Blu-ray & DVD: The Digital Dread Report for July 21st

Aside from one huge release, and two notable smaller ones, this week is a relatively quiet one on the Blu-ray & DVD front.

If you buy one release this week (or even this Summer), it should be What We Do in the Shadows. You obviously have to like the whole Mockumentary Comedy thing to appreciate this one, but if you do, then it's a Must Own.

*Be sure to click the pics to get your Horror fix!

Gothic nightmares collide with gritty realism in this "stylish horror thriller [that] pulls you in and makes you pay attention" (Los Angeles Times)! After a spine-tingling paperback catches the imagination of bookstore clerk Virginia, she seeks out the author's second book, I, Madman. But once she opens the cover, its eerie tale of obsessive love comes to life, catapulting a disfigured, scalpel-wielding killer from the world of fiction onto the streets of Hollywood with one demented goal: to win Virginia's love, one murder at a time!

Starring one of the biggest crushes from our childhood, Jenny Wright, I, Madman is an above-average 80's flick that even earned a favorable review from Roger Ebert. We're definitely picking this Scream Factory release up on release day.

• Audio Commentary Featuring Director Tibor Takacs With Actor & Artistic Supervisor Randall William Cook.
• Ripped From The Pages – The Making Of "I, Madman," Featuring Interviews With Director Tibor Takacs, Actor & Artistic Supervisor Randall William Cook, Screenwriter David Chaskin, Actor Clayton Rohner, And Actress Stephanie Hodge.
• Behind The Scenes Footage With Audio Commentary By Randall William Cook.
• Theatrical Trailer And Home Video Trailer.
• Still Gallery With Optional Audio Commentary By Randall William Cook.

Detective Chris Kenner was orphaned as a child as his father was in the service and was killed and lived in Japan. Now he is on the trail of ruthless Yakuza leader named Yoshido, who helped establish a small Japanese area in Los Angeles and is now running a drug ring disguised as a brewery. However, Kenner must team up with a Japanese-American detective named Johnny Murata, and he also must protect a witness named Minako who would testify against Yoshido. But what Kenner will soon discover that he will be in a lot more than what he bargained for.

Nowhere near a Horror movie, Showdown in Little Tokyo is still a notable release because of Brandon Lee. Like his father (Bruce Lee, in case you didn't know), Brandon died far too young. The Crow is still one of our all-time favorite movies, and had he lived to see its release, it would have made him huge.

Showdown in Little Tokyo might be smaller, and less spectacular than The Crow, but it's a great 90's action flick that showcases Lee's talent and charisma perfectly. If you like Buddy Cop flicks, then this one is a Must See.

Viago (Waititi), Deacon (Jonathan Brugh), and Vladislav (Clement) are vampires who are finding that modern life has them struggling with the mundane—like paying rent, keeping up with the chore wheel, trying to get into nightclubs, and overcoming roommate conflicts. The film also stars Ben Fransham as 8,000 year-old vamp Petyr, Rhys Darby, Jackie Van Beek, Cori Gonzalez-Macuer, Stu Rutherford and Ethel Robinson.

It took us a second viewing before the humor in this movie truly clicked for us, but once it did, it had us laughing to the point of tears. If you like Mockumentary humor, then I honestly can't see how you wouldn't absolutely love this movie.

We can't wait to watch this one again, and check out it's Special Features.

• Commentary by Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi.
• Behind the Shadows.
• Deleted Scenes.
• Video Extras.
• Interviews.
• Promo Videos.
• Poster Gallery.

Read our review of What We Do in the Shadows HERE.

Lots of releases in the bottom half of the order for fans of older, more obscure flicks.

Black Sabbath is a classic movie that every Horror fan should at least see. Keep in mind that this is the AIP Version version of the movie though. *When Mario Bava's groundbreaking films BLACK SUNDAY and BLACK SABBATH were introduced to the U.S. market, American International Pictures retooled the films for the release. In addition to being redubbed in English (allowing viewers to hear the actual voice of Boris Karloff, rather than an Italian voice actor), the films were given new musical scores (by Ultra-lounge legend Les Baxter) and re-edited (with additional footage shot by Bava himself.

On the DVD front this week:

Aside from The Jokesters, the below DVD releases all look to be typical Direct-to-Video dreck. We could be wrong, but we're probably not.