JP Nunez
If you’re a physical media collector, October just might be an expensive month for you. The Criterion Collection just announced its October releases, and every one of them is either horror or horror adjacent.
They’re putting out six new titles in all, starting with a 4K Blu-ray of the movie that literally invented the modern zombie subgenre, Night of the Living Dead, coming out on October 4. Criterion already put out a stunning Blu-ray of this film back in 2018, and while I’m personally very satisfied with that release, I’m always happy to see this all-time classic get some love.
A week later, on October 11, the Criterion Collection will be adding David Lynch’s neo-noir thriller Lost Highway on both Blu-ray and 4K, as well as the 1944 macabre black comedy Arsenic and Old Lace on Blu-ray.
Then, on October 18, we’ll be getting what for me are the real highlights of this announcement. First, we have the 2019 Guatemalan gem La Llorona (not to be confused with the stinker The Curse of La Llorona, which came out the same year), and I’ve been waiting for a physical release of this film for a while. It came out as a Shudder original about two years ago, but I’m a physical media guy through and through, so I’ll be picking this one up as soon as possible.
Secondly, that same day will also give us a release of the beloved 1997 classic Cure, and I have to be honest, I’ve actually never seen this film. It’s been on my ever-expanding to-watch list for a while, but I’ve just never gotten around to seeing it. However, with a Blu-ray release just around the corner, I now have a reason to check it out ASAP, and I can’t wait to finally watch it.
Last but not least, on the final Tuesday in October, the Criterion Collection will be giving us a two-disc Blu-ray edition of the Southern Gothic classic Eve’s Bayou.
As I said, all these great new releases might make October an expensive month for you but don’t worry, it’s not all bad news for your wallet. Criterion normally has a 24-hour 50% off flash sale sometime in November, and Barnes and Noble sells all their Criterion discs at half price for the entire month, so if you can wait just a few weeks after these titles come out, you’ll be able to get them a bit cheaper than they normally go for.
