Midnight & Cult DVD Christmas! (Plus, FMWL's First Reader Giveaway!)

OK, we all know that Netflix and Redbox are killing the video industry as we know it. It makes me sick, and it's awful. As a former video store employee, I don't believe there's any way that perusing a touch screen or computer screen or gaming console can ever replace the cinephile experience of wandering the aisles of a wall-to-wall hall of cinematic goodness, reading quotes on boxes and trying to make sense out of those little blurbs on the back that always seem to tell too much or not enough.

That said, when I heard that our local Hollywood Video store was going down for the count, I set my sights on capitalizing upon its doom. Once my horror-deficient cohort Jason from Box Office Boredom told me that there "was nothing left but crap" in the store, I screamed yahtzee. Sure enough, when I got to the store every section had been picked over (seriously, the best flick in the Sci-Fi section was Mars Needs Women, and if you thought I didn't already own that you're balls-faced crazy.) - except the delectable horror section. It was indeed ON.

Thus, I present the following DVDs, each of which I acquired for the meager price of 3.99 American dollars. If you're my mother, you should probably avert your eyes now. (Love you Masha!)First up we've got the Amicus produced And Now The Screaming Starts!, an anthology film that's been on my wishlist for a long time. It stars no less than the great Peter Cushing and the gorgeous Stephanie Beacham, so it was a must. It's followed up by David Lee Fisher's 2006 "remix" of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, which I've been told is a nice companion piece to the silent masterpiece. Then there's what might be the most exciting find of the bunch Jacques Tourneur's Curse/Night of The Demon, one of the most revered classic horrors I'd yet to see.

The second bunch has Lucio Fulci's controversial Don't Torture a Duckling, which I've heard I may hate but decided to take a risk on as a fan of Zombi 2. Then we've got Spanish legend Paul Naschy starring in Exorcismo, no doubt a ripoff of The Exorcist that's sure to be full of ham. And last, another controversial film, Larry Cohen's God Told Me To, which I'm told is one of the most brutal movies out there.

Next up we've got the Italian legend Mario Bava with Hatchet for the Honeymoon, Ida Lupino's classic noir The Hitch-Hiker (restored by Kino, always a great sign), and the movie I'm most excited to finally see - Hammer Films' Horror of Frankenstein. I've had this out-of-print Franky tale on my wishlist for a long time, and finding it for one-tenth of the Amazon used price makes me squee. Last up are two more OOP titles - Paul Bartel's sicko comedy Private Parts and the hospital based slasher Visiting Hours, which I've always wanted to see so I'd know what a William Shatner/Michael Ironside horror film would look like.

BUT WAIT, there's more. Amidst the terror in the aisles, I came across a copy of recent Midnight Movie of the Week selection Popcorn! Now, I know what you're thinking....Hey The Mike, you already have that movie. What gives? Well, here's what gives. I spent 20+ bucks on a copy of this out-of-print slasher lately, and the lowest priced copy on Amazon these days is over $40. I am damn sure not letting some ungrateful fella of this town steal up a copy for $4.
As the fine folks of Alcoholics Anonymous say, we keep what we have by giving it away. Thus, I offer up From Midnight, With Love's First DVD Giveaway!

Here's what's going down: One lucky reader will have the chance to win a DVD copy of Popcorn (it's a former rental, of course, but the disc looks to be in really good shape, and I'll be sure to check it before sending it away) PLUS one bonus Midnight DVD chosen by The Mike! What do you need to do to win? Just complete the two steps below:

1) Click Follow on the side of the page to become a follower of From Midnight, With Love (if you haven't already). Or, you can become a fan of FMWL on facebook, if that's more you're style.
2) Post in the comments below suggesting a movie (or more than one) that you'd like to see featured as Midnight Movie of the Week on FMWL. Also, include an email address so I can contact you if you're the winner!

The winner be chosen randomly one week from today, February 28, at high noon CST. (I always wanted to schedule something for high noon. Mission complete.)

As always, thanks to all my readers, and here's to a lot of new horrors that'll probably be featured on FMWL in the future!