Blu-ray & DVD: The Digital Dread Report for 12/6

This week sees two absolute Must Own titles hitting Blu-ray in stunning new editions, plus a bunch of other really great titles that would make welcome additions to any Horror fan's collection. Hell, even the week's DVD-only releases are solid.

Let's get started.

*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?

"Henry (Michael Rooker) is a psychopathic drifter who has coldly murdered a number of people for no particular reason and without any remorse. Leaving scores of bodies in his wake, Henry makes his way to Chicago, where his murderous streak continues and he settles into the rundown apartment of his drug-dealing former prison friend Otis (Tom Towles). Also moving into the space is Otis’s younger sister Becky (Tracy Arnold), who is fleeing from her abusive husband. Henry soon reveals his troubled childhood background to Becky, which resulted in Henry’s murder of his mother, the crime that landed him in prison. Unbeknownst to Becky, Henry continues to commit a series of random killings along with Otis, who has quickly developed a taste for murder…

Dark Sky Films proudly presents HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER in a brand new 4K scan and restoration from the 16mm original camera negatives, and featuring a new 5.1 audio mix from the stereo 35mm mag reels, all approved by director John McNaughton. Sure to send shivers of mortal dread through a whole new generation of filmgoers, this amazing new transfer puts HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER firmly back into the vanguard of contemporary cinematic horror."

If you've never seen this gritty, bleak, far-too-realistic look inside of the life of a Serial Killer, you really need to give Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer a go. This movie messed with my head when I was a kid, and when I showed it to a girlfriend many years later, it freaked her out so bad that she didn't sleep for two days. True story.

From what we hear, the Blu-ray looks fantastic, and we can say with confidence that Michael Rooker puts on a clinic in creepiness in this one that just can't be missed.

Horror flicks don't get more disturbing than this.

Special Features:

• NEW 4K Restoration.
• In Defense of Henry: An Appreciation.
• Henry vs MPAA: A Visual History.
• Henry at the BBFC.
• It's Either You or Them: An Interview with Artist Joe Coleman.
• In The Round: A Conversation with John McNaughton.
• Portrait: The Making of Henry.
• Deleted Scenes & Outtakes.
• Feature Commentary with John McNaughton.
• Interview with John McNaughton, 1998.
• Trailer (original)
• Trailer (30th anniversary)
• Still Gallery.
• Storyboards.
• Reversible Sleeve featuring original Joe Coleman artwork.

"Since its release in 1979, director Don Coscarelli’s epic tale of The Tall Man, his deadly silver Sentinel Spheres, and group the small town friends who must band together to stop his dimension-hopping schemes has captivated and terrified horror and sci-fi fans around the world.  An immediate success, bringing in 40 times its production budget, the film has influenced generations of filmmakers.  Thirty-seven years later, PHANTASM has been finally restored to its original glory by J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot and Coscarelli, with a stunning new 4K remaster and 5.1 surround sound mix from the original elements that ensures Phantasm will be around to scare the hell out of generations to come."

One of the best low-budget Horror flicks of all-time, Don Coscarelli's Phantasm has never looked better on Blu-ray. In fact, it's never been on Blu-ray in the U.S. before, and what a debut this is.

A great flick, this is THE version to grab and add to your collection... which you really need to.

Special Features:

• NEW 4K Restoration.
• Audio Commentary with Director Don Coscarelli and cast members Michael Baldwin, Angus Scrimm, & Bill Thornbury.
• Graveyard Cars.
• Interviews from 1979 with Don Coscarelli and Angus Scrimm.
• Deleted Scenes.

There are a bunch of other titles that are well-worth taking a look at this week, so... let's take a look at them.

• The Devil's Dolls looks good for a lower budget flick.
• In Order of Disappearance was a cool Scandi Noir flick that we still need to review, but really dug.
• Jason Bourne was cool, if you like the Bourne flicks.
• Both Mad Max releases are worth a look, especially the High-Octane Collection.
• Batman v Superman wasn't as bad as it was made out to be; it was just packed with too much shit, and ended up feeling over-stuffed and confused. In any case, there's a new "Ultimate" Edition Boxed Set on Blu-ray, so, yeah. 
• You can skip the Shannara Chronicles unless you're a 12-year-old girl who likes shitty TV shows. It's an affront the the books, which all of us  here at THC loved while we were growing up. 

On the DVD front...

• Scream Queens is all kinds of shameless, offensive, ridiculous fun. Chad Radwell forever!
• Jack Goes Home was a solid flick. Read our review HERE. 
• The Remains, Trash Fire, and The Unspoken look interesting.
• And everything else, as always, is a crap-shoot.