In the briefest special feature on Criterion’s stunning DVD and Blu-ray of 1977’s HOUSE, filmmaker Ti West (of the incredible HOUSE OF THE DEVIL) says, “As a filmgoer, how could you ignore a movie that’s unlike any movie you’ve ever seen before? How is that not the most exciting thing?” And he’s absolutely right. HOUSE is something truly special, a film that’s unique and mind blowing—and one whose qualities have not been tarnished by time.

The first time I saw MANIAC, I had absolutely no clue about the reverence it receives from horror and sleaze fans. I’d found the VHS for $1 in a going-out-of-business video shop when I was 16, and was under the impression I’d stumbled upon a truly odd hidden gem. Years later, I now very much understand its context and the place it holds in exploitation lovers’ hearts.

This is gonna be a bit of a quickie because 1) practically the entirety of ALTITUDE (on DVD and Blu-ray this week from Anchor Bay) takes place on a small eight-passenger plane, and as a result 2) the limited space for the story to function in allows for some nifty surprises. Since there’s not much monster action, there’s…really not much to talk about without giving the non-monster stuff away. And since the monster’s origin is one of the flick’s biggest tricks…well, you get the point. What I can do is tell you the plot and introduce the characters!

As a child in the ’80s, walking into the horror section at the local video store was one of life’s greatest pleasures. There was a poster of Freddy Krueger on the wall that was absolutely terrifying. I was watching horror films at the age of 7 (my older brothers conditioned me to be the blood-loving lady that I am today), but I didn’t see Wes Craven’s A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET until I was much older; I wasn’t sure I could handle the visually assaultive Mr. Krueger.

VAMPIRE GIRL VS. FRANKENSTEIN GIRL (out today on a two-DVD set and Blu-ray from FUNimation) is exactly what you’d expect from a teaming of the directors (Yoshihiro Nishimura and Naoyuki Tomomatsu) who gave us TOKYO GORE POLICE and STACY. It’s a supergory collision between schoolgirls and the undead that represents the zenith of extreme Japanese splatter satire.

THE RIG (now on DVD from Anchor Bay) wants to be ALIEN in the worst way…and unfortunately succeeds. Instead of a spaceship, we have the crew of an offshore oil rig hunted by a creature that was released when the team was looking for a new drilling spot.

LOST BOYS: THE THIRST (now on DVD and Blu-ray from Warner) begins five years after Alan Frog (Jamison Newlander) was bitten during an assault on a Washington, D.C. vampire coven. Edgar Frog (Corey Feldman) once again takes center stage in this latest franchise entry, which hews closer to the original’s spirit than the abysmal LOST BOYS: THE TRIBE…but that’s not saying much.