Blu-ray & DVD: The Digital Dread Report for 9/20

A Stephen King trifecta; one of the Coen Brothers best flicks given the Criterion treatment; one of the best kid-friendly Genre flicks ever made; Bill & Ted; and an obscure PA flick brought to us by Arrow Video... this is most certainly an 80's-centric week on the Blu-ray front, and it is glorious.

*Be sure to click the pics below to buy the movies, or even rent them. Or both. Or neither. It really depends on your mood, now doesn't it?

One of our favorite movies, and one of the best vampire movies ever made, Tobe Hooper's made-for-tv classic, Salem's Lot, is finally out on Blu-ray today! We're so happy that our mascot, The Master, is finally getting some long-deserved love from Warner Bros. Home Video, as they're usually really stingy about giving their older vault titles new Blu-ray releases. 

It's not going to be a disc that is heavy on special features and extras, but we're just glad that it's finally getting a new HD transfer.

"Burbank, CA, August 17, 2016-Horror fans are sure to rejoice when a terrifying trio of Stephen King's screen adaptations -- "Salem's Lot, "Stephen King's Cat's Eye" and "Stephen King's It" (a best-seller on DVD and one of King's most popular TV miniseries)debuts with all-new 2016 high definition masters on Blu-ray from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, just in time for a haunting Halloween on September 20.

Sinister events bring together a writer (David Soul) fascinated with an old hilltop house; a suave antiques dealer (James Mason) whose expertise goes beyond bric-a-brac; and the dealer's mysterious, pale-skinned "partner" (Reggie Nalder) in "Salem's Lot" -- a blood-curdling shocker based on King's novel and directed by Tobe Hooper (Poltergeist).

Special Features:

• All-new Feature-Length Audio Commentary by Director Tobe Hooper.
• International Theatrical Trailer.

Don't miss out on this classic flick. Sincerely.

"October 1957: "It" awakens and the small town of Darry, Maine will never be the same. Stephen King brings to life every childhood fear and phobia as seven children face an unthinkable horror which appears in various forms, including Pennywise (Tim Curry), a clown who lives, hunts and kills from the towns sewers. Years later, the surviving adults who are brave enough return to stop the new killing spree, this time for good."

25 years later, IT definitely feels dated in a few different ways, but it's still one hell of a great Mini-Series. Tim Curry's sinister turn as Pennywise is the main reason that it's so great, but the whole thing has a nostalgic feel about it that makes it an entertaining watch, despite its faults.

If you like coming-of-age stories that involve murderous clowns, and who doesn't, then IT is a movie that you need to experience. Read the book too, or maybe even first, as it's far more epic in scope.

It's going to be nice to finally get to see this one in 1080p quality. 

Special Features:

• Commentary by Director Tommy Lee Wallace and Actors Dennis Christopher, Tim Reid, John Ritter and Richard Thomas.

• Bill &Ted's Excellent Adventure is a most excellent 80's comedy that we're happy to be adding to our collection. 
• Blood Simple is one hell of a Neo-Noir Thriller which proves that when the Coen Brothers are on their game, they're geniuses. 
• Cat's Eye is the 3rd part of that Stephen King trifecta that I mentioned above, and while it's not as good as Salem's Lot or IT (at least to us), it's a solid Anthology flick that is well-worth a purchase. 
• Speaking of obscure B-movies from the 80's, we're not sure what gave Arrow Video the idea to give Dead End Drive-In the Blu-ray treatment, but we're glad that they did. Curious to see how this disc turns out.
• When we were kids, Labyrinth was one of those movies that we watched over and over again when it was on cable, not only because it had some awesome puppets and David Bowie playing an evil Goblin King, but we were 100% in love with Jennifer Connelly. We still are, if we're telling the truth, and so this 30th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray is absolutely on our list. What a great movie for all ages.
• Sacrifice wasn't completely horrible, but it wasn't very good either. It's probably a better rental than a purchase if you feel the need to see it. Read our review HERE. 
• The new TMNT movie will surely be a big title for kids. 
• The re-packaging of the entire Twin Peaks series + movie is a great value at $49.
• And everything else, as always, is a crap-shoot.