This Week on DVD and Blu-ray - October 13th, 2009

Here we go again. The date is October 13th, 2009, and the centerpiece for this week's releases is undoubtedly Sam Raimi's return to horror, "Drag Me to Hell." After helming the blockbuster "Spider-Man" franchise for the last several years, Raimi goes back to his roots and fans of his "Evil Dead" films will see many familiar tropes in "Drag." Raimi's unique sense of macabre humor and kinetic camerawork are fully on display here. The picture also features a no-holds-barred brawl between Alison Lohman and an old gypsy woman that has to be seen to be believed. Dean Winkelspecht has reviewed the "Drag Me to Hell" Blu-Ray and the standard DVD release and for an alternative take you can also read Chris Long's theatrical review.

If "Drag Me to Hell" is a little too intense for you, then maybe "The Proposal" will be more your speed. Sandra Bullock stars in yet another in a long line of romantic comedies as a Type-A executive from Canada who is about to be deported. She schemes to marry her reluctant assistant, Ryan Reynolds, to stay in the U.S. While the story is as pedestrian as every other rom-com, a talented supporting cast that includes Craig T. Nelson, Mary Steenburgen, and the one and only Betty White, elevate the bland material. James Plath has kindly reviewed "The Proposal" on Blu-Ray and the Deluxe Edition DVD.

Horror and romance don't float your boat? There's always "Land of the Lost," the big-budget adaptation of the television series created by Sid and Marty Krofft. Hey, somebody has to watch the movie considering it hasn't come close to recouping its 100 million dollar budget. Despite the advertising campaign, "Land of the Lost" was hardly the family friendly fare that its predecessor was. As usual with a Will Ferrell-led comedy, there was plenty of foul language and adult humor to earn the picture its PG-13 rating. I will say "Pushing Daisies" star Anna Friel was awful cute in this. "Land of the Lost" will be available this week on DVD and Blu-Ray.

Shout! Factory releases the classic 80's thriller, "The Stepfather," starring John Locke himself, Terry O'Quinn as the titular character. The screenplay was written by crime novelist Donald E. Westlake who penned the Parker novels which inspired the films "Point Blank" and "Payback." The Shout DVD contains a new commentary track by director Joseph Ruben and a retrospective documentary. The remake starring Dylan Walsh, Sela Ward, and Amber Heard hits theaters this weekend.

Oliver Stone's controversial "Natural Born Killers" sees release again in a new Unrated Director's Cut on both DVD and Blu-Ray. The film was previously released in high definition last year, but that was only the theatrical cut. This version will probably be the one fans of the ultra-violent satire will enjoy the most. The latest edition contains a brand new featurette with recent interviews from Stone, Woody Harrelson, and Juliette Lewis about the film and how it might play out in today's YouTube era.

Last week, Warner Brothers released the animated adaptation of Dr. Seuss's classic, "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" on Blu-Ray. This week, Universal follows suit with a Blu-Ray/DVD combo of the live-action version starring Jim Carrey as the Grinch. Also making their debut on Blu-Ray are "The Craft" (starring Neve Campbell, Robin Tunney, and Fairuza Balk) and "South Park: Bigger, Longer, & Uncut" (which contains a brand new commentary track from the series creators, Matt Parker & Trey Stone).

It's a good week for Sam Raimi fans as not only will "Drag Me to Hell" hit store shelves, but the Raimi-produced fantasy series, "Legend of the Seeker" will also be available courtesy of Disney/Buena Vista. Also joining "Legend of the Seeker: The Complete First Season" on DVD are "Married with Children: The Complete 11th Season" (the show's final season) and "Futurama: The Complete Collection." The "Futurama" set contains every episode of the series as well as all four direct-to-video movies, all of which will be housed in a collectible bust of Bender.

That about does it for this week's rather light release day. Next week, we'll see the release of one of this summer's biggest blockbusters, "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen."