Synopsis: One of the longest-running horror film series began with this gory shocker from director Sean S. Cunningham, who had previously produced Wes Craven's classic Last House on the Left. Entrepreneur Steve Christie (Peter Brouwer) re-opens Camp Crystal Lake after many years during which it has been cursed by murders and bad luck. The young and nubile counselors all begin to die extremely bloody deaths at the hands of an unseen killer during a rainstorm which isolates the camp. A woman is chopped in the face with an axe, another has her throat sliced in amazingly gruesome fashion, a male counselor (Harry Crosby) is pinned to a door with arrows, and a young Kevin Bacon has an arrow shoved through his throat from below a bed. Victor Miller's script is not particularly impressive, but Cunningham's tense direction, and some remarkable special-effects by acclaimed makeup artist Tom Savini are enough to make it worthwhile. 1950s quiz-show regular Betsy Palmer appears as the cook whose son Jason (Ari Lehman) drowned 25 years earlier while neglected by romancing counselors. Palmer was reportedly cast because she was willing to drive her own car to and from the set. Trivia buffs should note the decapitation scene near the end, in which the female killer exhibits rather hirsute hands clutching at the air. The hands belong to Savini's assistant, Taso N. Stavrakis. Friday the 13th made over $20 million at the box-office and spawned numerous sequels. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide

Running Time:

95 mins

Complete Cast:

Director(s):

Sean S. Cunningham

Writer(s):

Victor Miller, Ron Kurz

Producer(s):

Sean S. Cunningham

Rumored and anticipated for years, the two biggest icons of the slasher genre finally meet in Freddy Vs. Jason, the eighth entry in the Nightmare on Elm Street saga and the 11th film in the Friday the 13th series, though with Jason X taking place in the future, it should be noted that the events of this film take place after the ninth film Jason Goes to Hell. And it is hell where Freddy Kreuger (Robert Englund) and Jason Voorhees (Ken Kirzinger, donning the hockey mask for the first time in a controversial snub against series veteran Kane Hodder) finally become acquainted. Banished there for eternity, Freddy devises a plan to manipulate Jason into continuing his work, hacking up the teenagers of Elm Street. All goes well at first until Jason realizes he's been duped by "the dream master" and is none too pleased. Coaxed by surviving teenagers Will (Jason Ritter), Lori (Monica Keena), and Kia (Destiny's Child's Kelly Rowland), Jason and Freddy descend upon Crystal Lake for a mano a mano battle royal. Helmed by Hong Kong director Ronny Yu (Bride of Chucky, The Bride With the White Hair), Freddy Vs. Jason features the director of the first Friday film, Sean S. Cunningham serving as producer. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide

Running Time:

98 mins

Complete Cast:

Director(s):

Ronny Yu

Writer(s):

Damian Shannon, David S. Goyer, Mark Swift

Producer(s):

Sean S. Cunningham

It's alive! Alive!" shouts Colin Clive's triumphant Dr. Frankenstein as electricity buzzes over the hulking body of a revived corpse. "In the name of God now I know what it's like to be God!" For years unheard, this line has been restored, along with the legendary scene of the childlike monster tossing a little girl into a lake, in James Whale's Frankenstein, one of the most famous and influential horror movies ever made. Coming off the tremendous success of Dracula, Universal assigned sophomore director Whale to helm an adaptation of Mary Shelley's famous novel with Bela Lugosi as the monster. When Lugosi declined the role, Whale cast the largely unknown character actor Boris Karloff and together with makeup designer Jack Pierce they created the most memorable monster in movie history: a towering, lumbering creature with sunken eyes, a flat head, and a jagged scar running down his forehead. Whale and Karloff made this mute, misunderstood brute, who has the brain of a madman (the most obvious of the many liberties taken with Shelley's story), the most pitiable freak of nature to stumble across the screen. Clive's Dr. Frankenstein is intense and twitchy and Dwight Frye set the standard for mad-scientist sidekicks as the wild-eyed hunchback assistant. Whale's later films, notably the spooky spoof The Old Dark House and the deliriously stylized sequel The Bride of Frankenstein, display a surer cinematic hand than seen here and add a subversive twist of black comedy, but given the restraints of early sound films, Whale breaks the film free from static stillness and adorns it with striking design and expressionist flourishes. --Sean Axmaker

DVD features
A 75th Anniversary Edition of Frankenstein is a fine gesture toward a film classic, although fans who have already bought Universal's previous Frankenstein DVDs might want to weigh how much they need to upgrade an already acceptable package. The picture quality of Frankenstein in the "Classic Monsters Collection" and "Legacy Collection" was already pretty good (unlike Dracula, which was significantly improved for its 75th-anniversary issue). A few new features are added here, joining a roster of previously available extras.

Returning from prior DVDs: The Frankenstein Files, an in-depth history of both literary and cinematic incarnations of Mary Shelley's monster; a feature commentary with Rudy Behlmer; various archival items; and Boo!, a comedy short with horror clips and spoofy narration. Added for this anniversary edition is a new commentary with Sir Christopher Frayling, who brings a spirited and learned attack to talking about the film. Also new is Universal Horror, a 95-minute documentary by Kevin Brownlow. As good as Brownlow's work generally is, this 1998 doc, narrated by Kenneth Branagh, is choppy, and ranges far afield from Universal's great run of horror movies. It's worth seeing for clips from very rare films and for interviews with the likes of Fay Wray, Gloria Stuart, Ray Bradbury, and Curt Siodmak. (It's also included in the Dracula anniversary set.) And there's "monster Tracks," a pop-up feature that gives onscreen info-bites about the film while you're watching it.

The best of the new features is Karloff: The Gentle Monster, a 38-minute documentary on the subject of the film's iconic star, whose career was made by the success of Frankenstein. It pays fond tribute to Karloff's beloved status as a horror giant, and makes the case that his career had real variety. Frayling and director Joe Dante are among the talking heads paying homage. --Robert Horton

Though it's achieved immortality in the hearts of its devoted fans, the supernatural-themed series Forever Knight ends with this third-season set, which brings the saga of vampire-turned-sleuth Nick Knight (Geraint Wyn Davies of 24) to a startling conclusion. Change seems to be the theme of the third season (1995-96), which sees the departure of much-loved sidekick Schanke (John Kapelos) under violent circumstances (as detailed in the two-part season opener, "Black Buddha"), and the arrival of a new partner, Tracy Vetter (Lisa Ryan), who's involved with another creature of the night, Vachon (Ben Bass). Further complicating matters are the return of Nick's former lover Janette (Deborah Duchene), who reveals a surprising twist of her own in "The Human Factor," and Divia (Kathryn Long), the daughter of Knight's mentor/nemesis LaCroix (Nigel Bennett), in "Ashes to Ashes." But of course, the biggest wrinkle of the third season is Nick's struggle to resist his vampiric urges; this conflict, along with the fates of most of the major characters, come to a head with the series closer, "Last Knight," which still packs a punch with its dramatic (some might say drastic) denouement. Blood, romance, mystery, and death--all things that make for an addictive series, and all major elements of Forever Knight's final season, which certainly accounts for the show's long-lasting cult appeal. The five-disc set includes all 22 episodes of the third season, and is rounded out by a trio of appropriately dark and evocative music videos created from series footage. --Paul Gaita

Product Description
Vampire police detective Nick Knight (Geraint Wyn Davies, TV's '24') is back for the third and final season of the thrilling horror series, FOREVER KNIGHT. Tortured by his immortality, Nick's hunger to recover his humanity is more powerful than his lust for blood. But will Nick ever get to see the light of day? Tracy Vetter (Lisa Ryder) joins the cast as Nick's new partner at the police department, and Davies' real-life son Galen plays Patrick the orphan in 'The Human Factor.' Third season highlights include Nick's possible connection to the mysterious murder of 'Blackwing,' the race to discover a cure for a deadly virus in 'Fever,' and Nick's enlisting of a confined madman to solve a brutal slaying in 'Trophy Girl.'