Ghosthouse
Blu-ray
Director: Umberto Lenzi
Writer(s): Sheila Goldberg, Umberto Lenzi, Cinthia McGavin
Cast: Lara Wendel, Greg Scott, Mary Sellers, Donald O’Brien
Scream Factory
Not Rated | 94 Minutes
Release Date: June 30, 2015

In Italy, The Evil Dead was released as La Casa, and Evil Dead II became La Casa II. These films were followed by three unrelated horror sequels branded with the same name: La Casa 3 (Ghosthouse), La Casa 4 (Witchery), and La Casa 5 (Beyond Darkness).

Directed by Umberto Lenzi (under the alias Humphrey Humbert), 1988’s Ghosthouse is an Italian rip-off of The Amityville Horror and Poltergeist.

The Exorcist, which remains one of the most powerful, galvanizing, controversial, unsettling, and downright chilling films of all time, celebrates its 40th anniversary today.

Directed by William Friedkin (fresh off a cachet of Academy Awards given to his prior film, The French Connection, including Best Director) and adapted by William Peter Blatty from his own novel, which had been released a few years prior and was a bestseller, The Exorcist remains so many things which elevate it from what on paper sort of reads like a hackneyed Z-budget William Castle/HG Lewis dime store narrative: A young girl gets possessed by a demon, and a priest is called to administer an exorcism, but everyone gets more than they bargained for in the process.

Hello Geeks and Ghouls, Famous Monster here. Well, it’s finally October and you know what that means? Breast Cancer Awareness 5Ks? Good guess. Pumpkin Spice Lattes? Delicious, but no. Halloween? YES. Horror movies? DOUBLE YES!

Welcome to 31 Days of Horror, where I’ll cover at least two noteworthy horror films a day for the entirety of the month. That’s 31 Days of Horror and 62+ scary movies perfect for a cold, dark October night. Be sure to visit Geeks of Doom every day this month for a double-shot of chills and thrills!

“What an excellent day for an exorcism!” Today’s one-two punch of demonic terror features William Friedkin‘s 1973 classic, The Exorcist, and Richard Donner‘s 1976 film, The Omen. The power of Christ compels you… to read!

Today, The Exorcist Extended Director’s Cut was released on Blu-ray and DVD, as well as for the first time to iTunes along with Bonus extras. We here at Geeks of Doom have one iTunes download of the film with the bonus extras to giveaway to one lucky reader!

One (1) winner will receive:

• One (1) iTunes Download for The Exorcist: Extended Director’s Cut with Bonus Extras

TO ENTER: There’s just two simple steps:

(1) Make sure you’re subscribed to the Geeks of Doom email digest. If you’re not then click here and sign up. (If you’re already a subscriber, then go right to the next step.)

(2) Fill out the entry form here below and submit. (Form is here after the jump.)

Good luck!

Moments after my editor asked me to write this article about The Exorcist coming to Blu-ray I had a three-paragraph nostalgia trip spill out of my brain. It was a little too deep to waste on a release notice like this, so I’ve decided to bank that story for the time being and unleash it on you all when I actually get my geeky mitts on the Blu-ray for review.

Let’s just agree that I can’t hardly wait for that moment. Anyhoo, this upcoming 2-Disc Digibook Blu-ray package, to be released on October 5, 2010, will contain both the original 1973 theatrical release and the Y2K Director’s cut re-release, along with two feature-length documentaries, commentary tracks by both director William Friedkin and writer/producer William Peter Blatty, interviews, storyboards, and a bunch of featurette-level material and trailers.

I wanted a copy before all that jazz, so I’m already a happy camper. Check out the Red-band trailer for the Blu-ray release and a full rundown of features here after the jump.