FILM FRENZY

Carroll Borland, Holmes Herbert, James Bradbury Jr., and Bela Lugosi in Mark of the Vampire  (Photo: Warner Archive)

By Matt Brunson

(For Halloween Prime Cuts 2025, go here.)

(View From The Couch is a weekly column that reviews what’s new on Blu-ray, 4K, and DVD. Ratings are on a four-star scale.)

THE CAT AND THE CANARY (1927). While The Old Dark House might logically seem like the grandfather of all “old dark house” terror tales, that 1932 classic (made by director James Whale and star Boris Karloff a year after their Frankenstein triumph) was actually preceded by a silent hit that itself was based on a 1922 Broadway play. After a remarkable opening sequence that finds director Paul Leni fully tapping into his German expressionism roots (he was but one of the many filmmakers Hollywood imported from that country during that period), The Cat and the Canary focuses on a group of relatives gathered at an isolated estate for the reading of a will. The sole benefactor, the sweet Annabelle (Laura La Plante), will lose everything if she’s declared insane, so strange things begin happening to her that force the others to doubt her sanity. Contributing to everyone’s unease is a report that an escaped lunatic nicknamed the Cat is believed to be on the premises. The story might be on the creaky side, but Leni does everything in his power to make it pop, including shot selections that would prove to be highly influential to future filmmakers as well as making select title cards quiver and shake as if they themselves had been frightened by the proceedings! There’s plenty of humor on tap as well, and I was tickled that, as in the play, one of the creepiest characters, the housekeeper (Martha Mattox), has the incongruous name of Mammy Pleasant. The Cat and the Canary was remade several times, most famously as the 1939 hit starring Bob Hope and Paulette Goddard.

Blu-ray extras consist of a pair of film historian audio commentaries and Leni’s 1925 short Rebus-Film No. 1.

Movie: ★★★½

THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1957). While Hammer Films had been producing movies since 1934, many of them crime dramas, it wasn’t until it turned its attention to monsters that it became a British powerhouse. The successful cycle of Hammer Horror officially began with 1955’s The Quatermass Xperiment, but it was 1957’s The Curse of Frankenstein that, as star Christopher Lee put it, was really “the film that started it all” and kicked off the studio’s two-decade run of revisiting the classic Universal monsters. Written by Jimmy Sangster and directed by Terence Fisher, the movie was more explicit in its bloodletting than past horror yarns, with the use of color (a rarity at the time for the genre) paving the way for a fresh new look to the established creature features. In the roles that made them stars as well as Hammer mainstays, Peter Cushing and Lee play, respectively, the scientist hell-bent on creating life and the unfortunate ogre who’s the result of his tampering in God’s domain. Cushing brings the proper degrees of intensity and arrogance to his interpretation of Baron Victor Frankenstein, and Lee’s creature manages to emerge as a true grotesquerie. Flush from the film’s success, Fisher, Sangster, Cushing, and Lee all reunited for an even better movie, 1958’s Horror of Dracula; the rest is Hammer history. Cushing would return to the role of the obsessed Baron for five sequels stretched out over 16 years.

The 4K + Blu-ray edition of The Curse of Frankenstein is, unlike Lee’s beast, an absolute beauty. The film is presented in three different aspect ratios: UK theatrical, US theatrical, and open matte. Extras include four film historian audio commentaries; a making-of featurette; discussions on Cushing and Sangster; a look at Gothic horror with author Christopher Frayling (Frankenstein: The First Two Hundred Years); an alternative eyeball scene; and much more.

Movie: ★★★½

DAN CURTIS’ CLASSIC MONSTERS (1968-1974). When it came to terror on the tube in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s, there were few (if any) quite as prolific as writer-director-producer Dan Curtis. His initial claim to fame was as the creator of the Gothic daytime soap opera Dark Shadows (1966-1971), but he also became known for his involvement in bringing over a dozen horror-related projects to the small screen. Among these achievements were three classy adaptations of three classic novels, and despite their static presentations — two were shot on video, which flattens anything and everything — all are worthy takes on beloved literary chestnuts, and all have been brought together in a new Blu-ray release.

Admittedly, Jack Palance wouldn’t have been my first (or second, or third, or…) choice to tackle the two central roles in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1968), but he proves to be excellent as both the inquisitive doctor and, with the assistance of the legendary makeup artist Dick Smith (The Exorcist, Little Big Man, Oscar for Amadeus), his evil alter ego. This interpretation of the Robert Louis Stevenson novella finds Dr. Henry Jekyll testing his theory that inside every civilized man is a brutish creature waiting to get out. This leads to the creation of Mr. Edward Hyde, who’s initially just a belligerent party animal but soon turns cruel and controlling, particularly toward the flirtatious barmaid Gwyn (Billie Whitelaw). This earned four Emmy Award nominations: Outstanding Dramatic Program, Supporting Actress in a Drama for Tessie O’Shea (her nod doubtless due to her immense popularity at the time, since she’s barely in this), Makeup, and Graphic Design.

From 1973 to 1978, ABC aired the late-night series The Wide World of Mystery, which was a mix of new productions with some older TV and theatrical movies occasionally thrown into the mix (The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, for instance, showed up at some point). The second and third nights of its inaugural season featured Frankenstein (1973), a two-part adaptation of the Mary Shelley classic. Robert Foxworth is merely OK as the huffing and puffing Dr. Victor Frankenstein, but Bo Svenson is quite effective as The Monster (or, as he’s billed in the opening credits, “The Giant”). Svenson portrays this initially gentle giant as the loneliest being in the world, unaware of his origins and desperate for companionship. By hiding and observing a farm family, he’s able to learn how to speak, which adds greater poignancy to the scenes in which his attempts to make friends with a blind woman (Heidi Vaughn) fail, or the sequence in which he finally meets his maker and seeks some answers. This earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Achievement in Makeup.

While Curtis could usually be found in the director’s chair, he served only as producer on The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and co-writer and producer on Frankenstein. On Dracula (1974), he was back in his customary seat, working as helmer as well as producer on this adaptation of the Bram Stoker novel. Jack Palance is again the featured creature attraction, and what’s notable about this production is that it might be the first Drac flick to make the connection between its titular bloodsucker and the real-life Vlad Tepes, aka Vlad the Impaler (a greater connection than, contrary to popular opinion, is ever made in the original Stoker text). Otherwise, this is a pretty straightforward retelling, an entertaining piece that, unlike the other two films in this set, doesn’t offer much in the way of surprises. Palance, however, is again up to the demands of tackling a famous monster of filmland, delivering an interpretation that emphasizes the evil but also manages to let some twinges of regret and resignation slip in.

Extras on The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde consist of film historian audio commentary; an introduction by author Jeff Thompson (The Television Horrors of Dan Curtis); and an interview with Smith. Extras on Frankenstein consist of audio commentary by Foxworth and John Karlen (who plays the doctor’s ill-fated assistant Otto); film scholar audio commentary; an introduction by Thompson; and the Wide World Mystery promos plugging the film. Extras on Dracula consist of audio commentary by author Mark Dawidziak (Produced and Directed by Dan Curtis); an introduction by Thompson; interviews with Palance and Curtis; alternate footage and scenes; and the film’s Spanish-language soundtrack.

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: ★★★

Frankenstein: ★★★

Dracula: ★★★

DEAD OF NIGHT (1977). More Dan Curtis, reuniting once again with Dracula scripter Richard Matheson (the decade would find them collaborating on several projects, including 1972’s The Night Stalker and 1975’s Trilogy of Terror). This one’s an anthology film that cobbles together three tales of the macabre. The first story, “Second Chance,” stars Ed Begley Jr. as a college-age kid who buys an antiquated 1926 roadster and restores it to its original condition. But as he drives it down a dusty back road, he finds himself transported back to 1926, and suddenly he’s faced with Back to the Future-style dilemmas. This gentle yarn is my favorite of the three, with a nice twist ending that would be right at home on an episode of The Twilight Zone or in the pages of the ample suspense comics filling up magazine racks at the time. “No Such Thing As a Vampire,” the middle yarn, is a period piece in which a nobleman (Patrick Macnee) turns to his manservant (Elisha Cook Jr.) and his medical colleague (Horst Buchholtz) to help him find the bloodsucker who’s been supping on his bedridden wife (Anjanette Comer). This one would be more effective if the “surprise” ending wasn’t immediately evident. The final tale, “Bobby,” is an occasionally draggy yet nevertheless entertaining work about a woman (Joan Hackett) who manages to bring her recently deceased son (Lee H. Montgomery) back from his watery grave; needless to say, he’s not exactly as she remembers him.

Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by film critic Tim Lucas; A Darkness at Blaisedon, Curtis’ pilot for an aborted 1969 attempt to get an anthology series (also title Dead of Night) off the ground; an introduction by author Jeff Thompson (The Television Horrors of Dan Curtis); and deleted and extended scenes.

Movie: ★★½

HIGH TENSION: FOUR FILMS BY LAMBERTO BAVA (1989). Were all Italian TV executives so clueless in 1989? Had they never watched any of the horror movies made by the very filmmakers they were hiring to provide television fare for them? First, Lucio Fulci (Zombie) and Umberto Lenzi (Cannibal Ferox) were approached to create The Houses of Doom, an anthology horror series for which each man contributed two original pieces. But the works were so gruesome that the series never aired, and it was often difficult to track down copies over the ensuing years. (Cauldron Films released all four films in the series this past summer; it’s reviewed here.) Around the same time, Lamberto Bava (Demons) was also tapped to create a four-part anthology series, High Tension (no relation to the dreadful 2003 film). You’ll never guess what happened next. Yup, the episodes were deemed too unsettling to air, and it wasn’t until 1999 that three of them were broadcast (the fourth had to wait until 2007). Severin has now put together a box set that marks the worldwide Blu-ray premieres of all four features.

The Prince of Terror is the loopiest movie in the collection, growing so increasingly ridiculous that it eventually reaches some Zen level of silliness. “The Prince of Terror” is the nickname given to horror director Vincent Omen (Tomas Arana), and after he and screenwriter Paul Hilary (David Brandon) have a nasty falling-out that results in Paul being fired from their latest picture, the outraged wordsmith begins a reign of terror against his former collaborator. Assisted by a thuggish actor named Eddie (Ulisse Minervini), Paul orchestrates a home invasion that finds him terrorizing Vincent, his wife Susan (Joyce Pitti), and their teenage daughter Magda (Marina Viro). (There’s also a cute dog, but because this isn’t an American production, don’t expect it to be around for long.) It’s all fun and deadly games in this bonkers film, with Paul and Eddie coming up with some zany punishments until Vincent finally gets the upper hand. The death-by-golf-ball segment is particularly noteworthy.

The Man Who Wouldn’t Die is a revenge yarn, usually good for a cathartic evening spent in front of the TV. Not this time — your mileage might vary, but it was impossible for me to root for a protagonist who’s a rapist, a double-crosser, and an all-around imbecile. While pulling off an art heist along with three accomplices, a lunkhead named Giannetto (Gino Concari) elects to first pull a switcheroo on his colleagues (two of whom seem to be loyal friends) by keeping the most valuable painting for himself and then decides to rape the home’s bound-and-gagged maid in front of her bound-and-gagged groundskeeper husband. An injury leaves him largely comatose, and gang leader Fabrizio (Keith Van Hoven) not illogically thinks he’s an idiot who should be left behind to die. Once Giannetto recovers from his wounds, he sets off to kill his three partners (never mind that the aforementioned pair remain steadfastly in his corner and were forced by Fabrizio to abandon him). Between the character of Giannetto, the half-hearted treatment of the revenge angle, and an absolutely absurd fadeout, this proves to be the weakest film in the set.

Conversely, School of Fear is the best film in the collection. With its atmosphere of dread permeating the halls of a private academy, it brings to mind such similarly set — and similarly chilling ­— works as Dario Argento’s 1977 Suspiria, Sidney Lumet’s 1972 Child’s Play (obviously, not the one with Chucky), and the 1969 Spanish thriller The House That Screamed. Alessandra Acciai provides us with a wholly sympathetic protagonist (a nice about-face from The Man Who Wouldn’t Die) in Diana Berti, a young teacher who arrives at a new school hoping to put her horrific past behind her. Instead, she’s greeted by students who immediately put her on edge — smug and sophisticated, they drop hints about a game they play amongst themselves, one which not only stirs up her own troubled memories but also leaves her convinced that these brats killed the instructor she’s replacing. Naturally, no other adult believes her. A little more clarity might have helped the ending, but otherwise, this is a solid suspense piece directed for maximum discomfort by Bava.

Expert helming can also be found in Eye Witness, with a lengthy opening act that can’t help but beg comparison to select set-pieces by Brian De Palma (particularly the mall sequence in 1984’s Body Double). The hook in this one finds a woman named Elisa (Barbara Cupisti) witnessing a murder — even though she’s completely blind! When a sleazy department store manager (Alessio Orano) is unsuccessful at raping his voluptuous employee (Loredana Romito) after hours, he fatally strangles her instead. Seeing — or rather hearing — the slaying is Elisa, who was caught in the mall after it closed. Commissioner Marra (Stefano Davanzati) believes the culprit to be either Elisa’s close friend Karl (Giuseppe Pianviti) or the victim’s boyfriend (Francesco Casale) — meanwhile, the actual killer spends his time stalking Elisa and hoping for the right moment to strike. Between repeatedly targeting the wrong suspects and perpetually dismissing the feelings and opinions of Elisa, Commissioner Marra is such an insufferable idiot — he almost makes Jacques Clouseau look as accomplished as Jules Maigret — that it’s irksome when the scripters predictably have Elisa fall for him when she really should be smacking the hell out of him (especially after he belts her). Beyond this annoyance, though, the film is stylishly mounted and benefits from strong performances by Cupisti, Pianviti, and Orano.

The Blu-rays for The Prince of Terror and Eye Witness both contain audio commentary by Mondo Digital’s Nathaniel Thompson and author Troy Howarth (So Deadly, So Perverse: 50 Years of Italian Giallo Films). The other extras spread throughout the set consist of a number of interviews with Bava as well as interviews with Cupisti, screenwriter Dardano Sacchetti (The Prince of Terror and School of Fear), screenwriter Roberto Gandus (School of Fear), and composer and frequent Bava collaborator Simon Boswell, who scored all four films in this collection. Also included is a Boswell/Bava compilation CD featuring 15 tracks from various movies.

The Prince of Terror: ★★★

The Man Who Wouldn’t Die: ★★

School of Fear: ★★★

Eye Witness: ★★★

HOLLYWOOD LEGENDS OF HORROR: 6-FILM COLLECTION (1932-1939). This set of Golden Age terrors features such horror superstars as Karloff, Lugosi, Lorre, and … Bogart?

A pre-Code sensibility combined with the eerie look of early two-strip Technicolor add up to Doctor X (1932), a rather grisly chiller in which the police frantically search for a madman who has been terrorizing New York City. This psychopath not only engages in murder but also cannibalism, but the cops catch a break when they are able to trace him back to the medical academy run by Dr. Xavier (Lionel Atwill). Is Doctor X the killer, or is it one of the other four doctors who conduct their research at the institute? Stylishly directed by Michael Curtiz (Casablanca), Doctor X showcases a visual scheme that hints at German expressionism through the remarkable sets by Anton Grot and the startling makeup design by Max Factor (“Synthetic flesh!”). The film was so successful at the box office that Warner quickly reunited Curtiz, Atwill and co-star Fay Wray (cast as Dr. Xavier’s daughter) for 1933’s Mystery of the Wax Museum, which opened a mere six months after Doctor X.

The title character in the Pre-code oddity The Mask of Fu Manchu (1932) possibly swings both ways. His daughter is an insatiable nymphomaniac and full-time sadist. The villain urges his followers to kill all white men and breed with all white women while the white heroes won’t rest until these “Orientals” are put back in their subservient roles. There are mummies, alligators, mind-control potions, a death ray, opium, and very pointy spikes suitable for impaling. And in the middle of this pulp fiction is Boris Karloff as the fiend envisioned by author Sax Rohmer and used in over a dozen of his novels. Fu Manchu, aided by his “ugly and insignificant” daughter Fah Lo See (Myrna Loy, the polar opposite of “ugly and insignificant”), seeks to locate the mask and scimitar of Genghis Khan so that he may take over the world; naturally, it’s up to the Brits to save the day. Yes, it’s the usual colonialist nonsense, but spectacular sets, punchy set-pieces, and cool Karloff give it merit.

Director Tod Browning remade his own 1927 silent film London After Midnight (starring Lon Chaney) as Mark of the Vampire (1935), although truth be told, the film often feels as much a remake of the director’s Dracula. As with that 1931 classic, this finds Bela Lugosi cast as a bloodsucker terrorizing upstanding members of society. Occasionally creaky, it often plays like warmed-over Stoker, but Carroll Borland strikes an eerie figure as the vampiric Luna, Oscar winner Lionel Barrymore, horror veteran Lionel Atwill, and Jean Hersholt (he of the Academy’s Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award) fill out other major roles, and the twist ending is a beaut and provides Lugosi with a treasured movie moment.

Peter Lorre’s turns in Fritz Lang’s 1931 German classic M and Alfred Hitchcock’s 1934 British suspenser The Man Who Knew Too Much had already established him as a familiar face when he made his first stateside picture. In Mad Love (1935), based on Maurice Renard’s novel Les Mains d’Orlac (The Hands of Orlac), he cuts a striking figure as Doctor Gogol, lusting after actress Yvonne Orlac (Frances Drake). Yvonne is married to classical pianist Stephen Orlac (Colin Clive), and when he loses his hands in a train crash, Gogol replaces them with the mitts of an executed murderer (Edward Brophy). Soon, Stephen finds that his appendages have a life of their own. Even considering that a major plot point (indeed, the major plot point) isn’t resolved by the fade-out, this is an appropriately lurid thriller strikingly assembled by director Karl Freund (The Mummy). The comic relief provided by Ted Healy (creator of The Three Stooges) as a reporter is unwelcome, but Lorre is phenomenal.

Another winner from Dracula and Freaks (and Mark of the Vampire) director Tod Browning, The Devil-Doll (1936) allows Lionel Barrymore the opportunity to go the Tootsie route. He plays Paul Lavond, a Devil’s Island escapee who plots revenge against the three men who framed him for embezzlement and murder. Disguised as a sweet old lady who runs a toy shop, he benefits from the discovery of his fellow fugitive (Henry B. Walthall), a scientist who has figured out a way to shrink human beings down to the size of dolls. Engaging special effects and another robust performance from Barrymore (five years after his Oscar-winning turn in A Free Soul) contribute to the fun.

Despite its title, The Return of Doctor X (1939) is not a sequel to 1932’s Doctor X. It’s also not especially good, as two bland heroes (Wayne Morris and Dennis Morgan) investigate the shady dealings of a doctor (John Litel). What makes this one worth a peek is that the role of a pasty-faced zombie-vampire — a scientist who’s been brought back to life and can only survive by downing human blood — is played by no less than Humphrey Bogart! Vincent Sherman made his directorial debut here and would later helm films starring leading Warner contract stars like Bette Davis, Errol Flynn, Joan Crawford, and, yes, Bogie again.

In addition to the Technicolor version, Doctor X also contains a separately filmed black-and-white cut. Other extras include film historian audio commentary and the featurette The Horror Films of Michael Curtiz. Extras on The Mask of Fu Manchu consist of film historian audio commentary and the 1932 cartoons Freddy the Freshman and The Queen Was in the Parlor. Extras on Mark of the Vampire include film historian audio commentary and the Oscar-nominated 1935 cartoon The Calico Dragon. Extras on Mad Love consist of film historian audio commentary and the theatrical trailer. Extras on The Devil-Doll include film historian audio commentary and the 1936 Porky Pig cartoon Milk and Money. Extras on The Return of Doctor X include audio commentary by Sherman and the 1939 Porky Pig cartoon Porky’s Hotel.

Doctor X: ★★★

The Mask of Fu Manchu: ★★★

Mark of the Vampire: ★★★

Mad Love: ★★★

The Devil-Doll: ★★★

The Return of Doctor X: ★★

NOSFERATU THE VAMPYRE (1979). F.W. Murnau’s 1922 Nosferatu remains the greatest vampire film ever made, so remaking the picture would make about as much sense as remaking, well, Psycho. Yet director Werner Herzog proved to be up to the challenge — certainly more so than Robert Eggers with his OK but overhyped Nosferatu from last year — and while Nosferatu the Vampyre doesn’t match the perfection of its predecessor, it’s a worthy addition to the bloodsucking genre. Murnau’s silent classic was an unauthorized adaptation of Stoker’s Dracula and thus all character names were changed; with that no longer a legal problem, Herzog was able to use the proper names. Hence, we have hapless Jonathan Harker (Bruno Ganz) being ordered by his perpetually giggling employer Renfield (Roland Topor) to go to Transylvania to conclude a real estate deal with Count Dracula (Klaus Kinski), a journey that Jonathan’s wife Lucy (Isabelle Adjani) implores him not to take. Yet off he goes, and upon arrival, he meets an ash-white being with talons for fingernails and a particular frightful set of teeth. Beautifully staged, Herzog’s film is mostly faithful to the 1922 original except in one major way: Whereas the vampire played by Max Schreck was evil incarnate, Klaus’ bloodsucker is a tragic figure, seeking love and companionship and cursing his lonely, eternal life.

As Herzog’s remake was filmed simultaneously in both German and English, the new 4K + Blu-ray edition offers both versions. Extras consist of two audio commentaries by Herzog (one in English, one in German); a vintage making-of featurette; theatrical trailers; and a still gallery.

Movie: ★★★½

PUPPET MASTER (1989). The first film from Charles Band’s Full Moon Features remains one of the outfit’s best. In 1939, the elderly puppeteer André Toulon (William Hickey) has discovered a way to bring his puppets to life. With Nazi agents about to burst into his room at a California inn, he hides the dolls in a secret compartment before killing himself. Cut to 50 years later, and five psychics are summoned to the inn by their former colleague Neil Gallagher (Jimmie F. Skaggs), who commits suicide before their arrival. His wife Megan (Robin Frates) plays hostess to the visitors, all of whom are soon targeted by the long dormant puppets: Blade, Pinhead, Jester, Tunneler, and Leech Woman. This is low-budget horror done right, thanks to characters who are hardly cookie-cutter (the couple played by Matt Roe and Kathryn O’Reilly employ their psychic abilities for kinky sexual romps as much as anything) and distinctive puppets animated by the excellent work of stop motion effects expert David Allen — the Leech Woman is especially freakish, but all are memorably malevolent. Puppet Master has been followed by (to date) 14 sequels, prequels, and spin-offs, including Retro Puppet Master, Puppet Master vs. Demonic Toys, Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich, and, most recently (2022), Puppet Master: Doktor Death.

Full Moon has just reissued Puppet Master in a new VHS edition. That’s right — not 4K, not Blu-ray, not DVD, not even laserdisc, but VHS. It’s only natural, since Puppet Master was initially released straight to video and did gangbusters business. What’s more, this is billed as the “Uncut” edition, as it includes footage not seen in any previous North American release.

Movie: ★★★

SCOOBY-DOO ON ZOMBIE ISLAND (1998). Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island figures in one of my cherished memories involving my oldest (and now-grown) daughter back when she was a little kid. All of seven years old in October 1998 and already a big Scooby fan, she watched the trailer in the adjoining room and I could hear her gasp when the narrator intoned, “This time, the monsters are real!” I believe she set a new land-speed record when she zoomed into my room and excitedly bleated, “Daddy, this time the monsters are real!” The animated feature debuted on Halloween on Cartoon Network and she was not disappointed; just over a quarter-century later, it still holds up as a worthy addition to the Mystery Machine chronicles. The members of Mystery, Inc. — Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby — have parted ways but are soon reunited when they learn of a Louisiana island that might be haunted by the spirit of the pirate Morgan Moonscar. Only it’s not just real ghosts that our heroes might potentially encounter; there’s also evidence that zombies might roam the owner’s pepper plantation at night. With bright animation and characters who have managed to remain true to their long-established cores, Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island does a nice job of retaining the kicky pleasures of the classic era while ably bringing the franchise to more modern times. Given the success of the film, three dozen more straight-to-video Scooby flicks followed, including 2019’s mediocre Scooby Doo! Return to Zombie Island and, most recently, 2022’s enjoyable Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo!

Blu-ray extras consist of film historian audio commentary and the trailer. A 12-page booklet is also included.

Movie: ★★★

WEAPONS (2025). Springboarding from laughter to fears, Jordan Peele established himself as a comedian before transitioning into a grade-A helmer of terror tales with a psychological bent. Zach Cregger seems to be following a similar career trajectory: Initially making his mark as one of the founding members of the comedy troupe The Whitest Kids U’ Know, he then leaped in a different direction by writing and directing 2022’s Barbarian, a wholly original chiller with underlying themes related to sexist behavior and sexual trauma. Weapons is even better. On the same night in suburban America, all but one of the children in a class of 18 go missing, running off into the dark night with arms outstretched. Naturally, community members blame the kids’ teacher, Justine Gandy (Julia Garner) — just what the hell was she teaching them that caused them to run away from home? One of the parents, Archer Graff (Josh Brolin), decides to conduct his own investigation — others who become involved in the mystery are the school principal (Benedict Wong), a homeless junkie (Austin Abrams), and a police officer (Alden Ehrenreich). Weapons expertly dissects much of what ails modern America: the sickening realization that schools are no longer safety zones but rather bullseyes for outer forces bent on death and destruction; the tendency to settle on scapegoats during tragedies, when answers aren’t immediately available; the splintering of the family unit, reduced to the point where infiltration by strangers is relatively (double meaning intended) easy; the evils of addiction, and how it forces everyone surrounding the addict to give up so much of their own lives; and, of course, the very notion of civility, of shared communal responsibility, destroyed by the misinfo wars aimed at those genuinely seeking to educate and empathize. As a horror film, Weapons delivers; as a social study — social satire, even — it delivers even more.

Blu-ray extras include a making-of piece and a chat with Creggar.

Movie: ★★★½

X TRILOGY (2022-2024). When I compiled my list of the 10 Best Films of 2022, I fudged the numbers a tad. Sharing the #10 spot were not one but two titles, both from the fervid imagination of writer-director Ti West. Separately, X and Pearl might not have made the list; together, how could they not? It’s a good thing, then, that MaXXXine (2024) wasn’t released during that 12-month stretch, as it would have drastically pulled down the average and knocked the series out of contention.

X is a savvy throwback to those ‘70s terror tales like The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and The Hills Have Eyes, movies that illustrate why city slickers have every right to be scared of country rubes. In one — make that two — of the great performances of its year, Mia Goth plays both aspiring porn starlet Maxine Minx and the elderly Pearl Douglas. The former is part of a film crew shooting a porn flick in 1979 Texas; the latter is the elderly women on whose property the group ends up making their movie. While Pearl might seem like a harmless senior citizen, she’s anything but, and she and her husband Howard (Stephen Ure) start slaughtering their young visitors. One of the few modern slasher flicks that’s actually worth a damn, this benefits from not only West’s ability to mount a grade-A horror film but also from the richly drawn characters he has created — particularly the two leading ladies phenomenally brought to life by one actress.

Pearl is the singular prequel, less a straightforward horror yarn and more a psychologically probing character study. Set in the late 1910s, it presents the young Pearl (Goth) when she was still full of hope and driven by dreams. Of course, living in rural Texas with a puritanical mother (Tandi Wright) and invalid father (Matthew Sunderland) can quickly smother any such fantasies, and it’s her repression on various fronts that brings out her psychopathic side — that’s bad news not only for her parents but also for her sweet sister-in-law Mitsy (Emma Jenkins-Purro) as well as the movie theater projectionist (David Corenset, the new Superman) who catches her eye. Through two films, West has expertly laid out a person’s life, showing how circumstances and insecurities can derail an entire existence. Here’s where it come back to Maxine: Unlike Pearl, she continues to pursue her dreams of becoming a big star, a plotline which drives the final picture in the trilogy.

Unfortunately, MaXXXine is a major disappointment, although it does get off to a roaring start and manages to maintain momentum until its cockamamie third act. This one takes place in 1985 — having survived the Texas massacre from six years earlier, Maxine has landed in Hollywood and continues to appear in porno flicks. But her dream of becoming a world-famous star has never waned, and when she lands the lead role in a mainstream movie, a horror yarn titled The Puritan II, she believes her moment has arrived. But she’s distracted by a sleazy detective (Kevin Bacon) who’s working for a mysterious figure seeking to derail her life — on top of this, a serial killer is loose in LA and his victims include some of her friends. Goth again excels as Maxine, with the character the same take-no-prisoners survivor as before. But the last stretch of the film grows increasingly ridiculous, with a dopey denouement to the mystery, poorly inserted gags, and a terrible, and terribly hammy, performance by Simon Prast as … well, no fair telling.

A24 has reissued all three films in an excellent (and oversized) box set. Each film includes audio commentary by select crew members as well as interviews with cast and crew members. Other extras include a Q&A with West and trailers. The set also contains a 64-page booklet filled with behind-the-scenes photographs, sketches, and poster artwork.

X: ★★★½

Pearl: ★★★½

MaXXXine: ★★½