When I was a teenager, my favorite video store was a place called Mega Movies. They had converted an old Burger King into their store, and as such they had a huge floor space full of all kinds of movies. They had all the new releases, of course, and plenty of popular movies from a variety of genres. But they also had lots of obscure movies – art-house movies and exploitation flicks.

It was there I first discovered Barton Fink and Faces of Death. But the thing is, at that age and in the early 1990s, I had no idea what I was looking for. There were no internet guides to point me in the right direction, no message boards full of potential friends helping me to the kind of films I might enjoy. I just had to look at the box and hope for the best.

Even if I’d had those things, I’d still be reliant on that store stocking those particular films and some film company actually releasing them on videotape. That last part is interesting. I have no idea what obscure, independent, and art-house movies made it to VHS and which films remained on super nerd wish lists. I’m guessing at least some of Jean Rollin’s films had home video releases, but I bet they weren’t great quality, and I bet they didn’t stock them in my town.

Sexy vampire films were definitely my jam back then, and I feel certain if Mega Movies stocked them, I would have found them. That’s the amazing thing about the world we are living in. Not only are there a myriad of places in which to discuss and discover movies, but more and more those weird little arthouse/grindhouse movies are getting 4K restorations and being released in fancy boxes with loads of extras.

French director Jean Rolling made all sorts of films in all sorts of genres, but he’s best known for a series of erotic vampire movies he made in the 1970s. These were shot in gothic castles with lurid lighting and featured a bevy of beautiful women wearing flowing, sheer nightgowns. 

And now Indicator/Powerhouse Films is releasing four of Rollin’s films (Fascination, Shiver of the Vampires, Night of the Hunted, and Two Orphan Vampires) on 4K UHD with loads of extras included. I’ve only seen one of these films, Fascination, but all four are generally considered his best films, and I’m excited to get to see them in this manner.

Also out this week that looks interesting:

A History of Violence 4K UHD: David Cronenberg eschews his normal penchant for visceral body horror for this fairly straightforward adaptation of a graphic novel. Viggo Mortensen portrays a simple man living a simple life until some bad guys try to rob his store. His ability to thwart them pretty easily draws headlines, which in turn draws notice from some violent men from his past.  Criterion has the release.

Eddington: This A24 release is set right in the middle of the coronavirus outbreak. It pits a well-meaning mayor (Pedro Pascal) against a redneck sheriff (Joaquin Phoenix) in a small midwestern town.

The X-Trilogy: I really loved X (2022), the 1970s throwback horror film from Ti West. It was a great homage to films like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) while still remaining modern.  I was less thrilled with Pearl (2022) the sort of prequel to X, which acts more like a 1940s melodrama (until it doesn’t). I actively disliked Maxxxine (2024), the sequel that finds the Final Girl of X (played by Mia Goth), who is finally transitioning from porno films to something mainstream.  But while I didn’t love all of these films, I admire their ambition.  They are now getting combined into a nice looking boxed set.

The Shrouds: David Cronenberg’s latest is about a new business venture where grieving family members are able to see a 3D image of their deceased loved ones as their bodies slowly turn into compost. He apparently wrote it while grieving for the loss of his own wife. Which is such a Cronenbergian thing to do.

Nosferatu (1979) 4K UHD: Werner Herzog’s take on the Dracula story is a moody, strange film with a mesmerizing performance from Klaus Kinski. Shout Factory has the release.

Clue 4K UHD (40th Anniversary Steelbook): Probably the best cinematic board game adaptation ever made, Clue has a great cast (Tim Curry, Christopher Lloyd, Michael McKean, Eileen Brennan, amongst others) and is loaded with gags. It is slightly famous for having multiple different endings (and you never knew which one you were going to get in the theater). I don’t love it as much as others do, but it is still a lot of fun.

Tulsa Terrors: Apparently Tulsa, Oklahoma, was ground zero for the direct-to-home video boom of the 1980s. Or so says this documentary. Being that Tulsa is very near where I grew up I’m all in on this.

Altered States 4K UHD: Ken Russell directs William Hurt in this film about a guy using psychedelic drugs and an isolation chamber to alter his reality. Criterion has the release.

Radioland Murders: This very silly callback to the zany old radio shows worked for me when it was doing just that, but when it kept leaving that conceit to solve a dumb murder, it lost me. You can read my full review here.