Today may be April Fool's Day but these upcoming physical media releases ain't no joke. Make some space on your Blu-ray shelf, because this month is bringing some real heat.
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Birth/Rebirth (Limited Edition Slipcase Blu-ray) - Vinegar Syndrome
Birth/Rebirth, Laura Moss' queasy take on the Frankenstein tale, put motherhood front and center with its tale of a maternity nurse desperately trying to bring her daughter back from the dead with the help of eccentric pathologist. Judy Reyes and Marin Ireland give two powerhouse performances, as does little A.J. Lister. Vinegar Syndrome's release of Birth/Rebirth comes with commentary from Moss, Ireland, Reyes, executive producer/co-writer Brendan J. O'Brien and medical advisor Emily Ryan, as well as a new documentary and booklet essay.
Companion (4K Ultra + Digital) - Warner Home Video
Drew Hancock's bubblegum horror hit Companion is an instant entry into the good-for-her canon, and further marks Sophie Thatcher as a scream queen to watch. Starring Jack Quaid (The Boys), Lukas Gage (Smile 2), Megan Suri (Never Have I Ever) Harvey Guillen (What We Do in the Shadows),ย Companion is one of the best original horror movies of the year so far, and definitely deserves a space on your physical media shelf.
Warner Home Video's release ofย Companion ships today, April 1.
Cries and Shadows: The Return of the Exorcist (Limited Blu-ray/CD w/ Slipcover and coin) - Cauldron Films
Boldly also titledย The Exorcist III, Naked Exorcismย andย Return of the Exorcist, Cries and Shadows: The Return of the Exorcistย is pure Europulp horror for those with a dedicated cult selection on their physical media shelf. Satanic orgies and bloody rituals make this shameless rip off ofย The Exorcist well worth a watch. Cauldron's Limited Edition release comes with extras including interview, commentaries, full color booklet and a CD soundtrack.
Pre-order Cries and Shadows: The Return of the Exorcistย here for release later this month.
Heart Eyes (Blu-ray + Digital) - SONY
Josh Ruben's rom-com slasherย Heart Eyes sliced into theaters in February, instantly cementing itself as a holiday horror classic. Lead by Mason Gooding (Scream) and Olivia Holt (Cruel Summer),ย Heart Eyes follows the seasonal bloodbath of the titular killer who takes down unsuspecting lovey-dovey couples. Extras on the Blu-ray release include filmmaker commentary, deleted and extended scenes and a Making Of documentary.
Pre-orderย Heart Eyes on Blu-ray here for an April 15 release.
Sorority House Massacre (Collector's Edition + Exclusive Poster) - Shout! Factory
Carol Frank's Sorority House Massacreย might not have been a huge hit upon release in 1986 but, like many female-directed movies of the time, has since gone on to be reappraised as a misunderstood cult classic. Shout! Factor's Collector's Edition release comes as a 4K scan of the original film pressing, with extras including interviews, additional footage and an exclusive poster.
Pre-order Sorority House Massacre ย here for an April 8 release.
Shoestring Slashers Volume 1 (3 Disc Set) - Terror Vision
As always with Terror Vision, thisย Shoestring Slashers release isn't just a boxset – it's an entire event. Volume 1 of the series includes three oft-overlooked slashers: Phantom Brother (1988), directed by William Szarka, Beware (1999) directed by Jason Daly and Basement Jack (2009) directed by Michael Shelton. All three movies come with extras including commentaries and interviews, and all discs are region-free, so you can enjoy the first volume ofย Shoestring Slashers no matter where you are in the world.
Pre-order Shoestring Slashers Volume 1 (3 Disc Set) here for a late April release.
The Beyond (Super-deluxe 6 disc Collectorโs Edition) - Grindhouse Releasing
Lucio Fulci's supernatural horror masterpieceย The Beyond is getting a deluxe 4K UHD release from Grindhouse Releasing with a stacked 6-disc set containing over 20 hours of bonus features including Fabio Frizzi's alternate โComposer's Cutโ, the edited U.S. version known as 7 Doors of Death, plus an abundance of newly produced extras – seriously, this thing is absolutely jam packed.
Pre-orders for Grindhouse Releasing's UHD Deluxe Edition ofย The Beyond are now live over on the official site for a release later this month.
The Bloody Lady (Limited Edition Slipcase Blu-ray) - Arbelos Films
Hidden gems don't come much more hidden thanย The Bloody Lady, Viktor Kubal's Slovakian animated tale of Lady Elisabeth Bรกthory from 1980. If the gorgeous slipcase of Arbelos Films' release wasn't enough to convince you, the charmingly creepy The Bloody Lady‘s new region-free release comes with over 20 restored short films from Kubal, a 12-page booklet and, perhaps most excitingly, STICKERS. Yes, STICKERS. And they're adorable.
The Creep Tapes Season 1 (Blu-ray) - Shudder
The Creep Tapes, Patrick Brice and Mark Duplass‘ series follow-up to found-footage cult horrorย Creepย debuted as the most watched Shudder show of all time on AMC+ and the strongest November release in Shudder history. The show explores the further adventures of the maniacal yet oddly adorable serial killer Peachfuzz, with each episode showcasing the fate of one of his unsuspecting victims. With a second season on the way, there's no better time to get caught up withย The Creep Tapes.
Pre-orderย The Creep Tapes Season 1 here for a April 1 release.
The Vourdalak (Limited Edition Blu-ray/Limited Edition DVD) - Oscilloscope Laboratories
There's a lot of vampire movies. So many, in fact, that these days it can be tough to make an original take on the tale. But with The Vourdalak, Adrien Beau has managed to do just that. The French Gothic horror is based on Aleksey Konstantinovich Tolstoy's 1839 novella The Family of the Vourdalak,ย and differs from many other vampire horrors due to the fact that its titular bloodsucker is a life-sized (and impossibly creepy) puppet. Oscilloscope Laboratories' release of The Vourdalakย comes with deleted scenes, behind the scenes features and two short films.