Outland 4K UHD (1981)

Arrow Films are releasing writer-director Peter Hyams' 1981 'space western' in a limited edition 4K restoration from the original 35mm negative.

At a mining facility on Io, one of Jupiter's moons, workers are going crazy and killing themselves. New marshal William O'Niel (Sean Connery) with the aid of the station doctor (Frances Sternhagen) discovers that the number of instances has risen dramatically over the last 12 months. Could the mine's increased productivity over that time have anything to do with it? And what about station boss Mark Sheppard (Peter Boyle) and the members of O'Niel's force he is paying off? Can one man take a stand against the corruption on the station, even as hired hit men are on their way there to make sure O'Niel is no longer a problem?

Peter Hyams had apparently been lamenting the death of the western before realising that westerns had moved 'into space' which prompted the screenplay for OUTLAND. But there's much more to this than just HIGH NOON on a moon. The look and feel of the movie is very much informed by Ridley Scott's ALIEN of just two years before. Space has become less the domain of bold explorers and is now just another place to have factories filled with workers. You can also see how the look of OUTLAND informed James Cameron's subsequent ALIENS (1986) and indeed David Fincher's ALIEN 3 (1992). 

The model work and photography are excellent, complemented by Jerry Goldsmith's score. We all know Jerry Goldsmith was God in movie music, but he really did know how to nail the emptiness and yet at the same time the claustrophobia of space. Acting-wise it's Connery's show all the way but the rest of the cast ably support that.

Arrow's 4K comes with a new commentary from Chris Alexander that's my favourite kind - informal, chatty and feels like you're watching with a good friend. Peter Hyams' archival commentary is also on there and reveals he has a wicked sense of humour. There's a fantastic new interview with Hyams conducted by Howard S Berger that's 52 minutes long and has him talking about his career up to and including OUTLAND. Berger also interviews DP Stephen Goldblatt (29 minutes) and VFX supervisor for the Introvision process used in the film, William Mesa (34 minutes), and returns for a piece on 'Peter Hyams as Auteur' in which he argues the case well for those who don't already think the man deserves more recognition than he has so far had. 

Academic Josh Nelson gives us an 18 minute video appreciation of the film and we get the usual trailers and image galleries. Arrow's limited edition also includes a booklet featuring new writing on the film, a double sided poster and a reversible sleeve.

Peter Hyams' OUTLAND is out in a limited edition 4K UHD set from Arrow on Monday 3rd November 2025

A Nightmare On Elm Street: Seven Film 4K Collection (1984 - 1994)

Warner Bros. have released a box set of the first seven NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET films on 4K UHD. That's because Warners currently own New Line Cinema, which was the company that produced and released the films in the US back in the day. Meanwhile, here in the UK, the films were released by Palace Pictures through the Odeon circuit, with new Graham Humphreys artwork for most of the posters (oh the memories).

There's also a posh steelbook collection that includes the films on Blu-ray as well (the standard set doesn't) and the covers for those are shown below. Each film benefits immensely from the 4K upgrade on UHD, but be aware that there are only a couple of new extras and those are on disc seven. However if this is your favourite franchise you're definitely going to want the films in this format. Let's take a look at each individual disc:

A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984)

"Who would have thought Wes Craven would turn out to be America's answer to Dario Argento?" said Cinefantastique magazine when this was released stateside in 1984. Certainly this film is one of the most 'Italian' American movies there is, not just in the amount of blood splashed around, but in terms of its emphasis on imagery and emotional impact. Where Craven is immensely clever (and there are a lot of reasons to applaud in this movie) is that he gets away with having his cake and eating it too, such that he's able to fit all the weird dreamlike imagery into a cohesive logical narrative. It all works so brilliantly that one could quite reasonably argue that this was the most impactful and, ultimately, the best horror film of the 1980s. 

Warners' 4K disc finally gives us the chance to see the full version we all watched in UK cinemas and on CBS/Fox's VHS tape release (which was transferred open frame and still gives the most picture information) back in the 1980s (previous Blu-rays have used the censored US cut).

Extras are the same as for the Blu-ray (and not in 4K) including two commentary tracks (stars Heather Langenkamp and John Saxon, DP Jacques Haitkin and Craven on one, a total of 15 people on the other) as well as 15 minutes of 'focus points' ie bits of footage and talking head snippets, three alternate endings, a 50 minute making of, 22 minutes on New Line Cinema and a 16 minute piece on nightmares.

A Nightmare On Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985)

Released to almost universal disdain from horror fans and critics alike, FREDDY'S REVENGE has developed a cult following over the years, mainly from 'gayest horror film ever' enthusiasts. That's not enough to make this in any way a good film, though, and those who loved the first were understandably disappointed at this generic horror sequel, in which Freddy has become a boogieman who just wants to randomly kill people but he can't so he has to use Mark Patton because the boy has moved into Nancy Thompson's house. Or something.

What always looked like a TV movie does look a lot better on Warners' 4K transfer. Again there are no new extras, just the four featurettes available on the Blu-ray about the publicity (6 minutes), Heroes and Villains (7 minutes) the Male Witch (3 minutes) and Psychosexual Circus (4 minutes)

A Nightmare On Elm Street Part 3: Dream Warriors (1987)

A huge hit on release, this one lays its cards on the table from the opening scene: dark photography and a return to the 'rubber reality' of Wes Craven's original where the line between dreams and reality is blurred, but never confusingly. Bigger and more impressive special effects cause this story of teen 'suicide attempts' to have an even bigger impact as Heather Langenkamp's Nancy returns from the original, now qualified in treating certain psychological conditions. Like in part 1, Langenkamp has to carry much of the film again here. Unlike in part 1, she's not quite as convincing, but the cavalcade of well-designed set-pieces, plus a returning Wes Craven to co-write the first draft of the screenplay, helped immensely to ensure this one's success.

ELM STREET 3's cinematography always looked rather dark and grainy. Warners' 4K greatly improves picture clarity without losing that grain and with zero picture noise even on high settings of brightness. Extras are the same as for the Blu-ray, ie 27 minutes of making of featurettes grouped together as 'Behind the Story' and a Dokken music video.

A Nightmare On Elm Street Part 4: The Dream Master (1988)

The most financially successful of the ELM STREET films is also the one that feels most like a 1970s EuroHorror in terms of style, thanks in great part to Finnish director Renny Harlin. Oh yes, this one skates dangerously close to not making a lot of sense, while at the same time delivering such a constant barrage of entertaining special effects pieces that it doesn't give you time to think about that while watching it. The survivors of DREAM WARRIORS are killed off and a script contrivance that's much better than the one used in FREDDY'S REVENGE allows the man of your dreams to go after even more victims. This was also the first series entry to be packed with pop songs (from the Chrysalis catalogue), now providing extra nostalgia value.

THE DREAM MASTER always looked a little bit foggy. Warners' 4K is a revelation and a big step up from the Blu-ray in terms of picture clarity and vividness of colour (the greens!). Pop in the Blu-ray and you'll see there's no comparison from the off. Extras are the same bunch of tiny behind the scenes featurettes: The Finnish Line (2 minutes), Krueger, Freddy Krueger (8 minutes), Hopeless Chest (4 minutes) and Let's Makeup (2 minutes). 

A Nightmare On Elm Street Part 5: The Dream Child (1989)

Of course it all had to come crashing down at some point. While parts 2,3 and 4 were, if nothing else, all solid 'rock 'n' roll 1980s popcorn' movies, THE DREAM CHILD deserves points for trying to return to the darker tone of the original. Unfortunately none of it works. While there are a few attempts at bizarre dream deaths here the central theme of Alice being pregnant still feels wrong for this series, and the film as a whole takes itself much too seriously. The result is something that quickly becomes dirge-like and hard going. At least the 4K makes it look good, plus you get the option of the theatrical or uncut versions. Extras are as before, with 15 minutes of behind the scenes chat.

Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991)

Debates as to which was the worst of the series were pretty much settled by the release of FREDDY'S DEAD, which tries hard to get the series back into entertainment mode but instead comes across as a rather silly series of sequences inspired by Warner Bros. cartoons. It's a ramshackle affair that, despite being the most expensive movie so far, looks very cheap, and even the 4K doesn't help much. The three demons that possess Freddy still look like muppets about to break into song. You do get the option to watch the film with its 15 minute climax in 3D if you so wish, although with the price of the box set you would think they could have given you more than one pair of anaglyph glasses. Extras here include a piece on the effects for the climax (3 minutes), director Rachel Talalay (3 minutes), 2 minutes of Robert Shaye admitting this was the end for Freddy, and 45 seconds of Clive Barker. 

Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994)

A very different beast indeed from its predecessors, writer-director Wes Craven returned to New Line to make this piece on the nature and purpose of storytelling, building it around the NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET franchise and the character of Freddy. His masterstroke was to have actual cast members (Heather Langenkamp, Robert Englund, John Saxon and look carefully and you'll spot Tuesday Knight and Jsu Garcia / 'Nick Corri' as well) and New Line execs Robert Shaye and Sara Risher play fictionalised versions of themselves, as well as featuring Craven himself. It's arguably the second best film of the series although apparently it made the least money, which is a shame. 

NEW NIGHTMARE always looked crisp and rich and Warners' 4K honours that such that you won't see such as big a difference as with the other movies but the improved clarity is still there. There are two new extras which together consist of 16 minutes of directors Jack Sholder and Chuck Russell, NEW NIGHTMARE DP Mark Irwin and Robert Englund discussing the ELM STREET phenomenon, filmed for this release. Other extras are all archival and include everything on the previous NEW NIGHTMARE Blu-ray (five tiny featurettes featuring Wes Craven) and the Welcome to Prime Time (50 minutes) and Conclusion (17 minutes) extras that were on the previous Blu-ray sets bonus DVD, the only thing missing being the two episodes of Freddy's Nightmares that were previously included on that.

The A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 7 film 4K collection is out now from Warner Bros. It's available in a seven disc standard edition UHD set, and also a limited edition steelbook set of 7 UHD discs and 4 Blu-rays, if you can find it.

The Draft (2025)

THE DRAFT is getting a digital release through Blue Finch and has been described as 'the Indonesian CABIN IN THE WOODS', which means that, like that film, it's actually rather difficult to review it without spoiling the revelations that come about twenty minutes in. I'm saying this now so if you don't like such spoilers you can move on (I'd also suggest you avoid the press notes and other publicity). For everyone else here we go:

Five college friends travel to a rotting villa (a very nice location, by the way) for the weekend. Soon one of them is dead, a knife plunged into his chest. Then, suddenly, it looks as if he has been killed by a different method. What's going on? And why can't the students remember much about themselves until they're prompted?

*SPOILERS FOLLOW*

It turns out they are characters in a horror film, the screenplay of which isn't very good and which is being constantly rewritten. Characters get fleshed out, people die and then are suddenly alive again only to die differently. Other random things happen including, eventually, a massed zombie attack.

The problem with running with this kind of concept is that you end up walking a very fine line between saying 'Aren't some horror films crap and poorly written?' and your audience thinking that because you were stuck with your own poorly written screenplay you resorted to a 'meta' approach as a way of getting out of it. 

To do the former takes great skill, which sadly isn't evident here. It would take someone with the talents of an Edgar Wright to make this work (and his version of this kind of storyline could be glorious to behold). As it is we get some entertaining jabs at contemporary Indonesian horror cinema tropes and a few in-jokes, but overall THE DRAFT just shows how much skill was evident in THE CABIN IN THE WOODS in making this kind of idea feel more than an act of scriptwriting desperation. Here's the trailer:

THE DRAFT is out on Digital from Blue Finch Releasing on Monday 20th October 2025

Diary of a Mayhem 2025 Day 4 - Sunday

Bone Lake

A couple book a romantic getaway in a lavish country house next to a lake in the middle of nowhere. Another couple turns up claiming they have also booked the venue. Mind games ensue. EuroHorror obsessives will likely be ahead of things at every step here, but for everyone else this has plenty of twists and turns that I'm certainly not going to spoil, suffice to say it all gets pleasingly bloody during the final act.

Heresy

In a grim, dank, medieval Dutch village a woman cannot conceive and so naturally the townsfolk accuse her of being possessed by the devil. When she goes into the nearby forest from which No-one Returns Unscathed she has an encounter with something that isn't the devil but which is certainly very supernatural indeed. Director Didier Konings' folk horror piece offers a slight story even for its brief (61 minute) running time, but it's worth watching for one night shot when we see the spirits of the forest at a distance.

The Occupant of the Room

Algernon Blackwood is one of the greats, and one of those classic authors whose work is difficult to film because so much of what goes on in his stories (often inspired by his own adventures) takes place in the lead character's mind. Full marks, then, to writer-director Kier-La Janisse whose THE OCCUPANT OF THE ROOM feels more like the 1970s BBC Ghost Stories for Christmas than that channel's own recent attempts at reviving the format. Minturn (Don McKellar from Cronenberg's EXISTENZ and CRIMES OF THE FUTURE) desperately needs to spend a snowbound night at a remote inn. All the rooms are taken, but one of them has not seen its occupant for a couple of days after she set off up the mountain. He takes it, of course, and comes to regret his decision, of course. The story is told neatly, atmospherically and economically over 30 minutes and benefits from some disquieting animation towards the end. Produced by Severin Films and an excellent companion piece to their just as good TO FIRE YOU COME AT LAST, directed by Sean Hogan. 

Portal to Hell

Dunn (Trey Holland) discovers a portal to hell in a local laundromat. His neighbour Keith David is dying of cancer and Dunn just happens to waylay the demon come to collect David's soul. Unfortunately the demon wants three other souls to replace it, so Dunn has to find three 'deserving' cases he can send to hell through a washing machine. It all sounds very silly and it is, but PORTAL TO HELL manages to be far more charming and touching than you might expect and is worth checking out even if you're not a fan of comedy with your horror.

Dead by Dawn

Giallo meets Lovecraft (sort of) in this Polish horror that doesn't live up to the potential of that premise. After some encouraging mentions of olde Lovecraftian favourite books like De Vermis Mysteriis, Cultes Des Ghouls and the Pnakotic Manuscripts, we join a bunch of actors employed to rehearse a play in a theatre at midnight. It's all for a ritual, you see, as is the bumping off of each of them by a killer wearing the mask on the poster. Unfortunately this is all executed with the storytelling expertise of hitting you over the head with a hammer wrapped in the screenplay. Loud music, flashing lights and shaking camerawork, not to mention the muddy photography, serve to render some scenes difficult to follow. The undemanding may enjoy the references to OPERA, the remake of SUSPIRIA and other 'nods to' (or possibly steals from) better films, but it's all a pretty unsatisfying experience. 

Diary of a Mayhem 2025 Day 3 - Saturday

Mag Mag

Young men are being haunted by the ghost of a girl whose size and physical appearance resembles Rob Zombie's version of the adult Michael Myers. When they reject her advances they end up dead with the eyeballs plucked out. But what's actually going on here isn't quite as straightforward as it initially seems, with the ultimate explanation for the hauntings reserved for the last few minutes of the running time. In between we are treated to a gleeful embracing of many J-Horror cliches, comedy monks and a dance routine that involves some bizarre sphincter artwork. If you're a fan of J-Horror you'll appreciate the references to previous genre films, but a lot of this can be enjoyed just as much even if you don't know them at all. 

Man Finds Tape

A found footage horror, but don't go scrolling away just yet. MAN FINDS TAPE is found footage shot (on the whole) by characters who are themselves film professionals, collated with CCTV footage and other nicely static sources that eliminate the wobble cam that plagues the worst of the genre. A man in a small Texas town discovers a video recording that shows a stranger in his bedroom when he was a boy. Then CCTV footage turns up of people suddenly falling asleep in the town high street and a van running someone over. It would be a shame to say any more, and indeed to suggest the horror authors whose work this film is most reminiscent of, but in a festival that hasn't had that much horror MAN FINDS TAPE helps to redress the balance very nicely.

Bulk

What's this one all about? Travelling the time streams, that's what! Ben Wheatley's new film acknowledges Philip K Dick, Alan Moore, Kurt Vonnegut and an awful lot of others at the end but to me this felt most like one of the Jerry Cornelius novels of Michael Moorcock, especially A Cure for Cancer. Agent Sam Riley is thrown into the time streams by Alexandria Maria Lara in search of a missing scientist whose Brane (sic) has exploded. This is where he meets Noah Taylor in a large number of roles, alters roles himself as does Lara and the three of them meet up, cross over and affect the outcome of the time streams while always coming back to the same house but in different rooms. Shot in black and white in academy ratio ('because it's best for faces' said Mr Wheatley) and making ingenious use of both new tech and old school model work. If you're not a fan of Mr Wheatley this is unlikely to convert you, and if you've seen everything he's ever done chances are you'll still be surprised by this one. Oh, and your mileage will undoubtedly vary as to whether it's your cup of tea or not. 

Event Horizon

This year's big screen classic, which if you haven't seen you should, as it's still Paul WS Anderson's best. 'Big, British and Bloody Scary', as SFX magazine called this tale of deep space exploration gone horribly wrong (and to a hell dimension) back in the day. And an excellent opportunity for those who missed it the first time round to experience it on the big screen. I was there opening weekend so I elected to retire early.