News

As the month of March continues to roll onwards, that means we have a brand new batch of Blu-rays and DVDs to look forward to this week, including a double dose of classic terrors from Scream Factory: The Witches (1966) and The Deadly Mantis. Arrow Video has put together an extensive Special Edition release for Strip Nude for Your Killer, and the indie horror film The Final Wish, featuring Lin Shaye, arrives on Tuesday as well.

Other March 19th home entertainment releases include Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, The Russian Bride, The Devil’s Restaurant, Crone Wood, and a Spiders triple feature set.

The Deadly Mantis

What’s worse than a horde of locusts? A gigantic man-eating praying mantis, released from a million years of deep, frozen sleep and ready to claw its way to world domination! This menacing insect kills everything in its path while scientists and military men work feverishly to stop it.

It’s big, it buzzes, and it screams like a banshee. So why is the Mantis monster so ho-hum? Universal-International tries to squeak out another boffo big bug epic, but 1957 screens were already crowded with grasshoppers and scorpions — and the screenplay is derivative — and somebody allowed producer William Alland to throw in every stock shot that wasn’t nailed down.

The Deadly Mantis

Blu-ray

1957 / B&W / 1:85 widescreen / 79 min. / Street Date March 19, 2019 / 27.99

Starring: Craig Stevens, William Hopper, Alix Talton, Donald Randolph, Pat Conway, Florenz Ames, Paul Smith, Harry Tyler.

Cinematography: Ellis W. Carter, Clifford Stine

Film Editor: Chester Schaeffer

Original Music: Irving Gertz, William Lava, Henry Mancini

Written by Martin Berkeley, William Alland

Produced by William Alland

Directed by Nathan Juran

I grew up partly in the Mojave Desert. Our red ants were aggressive (and they stung!), our grasshoppers big and strong, and our scorpions were as scary as the...

After waking up from its arctic slumber, a massive monster enjoys a human buffet in The Preying Mantis, and with the 1957 creature feature coming to Blu-ray on March 19th from Scream Factory, we've been provided with the full list of special features, including a new audio commentary and "The Deadly Mantis" episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000.

Press Release: Los Angeles, CA – This was the day that engulfed the world in terror! A thrilling classic from the golden age of sci-fi cinema, Deadly Mantis debuts on Blu-ray on March 19, 2019 from Scream Factory. The release sports a new 2k scan of the original film elements and new audio commentary with film historian Tom Weaver and Dr. Robert J. Kiss.

What’s worse than a horde of locusts? A gigantic man-eating praying mantis, released from a million years of deep, frozen sleep and ready to claw its way to world domination!

This...

With 2018 coming to an end, Scream Factory is giving horror fans plenty of titles to get excited about in 2019 with a bunch of new Blu-ray announcements for March, including 1955's Tarantula, Man's Best Friend (1993), 1966's The Witches (starring Joan Fontaine), and more!

From Scream Factory: "We’re being attacked by giant insects next Spring as the 1950s cult favorites Tarantula and The Deadly Mantis both scuttle to Blu-ray on March 19th!

Tarantula (1955) – Biochemist Gerald Deemer has a plan to feed the world by using a growth formula on plants and animals. Instead he creates terror beyond imagining when his work spawns a spider of mammoth proportions! Feeding on cattle and humans, this towering tarantula has the people of Desert Rock, Arizona running for their lives. Can this horrifying creature be stopped or will the world succumb to its giant claws? This classic sci-fi film from director Jack Arnold stars John Agar...

By Fred Burdsall

What makes you a fan?

Whatever your interests, there’s always something specific that gets your attention and won’t let go.

For me, it was movies—horror movies—and the scarier the better. I liked that nervous feeling we all get when something makes us uncomfortable. I liked sitting there and wondering if this is the one that finally makes me turn my head away. To me, it’s the greatest feeling in the world and I owe it all to four specific films.

My mother loves watching horror movies, so it was early on in life I got introduced to Frankenstein’s Monster, Dracula, the Wolf Man and the Creature from the Black Lagoon. Soon after I discovered the joys of Corman, Price and Poe, but in the midst of all that there were two that grabbed me like no other.

Tarantula had its spider and Them gave us ants,...