Speaking of going broke buying dvd’s … next week we get the release of “The Frighteners” Director’s Cut on disc. I know I have stated this before, but “The Frighteners” is really one of the great unseen (by mass audiences anyway) movies of the 90’s. It was released theatrically in the summer of 1996 … the summer that the shite film “Independence Day” destroyed all its competition. Back when LaserDiscs were still in their prime, Universal started releasing “Signature Collection” editions of certain films … thus “The Frighteners” got the royal treatment it deserved. The Signature Collection LaserDisc of “The Frighteners” has been long out of print and much sought after by film nerds like myself.

If we are lucky the new dvd release will include all of the Signature Collection LaserDisc extras:
– Presented in the 2.35:1 aspect ratio of the original 35 millimeter anamorphic theatrical prints
– Director’s Cut includes approximately 12 minutes of additional never-before-seen footage
– Running audio commentary by director Peter Jackson
– The Making of The Frighteners, an original full-length 4½-hour documentary on the making of the film written, directed and produced by Peter Jackson, featuring featuring interviews with Michael J. Fox, Trini Alvarado, Dee Wallace Stone, Jake Busey, Jim Fyfe and Chi McBride and including: Rehearsing, Storyboarding, Miniatures and Extensive exploration of the special effects, motion control and bluescreens.
– Deleted Scenes
– Bloopers
– Theatrical Trailer

Here’s what the Press Release for the dvd says re: the extras:
– Widescreen Aspect Ratio
– Audio Commentary by Director Peter Jackson
– “The Making of The Frighteners” Full Length Documentary (whether this is the 4-1/2 hour long version included on the laserdisc edition isn’t confirmed)
– Storyboard Gallery
– Theatrical Trailer

Yup. The main thing that fans have been wondering is if we will get the entire 4-1/2 hour documentary on the dvd. I guess we’ll find out next week!