Blu-ray

An original score from Danny Elfman? Check. Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter in the cast? Check. Kooky Gothic subject matter? Check. That sounds like another Tim Burton movie to us...

Director Robert Wiene's 1920 silent movie recounts the tale of the titular carnival hypnotist and the somnambulist he uses to kill for him. While the plot may appear fairly simple, Wiene's film infuses each frame of the story with a nightmarish quality, running from the overtly theatrical performances to his pioneering use of an Expressionist aesthetic – the latter creating a blatantly artificial landscape, full of harsh jagged angles, that serves to exaggerate the psychological terror. Utterly captivating.

What can be said about the second part of Romero's epic zombie saga that hasn't be written before? Not much I'd wager given the weight of critical and academic analysis it has been repeatedly subjected to since its original release back in 1978. As such I'm not going to waste much time on the movie itself, after all every self-respecting horror fan will already be familiar with the film (in all of its many incarnations - replicated here with the inclusion of three different cuts) and those who have yet to see it are in for a gore-filled treat with an underlying subtext that is every bit as relevant today as it was thirty-plus years ago. As such, I'll just skip the waffle and reiterate the oft-repeated claim that Dawn of the Dead remains one of the greatest, and most influential, horror films ever made.

Against all the odds, 2011's Rise of the Planet of Apes turned out to be an unexpectedly smart and assured reboot for the iconic sci-fi franchise. And as good as that film was, director Matt (Cloverfield) Reeve's sequel trumps it in every regard.

This is far from director Wes Craven's finest moment, but there are still some inventive horrors (and a completely nonsensical ending) lying in wait in this largely forgotten 1981 mash-up of religious chillers and psycho slashers. Arrow's AVC 1.78:1 1080p restoration is a little uneven, but still manages to be the best-looking treatment of the film we've seen.  An LPCM 2.0 soundtrack copes admirably with the limited material, and generous extras include a commentary by Craven, interviews, a trailer and even a couple of Easter Eggs. Old school!

Not one of the most prolific Italian filmmakers, Luciano Ercoli demonstrated a sense of cinematic flair and style that makes it hard not to wonder what he might have gone on to create had he not retired after directing just eight films. This is especially true of his two forays into the giallo genre with the actress who would become his wife, Nieves Navarro (credited in these flicks as Susan Scott).