It takes a lot to be a horror fan. We suffer indignities that other film fans wouldn’t dream of. Genre films are seldom screened for press, leading to frantic scrambling to get a seat at a midnight showing so that we can have that review up and ready for you, dear readers, on opening day. Regular critics scoff at our genre, and often can’t be bothered with it at all. So it rests upon those of us who are true lovers of the genre to keep you abreast of the happenings in horror-land.

Adding to my general frustration with the powers that be is the mishandling of three recent films in particular.  All the Boys Love Mandy Lane, Trick ‘r Treat, and Paranormal Activity have all gotten a rotten distribution deal in one way or another. I  asked Scott Weinberg, Managing Editor of Cinematical and Editor of Horror Squad if he was surprised that all three of these got shelved after they received good festival buzz. ”Annoyed, yes. Surprised, no. Every distributor seems to want a ‘break-out’ horror flick, but few know what to do with it once they get one,” he said

So here is the rundown on these three films.

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Trick ‘r Treat is yet another horror film that has been severely mishandled over the last few years. A few other notables are Paranormal Activity (finally out in theaters) and All the Boys Love Mandy Lane (collecting dust on  a shelf somewhere). Trick ‘r Treat was shown at a few genre film festivals last year and a few this year as well. It was received by the audiences with giddy, glowing praise, and was  heralded an instant Halloween classic.

Then it sat on a shelf with no release date.  Fortunately, Warner Brothers threw us horror buffs a bone and released it last week on DVD.  It promptly sold out, which demonstrated the pent up demand to see this movie.

Admittedly, it has been over-hyped a bit. It is not among the best horror movies ever made, but it is really fun. It actually celebrates the traditions of Halloween, and is unique in that respect. In the town where the story takes place, candy still needs to be carefully checked for razors and poison, and you don’t disregard the rules of Halloween. Namely, never blow out the candle in a jack-o-lantern, lest bad things happen.

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Here’s a list of some of the new movie and TV shows coming to DVD and Blu-ray this week that we’re looking forward to seeing. Also, there’s some classic, and not-so-classic, movies hitting Blu-ray for the first time this week as well.

Of all the new releases, we’re particularly interested in the Blu-ray versions of movies and TV shows like Trick ‘r Treat (pictured above with Anna Paquin), Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Chinatown, Bones Season 4 and the complete Stargate: Atlantis series.

Check them out.

Movies

Anvil: The Story of Anvil ~ Robb Reiner  (DVD)

Assassination of a High School President ~ Kathryn Morris, Michael Rapaport, Bruce Willis (DVD and Blu-ray)

Chinatown ~ Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Huston (DVD)

Contact ~ Jodie Foster (Blu-ray)

Dance Flick ~ Damon Wayans (DVD and Blu-ray)

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Trick ‘r Treat is a movie that has had a seemingly endless road from production to release. Originally slated to hit theaters back in October of 2007, the studio decided to push the film’s release back. Several bumps and unsuccessful screenings later, Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures finally decided the film would do best as a DVD release this October.

No word on whether or no the film itself was changed at all in the two years, but True Blood fans will get star Anna Paquin in the film before she went all Southern Blond. Also starring in the film is Brian Cox, Leslie Bibb, and Dylan Baker. The film was written and directed by X2 and Superman Returns scribe Michael Dougherty.

Check out the new trailer after the jump, pick up the exclusive Trick ‘r Treat graphic novel from DC Comics Entertainment next month, and grab the DVD just in time for Halloween on October 6th.

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