Well. Life is … rolling along.

I did get to see Onslaught this past weekend and really liked it. Considered to be a spiritual sequel to The Guest (one of my favoritest movies EVER), this slice of ’80s throwback cinema is right up my alley. Get thee to a theater to see it!

We trekked down to the wilds of North Georgia to visit a friend at his lake house. By the time we got there and had lunch, the clouds had rolled in, and lightning was dancing around the lake. So, we didn’t get to go out on the boat. But we did see a snake at the marina, and the view from his house was pretty spectacular. I wish I had money for a fancy lake house with an impressive view.

And now, some photographic randomness.

Hot and Sour Soup is one of my favoritest things ever.

Deep Fried Oreos are da bomb. All the fun and tasty flavors are always “limited edition.” *Grump!*Grump!*

YES! The Backrooms 4K release is now in my grubby, collectory hands!

Meanwhile … Regular work is still a slog. Freelance work is a slog. I am tired of just slogging instead of being creative. I went to bed in a bad mood about all this and woke up in a worse mood because of weird dreams and uneasy sleep. Ugh.

Anhoo …

Yeah. I am still alive. What an up-and-down summer it has been. Some good times, some pretty bad times, and quite a few trips to the movie theater. Maybe I will chat about all that at some point.

Meanwhile … Second Sight (over in the UK) has announced their limited edition Blu-ray of The Blair Witch Project and you can color me stupidly excited! This release “represents the filmmakers’ complete vision for the film” as the home video versions that Lionsgate has been putting out messed with the look of the original film. Needless to say, I pre-ordered this asap. Ha, ha. Second Sight is out to bankrupt me. Their limited edition releases are ACES.

Special Features 

• A new Second Sight Films restoration from the Hi8 videotapes and 16mm film elements, supervised and approved by the Producers and Directors
• 2-disc edition includes restored and remastered Original Theatrical Cut and Festival Cut plus original-release version
• The Blair Witch Documentary: a new feature-length Second Sight Films production
• New audio commentary by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Josh Nelson
• Directors’ and Producers’ audio commentary
• Deleted scenes including previously unseen video and 16mm footage
• The Blair Witch Project: Analogue Horror in a Digital World by Mike Muncer
• Curse of the Blair Witch
• Alternate Endings
• Cannes 1999: archive Directors interview
• Trailers

Limited Edition Contents

• Rigid slipcase with new artwork by Timothy Pittides
• 184-page hardback book with archive production materials and new essays by Stacey Abbott, Becky Darke, Adam Hart, Craig Ian Mann, Mary Beth McAndrews,  Dr. Cecilia Sayad, Pete Turner and Heather Wixson
• Heather’s Journal
• 3 collectors’ art cards

I can’t tell you how long I have been waiting for a box set of the Ju-on films. Well, that box set has now been officially announced and it’s stacked. Squee!

Ju-on: The Grudge Collection (Limited Edition) drops in the UK (and for us multi-region player owners) on December 19th from Arrow Video.

• Brand new 4K restoration of Ju-On: The Grudge from the original camera negative by Arrow Films
• 4K (2160p) Ultra HD Blu-ray presentation of Ju-On: The Grudge in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
• High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentations of all films
• Home video premiere outside Japan of Ju-On: The Curse and Ju-On: The Curse 2
• Original 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio (except The Curse and The Curse 2) and 2.0 stereo audio
• Optional English subtitles
• Exclusive 60-page collector’s booklet featuring writing by Grady Hendrix, James Marsh, Tom Mes, William Carroll and Lindsay Nelson [Limited Edition Exclusive]
• Reversible sleeves featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Oink Creative
• Twenty-four double-sided, postcard-sized artcards [Limited Edition Exclusive]
• Reversible poster with new and original artwork [Limited Edition Exclusive]

DISC 1 – JU-ON: THE CURSE AND JU-ON: THE CURSE 2 (BLU-RAY)

• Introduction to both films by writer-director Takashi Shimizu
• Introduction to Ju-On: The Curse by actor Takako Fuji

DISC 2 & 3 – JU-ON: THE GRUDGE (4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY / BLU-RAY)

• Brand new 4K restoration from the original camera negative by Arrow Films
• Introduction by writer-director Takashi Shimizu
• New audio commentary by film historian David Kalat
• Audio commentary by Sam Raimi and Scott Spiegel
• Alternate English dub track in 5.1 Surround
• Haunting in Monochrome, a new interview with Takashi Shimizu on the Ju-On films
• Being Kayako, a new interview with Takako Fuji on her role as Kayako
• The Evolution of Ju-On, a brand new featurette with authors and Japan specialists Tom Mes and Zack Davisson discussing the cultural forces that shaped the series
• Through a Glass Darkly, an archive interview with Takashi Shimizu
• Whispers in the Dark, an archive interview with actor Megumi Okina on her role as Rika
• Fade to Black, an archive interview with actress Kayoko Shibata, who plays Mariko
• On-set interviews with Takashi Shimizu, Megumi Okina, Misaki Ito, Misa Uehara and Yui Ichikawa
• Deleted scenes with commentary by Takashi Shimizu
• Almost an hour of behind-the-scenes footage
• Ju-On True Stories, two ghostly true-life tales that inspired the films, narrated by Hiroyoshi Kihara
• Original trailers
• Image gallery

DISC 4 – JU-ON: THE GRUDGE 2 (BLU-RAY)

• Introduction by writer-director Takashi Shimizu
• New audio commentary with scholar Raechel Dumas and critic Jasper Sharp
• Alternate English dub track in 5.1 Surround
• Interview with Takashi Shimizu from the time of making Ju-On: The Grudge 2
• On-set interviews with Noriko Sakai, Chiharu Niiyama, Kei Horie, Yui Ichikawa, Emi Yamamoto and Shingo Katsurayama
• Deleted scenes
• 55 minutes of behind-the-scenes footage
• On-set reports by cast members Noriko Sakai, Yui Ichikawa and Erika Kuroishi
• Premieres and stage greetings footage from Japan, Taiwan and Korea
• Trailers and TV spots
• Image gallery

DISC 5 – JU-ON: WHITE GHOST AND JU-ON: BLACK GHOST (BLU-RAY)

• Introduction to Ju-On: Black Ghost by writer-director Mari Asato
• New interview with Mari Asato
• Original trailer
• Image galleries