Squid Ink

Welcome back to the latest episode of Slipped Discs, where I give you a head’s up on what nerdy stuff is available to come home with you, because I still believe in physical media!

Once more, all this information comes from Blu-Ray.com, but they list everything that will be in the stores, whereas I shall provide you with what I feel is the interesting genre fare.

Doctor Sleep The gist: “Years following the events of “The Shining”, a now-adult Dan Torrence meets a young girl with similar powers as his and tries to protect her from a cult known as The True Knot who prey on children with powers to remain immortal.” I am severely disappointed at all of you out there who didn’t go see this movie. Incredibly well directed by Mike Flanagan, with fantastic performances from Ewan McGregor as Danny, Rebecca Ferguson’s top-tier villain Rose the Hat, and by newcomer Kyliegh Curran as Abra, this movie managed to thread an almost impossible needle of being faithful to both versions of The Shining, King’s original text as well as Kubrick’s masterful adaptation. If you don’t know the full story there, go look it up. Anyway, we get the Blu, 4K and the obligatory Best Buy steelbook. I’ll definitely be picking this up.

The House That Jack Built (2018) The gist: “USA in the 1970s. We follow the highly intelligent Jack over a span of 12 years and are introduced to the murders that define Jack’s development as a serial killer. We experience the story from Jack’s point of view, while he postulates each murder is an artwork in itself.” It’s a Lars Von Tier flick, with Matt Dillon as Jack. That should tell you enough to know if you want to check this out or not.

Rabid (2019) The gist: “After a young woman, Rose, suffers a disfiguring traffic accident, she undergoes an experimental stem-cell treatment that leads to unintended consequences.” This is a remake of Cronenberg’s  body-horror classic, and is very notable for being directed by rising horror stars Jen and Sylvia Soska. I have not caught this yet, but I like the original and it’s on my list.

The Good Liar The gist: “Career con artist Roy Courtnay can hardly believe his luck when he meets well-to-do widow Betty McLeish online. As Betty opens her home and life to him, Roy is surprised to find himself caring about her, turning what should be a cut-and-dry swindle into the most treacherous tightrope walk of his life.” Yeah, it’s not a genre film, but Helen Mirren and Ian McKellen put on a master class of acting that you should absolutely check out.

Grand Isle The gist: “A young father is charged for murder and must prove his innocence through recalling a very twisted and dark night of events.” I have no idea about this movie, but it has Academy Award© Winner Nicholas Cage and Kelsey Grammer, so I’m in. And, as we all know:

Brain Damage (1988) The gist: “One morning a young man wakes to find a small, disgusting creature has attached itself to the base of his brain stem. The creature gives him a euphoric state of happiness but in return demands human victims.” A classic of good-bad 80’s horror from Frank Henenlotter, the mad genius behind the Basket Case series and Frankenhooker. This Blu-Ray release is from Arrow video, whom I put up there with Shout/Scream Factory when it comes to putting out great genre work that deserves a new life. If you love cheesy, gory horror, you should check this out.

The Nightengale The gist: “Set in 1825 in the British penal colony of Van Diemen’s Land (now the Australian state of Tasmania), the film follows a young convict woman seeking revenge on a soldier who murdered her family.” The new film by Jennifer Kent, who brought us The Babadook. Again, I haven’t seen this one, but it looks good.

The Breakfast Club (1985) Do you really need the gist here? Ok, fine: “Five high school students meet in Saturday detention and discover they have a lot more in common than they thought.” I know most of us 80’s kids already own this, but this is another cool Best Buy exclusive steelbook which is very tempting for me. I mean, look at it:

Other titles of note: Halloween ’78/18 combo pack, Dragonheart: Vengeance, The Hunt for Vlad the Impaler, Evil Ed, The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Complete Series)

I just realized how many of these I haven’t seen, in spite of how many movies I did catch last year. I guess that means there’s always something new to look forward to!

Let me know which of these are a must-buy for you, a pass, or which ones I missed!