One of the pioneers of the VHS era, Vestron Video released quality entertainment like THE MONSTER SQUAD, AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON, DIRTY DANCING, and BLUE STEEL during its eleven years of home video distribution. Vestron shut down in 1992, but the name and their film library have been passing hands over the last couple decades and are now owned by Lionsgate.
Lionsgate has announced that they will be reviving the Vestron Video label to give special collector's edition Blu-ray releases to classic genre films. The first two Vestron Video Collector's Series releases are scheduled to hit shelves on September 27th, and they picked an awesome pair of films to start things off with.
First up is Jim Wynorski's 1986 killer robot masterpiece CHOPPING MALL.
Teenagers trapped in a high-tech mall overnight must find a way out before three malfunctioning security robots destroy them in Chopping Mall.
The special features:
AUDIO COMMENTARIES:
– Director/Co-Writer Jim Wynorski, Actress Kelli Maroney, and Co-Writer/2nd Unit Director Steve Mitchell
– Historians/Authors Nathaniel Thompson (Mondo Video) and Ryan Turek (Shock Till You Drop)
– Director/Co-Writer Jim Wynorski and Co-Writer/2nd Unit Director Steve Mitchell
FEATURETTES:
– “Back to the Mall”
– “Chopping Chopping Mall”
– “The Killbots”
– “Scoring Chopping Mall”
– “The Robot Speaks”
– “The Lost Scene”
– “Army of One”
– “Chopping Mall: Creating the Killbots”
– Isolated Score Track by Chuck Cirino
– Trailer
The second Vestron September 27th release is Jackie Kong's insane 1987 horror/comedy BLOOD DINER.
Two cannibalistic brothers kill various young women to make their flesh part of their new special dish at their rundown restaurant while seeking blood sacrifices to awaken a dormant Egyptian goddess.
The special features assembled for this one:
AUDIO COMMENTARY with Director Jackie Kong
FEATURETTES:
– “Queen Kong”
– “The Cook, The Uncle, and The Detective”
– “Open for Business”
– “Scoring for Sheetar!”
– “You Are What They Eat”
– Archival Interview with Project Consultant Eric Caidin
– Theatrical Trailer
– TV Spots
– Still Gallery
Every Vestron Video Collector's Series release will only be available for a limited time, and each will be transferred from the original film elements to HD.
These first two releases are mind-blowing "must haves" that have me very excited for this Blu-ray series. The covers for both CHOPPING MALL and BLOOD DINER can be seen below. Note that the films in this series will be numbered – CHOPPING MALL is #1, BLOOD DINER is #2. A smart move that guarantees completionist collectors are going to want to collect the whole set so there aren't gaps in the count.