DVD Corner

“Halloween” 3-DVD Set, Blu-ray: Remaking a horror classic doesn’t have to be a horror show. All one has to do is look to Zack Snyder’s “Dawn of the Dead,” John Carpenter’s “The Thing,” Werner Herzog’s “Nosferatu” and Philip Kaufman’s “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” to see that it can be pulled off with panache. Too bad the same isn’t true for Rob Zombie’s “Halloween,” which takes Carpenter’s 1978 film of the same name and runs a knife through its gut. The film is a misreading of everything that made Carpenter’s low-budget classic work – attention to its two main characters, which was key, and especially attention to designing a landscape that allowed suspense to roam and mount. Unlike Zombie, who numbs with his overbearing use of gore, Carpenter didn’t rely on excessive violence to build momentum. Instead, he did it right, leaning on the energy generated by his spellbinding score and the idea that in the heartland, a boogeyman with a thing for butcher knives and Halloween masks could wreak such ugliness and havoc. Rated R. Grade: D

“Family Guy: Vol. 6”: This isn’t the funniest nor the most provocative season to date, though the envelope is pushed on enough issues to satisfy. Highlights include the episodes “Back to the Woods,” in which James Woods and Barry Manilow sadly enter into the equation; “McStroke” (not going there); and “Long John Peter,” which involves pirates and dead birds. So, yes, it’s hardly for everybody, but for those who get it, it’s clever, subversive fun, nonetheless. Grade: B-

“Knight Rider: Complete Series”: Features David Hasselhoff vs. a talking Trans-Am – who do you think steals the show? (Hint: the winner never appeared on YouTube drunk while eating a hamburger.) The complete collection of this ’80s television throwback now is available in collectible packaging, in which the bottom of the box is outfitted to look like the front of the infamous K.I.T.T. car. Push a button and not only do the red lights along the bottom flash, but a slice of the show’s theme song starts to play. Enjoy the fun and push that button while you can because when you turn to the series itself, it’s obvious that imagination never was its strong point. What we have here are 84 episodes included on 24 discs, with the hirsute Hasselhoff taking on any number of dangers in such howlers as “Knight of the Drones,” “Knight and the Knerd,” “Kittnap,” “Deadly Knightshade,” “Killer K.I.T.T.” and the aptly titled “Knight of Disgrace,” among others. If you’re seeking kitsch, this is it. If you’re not, time has been as unkind to this show as it has to Hasselhoff himself. Grade: C-

“Kit Kittredge: An American Girl” DVD, Blu-ray: One of the year’s best family films. Though it could have been created purely as a vehicle to help sell the overwhelming amount of American Girl merchandise on the market, it resists that urge and goes deeper with a timely tale about the Depression, and one young girl’s realizations and adventures within it. That girl is Kit Kittredge, who is played by Abigail Breslin with all the energy of a nuclear reactor. Since Breslin has the capacity to turn on the cute factor to such a degree that it could have been a turnoff, the good news is that the script allows her enough moments of drama to give her character depth. Echoes of Nancy Drew abound, with Chris O’Donnell, Julia Ormond, Stanley Tucci, Joan Cusack and others rounding out a story that respects its young audience, has a keen appreciation for what it means to be a child in a troubled world, and knows that there’s plenty to be said for the optimism that comes with innocence. If that sounds corny, you should know that for the most part, the movie isn’t. Rated G. Grade: B+

“Warner Gangster Collection, Vol. 4”: Five gangster films from Warner, most dipped in noir, all peppered with some of the key players of the time. Included are four films starring Edward G. Robinson, a giant of the gangster genre. Fittingly, he stars in 1933’s “The Little Giant”; 1933’s excellent “Kid Galahad,” cast opposite a rough-and-tumble Bette Davis and Humphrey Bogart; 1938’s “The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse,” also with Bogart; and 1942’s “Larceny, Inc.,” a gangster comedy with a very funny Jack Carson. Also in the set is 1939’s “Invisible Stripes,” with Bogart unable to ditch crime, and so he doesn’t. George Raft and William Holden co-star. The boxed set is filled with extras, including trailers, commentaries, Warner cartoons and the documentary “Public Enemies: The Golden Age,” which explores in detail why the gangster genre once flourished, and why it especially matters now. Grade: B+

Also on DVD and Blu-ray Disc

Several solid releases are just out from the BBC, including the ninth and final season of “‘Allo, ‘Allo,” a comedy set during World War II that follows the carousing French cafe owner Rene Artois as he flirts with his waitresses while trying to handle a difficult wife and mother-in-law. He might not always succeed, but this show does. Also recommended are “Michael Palin: Full Circle” and “Michael Palin: Hemingway Adventures/Great Railway Journeys,” each of which finds Palin circling the globe in several beautifully photographed adventures. Those who dig Ian McShane from the canceled HBO series “Deadwood” should look to his early work in “Lovejoy: Christmas Specials,” which finds McShane armed with a decidedly less enthusiastic abuse of the vocabulary. Here, McShane is a roguish antiques dealer who sleuths on the sly in shows honed around the Christmas holiday. For those seeking a choice American comedy series, look to the Emmy Award-winning “The New Adventures of Old Christine: Complete Second Season,” in which Julia Louis-Dreyfus breaks the “Seinfeld” curse by becoming Christine Campbell, a single mother plagued by insecurities while struggling to raise her son. She’s very good here, far better than Christine herself would admit. Finally, for those adults having a Halloween party, you cannot go wrong with the appealingly atrocious “Zombie Strippers: Unrated,” which stars Robert Englund and former porn star Jenna Jameson in a movie that bares it all. With that title and those two, uh, actors onboard, it doesn’t get any more B-movie than this. To a lesser degree, the same can be said for the films tucked within Lionsgate’s “Ghost House Underground,” which includes eight horror movies made on the supercheap. Those beauties include “Dance of the Dead,” “No Man’s Land: The Rise of the Reeker,” “Room 205” and “Brotherhood of Blood,” among others, all of which are soaked in shrieks and buckets of red Karo syrup. The set hails from horror mainstays Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert, and like “Strippers,” everything about it is just awful enough to be entertaining. Especially after a few drinks.

WeekinRewind.com is the site for Bangor Daily News film critic Christopher Smith’s blog, DVD giveaways and archive of movie reviews. Smith’s reviews appear Mondays, Fridays and weekends in Lifestyle, as well as on

bangordailynews.com. He may be reached at Christopher@weekinrewind.com.