New limited collector’s editions of Chopping Mall, Waxwork, and more heading to Blu-ray!
This news feels like it’s been a long time coming as the specialty Blu-ray release market – one largely focused on genre films – has continued to grow even as home video itself seems stagnant. Labels like Arrow Video, Scream Factory, Vinegar Syndrome and others have developed dedicated customer bases through releases of old favorites lovingly restored and packed with special features.
Horror fans have been clamoring for numerous titles from the 1980’s, now owned by Lionsgate, but rights issues prevented the existing boutique labels from accessing the films. Happily for those of us who love the decade’s genre output that drought appears to be coming to an end. Lionsgate has announced a new series of releases starting late next month.
“ Lionsgate is exhuming classic horror films with a red carpet rollout this fall for the limited edition Vestron Video Collector’s Series. Hours of materials have been assembled for the Vestron Video Collector’s Series Blu-ray™ releases, starting with six horror cult classics! Taste the fear and the flesh, in shocking high definition for the first time, as teenagers meet their untimely demise at the hands of cannibals, killer robots, horror icons, sewer-dwelling monsters, and an army of the undead!”
The six titles leading the bloody charge are Chopping Mall, Blood Diner, Waxwork/Waxwork II: Lost in Time double feature, Return of the Living Dead Part III, and C.H.U.D. II: Bud the CHUD. Those last two haven’t been officially announced/detailed yet, but here are the dates and specs for the others.
Chopping Mall — release date 9/27
· NEW AUDIO COMMENTARIES: Director/Co-Writer Jim Wynorski, Actress Kelli Maroney, and Co-Writer/2nd Unit Director Steve Mitchell *AND* Historians/Authors Nathaniel Thompson (Mondo Video) and Ryan Turek (Shock Till You Drop) *AND* Director/Co-Writer Jim Wynorski and Co-Writer/2nd Unit Director Steve Mitchell
· NEW FEATURETTES: “Back to the Mall” *AND* “Chopping Chopping Mall” *AND* “The Killbots” *AND* “Scoring Chopping Mall” *AND* “The Robot Speaks” *AND* “The Lost Scene” *AND* “Army of One” *AND* “Chopping Mall: Creating the Killbots”
· Isolated Score Track by Chuck Cirino
· Trailer
Blood Diner – 9/27
· NEW AUDIO COMMENTARY with Director Jackie Kong
· NEW FEATURETTES: “Queen Kong” *AND* “The Cook, The Uncle, and The Detective” *AND* “Open for Business” *AND* “Scoring for Sheetar!” *AND* “You Are What They Eat”
· Archival Interview with Project Consultant Eric Caidin
· Theatrical Trailer, TV Spots, Still Gallery
Waxwork / Waxwork II: Lost in Time – 10/18
Waxwork
- NEW AUDIO COMMENTARY with Anthony Hickox & Zach Galligan
- NEW FEATURETTE: “The Waxwork Chronicles” (Parts 1–6)
- Vintage “Making of” Featurette
- Theatrical Trailer, Still Gallery
Waxwork II: Lost in Time
- NEW AUDIO COMMENTARY with Anthony Hickox & Zach Galligan
- Theatrical Trailer, Still Gallery
Related Topics: Home Video, Horror
