Published: Saturday, October 31, 2009
Creepy comedies, and just plain creeps, abound on DVDs
Looking for some post trick-or-treat entertainment tonight?
Don’t resign yourself to “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” or movies that star silent serial killer Michael Myers.
Here’s a handful of Halloween-inspired double features, including recent DVD or Blu-ray releases, or some inspired by scary movies currently in theaters.
Admittedly, the zombie comedy is somewhat of a niche genre. But if “Zombieland” has inspired an insatiable desire for even more hilarious, walking-dead high jinks, look no further than “Shaun of the Dead,” the Simon Pegg movie about two lazy Brits forced to battle the forces of evil with everything they’ve got, even their beloved record albums.
Already on DVD ($13), “Shaun” made its Blu-ray debut ($30) last month. And it might pair nicely with the campy cult favorite “Night of the Creeps,” which releases on DVD ($20) and Blu-ray ($25) on Tuesday, and offers space slugs, zombies and college kids dressed up in ’80s formal wear. How can you go wrong there?
Speaking of horror comedies, few directors blend those genres more effectively than Sam Raimi.
Start with Raimi’s latest, “Drag Me to Hell,” which arrived Tuesday on DVD ($30) and Blu-ray ($40) in an unrated director’s cut that promises more heapings of goofy gore in what already stood as one of 2009’s most deliciously over-the-top shockers.
Once you’ve gone to hell, jump backward in Raimi’s filmography and watch his first attempt at horror hilarity, the cabin-in-the-woods classic “The Evil Dead.” While you’re at it, add the other flicks in that franchise — “Evil Dead II” and “Army of Darkness,” both on DVD and recently issued on Blu-ray ($30).
So what can the kids watch, somewhere between “Drag Me to Hell” and “The Great Pumpkin”?
For starters, there’s “Pooh’s Heffalump Halloween Movie,” Disney’s new straight-to-DVD release ($20) featuring Tigger, Roo and the rest of the gang. It’s nonthreatening enough to enjoy with young children without fear of inducing nightmares.
Once the tinier tots have gone to bed, feel free to dig up “Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride” ($13 on DVD, $29 on Blu-ray) for the older kids.
If you’re in the mood for classic horror of the slightly campy variety, a couple of new box sets may fit the bill. Warner Bros. has just issued “Karloff & Lugosi Horror Classics,” ($27) a collection of four of the actors’ lower-profile films — including “The Walking Dead” — from the ’30s, ’40s and ’50s.
If the goose bumps induced by “Paranormal Activity” make you anxious to see more indie shockers of this sort, start with the creepy contemporary king in this category, “The Blair Witch Project” ($10). This hugely influential peek at the “real” footage from a very spooky camping trip celebrates its 10th anniversary this year.
Follow that up with “Open Water,” ($15), the 2003 independent effort about a couple accidentally left behind on a scuba diving trip and desperately trying not to become shark snacks. The wide, blue Caribbean Sea has rarely felt so claustrophobic.
Don’t resign yourself to “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” or movies that star silent serial killer Michael Myers.
Here’s a handful of Halloween-inspired double features, including recent DVD or Blu-ray releases, or some inspired by scary movies currently in theaters.
Admittedly, the zombie comedy is somewhat of a niche genre. But if “Zombieland” has inspired an insatiable desire for even more hilarious, walking-dead high jinks, look no further than “Shaun of the Dead,” the Simon Pegg movie about two lazy Brits forced to battle the forces of evil with everything they’ve got, even their beloved record albums.
Already on DVD ($13), “Shaun” made its Blu-ray debut ($30) last month. And it might pair nicely with the campy cult favorite “Night of the Creeps,” which releases on DVD ($20) and Blu-ray ($25) on Tuesday, and offers space slugs, zombies and college kids dressed up in ’80s formal wear. How can you go wrong there?
Speaking of horror comedies, few directors blend those genres more effectively than Sam Raimi.
Start with Raimi’s latest, “Drag Me to Hell,” which arrived Tuesday on DVD ($30) and Blu-ray ($40) in an unrated director’s cut that promises more heapings of goofy gore in what already stood as one of 2009’s most deliciously over-the-top shockers.
Once you’ve gone to hell, jump backward in Raimi’s filmography and watch his first attempt at horror hilarity, the cabin-in-the-woods classic “The Evil Dead.” While you’re at it, add the other flicks in that franchise — “Evil Dead II” and “Army of Darkness,” both on DVD and recently issued on Blu-ray ($30).
So what can the kids watch, somewhere between “Drag Me to Hell” and “The Great Pumpkin”?
For starters, there’s “Pooh’s Heffalump Halloween Movie,” Disney’s new straight-to-DVD release ($20) featuring Tigger, Roo and the rest of the gang. It’s nonthreatening enough to enjoy with young children without fear of inducing nightmares.
Once the tinier tots have gone to bed, feel free to dig up “Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride” ($13 on DVD, $29 on Blu-ray) for the older kids.
If you’re in the mood for classic horror of the slightly campy variety, a couple of new box sets may fit the bill. Warner Bros. has just issued “Karloff & Lugosi Horror Classics,” ($27) a collection of four of the actors’ lower-profile films — including “The Walking Dead” — from the ’30s, ’40s and ’50s.
If the goose bumps induced by “Paranormal Activity” make you anxious to see more indie shockers of this sort, start with the creepy contemporary king in this category, “The Blair Witch Project” ($10). This hugely influential peek at the “real” footage from a very spooky camping trip celebrates its 10th anniversary this year.
Follow that up with “Open Water,” ($15), the 2003 independent effort about a couple accidentally left behind on a scuba diving trip and desperately trying not to become shark snacks. The wide, blue Caribbean Sea has rarely felt so claustrophobic.
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