The Best Horror Blus (and 4K) of 2020!
2020 is coming to an end, and as we bid adieu to a year that we will not soon forget we can also take the time to reflect on all the amazing horror, cult, trash, sleaze, gialli, exploitation, and other macabre forms of cinema that have been released in glorious new HD scans! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, there has never been a better time to be a horror fan...especially one who collects physical media.
This year saw a slew of blockbuster releases from Scream Factory’s long-awaited and definitive “Friday the 13th” box set alongside a brand new 4K restoration from Vinegar Syndrome of the fan-favorite “Fade to Black” (who are very own Dana V. reviewed here). We were even graced by a new label, Cauldron Films, which released one of the most bonkers films of the year with Sergio Martino’s “American Rickshaw”. It is safe to say that no matter what your pleasure, this year had something in store for you.
To avoid long lists that you won’t finish reading during your bathroom break, the list will be split into two parts: “Box Sets” and “Single Releases”. So as we close the page on this year, and perhaps with some leftover holiday funds, we can propose some of the best releases to have graced our shelves this year!
Best of 2020 - Horror Box Sets
2018 and 2019 were great years for box sets. We got The Fly and Omen Collections from Scream Factory, the Godzilla Collection from Criterion, and a 30-film Universal Monsters set to end all sets. The love that the horror community has received in the form of high-def physical media over the years continues to impress and amaze, as well as devastate our wallets. 2020 despite many difficulties, was another banner year for box sets. There were some heavy hitters as well as some relatively obscure releases to meet the broadest ranges of horror and it’s various sub-genres. Looking forward to 2021, one thing I hope we continue to see more of is boutique labels upping their game with premium collections. Some of these collections are getting so good looking, the contents they contain are in some cases secondary to the overall presentation. As the boutique labels continue to compete for our dollars, I anticipate they will also compete for real estate within our collections. I don’t know about you, but it’s beginning to look a lot like Tetris to get all these releases to fit within the walls. These are good problems to have, but we aren’t here for this, we are here for lists!
#5 - Solid Metal Nightmares: The Films of Shinya Tsukamoto
Arrow Video (Site)
If you haven’t heard of Shinya Tsukamoto, I don’t think anyone would blame you. He’s a relatively obscure name in North America, but those horror fans who fancy themselves fans of the more surreal, and strange, forms of body horror may have heard of Shinya Tsukamoto’s cyberpunk splatterfest “Tetsuo: The Iron Man”. To try and describe it would not do it justice, and depending on how much plot you require for your enjoyment, mileage can vary. With all this said, as someone who enjoys the cultural anthropology of horror films this box set was an absolute must-have.
I am still making my way through the different films on the set, but as with every arrow release each one is tended to with the utmost care to preserve the audio and visual integrity of these films. What I enjoy most about these career retrospective sets (much like Arrow’s Bava Collection) is that you can take your time with them, and see the way their technique as storytellers and filmmakers evolve. This isn’t all of Tsukamoto’s films, but rather a sampling. I’ve only made my way through a couple of the films on this set so far, and look forward to seeing Tsukamoto’s films that aren’t as focused on the cyberpunk body horror aesthetic such as “Bullet Ballet” and “Kotoko”.
As with every Arrow set, the packaging is top-notch, and the included book of essays is always a delight to read for the academic lens it brings to this material. It’s one of the things I love most about the care Arrow puts into their Limited Edition sets. They don’t just look good, they also elevate the material they house with interesting perspectives to inform, and perhaps even change, the way you view the film(s). Sadly, this set has long sold out and it does not seem that for the time being Arrow has any plans to release a standard version. Nevertheless, I wouldn’t give up hope as they have done similar standard edition re-releases of other limited sets like the gorgeous Herschell Gordon Lewis set from 2016!
#4 - I Spit on Your Grave
Ronin Flix (Buy Here)
One of the most notorious rape-revenge films of all time, and serves as a core argument in Carol Clover’s “Men, Women, and Chainsaws”. The pivotal work on gender in modern horror films, and the creation of the “Final Girl” archetype. “I Spit on Your Grave” is in sparse company with some of the most infamous cult horror movies to ever grace celluloid, including Wes Craven’s 1972 shocker “Last House on the Left”. “I Spit on Your Grave” is as shocking in 1978 as it is today, and Ronin Flix provided the penultimate set for horror fans to own a definitive version of this important film with a slew of extras to boot!
The original film is presented in a new 4K scan that came from the original camera negative, and includes both a commentary with the director, Meir Zarchi and a commentary from the drive-in king himself Joe Bob Briggs! For those of who you enjoy your horror film history, there is a feature-length documentary included in a second disc as well called “Growing up with I Spit on Your Grave”. As a sucker for horror documentaries, I lapped this thing up. All 104 minutes of it! There is also a third disc containing the 2018 sequel “I Spit on Your Grave Deja Vu”, which I recall seeing a few years ago and plan on revisiting with this set soon. If one Joe Bob Commentary wasn’t enough though, the Deja Vu disc also includes a second commentary from the walking Texan Film Archive of Trash himself.
Ronin Flix had a banner year with some stellar releases through their Code Red/Scorpion Releasing partnership and launched two collector’s editions including “I Spit on Your Grave”. The set itself comes in a nice, sturdy cardboard box and each disc comes packaged in its own single blu ray case. Included are two posters for the feature films, and also a liner notes booklet written by nonother than horror journalist, screenwriter, and author Micahel Gingold. A great set and I look forward to what other box sets they plan on releasing in 2021!
#3 - Friday the 13th Collection
Scream Factory (Buy it Here)
Some collectors remember the Paramount Friday the 13th Tin that was released all the way back in 2013, and for those that missed out on that set, there was a big gaping hole that brought the entire franchise together in one definitive set. As they so often do, Scream Factory came to the rescue when they announced that they would be releasing a new collection of all of the films in the Friday the 13th franchise, with new 4K and 2K scans for a slew of the films and finally adding “Jason Goes to Hell”, “Jason X”, “Freddy vs. Jason”, and “Friday the 13th (2009)” to complete the previous 1-8 barebones bargain set Paramount had out prior.
As impressive as this collection is, it is not without issue. Upon initial release, three of the discs required a replacement program (which Scream Factory handled extremely well) and some of the boxes seem to ship a bit damaged. It’s hard to pull off box sets this big, during a global pandemic, without issue. I tend to be forgiving of these mishaps so long as the company does whatever they can to make it right, and in this case, I would say Scream/Shout Factor most certainly has. Now the films themselves need no introduction I’m sure to readers of this site, but for the uninitiated, this collection encompasses the entire Vorhees family filmography. The new scans look outstanding, and I love how well the set looks right next to Scream’s Halloween Collection from 2014. There are heaps of new special features and an insert booklet with an essay from none other than Michael Gingold!
While this is number 3 on this list, I must admit that my personal preference overall for the presentation would go to the old tin box set. I think it’s better for more fans to have access to the full collection of films rather than the scarcity of that prior set, but I think Scream Factory has been dabbling in different edition types (their “Big Trouble in Little China” Limited Edition was wonderful) with a bit more imagination to them. As I don’t have a 3D TV, I won’t be able to watch Part 3 in 3D so it’s a good thing I held onto the tin set and the 3D version with glasses from that release. This is a great set though, and I encourage everyone to get theirs now. Just ask those who missed out on the Halloween set how pissed off they are...
#2 - Gamera: The Complete Collection
Arrow Video (Site)
There are some of you reading this wondering who, or what is “Gamera”. For those who are unfamiliar with their kaiju beyond the pivotal “Godzilla”, Gamera was another kaiju character who had a very similar character arc starting as a menace to the Japanese people, until becoming their protector against other invading kaiju. Gamera is Daiei Studio’s response to Toho’s success with the Godzilla franchise. To quote the opening line of the lovely 80-page Gamera History book included with this set, “It’s not easy to take Gamera seriously. After all, this is a series of films about the trials and tribulations of a giant jet-propelled flying turtle.” While it’s easy to laugh at many of the films in this set, and many other older kaiju movies, they are a testament to a time of immense imagination in cinema. They take big, often silly swings, but they persist throughout popular culture even to this day!
This set from Arrow is a perfect companion piece to last year’s Criterion Godzilla set, but unlike that set, this is a complete collection of all 12 Gamera films. These range in quality, depending on your enjoyment of the older people in suits affair, but the resurgence in the ’90s of the character is a lot more enjoyable than one would assume. All of these films come with 1080 HD transfers, and the newer films underwent a 4K restoration courtesy of Kadokawa Daiei Pictures in Japan. Each film contains a series of special features, with some of the more popular films having more than some of the lesser films, there is still plenty of commentaries, interviews, and mini-documentaries to satisfy even the most rabid kaiju historian.
What really sets this box set apart, and earns Arrow second place as well as the only company to appear twice on the part of the list, is the presentation. This.Thing. Is.Gorgeous. Similar to the HGL box set, it’s cereal box-sized and quite hefty. Included is a nice tome-style case holder for all 8 discs, and also a hardcover 130-page collection of all of the Gamera comics from Dark Horse. The cherry on top is the aforementioned 80-page Gamera softcover book that includes a robust history of the character and the creators behind Gamera, and a series of printed articles, interviews, and illustrations. This is the kind of set that you have around to enjoy at your leisure and gawk it for its beauty. Good news bad news, this set is also sold out, but Arrow did release the set in two parts, sans the limited edition case and booklets!
#1 - Al Adamson: The Masterpiece Collection
Severin (Buy it from Grindhouse Video...while supplies last)
This should come as no surprise to those who own a copy of this box set that it be crowned my best Box Set of 2020. Almost out of print shortly after release, and the first big set from Severin shows what we have to look forward to from one of the best boutique labels in the business. This beautifully packaged set reaches the bar set by similar sets before it such as the Criterion Bergman collection, but it has that uniquely Severin touch to it that makes this set shine apart from its peers. Al Adamson is a name that admittedly I had only heard in passing before this set was announced, and what better way to pay tribute than a complete collection of the late Adamson’s entire filmography.
It bears saying that the quality of films on this set range wildly from laughably boring to surprisingly charming and everything in between. I’m still only halfway through the thing and jumping around the timeline, but if you don’t watch the wonderful documentary that Severin produced to go with this before, you might find yourself with a bit of déjà vu. There are some admirable efforts in here, with some personal standouts being “Death Dimension” and “Carnival Magic”. The truth though is, you’re not buying this thing expecting 5-star films across the board as much as you buy it to preserve films that may not ever get this kind of treatment again. To share with others, whether it be to laugh at or, well, probably mostly to laugh at.
The reason this set is taking the top spot for 2020 has everything to do with the packaging. Not only is this a great value for all of these films together, but you get a superbly crafted and very sturdy cardboard tome perfectly anointed with the proper amount of sleaze and class the contents within deserve. It’s a classy set made to appear like a scrapbook, and it comes with a separate softcover containing a synopsis on all the films included in the set. It’s easier to cherry-pick where to start that way if you like. What makes this most impressive though, is it’s Severin’s first effort at this kind of premium box set. They have clearly been paying attention to their friends at Arrow, Vinegar Syndrome, 88 Films, Second Sight, and Criterion when it comes to elevating cult cinema collections to really eye-catching and conversation-starting collector’s items. If this is what Severin’s starting with, I can’t imagine what they have in store for 2021!
Special Mention: Dawn of the Dead (Blu Ray/UHD) Second Sight Films
I’d be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge this momentous set, as it’s the best that Romero’s classic has ever looked. It’s a great box set and deserves to be in every collector’s library, but alas it didn’t make the top 5 this year.
Best of 2020 - Single Releases
This section is reserved for the new films, the re-releases, the re-masters, and basically anything that isn’t a compendium of many films. This year we have been graced with a lot of movies in special editions no one asked for, and some that many have been pining over for years. The usual suspects were in fine form this year, and the emergence of some newer boutique labels. Some of which are just sub-labels of Vinegar Syndrome. They are creating sub-labels at the same rate that SoundCloud musicians are, and that’s not a bad thing! 4K is slowly becoming the dominant format for mainstream films, while labels like Scream and Severin are beginning to join the trendsetters Vinegar Syndrom and Arrow into the fray. I think this is a trend we will continue to see but labels best remember to not bite the hand that feeds. While I’m a sucker for an upgrade (see: impulsive), I personally feel less urgency to jump out for the latest 4K upgrade these days. Blue Underground notoriously played the double-dip a bit too soon on their 4K upgrades, and so I hope we don’t get too many re-releases to 4K for films that have been released 3 times over from the same label in 2 years. Anyways, I digress. Onto the list (in no specific order)!
Mikey: Collector’s Edition (MVD)
If you fancy yourself a fan of killer kid flicks, you would be wise to track down this video store gem that has been lovingly brought to blu ray by the fine folks at MVD films! “Mikey” is a bad kid, who does bad things. This one makes the list for not only its relative obscurity, but also because it’s actually much better than it has any right to be! Plus, don’t tell me you haven’t wanted to see the kid from blank check electrocute his mother in the bathtub...or is it just me?
Dolly Dearest (Vinegar Syndrome)
Another 90’s video store staple from none other than arguably the best label for obscure cinema after Mondo Macabro, Vinegar Syndrome. I warn you, this is not a good movie. What makes it memorable is that it is one of the only killer doll films to feature a female doll, and while it clearly is riffing on the success of it’s brethren “Child’s Play” it’s admirable the attempts they make to spice things up. Not to mention, Rip Torn does an interesting Mexican accent.
Dream Demon (Arrow)
Nightmare on Elm Street rip-offs usually fail more than they succeed. It’s not their fault, it’s just that Wes Craven’s classic is so hard to replicate because of how unique it was and still is. Enter “Dream Demon” a movie I had never heard of (largely because it has been relegated to VHS) that borrows some of the ideas from ANOES and applies them with a more psychological and haunted house lens as opposed to a singular antagonist like Freddy. It’s a great deep cut and one that offers some haunting imagery that will linger long after the film has ended.
AENIGMA (Severin)
Until recently, the only way to watch one of Fulci’s most criminally underrated flicks was to have a region-free player but thank you to the fine folk at Severin, we now have “AENIGMA” stateside! For the uninitiated, this is a relatively nasty revenge talk about a prank gone wrong that turns a young girl into a comatose psychic killer. I won’t spoil much more, aside from the well-known escargot finisher scene, but if you fancy yourself a fan of Italian horror excess you owe it to yourself to add a copy of this one to your collection. Enjoy with friends so you can enjoy the “WTF” moments together!
Thir13en Ghosts: Collector’s Edition (Scream Factory)
File this one under guilty fucking pleasure! Right from the get-go, the opening scene immediately put me back in the theaters seeing this opening weekend. Dark Castle had two great films right out of the gate, “Thir13en Ghosts” being the second of the two. There is a lot about the plot that still feels silly. The end in particular was a Dark Castle staple to overdo it with CGI, but in re-watching this I’m delighted at how much fun it still is. The ghost designs are fantastic, it is one of the bloodiest ghost films I’ve ever seen, and it’s one that you can lose yourself in without having to think too much. What more could you want at the end of 2020?!
Tales of the Uncanny (Severin)
My PB&J of Horror is Anthologies and Genre Documentaries. Alone, they are great, but together they are a killer pair. Thank you to Severin for not just producing this outstanding feature-length exploration of horror anthologies, but also for pushing forward with filming during a pandemic! This is a superb and extremely thorough documentary that goes deeper than expected even for the most well-learned horror fan. I found myself taking notes and adding to my “watch” lists, and seeing as how we will be inside for the next few months who doesn’t need a few ideas for what to watch?
Blood Games (Vinegar Syndrome)
For me, the 90’s Vinegar Syndrome releases are a bit of a mixed bag. Actually, that’s pretty much all VS releases. So I expect that about half of what I get I’ll like, and of that half, I’ll probably love about 25% of those movies. Consider “Blood Games” in that illustrious top-quartile as a totally fun, and surprisingly serious thriller that sees a female softball league terrorized by the local scum after they put a whooping on them. If that synopsis makes you think you’re in for some softcore switch up you’d be dead wrong. This is a VS release, so it’s not void of superfluous nudity, but that doesn’t distract from the thick tension and heartfelt moments that hit harder than you’d think.
My Bloody Valentine: Collector’s Edition (Scream Factory)
Buy it here
One of the best slashers to come out of the 80’s, and for my money one of the best slasher films period! Scream Factory yet again hears the cries of the horror community and responds with a fitting Collector’s Edition of a long OOP HD title in both theatrical and vastly superior director’s cut versions. This holiday slasher should need no introduction, and rest assured that the blood running down Harry Warden’s pickaxe has never looked better than this 4K restoration from the original camera negative. It’s as good today as it was then, and this is the best special edition treatment a classic like this deserves.
Fade to Black (Vinegar Syndrome)
Of all the films to have received a white glove treatment, this 1980 horror gem has been woefully underserved on blu ray. It was both surprising and not that Vinegar Syndrome announced they would be releasing this fan favorite. On the one hand, this film has been so sought after that this news flew largely unde the radar. And yet, Vinegar Syndrome have continually showed year after year that they are upping their game with not just the quantity of their releases but also the quality. To those who haven’t heard/seen this one before, it’s “Taxi Driver for Cinephiles” in how it depicts one man’s obsession with cinema, and how that influences his retribution to those who continually seek to put him down. It’s a gut-wrenching story because of how sympathetic the main character is, and Vinegar Syndrome has given it a release well-worthy of its greatness.
The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue (Synapse)
Buy it here
Synapse is a group I trust when it comes to restorations. Their Suspiria 4K release is, for my money at least, the best 4K horror disc out there and the blu-ray release won awards worldwide. When I saw they would be doing the same to another title in their catalog, Jorge Grau’s “The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue”. This film looks and sounds beautiful, and is a prime example of how these restorations can breathe new life into a film. The extras are plentiful, and I’m really looking forward to the feature-length documentary about Grau’s career included. If you like Night of the Living Dead with a heap of euro-gore and just a side of social commentary, friend, this one is for you!
So that’s it (confetti cannon)! There are so many releases that deserve their due, so if you see one missing put it in the comments. May you spend the end of 2020 in a haze of macabre movie bliss, and begin 2021 with some additions to your collections!
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