Armchair Buyer’s Guide: Five Home Video Releases To Buy This October

5. Universal Monsters: The Essential Collection  (October 2)

October, a month bred on horror films and the fans that will consistently watch them for the entirety of the calendar month, is set to start off with one Hell of a bang. Universal, coming hot (and this writer means scorching) on the heels of their recently maligned Blu-ray box set of a handful of Alfred Hitchcock films, could not have worse buzz going into the release of this box set. The studio has had a storied love affair with their monster pictures, some of the most influential and well loved thrillers that the film world has ever seen. However, trust with the studio’s catalog Blu-ray transfers has gone entirely out of the window. Still, this is a must own box set including everything from  Dracula  to  The Creature From The Black Lagoon, so it’s just about as must own as any Blu-ray box set around really is. The reviews have seemingly been warm, and having seen some screen grabs for respective members of the box, I can say that this is really some superb work. Hopefully I’m not wrong

4. Shut Up And Play The Hits  (October 9)

The concert film is as popular as ever. Every band and their mothers are releasing a DVD of either a live performance or a collection of music videos with any deluxe release of their most recent work, so while it may seem odd that a concert film appears here on this list as one of the most interesting home video releases this month, this one is as special as they come. Documenting the final live performance of the iconic electronic/dance group LCD Soundsystem, the film is structured alongside an interview between their lead singer, James Murphy, and journalist/writer/genius Chuck Klosterman, and is one of the most interesting music documentaries that we’ve seen in quite some time. Similar thematically to the other brilliant music documentary of the past few years,  Under Great White Northern Lights, the film is an intriguing and vital look into the world of music, art and what goes through one’s mind as he or she ages within this world.  Shut Up And Play The Hits  is a beautifully shot film that blends interviews and performances as  seamlessly  as any recent concert film could ever imagine. A tad overlong, the film proved to be one of the biggest surprises of this past SXSW, and is going to be a must-own for any music fan this holiday season.

3. Moonrise Kingdom (October 16)

Say what you will about director Wes Anderson, but his latest film,  Moonrise Kingdom, may be the best thing he has crafted since  The Royal Tenenbaums.  The film features an absolutely killer cast with names ranging from Anderson’s right hand men Bill Murray and Jason Schwartzman to newcomers to his canon like Ed Norton and Bruce Willis, and blends a burgeoning young romance with tinges of chase films, escape films and hell, come the end, even a bit of good old fashion silent cinema. The film itself nears self-parody, but for a filmmaker so assured in his own aesthetic, that isn’t a shocking idea. Anderson is the prototypical auteur, blending his love for esoteric pop music with slow-motion tracking shots and vibrantly colored visual palettes. Easily and without a doubt one of 2012’s greatest films,  Moonrise  is a sweet mediation on love, loss and everything between, from one of today’s greatest filmmakers.

2. Fear And Desire  (October 23)

What more do you want? The very first feature length narrative film from director Stanley Kubrick finally makes its way to Blu-ray (hell, home video period) thanks to Kino’s upcoming release. Including one of Kubrick’s early documentary pictures, the release is relatively stacked. However, it’s the fact the film is being released at all that is the story here. Originally thought impossible to find due to Kubrick’s hatred for the film,  Fear  was recently restored and even shown on TCM in this newly restored form, which is the version of the picture making its way to Blu-ray. Featuring some brilliant artwork to boot, Kino has once again out done themselves here, and we will definitely have more on this release as it nears store shelves.

1. Rosemary’s Baby (October 30)

While I personally try to steer clear of Criterion Collection releases to be focused upon here in this post, when it comes to October, only one release truly has this writer’s mouth watering (asides from Kino’s aforementioned Kubrick Blu-ray). The mighty C is releasing Roman Polanski’s  Rosemary’s Baby  come the final Tuesday of October (Super Tuesday, shall we call it?), and this is one that can’t get here fast enough. Easily one of Polanski’s greatest films, if not one of the horror genre’s best,  Rosemary’s Baby  is a masterpiece of the highest regard. Coming stacked with supplements, the film includes a brand new transfer that will surely look superb, and given the horror movie season that we’ve hit, this is as perfectly timed a release as humanly possible. Again, we’ll have more on this release as it nears its day in the spotlight come October 30.