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Shout Factory has been doing a stellar job with their Roger Corman DVDs as of late. A ton of great classics have been re released to a new audience and with them are some pretty good extras. No one would have blamed them for just putting these titles out in bare bones release but every DVD I’ve watched from the set so far at least has a commentary track, which is something I can’t even say for most new films. Before I even get into the review everyone should just give a round of applause for the effort put into these releases. They truly feel like labors of love, like they were made especially for fans. So with all this awesomeness packed into the DVD what about the films themselves?

The Films:

The Evil starts things off well enough. We have a hapless victim checking out an old...

The Evil (1978)

Directed by: Gus Triskonis

Starring: Richard Crenna, Joanna Pettet, Victor Buono, Andrew Prine and Cassie Yates.

In Gus Trikonis' The Evil, psychologist C.J. Arnold (Richard Crenna) and his wife Caroline (Joanna Pettet) buy a dilapidated mansion with a dark past in the hopes of restoring the estate and turning it into a drug rehabilitation clinic. With the help of some of his students and current patients, the doctor begins work on the mansion - but things take a nasty turn when an ancient spirit starts attacking people. When he opens a secret door in the basement of the house, the psychologist inadvertently releases the malevolent presence...and all hell breaks loose.

In terms of B-Movie ranking, The Evil isn't all that bad. The film takes an admittedly strong stance on the importance of sticking to a more classic ghost story rather than a sleazy, gory filled B-movie romp.

Another week in October, another bounty crop of horror DVDs and Blu-rays. This week we have home entertainment from recent theatrical releases of nightmares of the mind as well as re-releases of classic and campy horror, all with boatloads of extras.

Then there are other horror titles that are being re-released on Blu-ray or in packs for double dipping. On top of that, horror offerings from Asia, past seasons of TV shows, manga, novels, and even video games are all vying for our pocketbooks. And we still have four more weeks of October to go.

Next year October needs to begin in August.

Human Centipede: First Sequence

Directed by Tom Six

Human Centipede: First Sequence (review) was a sensation ever since its first mention. Stephen Colbert even talked about it at the 2010 Emmys Awards broadcast! The premise cannot be simpler. Two pretty American girls are on a road trip through Europe.