This Week's Discs: Trick 'r Treat, The Thaw, Children of the Corn '09, and More

Best of the New Releases: Trick 'r Treat, The Children, The Thaw, Not Quite Hollywood
Okay, okay, you've had Trick 'r Treat bludgeoned into your conscious to no end lately. Well now is your chance to finally see Michael Dougherty's fabled film. I can't speak for what's on the DVD or Blu-ray, but the film itself is a wonderful tribute to all things Halloween. I saw it for the first time a week ago (review) and I'm already planning on popping in the Blu tonight.

This October's haul from Ghost House Underground isn't quite as large as the eight or so films they put out last year, but what they've lost in quantity they've made up for in quality (plus all four titles are available on Blu-ray). For starters we have The Children, a film I think can't be improved upon (review). Next up is The Thaw, a nice bit of eco-terror starring Val Kilmer and Aaron Ashmore about the discovery of a mammoth and the deadly parasites frozen inside it. Mark A. Lewis' film is basically a proposition of how to remake The Thing without remaking The Thing, but that's not entirely a bad thing considering how excellent the formula of frost-bound bio-horror is. I wouldn't call The Thaw a blind buy, but it's worth a look down the line.

Then of course we have the spectacular Ozploitation documentary Not Quite Hollywood. Not only is it a ridiculously comprehensive and insightful documentary, it's also a perfect well upon which to draw a list of movies you've never seen before. I'd place this over even Trick 'r Treat as the must see title of the week.

And though I haven't seen it, I'm very interested in Thomas Jane's directorial debut Dark Country, which debuts on DVD today.


Best of the Catalog Releases: Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Wolf, Audition
Ah, at last we can see a man in a sack eat his own vomit in high definition, clearly films like Audition are the reason Blu-ray was invented (note: this collector's edition is available on DVD as well). But if Takashi Miike isn't your bag, feel free to plunk down on Kenneth Branagh's adaptation of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Wolf or even Ghost Ship.

Let's not overlook the non-HD sector, however, which finds a special edition DVD of Tibor Takács' 1987 fan-friendly The Gate.

All the Rest (with snark where applicable):
- It's Alive Remake(Sure it's a remake unworthy of a theatrical release, but it's also only $10)
- Seventh Moon (I've heard nothing but bad things, but I'm a big fan of Eduardo Sanchez' Altered so I'm still checking it out)
- Offspring (The last of the four Ghost House Underground pick-ups, adapted from Jack Ketchum's story)
- Feeding Grounds
- Sand Serpents (Syfy garbage)
- Children of the Corn Remake (This is one of the worst horror films I've seen in some time. Nigh unwatchable.)