring a 1080p transfer, trailer, and “What is Punk Rock Cinema” featurette…also new from Anchor Bay is DEADMAN’S BARSTOOL (78 mins., 2025), the story of a former televangelist’s wife who does whatever it takes to secure her future after her soon-to-be-ex serves up a weak financial settlement.

Riz Ahmed and Lily James star in David Mackenzie’s RELAY (112 mins., 2024, R; Bleecker Street),with Ahmed playing a “fixer” who usually brokers payoffs between corporations and individuals trying to take them out. His world is flipped when James’ mysterious client claims she needs his help to stay alive in a thriller co-starring Sam Worthington (2.35, 5.1 DTS MA)…SCREAMITYVILLE (84 mins., 2025; Borderline) finds a town providing endless scares to keep its prospective visitors away. Borderline’s Blu-Ray is now available (2.0, 1.85).

EVANGELION: 111 YOU ARE (NOT) ALONE Blu-Ray (101 mins., PG-13; GKids/Shout); EVANGELION 222 YOU CAN (NOT) ADVANCE Blu-Ray (112 mins., Not Rated; GKids/Shout): Following the conclusion of Hideaki Anno’s “Neon Genesis Evangelion”‘s television series in the ’90s, two features were produced that followed the adventures of Shinji Ikari in what were dubbed the “Rebuild of Evangelion” film project. Available in separate Blu-Ray packages this week from Shout are EVANGELION 111, with Shinji and his cohorts having to fight off the Fourth Angel, and EVANGELION 222, where the Eighth Angel attacks NERV HQ. Both discs include 1080p (1.85) transfers with Japanese and English TrueHD 5.1 soundtracks and extras including, for 111, a music video and “Rebuild of Evangelion 1.01”, and for 222, deleted scenes, “Rebuild of Evangelion 2.02,” omitted scenes, a promo reel, and a 20-page booklet.

New on DVD: Cleopatra Entertainment brings horror fans MIRROR LIFE: MODERN ZOMBIES (89 mins., 2025), a low-budget indie horror about a woman who searches for her cousin after she disappears while engaging in an illegal clinical trial that leads to a zombie outbreak. Cleopatra’s DVD features deleted scenes, outtakes and commentary…Newly reissued on DVD this month from HBO is DAVE CHAPPELLE: KILLIN’ THEM SOFTLY (57 mins., 2000), the brilliant comic’s first stand-up special shot for HBO in Washington, D.C.’s Lincoln Theater.

NEXT TIME: Friedkin’s RAMPAGE leads Kino Lorber October releases! Until then, don’t forget to drop in on the official Aisle Seat Message Boards and direct any emails to our email address. Cheers everyone!