After a slow start to January things have heated up with the release of the low-budget blockbuster (is that even a thing?) Paranormal Activity 3. Never one to be left out, the most famous monster of all, Godzilla, is back after hanging out with the folks at Criterion. Making waves today as well is the controversial Lucky McKee / Jack Ketchum collaboration The Woman. Ah, it feels good to have a solid week of choices for a change. Check out the rest of the releases below and let me know what you’re picking up this week. Horror In Your House
January 24th, 2012

FASCINATION (DVD/Blu-Ray) – Redemption Films
The masterpiece of renowned French filmmaker Jean Rollin, FASCINATION follows a swaggering thief who hides out in a lavish chateau, holding the occupants at gunpoint.  When night falls, he realizes that these two maids are not only deadlier than he imagined, but are gatekeepers to a ring of women with a thirst for blood.

MICAH SAYS: If you have Netflix Instant you’ve probably seen the Jean Rollins films pop up in your recommendations. If you like lesbians, vampires, lesbian vampires and / or gratuitous soft core foreign horror porn then you should consider his films a must. I’d recommend starting with Lips of Blood(released today as well) or The Nude Vampire to whet your whistle.

GODZILLA(Blu-Ray) – The Criterion Collection
Godzilla (a.k.a. Gojira) is the roaring granddaddy of all monster movies. It’s also a remarkably humane and melancholy drama, made in Japan at a time when the country was reeling from nuclear attack and H-bomb testing in the Pacific. Its rampaging radioactive beast, the poignant embodiment of an entire population’s fears, became a beloved international icon of destruction, spawning almost thirty sequels. A thrilling, tactile spectacle that continues to be a cult phenomenon, the original, 1954 Japanese version is presented here, along with Godzilla, King of the Monsters, the 1956 “Americanized” version. New high-definition digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition.

MICAH SAYS: Criterion is definitely the biggest drain on my wallet. Everything they release is meticulously restored and detailed. I like to think of them as the anti Echo Bridge. This Blu-ray should be considered the ultimate and definitive version going forward when it comes to Japan’s most reptilian export.

HOUSE ON SORORITY ROW (Remastered special 2 disc edition) – Scorpion Entertainment
Flirtatious young sorority sisters who are days away from graduation set out to throw one last decadent celebration. Unbeknownst to them, the strict matron of their house hides a horrendous secret thought long buried. A gruesome accident is witnessed by a hideous fiend, hidden within the once nurturing dwelling, which triggers a rampage of death and destruction. Before the end, the peril faced by this sisterhood will push them to the brink of annihilation. And rivers of blood will drown all who enter…The House On Sorority Row. Now watch this horror classic from a brand new HD master, with 2 disc worth of extras, featuring Katarina Leigh Waters.

MICAH SAYS: Five new interviews, brand new commentary with the director and finally in it’s original 1.78 (16×9) format. This appears to be one of the finer releases to come out of the Katarina’s Nightmare Theater group. Hope they keep this up and also start working on Blu-Rays.

THE IRON ROSE (DVD/Blu-Ray) – Redemption Films
A pair of lovers have a tryst in a vacant tomb, but then find themselves unable to escape form the graves and crypts of the massive cemetery.  One of cult director Jean Rollin’s most unconventional films, THE IRON ROSE vividly depicts the young couple’s steady descent into madness.

LIPS OF BLOOD (DVD/Blu-Ray) – Redemption Films
In the most personal of Jean Rollin’s moody, erotic horror films, a man tries to solve the riddle of a vague childhood memory, which leads him in pursuit of a beautiful vampire, and the revelation of a horrible family curse.

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 3 (DVD/Blu-Ray) – Paramount Pictures
Paranormal Activity 3 takes you back to where it all began and the activity is more intense than ever. The cameras are on and recording the chilling moments when evil begins to terrorize young sisters Katie and Kristi for the first time.

MICAH SAYS: The polarizing series’ third film isn’t the best of the bunch, but it still packs plenty of scares (albeit jump scares) that rival anything else in horror last year. If you thought this was bad, watch The Devil Inside to get an idea of what a truly awful “found footage” experience feels like. It cracked my Top Ten Horror films of last year and I’ve already got my copy on blu. I happen to quite enjoy this franchise.

PORN STAR ZOMBIES – R Squared Films
A group of adult film cast and crew members must discover what is causing their fellow stars to rabidly attack them.

THE WOMAN (DVD/Blu-Ray) – Bloody Disgusting Selects / The Collective
The Woman is the last surviving member of a violent clan that has roamed the Northeast Coast for decades. When the last of her family is killed in a battle with the police, The Woman finds herself alone, severely wounded…and vulnerable. Unfortunately, she is now a far too easy prey for local hunter, successful country lawyer and seriously disturbed family man Christopher Cleek. With his twisted set of ideals, Cleek decides to embark upon a deranged project – to capture her and “civilize” The Woman – a decision that will soon threaten the lives of Cleek, his family and The Woman.

MICAH SAYS: PICK OF THE WEEK. It’s brutal, haunting, unsettling and will stick with you long after it’s over. Lucky McKee’s flick is by no means perfect. Some would say it’s highly misogynistic. And they’d be right. I think the hype machine may have over-cooked this one a bit, but now that the dust has settled and I’ve had time to reflect I’ve come to consider this flick as one of the best of it’s kind.