A couple weeks ago, we heard that the Vestron Video Collector's Series line of special edition Blu-rays was making a triumphant comeback (after two years of lying dormant) with September releases of the 1989 kid-friendly comedy LITTLE MONSTERS (which you can watch on Amazon Prime) and David Cronenberg's 1975 outbreak classic SHIVERS (also on Amazon Prime). Now the company has confirmed that these Blu-rays are being released on September 15th, and revealed the lists of bonus features.
Directed by Richard Alan Greenberg from a screenplay by Terry Rossio and Ted Elliott, LITTLE MONSTERS stars Fred Savage, Howie Mandel, and Daniel Stern. It tells the story of
Brian (Savage), a sixth-grader who’s recently moved to a new town and made friends with Maurice (Mandel) — the monster who lives under Brian's bed! Maurice introduces Brian to the world of monsters, where junk food rules, adults aren’t allowed, and the fun and games never end. But when Brian's brother is kidnapped, it’s time for Brian to get serious and fight the monsters on their turf in this zany cult favorite.
Vestron's release has the following bonus features:
– *NEW* Audio Commentary with Jarret Gahan, Editor-in-Chief of CultofMonster.com
– *NEW* Isolated Score Selections and Audio Interview with Composer David Newman
– *NEW* “Call Him Maurice” – An Interview with Actor Howie Mandel
– *NEW* “Beneath the Bed” – An Interview with Producer Andrew Licht
– *NEW* “Monsters Big & Small” – An Interview with Special Makeup Effects Creator Robert Short
– *NEW* Vintage Interviews with Actors Fred Savage, Ben Savage, Special Makeup Effects Creator Robert Short, and Director Richard Alan Greenberg
– Behind-the-Scenes Footage
– “Making Maurice” – Vintage Footage of Howie Mandel’s Makeup Transformation
– Vintage EPK & VHS Promo
– Theatrical Trailer
– Still Gallery
Written and directed by David Cronenberg, SHIVERS was produced by Ivan Reitman and is also known as THEY CAME FROM WITHIN. Starring Paul Hampton, Joe Silver, Lynn Lowery, and Barbara Steele, the film has the following synopsis:
When the residents of a luxury apartment complex outside Montreal are infiltrated by parasites and transformed into violent, sex-crazed maniacs, it’s up to Dr. Roger St. Luc to contain the outbreak from spreading to the city at large in a film that “scares and shocks us because it’s so cleverly made” (Roger Ebert).
The special features:
– *NEW* Audio Commentary with Writer-Director David Cronenberg and Co-Producer Don Carmody
– *NEW* “Mind Over Matter” – An Interview with Writer-Director David Cronenberg
– *NEW* “Good Night Nurse” – An Interview with Actress Lynn Lowry
– *NEW* “Outside and Within” – An Interview with Special Make-Up Effects Creator Joe Blasco
– *NEW* “Celebrating Cinépix” – An Interview with Greg Dunning
– Archival 1998 David Cronenberg Interview
– Still Gallery with Optional Archival Audio Interview with Executive Producer John Dunning
– Theatrical Trailers
– TV Spot
– Radio Spots
There's a lot of new stuff on these releases for fans to enjoy, so they both appear to be worth the $17.99 asking price to me. Will you be picking them up?