Home Video
‘Goosebumps’ Blu-ray Gets Alternate Opening and Endings
Kids and parents will believe in monsters when Goosebumps (review) debuts January 12 on Digital and January 26 on Blu-ray 3D Combo Pack, Blu-ray Combo Pack and DVD.
Based on Scholastic’s worldwide best-selling book series, with over 400 million copies in print, the motion picture adventure stars Jack Black (School of Rock) as Goosebumps author R.L. Stine, along with Dylan Minnette (Prisoners), Ryan Lee (Super 8) and Odeya Rush (The Giver). When Zach (Minnette) unwittingly unleashes magical monsters on the town, he must team with his new friends Champ (Lee), Hannah (Rush) and Stine (Black) to send the ghouls back where they came from before it’s too late.
The Blu-ray Combo Packs and DVD have ‘spook-tacular’ special features, including an alternate opening and ending, deleted scenes, a blooper reel, and a casting gallery. In addition, there are two all-new featurettes (Beginners Guide to Surviving a Goosebumps Creature and Strange Things are Happening…On-Set) with Dylan Minette and Ryan Lee. Exclusive to the Blu-ray sets are All About Slappy in which Slappy talks about his favorite subject…himself!; and Creaturefied!, where makeup FX artist Steve Prouty demonstrates how to become your favorite Goosebumps creature.
“After moving to a small town, Zach Cooper (Minnette) finds a silver lining when he meets next-door neighbor Hannah (Rush), the daughter of best-selling Goosebumps series author R.L. Stine (Black). Stine is very mysterious and a prisoner of his own imagination – the monsters that his books made famous are real, and he protects his readers by keeping them locked up in their manuscripts. When the monsters are accidentally unleashed and begin to terrorize the town, it’s up to Stine, Zach and Hannah to get them back in their books where they belong!”
The film is directed by Rob Letterman (Shark Tale, Monsters vs. Aliens) and produced by Deborah Forte (The Golden Compass) and Neil H. Moritz (22 Jump Street). The screenplay is by Darren Lemke (Turbo) based on a story by star screenwriting team Scott Alexander & Larry Karaszewski (Big Eyes).
Editorials
Arrow Video’s ‘Stranger Things: The Complete Series’ is the Ultimate Collector’s Box Set for Fans
Available as of today from Arrow Video is a new box set that might arguably be the definitive way to watch Netflix’s blockbuster series Stranger Things.
At the very least, Stranger Things: The Complete Series puts emphasis on “complete.” That’s evident in its special features alone.
Special and Deluxe editions of Stranger Things: The Complete Series are available for purchase now, featuring an array of exclusive bonus content, including bloopers, interviews with the cast and crew, and behind-the-scenes featurettes, designed for the ultimate Stranger Things experience.
The Deluxe Edition is presented in custom packaging featuring newly-commissioned artwork, alongside a wealth of extra material: a 148-page booklet, exclusive art cards, a Hellfire Club patch, double-sided posters for each season, and much more.
This limited-edition release features all 42 episodes of the show’s five season run on more than 25 discs, all housed in a set featuring gorgeous artwork by Juan Ramos. “We always dreamed that Stranger Things could be owned in its entirety,” said Matt and Ross Duffer, “not just as a collector’s set, but as a way to preserve the show for decades to come.”
Their imprint looms large over the release, including writing in the 148-page book that also includes original design sketches, concept art, and storyboards. All of which would warrant the steep price tag alone for the diehard Stranger Things fan, but Arrow Video upped the ante with collectible surprises as well. Arcade patches, stickers, Hellfire Club dice, and an extremely detailed map of Hawkins, Indiana- double-sided to account for the Upside Down, of course – are among the highlights for this all-ages set.
Adorn your walls with posters representative of your favorite season! That’s also an option with this set’s offerings.
All of which to say that it’s rare for Netflix to make the jump into physical media, and they’ve enlisted Arrow Video to give it the best possible treatment. They certainly brought utmost care and attention to this release. As such, both the standard and deluxe sets come with steep price tags that start at $160 depending on format. While that’s likely a deterrent to the casual viewer, it’s more than worth it for fans.
It may be less convenient than hitting play on Netflix, sure, but there’s a lot to be said about the potential for quality upgrades to your viewing. No spotty internet or compression issues to be found here when it comes to the 4K Ultra HD or Blu-ray discs.
That’s really the biggest takeaway from this release: the untapped potential still of Netflix’s streaming library of originals that are ripe for similar treatment. Series and films that could receive Arrow Video levels of treatment on physical media.
Fans of Stranger Things can venture into the Upside Down one last time this spooky season at Halloween Horror Nights, but there may be no better way to ring in the series’ tenth anniversary than a rewatch with this expansive, well-curated box set.
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