Scream Factory Delivers the Goods With Their New Blu-rays of DRACULA (1979) and PROPHECY (1979)!

JOHN BADHAM'S VERSION OF DRACULA, AND JOHN FRANKENHEIMER'S CAUTIONARY TALE OF ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION BOTH GET STELLAR NEW BLU-RAY RELEASES ON NOVEMBER 26TH!

I reported on the previous Blu-ray release of DRACULA, but still haven't seen "Langella Drac" in all of his majesty. But I absolutely want to, especially now that Scream Factory has gone the extra mile and (quite possibly) created the definitive Blu-ray release of John Badham's film! (Plus that cover art by Mark Maddox is just absolutely gorgeous!) PROPHECY on the other hand is a movie I'm very familiar with, and totally adore! In fact, you may recall that it was previously featured on this very site as part of our WANTED ON BLU-RAY column back in January of this year! (I'm not saying there's a correlation there but... I think I can take a tiny bit of credit for this Blu-ray's existence.) Both films arrive on Blu-ray on Tuesday, November 26th and are loaded up with new special features! Read on Vault Dwellers to get all of the juicy details!

DRACULA (1979 - COLLECTOR'S EDITION)

Synopsis: Throughout history, Dracula has filled the hearts of men with fear and the hearts of women with desire. In this stylish production of Bram Stoker's classic gothic horror tale, Frank Langella reprises his electrifying, award-winning stage performance as the bloodthirsty Count Dracula as he goes in search of his ultimate bride. Meanwhile, the renowned and relentless vampire hunter, Professor Van Helsing (Sir Laurence Olivier - CLASH OF THE TITANS), seeks to end the dark prince's reign of terror over the citizens of Transylvania. Directed by John Badham (SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER, BLUE THUNDER), featuring an all-star cast and a superbly atmospheric score by the great John Williams, DRACULA (1979) is an unforgettable adaption of one of the most enduring horror legends of all time.

Disc Specs:
Rated R | Color | 110 minutes | Region A
Video - 1080p Widescreen (2.35:1)
Audio - English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo

Extras:

DISC ONE (DESATURATED COLOR TIMING)

• NEW! Introduction By Director John Badham!
• NEW! King Of My Kind – An Interview With John Badham!
• NEW! What Sad Music – An Interview With Writer W.D. Richter!
• NEW! Dracula’s Guest – An Interview With Camera Assistant Jim Alloway!
• NEW! Interview With Editor John Bloom!
• NEW! Interview With Make-Up Artist Peter Robb-King!
• NEW! Interview With Hair Stylist Colin Jamison!
• NEW! Interview With Assistant Director Anthony Waye!
• NEW! Interview With Production Manager Hugh Harlow!
• Audio Commentary With Director John Badham
• The Revamping Of Dracula Featurette

DISC TWO (ORIGINAL THEATRICAL COLOR TIMING)

• NEW! 4K Scan Of The Best Available Original Film Elements!
• NEW! Introduction By Director John Badham!
• NEW! Audio Commentary By Film Historian/Filmmaker Constantine Nasr!
• Theatrical Trailer
• Radio Spots
• Still Gallery

Wow! This two-disc set offers up quite a bit: A new 4K Scan of the original theatrical version, two different presentations of the film, loads of new cast & crew interviews, and a new audio commentary! Scream Factory's Collector's Edition Blu-ray of DRACULA (1979) arrives on Tuesday, November 26th and should cost between $25 - $28! Order a copy ASAP from AMAZON, BULL MOOSE, DIABOLIK DVD, or directly from SHOUT! FACTORY, which will also net you an 18 x 24 poster featuring Mark Maddox's cover art (while supplies last of course)!

PROPHECY (1979)

Synopsis: Robert Foxworth (DAMIEN: OMEN II) and Talia Shire (The ROCKY series, THE GODFATHER) star as a doctor and his wife who travel to Maine to research the impact of the lumber industry on the local environment. They begin to investigate a succession of mysterious and terrifying events: ecological freaks of nature and a series of bizarre and grisly human deaths.

Something unimaginably horrible waits in the woods ... something unwittingly created by man, that will become an uncontrollable, merciless machine of destruction. Veteran director John Frankenheimer (THE ISLAND OF DR. MOREAU) presents "a gritty, violent, and deadly film that [packs] a death punch with very vivid, nightmarish special effects..."

Disc Specs:
Rated R | Color | 102 minutes | Region A
Video - 1080p Widescreen (2.35:1)
Audio - English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo

Extras:

• NEW! All Of Our Sins – An Interview With Talia Shire!
• NEW! Bearing Up – An Interview With Actor Robert Foxworth!
• NEW! Bear And Grin It – An Interview With Writer David Seltzer!
• NEW! Hard To Bear – An Interview With Special Make-up Effects Designer Tom Burman!
• NEW! Prophecy Prodigy – An Interview With Special Make-up Effects Artist Allan Apone!
• NEW! Beneath The Bear – An Interview With Mime Artist Tom McLoughlin!
• Theatrical Trailer
• Radio Spots
• Still Gallery

On November 26th, one of my dreams finally becomes a reality when John Frankenheimer's PROPHECY is officially released on Blu-ray! While I'm extremely happy at the number of interviews included on this disc, I admit that I'm a tad disappointed that it lacks any deleted/extended scenes or a Lee Gambin commentary! That being said, this is a day one purchase for yours truly, and if you've read this far, likely is for you as well! PROPHECY should cost between $24 - $25, and is readily available to order from AMAZON, BULL MOOSE, DIABOLIK DVD, or directly from SHOUT! FACTORY.

WANTED ON BLU-RAY: PROPHECY (1979)

WANTED ON BLU-RAY: PROPHECY (1979)

Rated PG | Color | 102 minutes

UPDATE (08/20/2025): John Frankenheimer's PROPHECY came to Blu-ray on November 26th, 2019! Get yourself a copy HERE! The film is also available on 4K UHD via Kino Lorber Studio Classics, and can be purchased HERE!

Back in the late 80s - early 90s, I caught a ton of cool eco-Horror flicks on cable television. I watched in awe and excitement as humanity battled killer sharks, bears, alligators & crocodiles, piranha, crabs, and even SLUGS, but few captured my imagination more than John Frankenheimer's PROPHECY.

With its eco-friendly message of "don't pollute the environment, lest you bring about the wrath of ManBearPig," PROPHECY saw a VHS release in 1982, and got regular play on TBS, TNT, and even USA Network years after that before finally arriving on DVD in January of 2002.

With studios raiding their vaults in recent years, you'd think that this gem would have made the leap to Blu-ray by now, especially after building up a definite cult following. But sadly that isn't the case, and PROPHECY continues to languish in DVD hell, even as this cautionary tale of exploding sleeping bags celebrates its 40th anniversary!

Synopsis: Dr. Robert Verne (Robert Foxworth - the voice of "Ratchet" in Michael Bay's TRANSFORMERS films) and his wife Maggie (Talia Shire - the ROCKY series) head to the forests of Northern Maine to investigate the impact a paper mill is having on the surrounding environment and the indigenous Native American tribe. Though the plant's director Bethel Isely (Richard Dysart - THE THING) assures Dr. Verne that things are on the up and up, the investigator quickly surmises that the entire area has been polluted with Methylmercury.

The result of this prolonged exposure to the hazardous chemical has caused a variety of health issues with the local natives, turned raccoons into crazed killers, and resulted in oversized fauna, most notably a monstrous mutant bear (portrayed by both Tom McLoughlin AND Kevin Peter Hall, aka the original PREDATOR)! Eventually Dr. Verne, his wife, Isley, and a small group of other hapless humans (including Armand Assante and Victoria Racimo) find themselves hunted by "Katahdin," and must either exit the woods or find a way to kill the deformed beast!

HONEY STOPS THE PAIN!

PROPHECY is a shockingly well-made film with an impressive cast (though Armand Assante proves to be a bit melodramatic at times), but it definitely takes its subject matter way too seriously. The plight of indigenous people, the rape of the natural world, the evils of capitalism, and the dangers of pollution all take a backseat to what is essentially a silly rubber monster movie. And yet, that's part of this its charm. PROPHECY is an unheralded classic that could use a little more respect, and deserves a Blu-ray release dammit!

Availability: You can stream PROPHECY instantly or buy a digital copy in HD. For lovers of physical media you can still obtain the old 2002 Paramount DVD (which used to be like $5 - $10 and now goes for $13 - $75+!), OR you can get the Warner Bros. reissue (released May 21, 2013) which is currently going for around $25. The only major difference between both of these (as far as I can tell) is the cover art. You can also watch a low-resolution upload of PROPHECY for free on YouTube.

Current Rights Holder: Paramount, though I find it quite curious that Warner Bros. was the last company to distribute PROPHECY on DVD. If Warner still somehow retained the rights, there's a slight chance that maybe Scream Factory could put this title out on Blu-ray, as they have been announcing a lot of Warner titles as of late. (Mainly Hammer Horror films.) That likely isn't the case, therefore Paramount is the sole reason PROPHECY hasn't been released to Blu-ray yet.

And I'm going to focus my burning glare upon them until that day comes!

Blu-ray Wishlist:

• A new 4K restoration of the film from an archival print. (Though I will settle for a 2K scan all things considered.
• Two cuts of the film. (Theatrical and Extended Cuts.) 
• Original Mono and newly created 5.1 Audio mix.
• Interviews with surviving cast and crew - Talia Shire, Robert Foxworth, Armand Assante, Victoria Racimo, Tom McLoughlin, and anyone that helped bring "Katahdin" and the other creatures in the film to life.
• Audio commentary by film historian and eco-horror buff Lee Gambin.
• Deleted scenes and extended scenes.
• Gallery of production photos and promotional art.
• Trailers

PROPHECY's been a long-time favorite of yours truly, and I would love it if Paramount gave it the royal treatment! Even if we never get to see all of the excised gore or the steamy Foxworth/Shire love scene, it'd be great just to have a copy of the film in HD with improved audio quality! If you are as passionate as I am about Paramount's mutant melty-bear eco-horror classic, then let them know on Twitter and Facebook! Maybe if we make a little noise on the web (and if Hell freezes over), they'll take notice and take pity upon those of us that still collect physical media.