Best of the New Releases: Orphan, Fear(s) of the Dark, Sauna
I think Orphan kind of got the brush off when it came out in theaters, but against all my better instincts I found myself enjoying it quite a bit; not unlike director Jaume Collet-Serra's equally as dismissed, but surprisingly impressive House of Wax remake. Is it flawless? Of course not, but it's an efficiently paced thriller that goes to darker territory than most 'killer children' movies do. It's beautifully shot and wonderfully acted by both Vera Farmiga and Isabelle Fuhrman, who knocks it out of the park as the title character. Worth a rental in my book, and my book is a book of laws.

I haven't actually seen either Fear(s) of the Dark or Sauna, but I have heard nothing but happy thoughts about both of them. The former is an animation feast exploring several artist's, well, fears of the dark, while the latter is a Finnish film about sins that haunt the sinner.

Best of the Catalog Releases: Night of the Creeps
If you're a real horror fan, you're already well aware of this momentous occasion. If you've stumbled across this post and don't know the importance of 10-27-09, let me tell you that today is the first day Fred Dekker's Night of the Creeps is available on a non-bootleg DVD. Not only that, but his awesome '80s horror/comedy about brain-controlling slugs from outer space, is available on Blu-ray to boot.

My copy was actually just dropped off on my door step before I started this post. I ravenously tore open the package and was struck dumb by a sticker on the front that read "Now with 90 minutes of added value". That hurts my brain. I think the fact that the movie is available for the first time ever is enough added value. Sure, it's packed with a ton of special features, but don't belittle the movie with that stupid slap-on. Ugh, way to taint this Holy Day, marketing goons.

Complete List of Horror DVDs and Blu-rays for October 27th, 2009 (with snark where applicable):
- Blood Night
- The Butcher (I believe this is the first title from the reborn Palisades Tartan Asia Extreme label)
- Fear(s) of the Dark
- Graveyard Disturbance (From Lamberto Bava)
- Night of the Creeps (DVD and Blu-ray)
- Orphan (DVD and Blu-ray)
- Pandemic
- Sauna
- Stan Helsing (grab a drink for this one, also on Blu-ray)
- "Tales from the Darkside": Season 2