Demko's DVD shelf

Before I get into the DVDs today, a quick plug for three cool screenings happening today at the Douglass Theatre in downtown Macon.

First, at noon, comes a free screening of two music docos "Jimi Hendrix plays Monterey" and "Shake! Otis At Monterey." Jimi and Otis - what better way could you find to spend your lunch hour (or two)? And it's free to boot.

Later in the day, the Douglass is offering two screenings, at 5:30 and 7:30 of Al Gore's thoroughly terrifying "An Inconvenient Truth." Though the movie is essentially one lecture by Mr. Gore about global warming, it's actually quite entertaining, and Mr. Gore shows more charm and humor than I thought he was capable of. This is the first time's it played in Macon, and it's only $5, so definitely check it out.

As far as DVDs, there's other stuff being released today, but I'm gonna stick with the horror stuff, which is all fairly great.

"Frankenstein" and "Dracula"

Where better to start then with a double feature of two really creepy creatures? These movies, and the stories they sprang from, started with one key premise that modern horror flicks seem to have forgotten: The monster should be as interesting as it is menacing.

James Whale's "Frankenstein" set the bar higher than any of its successors thanks to two magnificent performances from Boris Karloff as the monster and Colin Clive as Dr. Frankenstein. Supplements include two commentaries, one with Rudy Behlmer and one with historian Sir Christopher Frayling; "Karloff: The Gentle Monster" featurette; "The Frankenstein Files: How Hollywood Made a Monster" featurette; Feature-length documentary about Universal Horror; "Monster Tracks" interactive pop-up trivia; "Frankenstein Archives" poster and still galleries.

Bela Lugosi got to use more style to play Bram Stoker's "Dracula" later in 1931 (note, that's "Dracula," not "Bram Stoker's Dracula" - big difference.) The coolest thing about this 75th anniversary edition is the option to watch the film accompanied by Philip Glass' music, performed by the Kronos Quartet. There's also "Dracula: Spanish Version" (1931), which was shot at night on the same sets as the Lugosi classic by George Melford. Other supplements include commentaries by film historian David J. Skal and by Steve Haberman, screenwriter of "Dracula: Dead and Loving It"; "Lugosi: The Dark Prince" featurette; "The Road to Dracula" featurette; "Monster Tracks" interactive pop-up trivia; an introdution to the Spanish Version by Lupita Tovar Kohner; the Universal Horror documentary and a poster montage.

"A Nightmare on Elm Street"

One worthy heir to these great creepers was Robert Englund's Freddy Krueger, and this week the original "Nightmare" gets a new special edition from Infinifilm (the ladies may remember this one also featured a certain young man named Depp.) Though he later became a cartoonish character, Englund's Krueger, a child killer who returns from the dead to torment teens in their dreams, is thoroughly terrifying in this first flick. Supplements include a commentary by director Wes Craven, stars Heather Langenkamp and John Saxon, and director of photography Jacques Haitkin; Alternate ending(s); and three featurettes, "Never Sleep Again: The Making of A Nightmare on Elm Street," "The House That Freddy Built: The Legacy of New Line Horror" and "Night Terrors: The Origins of Wes Craven's Nightmares."

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Tobe Hooper's 1974 slasher, with its masked boogeyman modeled on Ed Gein, has more in common with today's gore-first approach to horror, but it still stands up over time. With a new version hitting theaters soon, this two disc set was inevitable, and it's loaded with intriguing extras. They include two commentaries, one by actors Marilyn Burns, Paul A. Partain, Allen Danziger, and art designer Robert A. Burns, and one by director Tobe Hooper, cinematographer Daniel Pearl and actor Gunnar Hansen; two documentaries, the 73-minutes "Texas Chain Saw Massacre: The Shocking Truth" and the 74-minute "Flesh Wounds"; a tour of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre house before and after remodeling, conducted by Gunnar Hansen; deleted scenes and outtakes; a blooper reel; outtakes from "The Shocking Truth" and still galleries.

"The Dead Zone - Special Collector's Edition"

Both director David Cronenberg and star Christopher Walken were surprisingly subdued for this 1983 Stephen King adaptation. Walken plays a schoolteacher who wakes from a five-year coma with a gift for second sight that comes in battering shocks. At the risk of offending all partisans of "The Shawshank Redemption," which also has its charms, this one remains my favorite King adaptation, and it was tailormade for Cronenberg's style. Supplements include four featurettes, "Memories From The Dead Zone," "The Look of The Dead Zone," "Visions and Horror From The Dead Zone" and "The Politics of The Dead Zone."

"Gilmore Girls" returns tonight

I awoke this morning to the distressing news that AICN's Hercules, who has been a strong supporter of "Gilmore Girls" from the beginning, says the new season premiere sorely misses show creator Amy Sherman-Palladino, who left at the end of last season. His exact words: "like 'West Wing' without Sorkin." Ouch. I'll still tune in tonight for the seventh season premiere on the CW at 8, of course, and I encourage any fans of witty dialogue and colorful characters to do the same. Peace out.