Holiday Gift Guide - Vestron Video Collector's Series Blu-rays
By Paul Rudoff on Nov. 30, 2021 at 12:00 PM in Home Video

Looking for a last minute holiday gift for your video-loving family or friends? Well, let me run down a few items that have come out in the past few months that would be perfect for the person who loves niche B-movies that were popular in the VHS era. Lionsgate's Vestron Video Collector's Series is "a line of classic and unique genre films, remastered and numbered, and packed with special features." I have reviewed several other titles in the series. Let's take a quick look at the latest titles in the series...
All of the following titles have already been released and are available for purchase from Amazon at the links provided. The Corner Penthouse will earn a very tiny commission for your purchase using these links.

The Wraith (1986) (Vestron #20)
• BUY IT: Blu-ray
• VIDEOS: Trailer
• SYNOPSIS: When four glowing orbs crash into each other over the Arizona desert, they leave in their wake a badass Dodge Turbo Interceptor - and its enigmatic, helmeted driver. The next day, the mysterious Jake (Charlie Sheen) appears in the town of Brooks, catching the eye of Keri (Sherilyn Fenn) and the ire of Packard (Nick Cassavetes), the ruthless leader of a gang of street racers. When gang members start losing races - and lives - to the Interceptor, the recent death of Keri’s boyfriend suddenly seems connected to the arrival of Jake, the unbeatable car…and an avenging entity called The Wraith.
• SPECIAL FEATURES: Audio Commentary with writer/director Mike Marvin. Audio Commentary with actors Dave Sherrill and Jamie Bozian. Isolated Score Selections featuring an audio interview with co-composer J. Peter Robinson. Tales from the Desert (16:21) - An interview with writer/director Mike Marvin. Rughead Speaks (12:24) - An interview with actor Clint Howard. Ride of the Future (11:44) - Interviews with stunt coordinator Buddy Joe Hooker and transportation coordinator Gary Hellerstein. The Ghost Car (11:43) - Interviews with visual effects producer Peter Kuran and effects animator Kevin Kutchaver. The Wraith Filming Locations: Then and Now (27:11) - A tour of locations led by Mobile Instinct's Chris. Theatrical Trailer (2:03). TV Spots (1:25). Alternate "Interceptor" Title Sequence (1:48). Still Gallery (5:42).
• NOTES: The packaging includes a slipcover, and a digital copy is also inside the keepcase.

Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat (Vestron #21)
• BUY IT: Blu-ray
• VIDEOS: Trailer
• SYNOPSIS: The road to Purgatory is paved with good intentions, and Count Mardulak (David Carradine) wouldn't have it any other way. He's seeking atonement for centuries of human carnage, which is why he's instructed Purgatory's vampire residents to slather on SPF 100 sunblock, pursue daytime activities...and drink only synthetic blood. But some vampires don't agree with Mardulak - they want the real thing - and if that means wooden bullets flying in a vampire civil war, so be it! This wild horror-comedy also stars Bruce Campbell, Maxwell Caulfield, M. Emmet Walsh, and John Ireland.
• SPECIAL FEATURES: Audio Commentary with director Anthony Hickox and director of photography Levie Isaacks. Isolated Score Selections and audio interviews with music historian Randall Larson and producer Jefferson Richard. Wild Weird West (16:03) - Interview with Anthony Hickox. Bloodsuckers from Purgatory (14:28) - Interview with Tony Gardner. Memories of Moab (12:43) - Interview with Bruce Campbell. A Vampire Reformed (13:08) - Interview from 1989 with David Carradine. A True Character (11:02) - Interview from 2008 with M. Emmet Walsh. Theatrical Trailer (1:03). Still Gallery (14:58).
• NOTES: The packaging includes a slipcover, and a digital copy is also inside the keepcase.

Dementia 13 (1963) (Vestron #22)
• BUY IT: Blu-ray
• VIDEOS: Trailer
• SYNOPSIS: A widow deceives her late husband's mother and brothers into thinking he's still alive when she attends the yearly memorial to his drowned sister, hoping to secure his inheritance. But her cunning is no match for the demented, axe-wielding thing roaming the grounds of the family's Irish estate in this cult favorite featuring Patrick Magee, Luana Anders, William Campbell, and Bart Patton.
• SPECIAL FEATURES: Audio Commentary by Francis Ford Coppola. Introduction by Francis Ford Coppola (1:00). Prologue (Dementia 13 Test) (6:44).
• NOTES: This is the Directors Cut of the film. The packaging includes a slipcover, and a digital copy is also inside the keepcase.

Steel Dawn (Vestron #23)
• BUY IT: Blu-ray
• VIDEOS: Trailer
• SYNOPSIS: "Whoever controls the water controls the valley," proclaims the evil Damnil (Anthony Zerbe) in this cult favorite starring Patrick Swayze as Nomad, an ex-soldier roaming the desert wastes of a war-ravaged world. When his mentor is killed before he can take the job of peacemaker in the town of Meridian, Nomad lends the townspeople his fighting skills instead, gaining the trust of war widow Kasha (Lisa Niemi) and her son, Jux (Brett Hool). But after Damnil learns of a secret water supply flowing under Kasha's farm, his thirst turns truly murderous in this dystopian '80s gem also featuring Brion James.
• SPECIAL FEATURES: Audio Commentary with director Lance Hool. Interview with screenwriter Doug Lefler (17:10). Interview with director of photography George Tirl (17:14). Interview with production designer Alex Tavoularis and costume designer Poppy Cannon Reese (16:15). Making of Steel Dawn (25:52). Theatrical Trailer (1:29). Still Gallery (4:11).
• NOTES: The packaging includes a slipcover, and a digital copy is also inside the keepcase.
EXCITING NEWS! The Vestron series will continue in 2022 with the 24th entry, Candyman 3: Day of the Dead, set for release on January 18, 2022.
As of right now (updated 11/30/2021), the Vestron Video Collector's Series includes the following Blu-ray releases.
![]() 01. Chopping Mall (September 27, 2016) 02. Blood Diner (September 27, 2016) 03. Waxwork 1 & 2 (October 18, 2016) - Double Feature 04. Return of the Living Dead 3 (November 22, 2016) 05. C.H.U.D. II: Bud The CHUD (November 22, 2016) 06. The Lair of the White Worm (January 31, 2017) 07. Parents (January 31, 2017) 08. The Gate (Febuary 28, 2017) 09. Wishmaster Collection (March 28, 2017) - Quadruple Feature 10. The Unholy (June 27, 2017) 11. The Warlock Collection (July 25, 2017) - Triple Feature 12. Slaughter High (October 31, 2017) 13. Gothic (January 30, 2018) 14. Class of 1999 (January 30, 2018) 15. Beyond Re-Animator (July 24, 2018) 16. H.P. Lovecraft's Dagon (July 24, 2018) 17. Maximum Overdrive (October 23, 2018) 18. Shivers (September 15, 2020) 19. Little Monsters (September 15, 2020) 20. The Wraith (July 20, 2021) 21. Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat (August 17, 2021) 22. Dementia 13 (Directors Cut) (September 21, 2021) 23. Steel Dawn (October 16, 2021) 24. Candyman 3: Day of the Dead (January 18, 2022) |
The Wraith and Dementia 13 were provided by Lionsgate for review on this site. The rest were purchased with my own money.
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