HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE: DVDs for a Halloween Addict!

Well it's that time of year.  The rest of the world has put away their spooky stuff in giant orange and black plastic bins to be accessed in 11 months... The remaining Autumn Thanksgiving cornucopia displays have been replaced with visages of snowmen, Santa Clauses and holly.

But once a Halloween Addict, always a Halloween Addict, says I, and I hope to present a bunch of Holiday Gift Guides in the next few weeks for the Halloween Addicts out there, and the creatures who love them.
Whenever possible links will be provided to where to purchase the items.  (Plug:  Buy through the Amazon links and it helps keep Halloween Addict up and running.  End of plug.) 

Let's start with an easy one:  DVDs.

Here are 13 (Why 13?  Because 13 is spooooooky... I dunno... go with it...) DVDs for the Halloween Addict this Holiday Season.

1)  TRICK 'R TREAT

What more can I say about this film that I haven't already said HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE?
Trick 'r Treat is an homage to the Halloween season and things that go bump in the night.
It may not be a perfect film, but it oozes with atmosphere and the Halloween spirit and is a throwback to anthology films of the 80s.
Out finally on DVD and Blu-Ray after being shelved by Warner Bros. for a couple of years, this is a movie that I know I'll be throwing on in the Ides of March when I start to get depressed about how far away October is and it'll instantly transport me back to that magical time period when the nights are crisp, the leaves are colored and the jack o' lanterns glow.

NOTE:  The Blu-Ray has more extras (especially a commentary by Dougherty) so if you like your bells and whistles go Blu.


2)  PEANUTS HOLIDAY COLLECTION:  DELUXE EDITION

If you don't already own the Peanuts Holiday Specials you, sir, are about due.
Not only are these DVDs remastered so they're crisper and clearer than you ever have seen them, but the discs contain introspective "Making of a Classic" shorts that show the care and behind the scenes work that was put into these now iconic specials.
You'll buy it for Halloween's "It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown" but you'll stay for Thanksgiving and Christmas.  (In the Thanksgiving episode Sally actually says "It's Thanksgiving already?!  I haven't even finished my Halloween candy!")

Amazon is currently having a sale on Holiday films so you can get this set for only $22.99--- that's only $7.63333333333333333333333333333 dollars a DVD! 



3)  GARFIELD HOLIDAY CELEBRATIONS

Another one to snag now in the Amazon Holiday sale.  THREE Garfield specials for ONLY $5.49.
Of course it's on here for "Garfield's Halloween Adventure" which is a must-watch for anyone looking for "Candy-candy-candy-candy-candy...".


4)  "GHOSTBUSTERS, WHADDYA WANT?"

Sure Ghostbusters has been on DVD for some time now, but the film has had a resurgence in interest thanks to the Videogame (which I'll profile in a future gift list), the Blu-Ray release and nods made by such modern horror (Horror-Comedy?  Horromedy?) films as Zombieland. 

Maybe not as large a group as Ghostbusters fans, but there is a large faction of people who grew up in the 80s and remember fondly "The Real Ghostbusters" spin-off cartoon TV series and toy line.
'Til now they've had to live with sporadic Sony releases on DVD and an overpriced out-of-print Time-Life Limited Edition Set.
Well now you can own the ENTIRE series on DVD.  On top of that, it's available in a case made to look like the Ghostbusters firehouse.  Sweet.
A little expensive but can you really put a price on owning a childhood influencing television series?  I think not.


And in case you're getting a brand spankin' new Blu-Ray player under your Halloween----er, Christmas tree, then why not have your player's inaugural spin be the original Ghostbusters film in glorious Hi-Def?
The original is available for the 1st time on Blu-Ray and is a great companion to your Playstation 3 or new player.




5)  DRAG ME TO HELL
Look at any horror fan's Top Movies list and you'll probably find something from Sam Raimi's Evil Dead Trilogy. 
We all know the story:  Sam hit it big with a little independent film called, oh... what was it... oh right SPIDER-MAN, and fans were surprised and delighted to hear he would return to the genre that started his career. 

All that said, Sam has NOT lost his ability to scare and gross-out.  Opening weekend garnered it 95% on RottenTomatoes.com.    Drag Me to Hell is a fun movie that is very much in tone and pace with his earlier efforts.  The discs are skimpy on the extras but the film is the draw anyway.




6)  AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON

You know this movie, you love this movie.  So why buy it again?
Two reasons:
1)  You can get it on Blu-Ray.
2)  The full length documentary "Beware the Moon" which is available on both the standard AND Blu versions.
I'm a sucker for a good, long, non-EPK "Making-of" and from what I hear from Horror-Movie-A-Day HERE at THREE HOURS (that's longer than the FILM!) it's in-depth and a must-see.



7) CHILD'S PLAY

Having grown up in the 80s I consider Chucky to be part of the "big 4" of slasher franchises (the others being Friday the 13th, Halloween and A Nightmare on Elm Street.)
This is supposed to be about the same disc as the Birthday Edition DVD that came out almost a year ago.  Difference?  Blu-Ray.
I wonder if I'll think Chucky looks too plastic-ey in High Definition...


8)  NIGHT OF THE CREEPS
A cult film that fans have been bootlegging for years, it is FINALLY available on both DVD and Blu-Ray.
Two words:  Atkins annnnnnd Atkins.
"The good news:  your dates are here.  The bad news:  they're dead."


9)  CORALINE

Written by Neil Gaiman... Directed by Henry Selick (Nightmare Before Christmas) ... This ain't Disney. 
Instead you get a dark and atmospheric CGI tale.
Many versions to choose from:  Single Disc, Double Disc and Blu-Ray but ALL come with 3D glasses.


10)  THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS

Speaking of Henry Selick, if you don't own this holiday classic by now, what.. in the... hell are you doing?!
Never been a better time.  Available on Blu-Ray with Making ofs, Tim Burton's Frankenweenie short, Burton's original Vincent short, AND a Digital Copy you can't a more feature-filled version for fans of this film.


11)  TRUE BLOOD Season 1

I've found people either love or hate this show, and come holiday vacation I shall find out on which side I fall as this set sits on my shelf waiting to be watched when I have time to put butt to couch.
Anna Paquin... Vampires... what's not to like?




12) HELLRAISER Boxed Set

If you are a Hellraiser fan, then THIS is the set for you.
Built to look like a Lament Configuration (aka "Hellraiser puzzle cube") this boxed set contains "the good ones":  Hellraiser, Hellraiser II:  Hellbound, and Hellraiser Blu-Ray.  The set contains 3 hours of bonus material, and did I mention how cool the packaging is?
Don't play with this alone unless you like chains flying out into your flesh.  Just sayin'...



13)  HALLOWEEN 30th Anniversary Boxed Set

This came out a couple years ago, but if you're one of the few who doesn't own any of this classic slasher series, here's a cool way to catch up.
You get the original (i.e. "THE BEST") John Carpenter classic, a Blu-Ray copy, the "Extended" (i.e. "TV version" which is out of print), Part IV: The Return of Michael Myers, Part V:  The Revenge of Michael Myers, and the great documentary on the entire series:  Halloween: 25 Years of Terror.  That's 6 discs AND a mini-Myers mask that looks more like Abe Vigoda than William Shatner (sorry, I'm a mask snob).  



There you go.  13 discs for a Halloween Addict and horror fan.
I hope to have more of these guides up in the next few days ('cause them shopping days are dwindling) but we'll see what gets done.
Happy Hallowukkah!
Merry Decemberween!