Best Buy just posted a listing for what looks like a 4K Ultra HD release of the original Hellboy (2004) film on 3/5/19 from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, no doubt timed to promote the theatrical release of the new Hellboy (2019) reboot from Lionsgate on 4/12/2019.

20th Century Fox’s Bad Times at the El Royale has officially been set for Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD release on 1/1.

Speaking of, Lionsgate will release Justin MacGregor’s Best F(r)iends: Volumes 1 and 2 on Blu-ray on 1/22.

Film Movement will release two new titles by director Takeshi Kitano on Blu-ray and DVD on 11/27, including Outrage Code and the 3 Films by Takeshi Kitano Collection, which features Violent Cop, Boiling Point, and Hana-Bi.

Shout! Factory and GKids will release the anime Lu Over the Wall on Blu-ray and DVD on 2/5. They also have the anime The Night Is Short, Walk on Girl due on both formats on 1/29.

Scream Factory has set Christian Duguay’s Screamers for Blu-ray release on 1/29. They also have The Howling II due on Blu-ray on 1/15.

Scream has also announced that they’re releasing The Mangler on Blu-ray on 12/11, mastered from a new 4K scan of the original camera negative and featuring audio commentary by co-writer Stephen David Brooks, and a new interview with actor Robert Englund.

Universal Studios Home Entertainment has set Assassination Nation for release on Blu-ray and DVD on 12/18.

Briarcliff Entertainment will release Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 11/9 documentary on Blu-ray and DVD on 12/18 as well.

The Cinema Guild will release Jeff Malmberg’s Marwencol: Special Edition on Blu-ray on 12/18 too, featuring lost scenes, additional story sequences, deleted scenes, and more.

Arrow Video will release Luciano Ercoli’s The Forbidden Photos of A Lady Above Suspicion (1970) on Blu-ray on 1/15. They also have Gilbert Moses’ Willie Dynamite (1974) due on 1/8.

Here’s something interesting: Mill Creek Entertainment is releasing a series of 1980s B-movies on Blu-ray in “retro VHS-look packaging” on 1/15 (they’ve apparently been retail exclusives thus far), including Krull, Hardbodies, Last Action Hero, Silent Rage, Happy Birthday to Me, and Who’s Harry Crumb? You can see the Krull packaging above left.

Section 23 and Maiden Japan will release the Human Crossing: Complete Collection anime on Blu-ray on 1/8.

HBO is releasing Judd Apatow’s The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling on Blu-ray on 12/18.

We recently reviewed Indicator’s William Castle at Columbia: Volume One Blu-ray box set here at The Bits. Fans of that will be pleased to know that the William Castle at Columbia: Volume Two box set is due on 12/14, featuring Zotz!, 12 Frightened Girls!, The Old Dark House, and Strait-Jacket. You can pre-order it on Amazon here.

Finally today, Bits reader Andrew D asked Turbine Media Group in Germany for clarification on the differences in running time between the “unrated” version of Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho that they’re including in their Psycho Legacy Collection: Limited Edition Blu-ray box set due on 1/31/19 in Germany (it’s coded for region A, B and C – click here to pre-order it from Amazon.de) and the U.S. theatrical release. Here’s their response:

“We’re talking roughly 20 secs [longer] here. Then... from what we’re researched... there’s no US cut or German cut. Apparently Hitchcock delivered a single cut to the studio. This was submitted to the appropriate ratings boards (especially MPAA and BBFC). Then, and this is what we (strongly) assume, Universal edited the film to release it. For some reason, all or some German prints were not censored. One of these prints ended up being used for a telecine for German TV in the 90s, after which the print was sent to storage. We were able to track this down with the help of a genius at Universal (going through old delivery notes). So we regard this version as the true original version, which by today’s standards presumably would be the so called “unrated version” – with the exception that this was in fact rated (16 and above) in Germany.”

Thanks to Andrew for sending that along. Note that this “unrated” cut will be included in the box in two versions: The original English and a German-dubbed version (with German opening and closing credits, and a replacement shot of Loomis writing a letter in German instead of English as in the English version). Again, you can pre-order the set here and you can see the opening packaging below:

All right, that’s all for today. Stay tuned...!

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