Ruby-Spears Superman now on DVD

I mentioned a few months ago in a post (Cartoons That I Want On DVD Part 2) that the 1988 Ruby-Spears Superman cartoon was a show I was really looking forward to seeing someday on DVD, well… that day has come!

It snuck up on me but it was released last week and I plan to pick it up this week. Look for a review soon! In the meantime, check out the Joe Ruby and Ken Spears interview posted over at Comics Worth Reading.

Movie of the Day: Trick ‘r Treat

I just caught this one as it came in the mail from Netflix today. I was pretty hyped for this movie from the get-go. Honestly, all you really need to do is give me a Halloween-themed horror movie and I’m there.

It’s just too bad it took two years after the initial release date for us to see this one. It was originally slated to be released theatrically in October 2007 by Warner Bros. Pictures/Legendary Pictures, but for some reason I’ve never heard, they pushed the release date back and eventually they gave it a direct-to-video release this month. Seems like a very strange thing to do, I can understand a movie getting pushed back, but for it to be demoted to a video release seems highly suspicious. Did the director sleep with some WB exec’s wife? The only other thing I can think of is perhaps the studio was uncomfortable with a few of the murders and didn’t want to put up with the inevitable backlash that a theatrical release would bring about.

So here’s the deal, while the title and movie/DVD art may make you think this is some Halloween ripoff, it isn’t (though I do think Sam has potential to be the next great modern horror icon). It’s anthology. There are four different stories running concurrently, some more connected than others. I don’t think the movie ever says so (maybe they’re in the credits) but the stories are titled “The Principal”, “Surprise Party”, “The Halloween School Bus Massacre Revisited” and “Meet Sam”.

The movie is rated R, but this isn’t some extreme horror that takes things over the top like Wolf Creek or Saw. There’s blood and gore, but it is never overdone and mostly the movie is just plain fun. With the twists this movie kept having, I could help but get the feeling this was a rated R Goosebumps or Are You Afraid of the Dark? episode because this is obviously a horror movie, but really is meant to be a fun ride and not necessarily a scary one. It is an obvious labor of love and I really think this movie can become a cult classic and Halloween tradition for years to come.

Definite recommend and one of my favorite horror movies from the last few years.

Prepping the Netflix queue for horror movies!

I’ve got enough of the classics to last me a lifetime, and while I”ll probably pop’em in the DVD player sometime over the course of the month, I’m interested in catching up on both new and old releases I’ve been meaning to see. My Netflix list is growing by the day, but here is what is sitting near the top of my queue.

Drag Me to Hell (2009) - I don’t even know if it’s supposed to be good or not, but “horror” and “Raimi” was all I needed.

Trick ‘r Treat (2009) - This one has been delayed and delayed and was initially supposed to go to theaters, but instead has to settle for a direct-to-video release. A lot of buzz was behind this one for awhile, hopefully it lives up to the hype.

Deadgirl (2009) - I just really liked the DVD cover for this one and there seems to be a solid buzz behind it.

Edges of Darkness (2008) – Again, cool cover art. Post-apocalyptic world featuring vampires, zombies and what have you.

Black Roses (1988) - I’m a sucker for heavy metal horror films (Trick Or Treat, Hard Rock Zombies, Rock ‘N’ Roll Nightmare), and this one has been on my must-see list for awhile. I could’ve sworn I had checked Netflix for it before and they didn’t carry it… Oh well, they do now!

The Prowler (1981) – The infamous and apparently VERY graphic slasher movie. Can’t wait!

The Cave (2005) - I’ve had a million chances to watch this over the years and I never did. I guess I might as well do it now.

The Strangers (2008) - I’m not sure I’m gonna like this one, but it’s gotten high praise, so let’s do it.

See No Evil (2006) - It’s a WWE-produced slasher movie starring the wrestler Kane. Halloween this is not, but who knows — could be a fun b-movie.

The Descent (2006) – Sounds similar to The Cave. I’ve heard it’s good. Maybe I should do a Cave/Descent double feature one night.

The Ruins (2008) - Like The Cave & The Descent, this is a “let’s explore, oh no, we’re trapped with monsters” movie. Should I make it a triple-header?

Igor (2008) – Gotta show some balance with this CGI kids’ movie. I know it is not supposed to be very good, but it looks cute and I’ll support virtually any animated Halloween-related movie.

What do you guys think? Love these, hate these, have any recommendations?

Oh, and stay tuned for a “real” Halloween post tomorrow… It’s about CAN-DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!!!!!!!

September’s Horror DVD/Blu-Ray Releases

Well, with the change in the weather, this means we’re going to be seeing an increase in horror movies, new & old, being released on video. Here’s what’s hitting shelves in September!

If a video only comes out on one format or another, I’ll note it. Otherwise, it’s available on both.

September 1
- Supernatural: The Complete Fourth Season
- TCM Greatest Classic Films Collection: Horror (House of Wax, The Haunting, Freaks, Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde) [DVD]

September 8
- Harper’s Island: The DVD Edition [DVD... duh!]
- Creepshow [Blu-Ray]
- Halloween Triple Pack (Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, Halloween H2O, Halloween Resurrection) [DVD]
- Scream Triple Pack (Scream, Scream 2, Scream 3) [DVD]
- Universal Horror: Classic Movie Archive (The Black Cat, Man Made Monster, Horror Island, Night Monster, Captive Wild Woman) [DVD]
- Goosebumps: Attack of the Jack-O-Lanterns [DVD]
- Goosebumps: The Headless Ghost [DVD]
- Prophecy Triple Pack (Prophecy, Prophecy II, Prophecy 3: The Ascent) [DVD]
- Freddy Vs. Jason [Blu-Ray]

September 15
- Deadgirl [DVD]
- Army of Darkness: Screwhead Edition [Blu-Ray]
- John Carpenter: Master of Fear Collection (The Thing, Prince of Darkness, They Live, Village of the Damned) [DVD]
- An American Werewolf in London: Special Edition [Blu-Ray]
- Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood – Deluxe Edition [DVD]
- Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan – Deluxe Edition [DVD]
- King Kong Escapes [DVD]
- Phantasm II [DVD]
- Dark Shadows: The Vampire Curse [DVD]
- Dark Shadows: The Haunting of Collinwood [DVD]
- Child’s Play [Blu-Ray]
- Misery [Blu-Ray]
- The Hannibal Lecter Anthology (Manhunter, Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal) [Blu-Ray]
- Wrong Turn [Blu-Ray]
- Wrong Turn 2: Dead End [Blu-Ray]
- Van Helsing [Blu-Ray]

September 22
- Edges of Darkness [DVD]
- Shaun of the Dead [Blu-Ray]
- Friday the 13th: The Series: The Final Season [DVD]
- Clive Barker’s Book of Blood
- Godzilla, King of the Monsters [Blu-Ray]

September 29
- The Shortcut [DVD]
- The Hills Run Red [DVD]
- Hardware – Special Edition
- The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) [Blu-Ray]
- The Real Ghostbusters: Complete Collection [DVD]
- Blade Collection: 4 Film Favorites (Blade, Blade II, Blade: Trinity, Blade: House of Chthon)
- Stepfather II – Special Edition [DVD]
- The Hanging Woman [DVD]
- The New York Ripper [Blu-Ray]
- Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer [Blu-Ray]

New Guitar Hero hits the streets and things are more than meets the eye!

I made a stop by Best Buy on the way home from a 10 HOUR SHIFT today and treated myself to a few goodies:

Guitar Hero: Smash Hits for Wii:

Not a “new” Guitar Hero game, but a compilation featuring songs from the first three Guitar Hero games plus one Aerosmith song from Guitar Hero: Aerosmith and a few from Rocks the ’80s. I own Guitar Hero III and Aerosmith, but have never even played the first two games or Rocks the ’80s (which all total, account for something like 41 of 48 songs in the game), so this was a must buy for me.

I’ve only played a handful of songs so far in Quick Play (Avenged Sevenfold, Ratt, Warrant, Motley Crue, Poison and Judas Priest), but it’s the usual addictive GH gameplay.

And now we have Guitar Hero 5 and Guitar Hero: Van Halen to look forward to in just a few months! Hm… What other bands are worthy of their own GH installment? Led Zeppelin? Black Sabbath? I’d love to see a KISS game, but I know that’s a long shot. After that, my choices are even more unlikely (Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Motley Crue, Guns N Roses, Megadeth).

The Transformers: The Complete First Season

I passed on the original Transformers DVDs that Rhino Entertainment released. First off, cartoon nostalgia hadn’t hit me fully yet (I was still in conflict over whether it was okay for a man of my age to watch cartoons… the answer is YES) and the prices were atrocious anyway and that drove me off from even taking the chance. Besides, Transformers were always third in line behind G.I. Joe and He-Man for me.

Well, now this baby just got released yesterday for only $20 right now at most stores and for that price I had to pick it up despite not having seen a TF episode since it was re-aired in the early 90s as “The New Generation” or whatever bull that was. So this wasn’t a moment of getting hyped for the new movie (I thought the first one was pretty bad), but another attempt to reclaim my childhood.

Maybe I can do a write up on this set at some point.