STEPHEN KING'S "GRAVEYARD SHIFT" GETS ITS NORTH AMERICAN BLU-RAY DEBUT ON JULY 28TH!
Last September I mentioned GRAVEYARD SHIFT in an entry into my WANTED ON BLU-RAY column. Seeing as how Scream Factory was releasing a lot of Paramount titles, I made an educated guess that this oft-forgotten 90s Horror gem would end up in their catalog in the not too distant future.
And now, eght months later, I stand before you all with a big grin on my face because I WAS RIGHT! So get excited Vault Dwellers because in just over two months, we'll all get to enjoy this (very loose) adaptation of King's short story from his Night Shift anthology!
Synopsis: Workers clock in for their shift ... and clock out for good! From master storyteller Stephen King (Pet Sematary) comes his most terror-filled tale yet ...
When an abandoned textile mill is reopened, several employees meet mysterious deaths. The link between the killings is the hour: all occurred between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. – the GRAVEYARD SHIFT. The sadistic mill foreman has chosen a group to clean up the mill's rat-infested basement. But what the workers find is a subterranean maze of tunnels leading to the cemetery – and an unimaginable horror that comes alive in the dead of night ...
Disc Specs:
Rated R | Color | 89 minutes | Region A
Video - 1080p Widescreen (1.85:1?)
Audio - TBA
Extras:
TBA
The bonus features for Scream Factory's GRAVEYARD SHIFT Blu-ray are still in progress as of my posting this, but I'll be sure to update this post as soon as that info has been supplied to me! In the meantime, you can guarantee a copy of GRAVEYARD SHIFT for your personal collection by ordering it now (for between $20 - $25) through AMAZON, BULL MOOSE, DIABOLIK DVD, or directly from SHOUT! FACTORY.
UPDATE (08/20/2025): The Scream Factory release of GRAVEYARD SHIFT is now OOP. Luckily, Kino Lorber Studio Classics picked up the rights and has released this film on both Blu-ray and 4K UHD!
When I was growing up in my hometown of Scranton, PA between the late 80s / early 90s, there was an awesome mom & pop video store minutes away from the house called Electric City Video. With a cool sign (featuring neon pink lettering), its pleasant "video store smell" (a unique scent that can never be replicated), and impressive collection of Horror and Sci-Fi films on VHS. Sigh... it truly was heaven.
I always made sure to peruse the covers for the films that I wasn't allowed to watch, and how could I not? VHS covers were a definite art form, and beautifully designed to entice you to rent a movie. There were so many memorable VHS covers, but one that frequently caught my eye was Stephen King's GRAVEYARD SHIFT. The cyclopean skull with the bloody hardhat always drew me in.
I wouldn't actually get to see GRAVEYARD SHIFT until I was a teenager, when my uncle (a huge King fan that has since passed away) allowed me to borrow his VHS copy. While it didn't quite catch on with me then, I have since become a fan of this Stephen King adaptation, which is loosely based upon his short story of the same name. (It's one of the many tales contained in Night Shift!) With the upcoming theatrical release of DOCTOR SLEEP in November, plus the impending Blu-ray releases of THE SHINING (on 4K UHD), THE STAND (restored!), and SILVER BULLET (Collector's Edition!), I figure it's only a matter of time before GRAVEYARD SHIFT gets a physical media upgrade!
Synopsis: A drifter named John Hall (David Andrews - CHERRY 2000, FIGHT CLUB) gets hired at a rat-infested textile mill in Maine, that is run by an unhinged foreman named Warwick (Stephen Macht - THE MONSTER SQUAD, NIGHTWING). When asked to clean out the basement to make room for more office space, Hall and various other employees venture into the depths of the mill with Warwick, only to discover that rats aren't the only thing nesting beneath the ancient structure!
I'm starting to think Stephen Macht has an axe to grind against bats.
GRAVEYARD SHIFT also stars Andrew Divoff (WISHMASTER), Kelly Wolf (Tales From the Darkside), Brad Dourif (the voice of Chucky in the CHILD'S PLAY series), and Vic Polizos (C.H.U.D., NIGHT OF THE CREEPS, HARLEM NIGHTS), and features a team of special effects artists that are still actively working in Hollywood to this day! As far as book-to-film adaptions go, GRAVEYARD SHIFT is fairly accurate but makes some major changes in its third act, most likely due to budget constraints.
GRAVEYARD SHIFT is sole directorial effort of Ralph Singleton, who has spent most of his career producing films, including both PET SEMATARY movies and a pair of Eddie Murphy classics. His movie is a cool creature feature with a great cast, that totally embraces its own weirdness and absurdity. (In particular, that end credits "theme song" is SO bizarre!) By now, it surely has a large enough cult following to warrant an HD overhaul!
Availability: GRAVEYARD SHIFT is readily available on DVD and digital and super cheap to boot!
Current Rights Holder: This is an easy one for a change Vault Dwellers - Paramount owns the rights to GRAVEYARD SHIFT! And seeing as how Scream Factory has been dipping into the Paramount vaults as of late, I would not be shocked if they gave this movie its big Blu-ray debut!
"He's probably right you know."
Blu-ray Wishlist:
New 4K restoration from an original 35mm film print! (But I'd settle for 2K!)
Multiple cuts of the film: Theatrical, Director's Cut, & Network TV Edit.
Audio commentary with Director Ralph S. Singleton!
Deleted & Extended scenes (If no other cuts of the film are included.)
Interview with voice actor Frank Welker (who provided sounds for the film's mon-star).
Interviews with the cast and special effects crew!
Trailers
Poster & Stills Gallery
GRAVEYARD SHIFT's 30th Anniversary is next October, and I can't think of a better birthday gift for the film, than a nice Collector's Edition release! The movie pretty much broke even during its initial theatrical run, but I'm certain it quietly found an audience on VHS and late night cable TV since then. And hopefully somebody out there (cough, Scream Factory, cough) can find it in their heart to finally bring this oft-overlooked Stephen King fright flick to Blu-ray disc!
GET A DOUBLE DOSE OF NATIVE AMERICAN FOLKLORE WITH MILL CREEK'S LATEST BARGAIN-PRICED BLU-RAY RELEASE!
UPDATE (10/02/2018): The street date for Mill Creek's NIGHTWING / SHADOW OF THE HAWK Blu-ray has been pushed back yet again! Now it is due out on October 23rd.
I am so overcome with joy Vault Dwellers! When I saw this double feature Blu-ray pop up for pre-order on Amazon, there was absolutely NO hesitation when I added it to my cart. Both NIGHTWING and SHADOW OF THE HAWK were both staples of my youth, and I have fond memories of watching them late at night on TNT.
NIGHTWING is a supernatural thriller disguised as a "nature strikes back" flick, and has flocks of vampire bats attacking people in the deserts of New Mexico. SHADOW OF THE HAWK is an adventure tale about Jan-Michael Vincent accepting his role as a medicine man in order to defeat an evil witch! This one has some truly eerie moments, and one particularly memorable scene where a demonic car crashes into an invisible wall! (Such a cool effect!)
I haven't seen any reviews about the film transfers yet, but they have to be better than the VHS-rips I've been watching for the past decade! Regardless, next week I'll be excitedly popping this disc into my Blu-ray player, and taking a trip down memory lane!
SHADOW OF THE HAWK Synopsis: The aging Indian medicine man Old Man Hawk arrives in the city to
request help of his grandson Mike, a successful business executive. Old
Man Hawk is fighting a sorcerous war with the witch Dsonqua who was
executed two hundred years before and is now seeking revenge. Mike, who
has no interest in the Indian ways, is reluctantly drawn in to helping.
Joined by a woman journalist named Maureen, Mike agrees to drive his
grandfather three hundred miles home. But along the way Dsonqua
increases her efforts and summons magical forces to destroy them.
Directed by George McCowan and Daryl Duke, and starring Jan-Michael
Vincent (THE MECHANIC, WHITE LINE FEVER), Chief Dan George (LITTLE BIG MAN, OUTLAW JOSEY WALES), Anna Hagan, and Marilyn Hassett (TWO-MINUTE WARNING, MESSENGER OF DEATH).
Disc Specs:
Rated PG | Color | 105 & 92 minutes | Region A
Video - 1080p Widescreen (1.85:1)
Audio - ?
Extras:
None.
Despite the lack of extras, I can't complain about this release because neither film has been released in HD before, and the cost is pretty darned low. (Between $8 - $15.) Order yourself a copy of this super cool double feature now from AMAZON, BULLMOOSE, DIABOLIK DVD, or directly from MILL CREEK ENTERTAINMENT!
