Editorials
Stephanie Crawford Recommends the Best Horror Blu-ray Releases of 2019
*Keep up with our ongoing end of the year coverage here*
If all the articles (the endless, unyielding articles…) about physical media’s imminent demise are true, why was this list nearly impossible to narrow down? It’s known that the grass is a little greener for horror fans when it comes to home video, and devotees tend to be a ravenous bunch: Even when we subscribe to multiple streaming services, a solid number of fright fans value having their own collections that can be accessed without worrying about bandwidth or rights issues, not to mention the sweet, sweet special features. Add to that, “boutique labels” that uncover older and obscure films and give them a renewed shine to new generations of audiences and weekly catalog and new releases that (usually) impress both give us continued hope that our collecting days may still have some years in them.
With that in mind, here are my picks for the best of the best, and it’s been a year packed with releases just throbbing with high-definition scares and bone-deep behind-the-scenes looks. While a lot of great horror movies from big studios skimped out on the extras—I promise you, we still want commentaries!—there are still some gems. That said, unsurprisingly, the smaller, genre-focused labels stole my heart and my wallet. They just wanted it more!
(Please note that only region 1 or 0 discs were included to make this task remotely possible.)
Godzilla: The Showa-era Films, 1954–1975 from The Criterion Collection
Gojira is no stranger to unfair fights, and The Criterion Collection mimicked that history when they decimated the competition by releasing 15 Showa-era Toho Godzilla films on Blu-ray in a giant set with eye-popping original art—with treasures including both the original Japanese and the English version of King Kong Versus Godzilla—in the kind of splashy, blockbuster release that thrills collectors and gets mainstream media attention, reminding everyone that building your own film library can be like the grown-up version of being a kid in a candy store. It’s a mixed bag of acknowledged classics and some entries only a huge fan of this colossal franchise could love, but this is both a wonderful primer to Godzilla’s world and an enormous valentine to existing fans, and the included essays add some much-appreciated historical and social context. This may be a bit of a chore to fit onto your shelves, but it’ll slide into your heart with no problem.
Don’t Miss: The “Toho Unused Special Effects Complete Collection,” a 1986 hour-long Japanese-language special detailing how many special effects were pulled off throughout the series, along with lots of footage that never made the final films.
Crimson Peak Limited Edition from Arrow Video
According to many of his diehard fans, Guillermo del Toro’s 2015 sanguine-soaked love letter to gothic horror and romance is his most overlooked film to date. Arrow Video set out to right that wrong with its lush limited edition set, complete with an ornately illustrated box, a hardcover book in a slipcase filled with essays and pages of original conceptual design illustrations, a poster and postcards. If you missed out, however, the standard edition includes all the same goodies on the disc, including a feature-length making-of documentary and featurettes on pretty much every aspect of the film, along with more academic extras like a new video essay from Kat Ellinger. Whether you’re a new fan, one of the devoted, or anywhere in-between, this set is a beauty that perfectly conveys the film’s message that so much more lies beneath the surface.
Don’t Miss: A commentary from Guillermo del Toro is a joy forever: His enthusiasm is matched only by his attention to detail and his willingness to share filmmaking tricks, behind the scenes facts and the multitude of influences on his work. For picks exclusive to this release, Ellinger’s video essay and an interview with writer Kim Newman provide a wealth of knowledge into this specific subgenre and also offer some great viewing recommendations.
Viy from Severin Films
Based on the horror novella from famed Russian author Nikolai Gogol (as was Mario Bava’s Black Sunday, loosely), Viy is a gem from 1967 that should appeal to lovers of folk horror, dark fairytales, and innovative practical special effects. With both an original language and an English dubbed option, this is a wonderful way to explore older horror films or beef up your already impressive collection with a demonically atmospheric and beautiful tale. Important in cinematic history as the first full-length horror film produced in the Soviet Union, this gorgeous movie is too much of a fun, spooky ride to ever feel like homework. Including a spirited interview with fan and filmmaker Richard Stanley and a great half-hour feature on the history of Soviet sci-fi and fantasy films, both the film and the Blu-ray are a journey not to be missed.
Don’t Miss: Three short silent Soviet horror films “The Portrait,” (1915) “The Queen of Spades/Pikovaya Dama,” (1916) and “Satan Exultant” (1917) are fascinating and atmospheric.
The Blob Collector’s Edition from Scream Factory
Since its initial theatrical release, 1988’s The Blob has been labeled “underrated” by legions of gore-loving fans, but there’s just no way that claim can hold water any longer after this exhaustive release. The movie itself earns every bit of love: Frank Darabont and Chuck Russell wrote an incredibly fun tribute to classic drive-in monster movies that they infused with a 1980s splatterpunk twist. While it might be impossible to sate the Blob, there’s no way fans will leave this disc hungry: There are hours of in-depth interviews from director Chuck Russell, multiple actors, the cinematographer, the Blob mechanic (!), special effects, mechanical, and production designers, behind the scenes footage, and three freakin’ commentaries. This was pretty much an ideal horror remake, and the disc is, unquestionably, the ideal way to treat such a blast on disc; it may very well become the quintessential Scream Factory release.
Don’t Miss: I watched every single interview, and I can honestly say they’re all energetic and detailed, as this was an early film for many of the creatives involved and everyone seemed to have a great time. That said, Bill Moseley’s interview that details his early career is charming and a must for Chop Top fans. When it comes to commentaries, they’re all interesting for different reasons, but the one with Russell, special effects artist Tony Gardner, and cinematographer Mark Irwin moderated by filmmaker, podcaster, and uber-fan Joe Lynch is the best bang for your buck when it comes to enthusiasm and on-set stories. The commentary with Ryan Turek and Russell is where to go for a more focused (but fun!) talk on the details of the filmmaking.
The New York Ripper from Blue Underground
How well does a notoriously sleazy and dirty giallo from legend Lucio Fulci fare in high definition? If this limited edition Blu-ray is anything to go by, we don’t have to worry about a thing when it comes to bringing cinematic smut into the 21st century. Not only is the 4K restoration from the original camera negative stunning, keeping the grit and grime of old-school New York City intact while giving us a crisp, clear picture of the film’s vibrant colors, but the extras here are also a huge upgrade from Blue Underground’s original release that only included the interview with actress Zora Kerova and the short “NYC Locations Then and Now” featurette. Now we have tons of interviews and a fresh new commentary, not to mention a booklet with an essay from Travis Crawford and a CD featuring the soundtrack from Francesco De Masi. Pair this with Blue Underground’s also exemplary 4K restoration of William Lustig’s Maniac and Arrow Video’s great Driller Killer release, and you’ll be as close to getting coated in the film of the dangerous days of 42nd Street as you can these days.
Don’t Miss: Two titans of gialli research here: Author Troy Howarth provides a detailed commentary and writer Stephen Thrower gives a fascinating and informative interview packed with background details.
Opera from Scorpion Releasing
In the past few years, Dario Argento has been the belle della palla when it comes to getting extensive Blu-ray releases of some of his most celebrated films, and Opera is no exception. Considered by many to be Argento’s last masterpiece (and one of my personal ultra-favorites of his), this is a three-disc odyssey into 1987’s rhapsodic bloodbath. Each disc contains a different cut of the film, each with a new 2K restoration: the 1.78:1 version, 2.35:1 version, and the US Orion Studios dubbed cut. There are commentaries for the first two cuts and tons of interviews adorn each disc, and while I know it’s hard for many of us to move on from the great old school Anchor Bay limited edition DVD set from long ago, this is truly a must for every fan of Opera and the discerning Argento completist. With gorgeous cover art from Yannick Bouchard, this edition instantly classes up any horror shelf.
Don’t Miss: The almost one-hour-long interview with actor William McNamara is a treat as he’s very personable, and it’s both hilarious and informative hearing his stories about filming in Italy as an American actor. From tales of getting an audition with Quentin Tarantino due to this role in Opera to the very specific reason Vanessa Redgrave actually left the film, this is a fun, dishy talk fans shouldn’t skip. “It was always either pasta or a bank holiday with these guys!”
Woman Chasing the Butterfly of Death from Mondo Macabro
“It sucks, but I’ll keep on living.” 1978’s Woman Chasing the Butterfly of Death is outlandish by most standards, and until this lovingly wrapped gift of a release, it was also pretty freaking hard to get hold of. Now, however, this dreamlike skeleton-palooza complete with a beach party has a 4K transfer from the film negative, digital restoration, and a lot of wonderful new interviews from the South Korean creatives connected to the film, including a great one with actress and frequent collaborator with director Kim Ki-young, Lee Hwa-si. If Parasite whetted your appetite to get further into South Korean cinema, this film promises imagination, heart, weirdness, and some great haunting set pieces that are as colorful as any splashy Technicolor or giallo film from the same time period.
Don’t Miss: An audio commentary from writers Kenneth Brorsson and Paul Quinn from the “What’s Korean Cinema?” podcast is informative and lively, but the two-part interview with prolific director and producer Jung Jin-woo, who worked frequently with Kim Ki-young, is living film history delivered with a lot of style and humor.
Universal Collection Volume 1 from Scream Factory
Originally slated to be distributed as a Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi set before the name was changed to a more series-inclusive title as more editions of catalog Universal horror titles are being rapidly released, the first set is still a tribute to the ghoulish grandfathers of cinematic horror. The Black Cat comes to us with three new commentaries, and new 2K scans of The Raven, The Invisible Ray, and Black Friday round out the set, each with at least one commentary. The black and white picture is inky and crisp on each, and it’s great to have a beautiful, compact set of so many genre touchstones in one place looking as good as they do and accompanied by plenty of reverence for their place in horror and film history at large.
Don’t Miss: A superb four-part documentary, “A Good Game: Karloff and Lugosi at Universal,” is separated into one part per disc. It’s filled with fascinating information from experts and plenty of great behind-the-scenes photographs, and I was a little heartbroken that a similar kind of extra wasn’t included in the second Universal Horror set. On The Black Cat disc, there’s an illuminating hour-long documentary (narrated by Doug Bradley himself!) called “Dreams Within a Dream: The Classic Cinema of Edgar Allan Poe,” and I bet you can guess what it’s about. From silent films to the aftermath of the American International Pictures boom when the Italians started taking over the bulk of adaptations, it’s an overview worth your time.
There’s Nothing Out There! from Vinegar Syndrome
While this micro-budget-comedy-sci-fi-horror flick might not be your cuppa (Full disclosure: It’s most definitely mine), there’s no denying the love that was heaped on to this release of the chaotic goofer made by very, very young filmmakers in 1991. There are four commentaries for the movie (a new one that includes Joe Lynch, two archival ones, and another from the podcast The Hysteria Continues!) and even one each for the trailer, the stills gallery, rehearsal footage… I could go on for a while. There are also short films from director/screenwriter Rolfe Kanefsky and new, in-depth interviews. If you already love the film, it’s a treasure trove, but if it never fully seduced you, the winning behind-the-scenes looks at very passionate people working with very little might just do the trick.
Don’t Miss: Charlie Lyne’s short documentary feature “Copycat,” which is a fun “remix” kind of feature that was made a few years ago. It uses interview audio and tons of film clips to illustrate There’s Nothing Out There’s connection to Wes Craven’s Scream. Whether you believe that there’s a direct correlation between the films or a scant few distant points they both have in common, it’s incredibly well-done and entertaining.
Alice, Sweet Alice Limited Edition from Arrow Video
Arrow came through yet again with a superb restoration from the original 35mm camera negative for this beloved 1976 slasher. With new interviews, a location tour with Michael Gingold, two commentaries, and the Holy Terror re-release cut of the film, this benchmark of the genre will leave even the most devout satisfied.
Don’t Miss: Both the archival commentary with director and co-writer Alfred Sole, editor Edward Salier and William Lustig (who worked as assistant makeup special effects on the film!) and the new commentary from author Richard Harland Smith are terrific, and they both cover a lot of different ground.
The Very, Very Honorable Runners-Up
BLOODY TERROR: The Shocking Cinema of Norman J Warren, 1976-1987 from Indicator, The Hemisphere Box of Horrors from Severin Films, The Omen Collection from Scream Factory, An American Werewolf in London from Arrow Video, Paganini Horror from Severin Films, The Ring Collection from Arrow Video, The Prey from Arrow Video, The Devil Rides Out from Shout! Factory, The Killer of Dolls from Mondo Macabro, Quatermass And The Pit from Shout Factory, Us from Universal Studios, Grandma’s House and Nightbeast from Vinegar Syndrome, All the Colors of the Dark/All the Colors of Giallo limited set from Severin Films, The Body Snatchers from Shout Factory, Alien 4k: 40th Anniversary Edition from 20th Century Fox, and 1979’s Dracula from Shout Factory.
Five decades ago, Stephen King published the story of a bullied girl with telekinetic powers and forever changed the world of horror.
Carrie follows a high school misfit who seeks revenge for a hideous prank by psychically destroying her senior prom. The name Carrie White has become synonymous with the concept of a formal dance thanks to a flawless adaptation from Brian De Palma. Now fifty years after the film’s release, Mike Flanagan is putting his own stamp on the troubling story.
Rather than a feature film, the writer/director will expand King’s relatively slim debut novel into an eight-episode miniseries for Amazon Prime set to premiere on October 7.
Flanagan is no stranger to the world of Stephen King. A long-time Constant Reader, he first made waves with his daring adaptation of Gerald’s Game (2017), a novel many fans considered un-filmable. His underrated Doctor Sleep merges the disparate plot of Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining with King’s original source material, and his 2024 genre-bending tearjerker The Life of Chuck faithfully executes one of the author’s most metaphysical novellas.
He’s currently mired in pre-production for an expansive adaptation of The Dark Tower series, keystone to King’s connected universe, and Warner Bros. recently announced that Flanagan will helm a new version of The Mist, King’s 1980 novella which sees a small Maine town overrun by otherworldly monsters.
Considering the vast array of the author’s previously unadapted material, an obvious question arises. Why reimagine Carrie in 2026? Noting the timeless nature of the content, Flanagan expressed his desire to bring the story of a bullied girl into modern times, mirroring his approach to Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House and Edgar Allan Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher. He explained, “The only way to approach it was to build something new out of the ingredients of Carrie. Otherwise, there’s really no purpose in trying to retread ground that’s been so beautifully walked before.”
His miniseries will maintain the novel’s bloody bookends while delivering “big surprises” along the way.
A New Prom Night Nightmare
The roughly 60-second teaser introduces Summer H. Howell as Carrie White just before the moment of catastrophe. Standing in a prom dress, she smiles at her applauding classmates with an ominous crown perched upon her head. Moments later, Carrie unleashes a rage-filled scream into the night air while promgoers rush for the exit doors. But careful examination of this scene shows Carrie wearing a different, albeit dirty dress as she seems to telekinetically punish her peers.
In an exclusive first look with Entertainment Weekly, Flanagan explains that in his version of the story, “the events of that prom are going to be completely different.” An open trunk emitting a crimson glow does hint at the pig’s blood dumped on Carrie’s head, but it’s likely Flanagan’s formal dance will be a different kind of horror altogether. Despite these changes, the series may end with the widespread destruction outlined in the source material. Unlike any previous adaptations, King’s novel ends with the near-total destruction of Chamberlain, Maine. A flaming street in Flanagan’s trailer promises similar carnage no matter what prank sparks Carrie’s deadly revenge.
The Monstrous Addition of Social Media
On the opposite end of this fiery conclusion is an extreme act of bullying that brings together the story’s main cast. King’s novel begins as Carrie gets her first period while showering in the girls’ locker room. Completely unaware of the concept of menstruation, the sheltered girl thinks she’s bleeding to death. Her classmates respond with vitriolic rage. Led by ultra-mean girl Chris Hargensen (Alison Thornton), they mock the terrified teen while pelting her with tampons. Glimpses of this disturbing event reveal that Flanagan has excised the scene’s nudity while adding a seismic update. As Carrie sobs in the shower stall, Chris and her friends film the breakdown with their phones.
Other scenes note the presence of social media, bringing King’s fifty-year-old story into the digital age.
Flanagan’s adaptation promises to explore the destructive power of social media, an often invisible entity with a potential for harm rivaling Carrie’s own powers. While King’s tormented heroine suffers in front of a small group of girls, Flanagan’s version of the incident will likely become a viral video, potentially circling the globe on social media. Similar to Katt Shea’s criminally underrated The Rage: Carrie 2, which includes elements of revenge porn exploitation, Flanagan’s modern retelling will distinguish itself by exploring the nebulous cruelty of online bullying, a force ten times more powerful than the irl pranks King first envisioned.
A Completely Reimagined White Family
In addition to modernizing these canon events, Flanagan hints at updates to Carrie’s oppressive upbringing at the hands of her mother, Margaret White (Samantha Sloyan). Dead before the novel begins, we never meet Carrie’s domineering father Ralph, known to carry a bible alongside his gun. Flanagan’s White household will be an altogether different beast. In his version of the story, Carrie and her mother have been hidden away in the unassuming home, forced out of hiding by Ralph’s unexpected death. Perhaps we will finally meet this elusive man whose shadow hangs over his wife and child. Considering the White family’s fundamentalist lifestyle, this reimagining hints at tradwife culture and a home ruled by staunch patriarchal control.
Whereas King’s Carrie has been tormented by her classmates since Kindergarten, Flanagan’s Carrie will be a wide-eyed newcomer to public school, eager to make friends and engage with her peers. We glimpse Carrie cozying up to Chris and the equally popular Sue Snell (Siena Agudong) as she navigates a new social scene. Of course, we know this kindness is part of an elaborate plot designed to lull Carrie into a false sense of camaraderie, setting up an atrocious act of public humiliation. These brief moments of feigned compassion put Sue’s own complicity into question. Will Flanagan’s version of the character find the courage to defend Carrie from vicious bullies or will she succumb to peer pressure and join in the mob mentality?
Perhaps the biggest deviation from King’s original text is the relationship between Carrie and her mother. King’s Margaret White is a horrifically abusive religious zealot whose worldview has been hardened by internalized misogyny. She shames Carrie for menstruating, locks her in a closet to “pray,” and regrets not killing her child in infancy. She’s also responsible for Carrie’s social ostracization. Known to berate her neighbors for their “sins,” Margaret forces her daughter to live by an extreme code of conduct and disallows any potential friends lest they corrupt the girl with their worldly ways.
Flanagan’s version of the character is perhaps just as much a victim as Carrie herself. Also trapped inside her home, his Margaret is overly vigilant, her own trauma manifesting as strict control. Describing a more sympathetic depiction of the iconic villain, Flanagan explains, “Our Margaret White is a woman who fiercely loves her daughter and wants to protect her from this world … [She] doesn’t know how to do that and thinks the way to protect her is to close her off; not punitively, but to create this private utopia.”
Despite this potential softening, Sloyan’s Margaret may still have a sharp edge. Though she has appeared in many Flanagan projects, from Hush (2016) to The Fall of the House of Usher (2023), she is best known for her role as the abhorrent Bev Keane in the poignant saga Midnight Mass (2021). Perhaps inspired by King’s Margaret White, Bev is pious and sadistic, willing to punish anyone who does not adhere to her warped approximation of Catholicism.
Flanagan specifically wrote Margaret with Sloyan in mind, likely remembering the actress’s eerie ability to create deceptive empathy and shift our allegiances on a dime.
Expanding Stephen King’s Telekinetic Universe
While most of King’s story deals with an unthinkable prom night in Chamberlain, Maine, large sections of the semi-epistolary novel see experts debating the nature of telekinesis. Do Carrie’s frightening abilities represent a new phase in human evolution or is the prom night carnage merely a fluke? King settles the debate with a shocking denouement in which a young mother recounts her infant daughter’s ability to dangle her crib toys in midair. We’re left to wonder if she will become another tormented girl who surprises the world with metaphysical strength.
Flanagan plans to build out this brief scene while amplifying themes of female empowerment. After introducing our main cast of characters, episode two will open with an unrelated story in which we meet another girl with the TK gene. Each subsequent chapter will expand this world, building out a roster of telekinetic young women. Considering King’s fondness for stories about powerful kids, often described as possessing “the shining,” Constant Readers will no doubt have their eyes peeled for various Easter Eggs nodding to the author’s vast catalogue.
Giving Carrie Her Own Voice
Perhaps the most striking distinction in Flanagan’s new trailer is the extent to which we hear Carrie’s voice. The sneak peek is fully narrated by the titular prom queen as she demands accountability. “I want to know why,” she explains while detailing Chris’ elaborate plan. Aside from the aforementioned coda, King’s book essentially ends with the aftermath of the prom night tragedy, leaving little time for Carrie to reflect. His shifting narrative does bring the reader into her fragile mind, though not before she’s been cowed by relentless cruelty. We watch Carrie sink into bloodthirsty revenge, but never hear a considered desire for justice or repair.
Flanagan’s original monologue allows Carrie to voice her pain and mourn the life she could have had. We’re also treated to a mug shot-style photo of Chris with a bruised and bandaged face, implying that the mean girl will have to answer for her senseless sadism.
Flanagan is known for filling his series adaptations with heartwrenching speeches that cut to the heart of his thematic intentions, and this teaser seems to follow suit. After years of fans, critics, and scholars analyzing Carrie’s pain, perhaps his modern retelling will offer the titular anti-hero a chance to finally speak for herself.
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