Blu-ray & DVD: The Digital Dread Report for May 19th

A pair of outlaws, Sam Peckinpah's final film, poltergeists, a possession, and a pack of flesh-hungry zombie beavers... this is The Digital Dread Report for May 19th!

*Read on, and be sure to click the pics to order whatever strikes your fancy.

"Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler, Sin City) and Don Johnson (A Boy and His Dog, TV’s “Miami Vice”) rev their engines and flex their muscles in the full-throttle action movie Harley Davidson and The Marlboro Man, finally available on Blu-Ray from Shout! Factory."

As "Buddy Action" movies go, it doesn't get much better than Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man. Watching Don Johnson and Mickey Rourke acting cool and kicking ass was one of the best times that we had in theaters back in 1991, and this disc will be getting plenty of play in our machines from here on out, whenever we need an action fix.

The bottom line is that this movie rocks, and we're thrilled to damn death that it's finally coming out on Blu-ray.

"The host of an investigative news show is convinced by the CIA that the friends he has invited to a weekend in the country are engaged in a conspiracy that threatens national security in this adaptation of the Robert Ludlum novel."

The last movie of the great Sam Peckinpah's career, and considered by many to be his worst, we have an odd affection for The Osterman Weekend. In all fairness, we probably love this one so much because we saw it when we were like 8, and what the hell does anyone know about quality at 8-years-old?

It's hardly a perfect movie, but it boasts one hell of a cast, and it reminds us of the Thrillers that we grew up on. Because it is one.

This isn't a movie that we'd recommend as a blind buy for most people, but it is one that we love, none the less. 

"Ghosts!"

Poltergeist fanatics, rejoice!

With the remake nearly here, MGM has decided to re-release Poltergeist 2 and 3 on Blu-ray, both separately, and in this handy little 2-Pack. We never cared all that much for the sequels, but there will no doubt be plenty of people looking to revisit these classic (?) sequels before venturing out to see the remake.

More power to them.

"A lost soul has just received the wounds of Christ... and a shocking message that will alter history. Stunning performances from Patricia Arquette (TV's Medium, True Romance) and Gabriel Byrne (The Usual Suspects) and a cutting-edge score by Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins and Elia Cmiral make Stigmata "a visual and visceral feast" (Entertainment Today)!"

As possession movies go, Stigmata is definitely one of the better ones. It's stylish, creepy, and Gabriel Byrne usually tends to make whatever he's in better, especially back in the 90's. Patricia Arquette usually makes everything better too, but for completely different reasons.

We have no doubt that this Scream Factory release will be top-notch, as per their usual.

"ZOMBEAVERS is an action-packed horror/comedy in which a group of college kids staying at a riverside cabin are menaced by a swarm of deadly zombie beavers. A weekend of sex and debauchery soon turns gruesome as the beavers close in on the kids. Riding the line between scary, sexy and funny, the kids are soon fighting for their lives in a desperate attempt to fend off the hoard of beavers that attack them in and around their cabin."
 
Zombeavers is campy, sometimes funny, and oftentimes filled with really hot chicks. If you like the Sharknados of the world, then you'll most likely get a kick out of this one too. If so, then it's definitely worth the $9.99.

This Blu-ray disc is a Best Buy exclusive for now.

Read our review of Zombeavers here.

There really are a lot of solid releases this week... but there are also plenty of junky Direct-to-DVD titles to sift through too.

• American Sniper is going to be a HUGE release. It's a good flick, and probably worth the watch for most people, we just didn't find it as "amazing" as it was touted to be by most who saw it. A lot of hype, but again, it was a good movie.
• To us, Boardwalk Empire will always be a good show that missed its chance to be great. We could honestly write a thesis paper on the subject, but ain't nobody got time for that. If you loved the show, this is the set to get. The first two seasons are perfect.
• The Evil Eye (aka The Girl Who Knew Too Much) is not only a Mario Bava film, but is regarded by many to be the first Giallo film ever made. If you're a fan of either, then this disc is absolutely worth a look.
• The rest of this week's Blu-ray releases are a bunch of old catalog titles that we're not too interested in buying, but we have to admit that the Trancers II disc would be a lot of fun to watch.

As for the week's DVD releases...

• Roommate Wanted has Alexa Vega in it, so it might be worth a watch, especially for fans of hers.
• Deadly Weekend (aka Zellwood) was not a very good movie, but I'll be damned if watching Sara Underwood run around half-naked and screaming for 90 minutes didn't make us smile. If you like cheap slasher flicks, you could do way worse than this movie,
• Whoever came up with the title Raiders of the Lost Shark should be smacked in the mouth with a copy of their own movie. 
• Curse of the Witching Tree looks like it could be HALFWAY decent. Maybe.
• Everything else looks pretty bad, especially Awaken the Devil; that one just looks rough.