Ultimate DVD's news. Here's a few of this issue's stories, compiled by Grant Kempster

SUPER DVDs (1)

As the X-Men movie sends superhero-based movies to the forefronts of the public’s consciousness, the DVD market is keen to pick up on the trend, and hot on the red leather boots of the Supergirl SE, comes news of a Special Edition DVD of Superman.

The Region 1 disc (lacking any confirmed release date as yet), will be a DVD-18 disc which already makes it look extremely attractive (remember, DVD-18 means that both sides are multi-layered, ie: lots of extras!). There is the 143-minute theatrical cut plus an extended cut via seamless branching (thankfully becoming more the norm for SEs these days) in a new 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer with remastered 5.1-channel soundtrack.

Extras include an original documentary featuring several new interviews and never-before-seen footage shot during the original production. There will of course be an audio commentary by Richard Donner along with creative consultant Tom Mankiewicz as well as a 5.1 isolated music score. We should also be able to expect screen tests, trailers and TV spots plus a whole lot more.

SUPER DVDs (2)

On the subject of X-Men, the disc which could be arriving on Region 1 as early as November is expected to include the theatrical cut, plus the director’s cut which will hopefully include the 45 minutes hacked from the film. There are even rumours that Bryan Singer will film special scenes featuring the origins of Cyclops and Storm purely for the disc.

The horror! The horror!

A spooky series of scary titles are coming our way on Region 1. Firstly there’s Lucio Fulci’s classic The Beyond from Anchor Bay, which is in a gloriously anamorphic 2.35:1 ratio with a new DD5.1 soundtrack, as well as the original mono track. The disc will also include rare on-set interviews with the director, three trailers, a music video, the lost German colour pre-credit sequence and a stills gallery.

If that doesn’t scare you silly then there’s still the re-issue of Hellraiser which comes with an anamorphic 1.85:1 transfer and DD5.1 sound and a new audio commentary from Clive Barker and Ashley Lawrence. The disc also contains a ‘Making of’ featurette called Resurrection, as well as cast bios and the trailer.

Still not hiding behind the sofa? Paramount will have you thrusting that cushion in front of your face for sure, with five top Horror titles. Rosemary’s Baby, The Dead Zone and Pet Semetary offer anamorphic 1.85:1 transfers and 2.0 Surround (although the first two will also have DD5.1 tracks) and Rosemary’s Baby will also include interview footage. Our favourite hockey-masked slasher will also be making an appearance in the third and ninth episodes of the Friday the 13th franchise with Part 3 (although alas not in 3D) in an anamorphic 2.35:1 transfer and Part 9 in anamorphic 1.85:1.

Finally, there’s Columbia’s Special Edition of The Craft which comes with a 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer, a DD5.1 soundtrack, commentary from director, two featurettes, deleted scenes with optional commentary, isolated music score and the original trailer. Looks like you’ll all be swapping trick-or-treating this year for a DVD night in..

The Wrong Side of the Tracks
The finest quotes from recent DVD commentary tracks...

“There was this drunk Grip yelling ‘Snorkle Dork, Snorkle Dork’ and we were really depressed ’cause we didn’t know if it was going to work”
Men in Black director Barry Sonnenfeld relates his anguish at whether the rubber-suited Mikey would work on screen.

“Geoffrey really wanted to play that role as John Waters, the film director”
William Malone reveals the inspiration for House on Haunted Hill’s eccentric millionaire Stephen Price

“We had to redub him. He was nervous on the day doing the scene with Leo that he kept saying to the character Richard, ‘What are you doing in Thailand, Leo?’ He was so nervous he couldn’t tell what he was saying”
Danny Boyle explains why dialogue was redubbed for a scene in which a police officer interviews Richard in The Beach

“She’s an extraordinary actress and a lovely lady. More importantly, she’s an Arsenal supporter. We’d talk about the film for five minutes and Arsenal for about two hours”
Alan Parker gets his priorities right with his Angela’s Ashes leading lady Emily Watson

Also this month

• The original (Charlie's) Angels find their way onto disc
• Could it be true? A machine which plays both DVD and VHS?!
• Doh! Homer, Marge, Bart and Lisa are coming, a season at a time!
• News of a flood of great back-catalogue titles on their way
• Some amazing extras to be found on the next wave of Bond titles
• Great Scott! Back to the Future comes to DVD!
• Plus, the lowdown on the latest extras-filled releases....