{jatabs type="content" position="top" height="auto" skipAnim="true" mouseType="click" animType="animFade"}

[tab title="Movie Review"]

Stephen King's SLeepwalkers 0 Blu-ray

I hate cats.  I have an old joke that I use in the classroom.  First day stuff, so students know where I stand on the issue of those nasty fur balls.  It goes like this: “Rough start to the day.  I ran over a cat on the way to work.  (Pause.)  Yeah, I had to cross two lanes of traffic to do it, BUT I DID IT!!!!” Fist pump.  Don’t worry, I teach upper levels, so I am not traumatizing little kids.  Anyway, a horror movie with cats at its center – or some kind of variation of those frolicsome felines – is a no-brainer for me: if only to prove my own intolerance to them. 

"Stephen King’s Sleepwalkers is a cult classic that you should be checking out next!"


When Stephen King’s name is attached to the movie, though, you know I am bound to be grinning in the front row. Sleepwalkers, originally released in 1992, is that movie.  And it was a cool evening in April when I first sat through this mad tale of human-sized werecats living among us.  It is only through their mirrored reflection that they can be seen for what they are: hairless beasts that feed from female virgins.  MEOW.

Starring Brian Krause (Charmed), Mädchen Amick (Twin PeaksRiverdale)) and Alice Krige (Ghost Story), this campy film, now regarded as a cult classic thanks to a rather gnarly opening stretch in which a werecat mother (Krige) has passionate sex with her son (Krause) in order to survive.  Blessed with telekinesis and the power of illusion, these bipedal beasts have only one natural enemy: CATS.  That fact is established early on, hilariously enough, with a bear trap set up to ensnare the local cats who growl and grunt and hiss around their property.  We even hear it snap. {googleads}

Things get hairy rather quickly when Charles (Krause) starts hanging with Tanya (Amick) and batting his eyes at her, wooing her with his creative writing stories in class.  We are introduced to her character through a fun scenario which sees her working at an empty movie theater, dancing her way through cleaning the lobby. She might be innocent but, as the final girl here, Tanya is different, slaying her way through all sorts of supernatural villains.  Falling for her character is easy enough. The fact that she survives – and is not just the helpless victim as she learns the truth about Charles and his mother – is an eye-popping detail.Stephen King's SLeepwalkers 0 Blu-ray

But the cats, who are able to defeat werecats with bites and scratches, are quickly multiplying around their house.  They don’t want the werecats in this small Indiana town either.  So, they gather and gather and gather and, soon enough, a small four-legged army has formed.  Yes, the cats are the heroes here which, considering my first paragraph, might lead you to think I’d hate this movie.  Cats as protagonists?  Yuck.  But it works in the confines of King’s script and, as the film features great cameos from John Landis, Joe Dante, Clive Barker, Tobe Hooper, Mark Hamill, Ron Perlman, and King himself, the fact of four-legged heroes just adds to the horror camp appeal of the entire hair-raising affair that is Sleepwalkers.

Sleepwalkers, with a brand-new commentary from director Mick Garris (Bag of BonesCritters 2) Kraus, and Amick, is now available as a Collector’s Edition thanks to Scream Factory.  It is time to get litter-ate, Brothers and Sisters of the Ghouls, Stephen King’s Sleepwalkers is a cult classic that you should be checking out next!

4 beers

[/tab]

[tab title="Details"]

Stephen King's SLeepwalkers 0 Blu-ray

MPAA Rating: R for strong violence and sensuality, and for language.
Runtime:
91 mins
Director
: Mick Garris
Writer:
Stephen King
Cast:
Brian Krause, Mädchen Amick, Alice Krige
Genre
: Horror
Tagline:
The first Stephen King story written expressly for the scream.
Memorable Movie Quote: "You're right, Mr. Fallows. People really should learn to keep their hands to themselves. Here's yours."
Theatrical Distributor:
Columbia Pictures Corporation
Official Site:
Release Date:
April 10, 1992
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
November 6, 2018
Synopsis: Brian Krause and Alice Krige star in this terrifying tale of modern-day vampires who move from small town to small town to prey on virtuous young women. Imperceptibly inhuman to everyone except for felines, these vicious shape-shifters have their eyes on a new victim: Mädchen Amick is Tanya, the sexually curious virgin who falls for Charles, the new boy in school (Krause). Mutating at will from golden boy to savage monster, Charles stalks Tanya to feed his seductive mother. As the tension mounts (and the casualties pile up), the town's tabbies gather for a final, chilling showdown with the monsters in their midst – and we all know it's not nice to hurt people's felines.

{googleads}

[/tab]

[tab title="Blu-ray Review"]

Stephen King's SLeepwalkers 0 Blu-ray

Blu-ray

Blu-ray Details:

Home Video Distributor: Shout Factory
Available on Blu-ray
- November 6, 2018
Screen Formats: 1.85:1
Subtitles
: Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature
Audio:
English; DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; single disc
Region Encoding: Locked to Region A

NEW 2k scan and 1080p transfer is simply fantastic.  The crisp image is fully resolved with the lightest, most beautiful layer of grain and no detection of digital noise reduction whatsoever.  Blacks are deep and strong.  The mastering here is impeccable.  There is a fair amount of detail and not a speck of dirt to be found in the scans of the original movie, though.  Simply put, this title has never looked better.  The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 takes full advantage of the horror atmospherics and the score, carrying the viewer from one scene to the next, with ease.

Supplements:

Commentary:

  • See Special Features for the complete list of goodies.

Special Features:

There’s a party going on here!  Check out this loaded release below:

NEW Audio Commentary With Director Mick Garris And Actors Mädchen Amick And Brian Krause

NEW Feline Trouble – An Interview With Director Mick Garris

NEW When Charles Met Tanya – A Conversation With Actors Mädchen Amick And Brian Krause

NEW Family Values – An Interview With Actress Alice Krige

NEW Feline Trouble: The FX Of Stephen King's Sleepwalkers – Interviews With Special Make-up Effects Creator Tony Gardner And Prosthetics Designer Mike Smithson

Behind-The-Scenes Footage

Theatrical Trailer

TV Spots

Still Gallery

{googleads}

[/tab]

[tab title="Trailer"]

[/tab]

[tab title="Art"]

Stephen King's SLeepwalkers 0 Blu-ray

[/tab]

{/jatabs}